Erza seemed to have something important to do and left the tavern without another word.
The moment she was gone, Natsu sprang back to life, full of energy. "Alright, Roddy! Let's fight!"
"It's Rhodes," Rhodes corrected, sighing. He quickly added, "You saw what happened just now. I'm weak. Erza took me out with a single punch."
Happy, the blue Exceed, eagerly chimed in. "That's fine! Natsu challenged Erza before, and she knocked him out with one punch too!"
"You talk too much, Happy!" Natsu growled, puffing up his chest. "I'm not the same as before! Now I can definitely—"
Happy covered his mouth and muttered under his breath, "He can definitely last a few more punches this time."
"What was that!?" Natsu turned red with anger, looking ready to fight Happy first.
Happy quickly darted behind Mira, peeking out with a smug grin.
Mira simply smiled, drying a freshly washed glass, unfazed by their antics.
"Anyway, fight me! Your crab looks pretty strong!"
Rhodes hesitated for a moment before replying, "Tomorrow. I need to rest."
The real reason? He had no desire to get beaten up twice—possibly three times—in the same day. His body still ached.
"Then it's a deal!" Natsu declared before dashing off, already excited for their upcoming match.
But Happy didn't leave immediately. He perched himself on the counter, looking at Rhodes with an unusually serious expression.
"So, you use summoning magic?"
Rhodes nodded. "Yeah, that's right."
Happy's eyes sparkled with anticipation. His mouth started to water. "Then... can you summon fish?"
Rhodes blinked, then mentally ran through the creatures he could summon. "Uh... probably not. The closest thing I have is a toad."
Happy instantly deflated, his whole body slumping in disappointment. He slouched in the corner of the counter, a dark aura of despair surrounding him.
"Lost... Completely lost..."
Rhodes couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Is fish really that important?"
Happy suddenly raised his tiny fists in determination. "Fish is the ultimate delicacy!"
"Alright, alright," Rhodes relented, not wanting to get into a debate with a cat over seafood.
Meanwhile, Warm, who seemed to take a liking to Happy—probably because they were similar in size—trotted over and rubbed against him.
Before long, the two small creatures were playing together, rolling around and chasing each other in a flurry of cuteness.
In the evening, Levy arrived at the guild and picked out a job request from the bulletin board alongside Jet and Droy. Afterward, she made her way to Rhodes to continue her studies in foreign scripts.
"Today, I'll teach you two slightly more complex characters—the symbol for 'fist' and the one for 'pain.'"
Borrowing Levy's light pen, Rhodes carefully wrote out the two characters, tracing each stroke while explaining their meanings.
"Why these two words all of a sudden?" Levy asked, curious.
Rhodes hesitated. "Let's just say, I was inspired."
"Oh, by the way, I heard you had a duel with Erza today."
Her expression was a mix of admiration and amusement, as if she couldn't decide whether to be impressed by his courage or baffled by his recklessness. The corners of her lips twitched as she struggled to keep a straight face.
Rhodes sighed. "Go ahead. If you want to laugh, just do it."
Levy finally let out a small chuckle, covering her mouth. "Haha... No, no, I'm not laughing at you—haha—it's just... I'm happy to be learning new characters!"
Rhodes didn't feel offended. There was no malice in her laughter, just good-natured amusement.
With a resigned sigh, he changed the subject. "By the way, about the enchanted glasses..."
Levy shook her head. "Keep them for now. I have a spare pair, and I'll be out on a job tomorrow, so I probably won't need them for a while."
"You just got back two or three days ago, and you're already heading out again? That's pretty dedicated."
"Well, the last job didn't pay much, and I also spent a few days sightseeing in the city where the request was posted."
In truth, Levy's team wasn't among the strongest in Fairy Tail, which meant they often took on lower-risk jobs with more modest rewards.
That, of course, meant less money.
Since their team had three members, any job's payment had to be split among them, which meant they had to work a little harder than most other guild members.
Even so, it was enough to make Rhodes envious. "I wonder how long it'll take before I can start taking on higher-paying missions."
Levy offered a suggestion. "If you're looking for a job, why not join our Shadow Gear team this time? The pay is pretty good."
Rhodes was tempted for a brief moment but quickly shook his head. "No, I'd just hold you guys back. My strength isn't there yet."
"It's fine. This mission isn't about combat—it's an expedition into the mountains to solve some puzzles and hunt for treasure. It's more about using your brain than brute force." Content orıginally comes from 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽
Levy winked playfully and held up two fingers. "The pay is 200,000 Jewels."
Rhodes gulped—not because of Levy's adorable gesture, but because the pay was far too tempting.
If split among the four of them, that meant 50,000 Jewels each. That was half of his monthly stipend.
But it was an expedition into the mountains.
"I think I'll pass. Thanks, though. I don't think I'm ready for that yet."
"Is that so?" Levy tilted her head but didn't press him further. "What a shame."
Rhodes forced a bitter smile. The memory of being attacked by wild beasts when he first arrived in this world, coupled with Erza's devastating punch earlier, weighed on his mind.
Until he built up real strength, he had no intention of stepping beyond the safety of Magnolia.
Makarov, who had been resting with his eyes closed, peeked at Rhodes from the corner of his eye.
This kid... he's another "problem" child.
After finishing his shift at the guild, Rhodes didn't head straight home. Instead, he jogged along the main road outside the guild hall.
After a light warm-up, he picked up the pace, steadily increasing his speed.
"Train your body, or you'll regret it."
The Master's words echoed in Rhodes' mind. He figured that just doing push-ups before bed was too half-hearted. Adding a running routine seemed like a better plan.
He summoned a Scuttle to carry the large box of medical supplies that Erza had sent to his home. The box itself seemed custom-made, with the Fairy Tail emblem painted on it. Given that, he doubted anyone would dare touch it, even if he left it outside the door.
Rhodes took off running through the residential area near the guild, hopping down a nearly two-meter-high stone step with ease and landing in another neighborhood.
From there, he followed the main road until he reached the canal that ran through Magnolia.
In the distance, he could see the tallest structure on the opposite bank—the Cathedral of Kardia.
The streets surrounding the church were part of Magnolia's city center, which meant the Fairy Tail guildhall was built on the outskirts. That probably explained why his rent was cheaper—it was a bit further from the heart of the city.
Instead of heading toward the bustling center, Rhodes continued running alongside the canal, pushing himself until his heart pounded, his breath came in short gasps, and sweat trickled down his face.
He wasn't sure how far he had gone, but he had been counting his steps—more than 3,000.
To his surprise, his stamina seemed better than before he came to this world. Back in his old life, he would've been gasping for air after running three laps around a school track. Now, he was noticeably stronger.
In the past, the burning sensation in his lungs would've forced him to stop. But now, he knew this was just the beginning.
Real training wasn't just about building strength—it was about strengthening his willpower. Every time he felt like he was at his limit, he just had to push a little further. Even running an extra 100 meters was progress.
Of course, for someone as physically weak as him, talking about willpower felt a bit ridiculous. To the more experienced fighters in the guild, this distance was barely a warm-up, while for him, it was already a battle of endurance.
His legs had become so sluggish that he had to rely on the motion of twisting his waist and hips to keep going.
Meanwhile, Warm—the disloyal little guy—had initially run beside him, moving his tiny legs in an adorable attempt to keep up. But before long, he decided that Rhodes' shoulders made for a much better ride.
Rhodes didn't hesitate to send him back. He wasn't ready to train with extra weight just yet.
The sky was overcast, and as the sun set, only a faint glow remained behind the clouds.
"Keep going, young man!"
A boatman rowing upstream on the canal called out to him with an encouraging smile.
Rhodes mustered the energy to lift his sore arm in response before focusing on his "willpower training" once more.
The people here were surprisingly friendly.