Mages are generally a very wealthy group. The stronger the mage, the richer they tend to be—simply because their everyday needs make it almost impossible for them to be poor.
Of course, Ur and Natsu were complete exceptions.
All of Ur's money had been poured into a certain very real system, while Natsu simply had no concept of spending wisely. For example, after finishing a job, Natsu would spend the following period eating five meals a day, each one extravagantly expensive.
And now, the fact that this mage's treasure had attracted so many covetous eyes was enough to hint at how powerful its former owner must have been. What's more, the legacy of a powerful mage wasn't limited to money alone.
Ummmm...
Although money was the most important part of it.
After all, magic itself wasn't especially rare in this world. Even some lost, or extremely rare spells demanded extraordinary talent to learn, so most people didn't value them all that highly.
By contrast, they preferred something far more vulgar—
Money.
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Ur, Natsu, and Happy moved swiftly through the mountain range. Although they didn't know the exact distribution of Raven Tail's members, the sudden surge in people throughout the mountains made it easy to pick up information.
As the search continued, the area where the treasure might be located steadily shrank. At the same time, clashes became more and more frequent.
Boom!
An explosion echoed from the distance.
Ur and Natsu exchanged a glance and immediately rushed toward the sound.
They had already "joined the excitement" like this countless times. Most of their information came from doing exactly that. More importantly, the two of them had the strength to do so without consequences.
"Lion Brilliance!"
Just as Ur and Natsu neared the source of the fight, a furious roar rang out, followed by a blinding burst of golden light that instantly stole their vision.
The light came fast and vanished just as quickly.
Almost the moment Ur and Natsu squinted against the glare, the golden radiance disappeared as if it had never existed. Only the thunderous collapse of more than a dozen massive trees ahead proved that the attack had been real.
Ur's gaze shifted slightly. That strike reminded him of a certain "person."
As he moved closer, a short figure soon came into view, someone whose appearance was, frankly, difficult to describe.
To be honest, even back when Ur had read the original story, he had found this guy disgusting. But now that he was seeing him in person, Ur realized that the anime version had actually been… handsome by comparison.
Just a little more...
Just a little more, and Ur would have thrown up.
"Power Fragrance, Enhancement~~~ man!"
At that moment, the bizarre-looking freak in front of Ur suddenly moved. He pulled out a magical perfume sealed in a test tube, shoved it up to his nose, and inhaled deeply. In an instant, his body swelled, transforming into a hulking, muscle-bound brute. Then, striking what he clearly thought was a cool pose, he lunged at the enemy before him.
Bang!
Despite his grotesque appearance, his strength was anything but weak. When his punch was dodged, his fist slammed into a tree trunk thick enough for two people to embrace. With a single explosive sound, the massive tree snapped in half.
"Man!" The muscle freak shouted again and launched another attack.
His opponent was no ordinary fighter either. Judging by his magic power, he hadn't quite reached S-Class, but he wasn't far off. Still, compared to his magic power, what caught Ur's attention more was the emblem engraved on his body.
"So even people from Devil's Fang came to join the fun," Ur murmured. "Are they planning to use this treasure to make a comeback?"
After the battle with Angel's Wing, Devil's Fang hadn't been completely wiped out, but they were close. Their guild master was dead, and while some of their top fighters remained, they were essentially finished.
After all, Ur didn't believe Angel's Wing would give Devil's Fang any chance to rise again.
While Ur was lost in thought, Natsu, beside him, suddenly widened his eyes and shouted, "It's that bastard! Damn it! This time, you're not getting away!"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Seeing his old enemy, Natsu roared and charged straight into the fray.
Ur immediately slapped a hand to his forehead. His already aching head started to hurt even more.
"I absolutely cannot take missions with this guy anymore," Ur muttered, rubbing his temples as he made up his mind.
This time, Natsu's recklessness hadn't caused any trouble, but if it kept happening, who knew when Ur would end up getting dragged into disaster because of him?
Don't forget, Natsu could go wild all he wanted with his dragon father watching over him.
Ur didn't have that luxury.
Natsu's sudden appearance instantly put both fighters on high alert.
The long-nosed man wearing a mask and a tall hat retreated several steps at once.
Meanwhile, the handsome man with lion-like brown-gold hair, dressed in a suit, immediately withdrew to his summoner's side.
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