Chapter 18: Meeting a Worthy Opponent, A Perfect Match

“Again! I won’t give up easily!”

Mo En gritted his teeth—he had to learn it, no matter how hard.

The “Cosmos,” since acquiring the [Saint Seiya System], he had constantly tried to sense and awaken it, but never made any progress; without a teacher to guide him through systematic study and cultivation, it was far from something easily understood.

Mo En had once doubted whether he even had a Cosmos at all—after all, this body was clearly a native of this world.

But the [Saint Seiya System] dispelled his doubts—it clearly confirmed he possessed a “Cosmos.”

Over the years, Mo En had kept striving, yet the “Cosmos” remained out of reach, while his magical talent grew increasingly evident.

Sometimes Mo En wondered if his magical talent had overshadowed his Cosmos potential, causing the latter to remain dormant.

Looking at his own “magic source,” which resembled a starry galaxy, he sometimes felt it looked remarkably like a “Cosmos.”

Maybe the two had merged into one?

Of course, these were merely Mo En’s guesses—everything would only be revealed once he truly sensed the “Cosmos.”

Watching Mo En’s determined, unwavering expression, Gildarts grew even more impressed.

With innate talent and relentless effort, Mo En was truly a benchmark.

Because of Mo En, the other children in the guild had also become more diligent—he had the power to inspire others’ growth.

Mo En couldn’t use any other magic, but Gildarts didn’t know that—he simply assumed Mo En hadn’t learned yet.

That was perfectly normal, because he’d never taught anyone successfully!

When those who wished to learn “Shatter” gradually realized its difficulty, they usually wisely withdrew.

Since no one wanted to learn anymore, Gildarts naturally couldn’t force them—so his teaching success rate remained at 0% so far!

Now, encountering this stubborn kid Mo En, Gildarts felt a spark of determination—he refused to believe he couldn’t teach anyone! He was determined to teach Mo En!

These two were a perfect match—a teacher who’d never succeeded in teaching anyone, and a student who insisted he couldn’t learn, yet one dared to teach, and the other dared to learn—no one else like them.

But the two didn’t continue their training for long, as the other members of the Fairy Tail Guild gradually arrived—they clearly all came to see Gildarts.

“Uncle Gildarts!”

Seeing Gildarts, Gray was extremely excited—he had a deep bond with Gildarts, having been brought back to the guild by him, and their relationship had always been excellent.

“Little Gray, Itachi’ve grown a bit taller.”

Gildarts smiled, patting Gray’s head—he was glad to have brought back such an outstanding child as Gray.

Even if Gray never became great, Gildarts would still have brought him back when he was alone and abandoned—but of course, it was best that Gray became outstanding.

Besides Gray, the other children also showed great affection toward Gildarts.

Erza, Rebey, Cana, Jett, Troy, and even Laxus all displayed a degree of admiration for Gildarts.

Gildarts was the “idol uncle” of the Fairy Tail Guild—the middle-aged version of Mo En, beloved by everyone.

This “everyone” included not just the children, but the adults in the guild as well, who held Gildarts in deep reverence.

There was only one exception: Natsu.

Natsu had only recently joined the guild; this was his first time meeting the legendary strongest mage of Fairy Tail—Gildarts’ name, however, he had already heard and firmly memorized.

Natsu was also a fiercely competitive person—he loved challenging the strong, setting them as his goals, and his ultimate aim was to surpass those who had once been his targets.

Gildarts, hailed as the strongest of Fairy Tail, naturally could not be ignored by him—and was impossible to ignore.

“Uncle, this is Natsu, a new member of the guild. He uses Fire Dragon Slayer Magic—he’s also a child with great talent.”

Mo En pulled Natsu, who had been standing aside watching, into the “Gildarts circle,” and introduced him to Gildarts.

“Natsu, this is Gildarts!”

Mo En looked at Natsu—he knew Natsu must know Gildarts’ name.

Though he’d only known Natsu for a short time, this single-minded, simple-minded guy was far too easy to read—Mo En felt he had fully understood Natsu’s nature.

“Hello, I’m Natsu! Gildarts, I challenge Itachi!”

Before Gildarts could speak, Natsu launched straight into action, immediately issuing a solo challenge.

“.”

Everyone fell silent, staring at Natsu with strange expressions.

Challenging Mo En or Erza might be considered brave.

But challenging Gildarts—what was that?

Ignorance is bliss?

“Fine!”

Regardless of what others thought, Gildarts readily accepted with a smile—he was never one to put on airs.

“This kid has a bit of your old spirit, little Mo En.”

After accepting Natsu’s challenge, Gildarts looked at Mo En and teased him.

Mo En felt slightly embarrassed—he’d just done the exact same thing, and now Natsu had perfectly replicated it, making it hard to keep a straight face—but he wasn’t surprised.

Mo En greatly admired Natsu’s spirit—this fearless, unyielding drive, this ceaseless pursuit of strength, this constant urge to challenge the strong—these were essential qualities for becoming a true powerhouse.

“Fire Dragon’s Iron Fist!”

“Boom!”

Natsu flew through the air and landed face-down, stars swirling before his eyes.

“.”

Everyone fell silent. Gildarts clapped his hands, looking relaxed.

“It’s over. Little Natsu isn’t weak—he’s a promising talent.”

Having knocked Natsu out with one punch, Gildarts objectively assessed him—just from that single punch, he could tell Natsu’s level. Though far below Mo En’s, it was still excellent, on par with Gray’s own impressive skill.

“Natsu, wake up—are Itachi okay?”

Mo En rushed to Natsu’s side, his expression serious, asking as he waved his hand in front of Natsu’s eyes.

“Bad! Quickly, get Old Lady Poluxica!”

After waving his hand twice, Mo En’s face changed—he suddenly stood up and shouted loudly, startling everyone into silence.

“Just kidding—Natsu’s fine. Let him rest a bit.”

Before anyone could panic, Mo En’s expression shifted again—from anxious to smiling—he grinned and stunned everyone once more.

“Itachi brat! Don’t joke like that! Do Itachi think I’d hit without control?!”

Gildarts was the first to recover—he shook his head, laughing and scolding. He’d almost been fooled by that brat.

The other children quickly realized too, and began teasing Mo En, laughing and playfully roughhousing.

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

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(End of Chapter)