Rustle, rustle... It was a gloomy, desolate forest. From time to time, a biting wind swept through the canopy, causing the leaves to rustle with an unsettling urgency.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The deafening sounds of a fierce battle echoed from the very heart of the thicket.
"Raging Bolt!" A booming shout tore through the air, and brilliant arcs of golden lightning illuminated the surrounding darkness. A blond youth wearing headphones swept his arm downward, calling forth a torrential barrage of golden thunderbolts from the heavens. Like frenzied serpents, the lightning struck the crowd ahead. Anyone caught in the electric onslaught collapsed into violent convulsions, entirely paralyzed.
"Light-Make: Yasakani no Magatama!" Following the blond's lead, a dark-haired youth joined the fray. Soaring into the air, he unfurled a pair of wings woven from pure light and hovered high above the battlefield. A radiant golden magic circle flared to life before him, unleashing an endless torrent of light projectiles that blanketed the mob below in a seamless carpet of destruction.
The dark-haired youth descended gracefully, landing beside his partner with an easy smile. "Well, that takes care of them."
These two were, of course, Night and Laxus, who had set out to complete their quests. Before them lay a scene of absolute devastation: rubble and ruins were scattered everywhere. From the jagged remnants of the walls, one could guess that an imposing structure had once stood there, but under the relentless barrage of Night and Laxus's destructive magic, it had been reduced to a pile of debris. This was the base of the dark guild "Eye of Silence"—one of the primary targets of their current mission.
Night's large-scale area attack had practically wiped every member of the guild off the face of the earth. The only ones left alive were the guild master and his deputy, who were still clinging to a faint thread of life. However, judging by their pathetic, battered state, they were merely delaying the inevitable and would soon share the fate of their subordinates.
"Who would have thought that some no-name dark guild would harbor two S-Class Mages? Looks like the intelligence network really screwed up the intel on this one," Laxus scoffed coldly, glaring down at the two half-dead wizards.
The Eye of Silence was one of the few independent dark guilds that did not bow to the three pillars of the Balam Alliance. According to the initial reports, the master of this guild was supposed to be an A+ rank mage, yet the power he had just displayed clearly reached the S-Class threshold. Furthermore, even the vice-master turned out to be a mage who had just crossed that very same boundary. A guild led by two S-Class Mages was considered a rather formidable organization. The task of annihilating it far exceeded an A+ rating and rightfully qualified as a fully-fledged S-Class Quest. Fortunately, the job had been taken by Laxus and Night, whose combined strength was more than a match for the threat. Had ordinary A-Class mages been sent here, they would have undoubtedly met their end. Unforeseen complications during missions were not entirely uncommon, but for a situation to escalate so drastically that the threat level spiked to S-Class—that was a true rarity.
"But you know, Night, your power is just absolute madness," Laxus sighed. With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent out a jolt of lightning to completely knock out the two mages before turning back to his partner.
This time, it was Night who had played the pivotal role in the effortless annihilation of the Eye of Silence. The magical prowess he had displayed was even greater than what he had shown during their recent duel. Laxus couldn't even begin to fathom where the boy's limits lay. His endless arsenal of Maker Magic spells and his seemingly bottomless reserves of mana left Laxus feeling completely outclassed.
"Haha, it's nothing special, really!" Night brushed off the praise, though his tone did absolutely nothing to hide his smug satisfaction. Laxus could only let out a resigned sigh.
"Even though the mission didn't go exactly as planned, the jackpot turned out to be way bigger than we thought!" Night pointed out. Such extermination jobs harbored immense danger, but they also yielded the most lucrative rewards. Aside from the hefty bounty promised by the client, the dark guild itself had hoarded a considerable amount of wealth. And the personal fortunes of two S-Class Mages... Night had absolutely no intention of handing over those spoils; it was simply out of the question! After all, he needed to save up for a massive house!
Since Night had done the lion's share of the work, the fiercely proud Laxus flatly refused to split the reward evenly. Out of the five million Jewels, Night took the larger cut of three million, while the remaining two million went to Laxus.
"The remaining two quests are located on completely opposite ends of the region. Night, let's split up," Laxus suggested, holding up two request flyers. Truth be told, after witnessing Night in battle, Laxus realized that in joint missions, he was doomed to play the role of a mere sidekick—Night simply acted too fast. And playing second fiddle to anyone was entirely against Laxus's nature. That was the primary reason behind his proposal.
"It's a deal!" Night, naturally, had no objections. With a sly glint in his eye, he smiled and added, "But I call dibs on the three-million one!"
Both of the remaining quests involved hunting down monsters: one was valued at two million Jewels, and the other at three.
"Take it, you greedy penny-pincher!" Laxus grumbled in annoyance, tossing the corresponding flyer to his partner.
Night caught the request and flashed a dazzling smile. "You just don't understand. Money is a worldly desire, and I absolutely adore all things worldly!"
Laxus merely curled his lip at the absurd statement, his entire demeanor making it perfectly clear that he had no desire to continue the conversation. After spending another half-day resting in the town, they parted ways: one headed south, the other north, each venturing toward his own destination.