Chapter 25: Practical Training
Chapter 25: Practical Training
The battle was set to take place in the guild's backyard.
Initially, Loki wanted to fight in the street, but Rod declined. He figured that after only a few days of learning magic, he would probably lose. The thought of being beaten up in front of a crowd was not appealing to his sense of pride. However, choosing the backyard didn't make things much better.
Someone shouted, "Newbie Rod's first battle, challenging Loki!" and almost everyone in the guild hall gathered to watch.
"Too unfair, Loki! I want to fight the newbie too!"
Natsu pushed his way through the crowd, even spitting out small flames as he spoke.
"Well, what can I say? It's all because I shine too brightly." Loki pushed up his glasses with his index and middle fingers, a confident smile on his face.
"Ahhh, Loki~~" Two female fans screamed excitedly for Loki.
Rod couldn't help but feel a mix of envy and annoyance at the way Loki brought his fan club to the fight, corrupting the guild's atmosphere.
The two stood facing each other, about four meters apart. Rod had to admit that Loki was a bit more handsome than him, which was a bit of a sore point.
The audience lined up in front of the door, standing close enough to watch the fight but not concerned about getting hurt.
"Alright, both sides prepare—" Master Makarov stood at the front of the crowd. "Bets on Loki to win are even money, and bets on Rod to win are ten to one!"
People eagerly placed their bets, and Rod almost fell over. "Master, how can you...?"
He thought the Master was there to referee and ensure their safety, not to run a betting ring.
"Ah, since Cana isn't here, I'm running the bets. Don't worry about it!"
Sure enough, if the top beam is crooked, the lower ones will be too!
"Alright, place your bets and stand back, you two can start!"
Rod glanced at the two trays in front of the Master. Loki's tray was full of bets, while his only had three bills.
"Good luck, Rod."
One of the bills was from Mira, a gesture of friendship.
"Come on, newbie! Beat up that Loki kid!"
The other two were from Macao and Wakaba, who wanted to see Loki get a beating and found the high odds more exciting.
"Wait!" Rod raised his hand. "Master, 30,000 J! I bet on myself to lose!"
"No, fake matches are not allowed." Makarov firmly refused, waving his hand. "Now, the battle begins!"
Rod lost his chance to make some easy money and had to grip his necklace to prepare his incantation.
"An item wielder, huh? I am too." Loki showed off his ring.
"Whether or not I'm an item wielder, I've been practicing magic in the guild for a few days now. You've seen me before, haven't you?"
Loki laughed. "Sorry, I don't have the habit of observing men."
"..."
This guy really needed a good beating!
"Thou who bridgest the gap between worlds, thou..."
"Wait... wait a minute!" Loki's body shuddered at the sound of Rod's incantation.
He immediately held up his hand to stop. "Are you a Celestial Spirit Mage?"
"No, but Master said it's similar to Celestial Spirit Magic."
Rod showed his necklace. "See, I don't use Celestial Spirit Keys."
"Y-You're right, hahaha..." Loki's laugh was a bit forced, and in his panic, he didn't even notice that Rod's magic item wasn't a key.
"Do you want to continue?"
"N-No, no need." Sweat dripped from Loki's forehead as he hurriedly ran out of the backyard. "I suddenly feel a bit unwell. Let's do this another time, bye!"
"Huh?"
"Aww~~" The crowd that had bet on Loki to win was stunned.
"What's with that Loki guy!" Those who lost money started to complain.
"Loki~~" The two female fans chased after him.
"Ahaha~ It's rare to participate and win money so quickly?"
Mira gently touched her cheek, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Makarov had also made a tidy profit, but he was worried about Loki. Was he really that sensitive about his Celestial Spirit Magic being similar to someone else’s abilities?
Macao and Wakaba were so elated that they were slapping each other on the back, having won enough money to buy a few days' worth of drinks with their ten-to-one bet:
"Nice job, newbie! You beat Loki right off the bat!"
Happy quipped, "Love! But he didn’t even fight."
"Ahahaha!" Natsu jumped up, grinning widely, "Perfect, I'll take Loki's place!"
"No, Natsu," Erza placed a hand on Natsu’s shoulder, "Rod has only been learning magic for a few days. This battle is to test his strength. You don’t have the best control over your power, so I’ll handle it."
Before Rod could react, his opponent had already changed to a formidable one.
"Erza, are you serious?" Influenced by Natsu and Gray’s recent behavior, Rod was a bit intimidated.
"Of course," Erza’s face was serious, "Even to repay you for your earlier help, I’ll give it my all."
"Please don’t give it your all!" In a matter of life and death, Rod didn’t misinterpret the key phrase.
Erza paused, then smiled, "Don’t worry, I understand. I won’t use full force on a fellow guild member."
"…" Gray and Natsu definitely had something to say about that.
Rod gave up struggling. Who he fought didn’t matter; he wouldn’t win anyway. Compared to the reckless Natsu, Erza might go easier on him.
"President, hurry up and start the betting! I’m putting my money on Erza!"
"Me too!"
"Come on, President!"
"I refuse," Makarov declined, unwilling to be the one to pay out if everyone bet on Erza and she won.
If Natsu had been the opponent, someone might have bet on Rod. But with Erza… forget it. If everyone bet on Erza and she won, he’d be the one footing the bill.
"Erza, go easy on him!"
"Rod, try to stay alive!"
"We’ll miss you!"
Rod: "…"
A friendly sparring match shouldn’t be this intense. Rod’s nerves were on edge from the guild members’ antics.
"Good luck, Rod."
Rod felt a warm feeling inside. At least Mira’s attitude hadn’t changed, and she was encouraging him as usual…
Wait, why did she have a first-aid kit in her hand?
"Second match, Rod vs. Erza, begin!"
With Makarov’s announcement, Rod had no time to think. He grasped his necklace:
"I am the one who bridges the realms. Hear my call, creature of the Summoner’s Rift, and answer through the gate! Swift Crab of the Rift!"
The incantation was slightly adjusted to better suit Rod’s magic, making the summoning process smoother.
Ripples spread across the ground like water, and a green, swift crab emerged from them.
"Wow~~ Is this another of Rod’s summons? It looks strong!"
"I thought he was going to use Worm against Erza!"
"Don’t be ridiculous. If it’s a real fight, he’d send the decorative Worm back."
Erza, adhering to the code of combat, patiently waited for Rod to finish his incantation before opening her hand: "Requip!"
A magical sword appeared in her hand.
Rod pointed at Erza and gave the crab its order: "Charge!"
The crab’s pincers snapped open and closed twice as it sprinted toward Erza, leaving a trail of afterimages in its wake.
Rod had seen the power of this move before; it could easily smash through a wall. But for the destruction-happy guild members, it was just a regular attack.
So, it was a good opening move.
In an instant, Erza made her judgment: "A speed-type, huh?"
(End of Chapter)
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