Fairy 12: Factors of Strength

Every month, Zack always takes one or two missions. And earns about 150,000 Jewels each month on average. Sometimes he earns little of 50,000 and sometimes he even earns about 500,000 Jewels. It really counts on the mission he goes on, or who goes with him.

Mirajane refuses, and Zack himself felt he needed to be at or around the guild when she and her sibling comes back from a mission. So he doesn't go on missions with the Strauss siblings.

He asked if he could go with Erza, but she refused, and told him if only he was stronger. Of course, she still helped him with his sword training, along with other useful tips on combat.

Which leaves Gray and Natsu, he goes on missions with the both of them most of the time. Cana mostly earns her income from telling people's futures or their love life with tarot cards. Which he cannot helped since it only something she can do by herself.

Right now, in some highway. Lies three boys, one that looks around 16 or so but actually 15 years old, that is of course Zack Smasher who is tall for his age. Besides the tall boy lies Gary and Natsu, that keep glaring at each other with hostility can be felt in their eyes.

"Hay, why is that Gray here…?" Natsu said with dismay tone.

"I can say the same." Gray snorted at Natsu with obvious displeasure.

"Now, now, I was the one that going on a mission, I only asked if anyone wants to go with me, right Happy?" Zack said towards the floating blue cat, that has a bored expression on his face.

"Aye, aye… when we're eating Zack… where the raw fishes…?" Happy said with his fondness of fishes, specially the raw and alive ones most.

"Soon! We need to find a lake, and hunt and fish when we get there… hmm, what else?" Zack pointed this out, with his usual carefree smile, as he thought over the information he gained by God.

When it comes to survival skills and knowledge about Ether in general, Zack is oddly useful, of course that is thanks to God. He doesn't mention God much these days, since he felt Master, and the other guild members feel uncomfortable when he speaks about God. And sometimes they talked about a cult… of course, Zack wanted to know what's a cult is. But he left it be, feeling he should be careful what he reveals, not to cause any more unnecessary trouble.

After all, Zack is very good at reading others these days. At first, he did find it hard to see through others, but now he is getting there, step by step, he beginning to read others.

While on the highway, Natsu and Gray often keep each other in check. There are times when they about to fight, but unlucky for them, Zack is a step ahead of them, and stopped the fight before it even begins.

Of course, Zack doesn't always stop them fighting each other. Just while they are on a mission he does, that because, he had learnt from the guild members that anything can happened while on a mission. That's why it is wise to be wary of your surroundings.

It wasn't long before the trio plus cat, find a place to camp. At the campsite, Natsu try to steal Gray's food like usual. While Zack and Happy just watches the two boys duke it out yet again, as they just sighed seeing this.

When the night came, Natsu and Gray are covered in scratches and scrapes, begun to sleep soundlessly in the night, while a fat blue cat, begins to sleep talk in his sleep, fish this and fish that. It seems even in his dreams; this fish glutton always has fishes on his mind.

Seeing them like this, Zack sighed. As he covers their bodies with the blankets, that he had brought with him. And begin to walk into the woods slightly away from them.

Looking at the moon in the sky, Zack let out a long sighed. Recalling the past year and looking at his status in his mind.

"Stats doesn't mean one is stronger…" Zack went, as he recalled his first meeting with Natsu. He had lower stats than Zack himself, but Zack lost when they fought. Making Zack realised stats are not everything when it comes to strength.

It is truth, higher one's stats are. Stronger they are, however, that is just one factor to the thing known as Strength.

Strength, money, and endless stamina. Those are the three things that God mention he needed to build a harem. However God didn't mention the rest, he only mentions those three factors of maintaining a harem, never the progress of gaining one.

Love, he doesn't understand that much. Since there is more one kind of love out there. Which Zack had learnt from the guild. Love of a family, love of a friend, love of a lover… he understands the family and the friend thing. But the lover one he doesn't understand much.

"Weapons…" Second factor of strength, that he learnt from Erza. Her magic is greater than Zack's, but her real strength lies in her weapons and anormal strength, strengthen by Ether/magical power.

"Magic…" He seen the Master, turn himself into a giant. His physical stats around or same as Zack's. However, his magic stats are in A's, but his main strength is his physical strength when he turns himself into a giant.

It not just Master, Natsu's Dragon Slayer Magic is very destructive. Making him fight one or two ranks higher of his stats. Making Zack understand magic can also an important factor besides stats and weaponry.

"Experience…" Which is why he willing to fight with anyone and everyone that offers to fight with him, or spar. That's because, Zack knows experience is one of the four main factor he had discovered about strength. Without experience, one cannot act proper in any situation. It can also make those with lower stats beat those with higher stats.

Of course, experience can be useless if that person's stats two or more ranks higher. (rank refers to the letter, tiers are the '+' and the '-' in the stats)

"Now I need more experience… a weapon of my own… and more magic… Quake and Gravity Magics will be my main magic… but I need more secondly magics as well… I got Strengthening Magic… that makes my stats a tier higher… I need to work to make it two tiers higher… but Strengthening Magic also has a weakness…"

Strengthening Magic is a magic that Zack himself created through seeing others unknowingly increasing their own strength with Ether when they fight. However, Zack's Strengthening Magic is not perfect, that because it is very hard to increase all of his physical stats at once. And higher his stats are, more magic power is needed.

He did explain this to Master, he was surprised that Zack was able to create his own original magic. But finding out it was to control the Ether how it strengthened the body. He also knows others out there can do the same.

Makarov also knows the fact Ether can strengthen the body. Making wizards superior compared to none-wizards because of that. And yet, Zack is the abnormal one, since by nature, wizards trained their bodies, making Ether slowly strengthening their bodies. Meaning Ether/magical power is being stored in their muscles.

But Zack used Gravity Magic, to strengthen and harden his body with pressure from gravity itself. It was a strange way of training, but endlessly to say, it shows great results how strong Zack is with both Ether and Gravity Magic aiding in his training.

Not many thoughts of using Gravity Magic to strengthen the body. Which did shock Makarov and told Zack not to tell anyone about this. That because in general option of Gravity Magic is a great magic system for offence and defence. But none never thought to use this magic to strengthen the body.

Recalling master's words, Zack looked at the moon in the night sky, while showering himself with gravity slowly refining his body.