Chapter 18: New Task! New Internet Feature!

"...So that's what happened."

Nate relayed Igneel's message to Natsu. After hearing it, Natsu finally seemed at peace.

"I understand now. Thanks, Nate!" Natsu said, patting his chest as if he could feel Igneel within him.

After a moment, he smiled widely and extended another invitation. "By the way, how about we team up?"

I literally brought this up just to avoid working with you... Nate thought, feeling a bit frustrated. Somehow, this kid had circled the conversation right back to that.

Why do they all want to team up with me? Nate wondered. Can't they just let me relax and goof off?

"I'm busy perfecting the Internet right now, so I won't have time. How about... you two team up instead?" Nate suggested, shifting his gaze to Gray, hoping to pass the baton.

But before he could finish, the system suddenly appeared.

[Mission: Improve the Magic Internet and develop a new feature.]

[Reward: 10,000 Magic Rings.]

[Bonus reward: Based on the completion of the new feature.]

A new mission was triggered, with a surprising amount of freedom. Could this have been activated because he mentioned upgrading the Internet?

Nate was intrigued. The reward was enticing—10,000 magic rings. With that many users, his magic power would increase rapidly.

"A new feature, huh…"

An idea immediately popped into Nate's head. "I just remembered something important I need to do. See you!" he said, quickly making his exit.

Natsu and Gray looked at each other in confusion.

"You want to team up?" Gray asked.

"Who would team up with you?!" Natsu retorted.

"I don't want to team up with you, you ice-block idiot!"

"No way I'm teaming with you, fire-breathing moron!"

…

Nate returned to his apartment and activated his magic programming item. He knew exactly what he wanted to do.

"Online Commissioning!" Nate muttered. "I'll move the guild's bulletin board to the Internet so that even if people aren't at the guild, they can still pick up tasks."

"And if I take it a step further, clients could use the Internet to submit requests directly to the guild."

Nate's creativity was in full swing, and he typed away quickly.

Isn't this basically creating a platform? he thought to himself. First, I'll expand by offering free services. Then, once I've built a massive user base, I'll charge both sides—a cut from clients and a cut from the guilds.

I'll be the richest person on the continent!

Nate's smile widened as he imagined a future where money flowed endlessly. Mages working for guilds, guilds working for the platform—perfect!

"This is simple enough. I'll probably be done in two days!"

Lost in his coding, Nate didn't notice the hours flying by.

Later that evening, a knock at the door interrupted his work. He didn't need to get up—his Six Eyes had already "seen" the magical presence outside.

"Come in, Lucy. The door's unlocked."

Click.

Lucy entered, carrying a tray with a generous meal. She saw Nate sitting at his desk, focused on his work.

"Nate, I made you dinner. I wasn't sure what you liked, so I made something I enjoy."

"Thanks. I'm not picky," Nate said, accepting the food and digging in without hesitation. He didn't expect the rich girl to be such a good cook.

"This is really good," Nate complimented, clearly impressed.

Lucy smiled brightly. Nate was the first person to ever praise her cooking. It reminded her of when she was younger and tried cooking for her father, who told her to "get lost" and that cooking was for the servants. What a jerk, she thought bitterly.

As memories of the past stirred, Lucy sat beside Nate, her large eyes curiously observing his programming item.

"What's this, Nate?"

"Hm... It's hard to explain," Nate paused. How do you explain coding to someone who's never seen it before?

"It's a magic item I use to create the Internet."

"Oh… so what are you working on?" Lucy asked cautiously. "It's okay if you can't tell me."

Nate continued eating as he explained the online commissioning concept. Lucy's eyes widened in surprise.

"That sounds so convenient!"

A genius, she thought. He's definitely a genius!

"This isn't fair! You're already so powerful, and you're handsome on top of that, but you're also this smart?!"

Nate gave her an exasperated look. "You're one to talk. You're the heir to the Heartfilia family, remember?"

"Huh?! How do you know that?"

Lucy froze, shocked. She had never revealed her background. Did she meet Nate at some fancy party when they were kids?

Could he also be from a wealthy family?

Her mind swirled with questions, suspicion written all over her face.

"Take a guess," Nate replied.

"I don't want to guess! But please, keep it a secret, Nate! I'm begging you!" Lucy clasped her hands together, pleading. "I ran away from home, and if word gets out, my father will drag me back."

"Don't worry, I'll keep it to myself."

Nate reassured her, though in the back of his mind, he was already thinking, It won't take long for your father to find out, especially if you become an active mage. After all, Jude Heartfilia, head of the Heartfilia family, was one of the richest people in Fiore, with access to vast networks of information.

"Thank you, Nate."

Lucy exhaled in relief, then suddenly remembered something. She pulled out a folded piece of paper from her skirt pocket.

"By the way, Mira recommended this task to me earlier. It's perfect for beginners!"

Nate glanced at it. The task was straightforward: break into Duke Everlue's mansion and steal a book called 'Daybreak' to destroy it for a reward of 200,000J.

It did seem ideal for a beginner.

However, Nate recognized it as the first mission Lucy took in the original story. He distinctly recalled Duke Everlue's… unique taste—he preferred ugly women over blonde beauties like Lucy.

"So, what are you thinking?" Nate asked, meeting Lucy's gaze. He could sense something ominous coming.

"We're both new, so let's team up!" Lucy suggested enthusiastically. "Look, the job even mentions that Duke Everlue is hiring blonde maids!"

As expected—another attempt to team up.

Nate's eye twitched. First Natsu wanted to team up, then Gray, and now Lucy. Was he that popular?

Lucy continued, her excitement growing. "I'll apply as a maid to distract Duke Everlue, and you can sneak in and get the book. What do you think?"

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. This was her first mission, and she wanted everything to go perfectly.

Nate contemplated how to turn her down, but as he stared into her hopeful eyes, he felt a headache coming on.

"Maybe you should ask Natsu to go with you…"

"But Mira recommended you," Lucy said, pleading again. "She said Natsu is way too destructive."

Got it! Nate thought sarcastically. My reputation's just too good!

He couldn't help but feel conflicted. I'm really too popular for my own good!

~~~

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