Chapter 8: Ice and Fire Are Incompatible

“Why?”

Natsu was confused—couldn’t strength be judged by a simple fight? Why did Mo En exclude him?

“Because I made the list myself—it’s entirely my own subjective ranking. Besides, not everyone has fought each other; for example, I’ve never fought Laxus. Should I just rank myself first?”

Mo En stood up and gave his explanation, which was reasonably sound.

“Phew~”

After a brief warm-up, Mo En began punching, unleashing his magic energy with repeated “Pegasus Meteor Fist” strikes.

Strong power comes from diligent, everyday training.

In Mo En’s heart, he believed he would become the strongest, and his ceiling was surely higher than any of his guildmates—nothing else mattered but his own effort and sweat.

【Pegasus Meteor Fist proficiency increased】

【Pegasus Meteor Fist · Beginner, Proficiency: 120/500】

Seeing the prompt from the 【Saint Warrior System】, Mo En punched harder—those 120 points of proficiency were the crystallization of his sweat and effort, his confidence.

He only saw proficiency displayed when training the “Pegasus Meteor Fist”—clearly, it was part of a complete system, and all skills gained from the 【Saint Warrior System】 would work the same way.

This accompanying proficiency system was designed to motivate Mo En to train relentlessly; when effort and sweat became tangible, the real-time feedback was highly effective.

“.”

Watching Mo En’s fists move like an impenetrable storm, Natsu swallowed hard, his fists clenched tight, his body trembling slightly.

“What? Scared?”

Seeing Natsu standing still, no longer shouting to find Erza, Mo En couldn’t help but smile—he’d clearly frightened the kid.

“No, I’m not scared—I’m excited. I’ll surpass Itachi all eventually. I’ll become stronger than any of Itachi!”

Yet Natsu refused to admit fear; his expression was serious, his eyes burning like flames.

The boy had just set his new goal: Mo En, Erza, and even Laxus—all became targets he would chase. He would defeat them all, and every other strong member of the guild too!

Mo En stopped punching and turned to face Natsu. The boy’s expression was serious, his eyes blazing with fierce fire—clearly, he wasn’t just talking for show.

“Good! That’s spirit! But Natsu, strength isn’t won by shouting loud—Itachi need to show real commitment!”

Mo En reached out and slapped Natsu’s shoulder. Though only one year older, Mo En was much taller, making it easy to pat him.

“Train with me, Natsu! Let’s both grow stronger!”

Before Natsu could reply, Mo En continued, his face earnest as he invited Natsu to train alongside him.

“Alright! I won’t hold Itachi back!”

Natsu immediately agreed, his face alight with excitement—he was sure training with Mo En would greatly boost him.

“Good!”

Mo En was equally pleased, grinning broadly—he’d finally found a durable training dummy. After all, Natsu was a “Dragon Slayer,” so his physical resilience should surpass Gray’s.

“Natsu! Itachi were supposed to be resting in bed! Why did Itachi get up?!”

Just as Mo En thought of Gray, Gray burst out, panting heavily, as if he’d run all the way.

The blue-black-haired boy glared angrily at Natsu—he’d only stepped away to use the restroom, and now Natsu, who had been lying in bed moments before, was gone. Gray had worried himself sick, only to find him here, acting like nothing happened!

“Huh? When?”

Seeing Gray’s irritation, Natsu scratched his head blankly—he had no memory of Gray saying anything to him.

“Itachi bastard! Itachi’re asking for a beating, aren’t Itachi?!”

Natsu’s obliviousness pushed Gray to the edge—he, a user of “Ice-Make Magic,” now radiated heat nearly matching Natsu’s fire.

“What?! Itachi wanna fight?!”

Gray’s words ignited Natsu’s temper—he’d just been unfairly scolded by Laxus, and now this? He didn’t even remember Gray saying anything. Why was he so angry?

“????”

Watching Natsu and Gray now head-to-head, pushing against each other, Mo En was utterly baffled—what was going on between them?

Gray’s temperament wasn’t odd or volatile—he was actually quite normal in thought and demeanor. But he wasn’t entirely normal either, because he had an uncontrollable habit of taking off his clothes.

Gray’s automatic “undressing passive” was absurdly ingrained—he stripped with lightning speed, often unaware he’d even done it.

Yet under normal circumstances, Gray wouldn’t be this irritable or quick to clash with others.

“Incompatible magic attributes?”

Watching Natsu and Gray already throwing punches, Mo En could only think of this possibility—one used “Ice-Make Magic,” the other “Fire Dragon Slayer Magic”—their elemental natures were naturally opposed.

“Snap!”

Mo En reached out, grabbed both by the backs of their collars, and yanked them apart. Though Gray was slightly taller than Natsu, Mo En easily overpowered them—his slight age advantage meant he’d developed faster.

Most importantly, neither dared resist—Natsu had just been knocked out cold by Mo En’s punch, and Gray had already felt firsthand what those fists could do. Who would dare fight back?

After being separated, they still glared at each other, but neither made another aggressive move.

Though the saying goes, “Ice and fire cannot coexist,” elemental opposition shouldn’t drastically alter personality.

So their current state was less about magic and more about mutual dislike—a tension evident since their first meeting. They were natural rivals.

Mo En rubbed his temples. His guild, “Fairy Tail,” was clearly a haven for orphans and problem children.

“Since Itachi two are so full of energy, Itachi’ll be my sparring partners.”

Without hesitation, Mo En dragged Natsu over. Gray’s eyes lit up—he was surprised, and beneath that surprise, a hint of malicious delight.

Seeing Natsu’s cheerful, oblivious expression, Gray quickly schooled his face.

At that moment, Gray suddenly thought it wasn’t so bad having Natsu around—at least now there were two people to take Mo En’s punches.

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

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(End of Chapter)