"Aaah—!"
"What kind of monsters are on this island!"
Cana and Lucy were running away, tears in their eyes. Behind them, a monster that looked neither like a crocodile nor a lizard was chasing them with everything it had.
As the two girls and the beast passed by a giant rock, Gajeel and Levy, who had happened to run into each other, watched with terrified expressions.
There were many strange magical creatures on Tenrou Island—huge flocks of birds, upright monsters that looked like whales, crazed giant boars... While none were a threat individually, their numbers were overwhelming. They would suddenly emerge from the woods, catching people off guard.
Even Gajeel didn't dare to be stubborn. After taking down a few monsters, he had gotten separated from Salamander while fleeing and unexpectedly bumped into Levy, who had also been separated from her partner.
As for the simp duo, good luck to them.
However, hiding well isn't as good as arriving at the right time. Just as Gajeel and Levy breathed a sigh of relief, a monster resembling a dinosaur emerged from the woods in front of them.
Six eyes met.
And then... "Don't get in my way!!"
A flaming fist knocked the monster down in one blow. Natsu and Happy didn't even spare Gajeel and Levy a glance, running forward without stopping.
Behind him, a large, motley crew of monsters chased after them in a frenzy.
"That guy... how on earth did he provoke so many..."
Gajeel admired Natsu's ability to pull aggro. Unfortunately, these monsters were tough and thick-skinned; even with Natsu, himself, and Levy combined, they couldn't clear the field.
After watching Natsu disappear into the distance, Levy summoned her courage and approached the monster that had just been knocked down. "Um... excuse me, do you know where the grave on this island is?"
"Don't waste your breath, it's not human."
Just as Gajeel's mocking Voice faded, the dinosaur monster opened its mouth as if thinking.
"I don't know..."
"It actually spoke!!"
Gajeel was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected the monster in front of him to not only understand human speech but also speak the human language.
Levy comforted the dinosaur and said to Gajeel with an unfazed expression, "We've already seen talking cats; what's there to be so surprised about a talking dinosaur?"
Although they didn't get information on the location of Mavis's grave, the dinosaur told them something else.
These large magical creatures usually lived in the northeast of Tenrou Island, but recently they instinctively felt a deadly presence had arrived at their habitat, so they were all fleeing.
Levy and Gajeel looked at each other. Seeing the light of curiosity in her eyes, Gajeel scratched his face helplessly. "What are you looking at me for? This great one wouldn't miss out on such an exciting adventure."
What a tsundere statement, Levy thought with a slight smile.
Since it was still early and they weren't in a hurry to find Mavis's grave, they headed toward the northeast of Tenrou Island.
They didn't encounter any more monsters along the way. As they went deeper, they found a man sleeping under a large tree.
The man had short black hair and delicate features. He wore a black robe with a layer of white cloth wrapped over it. Even while asleep, he exuded a melancholy aura.
Gajeel didn't feel any magic fluctuations from the man and thought he had wandered onto Tenrou Island by mistake. He walked up and shook him awake. "Hey! Wake up! No sleeping allowed here!"
The man slowly opened his eyes. The moment he saw the person in front of him and the petite girl nearby, his eyes filled with panic and confusion, and he shoved Gajeel away.
"No! Don't come near me!"
"You guy..."
Gajeel's short temper flared, but Levy held him back, looking at the panicked stranger with a wary expression. "This is our guild's sacred land. How did you get in?"
Because he had only recently joined the guild, Gajeel didn't know that Tenrou Island had been placed under a special seal by the First Guild Master and the Second Guild Master, which only Fairy Tail members could enter.
Yet this guy, who looked like he had no magic fluctuations, had somehow entered. Anyone who could bypass the seal was definitely not an ordinary person.
"Guild?"
The man seemed to understand something and said realization, "I see. So this beautiful island is under your guild's jurisdiction. My apologies, I will leave immediately."
But Gajeel, having been alerted by Levy, wouldn't let him leave so easily. "Hey! You haven't answered our question! Explain yourself to this great one—how did you get here?!"
Seeing Gajeel approach again, the man raised his hand in panic to stop him, repeating his previous words, "I'm sorry, I'll leave immediately, so please don't come any closer..."
Watching his strange behavior, Gajeel and Levy were very confused. However, one thing was certain: this person truly didn't know he had wandered onto Tenrou Island, and he didn't harbor the slightest ill will toward them.
Levy finally lowered her guard. "We are participating in an exam on Tenrou Island, so we can't escort you out. You can go to our camp to the east..."
Before the girl could finish, the man clutched his head with a pained expression. "Tenrou Island... this is actually Tenrou Island! Her home..."
"No... this is bad..."
Gajeel was a bit dazed. "Is something wrong with this guy's head? Should we send a signal to call the Master?"
Levy nodded in agreement, preparing to launch the emergency contact magic script into the Sky.
Suddenly, as if startled, the man began to shout, "Quick... you guys run! The Death Hunt... is coming..."
In the next second, a burst of pure, absolute dark magic erupted from within the man, and the spreading magic instantly transformed into death energy.
Flowers withered, trees dried up, and the ground cracked... in an instant, the area was devastated. Every living thing that touched that eerie energy was mercilessly consumed, and even the air was filled with the decaying stench of death.
It all happened too fast—so fast that Gajeel only had time to shield Levy behind him, attempting to use his body to withstand this terrifying 'Death Hunt'.
Being held tightly, Levy's eyes turned red, but she could do nothing.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, a figure descended from the Sky, pushing the two of them down just in time to dodge the reaping death energy.
"Natsu! Are you guys okay?!"
From the Sky, Happy's worried Voice drifted down.
Natsu, who had saved Gajeel and Levy, didn't respond. Flames of anger ignited on his body as he glared at the stranger who had almost harmed his comrades.
Facing Natsu's angry gaze, the man actually shed a tear, his slightly trembling Voice carrying a hint of joy.
"Natsu..."
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