"I'll sign up!"

Macao immediately raised his hand to support Totomaru.

Other members who used fire magic also enthusiastically signed up, which made Totomaru breathe a sigh of relief.

At first, he had been worried that as a newcomer, opening a magic class might invite criticism.

But the reality proved that such things didn't happen in Fairy Tail.

He had demonstrated his abilities in front of everyone, and they all recognized his strength.

No one thought he was unqualified to teach just because he was new.

"Thank you...." Totomaru spoke with genuine emotion, bowing to everyone.

This kind of guild atmosphere was something he had never experienced in Phantom Lord.

"You're willing to teach us magic—we should be the ones thanking you!"

Macao shouted with a laugh, and the guild members all cheered in support of Totomaru.

"Alright, now that we've introduced our new companions, it's time to talk about another important matter."

Seeing that Totomaru and Gajeel had both finished their introductions, Makarov took over, his expression turning serious.

"The Magic Council informed me that over the past two months, Fairy Tail has caused more destruction than the Dark Guilds. Can someone explain why?"

As the guild fell silent, Makarov slowly spoke.

The moment the old man's words left his mouth, many guild members below immediately feel guilty, shrinking their heads and avoiding his gaze—these were the ones whose names were on the 'list of offenses'.

"Ahem, Master, I admit my mistake. Last time, I accidentally lost control and burned down a few houses. I promise to learn magic properly from Totomaru and improve my control over fire!"

The first to step forward was Macao who's speaking awkwardly.

He was the one who had burned down several streets.

To cover the compensation for that incident, Macao had been running around doing jobs nonstop lately.

He deeply regretted it—if he hadn't caused that fire, how much alcohol could he have bought with that money?!

"So you do know it was wrong!"

Hearing Macao's words, Makarov pointed at him and scolded him harshly, leaving Macao with no choice but to keep his head down and smile apologetically.

"You bunch of idiots—you only ever make me take the Magic Council's scolding!"

Makarov's beard bristled as he glared, making everyone chuckle sheepishly.

"However... I didn't say all this to make you change anything."

Seeing their expressions, Makarov's heart softened and the words he had originally planned to yell out changed.

"Fairy Tail mages don't live for the sake of others' opinions or judgments. We walk the path we believe is right.

"Undefined, unrestrained, following our hearts and souls—that's what it means to be a Fairy Tail mage!

"Fuck the Magic Council!"

By the end, even Makarov himself was fired up—clearly, this was his true feelings.

He raised his right hand high, forming a fist with his thumb and index finger extended towards the sky.

"OOOOOHHHHH!"

The members, who had expected a scolding, were stunned for a moment, but soon they all excitedly shouted along with Makarov, mimicking the gesture.

This was a gesture that had only become popular in the guild in recent years.

Gradually, it had grown beloved and become a symbolic pose of Fairy Tail.

To speak of the meaning behind this gesture, it likely represents the trust among everyone and the unity of the guild.

This gesture was first used by Makarov, Laxus, and Marco carrying the deep bond between family members from the very beginning.

Naturally, extending it to the entire guild felt seamless, as "Fairy Tail" is one big family.

Watching this scene unfold before him, Marco couldn't help but sigh and rub his forehead.

Wasn't the initial purpose of this gathering to encourage everyone to cause as little trouble as possible?

How did the final summary turn into telling the Magic Council to fuck themself?

Expecting Makarov to correct everyone's behavior was nothing short of a pipe dream.

The old man himself was hardly one to follow the rules.

Rather than scolding everyone, celebrating his grandsons' achievements clearly brought the old man far more joy.

The moment he brought it up, he launched into a vivid and animated retelling, which naturally got everyone excited.

"Marco and Laxus teamed up to defeat Jose Porla head-on? That Jose Porla? And master didn't even step in?! Amazing! Now Phantom Lord can't even lift their heads in shame!"

The crowd buzzed with excitement, each member swelling with pride.

Though the feat belonged to Marco and Laxus, it was Phantom Lord who suffered the loss while Fairy Tail reaped the glory.

Naturally, everyone was thrilled, and praises for Marco and Laxus rang out nonstop.

Laxus, standing nearby, couldn't suppress the upward tug at the corners of his mouth, though he struggled to keep his expression composed, making him look somewhat strained.

As for Marco, his attention had already been hijacked by the system as a new task popped up—one concerning Gajeel.

[Ding! Task triggered!]

[Task Name: "The Brutal Iron Dragon"]

Task Content:

Gajeel, the "Iron Dragon," is one of the guild's key members.

Having grown up in the Phantom Lord guild for many years, his personality has been shaped into one of extreme brutality and cruelty.

Correct his behaviour and help him integrate into the guild.

Task Progress:

Reform Gajeel's personality and help him assimilate into the guild (Incomplete)

Reward: Random Bronze Saint Cloth.]

After reading the task details and glancing at Gajeel, Marco's expression turned odd.

If he remembered correctly, Gajeel had mentioned he'd only been with Phantom Lord for just over a year.

'So, was he originally supposed to stay with Phantom Lord much longer?'

Marco wasn't particularly surprised by this.

Had Fairy Tail not intervened, Gajeel would have undoubtedly continued growing up within Phantom Lord.

In that kind of environment, it wouldn't be strange for his personality to turn out as the system described.

'This task seems pretty straightforward.' Marco observed Gajeel.

The current Gajeel was far from the exaggerated description in the task—aside from a bit of temper, he wasn't remotely bad.

"Gajeel, come here." Marco called out to him.

Gajeel had been sticking close to Totomaru, as the latter was his only acquaintance here.

"..."

Hearing his name called, Gajeel looked at Marco and gulped nervously.

Totomaru was already swarmed by people eager to sign up for classes, leaving Gajeel no chance to seek help.

Reluctantly, he shuffled toward Marco.

"What are you dawdling for? Come here, let me introduce you to the kids your age in the guild. You'll be roommates from now on."

Marco waved at Gajeel, urging him forward.

Naturally, Gajeel didn't dare delay any longer and quickly stepped up to Marco.

Standing beside Marco were several boys—Natsu, Gray, Elfman, Jet, and Droy were all present.

The girls had also gathered around, looking at Gajeel with curiosity.

Though he had previously come to the guild to challenge them, he hadn't left much of an impression.

First, he had fought Natsu to a standstill, then was instantly defeated by Marco in a single move.

That was pretty much all everyone remembered about him.

"Introduce yourselves to each other."

Pulling Gajeel into the group of kids, Marco forced them to socialize.

It was necessary—a newcomer like him needed this kind of icebreaker to blend in with the others.

Kids made friends quickly, especially when there were no grudges or deep-seated conflicts between them.

A little conversation was all it took for them to start getting along.

"Hey, Gajeel. We've met before. I'm Gray—i'm far stronger than Natsu. Once you beat him, you can challenge me next."

Under Marco's prompting, Gray stepped forward to greet the newcomer, though his words immediately riled up Natsu.

"You damn exhibitionist! Stop spouting nonsense! I'm stronger than you!"

Natsu bared his teeth, roaring at Gray.

He had only lost once, and it felt like Gray would never let him live it down!

Gray's attitude had lit a fire under Natsu, driving him to train harder than ever to reclaim his pride.

He had to defeat Gray!

Of course, Gray had no intention of letting Natsu overtake him, so he kept up his own training.

The two were locked in an endless rivalry.

This worked out well for Marco, though.

Gray and Natsu took turns being his punching bags—er, sparring partners—and even competed for the privilege.

If one got beaten by Marco, the other would rush over for the same treatment.

"I'll be the strongest!"

Watching Natsu and Gray, Gajeel's fighting spirit flared.

He had no confidence in challenging Marco or Laxus yet, but he could defeat Natsu and Gray!

Just like Natsu had said before—if he couldn't beat those two first, how could he ever hope to challenge Marco?!

"Beat Natsu first before you start talking."

Gray mercilessly mocked Gajeel's "strongest" claim.

If he couldn't even defeat Natsu, what right did he have to say such things?

"Grrr! Let's settle this now, Stripper!"

Natsu spat flames, unable to hold back any longer.

This time, he would wash away his shame!

"You fight Gajeel first. The winner gets to face me."

Gray shot Natsu a disdainful look, rejecting his challenge outright and instead arranging a match between Gajeel and Natsu.

"Who says we have to listen to you?!" x2

Now it wasn't just Natsu—Gajeel was annoyed too.

Both of them turned on Gray, then exchanged glances.

"Stop copying me!" x2

They butted heads, glaring at each other with matching ferocity.

"Stop fighting already—"

This time, Wendy stepped forward to mediate.

The last time Gajeel was an enemy, she had cheered for Natsu, but now that Gajeel had become a comrade, it was only natural for her to intervene.

At that moment, Wendy felt an even stronger sense of déjà vu.

The three of them were companions, with Natsu and Gajeel fighting while she anxiously tried to stop them—though it still felt like something was missing.

Of course, Gajeel and Natsu didn't listen to Wendy.

The two were about to throw punches when Marco's iron fist came down on them.

"BAM!!!"

Gajeel and Natsu each took a solid punch from Marco, crouching down while clutching their heads and howling in pain.

Strangely, Gajeel, who had higher defense, wailed even louder—because Marco had put extra force into his punch to make sure it hurt.

"Take it outside if you want to fight," Marco said.

The chastised Gajeel and Natsu didn't dare argue and immediately scrambled outside, dragging Gray along with them—who had been laughing at their misfortune.

"Hey! What are you two doing?!" Gray sensed something was off and tried to break free, but he couldn't shake off both Natsu and Gajeel at once.

"Humph! Humph!" Natsu and Gajeel made strange grunting noises, refusing to explain, which only made Gray more uneasy.

He shot a pleading look at Marco.

But Marco was too busy to pay attention—because the system had just popped up a notification.

[Ding! Mission "The Brutal Iron Dragon" completed!]

Progress: Correct Gajeel's personality and help him integrate into the guild (Completed)

[Claim reward?]

A mission he had just accepted was already finished.

'As expected, Gajeel's current personality doesn't need any correcting. It's nothing like what the mission described.'

Marco wasn't surprised at all by how quickly this mission was completed.

The only real requirement was helping Gajeel fit into the guild.

And judging by how the boys had all gone outside to watch the fight, they had already accepted Gajeel as their new guildmates.

'Claim reward.'

Marco didn't hesitate.

[Hum!]

A flash of light erupted, revealing a suit of armor shaped like a large cross—yet also resembling a swan in flight.

The long vertical line of the cross formed the swan's slender neck, while the horizontal line spread out like its wings.

[Congratulations! Cygnus Bronze Cloth unlocked!]

As the system announcement rang out, the Cloth fully manifested, its form no longer resembling a cross but instead taking on the distinct shape of a white swan.

This Bronze Cloth belonged to one of the "Five Bronze Saints"—Hyoga, the Cygnus (or Swan) Saint.

Marco was pleased as he stored the Cygnus Bronze Cloth in his system space.

First, he had drawn a Cloth belonging to one of the Five Bronze Saints.

Second, it perfectly matched his skills—definitely a stroke of luck.

Dragon Bronze Cloth would have worked too, but Diamond Dust Fist paired with Cygnus was far better than bare-handed blade-catching paired with Dragon—unless he swapped the latter for Rozan Sho Ryu Ha.

'This is the first time I've obtained both a Cloth and its matching technique. I wonder what kind of reaction they'll have together?'

At this thought, Marco could hardly contain his excitement.

He immediately left the guild hall and went to the large lake behind it.

"Come forth! Cygnus Bronze Cloth!"

Without hesitation, Marco directly summoned the Cygnus Bronze Cloth.

The white Cloth with a faint bluish tint immediately clad his body.

The coverage rate of the Cygnus Cloth wasn't particularly high.

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