Fine cracks continuously spread across the invisible shell.
The energy, like a tender sprout, finally broke through the solid-like resistance, and in an instant, this energy grew into a towering tree, seeping out of the flesh like a trickling stream, guided by will.
"To guide the hidden energy within the body to its surface with will, thereby enhancing the body's defensive capabilities—what a genius idea!"
"It can even resist a portion of Magic. Is this Armament Haki? Not bad."
A dark black appeared and rapidly spread, covering Makarov's aged hand. Makarov looked at his right palm, now covered in black, and nodded in satisfaction.
An old senior was indeed an old senior. Under Noah's guidance, Makarov successfully learned Armament Haki after only one attempt.
In Makarov's words, Haki, like Magic, required the guidance of will to be unleashed.
However, Armament Haki was hidden deeper within the human body; without a strong physique, one couldn't even perceive the existence of this hidden power.
Makarov, applying what he'd learned, pondered, "If there are undeveloped deep-seated powers within the physical body, then does a similar energy exist within the spirit?"
When did this old man start acting like a Haki veteran? Noah mused internally, but in truth, he had the same thought.
If Armament Haki, which provided offensive and defensive bonuses, was hidden deep within the body, then was there also a "perception-enhancing" ability hidden deep within the spirit?
However, neither Noah nor Makarov had the time to explore the undeveloped potential powers deep within the spirit.
Just the current Armament Haki required extensive training to improve; there was no time to think about other things, as biting off more than one could chew was not wise.
After confirming that learning Armament Haki would not be dangerous, Makarov agreed to let Noah guide comrades who met the physical requirements to acquire this power.
But those members with slightly weaker physiques would have to wait. They would learn Armament Haki after they'd built a strong foundation and developed a powerful body.
Returning to the guild hall, Noah shared the news with his comrades.
For a guild where brawling was commonplace, when everyone heard that Armament Haki was an ability that could enhance physical defense, few didn't want to learn it.
Erza was particularly interested in this. Powerful Armament Haki could be imbued into weapons, which was incredibly appealing to her as a Requip Mage.
The number of people who signed up to learn Haki was even greater than those who'd previously sought Noah's guidance in physical combat.
After all, it wasn't a big deal if one wasn't skilled in physical combat; in this world, Magic was the most crucial factor in battle.
But Armament Haki could enhance defense. Just for the sake of not getting beaten too badly during guild brawls, this reason alone was enough to ignite everyone's desire to learn Haki.
However, due to not meeting the physical requirements, many people were rejected by Noah, but in the end, the first batch of Haki learners still numbered around twenty.
For the next month, Noah guided his comrades and also took time to train his own Haki. Although he was shameless, he would still be somewhat embarrassed if he were surpassed by newcomers in Haki.
Half a month later, the first batch of comrades had all mastered Haki.
Natsu and Elfman even had an intense Armament Haki brawl on the spot, and finally, under Erza's iron-fisted intervention, both fell into a childlike sleep, which completely silenced Gray, who'd just gained the confidence to challenge Erza.
After that, Haki training was no longer Noah's concern. Until enough people in the next batch met the physical requirements, he could relax like a lazy bum, petting cats and playing with hamsters in his dorm.
Unfortunately, things often didn't go as planned.
Situations always interrupted Noah's leisurely time of slacking off.
With Snow the hamster on his head and Cheese the snow cat in his arms, Noah yawned and finally got up from the sofa, opening his dorm door, which had been knocked on for a long time.
"Yo-ho~ Isn't this Laxus? You actually came to find me."
"Did Natsu start reading a book?"
Listening to the lazy white-haired youth's sarcastic teasing, Laxus's face darkened, and he really wanted to punch the kid, but he suppressed the urge. He wasn't here to cause trouble today.
Something interesting must have made the unruly Laxus come knocking, so Noah invited him into the dorm.
After serving his guest a glass of plain water, Noah sat down with a cup of hot milk himself. "Spill it. What's so important that the great 'Thunder Demon' would condescend to visit my humble abode?"
Laxus ignored Noah's barbed remarks, simply crossing his arms over his chest with a swaggering posture, his tone almost a command. "Teach me Armament Haki."
"Huh?"
Noah was surprised and then remembered that this guy, thinking Haki wouldn't amount to much, hadn't participated in the first training session for Haki.
Coming to him now, he must have realized the extraordinary nature of Haki and was finally feeling the pressure.
And the facts were indeed as Noah had thought.
Erza had been diligently training Armament Haki during this time, already subtly touching the threshold of Armament Haki imbuement. Once she could imbue Haki into her armor and weapons, the Fairy Queen's combat power would receive a tremendous boost.
Erza possessed a set of armor called Lightning Empress Armor, which could resist lightning to some extent. With the additional blessing of Armament Haki, its resistance to lightning would only increase by another degree.
And coincidentally, Laxus was a Lightning Mage who wielded both Dragon Slayer Magic and Lightning Magic.
Undoubtedly, Erza's recent intense training had made Laxus feel pressured.
In terms of Magic Power, Laxus was stronger than Erza, but not to the point of overwhelming her. Now, Erza also had Armament Haki, which enhanced her defense. While it was still unlikely for her to defeat Laxus, it was enough to give Laxus a sense of crisis.
Only Haki can counter Haki.
Adhering to this belief, the proud Laxus chose to privately seek Noah to learn Armament Haki.
To this, Noah could only scoff.
Having finally caught an opportunity to mess with Laxus, he was determined to have some fun.
Leaning back against the sofa, Noah, with a mischievous grin, put down Cheese, who was clutching a Lacrima. "Laxus, is this how you ask for a favor?"
Is he trying to make him beg? Laxus gritted his teeth. "Don't go too far, Noah! Even without Haki, I'm still the strongest!"
Facing the stubborn, rebellious youth, Noah mercilessly attacked what he cared about.
"Laxus, you wouldn't want Erza to catch up to you, or even defeat you, one day, would you?"
That one sentence directly silenced Laxus, who was determined to become the guild's strongest Mage.
To maintain his cool persona and stubbornly cling to his pride, or to swallow his pride and seek knowledge from the annoying Noah—this was a dilemma for Laxus.
Ultimately, to maintain his status as a candidate for the guild's strongest Mage, Laxus spoke.
"Noah, teach me Haki."
"Eh? What did you call me? I have a position in the guild, you know."
Watching Noah's smug expression, Laxus had already cursed him dozens of times in his mind. Just you wait until I learn Haki; you'll see!
But for now, Laxus chose to swallow his anger.
"Noah-sensei..."
"I... I want to learn Haki."
A click sounded, and the Lacrima held by Cheese glowed, recording Laxus's humiliating plea.
That was a recording Lacrima!!!
Realizing this, Laxus felt a great sense of dread and immediately moved to snatch the Lacrima that recorded his embarrassing moment.
Unfortunately, Noah was a step faster, picking up the bewildered little snow cat and looking triumphantly at the furious rebellious youth in front of him.
"Laxus, if you ever dare to defy the Guild Master again, or make him angry, I'll make a hundred copies of this embarrassing scene of yours and share them with the entire guild to watch!"
"NO!!"
"'No' won't help! Hehe!"