Compared to the two fairies, Natsu is truly slaying a dragon!

That guy is stronger than Erza, and he became Natsu's target for a challenge.

Although, the other party didn't seem to want to pay any attention to Natsu.

Each time Natsu provoked her, she would deliver a swift and decisive blow, knocking him down, then taunt him before disappearing from Natsu's sight.

Natsu wouldn't feel at ease until he defeated Laxus.

Thus began the feud between Natsu and Laxus, though Natsu always ended up getting badly beaten.

Laxus doesn't seem to go easy on Natsu like Erza does. Often, when she's really annoyed with him, she'll give him a severe beating, enough to keep him bedridden for three days.

But Natsu seems to thoroughly enjoy it.

After watching for a while, Igneel could only shake his head helplessly.

He said to Natsu, "Did you forget everything I taught you before?"

"For example, in that scene just now, why didn't you use a counter-attack?"

"For example, many times before, why didn't you just dodge to the side, but instead acted like a fool and forcefully took the other person's attack in order to attack them?"

"The strategy of trading injury for injury is based on the premise that you are tough enough. If you were as fragile as a piece of paper at that time, why would you still fight like that?"

Natsu: "Well... it's just instinct, I feel like this will hit people..."

Igniru sighed and shook his head in frustration once again.

"However, this spirit of taking on challenges is good, but it's just a spirit."

The curtain of light continues to fall.

On this day, the melodious tolling of bells echoed throughout Magnolia.

[Through his companions' explanation, Natsu learned that it was the bell that rang when Fairy Tail's strongest mage returned.]

The entire town made way for her; this level of recognition is enough to make her the strongest of Fairy Tail.

The word "strongest" clearly caught Natsu's attention, so he moved closer.

[I also witnessed the prowess of Gildarts, the strongest mage in Fairy Tail.]

He was a middle-aged man with a full beard, helpful, and sometimes a bit awkward.

Gildarts' appearance seemed to open a door to a new world for Natsu.

[It showed him that humans could be this powerful.]

[Thus, Natsu now has another target to challenge: Gildarts!]

Surprisingly, Gildarts seemed to have a high opinion of Natsu.

Unlike Laxus, who is impatient and ruthless, Gildarts seems more inclined to nurture and train Natsu.

[It could be said that Gildarts was practically Natsu's second combat mentor when he was young, imparting a great deal of experience to him.]

Unfortunately, Gildarts, as the guild's strongest mage, has a very busy schedule and will be away from the guild for extended periods.

Therefore, Natsu's dream of challenging Gildarts every day was shattered.

Time flies, and a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

[Natsu's progress this year was remarkable, and he successfully persuaded Makarov to approve his mission, which was a significant step forward for him.]

Also in this year, the Mirajane sisters joined the guild.

Natsu seemed quite interested in Mirajane, the hooded figure with devilish hands.

So Natsu decided to challenge Mirajane.

However, things that were meant to hurt people also happened.

At this point, Mirajane didn't even know what magic was.

I don't even know how to use my magic.

[This is Mirajane, who, with just that demonic arm, easily defeated Natsu.]

[It was then that Natsu realized Mirajane was a monster just like Erza!]

[In the days that followed, Natsu's thoughts were confirmed.]

With Makarov's help, Mirajane quickly grasped the principles of magic.

The demonized arm could now be moved freely.

[Soon afterward, Mirajane was able to hold her own against Erza.]

[His formidable strength left even Natsu speechless; it seems there's another person we shouldn't mess with.]

Looking at everything displayed on the sky.

Igniru had already fallen silent.

Even now, he couldn't help but hold his forehead with one hand.

Looking at Natsu, he said incredulously, "So... you can't beat anyone?"

Natsu retorted, "Who said that! I can beat Gray!"

Gray: "You're talking complete bullshit! You're clearly the one who can't beat me, okay?"

Igniru: "You two are evenly matched, I don't know what you're arguing about, sigh..."

Chapter 103 Seven Years Fly By, Natsu's Growth

Mirajane's appearance seems to have spurred Natsu as well.

[It made him realize one thing: even Erza wasn't necessarily invincible.]

Thus, Natsu embarked on a rigorous training program.

[The training exercise... involved hanging portraits of the detestable Erza and Gray on a tree trunk and then furiously beating them.]

Outside the sky, Igniru twitched the corner of his mouth.

"So, this is how you cultivate? By hitting tree trunks???"

Natsu scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly, "Hehe, that's what I thought back then, you could call it practicing my punches..."

Igneru was speechless, but still chose to continue watching.

Natsu seemed to be channeling all his resentment into his fists.

[While attacking, he also kept hurling insults.]

But, at that very moment, due to the shaking of the tree, a giant egg fell from the top of the lush branches and smashed heavily onto Natsu's head.

The reason it's called a giant egg is because its size truly exceeds everyone's expectations.

Even now, Natsu is only a head taller than this egg.

Just as Natsu was about to get angry about who had ambushed him, he saw the egg.

The pattern above, which strongly resembled a dragon's claw, caught Natsu's attention.

Having been raised by dragons since childhood, he immediately suspected that this was likely a dragon's egg.

Excitedly, they carried the giant egg back to the guild.

[And this drew ridicule from the crowd, because in everyone's mind, dragons obviously don't exist, so the idea of ​​dragon eggs was obviously nonsense.]

However, Natsu insisted on hatching the dragon, wanting to show everyone what a spectacle it was.

Makarov agreed with this assessment.

The reason is to make a brat like Natsu truly understand the preciousness of life.

After a series of events, the blue dome finally lived up to Natsu's expectations and began to show signs of life.

The eggshell was on the verge of breaking when, before everyone's eyes, a blue light burst forth.

That's a cat!

A cute blue cat with wings.

It was precisely because of the appearance of Blue Cat, and its cuteness, that everyone present was drawn to it and smiled.

[Just like finding a lucky charm, Natsu named the blue cat Happy.]

[Translated as "happiness".]

[In Natsu's words, it's Totoro Happy!]

[And he took the child into his home and raised him himself.]

That year, something else happened that Natsu greatly envied.

[S-Rank Mage Upgrade Examination!]

The so-called S-class mage examination is the standard for judging whether a person is qualified to become an S-class mage.

This can be considered a watershed moment for mages; only those above S-rank are worthy of being called strong!

Only after becoming an S-rank mage are you qualified to accept extremely difficult S-rank missions, and the rewards will be significantly increased.

Of course, being an S-rank mage isn't a strict requirement; each guild has its own criteria for evaluating S-rank mages.