A new day had arrived.
Rhodes woke up to the steady patter of rain against his window. The moment he climbed out of bed, a wave of soreness shot through his legs, making him wince.
Maybe it was the intense training yesterday. Maybe it was his stubbornness kicking in. Either way, he had pushed himself to the limit—running until he literally collapsed and couldn't get back up.
By the time he made it home, he had to summon a Rift Scuttle just to roll him onto its back and carry him the rest of the way.
Before bed, he had the foresight to apply a cold compress and use some of the anti-swelling medicine from the oversized medical supply box Erza had given him. Now, as he stood there, barely able to move, he was thankful for his own precautions.
Dragging his aching legs, Rhodes hobbled to the bathroom to take care of his morning routine. Afterward, he figured it wouldn't hurt to apply more medicine.
"Oh no, I forgot to bring in the laundry!"
Rhodes hurried to the balcony. Sure enough, the rain had picked up overnight, and all his clothes were soaked through.
Sighing, he gathered them up and tossed them into a basin, adding in the sweaty clothes he had taken off yesterday.
He stared at the basin for a long moment before resigning himself to his fate. With a sigh, he sat down and started scrubbing.
There was no other choice. Aside from these two sets of clothes and his pajamas, he only had one more outfit left in his closet. Every time he opened it, it felt painfully empty.
If something unexpected happened, he would soon be facing a crisis—running out of clothes entirely.
"I should buy a couple more sets when I have extra money," he muttered to himself.
After washing and wringing out the clothes, he hung them in the laundry room for now.
For a fleeting second, he considered taking them to the guild and asking Natsu to dry them with his flames... but he quickly abandoned the idea.
The risk was too high. He wasn't ready to take that gamble.
After all the morning chores, Rhodes finally packed up and headed downstairs, ready to make his way to the guild.
But as soon as he stepped outside, he realized a new problem.
The rain wasn't letting up. In fact, it was coming down harder. Even Goodman, who usually set up his stall rain or shine, was nowhere to be seen today.
Then, the real issue hit him.
"I never bought an umbrella."
"I am so miserable." Rhodes let out a pitiful sigh.
At the critical moment, Warm proudly pulled out an umbrella from a corner on the first floor.
"Good job!" Rhodes praised, quickly summoning a Rift Scuttler and hopping onto its back, umbrella in hand, before setting off toward the guild.
Before leaving, he made sure to leave a note for Goodman, letting him know that he had borrowed the umbrella without permission.
The Rift Scuttler moved steadily down the rain-soaked streets, unfazed by the downpour. In fact, it seemed to enjoy the wet environment, its movements smooth and unhurried.
Rhodes sat cross-legged on the highest part of the Scuttler's back, angling his umbrella to shield himself from the incoming raindrops.
The streets of Magnolia were much quieter in the rain. The usual lively morning market sounds were gone, replaced only by the occasional hurried footsteps of pedestrians.
Most people carried umbrellas or wore raincoats and boots, quickly making their way through the puddles.
Rhodes had seen this kind of scenery countless times before, back in his original world.
But as he glanced down at himself—riding a giant crab through the rain—he couldn't help but feel a little out of place.
Right. He was never truly a part of this world to begin with.
That fleeting moment of reflection vanished the second he reached the guild's entrance.
Because at that moment, he spotted Laki approaching from the northwest intersection, holding a traditional wooden umbrella in one hand and a wooden box in the other.
Her purple hair swayed gently as she walked, and the light drizzle gave her an almost serene appearance.
On the other side, Gray was also making his way toward the guild—his umbrella was a masterfully sculpted construct of ice.
Rain trickled down the surface of Gray's ice umbrella, neither freezing nor melting, but instead forming tiny droplets that cascaded like a beaded curtain along the edges.
Noticing Rhodes and Laki, Gray casually raised a hand in greeting. "Yo."
Laki responded cheerfully, "Good morning!"
"Morning!" Rhode replied as his Rift Scuttler disappeared, bringing him back to solid ground. Looking at his two guildmates, who were just as unique as he was, he couldn't help but smile.
Maybe this is what being in a guild truly means.
The three of them stepped through the guild's entrance, and Laki glanced at the floor near the doorway.
"Looks like I'll have to mop the floor a lot today..." she sighed.
Thinking about how cafeterias and shops handled rainy days, Rhode made a suggestion. "How about putting down some extra wooden boards at the entrance?"
"Great idea! Let's do that, but..." Laki lifted her hand and cast a spell.
"Wood-Make: Pure Love, Spotless!"
With a swift motion, thin wooden planks materialized inside and outside the guild entrance, their upper surfaces deliberately rough to prevent slipping.
"Wood-Make magic is really convenient," Rhode mused, though he couldn't help but internally criticize the ridiculous spell name.
Wouldn't "Clean Soles, Spotless" have made more sense?
With little happening in the morning, Rhode busied himself for a while before seeking out Gray.
"Natsu's weakness?" Gray immediately responded. "He's hot-headed, gets riled up easily, and is basically a reckless fire idiot."
Then, after a brief moment of thought, Gray added, "But... while he's impulsive in everyday life, it's different in battle."
"In a fight, his instincts are sharp, almost like a wild beast. If you take him seriously, he's a real pain to deal with."
Though Gray constantly bickered with Natsu, if he had to evaluate him as a fighter, he'd give him high marks.
Of course, he'd never admit that in front of Natsu.
"That's what I was afraid of." Rhode groaned. "Looks like I'm getting beat up again today. Is there really no direct, obvious, and immediate weakness I can exploit?"
Gray suddenly clapped his hands together. "Oh, right! Natsu challenged you to a duel today!"
His interest piqued—mostly because he liked seeing Natsu get knocked around—Gray leaned in. "Actually, he does have a major weakness!" The most update n0vels are published on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽
"Really?" Rhode's eyes lit up.
"Yeah!" Gray smirked. "That guy's useless when it comes to transportation. Just get him on a moving vehicle, and you've already won!"
"That's actually a great idea." Rhode started to nod before realizing a flaw in the plan. "But I don't know how to create a vehicle with magic!"
"Then I'll teach you!"
"Yes, right now!" Gray's enthusiasm spiked as he raised his hands—his shirt instantly vanishing. "Alright, follow my lead—"
Rhode glanced at Gray's bare torso, completely unfazed. "You know what? I think Ice-Make magic just isn't for me."
Becoming a pervert just to defeat Natsu, Rhodes decided it wasn't worth it.
Gray pressed his right fist against the palm of his left hand, staring in confusion as Rhodes abruptly turned and fled.
"Huh? But I haven't even started teaching yet."
Not wanting to risk another questionable training session with Gray, Rhodes decided to find a quiet place to meditate for a while.
Before he could go far, Laki called out to him.
"Rhodes." She walked over and handed him a wooden box. "Here, this is the magazine collection you asked for."
As soon as he took it, Rhodes' arm nearly sank under the weight.
"This is... heavy," he muttered, struggling slightly. There had to be over fifty magazines inside.
"Thanks, but why doesn't the box have an opening?"
"Because it's raining," Laki explained casually. "I was worried the magazines might get wet, so I sealed it shut."
"So how am I supposed to open it?"
"Once you get somewhere dry, just give the box a good hit."
"Oh, I see. That's very thoughtful."
Did she really mean he had to smash it open when he got home? His grasp of the local language still had gaps, so he needed a moment to process what she meant.
Now that he thought about it, Laki had probably crafted this box before leaving home. Wood-Make magic really was practical for daily life.
Rhodes secured the box and made his way toward the library entrance. He sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and started meditating.
Feeling his magic power slowly but steadily growing, he experienced the quiet satisfaction of progress.
"I wonder What my next summon will be," he mused to himself.
Hopefully, the next one would actually have some real attack power.
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