Chapter 8: The First Mission
Shun excitedly took the request form to Makarov. Any guild Mage who wanted to take a job had to show it to Makarov.
Only with Master Makarov's permission could a Mage go on the mission.
This was partly to know who was doing the job, and partly to prevent certain Mages from overestimating themselves and taking on missions far beyond their capabilities, which could lead to accidents.
"Hmm? Eliminate Vulcans?"
Makarov frowned. This mission wasn't simple. Although Vulcans didn't possess powerful magic, their physical combat ability was not weak.
Such missions were usually undertaken by a team of three to five people. Doing it alone was too risky.
There were only a handful of people in the guild capable of completing this mission alone.
He had witnessed how strong Shun was yesterday; logically, with Shun's strength, he could take this mission.
But this was Shun's first time taking a request. Taking on such a difficult mission for his first time—wasn't that a bit too adventurous?
Suddenly, Makarov's eyes lit up. He thought of something, raised his hand towards a certain direction, and shouted:
"Erza!!"
Erza, clad in armor, heard Master Makarov's call and immediately walked over.
"Master, do you need something?"
"It's Shun's first mission. He's surely unfamiliar with how things work. Go with him to complete this mission."
There had always been such a tradition in the Mage Guild: when a newcomer arrived, a veteran would usually guide them to get familiar with the business.
"Yes, Master."
"Shun, I'll be your teammate from now on."
Erza extended her hand to Shun.
Shun also reached out and shook Erza's hand: "Sorry to trouble you, Erza."
Erza smiled: "It's no trouble. Teammates should help each other. It's about a day's journey to the mission location. When can we set off?"
"I'm ready anytime."
Shun was currently worried about money. Finishing the mission earlier meant getting the reward earlier.
"Then go pack your luggage. Let's meet here in an hour."
Erza was efficient in her actions. Since they had decided to go on the mission, she wouldn't drag her feet.
"Okay."
Shun returned to the dormitory to pack his luggage and waited for Erza in front of the Fairy Tail Guild.
Going on a mission alone with Erza for the first time, Shun felt a little excited inside.
Erza was his favorite female character in Fairy Tail.
Beneath her beautiful, strong, and dashing exterior lay a heart that was both tough and fragile, making one unable to help but feel pity.
It was just a pity that Erza was currently just a little lolita not yet thirteen years old.
Lolitas have three good points: light body, soft skin, easy to push down.
But these three good points didn't seem to manifest at all in Little Erza.
Of course, Shun wasn't a beast who would lay hands on a child, but was there any problem developing from childhood sweethearts to lovers? No problem at all.
After all, a fifteen-year-old girl would be mature enough, just about ready for picking.
After waiting for more than half an hour, Shun saw Erza arrive. Just as he was about to greet her, he saw Erza pulling a whole cart of luggage, bags big and small, behind her. He was instantly dumbfounded.
He remembered then that Erza had a habit of carrying a massive amount of luggage whenever she went out.
Going out once was practically like moving house.
Looking at that cart of luggage, Shun's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
"Sorry... did I make you wait long?"
"No... not really, I just arrived not long ago myself."
"Then let's go."
Shun and Erza set off in a carriage together, with Erza's luggage hitched to the back.
Mt. Hakobe was covered in snow year-round, even in the hot summer.
This was not only due to geography but mainly because of the natural magic power there, which formed a natural snow mountain.
Similarly, it was precisely because of this that Mt. Hakobe gave birth to quite a few magical creatures, and the Vulcan was one of them.
At this time, the coachman suddenly said: "Guests, I can only take you this far. There are Vulcans ahead, I can't go any further."
"Send us here then."
Shun and Erza stood up and opened the rear door of the carriage.
Whoosh————!!!
A gust of cold wind blew past their faces, revealing a vast expanse of white snow-capped mountains.
As soon as Shun and Erza got off the carriage, the coachman immediately drove away without looking back. All the nearby residents had heard about the ferocious beasts, the Vulcans, being here.
If he hadn't heard that these two were Mages specializing in dealing with magic beasts, he wouldn't have come here at all.
Erza looked at the snow mountain and couldn't help frowning: "Mt. Hakobe is so big, where are we going to find those Vulcans?"
"Simple. If we can't find the Vulcans, just let the Vulcans find us."
With that, Shun took a deep breath, then shouted at the top of his lungs: "Vulcan——! Can! Can! Where are you——?! You! You! Get the hell out here, all of you——!!!"
Shun's shout echoed through the valleys of Mt. Hakobe.
Seeing Shun's method, Erza was dumbstruck. Would yelling like that really make the monsters appear?
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps rang out, getting closer and closer, as if something was coming.
Immediately after, several massive figures descended from the sky, surrounding Shun and Erza.
Single horns, pointed ears, white fur—looking like a cross between a monkey and a gorilla. These were exactly the Magic Beasts Shun and Erza were looking for, the Vulcans.
"They really appeared!!!"