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"The strongest guy is definitely Fire Dragon Natsu. Could it be anyone else?"
One of the middle-aged men smoking a large pipe replied.
Another younger man shook his head, his eyes turning into hearts. "How could Natsu be the strongest? In my opinion, the strongest should be the Queen of Fairies, Erza."
"Bullshit, the strongest is definitely Laxus. I've seen his Lightning Magic with my own eyes."
Another young woman immediately countered.
At this moment, the oldest man snorted coldly. "You guys really lack experience. All three of them combined aren't as strong as Master Makarov."
"Makarov is one of the Ten Wizard Saints, after all."
"What are the Ten Wizard Saints?"
Little Goku asked, blinking his eyes.
The old man stroked his beard and put down the cards in his hand. "The Ten Wizard Saints are the ten strongest and most outstanding Mages on the continent, as chosen by the Magic Council."
"Their strength is even greater than that of an S-Rank Mage."
"Makarov is one of the Ten Wizard Saints, while Erza and Laxus are S-Rank Mages. Natsu isn't even..."
"...an S-Rank Mage yet."
"So Makarov is the strongest Mage here."
"Grandpa, do you know where Makarov is right now?"
Little Goku's eyes sparkled. Although he still didn't understand what a Mage was, it sounded very impressive.
The old man pointed ahead. "Go straight down this street, and you'll see a church. Pass through the church and walk a bit further, and you'll reach the Fairy Tail Guild."
Makarov is the Master of the Fairy Tail Guild; he usually stays there."
"Why, little guy? Do you want to join the Fairy Tail Guild?"
"Thank you, Grandpa. No, I want to challenge Makarov."
Little Goku politely bowed to the old man and then ran towards the Fairy Tail Guild as directed.
Because he ran so fast, he seemed to suddenly vanish in their eyes, leaving only a gust of wind in his wake.
"Is he a Mage too? He's quite fast. He probably uses Speed Magic, like Jet."
"Speed Magic won't beat Makarov; he probably couldn't even beat Natsu."
"It's fine if he can't beat them. He's still so young. Fairy Tail will probably have a new member soon."
The four people playing cards weren't overly surprised by Little Goku's speed.
This is a World full of magic, and even ordinary people like them know a trick or two.
Those powerful Mages possess terrifying strength, capable of destroying a city or crumbling a mountain at a whim.
Reading the newspaper this morning, it reported that Fire Dragon Natsu, who isn't even an S-Rank Mage yet, destroyed half a port with his magic.
"Fairy Tail!"
Little Goku stood before a building with a "Fairy Tail" sign, knowing he had found the right place.
He stepped forward, pushed open the Guild's doors, and walked inside.
A wide hall came into view, with over a dozen tables where men and women in various outfits were seated.
Some were drinking in silence, some were testing their strength against each other, and others were chatting loudly, boasting about their mission experiences.
At the end of the tables was a bar counter, where a beautiful white-haired woman was pouring drinks.
Little Goku's appearance caught the attention of some, but they soon lost interest.
The Fairy Tail Guild wasn't like other Mage guilds; it was very welcoming. Many children in town who aspired to be Mages often came to play.
This included the children of the Guild's Mages, who often came to ask if their parents had returned from missions.
Little Goku looked like a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy, and a rather short one at that.
Naturally, they didn't pay him much mind.
"Little guy, do you need help with something?"
The white-haired beauty at the bar saw Little Goku walking straight toward her. She sensed something was slightly off, but her tone remained gentle.
She had seen all the children of this age in town; the boy before her likely wasn't from Magnolia Town.
Is he here to post a mission?
Although he was a bit young, she had encountered such things before.
Children who lost pets or important items would also come to the Guild to post missions.
Mages who were bored or low-ranked newcomers might take them.
Little Goku looked up at the white-haired beauty and asked politely, "Hello, is Makarov here?"
"Are you looking for our Master to post a mission? You can just tell me, and I'll help you evaluate the mission Rank."
Thinking she had guessed correctly, the white-haired beauty put down her glass and took out a sheet of paper to write down the mission.
However, Little Goku shook his head. "I'm not here to post a mission. I'm training, and I heard Makarov is very strong, so I want to spar with him."
"You want to spar with our Master?"
The white-haired beauty was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Our Master doesn't just spar with anyone. At the very least, you need to become a Mage first, then join our Guild, complete many missions, and raise your Rank."
"Once you reach the level of an S-Rank Mage, you'll be qualified to challenge our Master."
"If you succeed, you might even become our new Master."
She wasn't being serious, of course; it was just that many children from town who came to play at the Guild would say they wanted to challenge the Master.
Children don't know any better; once they find they can use a bit of magic to hit birds or frogs, they think they're invincible.
But she didn't have the heart to crush their confidence, so she developed this standard response.
Some kids just talk, and once they hear how much trouble it is, they give up.
Others are persistent and work hard to practice magic. If they get good, joining the Guild in a few years is a good thing.
Of course, once they actually join the Guild, they realize the gap in strength between themselves and the Master.
"What is a Mage, and how can I become one?"
Little Goku asked, tilting his head.
To him, if someone didn't want to spar, he wouldn't force them.
He would just move on to the next person.
But in this case, it wasn't that the other party was unwilling, but rather that he needed to meet certain conditions before they would agree to spar.
Naturally, he wouldn't just give up; he would do his best to fulfill those conditions.
Just like when he went looking for the Dragon Balls with Bulma, some owners required them to help with certain tasks before giving them the Dragon Ball as a reward.
To him, this was perfectly normal and reasonable.
So, if joining the Fairy Tail Guild and completing missions to become an S-Rank Mage meant he could challenge one of the ten strongest people on the continent...
He was willing to give it a try.
It was just that he still didn't know what a Mage was or how to become one.