Chapter 1: One Punch Knocks Out the Mage's Dream

In the lush forest, sunlight streamed through gaps in the leaves, casting speckles of light; the scent of grass and earth drifted in the air, accompanied by constant chirping and birdcalls, the essence of summer pressing in.

On a deliberately cleared, flat patch of ground, two boys stood face to face, separated by several meters.

Beside the clearing, a ring of tall green trees shaded a man, two women, and a dog seated in a row, watching the two boys practice magic.

Of the two boys facing each other, one had black hair neatly combed back in an adult style, with a single strand playfully falling over his forehead; his face was handsome, clad in a black martial artist’s outfit that made him look sharp and agile.

The other boy had a spiky hairstyle dyed pinkish-red, wore a black-and-white checkered scarf around his neck, a long-sleeved crimson top, and short brownish-yellow pants.

“Mo En, I’m strong! Don’t underestimate me!”

The boy with pinkish-red hair spoke, assuming an offensive stance, his expression wild and brimming with battle lust; faint sparks crackled around him—he was clearly a battle fanatic.

“Come at me, Natsu. Let’s see whether your Dragon-Slaying Magic is stronger than my Celestial Spirit Magic!”

The black-haired boy, Mo En, replied, as he assumed a peculiar posture.

He bent his legs slightly, stood with feet apart, drew his right hand to his waist, and extended his left hand forward, raised high—like a rearing horse.

“Aaaah!”

Natsu roared with passion, channeling his magic; flames erupted around his fists, burning fiercely yet leaving him unharmed—the dangerous fire obeyed his control perfectly.

“Dragon’s Iron Fist!”

Natsu lunged forward, swinging his flaming fist like a ferocious fire dragon charging—though still only a young dragon, his aura was perfectly matched to the attack.

Facing Natsu’s charge, Mo En remained calm, his hands moving rapidly, muttering as if tracing some mysterious pattern.

Magic surged with his movements, like stars shifting across the heavens.

“Pegasus Meteor Fist!”

As a star chart materialized from his hands, light flashed—and Mo En unleashed a barrage of phantom fists.

The shadowy fists surged like ten thousand galloping horses, utterly overwhelming the young dragon’s ferocious charge, even drowning out its fiery glow.

“Boom!”

Natsu flew backward like a severed kite, crashing hard to the ground, lying motionless as his flames slowly died—he never even touched Mo En, and was instead blasted away outright.

There was no way Natsu could even track Mo En’s punches—he couldn’t even block. The gap between them was glaringly obvious!

“My fist carries twenty years—pfft! Twelve years of cultivation. Not everyone can block it, Natsu. Itachi’ve still got a long way to go.”

Mo En pulled back his fist and stood tall, shaking his index finger as he delivered a scathing assessment of Natsu’s strength.

This level didn’t even qualify as an “opponent.”

The legendary Dragon-Slaying Magic, said to have been born solely to hunt dragons, was nothing special—his punch was still stronger!

Mo En was a transmigrator from Earth, China. He had been reborn into this world, named Eslanden, for only twelve years—and he hadn’t even celebrated his twelfth birthday yet.

The world of Eslanden differed from Mo En’s former Earth—it was a world saturated with magic, where the power known as “magic” existed.

In Eslanden, magic had become part of daily life: magic shops sold magical goods, some people earned their living through magic, and Mage Guilds stood across every continent, offering work to mages.

Mo En had grown up in a Mage Guild called “Fairy Tail,” and now he was a magic apprentice.

Of course, due to the unusual nature of his magic, after mastering basic magical meditation, he had mostly taught himself—his magic was unique.

Natsu, meanwhile, was a new recruit who had only just joined “Fairy Tail” a few days ago—a novice wielding the legendary “Dragon-Slaying Magic.” He was always muttering nonsense, claiming his father was a fire dragon who had suddenly vanished!

Mo En didn’t believe it. Wasn’t there a reproductive barrier between dragons and humans?

Even if there weren’t, aside from the effects of Dragon-Slaying Magic, Natsu showed no traits whatsoever of a dragon.

If Natsu were truly a human-dragon hybrid, a “little dragon-boy,” he should have at least some dragon features.

Mo En felt sorry for this child, who likely had some intellectual issues.

So Mo En didn’t refuse Natsu’s request for a sparring match—he’d just humor this fantasy-loving kid.

Mo En himself was eager to witness the power of Natsu’s “Fire Dragon-Slaying Magic.” This magic was extremely rare—and in a way, it was proof that Natsu truly had some connection to dragons.

Coincidentally, the system triggered a quest due to Natsu’s challenge, and the reward was so tempting Mo En couldn’t refuse—he could only smile and knock Natsu’s mage dream flying.

【Quest Name: “Dragon’s Provocation”】

【Quest Content:】

A new member has arrived at the guild: S-rank mage “Fire Dragon” Natsu. He is extremely powerful and holds a pivotal role in this world as a key plot character. But he shouldn’t have provoked Itachi, a veteran of the guild!

Defeat him! Make him understand who the strongest member of Fairy Tail truly is!

Quest Progress: Completed.

Quest Reward: Random Bronze Saint Cloth.

Claim quest reward?】

The quest description was abstract, but Mo En was used to it.

Natsu wasn’t an S-rank mage, had no “Fire Dragon” nickname, hadn’t provoked Mo En, and Mo En certainly wasn’t the strongest member of Fairy Tail—he’d only been in this world for less than twelve years, and had only practiced magic for a few years. He couldn’t possibly match seasoned veterans.

S-rank mage was the highest honor a mage could earn in the guild, a recognition of true power—not some common title anyone could get.

Mo En’s system was called the 【Saint Warrior System】. It occasionally issued quests; completing them granted rewards related to “Saint Warriors”—items, skills, or even “Saint Cloths.”

For example, “Pegasus Meteor Fist” was a skill Mo En received from his starter pack—the only magic he could ever use.

Despite possessing excellent magical reserves, Mo En couldn’t use any other magic—he could only use this one technique. That was why he’d always trained alone.

Clearly, the only “magic” Mo En could use were skills obtained from the 【Saint Warrior System】. But that didn’t matter—after all, these were Saint Warriors! This was the “Pegasus Meteor Fist!”

Mo En had not yet awakened the power of the “Cosmos,” but fortunately, all his abilities had been localized—his “Pegasus Meteor Fist” could be powered by magic.

Though it lacked the god-slaying might he remembered from his past life, it was still powerful enough. That was normal—even Star’s god-slaying “Pegasus Meteor Fist” had grown stronger through countless battles and countless punches.

And perhaps only by awakening the “Cosmos” could the true power of the “Pegasus Meteor Fist” be fully unleashed—localized magic still fell slightly short.

Mo En’s path as a mage had not become easier because of the 【Saint Warrior System】—quite the opposite. He had to work harder, because for now, he could only fight by channeling his own magic into his fists—he was purely a physical combatant.

【Claim quest reward?】

The 【Saint Warrior System】 popped up another prompt, completely ignoring Mo En’s internal complaints.

Mo En, of course, immediately chose “Claim.” No matter how abstract the quest, the reward was undeniably valuable.

Just defeating Natsu earned him a Bronze Saint Cloth—such an abstract quest? Please, give me more!

But would this “Bronze Saint Cloth” also be localized?

【Hum!】

A flash of light nearly blinded Mo En; within the glow, armor materialized, shaped like a horse, emitting a faint bronze sheen.

Bronze Saint Cloth Horse!

Could it be?!

Mo En’s heart leapt—this made perfect sense! He’d received “Pegasus Meteor Fist” from his starter pack; his first Bronze Saint Cloth had to be the “Pegasus Bronze Saint Cloth!”

As the light faded, the Saint Cloth’s true form emerged—clearly shaped like a horse, with a pair of small wings.

The Saint Cloth had two forms: its default form, representing its constellation’s symbol—like the winged horse before him—and its awakened armor form.

Seeing this “winged horse” constellation form, Mo En felt certain—it was definitely Pegasus!

【Congratulations! Pegasus Bronze Saint Cloth unlocked!】

Reading the 【Saint Warrior System】 message and staring at the Bronze Saint Cloth, Mo En froze—his smile vanished instantly.

Wait, what?!

“Pegasus”? What the hell is “Little Horse”?!

New book, seeking support! Seeking reads! Thank Itachi!!

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(End of Chapter)