Chapter 27: Invitation and Rejection
Chapter 27: Invitation and Rejection
Erza seemed to have something important to do and left the guild hall without a word.
Then, Natsu, fully revitalized, shouted, "Let's settle this, Rody!"
"It's Rod," Rod corrected, then added, "Didn't you see? I'm really weak. One punch and I'm down."
The blue cat, Happy, jumped in, "It's okay, Natsu used to challenge Erza and got taken down in one punch too."
"You talk too much, Happy! I'm different now. I can definitely—"
Happy covered his mouth and muttered, "Definitely last a few more punches."
"What did you say!?" Natsu glared at Happy, ready to start a fight.
Happy flew behind Mirajane and peeked out, "Love!"
Mirajane didn't say a word, focusing on drying the freshly washed glasses with a rag.
"Anyway, come and fight me. Your crab looks pretty strong!"
"Hmm..." Rod thought for a moment, "Tomorrow, I need to rest a bit."
Mainly, he didn't want to get beaten up again today. He was still sore from the previous beatings.
"Alright then!" Natsu stormed off, full of energy.
Happy, however, didn't leave right away. He hopped onto the counter and asked Rod, "Are you a mage who uses summoning magic?"
Rod nodded, "Yes, that's right."
Happy's mouth started to water, "Can you summon fish?"
Rod silently reviewed the types of monsters he could summon, "Probably not. The best I can do is a frog."
"Disappointing..." Happy slumped into a corner, his entire body shrouded in shadows.
"Fish are that important to you?" Rod couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. Besides, even if he could summon fish, it would be for battle, not for eating.
Happy raised his fist, "Fish are the ultimate delicacy!"
"Sure, sure," Rod didn't want to argue with a cat about the taste of fish.
Worm, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy Happy's company. He nuzzled up to the small cat, and the two cute creatures quickly became friends.
...
In the evening, Levy came to the guild, selecting a mission with Jet and Droy from the bulletin board before coming to Rod to learn more about writing.
"Today, I'll teach you two slightly more complex characters: 'fist' and 'pain.'"
Rod used Levy's light pen to write the characters, stroke by stroke, and explained their meanings.
"Why are you suddenly teaching me these two characters?"
"Out of inspiration."
"Ah, right. I heard you had a duel with Erza today."
Levy's eyes sparkled with admiration, and a smile tugged at her lips, though she tried to suppress it, which looked quite strained.
"It's a long story... If you want to laugh, go ahead."
"Ha... No, I'm not laughing at you... Ha, I'm just really happy to learn new characters."
Because her laughter was free of malice, Rod couldn't stay mad. He sighed, "By the way, here's your Wind Chant glasses."
Levy shook her head, "You can keep them for now. I have a spare pair, and we're going on a job tomorrow, so I won't need them."
"You just got back a few days ago, and you're already working?"
"That's because the reward for our last job was low, and we spent a few days sightseeing in the target city..."
In truth, Levy's team wasn't one of the strongest in the guild, so they often took on less challenging missions.
Consequently, the rewards were lower.
And the reward for a single mission had to be split among three people, so they naturally had to work a bit harder than others.
Even so, it was enough to make Rod envious: "I don't know how long it will take me to take on higher-paying jobs."
Levy suggested, "If you want to take on more rewarding jobs, how about joining our Team Shadow Gear? The rewards this time were pretty good."
Rod was tempted but quickly shook his head, "No, my skills would only hold you back if I joined you."
“Don’t worry, this time it’s a mission with the exploration team to the mountains. It’s more about solving puzzles and finding treasures, relying on brains rather than brawn.”
Levy closed one eye and held up two fingers in a teasing manner, “The reward is 200,000 Jewels, you know.”
Rod swallowed hard, not because Levy’s gesture was too cute, but because the reward was incredibly tempting.
200,000 Jewels, if split among four people, would be 50,000 Jewels each—more than a small fortune for him.
But entering the mountains...
“Maybe it’s best to pass. Thank you, but I don’t think I’m ready yet.”
“Is that so?” Levy tilted her head, not pressing for more details, “What a shame.”
Rod gave a wry smile. The lingering fear from being attacked by beasts when he first arrived, coupled with Erza’s punch today...
Until he gained more strength, he wasn’t about to step outside Magnolia’s city limits.
Makarov, who had been resting with his eyes closed, glanced at Rod. This kid, he thought, was another ‘problem’ child.
---
After work, Rod didn’t head straight home. Instead, he jogged down the main road leading from the guild, gradually picking up speed after a brief warm-up.
‘I need to get in shape, or I’ll keep getting the short end of the stick.’ Makarov’s words echoed in his mind. Rod felt that just doing push-ups before bed was too half-hearted. Adding a running routine seemed like a good idea.
The large box of medicine and medical supplies that Erza had given him was already at home, courtesy of a Swift Crab he had summoned.
The box, likely custom-made by Erza, bore the Fairy Tail emblem. Even if left at his doorstep, no one would dare tamper with it.
Rod jogged through the residential areas near the guild, easily leaping down the nearly two-meter-tall stone steps in two strides, and arrived at another neighborhood.
Continuing along the main road, he reached the canal that ran through Magnolia.
In the distance, he could see the tallest building on the opposite bank—the Cardia Cathedral.
The streets around the cathedral were the heart of the city, meaning the guild was actually situated at the very edge of Magnolia.
Rod’s relatively low rent might have something to do with his apartment being a bit further from the city center.
Once he reached the river, Rod didn’t head toward the city center. Instead, he continued jogging along the canal, running until his heart rate accelerated, his breath became labored, and sweat trickled down his face.
He wasn’t sure how far he had run, but he had counted over 3,000 steps.
To his surprise, his physical condition seemed better than before the time-travel. In the past, running three laps around the track would have left him in this state, but now he was clearly stronger.
Previously, the feeling of his lungs about to burst would have forced him to stop, but now, Rod knew he was just getting started.
True exercise wasn’t just about the body; it was also a test of will. Each time he felt like giving up, just pushing a little further—another hundred meters—was a step forward.
Of course, for someone as physically weak as him, talking about willpower might be a bit of a joke—while others were just starting their warm-up, he was already working on his willpower?
There was no helping it. His body was what it was, and now, simply moving his legs was a challenge. He had to rely on the strength from his hips to keep going.
Worm, the unfaithful little creature, had tried to run a few steps with him, but soon decided to climb onto Rod’s shoulders to add some extra weight.
Rod promptly sent him back.
He wasn’t ready for that kind of challenge yet.
The weather wasn't particularly sunny, so when the sun set, it was just a blurry spot of light in the sky.
“Keep it up, young man!” Someone on a boat rowing upstream along the canal called out, spotting the sweat-drenched Rod.
Rod managed to lift his sore arm in acknowledgment and continued his ‘willpower training.’
The residents here were quite friendly.
(End of Chapter)
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