Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 203: Helping Out

Rocker stared wide-eyed. "That woman's really strong! She's fighting Bacchus to a standstill!"

Rhodes chuckled quietly.

Holding his pendant, he recalled the other summoned creatures back to their marks.

"Summon—Brambleback!"

"H-Hey, what are you doing?!" Rocker stammered.

"Helping, of course. This is a team competition, remember?" Rhodes said matter-of-factly, pointing at Erza.

"Red buff!"

A brilliant red glow flared around Erza, mingling with the soft blue light that was already surrounding her from earlier.

Rhodes felt the drain and recovery of magic happening simultaneously, and for a moment, he felt like he was solving one of those elementary school math problems about filling and emptying water tanks.

After a quick calculation, he couldn't help but feel a little moved.

Finally, Brambleback could be used properly in a real battle instead of being treated like a single-use burst!

No, being precise, barely usable for regular combat.

Still, that was progress!

Rhodes pointed dramatically at Bacchus. "Get him!"

The Brambleback rumbled forward, its limbs pounding the ground heavily. Compared to the Blue Sentinel, it was clearly faster.

Bacchus noticed the movement out of the corner of his eye.

"Roc—Rocker?"

Rocker sheepishly raised one hand. "Big Bro... I lost."

Bacchus blinked in disbelief.

Rocker wasn't weak. If he were, Master Goldmine wouldn't have assigned him as Bacchus's partner for this mission.

And yet... he got taken down this fast?

"You better watch yourself," Erza warned, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Rhodes likes giving people surprises."

The pain in her shoulder was already subsiding rapidly, and with a flash of light, a fresh sword appeared in her right hand. She charged Bacchus once again, her dual blades flashing in the air.

"Surprise, huh? You mean that big guy?" Bacchus chuckled drunkenly, weaving side to side to dodge her slashes.

The Brambleback was already on him, swinging one claw in a wide arc. The force of the swing stirred the air itself.

A large enough attack range, perfect for restraining slippery targets.

"Tch, what the heck is that thing, Drunken Chop!"

Bacchus's right palm glowed with dense magic as he slammed it into the Brambleback's claw.

Boom!

A heavy, thunderous impact echoed across the field. The ground trembled faintly.

"What the—?!"

Bacchus stumbled back several steps, his purple armored gauntlet shattered. His right arm trembled slightly from the force of the blow.

'What is this power...?'

Meanwhile, the Brambleback let out a deep, resonant roar. Its massive claw, battered and cracked, resembled a tree limb struck by lightning, splinters scattering everywhere.

The Brambleback's defense wasn't as high as the Blue Sentinel's, but its speed and attack power were far superior.

"Give up, Bacchus!" Erza shouted.

With a powerful downward slash, both her swords came crashing toward him.

"It's not over yet!" Bacchus roared back.

Magic gathered in his palms as he raised both hands, ready to block her strike with nothing but his bare hands.

Boom!

The twin blades clashed against his palms, producing a heavy, blunt impact. The earth beneath Bacchus's feet cracked from the sheer force.

Bacchus gritted his teeth.

Normally, armor's attacks were speedy but not powerful enough to threaten him.

But this time, the crimson glow from Red buff coated Erza's blades, flaring like living flame.

Bacchus felt a sharp, burning sting travel up his arms.

Cracks spread across the armor on his left arm, and then the gauntlet exploded into shards. The damage on his right arm worsened, leaving him barely able to hold off the second sword.

The blades stopped just at the tip of his nose.

Bacchus closed his eyes, then let out a rough, free-spirited laugh.

"Haha... I lose."

Erza lowered her swords, her armor dissolving as she returned to her usual attire.

"It wasn't just me who beat you," she said warmly. "It was us."

Bacchus laughed again, slumping onto the ground and fumbling for his wine gourd. His arm trembled slightly as he lifted it for a drink.

"Man.The old man's gonna lecture me so bad when I get back."

Rhodes strolled over, and before dismissing the Brambleback, he lightly tapped Bacchus on the forehead.

"Red Buff."

A gentle, healing warmth washed over Bacchus. He felt the pain in his arms gradually ease.

"This magic..." Bacchus murmured, blinking groggily. "What's it called again...? Eh, forget it."

"You've got a great partner." Bacchus said to Erza with a lopsided grin.

Erza smiled, calm and proud.

"I think so too."

"Thank you," Rhodes said quickly, trying his best to maintain a straight face.

Heh, no need to hold back, feel free to praise me even more.

Rocker stumbled over, rubbing his swollen cheek, and grumbled, "Hey... why didn't you heal me too?"

"Sorry," Rhodes said without an ounce of guilt. "This kind of magic can only be used on two people in a short amount of time. And between the two of you, he's more seriously injured."

Rocker pouted pitifully but didn't argue further.

"Alright, Rocker," Bacchus said, clapping his shoulder with his still-sore hand, "since the match is decided, let's head back."

He turned to Erza and Rhodes, grinning. "I look forward to fighting you again."

Rhodes tilted his head innocently. "Normally, shouldn't the losers stick around and listen to the winners' instructions? Help us finish the mission first before you leave?"

"Huh?" Bacchus blinked, swaying slightly. It wasn't clear if he was truly drunk or just pretending.

"It's not against the rules to punish the losers," he said. "But are you sure you want us interfering in your mission?"

From a purely selfish angle, having more S-Class firepower wouldn't hurt. But from a guild pride perspective, it was definitely better if Fairy Tail handled this themselves.

Erza agreed without hesitation. "We'll see you next time."

Settling a disturbance before the real mission even started was a good thing.

Blame the old man for stirring up trouble.

Rhodes thought darkly. He was already planning to plot with Mira later, maybe slip some extra chili oil into Makarov's wine for revenge.

Bacchus and Rocker waved casually and headed off.

After resting for a bit, Erza and Rhodes got back to work, continuing their search for clues.

They hadn't walked far when Rhodes suddenly slapped his thigh. "Ah, shoot! I forgot to ask for compensation!"

"Compensation?" Erza blinked.

"Yeah! Your armor's shoulder plate and two of your Heaven's Wheel swords got broken during the fight," Rhodes pointed out.

"Is the mission reward even enough to cover the repair costs?"

Erza did a quick calculation in her head.

"The basic repairs aren't that expensive. Today's losses... maybe tens of thousands of Jewels."

"Tens of thousands..." Rhodes muttered.

He suddenly realized just how much his mindset had shifted. His part-time job only paid around 120,000 Jewels a month, and here he was thinking that spending tens of thousands on armor repairs wasn't expensive.

Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.

Erza's Requip Magic definitely wasn't something the average wizard could afford.

The rich rely on technology; the poor rely on mutation.

As the sun dipped lower, the temperature dropped sharply, and a thin layer of mist began to rise from the ground.

Gradually, the mist thickened, shrouding the battlefield and cutting off their line of sight.

"Rhodes," Erza said quietly.

"Yeah," Rhodes nodded. He understood immediately.

Something was not right.

There was a strange, heavy sensation in the mist, like they were being watched by countless unseen eyes.

Rhodes and Erza stood back to back, moving closer together, both on high alert for sudden attacks.

Rhodes called back his two Scuttle Crabs, positioning them three meters away, one in front and one behind, as mobile sentries.

But even at that distance, the thick fog made it hard to see them.

The Raptors circled wider, stationed at the edge of the Scuttle Crabs' visibility, relying solely on their instincts and physical senses for reconnaissance.

Suddenly, two faint red lights flared within the mist.

There was a sharp, startled cry and one of the Raptors vanished.

Erza bolted toward the source instantly, but whoever or whatever had attacked was already gone.

"Feather Storm!" Rhodes barked.

The remaining Raptors scattered in all directions, releasing a flurry of razor-sharp feathers.

But there was no satisfying ping of feathers hitting flesh, only the soft sound of feathers embedding themselves uselessly in the ground.

Then, another sharp cry and another Raptor vanished.

Using the vision shared through the Scuttle Crabs, Rhodes caught a glimpse of a dark, humanoid silhouette flashing by.

"Humanoid... wearing something that looks like armor," Rhodes reported calmly, relaying everything he had seen in those precious seconds.