Su Yan still held back and didn't punch Jason. No wonder "The Undead Demon Emperor: Su Yan" had spread so widely that everyone knew about it—apparently, it was all thanks to Magic Weekly.
You can't just give someone a nickname without their consent; it would've been better to negotiate a more appealing title.
"Excuse me, Mr. Su Yan. What do you think of the strength of Jose, one of the Ten Wizard Saints?"
"Average." Su Yan replied coldly.
"COOL!!"
"Mr. Su Yan, are you the strongest wizard in the Fairy Tail guild?"
"Not interested."
"COOL!!"
After finishing his interview with Su Yan, Jason dashed off to interview others. Everything looked chaotic overall.
Soon after, the Fairy Tail–focused special issue of the magazine was released.
"Ahahahahaha!!"
"Look at this! Fairy Tail—there's a swimming pool in their guild. What do you make of that?"
"I really don't get it. How do those guys even grow stronger? Look at how scrawny some of them are!"
"Obviously, they're lucky to have that monster among them."
"You mean Su Yan, the Undead Demon Emperor?"
"That's the one!"
Many readers turned their attention to the interview and the large photo spread featuring Su Yan. They couldn't imagine that someone so young could actually defeat a Ten Wizard Saint.
"Probably he's the only one who's strong. Everyone else in that guild is trash, hahahaha!"
In a remote-town tavern, three individuals sat around, looking at the latest issue of the magazine, which featured the Fairy Tail coverage. Just then, a figure appeared behind them.
Glancing back, the trio recognized who stood there. Terrified, they scrambled away in a panic.
"Th-that's Laxus from Fairy Tail!!"
"What's he doing in some small-town tavern like this?!"
"Offended!!"
Laxus glanced at the magazine on the ground. "There's a limit to how stupid you can be, old man."
Suddenly, a voice beside him said, "Yah!! Ahahaha! As expected of a famous celebrity—just a stare from you scared those guys off. I'm so moved!"
"What's Makarov's grandson doing, anyway? Relying on your grandpa's name to get by—what's that called?"
The speaker was a gorilla-like guy with a big golden grill and a bushy afro.
Laxus shifted his gaze toward him.
"Cough, cough! I'm so scared."
"Zate, cut it out," the tavern owner stammered.
Zate said dismissively, "There's nothing to fear from this trash guild, Dahlis."
Laxus sneered. "Zate, is it? Never heard of you."
"Yes, yes, we're just doing some shady, under-the-table jobs. Nothing like those jokers in the magazine."
In an instant, golden lightning crackled around Laxus, clearly showing his anger. "If you want to die that bad, I'll help you. Let's step outside."
"Aha–! You step outside."
"Boom!!" The tavern wall burst apart, and Laxus was sent flying. Onlookers outside shrieked and scattered.
"Ahahahahaha!! Weak. Fairy Tail!! Maybe we should go goblin-hunting tomorrow!"
Suddenly, a golden glow formed beneath Zate's feet.
"Snap—!!" Bolts of golden lightning surged from the ground, blasting Zate into the air.
"Woaaah!!" Zate screamed, electrocuted.
"It came up from the ground?!"
"Zate—!!"
"That 'Dressy Monkey' Zate got taken down so easily?!"
"Is this real?!"
"Who the heck is that guy?!"
Bystanders gasped at the sight of Zate being effortlessly defeated. Zate was a well-known mage in the area.
But after finishing him off, Laxus didn't look satisfied. His expression turned grim. "This is so lame! Since when did my guild become so looked down on?"
… … …
In front of the Fairy Tail guild's quest board…
Lucy carefully searched for a suitable job. "Hmm, is there any work I could do by myself?"
Nab, who'd loitered near the quest board for years, overheard her. "By yourself? You're not going with Natsu?"
Lucy covered her face with one hand. After the interview a few days ago, she went on another job with Natsu. Sure enough, he caused a huge commotion again, and after paying for all the damages, she barely had anything left. She wanted to save money. She'd joined Fairy Tail but hadn't bought a single decent new dress since. And, of course, there was the rent. Anyone who's rented a place knows the terror of barely managing to scrape together enough to pay it.
Su Yan had helped with last month's rent. Yes, last month's. Although Lucy was embarrassed, she couldn't do otherwise. Now there was less than half a month to the next deadline. She had to earn the rent on her own this time before teaming with Natsu again. After all, she'd been in Fairy Tail for several months—she wasn't a total novice anymore. Time to be a functioning mage on her own.
"Hunting monsters… that's out of my league. Treasure hunting in the deep sea… can't do that alone. Ah! 'Wanted: Children's Magic Instructor'? This might work! Thirty thousand J—about half a month's rent." Feeling elated, Lucy reached for the notice.
"Tear!" Someone snatched the flyer first. It was Gajeel.
"Wait, that's the one I just picked out!"
"I got it first."
"But… can you even do this kind of work?!"
"I do what I want. Or do you wanna fight?"