It was time magic!
Makarov's previously dull eyes instantly became incredibly fervent, and that fiery gaze made Hope clench his butt.
Hope quickly took a step back, warily looking at the old man who suddenly had a lewd expression. "Guild Master, I sell my art, not my body."
"Who wants your body? This old man wants your time." Makarov said, his body expanding into that of a muscular strongman.
Looking at the muscles that were so greasy they reflected light, Hope swallowed nervously. "Sorry, Guild Master, my time is as important as my body and my virginity!"
Makarov's face darkened, and with a flying cross armlock, he pinned Hope to the ground. "You brat! Can your thoughts get any dirtier?!"
"This old man wants you to use your time magic to repair the guild!"
"And this old man likes women!!"
...The next morning.
When the Fairy Tail members arrived outside the guild, they were astonished to find that the previously damaged and dilapidated building had miraculously returned to its original state.
No, perhaps 'brand new' would be a more fitting description.
Looking at the incredibly familiar, yet sparkling new guild building, everyone's expressions changed from surprise to confusion.
"The guild is repaired!"
"This isn't an illusion, is it? Someone pinch me."
"Levy, did you do this?"
"Don't be silly, I'm just a small Wood-Make Mage..."
"Then the Guild Master must have called a construction team. Those civil engineers are the best at working overtime."
"Civil engineers, huh? Even civil engineering superheroes couldn't fix the guild in one night."
"Never mind, let's go inside and see!"
Everyone looked at each other, and finally chose Natsu, who was always a bit simple-minded, to open the door.
Natsu walked up, lifting his foot to kick open the guild door. But looking at the brand new door, he, who was accustomed to opening doors with his foot, suddenly felt it was inappropriate.
So, under the gaze of his companions behind him, Natsu, for the first time in a while, pushed open the guild door with both hands.
What appeared before everyone's eyes was the guild hall with a gleaming floor, fully equipped with tables, chairs, and benches. Looking up, the second and third floors, which had been pierced by large iron pillars, were also restored to new.
Everyone walked into the hall in amazement, wondering if they were dreaming.
Natsu, sharp-eyed, spotted Hope sleeping behind the counter and quickly rushed over. "Hope! What happened to the guild last night? Why does it look brand new?"
However, Hope didn't move. Natsu pulled him up and only then noticed Hope's thick dark circles, his cheeks thin, as if he were utterly exhausted.
"What's wrong with you!"
"Hope! Answer me, Hope!"
After shaking him several times and seeing that Hope still didn't respond, Natsu suddenly had a bad premonition. His body stiffened as he looked at his companions in the hall, his voice tinged with a sob, "Hope... he seems a little dead."
Erza, who had just arrived at the guild and was still confused, heard this and gave Natsu a flying kick that sent him into the wall. "If you can't speak properly, then don't. Who curses a comrade to death?"
Natsu rubbed his face, which was red from scraping against the wall. "But Hope isn't responding at all..."
Erza frowned and went to the counter, finding that, just as Natsu said, Hope, aside from still breathing, looked as weak as a dead man from magic exhaustion.
Magic, could it be... Erza instantly understood, and a crimson ball of Dragon Slayer Magic appeared in her hand.
"Erza, when did you learn Dragon Slayer Magic?!"
Ignoring Natsu, who had instantly popped his head up, Erza shoved the magic ball into Hope's mouth and watched him swallow it.
The next second, Hope's deathly pale face visibly flushed, and his dark circles gradually disappeared. He slowly opened his eyes, looked at the young girl's face that came into view, and subconsciously asked:
"I'm not dead?"
"Not far from it."
Erza sent Natsu away and sat down in front of the counter. "Tell me, what did you do last night? You didn't secretly use the magic you copied from the Guild Master and accidentally drain yourself, did you?"
Hope pinched the bridge of his nose.
Copied? She seemed to have misunderstood something, but the system could indeed be interpreted that way, so it was better to let this beautiful misunderstanding continue.
"It's all the Guild Master's fault."
Hope slumped back onto the table. "You know I have a time-type magic called 'Arc of Time.' I told the Guild Master about it last night."
"I thought the Guild Master would treasure me after hearing that, but who knew he'd work me like an ox..."
After Makarov, in his giant form, performed a 'pulling up a willow tree' act, extracting those large iron pillars from the guild, Hope began to use 'Arc of Time' to restore the guild.
Who knew that the work would just keep piling up? After repairing the hall and the holes, Hope discovered that many structures in the basement, first, second, and third floors were already decayed, with many hidden dangers.
This building was constructed when the guild was founded, and it now had a history of over ninety years, older than Makarov himself.
However, neither the second Guild Master, who presided over the guild for the first forty years, nor Makarov, who had been the third Guild Master for over forty years, had ever had the habit of maintaining the building.
This originally three-story wooden building, after nearly a hundred years of wear and tear from four generations of Fairy Tail members, was still standing.
It truly was a miracle.
After all, this was Fairy Tail, where fights broke out for no reason.
To fix the numerous hidden dangers, Hope had to use 'Arc of Time' to restore them one by one. For the most serious dangers, he even used magic to revert them ninety years back to solve them.
Due to insufficient magic power, Hope even used 'Arc of the Great Tree' to draw out hidden magic power from the earth, and even then, he was completely drained.
Listening to Hope pour out his grievances, Erza finally understood what he had gone through last night, and her expression became strange. "Aren't you just asking for trouble? You didn't have to finish all that work in one day, did you?"
"Well..."
Hope scratched his head. "The Guild Master promised me that if I restored the guild in one night, he would tell me how to increase my magic power limit."
"So you sold your art and your body too?"
"Ha... haha..."
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