Chapter 56
The wind blew from beyond the horizon making the air take on a cooler temperature .
Magnolia is still surrounded by countless forests and mountains . If one were to listen a bit closer one would intermittently hear the sound of hawkers going about their usual business promoting their products and people bragging or just fooling around . All in all not much had changed and the city is as rowdy as it ever was .
It is currently autumn and the temperature in Magnolia had plummeted giving the town a cool air around it . Naturally, if there were no winds, even if it’s autumn the moist air can still drive people insane .
Rustle rustle .
Inside an even more humid part of Magnolia’s forests . The sound of leaves dancing could be heard coming from a corner of the forest, the sound got more and more intense as if something is approaching .
Fwoosh
The next instant, a figure appeared from amidst the trees, he cut through the wind with his immense speed as he ran . The figure is a youngster around the age of 17 who is wearing only a brief, no shoes, no shirt .
The youngster had a huge boulder, several times his own size on top of his hands . The weight didn’t seem to matter as he traversed the land with unfathomable agility like that of a panther . While causing minor tremors with each step he took, he slid through the trees and dodged any that obstructed him while maintaining his pace .
“Phew…”
After quite some time, the youth finally stopped and nonchalantly threw the boulder he had to the side like it’s a twig .
Don—!
The boulder smashed everything at the point of impact be it twigs or grass . It also created a massive crater on the ground while drawing up dust .
Finished with all these, the youth lifted his head and stared at the sky . He revealed his face that had little of the innocence he once had in exchange for a more mature one . His eyes that could draw in anyone were also revealed under the sun .
This is the face that went through a 4 year period of growth, how time flies . It was just a blink of the eye and now 4 years is gone .
It’s not just his appearance and height that grew . Now at 17, one couldn’t fathom where is the limit of his strength that grew all this while .
After hearing the news about Laxus rising to S-Class magician, Noah had never returned to Fairy Tail . he would train himself to the limit every day for the past 4 years . He didn’t just train his magic, he also trained his body, his sword skills, his martial arts and his magic power manipulation . He even went as far as to make sure his dexterity, sensitivity, reflex, and sensing abilities kept up with his training at his utmost limit .
Comparing the him before and after 4 years is a gap that can’t be described with just drastic change .
Noah is confident that if he fought with the past version of himself, he wouldn’t need to use his magic and sword skills . Heck, he wouldn’t even need to move once half a step, he just needed to use his bare fists to beat the past version of himself .
This is part of his strength anyway . Regarding his magic…
He glanced at the boulder beside him and placed his hand upon it . He tapped it once and walked into the forest .
Hum…
When his figure disappeared between the trees, the massive boulder shined and following the cracks that appeared, the boulder shattered into neat little cubes .
The cubes exploded outwards and littered the floor with what was once a massive boulder . Dust cloud began rising again .
♦ ♦ ♦
He had been cultivating in seclusion for the past 4 years . Never did he stay fixed in one place . He had stayed at mountains, lakes, rivers, forests, deep valleys, and deep abyss .
He lived in serene environments and he wandered through various places of danger all in the name of training himself on a journey .
Even when he stayed at different places, he never got so far away that he couldn’t see Magnolia with his eyes . This didn’t change even when he went deep into the forest to do battles with magical beasts in order to gather battle experience . Each day, he would make sure to find a spot of high elevation to gaze at Magnolia and Fairy Tail .
And because he never got too far away from Magnolia, Mira, Lisanna, Erza, and the others can always find him .
Sometimes, they would be in a group . In another time, there would only be a person . Today, the whole company, tomorrow, two or 3 people .
Basically, he would see his childhood friends every now and then . As a result, his days are not passed in dry boredom .
The longest time he had gone without seeing anyone is 6 months . On the other hand, the shortest time he had gone about doing the same is 2 or 3 months at a time . Other than fooling around with his friends from time to time, each time not exceeding a day, the rest of the time would be spent on training and that is basically how he completed his 4 years cultivation journey .
Wearing a simple white shirt and black long pants, he donned his white coat that reached down to his knees . He turned around and looked in the direction of Magnolia, the familiar image of the guild building appearing in his mind . He muttered .
“It’s about time to go back right?”
He said that while clenching and relaxing his fist . White radiant fog wafted about his hands . Only those familiar with [Crush] would recognize it . This fog-like light is something that can wreck anything it touches .
He toyed around with something so dangerous, making it go dim one moment and brighten up the next . After playing with it a bit more, he clenched his fist .
He had stopped losing control of [Crush] since a year ago and just to be sure, he trained [Crush] for another year!
Now he can say with 100 percent confidence that:
“Even Gildarts won’t be able to compete with me in terms of control over [Crush]!”
He can’t suppress how much he missed his old town, a rare elated smile appeared on his face . He picked up the cloth bag containing his arming sword and walked towards Magnolia .
♦ ♦ ♦
Magnolia, Fairy Tail…
He stared at the familiar building in front of him in a daze .
4 years, it’s been 4 years that I haven’t returned .
Even after 4 years, Fairy Tail didn’t seem to have undergone much change . Well, except for the door that looked like it had been replaced many times . Thinking about it, surely it’s not due to wear and tear but because of the boisterous guys in it right?
Deeply inhaling, he pushed open the door .
The sun had just broken through the horizon for a short while, that is why there is nobody at the first-floor bar .
He looked at the nostalgic scene and he toured around the bar for a bit before heading up to the third floor . He reached out and opened the door to his own room . The room stayed the same way it had always been in his mind . There is not even any dust or change as though he never even left . He stood at the door and looked at his room for a while before a voice slowly rang in the simple room .
“I’m back…”
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