The guild hall lay in ruins again.
With a quiet sigh, Rowan took to the air once more and methodically restored the damage, splintered tables knitting themselves back together, cracked stone smoothing as if time had reversed. Only when the hall looked presentable again did he turn to the gathered mages and speak politely.
"Thank you all for the invitations," he said evenly. "But my current ability is… limited. I don't plan to take on missions yet. I'd like to stay in the guild for now and focus on studying magic. When I'm stronger, I'll gladly team up with everyone."
Going out on missions was out of the question.
Even cleanup work would have to wait a few years. At this stage, repairing the constantly abused common hall was already enough contribution. More importantly, Rowan now understood just how valuable he was to this guild, and that changed how he approached things.
At first, he'd planned to grind himself down, traveling from disaster site to disaster site, slowly repairing whatever Fairy Tail destroyed just to justify his place here. Exhausting, but worth it if it meant access to the best magic in this world.
Now, though, that seemed unnecessary.
With how much Makarov valued him, Rowan could afford to stay put for a year or two, focus on growth, and only step in once his magic and mobility had improved. Less wasted time, more efficient learning.
When Rowan voiced this and looked toward Makarov, the guild master nodded almost immediately.
"If Rowan doesn't want to team up yet, that's settled," Makarov said gruffly. "You lot, go check the job board and get moving."
From Makarov's perspective, this was obvious. Rowan's future mattered far more than his present output. Watching him struggle to repair a single hall made it clear that throwing him into large-scale recovery work now would be inefficient at best.
Better to let him grow.
The disappointed mages finally backed off and turned to the task board, resuming normal guild operations. For most mages, missions weren't just income, they were training. Trial by fire was the norm in this world.
Rowan wanted none of it.
He preferred safety, patience, and steady progress.
"Levy," Makarov called out, spotting three mages heading toward the basement. "You're going to the library, right? Take Rowan with you. Look after our new member."
The blue-haired girl jogged over at once.
"Yes, Master!" she replied brightly.
"Levy's the most well-read mage in the guild," Makarov added, smiling at Rowan. "If you want to learn anything, ask her."
Rowan nodded and extended a paw. "Nice to meet you. I'm Rowan. Thanks in advance."
"It's no trouble," Levy said, gently pinching his paw between her fingers, eyes sparkling. "Helping guildmates is normal. And honestly, the master's still the smartest one here."
Makarov burst into laughter at that, clearly pleased.
"I'll definitely be asking for your guidance too," Rowan said sincerely.
For reasons he couldn't explain, Makarov suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Soon after, Rowan followed Levy toward the basement library. As they walked, she chatted effortlessly about magic theory, history, and spell classifications. Rowan listened intently, interrupting often with sharp, thoughtful questions.
Levy, in turn, was delighted. Few mages showed this level of interest in pure study. Teaching him was genuinely fun.
By the time they reached the library, they'd already grown comfortable with one another.
Once she learned Rowan was interested in Giant Magic and Light Magic, Levy immediately led him to the most relevant shelves and pulled several foundational texts.
Over the next few hours, Rowan also learned more about Levy and her team.
Most Fairy Tail mages operated in squads. Levy led a small group called Team Shadow Gear. Her teammates were Jet and Droy, both loyal partners and enthusiastic admirers.
Jet specialized in enhanced movement, using magic to boost his speed to absurd levels, fighting by crashing into enemies at full sprint. Droy used plant-based magic, hurling enchanted seeds that erupted into binding vines or crushing growths.
Levy's own magic was the rare and powerful Solid Script. By writing words into the air and giving them form, she could impose their meaning on reality.
She demonstrated casually.
With a flick of her hand, she wrote the word Silence.
The library went completely mute.
Mouths moved. Pages turned. Not a single sound existed.
Solid Script's strength depended entirely on knowledge. The more concepts a mage understood, the more potent and versatile their words became. That was why Levy spent so much time here.
Rowan found all three magics fascinating, but he kept his priorities clear. Giant Magic came first. Light Magic second.
Seeing Makarov flatten the entire guild without effort had burned that decision into him.
Levy even mentioned that what Rowan had seen wasn't close to the guild master's full power. At his peak, Makarov could stand still and ignore combined attacks from the entire guild without taking damage.
Giant Magic didn't just increase strength. It multiplied defense, both physical and magical.
At its limit, it rivaled dragons.
And Rowan knew what that meant.
Even the weakest dragons in other worlds could shrug off lethal spells. A mage who mastered Giant Magic wouldn't fall easily to bullets, missiles, or killing curses unless the attack reached an absurd threshold.
That kind of survivability wasn't optional.
It was essential.