— — — — — —
[Ding~]
[Achievement unlocked: "First Time Gaining Fame Across Fiore."]
[Reward: Six Powers of Rokushiki training method (Magic Version) and Seimei Kikan training method (Magical Life Return)]
"Huh? I got an achievement? First time fame?"
"But I've already made a name for myself before, didn't I?"
Kazuma thought about it. He had become somewhat well-known already, but apparently it hadn't been enough to trigger the achievement. Maybe this one required broader recognition.
After thinking it through, he pushed that aside and started going over the new knowledge that had appeared in his mind — the training methods for the Six Powers and Life Return.
"So the Six Powers have been slightly modified… now they can be enhanced with magic. Makes them even more effective."
"Nice. I like it."
He nodded with satisfaction. Most people misunderstood the Six Powers, assuming they were just combat techniques — but in truth, they were methods to train the body.
Iron Body was about tensing every muscle in your body to its limit. Paper Art was the opposite — completely relaxing every muscle.
Sound familiar? Exactly. It's like fitness training — strength comes from alternating between tension and relaxation.
It's not that you need a superhuman body to learn the Six Powers. It's that through practicing them, your body becomes superhuman.
"The Life Return method's also a bit different," Kazuma continued, reading through the details. "It doesn't just restore stamina — it can also replenish magic."
"On top of that, it increases control over one's magic. If you master it completely, you can precisely manipulate every single magic particle…"
"…and unleash the power of ten with the energy of one."
He memorized the two training methods carefully. The King's Treasury was powerful, sure — but even as his magic, it worked as just a tool.
He had to keep growing stronger, both in body and in magic. Without that, even the greatest treasures could never make him truly powerful.
It was like a Zanpakutō from Bleach: no matter how powerful the sword, the outcome of a battle still depended on the wielder's Reiatsu.
"Mira, give me ten quests!"
After digesting all the information, Kazuma turned toward the bar, where Mira was busy organizing requests.
He was about to run a little experiment.
"Ten quests? What, are you planning to disappear for a whole month?" Mira looked up at him, half amused, half exasperated. There wasn't an official limit on how many quests one could take at once, but everyone knew it was best to stick to one — missions were time-consuming and often tough.
"You can't exactly do ten at the same time, you know."
"No, I'm planning to complete them all at once. Just gimme the simple ones."
Kazuma grinned. His Shadowkhan Ninjas would handle these simple tasks. Efficiency at its finest.
"Well… I won't even ask. Just don't overdo it."
Mira sighed. She'd seen too many unbelievable things from him already; this was just another to add to the list.
She flipped through the request board, finally picking ten suitable quests.
"These don't pay much — a few hundred thousand to a million each — but they're all on the easier side."
"Got it."
Kazuma waved his hand, and from the shadows around him, a dozen black figures rose. He handed each of them a quest sheet.
"Your assignments. Finish them as fast as possible."
The shadow soldiers nodded silently, then melted away into the ground, vanishing without a trace.
"Maintaining a dozen shadows is easy enough. Let's keep going."
He summoned more — one after another — until nearly two hundred ninjas had been dispatched.
Mira's eyes widened. "Wait, you can sustain that many? Won't that drain your magic dry?"
"And even if you can, are they really capable of handling those quests properly?"
"Relax," Kazuma said, smiling. "If anything goes wrong, I'll deal with it myself. I've got backup."
The soldiers might not have emotions, but they weren't brainless. They'd already proven capable of doing household chores — cleaning, laundry, cooking — without issue. A few low-level missions shouldn't be any harder.
...
Half a day passed in a flash.
"My magic consumption's rising… must be because of distance. The farther they go, the more it costs."
The drain was noticeable, but manageable. His mana reserves were massive anyway.
Just then, Makarov returned — and immediately lit into him.
"You little brat! You're not even Guild Master yet, and you're already cutting me out of decisions!"
"Destroying Eisenwald without telling me? Do you have any idea how much grief I got at the Council meeting because of you? I was scolded like a damn schoolboy!"
"I'm getting too old for this. At this rate, I might really have to retire…"
He sighed deeply. Sometimes he wondered how Fairy Tail was still standing. With a next generation like this, the future looked… chaotic at best.
"Well, then retire early!" Kazuma said with a grin. "I'll take over. Win-win situation."
"Get lost!" Makarov barked. "You've caused this much trouble and you still want my chair? Be grateful I didn't beat you!"
He glared, then asked more seriously, "Be honest with me — are those people dead? And if they are, where are the bodies?"
He'd been trying to figure it out the whole trip back but couldn't imagine how Kazuma had cleaned up the mess so neatly.
"Of course they're dead. Come on, old man, you know me, why even ask something that stupid?"
"...Even that Erigor guy?"
"Yup. If I hadn't wanted to leave Erza a live target, I'd have blown him to dust."
Makarov sighed, rubbing his temples. The kid's killing intent really was worrying. Fairy Tail is going down the dark path.
"Relax, old man," Kazuma said, catching his concern instantly. "It's not like I enjoy killing. I only do it when someone deserves it."
"…Alright. You don't need to justify it to me," Makarov said after a pause. "You did what you had to. Erza already filled me in through Mira — you handled things well."
"As for the Magic Council, don't worry about them. It's all been smoothed over. No punishment, no reward — we'll just pretend it never happened."
He sighed again, not because of Kazuma's actions, but because of himself. He knew they'd been enemies… yet seeing lives end still made him feel the weight of mortality.
Then, suddenly, his expression brightened.
"Oh, right! Guess why I was gone half the day. You'll never guess what I brought back for you."
Makarov grinned, eyes twinkling mischievously.
.
.
.