Chapter 3
As a proud transmigrator, Marshall naturally had a cheat of his own.
Unfortunately, it was about as plain and uncomplicated as cheats came.
The first part was a basic status screen.
[Energy: 21/21]
[Stamina: 16/16]
[Magic Power: 351/352]
Then there was a simple skill panel.
[Telepathy Magic LV4: 230/10,000,000]
[Meditation LV0: 233/1,000]
[Crash Magic LV0: 23/1,000]
Finally, there was one additional value whose purpose remained a complete mystery.
[Inspiration: 648]
And that was it.
That unremarkable little panel could quantify Marshall’s physical attributes and display the progress of his skills.
Energy was probably the equivalent of health, Stamina was exactly what it sounded like, and Magic Power was his mana.
Those three were easy enough to understand, and their maximum values could grow over time. In fact, each one had already risen by several points over the past few days.
The skill panel was a little more complicated, but Marshall had mostly figured out how it worked.
At first, he had assumed the numbers represented proficiency.
Later, he discovered they were actually experience bars.
Whenever he used a skill "correctly," its experience would increase.
What counted as correct usage?
A moment ago, Marshall had been blankly letting the thoughts around him wash over his mind, but Telepathy Magic had gained no experience from that.
The number only rose after he deliberately focused on listening to Cana’s thoughts.
In other words, skill experience increased whenever he consciously, correctly, and successfully used the corresponding ability.
His Telepathy Magic had been Level Four from the moment it awakened, which suggested that he might possess just a tiny, almost insignificant amount of natural talent for it.
Of course, that was probably also why he had so much trouble controlling his mind-reading.
A high skill level only meant the magic itself was powerful. It had nothing to do with how experienced he was at using it.
He had only possessed Telepathy for a few days, so it was hardly surprising that he had not mastered it yet.
The other two skills had come from Gildarts.
Meditation was a technique used to train and develop magical power.
Learning it was also how Marshall had first discovered how his skill panel worked.
Crash Magic was Gildarts’s signature form of magic, and its destructive power was terrifying.
Marshall wanted to learn it, and Gildarts had been reckless enough to teach him.
Unfortunately, Marshall had failed miserably.
The twenty-three points of experience were little more than the result of blindly stumbling into the correct method once or twice.
As for Inspiration, he still had no idea what it did.
His cheat had not exactly come with an instruction manual, but it was still better than having nothing.
There was also something deeply satisfying about watching a progress bar increase, especially when that progress directly affected his own future.
That was why Marshall had no intention of being stingy with his abilities. Were it not for the headaches, he would have practiced every second he could.
Just like he was doing now.
’Wow, old man. So this is the kind of shameless flirt you really are? Airo already has a boyfriend. Show some restraint.’
Gildarts had long since grown accustomed to Marshall’s voice suddenly appearing inside his head.
Telepathy could technically be blocked by interrupting the flow of magical power, but Gildarts had chosen not to do that.
For one thing, Marshall’s magic activated almost entirely on instinct. The fluctuation in his magical power was so faint that it was difficult to notice unless someone was specifically looking for it.
More importantly, Gildarts no longer treated Marshall like an ordinary child.
After spending several days together, he had realized that the boy was far more mature than someone his age had any right to be.
That was why his reply was anything but gentle.
[Go away! Adult relationships are far more complicated than a brat like you understands! And get out of Airo’s arms already! Little kids are supposed to go play with the other little kids!]
On the surface, Gildarts was still joking and flirting with Airo, but the envious glances he kept shooting in Marshall’s direction made his true feelings perfectly clear.
[You little bastard. Get out of her arms.]
’...’
Marshall shifted around in Airo’s embrace, deliberately snuggled deeper into the softness surrounding him, and flashed Gildarts the smug, shameless grin of a certain little pink dragon-riding brat.
Gildarts stared at him.
[You rotten little monster! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!]
’Too loud~ Say, Gildarts, shouldn’t someone your age already be married?’
[Hmph. What would a brat like you know? Marriage is a man’s grave! This old man has no intention of tying himself to a single woman!]
’You really are the worst.’
Marshall had originally considered warning Gildarts about Cana, but he had now changed his mind.
Gildarts did not seem to know that the little girl standing nearby was his daughter.
There was clearly more to the story, so Marshall decided to watch and gather information before getting involved.
The man might have saved his life, but that did not excuse him from being a complete scumbag.
Marshall condemned him wholeheartedly.
He gave Gildarts a look filled with open disgust.
Gildarts ground his teeth, torn between anger and jealousy, but there was nothing he could do.
In the end, he decided it was better not to look at the infuriating child and turned away to challenge someone else to a drinking contest.
"Marshall, you’ll be staying in the guild dormitory for now," Airo explained, still holding him comfortably in her arms.
"Once I finish work, I’ll take you out to buy clothes and anything else you need. It won’t technically be free, though. Think of it as a guild benefit. You can pay the money back after you start completing jobs."
She continued explaining the guild’s rules and the support available to new members.
Marshall could tell that Fairy Tail treated newcomers extremely well.
Gildarts had not been lying when he said the guild would be a good place for him.
He knew very little about the wider magical world.
The village where he had grown up had been isolated, and he had never had any real contact with Mages before.
Now he was alone in the world. He might have awakened something resembling a superpower, but it gave him little actual combat ability.
Staying here while he slowly grew stronger seemed like the smartest option.
Besides, he was genuinely interested in this world’s magic.
"Airo, why don’t Gray and I take him shopping?" Cana offered, rising onto her toes and leaning across the bar. Halfway through her suggestion, she elbowed Gray in the side.
"We’re not doing anything right now anyway. Right, Gray?"
Gray gave her an incredulous look.
"Oi! Don’t volunteer me! I’m not going shopping with some little brat. I’m going to train!"
"You idiot, Gray! You’re not going anywhere!"
[I need to find out what his relationship with Dad is. That hair color is bothering me way too much!]
Marshall glanced at Cana as she grabbed hold of Gray.
’Does she seriously think I’m Gildarts’s secret son?’
Their hair was not even the same color!
Gildarts’s hair was orange-red, while Marshall’s was pale pink.
They were nowhere close!
Then Marshall looked at Cana’s black hair. His large eyes rolled thoughtfully before an idea came to him.
He tilted his head up toward Airo.
"Airo-oneechan, I want to go play with them."
Gray stared at him.
"???"
"Hmm..." Airo considered it for a moment before reluctantly nodding.
Cana’s suggestion did make sense.
"All right, then. I’ll leave Marshall with you and Gray for now."
She put him down with obvious reluctance.
He was so warm, soft, and adorable that she felt she could have happily carried him around all day!
Airo handed Cana a pouch of money.
"Here’s ten thousand Jewels for his daily necessities. Make sure you stay safe."
"Got it! I’m strong, so there’s nothing to worry about. Come on, let’s go!"
Cana stuffed the money into her pocket, took Marshall by one hand, grabbed Gray with the other, and dashed toward the guild entrance.
"Oi! OI! Cana, let go of me! I don’t want to go—AAAAAGH!"