As the thought settled, Shane anxiously watched for any change beneath [Path of the Sacred Flame] in his mental space.
But one second… two seconds…
The chibi icon he expected—Makarov as a tiny old man—didn't appear.
Beneath the golden text, there was still only Erza's small, serious-looking chibi portrait, sitting there alone.
It failed.
Shane's heart sank. He'd half expected it, but seeing it confirmed still left him disappointed.
So shortcutting really didn't work.
Was it because the guild master had already reached the standard, so it didn't count as "guiding him to reach it"? Or did the Book of Heroes have a stricter definition of "companions"?
Makarov, of course, noticed none of Shane's inner turmoil.
He was already impatiently opening the food box, and the rich scent of meat patties immediately wafted out.
"Oh! This looks pretty good!" the old man's eyes lit up. He didn't even bother with the "book" anymore—he just grabbed a still-warm patty with his bare hand and took a huge bite.
"Mmm! Delicious! Shane, you brat—this is the only thing about you that's actually likable!"
"As long as you like it, Master," Shane said.
Watching Makarov eat with zero dignity, Shane's disappointment eased, replaced by a faint, amused warmth.
"Oh! What is that smell? That's amazing!"
Natsu—who'd just been pinned and "disciplined" by Erza—wandered over like nothing had happened, rubbing the back of his neck and sniffing hard.
The kid's constitution was absurd; his recovery was unreal.
A few other idle guild members were drawn by the aroma too, their eyes repeatedly flicking toward the bar.
Shane ignored the pack of hungry wolves, his mind racing.
Bugging the system failed. Looks like I'll have to do this the hard way.
If the master didn't work, Gildarts probably wouldn't either.
Companions… does it have an age limit? Or a "still-growing" restriction?
His brain spun quickly, filtering possible candidates.
Jellal—talent and willpower were unquestionable, and he'd even been taken as a disciple by Brain; trained properly, huge potential. He could be one.
Ultear—obsessed with crystal balls, sure, but her raw magic was immense, and after everything that happened, she was even deeper than before. He couldn't afford to ignore her.
Two familiar names set, Shane kept thinking.
Laxus—people in the guild often said his strength was insane, but he was around sixteen; Shane wasn't sure if he qualified. If he did, he'd be an ideal pick.
That left the final slot.
Shane's thoughts bounced between Natsu and Gray.
Both had strong potential—but Gray's Molding Magic and Natsu's Dragon Slayer Magic still needed a lot of polishing.
He rubbed his chin, hesitated, then suddenly felt clarity.
"Guiding" is obviously a long-term thing. There's no need to rush.
Train those two together. They'll push each other, and I can observe. Whoever improves faster, I'll choose.
With the rough plan settled, Shane felt much lighter.
No time to waste.
He reached into the crowd—where people were still arguing about who got more patties—and grabbed Natsu by the back of the collar.
"Let's go, Natsu."
"Huh?! Where?! The patties—" Natsu struggled, eyes still glued to the master's food box.
"Training," Shane said curtly, then looked around. "And has anyone seen Gray?"
"In the dorms," someone answered.
"Perfect. We're dragging him too."
Not long after, in the clearing at the eastern woods.
Gray—yanked straight out of bed—was wearing a raging morning face, hair sticking out everywhere. Natsu, furious about missing the patties, looked just as annoyed.
Shane stopped in front of them, arms crossed, expression stern.
"Look at you two!
Natsu—you fight with nothing but brute force. No structure at all!
Gray—your molding speed is better, but your combat rhythm is a mess!
At this rate, forget getting stronger—you'll struggle to take on anything more dangerous."
Natsu protested loudly. "I am strong!"
Gray clicked his tongue. "Whatever."
"Strong?" Erza stepped forward—red hair sharp and imposing—and both boys instantly shrank back.
"Real strength is controlling your power perfectly and protecting the comrades you want to protect—not wasting your talent swinging it around. Keep going like this and you'll become dead weight sooner or later!"
With the mood locked down, Shane immediately switched to provocation.
The tactic was old, but it worked on these two every time.
Sure enough, Natsu and Gray exchanged a look. They didn't even understand why they were suddenly training, but a stubborn spark lit in both their eyes.
"Who are you calling dead weight?!"
"Don't look down on me!"
Shane's mouth curled in satisfaction. "Good. That's the attitude."
He swung his hand. Light flared, and several heavy metal rings—cold with a steel sheen—appeared and snapped perfectly onto their wrists and ankles.
"Ugh!"
"So heavy!"
The moment the rings settled, both felt their bodies drop like their gravity doubled. Every movement became painfully difficult.
"From now on, you train wearing those," Shane declared. "I guarantee I'll make you both terrifyingly strong."
Before the words even finished, he and Erza exchanged a silent look—and moved at the same time.
The clearing immediately filled with dull impacts and the boys' stifled grunts of pain.
For the next several days, the eastern woods became Natsu and Gray's personal "hell."
Every day, under the rings' restraint, they faced Shane and Erza's merciless "guidance."
At first, they couldn't fight back at all and were knocked down effortlessly. Then they gradually adapted to the weight—able to barely block, barely dodge, even attempt scattered counterattacks.
On this day—
Bam!
Natsu gritted his teeth and forced himself to take a seemingly ordinary straight punch from Shane on his forearm, stumbling backward.
But this time, he didn't crash.
Right before he hit the ground, he clenched his core, rolled clumsily, planted one hand, and sprang back up almost instantly—snarling as he charged again with a weak flicker of flame.
Nearby, Gray saw Natsu's improvement and twitched. Under Erza's sharp pressure, his ice molding got just a fraction faster.
His ice shield still shattered easily, but the explosion of ice crystals now slightly slowed Erza's movement.
Shane nodded to himself, taking it all in.
Natsu's beastlike instincts and Gray's strong magical talent were both being forced out under pressure.
Training these two rivals together really was brutally effective.
Shane was almost smug. At this pace… maybe I can finish the trial early.
And the improvement wasn't limited to Natsu and Gray.
After Shane casually dismantled another attack—
Natsu panted and complained, "Shane! Something's off! Why does it feel like you're getting stronger and stronger?!"
"Am I?" Shane raised an eyebrow. He hadn't intentionally adjusted his output.
He'd simply been "hammering" them with the level of force needed to train them properly.
As he spoke, he threw another normal-looking punch at Natsu's guarding arm.
But this time—right before impact—Shane felt a long-standing resistance inside his body suddenly vanish.
A denser, smoother strength surged through his entire arm in a single rush.
"Huh?!"
"WAAH!"
Shane's short, startled sound overlapped with Natsu's much more miserable scream.
The flame kid flew backward like he'd been launched by a siege engine, rolling several times before stopping.
Shane froze, retracting his fist, staring down at his palm.
That was… Strength. It just broke into D-rank?!