In the lush forest, sunlight filtered through the gaps between leaves, casting scattered specks of light.
The scent of grass and earth lingered in the air, accompanied by the constant chirping of insects and birds—summer's presence was unmistakable.
On a deliberately cleared patch of flat ground, two boys stood facing each other several meters apart.
Surrounding the clearing were towering green trees and beneath their shade, a man, two women and a dog sat in a row, watching the two boys spar with magic.
Of the two boys standing opposite each other, one had black hair slicked back in a mature style, with a single playful strand hanging over his forehead.
His handsome face was complemented by his sleek black martial artist's outfit, giving him a sharp and agile appearance.
The other boy sported a spiky pink hairstyle, a black-and-white checkered scarf around his neck, a long-sleeved crimson top and khaki shorts.
"Marco, I'm strong! Don't underestimate me!"
The pink-haired boy spoke up, adopting an offensive stance.
His expression was wild, brimming with fighting spirit and faint sparks crackled around him—clearly, he was a battle maniac.
"Bring it on, Natsu! Let's see if your Dragon Slayer Magic is stronger or if my Celestial Spirit Magic comes out on top!"
The black-haired boy, Marco, responded while striking a peculiar pose—his legs slightly bent in a wide stance, his right hand pulled back at his waist and his left hand extended forward like a rearing stallion.
"Raaaaah!"
Natsu roared passionately, channeling his Magic Power as flames engulfed his fists, burning fiercely yet not harming him at all.
The dangerous fire obeyed his will with perfection.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Natsu lunged forward, swinging his blazing fist like a ferocious dragon.
Though still a young dragon, his momentum was undeniable.
Facing Natsu's attack, Marco remained completely unfazed.
His hands moved continuously, muttering something as if tracing some mysterious pattern.
Magic Power surged with his movements, swirling like the shifting stars.
"Pegasus... Meteor Fist!"
As a star chart was drawn by his hands, light flashed and Marco threw his fist forward, unleashing countless phantom punches.
The barrage of fists resembled a stampede of ten thousand horses, completely overwhelming the young dragon's ferocious charge and even eclipsing the flames radiating from the dragon.
BOOM!
Natsu was sent flying like a ragdoll, crashing heavily onto the ground, lying motionless.
The flames around him gradually flickered out.
His punch hadn't even touched Marco—instead, he had been the one sent flying.
There was no helping it.
Natsu couldn't even see Marco's punches clearly, let alone block them.
The gap between them was obvious!
"This punch carries twelve years of training—not just anyone can withstand it Natsu. You've still got a long way to go."
Marco retracted his fist and stood straight, wagging his index finger as he delivered a scathing critique of Natsu's strength.
At this level, he wasn't even worthy of being called an 'opponent'.
The legendary 'Dragon Slayer Magic' born specifically to slay dragons, was nothing more than this? It still couldn't match the power of his fists!
Marco was a transmigrator from another world—Earth—and had only been reborn in this world called Earth Land for twelve years.
Earth Land was different from the Earth Marco had once lived on.
Here, Ethernano filled the world and a force known as magic existed.
In Earth Land, magic had become an integral part of daily life.
Not only were there magic shops where spells could be bought and sold, but some even made a living by using magic.
Across the continents, guilds that provided work for Mages flourished.
Marco had grown up in one such Mage guild called Fairy Tail and was now a magic user.
Of course, due to the unique nature of his magic, Marco had mostly been self-taught after mastering basic Magic Power meditation.
His magic was one-of-a-kind.
As for Natsu, he was a newcomer who had just joined Fairy Tail a few days ago—a rookie who wielded the legendary 'Dragon Slayer Magic' constantly muttering nonsense.
The guy even claimed his father was a fire dragon who had suddenly disappeared!
Marco didn't believe it.
How the fuck a dragons and humans reproduce anyway?
Even if he is indeed the son of a dragon, aside from the effects of "Dragon Slayer Magic," Natsu didn't have any draconic traits.
If Natsu really were a half-dragon, a "dragonkin," shouldn't he at least have some dragon-like features?
Marco pitied this child, who likely had some mental deficiencies.
Thus, Marco didn't refuse Natsu's request for a spar—he treated it as indulging the fantasies of this retarded kid.
Marco himself was also curious to witness the power of Natsu's "Fire Dragon Slayer Magic."
This magic was extremely rare and in a way, it was proof that Natsu truly had some connection to dragons.
Just as the system triggered a mission due to Natsu's challenge, the rewards were too tempting for Marco to refuse.
He could only choose to send Natsu's flying with a smile.
[Mission Name: "The Fire Dragon's Provocation"]
Mission Content:
A newcomer has arrived at the guild—Natsu, the S-Class Mage known as the "Salamander." His strength is formidable, and he holds a pivotal role in this world as a key storyline character. However, he shouldn't have provoked you, a senior member of the guild!
Defeat him! Make him understand who the strongest in the Fairy Tail Guild is!
Mission Progress: Completed.
Mission Reward: Random Bronze Cloth.
Claim the reward?
The mission description was rather abstract, but Marco was used to it.
Natsu wasn't an S-Class Mage, nor did he have the nickname 'Salamander' and he certainly hadn't provoked Marco.
Moreover, Marco wasn't the strongest in the Fairy Tail Guild—after all, he had only been in this world for less than twelve years and had only started learning magic a few years ago.
Naturally, he couldn't compare to the seasoned veterans.
An S-Class Mage was the highest honor a Mage could achieve within the guild, a recognition of their strength—not some common title that could be easily obtained.
Marco's system, called the [Saint System], occasionally issued missions.
Completing them would yield various rewards, all related to "Saints"—be it items, skills, or even 'Cloths'.
For example, 'Pegasus Meteor Fist' was a skill Marco obtained from the beginner's gift pack and it was the only 'magic' he could use.
Despite possessing an excellent amount of Magic Power, Marco couldn't use any other spells—only this one technique.
That was why he had always been self-studying.
Clearly, the only 'magic' Marco could use were the skills obtained from the [Saint System].
But that didn't bother him—after all, these were "Saints"!
This was the 'Pegasus Meteor Fist'!
Marco hadn't yet awakened the power of "Cosmo," but fortunately, these abilities had been localized.
His 'Pegasus Meteor Fist' could be fueled by Magic Power.
While it didn't possess the god-slaying terror Marco remembered, it wasn't weak either.
This was normal—even Seiya's god-slaying 'Pegasus Meteor Fist' grew stronger through countless battles and relentless training.
Moreover, it was likely that only by awakening 'Cosmo' could the true power of 'Pegasus Meteor Fist' be fully unleashed.
The localized Magic Power still fell a bit short.
Marco's path as a Mage hadn't become easier because of the [Saint System].
On the contrary, he had to work even harder—for now, he could only rely on his Magic Power to fuel his fists in battle, making him a pure hand-to-hand combatant.
[Claim the reward?]
The [Saint System] popped up the prompt again, completely ignoring Marco's internal monologues.
Marco, of course, decisively chose 'Claim.'
Regardless of how easy the mission was, the reward was undeniably enticing.
Just defeating Natsu earned him a 'Bronze Cloth'?
For such an easy mission... please, give him more like this!
Is this 'Bronze Cloth' also localized?
[Buzz!]
A dazzling light flashed, nearly blinding Marco.
Within the radiance, a suit of armor materialized, taking the shape of a horse and emitting a faint bronze glow.
Could it be?!
Marco's excitement surged—this matched perfectly!
The beginner's gift gave him 'Pegasus Meteor Fist' so the first Bronze Cloth should naturally be the 'Pegasus Bronze Cloth'!
As the light gradually faded, the true form of the Cloth became visible—indeed shaped like a horse, complete with a pair of small wings.
The Cloth had two forms: the standard form, representing the constellation's symbolic shape (like the winged horse before him) and the other being the released armor form.
Thus, upon seeing this "winged horse" constellation form, Marco felt certain—this had to be Pegasus!
[Congratulations! Equuleus Bronze Cloth unlocked!]
Staring at the message from the [Saint System] and the Bronze Cloth before him, Marco froze, his smile vanishing instantly.
Wait, what?!
Equuleus... what the hell is that?!
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TN : Localize = changing the energy used to power his skills and armor. since he cant use cosmo, all his technique is powered by magic power for now.
Pegasus Meteor Fist[1] (ペガサス流星拳 Pegasasu Ryūsei Ken?) is the main technique of the Pegasus saint. It consists in a very rapid discharge of punches in mid-short distance.