Chapter 18: A Meeting of Equals – When Two Titans Collide
"Again! I'm not giving up that easily!"
Moen gritted his teeth.
No matter how hard it was—he was going to learn this.
Ever since he received the [Saint Seiya System] , he'd been trying to awaken his "Cosmo"—that mysterious inner energy source.
But truth be told?
He was completely lost.
No teachers, no guidance, no real training method.
Trying to grasp the Cosmo on his own was like fumbling in the dark.
There were times he even doubted whether he had Cosmo at all.
After all… this body of his obviously belonged to a native of this world.
But the [Saint Seiya System] had reassured him.
It was very clear:
He did possess a Cosmo.
Over the years, Moen had trained relentlessly.
But while his Cosmo remained elusive, his magical talents had only grown stronger and clearer.
Sometimes he even wondered—
"Could it be that my magic aptitude is so strong that it's overshadowing my Cosmo potential?"
He often gazed inward at his magic source, that galactic, starry realm nestled inside his core.
It looked almost like a miniature universe.
Could it be… that magic and Cosmo had fused into something new within him?
Maybe.
But that was just a theory.
He'd only find the truth when he truly awakened his Cosmo.
Watching Moen's determined expression, Gildarts couldn't help but feel moved.
Talented and hardworking.
Moen was the gold standard.
His presence had inspired the other kids in the guild to train harder too.
He was the type who made everyone around him better.
Gildarts had no idea that Moen couldn't use any other magic.
To him, it just seemed like Moen hadn't learned them yet.
Which was totally normal—after all, he'd never successfully taught anyone before.
Once people realized just how insanely difficult Crush was, they usually gave up pretty quickly.
Gildarts wasn't the type to force anyone to keep going.
So up until now?
His teaching success rate: a whopping 0%.
But now, facing this stubborn iron-headed kid, Gildarts was actually getting fired up.
If Moen refused to give up, then he refused to fail.
"I don't care what it takes—I'm gonna teach this kid if it kills me!"
A student who couldn't learn.
A teacher who couldn't teach.
And yet—one was determined to learn, and the other dead-set on teaching.
What a pair.
This intense training showdown didn't last long, though.
Soon, the rest of the Fairy Tail guild came pouring in—clearly here to see Gildarts.
"Uncle Gildarts!"
A loud, excited voice rang out.
Gray ran up, visibly thrilled to see the man.
He had a special bond with Gildarts—after all, Gildarts was the one who brought him into the guild.
Their relationship had always been strong.
"Little Gray—you've gotten taller again."
Gildarts chuckled warmly, ruffling Gray's hair.
He felt genuine happiness seeing the boy grow.
Even if Gray had never become strong, Gildarts would've brought him back that day.
But the fact that he'd grown into a capable young man?
All the better.
The other kids weren't shy either.
Erza, Levy, Cana, Jet, Droy, and even Laxus all gathered around, faces glowing with admiration.
Gildarts was the "Legendary Uncle" of Fairy Tail.
The middle-aged version of Moen, if you will—beloved by just about everyone.
And that love didn't stop at the kids.
Even the adults in the guild looked up to him with deep respect.
There was only one exception to the wave of admiration sweeping the room.
That exception…
was Natsu.
He'd only just joined the Fairy Tail guild recently.
This was his first time meeting the legendary strongest wizard in the guild—Gildarts.
Of course, Natsu had heard the name before.
In fact, he'd burned it into his memory.
Natsu was incredibly competitive.
He loved strong people—not to worship them, but to challenge them.
He thrived on chasing down the strongest, and one day…
surpassing them.
So how could he possibly ignore the man known as the most powerful in Fairy Tail?
Absolutely not.
"Hey, Gildarts! This is Natsu. He just joined the guild,"
Moen said, pulling Natsu into the growing circle around Gildarts.
"He uses Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. Really talented kid."
Then he looked over at Natsu, smirking slightly.
"That's Gildarts. You know the name, don't you?"
Even though they hadn't known each other long, Moen had already figured Natsu out.
The guy was practically a one-track mind—simple, direct, and ridiculously easy to read.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Natsu! Gildarts, I challenge you!"
Before Gildarts could even get a word out, Natsu had already launched into it.
A zero-frame startup, no hesitation.
Straight-up 1v1 duel request.
"…"
The room went completely silent.
Everyone stared at Natsu like he'd just grown a second head.
Challenging Moen or Erza? That took guts.
Challenging Gildarts?
That took… something else entirely.
Was it courage?
Or just pure ignorance?
"Sure!"
Gildarts didn't even blink.
He grinned and accepted without hesitation.
He'd never been the type to stand on ceremony.
"This kid really reminds me of you, y'know, back in the day,"
Gildarts chuckled, glancing at Moen with a teasing grin.
Moen's smile twitched awkwardly.
He had just done the same thing not too long ago.
And now here came Natsu, doing a full-on classic replay.
Still, Moen wasn't surprised in the slightest.
He respected that kind of fire in Natsu.
That reckless drive—fearless and untamed.
That hunger to grow stronger.
That endless urge to challenge those above him.
It was the spirit of a true warrior.
"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
WHAM!
Natsu flew across the room and hit the ground hard, twitching slightly as stars spun over his head.
"…"
The room went silent again.
Gildarts casually dusted off his hands.
"And that's that."
He looked down at Natsu and nodded approvingly.
"Not bad. He's got potential."
Just from that one punch, Gildarts could already gauge Natsu's level.
Nowhere near Moen's yet—but definitely promising.
About on par with Gray.
"Natsu, hey—you okay?"
Moen jogged over, crouched beside Natsu, and waved a hand in front of his face with a serious look.
Then suddenly—
"Oh no! Someone get Porlyusica! Quick!"
His face turned pale as he stood up and shouted.
Everyone froze, startled.
"…Just kidding."
Moen's face broke into a grin.
"He'll be fine. Just give him a minute to recover."
The room blinked in unison.
Then—reality clicked in.
"You little brat!"
Gildarts laughed, shaking his head.
"You seriously had me going for a second!"
The other kids joined in, laughing and groaning as they pelted Moen with playful complaints.
The tension melted away into cheerful teasing and noisy banter.