Chapter 36

【Time passed bit by bit.】

【Natsu was traveling alone through the lush primeval forest.】

【It was no longer early, and one could clearly see the afterglow of the sunset.】

【Night was about to fall.】

【Although he had never ventured out alone, Natsu was, after all, a child who had lived in the wild with Igneel.】

【Therefore, he knew deeply how dangerous the lush forest was at night.】

【The most important thing now was to find a shelter.】

【And in fact, Natsu was indeed doing just that.】

Ultear: "It seems Natsu isn't as delicate as I imagined."

Jellal: "At least he didn't cry, right?"

Ur: "At this age, he's already quite good. Of course, not as strong as my Ultear!"

Natsu: "Hey... I'm a Dragon Slayer, someone who lives in the wild every day. How much do you guys look down on me, you jerks!"

Gray: "Tch, I was much stronger than you when I was a kid. Both my parents died, and I wandered alone to the Northern Continent before I became Ur's apprentice. I wasn't even ten years old then."

Natsu: "I'm not bad either. Isn't it just a primeval forest? Just watch, I will definitely conquer this forest!"

Lucy: "Eh? Isn't this something from when Natsu was a kid? Did you actually manage to do it back then?"

Natsu: "Uh... I don't know."

Ichiya: "You don't know? Men~ this is something that happened to you yourself."

Natsu: "I don't know why, but I remember very, very little about my childhood, as if my memory is scrambled."

"I only remember a few scattered fragments."

Gajeel: "Come to think of it, I'm the same. I remember very little about my childhood."

Wendy: "Shouldn't everyone be the same?"

Erza: "The same? I remember most of my childhood quite clearly."

Mirajane: "Hmm... me too, and my childhood memories are even more vivid."

Elfman: "After all, back then, those villagers were very cruel."

The group started a discussion about memory.

And at this moment, Natsu in the scene also encountered his first challenge.

【Natsu, intending to find a shelter, finally arrived near a river.】

【But, just as he was about to cross the river to the other side, he suddenly discovered that the giant rock he was stepping on began to move strangely and was constantly rising.】

【It was a crocodile!】

【It was a giant crocodile whose size was beyond everyone's comprehension!】

【And, there wasn't just one of them.】

【Seven or eight crocodiles gathered from around the river channel, and the sound of splashing water almost made Natsu burst into tears.】

【In extreme danger, Natsu, like a frightened bird, suddenly began to jump.】

【He kept stepping on the crocodiles' heads as stepping stones, wanting to escape.】

【But, in his panic, he accidentally missed his step and unfortunately fell into the crocodile's wide-open bloody mouth.】

【Fortunately, the other crocodiles also opened their mouths, locked onto Natsu, and pounced over.】

【They became entangled with the other crocodile.】

【Fighting for prey is the nature of these cold-blooded creatures, and it was precisely this nature that saved Natsu's life.】

【Natsu, who fell into the water, was scared to the point of screaming by the chaotic scene of crocodiles biting each other, but he still used his hands and feet to swim out of the river channel with all his might.】

【The crisis was resolved.】

【But, luck did not favor Natsu.】

【After escaping from the river, Natsu climbed a tree to pick fruit because he was thirsty, but he encountered a swarm of wasps.】

【Natsu, running for his life, was still stung all over his head, and his head swelled up a circle.】

【Immediately after, he accidentally broke into the territory of a saber-toothed tiger and was chased crazily again.】

【Time passed slowly.】

【Natsu, while looking for a shelter, encountered one crisis and trap after another.】

【It can be said that this time, Natsu was dancing crazily on the head of the Grim Reaper, making everyone watching feel heart-stopping fear.】

Minerva: "No, are there really so many wild beasts in this primeval forest?"

"Where on earth is this?!"

Erza: "It's not just wild beasts; there are also all kinds of giant magical beasts inside."

Irene: "This little guy's life is indeed very tough, and his vitality is very tenacious."

"Also, one more thing: it is indeed very difficult to find a primeval forest that harbors so many magical beasts now. This situation is very similar to when I was back then."

Irene's words did not attract the attention of others.

However, August, who was also one of the Spriggan 12, seemed to realize something.

August: "Are you serious, Irene?"

Irene: "It's just very similar, but I can't be sure. After all, the world is very big, and it is very reasonable that there are many places unknown to us."

August: "That is also true."

August, having dispelled his doubts, put his mind back on the sky screen.

【At this moment, Natsu was being chased by a behemoth that was dozens of meters tall.】

【With a weight measured in tons, every step it took on the ground caused the earth to tremble.】

【Natsu, whose nerves were stretched to the limit, was screaming, running, and fleeing amidst those huge footsteps.】

【Natsu now seemed unable to care about anything other than running for his life.】

【He didn't even notice when the huge footsteps behind him disappeared.】

【It wasn't until several minutes later that Natsu slowed down and stopped due to physical exhaustion.】

【Only then did he discover that the huge footsteps behind him had disappeared, and even the insects that should have been chirping all around had stopped making sounds.】

【The surroundings were unusually quiet.】

【This strange situation also made Natsu very confused.】

【But, before Natsu could investigate further, overwhelming wind pressure descended from the sky.】

【A huge shadow completely enveloped Natsu.】

【Natsu, frowning, raised his head, and could only see that steel-like luster, as well as that massive body size comparable to his father, Igneel!】