Chapter 88: Come Fight Me!

When Rhodes finished his training and returned to the tavern to work, he immediately felt numerous eyes on him.

It reminded him of those two 'big geese' who had glared at him yesterday.

Coincidentally, Croft and Nicky were among those people too.

Flirting with the guild's belle really does stir up public anger.

Rhodes clenched his fists, saying somewhat provocatively, "Anyone wanna fight?"

Swish, swish, swish!

More than a dozen people in the tavern stood up, their expressions unfriendly. Even Macao and Wakaba, who usually treated him well, were among them.

Knowing when to yield, Rhodes decisively said, "Well, go ahead and start fighting amongst yourselves, I don't feel like fighting today."

Are you kidding me? In guild fights, it's an unwritten rule to start with fists before magic.

Fighting against over a dozen guys without using magic?

He'd definitely get beaten up, and without gaining anything from it, too.

Not to mention the embarrassment in front of Mira. Unless he'd lost his mind, there was no way he'd do that.

"Rhodes, you coward, show some backbone!"

"Yeah? If you have guts, let's duel in the backyard, using any magic we like!"

This time, the others hesitated.

Duel with Rhodes using magic?

If they couldn't knock him out instantly, the duel would quickly turn into a brawl.

If this guy gets anxious, his wolves, giant birds, and stone beetles would trample all over them in no time.

Which summoner can casually summon more than twenty creatures at once?!

These days, whether it was Rhodes issuing a challenge or someone else challenging Rhodes, they'd generally need to set some rules.

Only people like Natsu, Gray, or Cana could manage better.

Because when Rhodes brought out all the wild creatures, he couldn't hold on for too long.

This little challenge ended inconclusively, as both sides were wary of each other. Some decided they'd definitely drag Rhodes into the next guild brawl.

Rhodes also decided to be extra cautious when walking alone at night from now on.

Mira seemed rather busy today; there were quite a few people lining up to take on missions.

Maybe it's because it's the start of the month, and they're short on cash, or they want to work hard early in the month so they can slack off during the middle and end of it.

Out of over a hundred members in Fairy Tail, about half of them lived this way.

They were young, without families to support, and mostly just had to worry about rent and living expenses.

With little financial pressure, they spent most of their time hanging out at the guild, eating, drinking, and having fun. Many of them weren't too concerned about improving their skills.

Some had quirky personalities, making it difficult for them to make friends outside of the guild, so staying at the guild was the most comfortable option.

The guild's troublemakers weren't limited to Natsu and Gray.

People like Rhodes, who were motivated and ambitious, were fundamentally different from the slackers.

Although he didn't go on many missions either, he was always working hard.

And at the beginning of the month, he wasn't short on money because he got his salary.

Last month, Rhodes had a few days of absence while doing a mission, so he only got 100,000 J in salary.

Mira seemed to have cut him some slack while calculating his salary; by his own estimates, it should have been only 80,000 J.

To thank her for her kindness, Rhodes decided he'd invite her out for some desserts in the coming days.

"Rhodes, two orders of pan-fried cod here!"

Rhodes conveyed the order to Cook at the kitchen counter, then shouted to the customer who ordered,

"Croft? You still dare to call on me? Want me to add a bucket of chili sauce to your dish?!"

Croft wasn't fazed at all, "Go ahead, Cook will kill you for it."

That was indeed an issue.

Wasting chili sauce and ruining one of Cook's masterpieces would definitely get him chased around with a knife.

A moment later, besides sending out the plates, the kitchen counter also sent out a little poro.

"Why are you here too, got kicked out?" Rhodes picked up Wurm, feeling the little creature had grown even heavier.

"Snuffle!" Wurm seemed very happy, its tiny horns bobbing up and down.

It jumped out of Rhodes' arms and ran back to the kitchen counter, where it hooked a basketball-sized bag with its paw.

Wurm opened the bag and showed its contents to Rhodes.

"Is this... Poro Delicacy?" Rhodes looked at the biscuit-like food inside, pleasantly surprised, "It's a success?"

"Woo~" Wurm nodded, then shook its head.

This round, fluffy little creature seemed to have a hard time making such complex gestures.

"So, it's a partial success?" Rhodes thought for a moment, "Poro Delicacy version 1.0, then."

"Snuffle!" Wurm took out a biscuit the size of a plate and handed it to Rhodes, signaling for him to try it.

Rhodes hesitated a bit; he remembered Cook mentioning he wanted this to become a guild specialty snack.

Alright, I'll give it a try.

He broke off a small piece and gave it to Wurm first, saying righteously, "Poro Delicacy, poro tries first!"

Oh, filthy human, exploiting the adorable poro just because he's afraid it might not taste good.

Rhodes observed Wurm's expression closely. Good, it didn't seem bitter, spicy, or weird.

Seeing Wurm so happy, Rhodes felt a twinge of guilt—just about 0.01 milligrams—and decided not to make Wurm help clean under his bed next time.

Poro Delicacy tasted soft, sticky, and sweet like a chiffon cake, making it a great snack.

Not sure about the effects, but given Wurm's recent growth spurt, it seemed to help its development.

At least, the research funding hadn't gone to waste...

But seriously, is Wurm growing because of eating Poro Delicacy, or has it just been hanging around the kitchen too long and put on weight?

...

Mid-September, Magnolia gradually entered autumn.

After two light rains early this month, the summer heat was nearly washed away.

Taking Wurm out in the morning, Rhodes felt the chill in the air, which made him glad about his decision to prepare for autumn and winter clothes early.

Recently, the Sothrara Weekly had advertised a lot of new fall clothing, and prices in town seemed to be rising too.

Rhodes decided he'd go shopping after work today, looking for some "outdated" clothes.

For men's clothing, how outdated can it get?

Picking something simple and classic, avoiding odd colors and patterns, generally meant it wouldn't go wrong.

The downside was that clothes had a higher chance of being identical to others.

But this wasn't a big deal; once bought, he could always get the guild emblem stamped on them.

Changing the color, position, and size of the emblem would make identical clothes look different.

Besides, Mira was in charge of the stamps, so he could consult her while designing them.

Rhodes' simple logic—why bother putting effort into coordinating outfits if it's ultimately to impress a particular person?

Might as well have her design them herself, and save the trouble.

Aside from dealing with life's little issues, he hadn't slacked on his training either.

He'd reached a good level of proficiency in the Swift Crab Form of Receiving Magic, and was ready to receive the next creature.

Plus, there was a new development in summoning magic—the newly lit area in the canyon, which he planned to summon today to see what would come out.