After a morning breakfast full of joy, Gwen was in a good mood and said that she was going to visit her friend, while in reality, that wasn't the case.
She first bought new sportswear and sneakers with the little bit of cash she had. Then, she went to a neighborhood where there were no cameras, entered an alley, and opened a portal leading to the Room Dimension.
There, she changed into the new sportswear and sneakers she had bought before opening the portal again, but this time to the Fairy Tail World.
...
The guild was rather deserted compared to the two times Gwen had come. This could also be attributed to the fact that it was night the last time, while now it was morning, and most members had just taken missions, with others at home.
After leaving the portal, she looked around and found the two people she was familiar with sitting together again. They waved to her, and she walked toward them.
She said, "Hi Luna, Naca, you seem so energetic as if we didn't have any party yesterday."
Luna, the woman with long hair, smiled at Gwen and replied, "Oh, after years like this, you get used to it. Though it seems you don't look tired at all."
Gwen replied, "After all, this is my specialty; just a little sleep and I'm all set."
The two girls nodded, then Naca, who had been silent, asked, "So, are you ready for your first mission?"
Gwen smiled mischievously and said, "Oh, don't worry, everyone has a first time. Just hope you'll go easy on me."
Luna and Naca chuckled. Yesterday, the three of them formed a team—well, it was Gwen joining the two of them. They had already decided on their mission and were waiting for Gwen.
As for why Gwen joined them: first of all, she practically didn't know any places in this world. She might not even have left Magnolia if she took a mission solo. She also didn't have the money to pay for transport, and she didn't know how it worked in this world. So, she obviously needed a guide and thus joined them.
After the little greeting, the two girls stood up, and with Gwen, they left the guild without any trouble.
The sun was bright when they left the guild building. Gwen saw for the first time how Magnolia looked during the day. It must be a lively city.
Sure, it couldn't be compared to New York, as the population was only about 60,000, but since they were all more or less grouped in one place, and the buildings weren't modern but more retro, it was truly a beautiful sight.
The two women could see the curiosity on Gwen's face, which was rather surprising. Luna said, "Why do you look as if it's your first time in Magnolia?"
As a matter of fact, Gwen replied, "It really is my first time officially wandering around Magnolia."
This time, it was the turn of the two women to be surprised. Then they recalled that every time Gwen came, it was through a portal, but they thought she might have visited Magnolia before.
Gwen smiled seeing their surprised expressions and explained, "I've only been here twice before, and both times, I didn't wander. It was when I joined the guild and yesterday."
Naca chuckled, her short hair bouncing slightly as she shook her head. "Well, you're in luck, since the mission isn't far. We'll have time to show you the city later."
Gwen nodded, though they weren't really lucky, as she purposely insisted on picking the mission because of this.
Luna pulled out a neatly folded flyer from her bag and explained the mission: "We're heading to a nearby village that's been dealing with some troublesome wolves. The pack's been unusually aggressive, attacking livestock and even scaring villagers. Our job is to either drive them off or take them down."
Gwen nodded. This was what they had agreed upon yesterday. She couldn't help but marvel at the same time; she never believed that someone as ordinary as she was in her past life would find dealing with a pack of wolves easy.
And here she was, choosing this mission because they thought it would be easy and good to stretch themselves instead of doing nothing.
As the calmness settled among the three—at least on the surface—Naca said, "Don't underestimate this. It could be magical beasts or something else driving them out of their territory. That's why they hired mages; they're hoping for a quick resolution."
Gwen folded the flyer and handed it back. "Alright, let's do it. Just don't blame me if I accidentally outshine you two."
Of course, Gwen wasn't underestimating anyone. Unless they encountered a big boss, she was sure she could escape. At worst, she would return to the Room Dimension. Plus, her instincts were telling her it would be alright.
Naca could only sigh while Luna just chuckled. She didn't find it strange for Gwen to be confident, considering the strength she had shown yesterday.
The trio quickly left the streets of Magnolia, heading straight to their objective—a nearby village. Although there were some means of transport in this world, people were still used to walking unless it was too far or urgent. Not everyone was like Erza, who could casually use a vehicle powered by magic.
They arrived at the village by midday. It was a quaint, quiet place with cobblestone streets and simple houses, surrounded by farmland.
The villagers greeted them with hope but complicated sentiments they couldn't hide, and Gwen understood why. It was because of the reputation of Fairy Tail. The villagers saw hope because they were sure that the strongest guild in Fiore would definitely complete the mission.
But they felt complicated because they knew it wouldn't be easy. Who knows what kind of damage might occur when completing the mission? This was a little embarrassing.
An elderly man, likely the village head, approached them. His face was weathered with age, and his voice trembled slightly as he said, "Thank you for coming. The wolves… they've become more and more fierce with each day."
"Last night, they almost broke into the livestock pens. Please, you must help us."
Gwen nodded reassuringly. "We'll take care of it. Can you tell us where they've been spotted most frequently?"
The village chief was indeed reassured. He didn't underestimate them just because they were three women.
He pointed toward the forest on the village's outskirts. "They come from the east, near the old quarry. No one dares to go near it anymore."
"Alright," Luna said. "We'll investigate the area. In the meantime, make sure the villagers stay indoors tonight. Just to be safe."
The old man nodded. Even if she didn't say it, no one in the village would dare to go; they weren't a village of hunters, after all.
After that, the three didn't waste time, as Gwen needed to return home before noon for meetings with MJ and the person Dana recommended.
When they approached the forest, Gwen noticed that the trees were much taller than she had expected. Well, as a person who had lived in a city in her past life, she didn't see many forests personally.
Her experience with them mostly came from Mikasa's memory. Gwen couldn't help but think what would happen if she took the seeds of plants, mostly magical plants that existed here, and planted them in her world. Would they die, or would they start transforming the Earth of her world and maybe produce magic?
It was an experience worth trying, but for now, she refocused on their current mission. Among the three of them, none was specialized in detection.
Luna, despite her name, was a light magician, while Naca was a wind magician. Unfortunately, they had developed their powers for attack purposes and not detection. It could be said that Gwen was better at this, considering her Spider-Sense.
Even if the village said the wolves' pack was near the old quarry, it was midday, and the wolves were likely deep in the forest. Still, they walked toward the area to investigate, as the old man had explained the location.
Soon, the old quarry came into view—a large, sunken pit overgrown with weeds and bordered by jagged rocks. Deep scratches marked the ground and nearby tree trunks, showing that they had likely come to the right location.
Luna said, "We came to the right place. These marks are fresh. They've been here recently."
Gwen and Naca nodded, but although the marks were fresh, Gwen didn't feel any presence nearby.
Naca knelt down, running her fingers over the scratches on the ground. "These wolves aren't ordinary. The claw marks are too deep. Either they're larger than usual, or they've been enhanced by some kind of magic."
This explained things for Gwen. She knew that people in this world were too hot-headed. She doubted that if it was a normal wolf pack, some brave or hot-headed men would have already jumped in to handle them instead of waiting to be saved.
She said, "That explains why the villagers couldn't handle them. Let's stay on guard. If they're not here now, they'll likely return tonight. Or worse, they're hunting somewhere else."
This didn't sit well with Gwen. She wanted to resolve the problem before noon. She didn't want to waste time and wait until night or later.
She smirked, thinking of something, and said, "I have a simple idea. Wolves are territorial, right? If we make enough noise or act like we're invading their space, they'll come to us."
Naca's eyes lit up. She hadn't thought of such a simple idea, but it was also because she wasn't pressed like Gwen. She was thinking that the wolves would likely show up at night, either near the village or near the quarry for water.
She said, "It's not a bad idea. But we should be careful. If these wolves are magical, we don't know how aggressive they could be."
Gwen nodded. "That's why we stick together. I'll take the lead and draw their attention. You two cover me and be ready to attack if they show up."
Luna, who had been just listening to the two strategizing without intervening, was fired up when she heard about the action.
They put the plan into action, with Luna and Naca hiding themselves, Luna using her light magic to hide their presence.
Gwen stood near the center, without any cliché or dramatic flair, clapping her hands and stomping on the ground to create noise. Her voice echoed through the pit as she called out, "Hey, wolves! We're here to challenge your territory!"
END OF THE CHAPTER
Since it's New Year's Day and I was up all night, I could only write one chapter. I don't think it's of the highest quality, but I'll see you tomorrow.