Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 29: Rhodes Vs Natsu

"Let's go, Rhodes! Time to fight!"

Natsu didn't bother with pleasantries—he went straight to the point, as always.

Rhodes sighed. "Can't we at least wait until the rain stops?"

Natsu tilted his head. "Hasn't it already stopped?"

"Huh?"

Rhodes glanced toward the entrance. The sun peeked through the gaps between the dark clouds, like golden threads weaving through the sky.

Within moments, the dark clouds scattered, and a brilliant blue sky emerged.

Rhodes was dumbfounded. "What the... Are you Honoka Kosaka?"

"Who's that? Is she strong?"

"In a way." Rhodes decided not to explain. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright, let's do this."

Natsu eagerly leaped into the backyard, stomping his foot down twice, his excitement palpable.

Rhodes, however, hesitated. The backyard was still soaked from the rain, and Natsu's feet splashed mud everywhere.

He quickly spun around and called out, "Laki?"

Laki gave him a thumbs-up. "Leave it to me!"

With a flick of her fingers, she cast her magic. "Wood-Make: Pure Love Spotless!"

A ten-meter-wide wooden platform sprouted from the ground, forming a solid arena in the middle of the backyard.

The moment the spell finished, murmurs of discontent rose from the crowd.

"Laki, could you please stop naming your spells like that?" someone complained.

"Hmph, I think it's perfect," Laki replied smugly, crossing her arms.

Natsu hopped onto the wooden platform and stomped his foot twice, testing its sturdiness. He grinned. "Oh, nice! Alright, new rule—falling off the platform means you lose!"

Rhodes crossed his arms. "Or... we could just say whoever hits the ground first loses."

He would rather fake a fall than roll around in the mud.

Natsu didn't seem to care either way. The crowd gathered, buzzing with excitement. Somewhere in the mix, Makarov had already set up the betting pool—Rhodes had no idea when he even got there.

"Alright then, let's get this started!" Makarov declared. "Natsu vs. Rhodes... FIGHT!"

Rhodes gripped the pendant around his neck, taking a deep breath.

"I am the one who connects the two worlds."

"Scuttle Crab!"

Natsu, like Erza, followed the warrior's code and didn't go for a sneak attack. But for Rhodes, the lengthy chant felt like a serious flaw. He needed to figure out how to shorten it soon.

As soon as the Scuttle Crab appeared, Natsu couldn't hold back any longer. He clashed his fists together, flames erupting from his knuckles. With a single step, he charged forward like a fire dragon pouncing on its prey.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

But his target wasn't Rhodes—it was the Scuttle Crab.

The blazing fist expanded in Rhodes' vision, instinctively making him raise his arms in a futile attempt to shield himself, only to realize—he was seeing through the crab's eyes.

Panicked, he failed to give a command in time. The crab reacted on pure instinct, raising one of its stubby claws to block.

Natsu's flaming punch smashed into the green shell, and the surge of heat sent embers flying dangerously close to the crab's beady eyes.

The force of the impact drove the crab's six legs deep into the wooden platform, skidding it backward by more than two meters.

Splinters and dirt scattered everywhere, some of it pelting Rhodes, who found himself half-sprawled on the crab's back. If not for the bumpy ridges on its shell giving him something to grip, he might have been flung off completely.

"Ugh..." Rhodes groaned, his stomach twisting. If that punch had landed on him directly, he might have been knocked out—or worse.

Noting his reaction, Makarov decided to offer the rookie a quick lesson.

"Magic power isn't just for casting spells—it's also for defense. Even if you don't know any defensive magic, channeling your magic can still act as a shield. It won't be as efficient, but it'll save your skin in a pinch."

Rhodes nodded, processing the information. So it was kind of like internal energy in martial arts but less cost-effective than a proper defense spell.

"Scuttle Crab, charge!"

But his command came a fraction too late. The Scuttle Crab, still rattled from the hit, acted on instinct and bolted—straight in the opposite direction.

It even left behind an illusory shimmer as it dashed away—probably some kind of minor acceleration ability.

Betrayed by his own summon, Rhodes now found himself face-to-face with Natsu, barely three meters apart.

The moment he shouted his command again, the Scuttle Crab spun around and rushed back.

"So fast!"

Natsu had initially planned to rush forward and greet Rhodes with a casual punch—just a friendly strike without any fire.

But the Scuttle Crab's speed took him by surprise. Watching it from the sidelines yesterday was one thing—facing it head-on was another.

"This is fun!" Natsu grinned, his excitement flaring up as he spread his arms wide and caught the Scuttle Crab's massive pincers in his hands.

Tsk...

The sheer force of the crab's charge made his sandals scrape noisily against the wooden floor. Natsu skidded back nearly a meter before planting his feet firmly. His grin widened.

"Got you!"

Heat surged through his body as flames burst from his limbs. Without hesitation, he lunged forward and smashed his forehead into the Scuttle Crab's face.

"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"

Squeak—!!

With a loud BANG, the Scuttle Crab flipped over, its body engulfed in roaring flames. The sudden burst of heat made it screech in protest, limbs flailing in the air.

Before it could struggle much, its form began to shimmer. The fiery glow faded as the crab's body turned transparent before vanishing completely.

"Ah—oops!" Natsu clutched his head with both hands, rubbing his scalp in frustration. "I went too far!"

Panic set in as he turned to Rhodes, clasping his hands together in a frantic apology.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" He bowed repeatedly, his words coming out in a rush. "I didn't mean to finish it off! I just got excited—sorry, sorry, sorry!"

Rhodes, however, remained calm. "It's fine. It's not dead."

"Really?" Natsu paused mid-bow, looking up with wide eyes.

"Yeah, really. Think of it like it got forcefully sent back. It just needs time to recover."

At that moment, Rhodes could vaguely sense a familiar presence—a body of water in the distance. The Scuttle Crab was lurking beneath the surface, only its long antennae poking above the waves.

In the game, it would probably just be considered "waiting for a respawn."

However, seeing the Scuttle Crab disappear this time made Rhodes feel like its existence was fundamentally different from that of Poro.

"So that's how it works!" Natsu leaped backward, grinning eagerly. "Alright then—let's go again! What other monsters do you have? Summon them all! Hahaha!"

This guy is way too stubborn. His mood shift was absurdly fast.

But then again, that kind of relentless spirit fits the classic shōnen protagonist perfectly.

Rhodes was starting to get a better grasp of Natsu's personality, but continuing to summon more creatures;

He glanced over at Poro, who had been watching from the sidelines.

The little creature immediately scurried behind Happy, 'coincidentally' using him as a shield.

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Rhodes sighed. Yeah, no chance.

Clenching his fists, he looked straight at Natsu. "Alright then, let's do this properly!"

The whole point of sparring with Natsu was to gain real combat experience. If he backed down now just because he was scared of getting hit, what was the point?

Natsu raised a fist and gave Rhodes a wide, confident grin.

But later, whenever Rhodes recalled this moment, he always felt like Natsu's smile looked disturbingly similar to that of a devil.

Damn it, he hits way too hard!

Later...

"Hngh... ugh... that hurts..."

Mira gently dabbed a cotton ball soaked in medicine against the swollen side of Rhodes' face, holding it in place with a pair of tweezers.

Rhodes sat on the chair, gripping the backrest tightly with both hands, his expression twisted in pain. At first, he'd been a little flustered about how close they were, but now? He didn't care—his entire body just hurt.

"Hang in there, it'll be over soon," Mira reassured him, dipping a fresh cotton ball into the healing potion. "Didn't you use that defensive trick the Master taught you?"

"I tried! But I didn't master it all in one go... and—ow, ow, ow—who knew he'd go straight for my face first thing!"

Mira giggled. "Yeah... Natsu fights like that." She pressed the cotton ball against his cheek one last time. "Alright, now turn around."

Rhodes sighed and turned, pulling his collar down to reveal the fresh bruises on his shoulder and back.

Thinking back to the painful experience, he grimaced before nodding with determination.

"The more this happens, the more I have to keep training. It's better to get beaten up here in the guild than to get killed when I'm out in the real world... ngh—ow."