"Forest of Magical Creatures?!" Levy exclaimed upon hearing the name.
Jet looked at Levy and asked, "What? Levy, you know about it?"
Levy nodded. "It's recorded in the Mage Chronicles that the Forest of Magical Creatures is one of the legendary forbidden zones, said to be home to millions of magical creatures."
"Millions?! How many is a million? I can't count that high. Happy, lend me your fingers." Natsu jumped in fright, his face panicked as he tried to count on his fingers.
Happy retorted, "Forget fingers, even all the fur on my body wouldn't be enough for you."
Gray asked curiously, "Since that forest has so many magical creatures, isn't this country afraid of being overrun by them?"
Makarov explained, "That brings us to the Kingdom of Sobelia, also known as the Kingdom of Swordsmen. Everyone there reveres swordsmanship. Compared to our Mage Guilds, they have more Swordsman Guilds."
"The Swordsman Guilds mainly go into the Forest of Magical Creatures to hunt. They kill magical creatures, and bring back their materials to sell. They are divided into ranks, determined by how many monsters they hunt, from One-Star Swordsman to Nine-Star Swordsman."
"Among them, a Nine-Star Swordsman is roughly equivalent to an S-Class Mage in the Mage Guilds."
"Under the hunting of numerous swordsmen, the Kingdom of Sobelia has managed to resist the attacks of the magical creatures, and by utilizing the materials produced from the magical creatures, its national power ranks among the top in the entire Ishgar continent."
"That's roughly all I know. I've heard of the Legendary Sword a long time ago, but I thought it was just a rumor."
"I'm telling you this just to make you aware of the danger of this quest. This quest was initially posted in those Swordsman Guilds. Countless Seven-Star, Eight-Star, and even Nine-Star Swordsmen went to challenge it one after another, but they all fell within the Forest of Magical Creatures."
"Later, when the quest couldn't be completed, it was distributed to various Mage Guilds, and some Mages who challenged it also failed."
"This quest only seems to be S-Class, but all the Guild Masters believe that its difficulty is approaching SS-Class. This is also why I tried to stop you from going."
"SS-Class?!"
Everyone in the Guild was astonished to hear this.
SS-Class is a level above S-Class, with double the danger of an S-Class Quest.
"The only advice I can give you is that if you feel the quest is too difficult and impossible to complete, retreat immediately. Staying alive is more important than anything else."
"Yes, Master."
Takeshi and Erza both nodded seriously in agreement.
Takeshi felt a bit troubled at this moment. The Forest of Magical Creatures, with its countless magical creatures, was no small challenge for him. It was the most troublesome type he had encountered.
However, this could not make him give up the quest. Instead, he felt a surge of anticipation.
It was the same when he fought the Phantom Bandit Gang. At that time, he felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.
Could it be that he was inherently warlike?
No, before he transmigrated, let alone fighting, he only cursed when his teammates were too bad while playing games.
Erza said, "Takeshi, let's go back separately to pack our luggage. We'll meet at Magnolia Train Station in an hour."
"Alright."
After speaking, the two left the Guild.
"I really want to do an S-Class Quest too." Natsu looked at their retreating figures, his face full of envy.
Gray said, "It's precisely because our abilities aren't enough that we can't do S-Class Quests."
Natsu asked, "Didn't Elfman also do an S-Class Quest?"
Elfman said helplessly, "I was just playing a minor role, Takeshi did everything by himself. If it were me, I probably would have been killed long ago."
Even though he had participated in an S-Class Quest, he still felt lingering fear. The S-Class Quest he had completed with Takeshi was even more dangerous than the S-Class Quest he had done with his sister a year ago.
Every Mage of the Phantom Bandit Gang was not easy to deal with, especially their leader. His Full Reflection magic was too tricky.
...
After Takeshi returned home, he quickly packed his luggage and headed to the train station.
After a while—
Erza apologised, "Sorry. Have you been waiting long?"
"I just arrived... So much luggage!"
Takeshi was startled when he saw Erza. She was pulling a cart full of large and small bags.
Was she going on a quest, or was she moving? No, even if Takeshi were moving, he wouldn't have this much luggage.
Erza asked, "Is it a lot? It's fine, isn't it?"
Soon, the two boarded the train, found seats, and sat down as the train slowly departed.
Erza said, "Takeshi, I'm sorry to trouble you this time."
It was their first meeting, yet she was asking him to risk his life on an S-Class Quest with her, which made Erza feel somewhat guilty.
Takeshi waved his hand. "It's no trouble at all. I would have been working normally anyway. I should thank you for letting me challenge an S-Class Quest."
Hearing Takeshi say this, Erza felt much better.
The two then chatted.
Takeshi found Erza to be a very talkative girl, and talking with her was very relaxing and comfortable.
When they got tired, they rested.
After about three days, the two arrived at the capital of the Kingdom of Sobelia, Sword City—Noah.
"How magnificent!"
Takeshi couldn't help but exclaim as he looked at the towering hundred-meter-high city walls.
Unlike open cities like Magnolia Town, this capital was entirely enclosed by hundred-meter-high city walls, appearing grand and majestic.
There were some damages and dried bloodstains on the city walls, making it easy to infer that these were not mere decorations but evidence of actual battles.
Even having seen countless skyscrapers and various magnificent buildings, these structures from a real battlefield still gave a different kind of shock.
"Yes. How magnificent."
Erza, like Takeshi, was awestruck by the sight. She had never seen such tall city walls.
There was a large gate beneath the city walls, and all tourists or merchants were queuing to be inspected before entering the city.
"What are you two here for?"
In a little while, a guard came before Takeshi and Erza to question them.
Erza said, "We are Mages from Fairy Tail. We've accepted a commission and are here to complete a quest."
The guard nodded. Many Mages came here, many of them drawn by the magical creatures in the Forest of Magical Creatures.
"What's in the boxes?"
"Luggage."
"Luggage?! So much?!"
The guard was startled.
Were they here for a quest? It looked like they were moving house.
Suddenly, a scream rang out.
"Magical creatures!"