Erza and I mounted the golden eagle once more. This time, the mission site was a little further away than before. As we soared through the sky, Erza tested her new Regeneration ability, examining a small cut on her arm before healing it instantly.
"This is a very strong magic for close-quarter combat," she said with a nod.
I smiled. "Take care of yourself, alright?"
She gave a quiet nod. "Thank you. I'll repay you in the future."
I shook my head "Dont't worry about it"
Curious, I asked, "How much magic is it consuming?"
"For small scratches and normal wounds, it doesn't take much mana. But other than that, I haven't tested it yet."
"Good to know," I said. We chatted casually for a while, watching the clouds pass. Time slipped by. After flying for almost an hour, we finally saw the town come into view.
As we landed, a guard spotted us and approached immediately. "Are you here for the mission?"
"Yes," we both answered.
"Follow me."
He led us through the town to a sturdy building—clearly a training barracks for soldiers. Inside, we met the commissioner: a broad-shouldered man with gray in his hair and a sword at his hip.
"You're the Fairy Tail mages? Good. I'm glad you're here. This one's dangerous."
He laid out the mission details.
"This is a Cursed Beast Extermination. The creature dwells in Mist Hollow Cavern. We believe it to be B-Rank but it almost reached the power A-Rank."
He squinted. "Before I send you out there, can you show me a bit of your strength?"
I nodded. With a flick of my hand, I summoned the Iron Golem and the golden eagle.
Gasps echoed from the soldiers nearby.
The commissioner's eyes widened. "Impressive. That should do."
He stepped forward and spoke seriously. "This beast is called cursed because it doesn't just attack physically—it drains mana from the area and from any nearby mages. which make it dnagrous."
I nodded 'In Fairy tail world, magic and life force are closely tied. If you lose all your magic, your life could be in danger like what happened to Makarov '
He handed us a rough map. "It looks like a giant black python. Approach with caution."
We nodded, accepted the map, and wasted no time. Mounting the golden eagle again, we flew toward the Mist Hollow Cavern.
About twenty minutes into the flight, a dense fog began to form around us. Visibility dropped dramatically.
I narrowed my eyes and summoned three Wind Elementals.
"Create a semi-clear airspace around us."
The elementals obeyed, forming a clear radius of about thirty meters around us—barely enough, but better than nothing. The mist was thick and unnatural.
Next, I summoned all my Wind Wolves.
"Search the area. Look for a black snake or anything unusual."
They vanished into the mist.
Moments later, a signal hit me. Then—a wolf died.
The last image I received was a shadow. Huge. Moving.
"We've got a lead," I told Erza.
We followed the trail and arrived at a cave entrance. And there, coiled inside like a nightmare, was a black serpent—larger than any snake i had ever seen. Its eyes locked on us.
It slithered forward slowly. At about twenty meters away, I felt it.
A draining sensation.
I glanced at my mana.
"Twenty mana per second…" I muttered. "Not too much, but definitely noticeable."
Erza didn't seem to notice at first, but her massive mana pool might've dulled the effect.
"We should end this fast," I said. I summoned the Iron Golem and another golden eagle.
"Let's go," I commanded.
The serpent hissed, then turned as if to flee. But the golden eagle was already above it, blocking its escape.
"Erza, let's finish this quickly. You still need to get that armor and repay Cana."
She nodded sharply.
The golden eagle dove and slammed into the cursed beast, restraining it.
The serpent charged a spell. With a hiss, it fired a blast of energy.
It hit the Iron Golem squarely. No damage—but the golem sent me a mental message.
It lost mana.
I blinked. "Mana devourer… interesting."
My excitement grew. An enemy that absorbed mana might mean a Lucky Draw reward related to mana absorption. Very valuable.
"Golden eagle, finish it off."
The eagle tightened its grip. A moment later, the serpent stilled and died.
A card materialized in front of me.
I collected it, studying it but didn't use it yet.
"I'll save this for grinding OL. I want that mana absorption ability."
We had the golden eagles carry the beast's corpse, then returned to the town.
The guards looked shocked to see us back so soon. One ran to inform the captain.
He arrived minutes later.
"Already? Incredible. Thank you for your service. Here's your payment."
He handed us the reward. We split it 50/50 without hesitation.
With that, we headed toward Magnolia.
The sun had already set by the time we reached the skies above Magnolia. The town's warm lights glowed like stars on the ground.
I turned to Erza. "See you tomorrow. I'm exhausted."
She nodded. "Thank you again for the Regeneration magic."
"Don't worry about it."
"I will repay you." she looked into my eyes with a serious exprssion
"..."
"..."
I smiled. "Looking forward to it."
We parted ways.
At home, I sat down and examined the card in my hand.
It still had options.
And I knew exactly what I'd grind for tomorrow.
"Mana absorption… that's going to be mine."