Chapter 5: Alex vs. Gray

"Well, Gildarts is okay, I guess. We're pretty familiar with each other," Alex reflected on the past couple of days. They should be considered acquainted by now.

"Why, do you have a special interest in that old man?" Alex asked, noticing that Cana often cast glances at Gildarts.

"Ah, it's nothing, really. He's just the strongest wizard in the guild, so naturally, everyone pays attention to him," Cana quickly waved her hands in denial.

"So that's it. This old man is the strongest wizard in the guild?" Alex heard this for the first time.

"That's only for now. I will surpass him someday," Gray interrupted, eager to join the conversation about the strongest wizard.

"Gray, your clothes," Cana reminded him with a sigh.

"Ah, when did this happen?" Gray realized that his clothes had disappeared again.

Alex couldn't help but facepalm. "This is the seventh time I've seen you lose your clothes. Aren't you cold?" Given that it was night and much cooler than during the day, Alex was puzzled.

"Gray is an ice wizard; he doesn't feel the cold," Cana explained quietly.

"Ice wizard, huh." Alex nodded, having learned from Gildarts that wizards are those who can freely use magic.

Gray, unable to find his clothes, gave up searching and continued to stand next to Alex. "So, Alex, what kind of magic do you use?"

After thinking for a moment, Alex remembered the flames of Ryūjin Jakka and said, "I use fire magic."

"Fire magic, huh? Let's have a fight then, to see if your fire is stronger or my ice," Gray suggested, visibly excited at the thought of a battle.

"Master, is that okay?" Alex turned to ask Makarov, not wanting to seem disrespectful by challenging someone as soon as he joined.

Makarov, still slightly tipsy, nodded. He had overheard Gray's challenge.

"Let's see what you're capable of, but do it outside," Makarov said.

"Sure thing!" Gray responded, beckoning Alex to follow him outside.

"There's no helping it," Alex shrugged and followed Gray out of the guild.

Gildarts and Makarov exchanged glances before quickly setting down their drinks, eager to witness the fight.

Gildarts dashed out quickly, while Makarov wobbled off the bar and shouted to the guild, "Get up! Gray and Alex are going to fight outside! Come and watch!"

The groggy members perked up at the mention of a fight.

"A fight between Gray and the newbie? Gotta see this," someone said, struggling to stand and follow Makarov.

...

Under the bright moonlight, two figures stood in the open space next to the Fairy Tail guild, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers who were cheering.

"Gray, you're the senior here. Don't let a newbie beat you!"

"Newbie, show Gray what you've got! Take him down!"

"Place your bets, place your bets!"

Some even started betting on the outcome.

Holding a 10,000 J bill, Gildarts laughed, "Haha, I'll bet on Alex to win."

Meanwhile, the two combatants were ready. "I see you use a sword. Go ahead and draw it," Gray said, noticing the Ryūjin Jakka hanging at Alex's waist.

Alex shook his head. "My sword's power is too great when drawn, so I prefer not to use it."

Gray formed a dark blue magic circle on his right fist, which was resting on his left hand, and said, "In that case, don't blame me if you lose without using it."

"Ice-Make: Lancer!" Gray shouted, and a series of ice spears formed and flew towards Alex.

"The speed of his forming magic is impressive. Gray is quite strong," someone in the crowd remarked, noting that in shaping magic, the speed of forming often determined the outcome.

Alex instantly vanished from his spot, leaving a large crater where he stood.

Having acclimated to his body over the past few days, Alex was now fully in control. The crater was a result of his sudden burst of strength.

In a flash, Alex dodged several ice spears and appeared in front of Gray.

Gray, still in the process of casting his magic, was shocked to see Alex already in front of him, eyes wide in surprise. But Alex didn't give him a chance to react.

With a swift punch, Alex's fist landed on Gray's face. Given Alex's formidable physique, capable of punching a several-ton dinosaur in the forest, Gray's defense stood no chance.

"Bang—"

"One-hit knockout..." Makarov announced the result in amazement. At this moment, Gray had already been knocked unconscious by a single punch from Alex, with a huge bump on his head.

Makarov said to Gildarts, "I thought I had already overestimated Alex, but it seems I still underestimated him. Gray is no weakling, you know."

Gildarts nodded, "I told you he's a monster. And Alex has only awakened his magic for ten days."

"Ten days? And he's already this strong? He truly is a monster," Makarov said in surprise, then added, "It's fortunate he met you. If such a genius were to be lured into a dark guild..."

Makarov paused before continuing, "We can only imagine that the future magic world would have an unstoppable demon."

"Gray, are you okay?" Alex was puzzled to see Gray unconscious from a single punch. "How could this guy be so weak that he can't even take one punch?"

...

A new day arrived, and Alex came to the guild early because Makarov had mentioned last night that Alex's strength was already sufficient to take on missions. However, for his first mission, he needed someone to accompany him. Alex was quite looking forward to it.

As soon as he walked in, he saw Gray standing on a table with a big bump on his head, shirtless, shouting, "I'm telling you, if I had been ready yesterday, there's no way Alex could have knocked me out with one hit."

Macao, drinking, laughed and said, "Haha, stop bragging, Gray. Yesterday, you couldn't even withstand one punch."

"Annoying! I told you I wasn't ready. If Alex were here right now, I'd prove it to you," Gray said, clenching his fists as if he really meant it.

"Oh? What are you going to prove to them?" Suddenly, a voice sounded behind Gray.

Gray's continuous ranting came to an abrupt stop.

"Hahaha, Gray, Alex is here. Prove it to us," Wakaba said, stirring the pot.

Alex, amused, looked at Gray and said, "Doesn't the bump on your head hurt?"

Gray immediately covered the bump on his head, then, seeing the disbelieving looks on Macao and Wakaba's faces, gritted his teeth and said, "Let's have another fight. I'm strong too. Yesterday, I didn't even get to show my full strength."

Alex shook his head, "I have to go out on a mission later, so I don't have time to fight you today."

Gray widened his eyes and said, "You can already take on missions?"

"Can't you?" Alex asked, puzzled.

"Of course not. The Master said that missions for wizards are very dangerous, so without his approval, we can't take on missions."

"So that's how it is." Alex nodded in understanding.

"Master is here, and I have to go on a mission. Let's talk about having another fight when I get back," Alex said, then left.

"Hey, Alex, have you decided who will accompany you on your first mission?" Makarov asked. He had mentioned this to Alex the day before.

Since it was just to familiarize Alex with the mission process, any experienced veteran in the guild could accompany him.

"Master, if Gildarts is available, I'd like him to accompany me on my first mission. After all, I'm most familiar with him in this guild."

Makarov nodded, "If that's the case, then ask Gildarts if he's available, and then you can check the mission board to see what mission you want to take on."

Makarov added, "For now, you can only take missions from the first-floor mission board. You're not allowed to go to the second floor yet."

"The second floor? What missions are there?" Alex looked up at the second floor. There was indeed a mission board there, but it had very few missions.

Makarov said solemnly, "The missions up there are all S-class missions. They're extremely dangerous and one mistake could cost you your life."

"Therefore, until you become an S-class wizard, you can't take on those missions."

"How do you become an S-class wizard?" Alex asked.

"To become an S-class wizard, you must pass the guild's examination. It's extremely difficult. Up to now, our guild has only one S-class wizard." Gray explained, while also complaining.

"The difficulty is there to ensure you have enough strength to handle S-class missions and to increase your survival rate," Makarov said, dissatisfied, and knocked Gray on the head with his staff.

"Alright, these aren't things you need to worry about right now. It's still too early for you."

Alex walked to the mission board and started looking. The missions were varied: fighting bandits, driving away mountain thieves, and hunting magical creatures.

As Alex continued to look, he even saw a mission to help an old lady find her lost dog.

Alex couldn't help but complain, "Are wizard jobs really this diverse? Even helping an old lady find her dog?"