With his financial future secure, Shun no longer needed to take on guild missions. He could simply travel the continent, searching for the Tower of Heaven at his own pace. But a sense of obligation, and the hunch that rising through the guild's ranks might trigger another hidden mission, kept him committed. He decided he'd take on at least one job a month.
After five years of sleeping on beds of leaves and stone, however, the allure of a real mattress was too powerful to ignore. He spent his first night in Magnolia in blissful comfort.
The next morning, after using his SSS+-tier cooking skill to prepare a simple but exquisite breakfast, he set off to meet his client.
The meeting took place at an inn a short walk from his apartment. The client, a merchant named Zoltan, was a flamboyant man in his late thirties, dressed in a burgundy coat lined with gold and a wide-brimmed hat adorned with a peacock feather he claimed was for luck. He was accompanied by two men who looked more like nervous servants than bodyguards.
"Hello," Shun announced. "I'm from Fairy Tail, here for the escort mission to Crocus."
Their reaction was immediate. "What?! They sent a brat?!" the two men exclaimed in unison. Zoltan's smile tightened, his displeasure evident.
Seeing the classic 'faceslap' scenario unfolding, Shun decided to skip the arguing. He simply raised a hand and compressed the air into a large, shimmering, paw-shaped shield, which he then gently pushed towards Zoltan. It enveloped the merchant in a translucent bubble.
The man yelped in surprise. "It's a defensive shield," Shun explained calmly. "Feel free to test its durability."
Hesitantly, one of the servants drew his sword. A light tap did nothing. Emboldened, he struck it with all his might. The shield didn't even flicker.
"I can also make it explode on command," Shun added casually. "Would you like a demonstration?"
The three men shook their heads so vigorously it was a wonder their hats stayed on.
---
With the matter of his capability settled, they prepared to depart. While the servants readied the "Iron Rhino" carriage—a guild-approved vehicle for heavy transport—Shun chatted with Zoltan.
"So, why the carriage?" Shun asked. "The train to Crocus only takes half a day."
"Ah, my young mage, our cargo this time is simply too voluminous," Zoltan explained, his tone now ingratiating. "The train's weight limit wouldn't cover a quarter of it."
Internally, Zoltan was recalculating. 'A true merchant's skill lies not just in selling goods, but in investing in people. This boy is a hidden gem. He might be the next Gildarts! Forming a connection now could be worth far more than this entire shipment.' In Zoltan's eyes, Shun was an undiscovered gold mine.
Shun, for his part, considered offering to store the goods in his ring to speed up the journey, but quickly dismissed the idea. Announcing he possessed a rare spatial item was a surefire way to attract the wrong kind of attention.
The journey began, the heavy wagon rumbling along the plain road out of Magnolia. Shun rode inside the cabin with Zoltan, the landscape rolling by monotonously. When night fell, they set up camp by a river, opting for simple dried rations instead of cooking.
It was then that Shun stood up, his senses alert.
Fssht—THUD.
An arrow embedded itself in the ground directly in front of him.
In moments, they were surrounded by nearly thirty bandits. The merchant and his servants panicked, huddling behind Shun like frightened chicks.
Shun's gaze swept over the group. 'Just regular humans. Swords and bows. A few have enchanted items—a flaming dagger, a cloak that muddles presence, a lantern whose purpose isn't clear. I'll appraise those properly after I rob them.'
While the merchant trio trembled, one of the bandits stepped forward, puffing out his chest. "Hahaha! Leave everything valuable, and we might consider letting you ali—"
PASHOOO!
A paw-shaped shockwave shot from Shun's palm, striking the bandit square in the chest. The man's taunt choked off as his eyes rolled back into his head and he crumpled to the ground.
"HUH?!" The other bandits stared, their triumphant laughter dying in their throats.
Before they could process the sudden reversal, Shun was already moving. He became a blur, weaving through the crowd with practiced ease. Each motion of his hands sent invisible shockwaves rippling through the air, each one tossing three or four bandits into the air like ragdolls. 'This is good practice,' he thought, 'a live-fire exercise for an untested body.'
In less than a minute, only the few bandits wielding the magic items remained, their weapons shaking in their hands.
Shun stopped, tilting his head. He recalled a line he'd always found intimidating. "If you were to travel," he asked, his voice casual and unnervingly calm, "where would you like to go?"
The bandits stared, terrified and confused.
"I-I want to go ho—" one of them began to sob.
Before he could finish, Shun touched him with a paw-pad. There was a soft puff of displaced air, and the man vanished.
"W-what just happened?!" another shrieked.
One by one, the remaining bandits disappeared, sent flying to random, distant corners of the countryside.
The clearing fell silent. The entire confrontation had lasted less than two minutes.
Behind Shun, the merchant and his two servants stood utterly frozen, their mouths agape, completely and utterly speechless.