Everyone in the guild stared at Kaien and Elfman in disbelief.
Kaien blinked, just as surprised. "Yo! Everyone's here."
"Kaien?! Elfman?! You're okay?!"
"Okay? What do you mean okay?"
Kaien was a little confused. What could possibly have happened to them?
Makarov waved his hand dismissively. "As long as you're safe, that's what matters! Thank goodness you didn't take on that mission. It's been upgraded to S-Class. I was really worried you two might've rushed in blindly. You made the right call by giving it up."
"Giving up the mission? What mission?"
"What else? The one you took—against the Phantom Thief Guild!"
"Oh, that? We completed it."
"...What did you say?!"
Everyone in the guild froze. All eyes were on Kaien, wide with disbelief.
Mirajane looked to Elfman for confirmation. Elfman nodded seriously.
Makarov stared, stunned. "You... you actually finished it? You defeated the 'King of Assassins,' Camille?"
Kaien nodded. "Yup. That guy was pretty tricky, not easy to handle."
"..."
Elfman stayed quiet, though inwardly he grumbled, 'Yeah, super tricky—took you a whole minute to beat him.'
"You... You're so reckless. That was an S-Class mission! That guy was the infamous 'King of Assassins'!"
Kaien shrugged. "Couldn't be helped. I already accepted the job—I couldn't just back out. And they were trying to kill my client. I couldn't just sit by and do nothing, could I? That'd be a disgrace to Fairy Tail's name."
Just then, a paperboy ran past the guild doors.
"Extra! Extra!"
"The notorious Phantom Thief Guild—all members arrested!"
"Shocking identity of their guild master revealed!"
Guild members rushed to buy a copy.
"It's true! It's really true!!"
"Kaien just joined the guild and already completed an S-Class mission?! That's insane!"
"No wonder he beat Natsu! This guy's strength is monstrous!"
The guild buzzed with amazement as they read the report. It clearly stated that it was Kaien, a mage from Fairy Tail, who took down the Phantom Thief Guild.
Makarov took a deep breath. "Alright. Give us the mission rundown."
Elfman stepped forward and gave a full report of the mission from beginning to end.
And from his report, everyone realized—Kaien had done it all by himself.
One man took down thirteen members of the Phantom Thief Guild, including the one known as the "King of Assassins," Camille. That was unbelievable.
Makarov exhaled, finally relieved. He turned to Kaien. "I'll let this one slide, but don't be so reckless next time!"
"Got it! Oh, by the way, Master—since I've already completed an S-Class mission, can I go up to the second floor?"
The second floor held all the S-Class missions Kaien had been dreaming of. The more he completed, the more chances he had to spin the lottery. And if that happened, his strength would skyrocket.
"Yeah, good point!"
"If Kaien finished an S-Class mission, doesn't that mean he should be allowed on the second floor?"
S-Class missions were dangerous even for official S-Class mages. Now that Kaien had completed one, surely he qualified.
"No way!"
"S-Class missions are S-Class missions. The second floor is a different matter. You can only access it if you become an S-Class mage. That's the guild rule."
Makarov rejected the request instantly. This stubborn brat had just joined and already dared to take on an S-Class mission. If he let this rascal onto the second floor, who knows what kind of trouble he'd stir up—maybe he'd even try to take on a 100-Year Quest!
Plus, it would set a bad precedent. Others might try to rush into S-Class missions just to get upstairs. He didn't want to deal with that headache.
"Sigh… Fine. Then how do I become an S-Class mage?"
Kaien looked disappointed. He thought he could waltz right up and pick any mission he liked.
"You'll have to wait until the end-of-year S-Class Advancement Exam. Only by passing that can you be promoted."
Kaien's eyes widened. "End of the year?! But it's only the beginning of the year! That's more than half a year away!"
"Exactly."
Makarov thought to himself, 'Just do some normal missions for now and be patient, kid.'
Soon, the guild returned to its usual lively state. People kept buzzing about Kaien's feat—completing an S-Class mission. Just looking at the photos in the newspaper, the destruction alone showed how intense the fight had been.
Kaien ordered an entire table full of food. He'd lived frugally since arriving in this world, but now that he had money, he was going to make up for every missed meal.
While he ate, many guild members came to invite him into their fixed teams, but he turned them all down politely, saying he wanted to work alone for now.
There were benefits to forming a team—more safety, the ability to take on harder missions…
But only when the members were of similar strength. If the power gap was too wide, it would only slow him down.
And slowing down meant delaying his growth.
Besides, his goal was to become an S-Class mage. Once he reached that level, he'd have to do S-Class missions anyway. Working with weak teammates would be even more dangerous. Better to get used to going solo now.
"Mirajane! Another beer!"
"Coming right up!"
Mirajane quickly brought over a fresh glass and set it on his table.
"Kaien, thank you so much."
She'd heard from Elfman that Kaien had handled the Phantom Thief Guild all on his own without letting Elfman get involved. Even more, after the mission, he tried to split the reward with Elfman. In the end, Elfman only took 1 million J—but even that amount required completing a high-difficulty hunt.
Kaien blinked. "Thank me? For what? I should be thanking you! If you hadn't asked Elfman to bring me, he wouldn't have been there to protect the client. I might've completed the mission and ended up with no one alive to pay me."
Hearing that, Mirajane looked at Kaien with renewed fondness. "If you ever need help with anything, just ask."
That's when Kaien suddenly remembered something. "Actually, yeah. I do have something I need help with."
"What is it?"
"I want to buy a house."