The magic power required to maintain a Golden Key Star Dress far exceeded Lucy's imagination. Especially since she had already opened several gates earlier. So when Chase lifted the Unicorn Horn, the connection to her Star Dress immediately broke.
Worse, in her excitement, she had lost her original clothes!
If Happy had been there, he would have kicked her while she was down with a comment like "As expected of Lucy."
In the end, Dark Magician Girl suggested switching to the less demanding Canis Minor Star Dress. Only then did Lucy's fan service time end.
Considering they still had some distance to the client's location, Chase used Energy Potion · Super Z to replenish Lucy's depleted magic power. He then had her continue high-intensity training to solidify her still-unstable Star Dress magic.
From this perspective, the Forest of Bondari, with its many fierce monsters, was the most suitable training ground!
Through continuous battles, Lucy's proficiency with Star Dress improved rapidly, from an initial 20% success rate to 50%!
This growth rate was scary. But Chase wasn't surprised.
After all, Lucy's natural talent for Celestial Spirit magic was extremely high. In the original story, despite her busy work at the newspaper office, she had taught herself Star Dress in just one year.
Now, with the foundation laid by the Dark Magician's training plan, guidance from him and Dark Magician Girl, and the extreme environment of fighting powerful monsters, her progress was naturally rapid.
Of course, this semi-hellish training method had a clear downside:
By the time the outline of an ancient village surrounded by forest came into view, Lucy was both physically and mentally exhausted. Her legs were weak, unable to muster any strength.
Energy Potion · Super Z only replenished magic power. It couldn't restore injuries or depleted mental energy.
"Master, is that village ahead our destination for this job?"
Dark Magician Girl stood on a tree canopy, her hand on her fair forehead in an Adorably cute overlooking pose.
In the distance, the sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the vast forest.
It was already dusk.
"According to the map, yes. There's no other possible village around." Chase rolled up the parchment and put it away.
"Finally here..." Lucy, her spirits low, sighed heavily.
Her tongue hung out as she panted, her white Canis Minor uniform making her look literally dog-tired.
Even with the advanced magic of Star Dress, and having had her magic power restored multiple times along the way, she was barely qualified to meet the client.
The guild newbie, who had ambitions of becoming an S-Class wizard, now deeply understands the difficulty of an SS-Class job!
Just as Lucy was about to go to the village with Chase and Dark Magician Girl in one go, the dense, overgrown bushes ahead suddenly shook violently. A dark figure shot out at breakneck speed.
Chase's eyes sharpened. He reacted very quickly, instinctively clenching his right fist.
But the next second, he suppressed the restlessness dark gold magic power and slowly withdrew his fist. He recognized the person.
"Hm? Puppy?"
A man in purple shoulder armor, reeking of alcohol, approached Lucy. His nose twitched as he sniffed.
"What kind of perverted monster is this?!" Reflexively, Lucy kicked the man violently away.
Only after the struck man drew a beautiful arc in the air and crashed into some nearby bushes did she belatedly remember he was human.
"Ah! Sorry, sorry! I reacted without thinking."
The man climbed out of the bushes. His steps were swaying. Whether from the kick or from being already drunk was unclear.
"It's fine."
Returning to Lucy, he shook his head. His brows furrowed. "More importantly, you're wearing a puppy uniform, but your scent is completely unfamiliar. You look stupid stupid stupid. Are you a new member of our guild, Quartet Cerberus?"
The strange man and his outrageous comments made Lucy's mouth twitch. She immediately launched into Crazy Tucao mode:
"I'm just wearing a puppy uniform! I'm not a dog! I don't have a strange smell!"
"Judging me as a guild comrade just from that is way too reckless! And would a newbie come to a godforsaken place like this to adventure?!"
"And what do you mean by 'look stupid stupid stupid'? Your flirting skills are terrible! TERRIBLE!!"
After a spray of spit, Lucy suddenly stopped, as if realizing something important.
"Wait! You said — you're a wizard from Quartet Cerberus?"
Among the wizard guilds of Fiore, Quartet Cerberus wasn't as famous as Fairy Tail, but it wasn't a little-known guild either. It had pretty strong overall strength.
Before deciding to join Fairy Tail, Lucy had researched many guilds, including Phantom Lord. She knew quite a bit.
During the Lullaby incident, she had even met Quartet Cerberus's master, Goldmine. She knew he was an old friend of Master Makarov.
So why would someone from Quartet Cerberus be here?
"That's right. This guy's an S-Class wizard from the Four Little Dogs."
Chase walked over slowly, glanced at Bacchus, and said, "Drunken Hawk, Bacchus."
The Kingdom of Fiore wasn't that small, but it
wasn't that big either. Wizards from different guilds meeting on jobs was common.
Back then, newly promoted to S-Class, Chase and Bacchus had gotten into a fight because they couldn't stand each other. It had ended in a draw, both on the ground.
For the record, the Magic Card "Pot of Greed" had dropped from that fight.
"S-S-Class? This drunk guy?!"
Lucy gasped. Then, because of the elegant nickname "Four Little Dogs," she burst out laughing.
"Tch. So you bastard card addict are here too." Bacchus glanced scornfully. He was also somewhat surprised.
Normally, the battle-hungry Bacchus would have started fighting Chase already.
But now, judging by his breathing and disordered magic power, he wasn't in good shape.
"Good to know they're from Fairy Tail. I thought some cute girl had finally joined our guild."
"Hey, if you're here for that SS-Class job, you can turn back now."
The Quartet Cerberus wizards who had followed behind were in even worse shape. Several of them were disgraced, covered in injuries, their breath sluggish.
Unlike Mermaid Heel, which was extreme in its own way, Quartet Cerberus was mostly rough men. Few girls joined.
Seeing this, Chase easily guessed why Quartet Cerberus was here. Looking at Bacchus, his tone was mocking:
"In other words, you failed to complete the job, right?"
Bacchus sensed the sarcasm. But unlike how he would have normally become red-warm and angrily retorted, he didn't.
Recalling the horrific encounters of the past two days, he sighed deeply. His flickering gaze held lingering fear. His voice was low. "Chase, give up."
"This job..."
"...isn't something wizards like us can complete!"
Though Bacchus spoke very mystically, seriously emphasizing the job's danger, Chase didn't feel any urge to back down. Instead, he felt eager.
According to Bacchus's description, this job was indeed not something ordinary S-Class wizards could handle.
But unfortunately, at his current Ten Wizard Saints level, he had long since left Bacchus behind!
In contrast, Lucy's expression wasn't good. She was clearly scared.
Watching the Quartet Cerberus members disappear into the forest. she tentatively asked, "Chase, could that man really tie with you?"
Through the battle with Phantom Lord, she had a vague sense that Fairy Tail's S-Class might be a bit stronger than other guilds' S-Class.
For example, Gray's senior Lyon had recently been promoted to S-Class by Lamia Scale.
Lucy tried to "weaken" Bacchus's strength to convince herself that this SS-Class job wasn't as scary as he had made it sound.
"Before, yes. Now? I could take him down in no time." Chase confidently waved his arm.
"See! I knew it—"
"Having said that, ignoring special circumstances, Bacchus's strength is probably about the same as Erza's. He is Quartet Cerberus's strongest wizard."
"About the same... you mean—"
The relief and joy that had just appeared on Lucy's face instantly froze. Her pupils dilated. After a brief daze, she gasped, "Even Erza couldn't complete this job?!!"
"That conclusion isn't accurate. While a wizard's strength is key to completing jobs of corresponding difficulty, their judgment, willpower, and experience are also very important factors." Chase uncharacteristically explained seriously.
Setting aside who would win in a life-or-death fight, in terms of willpower alone, Erza was definitely stronger than Bacchus!
"Besides, sometimes luck can be more useful than raw strength, you know~" Dark Magician Girl added, holding up a fair finger.
"Luck..." Lucy sighed sadly.
Since joining the guild and teaming up with Natsu, she had been consistently unlucky. Otherwise, she wouldn't even be able to save up rent!
"Turning back without even trying isn't the style of a Fairy Tail wizard."
Chase excitedly clenched his fist, a smile of anticipation on his lips. "I've unexpectedly gained another reason to complete this job. Let's go, Lucy. Let's slap the Four Little Dogs' faces!"
With that, he led the way, walking down the forest path.
Dark Magician Girl didn't hesitate. Humming a tune, she followed close behind.
"You're right. We've come this far!"
Lucy took a deep breath, adjusted her rhythm, and quickly caught up.
Soon, the three arrived at the client's location marked on the map — a small village protected by a several-meter-high stone wall.
The moss-covered stone wall blended perfectly with the surrounding forest. At its front was a copper gate carved with ancient symbols, looking unusually solid.
Though the copper gate was currently shut, Chase could clearly sense a strange aura seeping through its cracks.
It didn't feel like human magic, nor like the forest monsters they had encountered. It was very eerie.
To verify his suspicion, Chase walked slowly toward the gate.
The moment he touched the copper gate, his magic power became inexplicably disordered. An uncomfortable, oppressive cold spread through his entire body!
"This village..." Chase withdrew his hand, frowning slightly.
"Master, something's wrong inside." Dark Magician Girl had also sensed the anomaly.
In terms of perception of power alone, having followed the Dark Magician's training for countless ages, she was even more keen than Chase.
"Chase, Dark Magician Girl, don't scare me. I don't feel anything at all!"
The timid Lucy quickly hid behind Chase. She cautiously peered out at the copper gate.
Even the gate was this strange. She couldn't imagine how terrifying the inside might be!
"Hey! Who are you?!"
A sudden low shout from atop the wall startled the already nervous Lucy.
Looking up, she saw a strong man in a leather coat, holding a large, shiny blade.
Good. He seemed like a relatively normal human, not a hideous monster.
Lucy silently relaxed.
"We're wizards from Fairy Tail. We're here for a job."
Chase stepped forward. He pulled out the job sheet and actively showed the Fairy Tail emblem on his right arm.
"Fairy Tail? The so-called strongest guild in Fiore?" The strong man muttered.
A few days ago, hearing such a famous name would have excited him, thinking the crisis plaguing the village was finally about to be resolved.
But now, having just experienced the failure of Quartet Cerberus's strongest wizard, he was disappointed in these famous guilds.
Even so, the strong man still held a shred of hope. He climbed down from the wall and came before Chase.
Taking the job sheet and confirming it was correct, the guarded look on his face finally softened.
"Hello, far-traveled wizard. I'm the village guard, Bereste."
"I'm Chase Lin Edgarhall, an S-Class wizard of Fairy Tail." Chase shook his hand.
Bereste's pupils sharply contracted. "Chase? The one who defeated the ancient Eighteen Demon Gods on Demon Ruins Island?!"
"If I'm not mistaken, that was me." Chase said calmly, subtly showing off.
The fact that Bereste knew this news indicated that, deep within Bondari Forest, this strange village likely had regular contact with the outside.
That made sense. They had managed to get the job to the Guild Alliance and the Magic Council, and had the difficulty raised from S to SS-Class.
"Great! You're definitely stronger than that blockhead little dog drunk, right?!" Bereste's face lit up with surprise.
This comment made Lucy, standing beside him, feel pressured. She silently complained, She didn't want to imagine what this guy would say about Fairy Tail behind their backs if even Chase failed...
"Of course. Bacchus is just my defeated subordinate."
Chase stepped aside and pushed Lucy, who was behind him, forward. He smiled. "Besides, on this job, the leader is this lady — Lucy-sama!"
Hearing this, Lucy's eyes instantly became completely blank and confused. "..."
Leader?
Lucy-sama??
Watashi?!!!
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