NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 5: Chapter 5: The First Big Job
Chapter 5: The First Big Job
Kael's POV
The day after my initiation, I woke up sore from head to toe. Sparring with Natsu felt like wrestling a fire-breathing bull, and my body was paying the price. As I dragged myself into the guildhall, I hoped for a quiet day. Naturally, that wasn't going to happen.
"Kael!" Natsu's voice boomed the moment I stepped inside. "You're coming with us on a job!"
"Define 'us,'" I said warily, rubbing the back of my neck.
Lucy appeared beside him, looking far less enthusiastic. "He means me, him, and Happy. He's decided you're part of our team now."
"Aye!" Happy chimed in, floating above Natsu's shoulder. "It'll be fun!"
"Fun is subjective," I muttered, but curiosity got the better of me. "What's the job?"
Natsu slapped a flyer onto the table in front of me. It read:
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Request: Protect Sunveil Village from Magical Beasts
Reward: 50,000 Jewel
Difficulty: B-Rank
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I stared at the flyer, then at Natsu. "You do realize this is a B-Rank job, right? I'm barely scraping by with C-Rank missions."
"You'll be fine!" Natsu said, grinning. "Besides, we've got me!"
"And me," Lucy added, though her tone suggested she wasn't thrilled about it.
"Don't forget me!" Happy said.
"Great," I muttered, glancing at my system interface. It chimed with a new quest notification.
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[Quest Activated: Protect Sunveil Village]
Objective: Defend the village from magical beasts and investigate the source of the attacks.
Rewards: +200 System Points, Unlock: Advanced Arcane Spells.]
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"Fine," I said, closing the interface. "Let's do this."
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The Journey to Sunveil Village
The trek to Sunveil Village was long and, thanks to Natsu, eventful. Every five minutes, he'd run off to chase some random animal or pick a fight with a tree. Lucy alternated between yelling at him and threatening to turn back.
"You're worse than Happy," she said after dragging him away from a very annoyed wild boar.
"Aye!" Happy chimed in. "Hey, wait a second. That's not a compliment!"
I stayed quiet for most of the trip, using the time to review my spells and practice casting. The system had unlocked a few new abilities, and I wanted to make sure I didn't embarrass myself when the action started.
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[Skill Tree Updated: Advanced Arcane Spells Unlocked]
**- Arcane Barrier: A stronger defensive spell.
Arcane Pulse: A wide-area shockwave attack.**
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"Arcane Pulse," I muttered, flipping through my tome. "This could be useful."
"What's that?" Lucy asked, peering over my shoulder.
I snapped the book shut. "Nothing! Just… studying."
Lucy raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. "You'd better know what you're doing when the time comes."
"Noted."
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The Village in Peril
When we reached Sunveil Village, it was clear something was wrong. Houses were damaged, crops were trampled, and the villagers looked exhausted.
The village elder greeted us, his face lined with worry. "Thank you for coming. The beasts have been attacking every night for the past week. We've lost livestock, crops, and… some of our people."
Natsu's expression hardened. "Don't worry. We'll stop them."
"We'll do our best," Lucy added, trying to sound reassuring.
I glanced at my system, which highlighted a glowing area on the outskirts of the village. "The attacks are coming from that direction," I said, pointing toward a dense forest.
The elder nodded. "Yes, that's where they retreat after every attack. No one who's gone in has returned."
"Perfect," Natsu said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's go!"
"Wait!" the elder called. "The beasts… they're not normal. They're infused with magic. Be careful."
"Got it!" Natsu said, already halfway to the forest.
I sighed, following after him with Lucy and Happy. "This is going to be a disaster."
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The Magical Beasts
The forest was dark and eerily quiet. Even the usual sounds of birds and insects were absent. We moved cautiously, Natsu leading the way with unbridled enthusiasm while Lucy and I stayed alert.
The first attack came out of nowhere. A massive, wolf-like creature lunged at us, its eyes glowing with unnatural energy. Natsu intercepted it with a fiery punch, sending it sprawling.
"Nice!" he said, grinning. "These things are tough!"
More beasts emerged from the shadows—wolves, boars, even what looked like a giant, magical bear. Lucy summoned Taurus to hold them off while I flipped open my tome.
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[New Quest Objective: Eliminate the Magical Beasts]
Sub-Objective: Test Arcane Pulse on Multiple Targets.]
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"Alright, system, let's see what this thing can do," I muttered. Channeling my energy, I cast Arcane Pulse. A wave of shimmering energy burst from my hands, knocking back several beasts at once.
"Whoa!" Natsu said, glancing back at me. "That was awesome!"
I grinned, feeling a surge of confidence. "Told you I've got this."
The fight raged on, each of us holding our ground. Natsu's flames lit up the dark forest, Lucy's spirits kept the beasts at bay, and I alternated between offensive and defensive spells.
Finally, the remaining creatures retreated into the shadows, their glowing eyes disappearing into the darkness.
"We did it!" Happy cheered, hovering above us.
"Not yet," I said, pointing deeper into the forest. "There's something bigger out there. This was just the warm-up."
Lucy groaned. "Of course it is."
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The Final Encounter
As we ventured deeper, the air grew colder, and the trees twisted unnaturally. At the center of a clearing, a massive, hulking creature waited. Its body crackled with magical energy, and its roar shook the ground.
"This thing's huge!" Natsu said, grinning. "Let's take it down!"
"Easier said than done," Lucy muttered, summoning Virgo to assist.
The battle was intense. The creature's attacks were relentless, and its magic-infused body made it almost impervious to Natsu's flames. Lucy and her spirits managed to keep it distracted, but we were running out of options.
"System, I need something big," I muttered, flipping through my tome.
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[Emergency Skill Unlocked: Arcane Overload]
Description: Channels all available energy into a single, devastating attack. High risk, high reward.]
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"High risk, huh?" I said, glancing at my teammates. "Worth it."
Channeling everything I had, I cast Arcane Overload. The spell created a swirling vortex of energy, pulling the creature into its center before detonating with a blinding flash of light.
When the dust settled, the creature was gone, and the forest was silent.
"Whoa," Natsu said, staring at me in awe. "You're kinda scary, dude."
Lucy nodded. "Remind me not to make you mad."
I smiled weakly, collapsing onto the ground. "Let's just get back to the village."
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Aftermath
The villagers greeted us with cheers and gratitude, and the elder handed over the reward. As we left Sunveil Village, I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail," Lucy said, smiling.
"Yeah," I said, grinning back. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of this."
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End of Chapter 5