Standing in front of the window, Moen looked out at the pitch-black sky. There really wasn't much to see in Magnolia at four in the morning.
Turning back toward the room, Moen's eyes immediately fell upon the suit of armor displayed on the rack.
Clean and tidy, faintly shining with a metallic luster, the design was quite imposing—this was the birthday gift Erza had given him half a year ago.
Unfortunately, this armor wasn't produced by the system, so it couldn't be stored in the system's space, meaning Moen's "Requip Magic" couldn't take effect. As a result, he could only place it there as a decoration.
Beside the armor were many other items—gifts from everyone. The impractical ones could only sit there gathering dust, such as the pair of wooden handcuffs given by Laki.
One had to admit, everyone's hobbies were truly diverse. Who would have thought that the seemingly intellectual Laki actually liked collecting all kinds of restraints?
Cling!
Moen flicked a gold coin. It spun several times before landing back in his hand—heads up—with his own side profile engraved on it.
This was the lucky coin Cana had given him, said to have been blessed by a "fortune-telling master." It was supposedly very effective and could ensure safety.
Moen seriously suspected that this "fortune-telling master" was none other than Cana herself.
By comparison, the dessert Wendy had given him was actually the most practical—it could at least be eaten. He had finished it long ago.
Oh, right—there was also the adventure novel that Levy had given him, which was said to be a bestseller. He had read it, and the quality could only be described as average.
The fantasy adventure novels in this world were too primitive; they desperately needed some dimension-crushing impact from another world. During this half-year, Moen had already begun writing one himself. The book was nearing completion, and at the same time, he had started composing his own exclusive BGM execution theme.
As for the gifts from Natsu and Gray… better not even mention them.
Natsu had given him a monster bird egg that never hatched, and Gray had given him a life-sized ice sculpture. It couldn't fit in the fridge and melted early on. Honestly, who knew what was supposed to be "cool" about those two gifts?
Moen's room was filled with gifts—ones he had received over the years.
Whenever someone in the guild had a birthday or during any holiday, he would always prepare gifts for them. Naturally, everyone would give him return gifts in kind. Relationships were maintained through such sincerity.
If you don't keep others in your heart, how can others care about you in return?
Putting the lucky coin into his pocket and wearing his "Magic Headphones" music player, Moen left the room and began his morning training.
"Pegasus Meteor Fist!"
After a simple warm-up jog, Moen started throwing punches. In the past half-year, his Pegasus Meteor Fist had grown increasingly skillful.
[Pegasus Meteor Fist · Beginner, Proficiency: 380/500]
In just half a year, the increase in proficiency was astonishing—it had tripled, a rate far beyond his previous progress.
This improvement came from two main factors. One was the enhancement brought by his Cloth—the "Equuleus Constellation Bronze Cloth" he wore while training. As the "brother constellation" of the Pegasus, this Cloth also provided a certain boost to the "Pegasus Meteor Fist."
The other factor was the increase in real combat experience. During actual battles, proficiency improved much faster than through empty practice.
Over the past half-year, Moen had gone out frequently, taking on numerous monster-hunting missions. While accumulating a fair amount of savings, he had also gained some minor fame.
"Hu~"
After punching for a while, Moen began meditating. Unlike Natsu, who was abnormally gifted and could grow stronger without meditation, Moen never skipped any of the hard work required.
Moen still firmly believed in that saying: during training, the sweat is on your own face; after training, the sweat is on your enemy's face.
Buzz—Buzz—Buzz!
The "Equuleus Constellation Bronze Cloth" emitted a faint glow, linking to the constellation in the sky. Bits of starlight fell upon Moen, merging into his body and enhancing his magic power.
Over the past half-year, the connection Moen had established with the Equuleus constellation had grown increasingly close, bringing him even greater benefits.
For instance, during meditation now, Moen could absorb the starlight magic from the Equuleus constellation. This magic was incredibly pure—one drop was worth two of the usual kind and it greatly aided the expansion of his magic source pool.
"Hu~~~"
Moen exhaled deeply, the starlight around him gradually dimming. He opened his eyes, a flash of blue star radiance glimmering within them.
If I could establish a connection with all the constellations in the heavens, wouldn't that mean that whenever I meditate, all the stars of every constellation would shine for me? Wouldn't the starlight across the entire sky fall upon me alone?
Lifting his head toward the heavens, Moen imagined that future freely. By now, the sky was already beginning to brighten, and the starlight of the Equuleus constellation had completely faded from view.
However, Moen could still feel that link with the distant stars beyond the world. Every star of the Equuleus constellation seemed to pulse with joy for his sake.
After finishing his morning training, Moen returned home. Just as he stepped inside, he ran into Makarov, who was heading out with an excited look on his face.
"Moen! Just in time! Come with me to the guild—we've got news!"
Seeing Moen return, Makarov's eyes lit up at once. He immediately grabbed Moen, eager to pull him along to the guild in a hurry.
"What is it? What news?"
Moen asked, slightly confused. He noticed that Laxus was following right behind Grandpa Makarov—a rare sight indeed.
"It's news about Eisenwald! The Magic Council finally gave their verdict!"
Makarov said excitedly. He had been waiting for this day for quite some time.
"Ah?"
Moen froze for a moment. Good grief—there was finally a result! If this had taken any longer, he might've forgotten the matter entirely!
"What kind of work efficiency does the Magic Council have, anyway?"
Moen couldn't help but complain. This was supposed to be the official organization managing all magic affairs across the continent of Ishgar—what a bunch of useless insects.
"Don't blame them. Those people you captured were really tough. They'd used magic to erase the location of their guilds from their minds. The Council had to put in quite a bit of effort to finally find Eisenwald's true location."
Makarov spoke up in defense of the Magic Council. He was being fair—though the Council often found trouble with him, sending him reprimands and notices over trivial matters, he never denied the necessity of the Council's existence.
"If you ask me, there's no need to summon the guild members at all. I can go wipe out Eisenwald by myself."
Laxus interjected from behind, looking completely unwilling. He wanted to handle the destruction of Eisenwald on his own.
"Don't underestimate them, Laxus."
Makarov frowned and reminded him seriously. He felt that Laxus's attitude was too steeped in personal heroism.
"Hmph."
Laxus snorted coldly, turning his head away. He said nothing more and didn't look at Makarov again.
"…"
Moen pressed his lips together but didn't expose Makarov's double standards.
After all, the old man had originally planned to go destroy the Eisenwald guild all by himself too.
But thinking it over, it made sense. Makarov certainly had the qualifications to do so—while Laxus hadn't even become an S-Class Mage yet.
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