Chapter 27: Invitations and Refusals

Erza seemed to have something to do, so she left the tavern directly.

Then... Natsu fully revived: "Let's have a match, Rhodie!"

"It's Rhodes," Rhodes corrected, then added, "You saw it earlier, right? I'm pretty weak. I got taken down in one punch."

The blue cat quickly said, "It's okay. Natsu used to get beaten by Erza in one punch too."

"You talk too much, Happy! I'm not the same as I used to be. Now, I definitely can..."

Happy covered his mouth and muttered, "Definitely withstand a few more punches."

"What did you say!?" Natsu glared at him, looking like he wanted to start a fight with Happy.

Happy flew behind Mira and peeked out, "Aye!"

Mira said nothing and continued to use a dry cloth to wipe the glasses she had just washed.

"Anyway, fight me. That crab of yours seems pretty strong!"

"Hmm..." Rhodes thought about it, "How about tomorrow? I need to rest a bit."

Mainly, he didn't want to take a second or third beating today; his body still ached.

"Alright, it's a promise!" Natsu left in a hurry.

Happy, however, didn't rush to leave. He stood on the counter and asked Rhodes, "Are you a summoner mage?"

Rhodes nodded, "Yeah."

Happy's mouth started watering, "Can you summon a fish?"

Rhodes silently thought about the types of monsters he could summon, "Probably not. At most, maybe a toad."

"So disappointing..." Happy slumped down in the corner, his whole body shrouded in shadows.

"... Is fish really that important?" Rhodes couldn't help but laugh. Even if he could summon fish, they were meant for combat, not for eating.

Happy raised his fist, "Fish is the supreme delicacy!"

"Yes, yes," Rhodes had no intention of arguing with a cat about whether fish was delicious.

Worm, however, seemed to like the cat that was similar in size, snuggling up to Happy, and soon the two adorable creatures were playing together.

...

In the evening, Levy came to the guild. After choosing a mission from the board with Jet and Troy, she came over to learn kanji from Rhodes.

"Today I'll teach you two slightly more complicated characters—'fist' and 'pain.'"

Borrowing Levy's light pen, Rhodes wrote the two characters stroke by stroke and didn't forget to explain their meanings.

"Why are you suddenly teaching me these two characters?"

"... Inspired by today's events."

"Oh, right. I heard you had a duel with Erza today."

Levy gave Rhodes a look that said, "You're really brave." Her mouth couldn't help but curve up, though she tried to suppress it.

"It's a long story... If you want to laugh, just laugh."

"Haha... No, I'm not laughing at you... Haha, I'm just happy to be learning new characters."

Because there was no malice in her laughter, Rhodes couldn't bring himself to be angry. He sighed:

"By the way, here, this is your Wind Whisper glasses."

Levy shook her head, "You can keep it for now. I have a spare pair, and I'll be working out of town tomorrow, so I probably won't need it."

"You just got back two or three days ago? So hardworking?"

"Well, the reward from the last job wasn't much, plus we spent a few days in the target city..."

Levy's team was actually quite average in strength within the guild, so the tasks they took were usually not very difficult.

Consequently, their pay was also not very high.

Plus, the reward from one mission had to be split between three people, so compared to other members, they naturally needed to work a bit more frequently.

Still, even so, Rhodes was a bit envious: "I don't even know how long it'll be before I can take on some higher-paying missions."

Levy suggested, "If you want to take on a mission, how about joining our Shadow Gear team? This time's reward is pretty good."

Rhodes was tempted but quickly shook his head, "No, with my strength, even if I joined you guys, I'd just hold you back."

"It's okay, this time we're going with an exploration team into the mountains, solving puzzles and treasure hunting. It's more about brains than brawn."

Levy closed one eye and held up two fingers, trying to tempt him, "The reward is 200,000 J!"

Rhodes gulped—not because Levy's gesture was too cute, but because the reward was so tempting.

If 200,000 J were split between four people, each would get 50,000 J, which was nearly half a month's salary for him.

But going into the mountains...

"I think I'll pass. Thanks, but I don't feel ready yet."

"Really?" Levy tilted her head, not pressing for more explanation. "What a pity."

Rhodes smiled bitterly. The shadow of being attacked by wild beasts when he first came to this world, coupled with Erza's punch today...

Until he gained some real strength, he wasn't about to step one foot outside the town limits of Magnolia.

Makarov, who had been resting with his eyes closed, glanced at Rhodes. This kid, he was a bit of a "problem" child too.

—

After work, Rhodes didn't head home immediately but instead started jogging along the main road in front of the guild. After a light warm-up, he gradually picked up speed.

"Better start exercising, or else I'll suffer for it." The words of the Guild Master were still fresh in his mind. Rhodes thought that just doing push-ups before bed was too half-hearted; adding a running routine was probably a good idea too.

The big box of medicines and medical supplies that Erza had given him was delivered to his home by his Swift Crab summon.

The box might have been custom-made by Erza; it had the Fairy Tail emblem painted on it, which meant that even if left at his doorstep, nobody would touch it.

Rhodes ran through the residential area near the guild, lightly hopping down the nearly two-meter-high stone steps two at a time, reaching another residential area.

Following the main road, he soon reached the canal that ran through Magnolia.

From afar, he could see the tallest building on the opposite bank—the Kardia Cathedral.

The streets surrounding the cathedral were considered the city center, which meant that the guild was actually built on the very edge of the city.

Rhodes' rent was relatively cheap, possibly because of this—his place was a bit far from the city center.

Upon reaching the riverside, Rhodes didn't head toward the city center but ran along the canal until his heart pounded, breath coming in gasps, and sweat began dripping down his face.

He wasn't sure how far he'd run, only counting over three thousand steps in his head.

Rhodes was surprised to find that his physical condition seemed better than before the crossing. Back then, running three laps around the school track would leave him in this state, but now he was clearly a bit stronger.

In the past, that feeling of his lungs almost bursting would definitely have made him stop, but now, Rhodes knew that it was just the beginning.

True training wasn't just for the body; it was also a test of willpower. Each time you think you can't continue, pushing just a bit more—even if it's just another hundred meters—is progress.

Of course, someone with his kind of poor physical condition talking about willpower might seem ridiculous—this little distance was just a warm-up for some people, and he was already "training his willpower"?

There was no helping it; his body had limits. By now, Rhodes' legs could barely move, and he had to rely on his hips to help lift them forward.

Worm, the little traitor, had initially run along with his short legs but quickly decided to jump onto Rhodes' shoulder to act as extra weight.

Rhodes decisively sent him back.

He felt he wasn't ready to carry weights just yet.

The weather today wasn't exactly clear, so when the sun set, it was just a blurry glow.

"Keep it up, young man!" Someone rowing a boat against the current in the canal saw Rhodes sweating profusely and cheered him on.

Rhodes lifted his sore arm in response and continued his "willpower training."

The residents here were quite friendly.