Flames roared past Luo En, the scorching heat instantly singeing his hair. Behind him, the wall had a charred, gaping hole blasted into it by the fire, with gravel splash and debris scattered everywhere.
"Natsu!" Gray's roar came as expected, "You bastard! Are you looking for a fight?"
"Huh? What did you say, exhibitionist! Say it again if you dare!"
The sounds of fists and feet colliding, the roar of magic clashing, and the cheers of their companions who loved to watch the chaos.
In an instant, the entire Guild Hall once again turned into a chaotic battlefield.
Fairy Tail, always overflowing with energy, always deafeningly noisy.
"It's like this again…" Luo En silently withdrew his gaze from the scorch marks on the wall, quietly watching the noisy Guild members.
He felt that a life as boisterous yet harmonious as this might not be bad!
Familiar plotlines, knowledge of future developments—in the face of absolute power, they were all too fragile to withstand a single blow.
He was easily caught up in Natsu and Gray's daily fights; what future could he even talk about?
"Luo En, are you alright?"
A cup of warm milk was unexpectedly handed to him; it was Mirajane.
Her smile was as bright as ever.
This warmth, spreading from his palm, was like a key that suddenly opened the icy floodgates in the depths of his soul, sealed for seven years… It was a night of thunderstorms, and a pure, all-consuming "white light" tore through his consciousness.
That extreme cold enveloped him, a freezing sensation of "existence" being erased, reduced to zero, swept over him… In the last remnants of his conscious thought, what appeared was a completely unfamiliar primeval forest.
Before his consciousness completely plunged into darkness, he vaguely glimpsed a small, white-bearded figure approaching in the rain… When he woke again, he was in a dry, warm, unfamiliar room.
Moreover, his eye-level had changed, and his limbs had shrunk—he seemed to have reverted to his ten-year-old self.
The old man who saved him—Makarov Dreyar, the Third Guild Master of Fairy Tail—was sitting on a stool by the bed, looking at him with a complex gaze.
Fairy Tail… Makarov… this familiar yet strange short old man… these clues all pointed to him surviving that terrifying incident.
But the cost was… he had transmigrated.
He had transmigrated into this magical world called "Fairy Tail," an anime he had only partially watched!
A world full of magic, where people with magic power who could use magic were called "Mages."
Makarov didn't press Luo En further about his origins, merely stroking Luo En's forehead with his palm, an action carrying the gentle warmth of an elder.
"From now on, Fairy Tail is your home!"
"Home"
Luo En chewed on the word in his heart… At this thought, Luo En snapped back to reality, taking small sips of milk. The warm liquid slid down his throat, bringing a touch of warmth.
But this warmth was instantly swallowed by the cold sensation named "absurdity."
He was here, yet not entirely here.
His gaze passed over Natsu and Gray, tangled in a brawl, cut through the brief peace brought by Erza's iron fist, and finally settled on the high-hanging Guild emblem.
That was once a symbol he yearned for across a screen, but now it was carved from real wood, with even tiny cracks visible at the edges.
So real… like a carefully orchestrated deception.
And he, the only audience member who knew the script, was forcibly pushed onto the stage, playing a mime without lines.
Every time he gazed at it, a tidal wave of belonging and absurdity would simultaneously rise, drowning him.
No, now there was something else—loss.
Loss at his powerlessness.
Fairy Tail… passion, friendship, an unextinguishable flame… This was once the extraordinary world he had yearned for countless times, and for which his heart had swelled with emotion, across the screen of another dimension.
Now, he had become an inconspicuous speck of dust in this scene.
Getting stronger—this thought had never been so clear, yet never so powerless, as it was now.
Aside from the core secret of his "transmigration" buried deep in his heart, a new expectation quietly sprouted within him—an expectation for magic.
Since fate had cast him here and endowed him with a body capable of magic, he absolutely could not remain a child hiding and seeking shelter forever.
Luo En, who had always yearned for extraordinary power, naturally didn't want to give up such an opportunity.
But how should he do it?
The Guild was full of powerful individuals: Makarov, Gildarts, Laxus… Luo En's gaze slowly swept across the Guild.
Natsu's fire, Gray's ice, Erza's sword… these magics were powerful, but all had extremely high entry barriers.
Dragon Slayer Magic required a dragon to teach it, Creation Magic required talent, and some magic was even unique.
Being in the Fairy Tail Guild, with so many types of magic, there must be one that suited him.
He needed a more basic, more universal power that he could learn on his own.
Any power system must have its underlying theoretical foundation.
Fairy Tail, as a top Guild on the continent, couldn't possibly lack relevant books.
Luo En drained the remaining milk in his cup and placed the empty glass on the bar.
"Thank you, Mira," he said softly, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hoarseness.
Mirajane smiled as she took the cup: "You're welcome. Would you like another cup?"
Luo En shook his head, turned, and walked towards the Guild's library once more.
He passed by the bulletin board where various quest requests were hung.
"Exterminate the bandit group entrenched in North Mountain, reward 100,000 J."
"Escort a merchant caravan through the Misty Forest, reward 200,000 J."
"Find the lost magic ring, reward 50,000 J."
Money, quests, power… The laws of this world were laid bare before him; without power, he couldn't take a single step.
His destination was clear—the Guild's library, a massive book repository.
The library was quiet, a world apart from the noisy hall outside.
Rows of towering bookshelves, embodying the wisdom of those who came before.
A petite figure sat at a wooden table by the window, engrossed in a book larger than her face.
Short, light blue hair, an orange headband—it was Levy.
Luo En didn't disturb her; he simply began to weave through the bookshelves, searching for his goal.
The categories on the shelves were diverse: "Ancient Script Analysis," "Magic Plant Encyclopedia," "Celestial Spirit Magic Contracts"… In these seven years, Luo En had read many books, but he couldn't learn other types of magic, and his own magic didn't seem to have any use.
In an inconspicuous corner, he found something he hadn't read yet—"The Essence and Perception of Magic."
He pulled out the half-inch-thick book, went to an unnoticed corner, sat on the floor, and opened the first page.
"Magic is the source of life existing in all things, and also the external manifestation of spiritual power…"
Luo En closed the book and his eyes.
Following the description in the book, he emptied his mind, trying to "listen" to the sounds within his own body.
The noise of the Guild outside seemed to be cut off by an invisible barrier, gradually fading away.
One minute, two minutes… still no feeling of what the essence of magic was.
"Luo En, you're here again!"
A clear voice sounded above his head, carrying a hint of curiosity,
"What book are you reading this time?"
Luo En suddenly opened his eyes. Levy had somehow walked up to him and was tilting her head, looking with interest at the book in his hand…