Chapter 88: I Need Your Help to Train
Chapter 88: I Need Your Help to Train
The guild master wasn't exaggerating; the food at this restaurant was indeed delicious, and the atmosphere was fantastic.
There were plenty of beautiful women here as well.
Most of them were accompanied by men, but the guild master occasionally came here to indulge in a little eye candy, and that was fine as long as he didn't mind getting a punch in the face.
Rod could guarantee that he didn't look around while eating because just glancing up at Mira a few times was enough to satisfy him.
Today, Mira was wearing a black dress with nothing but a silk ribbon around her neck for decoration.
Her hairstyle was the same as usual, except the small hair tie was black to match her dress.
Simple, yet beautiful.
Mira suddenly stopped eating and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Am I eating terribly?"
Rod replied, "No, you're eating... quite normally. Why do you ask?"
He couldn't think of the right word to describe her eating habits.
She took out a small mirror from her handbag. "Because you keep looking up at me, I thought something might be on my face."
Could it be that I just enjoy looking at you?
Rod thought for a moment and said, "Because you always wear your hair the same way, except for the hat.
I was wondering what you'd look like if you let your bangs down."
Mira blinked and took off the small hair tie from her head, letting her bangs fall to her forehead. She gently combed them with her fingers.
She checked herself in the mirror and then looked up. "Like this?"
"..." The last time he saw her like this, it was just a fleeting glimpse, and he thought it would be beautiful. Now, seeing it in detail, it was more than just beautiful—it was stunning.
"Too beautiful, I want to ask Laxus to draw you exactly like this... but he might not be able to."
Rod couldn't help but wonder if she usually styled her hair that way to hide her incredible beauty.
Even though she looked great either way.
"Oh, you're exaggerating."
Mira nervously tied her hair back, and Rod felt a pang of regret.
The lunch ended in a pleasant atmosphere, and Rod was about to get up to pay.
"Wait a moment," Mira called out.
"What's wrong?"
"That's Loki over there."
"Loki?" Rod wondered why he always ran into people he knew, but then he realized it made sense.
"Isn't it normal to run into Loki in a place like this?"
Mira gave him a knowing look. You know it's "a place like this," too.
Rod wasn't the least bit guilty. I only found out after I got here.
"I can guess without turning around that he's brought two girls with him."
Mira corrected him, "No, a third one just arrived."
She seemed a bit excited as she spoke, and Rod realized Mira's strongest magic might not be Soul of Satan, but the Gossip Spirit.
"Three? That's a love triangle, right?" Rod got excited too. Is this guy going to get into trouble?
"Quick, give me the little mirror!"
"Why do you need a mirror?"
"He'll run if he sees me, and then we won't get to see the show. Hurry up!"
Rod even moved his chair a bit to the side and patted the empty seat. "Come on, let's do this together."
Sure enough, Mira was also worried that Loki would run away, so she quietly "ambushed" Rod and took out the small mirror.
The two of them huddled together to sneak a peek.
Loki was sitting with one girl on one side and another across from him. The two girls seemed to be competing to feed Loki.
What a lucky bastard.
The real excitement came when the third girl walked by and saw Loki on a date with someone else. She burst in, angry and hurt, demanding to know if his love for her was fake.
Rod silently regretted that this girl was too gentle and didn't slap him on the spot.
However, Loki pushed up his glasses and sincerely expressed his love.
The girl's anger immediately subsided, and she even affectionately hugged his arm.
This only made the other two girls even more upset, and it looked like the three of them were about to start arguing.
Loki leaned in and whispered something in each girl's ear. The first two girls blushed and left with smiles on their faces.
Rod stared in disbelief. "How... how does he do that?"
Mira shook her head lightly. "I don't know, but Loki is definitely the strongest in the guild at this."
Light travels in a straight line.
The small mirror wasn't like a phone; it could only show a limited angle, and for two people to see, they had to get very close.
Close enough for Rod to smell the scent of Mira's hair, and for her hair to brush against his cheek when she shook her head.
Though he didn't get to see the chaos he was hoping for, Rod didn't feel like he lost out.
Mira found this amusing too, and she didn't feel like she lost out either.
...
The next day, in the guild's backyard.
Mira carefully explained the intricacies of Receiving Magic.
"Mastering Receiving Magic is all about proficiency and control. You need to be able to use each form effortlessly."
After their conversation the previous day, Mira no longer had any reservations about teaching Rod Receiving Magic.
So Mira once again became Mira the Teacher.
As for the original instructor, one of the Ten Wizard Saints and the third Guild Master of Fairy Tail, Mr. Makarov...
Mira had sent him off to write reports.
The old man couldn't fathom why Mira suddenly became so strict and even ordered him to stop drinking.
"There's a big issue with Receiving Magic: it consumes much more magic power than summoning. I can't practice for long periods every day."
The best way to solve this would be to increase his magic power, but that was a slow process.
Even with Rod's current, not-so-substantial magic power, it would take several weeks of specialized training to see significant results.
And to maintain the comprehensive training regimen Rod had been following...
Mira thought for a moment. "In that case, you can try 'Partial Receiving.' For example, just receive an arm or both legs."
This way, you can train each ability separately, become familiar with it, and then use 'Full Receiving' for more comprehensive training."
Elfman often used Partial Receiving for the same reason. He couldn't use Full Receiving yet.
Partial Receiving was less difficult and consumed less magic power.
Of course, it was far less powerful than Full Receiving.
It might not seem strong enough in battle, but it's perfect for beginners to train with.
"Sounds good." Rod agreed, "Partial Receiving: Spirit of the Rift Scuttler, right arm!"
Rod's right arm glowed with light spots, then was covered in a green shell, extending up to his shoulder.
It was indeed much easier!
He moved his right arm, feeling a significant increase in strength.
And the effect... it felt like he was Iron Man.
Rod extended his left arm and used Partial Receiving again, the green shell extending from his arm to his chest.
"Your magic control isn't perfect, but for someone just starting out, you can already use Full Receiving and Partial Receiving so freely. You're really strong, Rod."
Mira was impressed. She had once struggled with her arm not reverting back to normal.
Rod smiled, not feeling particularly strong himself.
His rapid progress was likely due to the monsters' complete obedience to his commands.
He didn't need to engage in the mental or spiritual struggles that other Receiving Magic users had to go through.
So, using the power of the monsters was far easier for him than for others.
Rod practiced for a while, and Mira shared some of the tips she had learned.
She also corrected some of Rod's excess movements in battle based on her own experience.
"Mira, there's a job I want to take!"
"Coming."
She finally let Rod practice on his own when someone came to disturb them.
Swish, swish, Rod swung his crab-clawed arm a few times. Training was always a pleasure.
(End of Chapter)
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