Not long after Cana left, Ur brought Panda with him and headed back toward Magnolia.
Because of his recent training, he hadn't had time to retrieve his weapon from the blacksmith. With the S-Class Mage Exam approaching, it was about time he picked it up.
The moment Ur reached the entrance of the forge, before he even stepped inside, one sharp-eyed apprentice rushed into the back courtyard to report his arrival.
By the time Ur had one foot through the door, Master Dingley was already hurrying out from the rear, accompanied by another white-haired elder with a long beard.
"You're finally here, lad! Quick, come take a look at your new weapon!"
Without waiting for a reply, Master Dingley grabbed Ur and practically dragged him inside, looking more eager than the man who would be wielding the blade.
In the courtyard, Ur immediately spotted two items placed neatly atop a small table.
A sword and a cloak.
"Take a look," Master Dingley said proudly. "This blade is the pinnacle of my life's work."
Ur reached out and lifted the Dark Dragon Fang. It had changed dramatically.
First was its appearance. The entire blade now gleamed with a pearly luster. The hilt and scabbard seemed almost seamlessly fused, refined into something that felt less like a weapon and more like a work of art. The scabbard had minimal ornamentation, only simple patterns. Gripping the hilt, it felt like smooth matte stone under his hands.
Shing!
The blade left its sheath. A flash of cold light burst forth.
The newly forged Dark Dragon Fang shone silver-white. Under the light, it reflected a faint blue sheen. The edge was flawless, so polished that a slight tilt revealed Ur's reflection upon its surface.
"Magnificent," Ur admired.
There was no doubt. The new version surpassed the previous one by more than a mere margin.
Master Dingley's smile widened. "When forging it, I incorporated large amounts of mithril, refined gold essence, and powdered dragon fang. Its magical conductivity and sharpness far exceed before. In fact, it was so sharp in the end that I had no choice but to sacrifice an entire dragon bone just to craft a new scabbard and hilt capable of containing it."
He looked visibly pained at the memory, as if mourning wasted treasure.
Ur, on the other hand, didn't feel the slightest regret.
He picked up the cloak beside the blade.
As soon as he held it, he realized the extraordinary craftsmanship: the dragon scales were fully integrated into the fabric, without the stiffness usually found in dragon hides.
"Oh, allow me to introduce him," Master Dingley said. "This is Master Hook. He personally refined your cloak."
Ur immediately turned to the elder and bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Master Hook."
"No, no—it was no trouble at all," the old man said quickly. "To craft a magical item from dragon hide is an honor for me."
They chatted a while longer before Ur finally asked, "And the cost of forging these two items…?"
Before he could finish, both masters spoke at the same time, "No charge!"
Ur froze.
The two elders glanced at each other, then Master Dingley cleared his throat. "Well… Ur, I do have a small request. I'd like to purchase some dragon materials from you. Would you be willing?"
"Yes, yes," Master Hook quickly added, as if afraid Ur might refuse. "We don't need much—just the leftover materials from this forging will do."
Ur: "…"
He hadn't planned on keeping the scraps anyway. But to spare the elders any disappointment, he solemnly nodded in agreement.
Shortly afterward, Ur left the forge in a rather complicated mood, carrying the remaining mithril and gold essence… along with over thirty million J.
Believe it or not, he'd gone to commission a weapon, yet somehow ended up making a fortune instead.
After leaving the forge, Ur returned to the guild.
With the S-Class Mage Exam approaching, most members were busy completing missions in hopes of qualifying.
At the same time, all of Fairy Tail's S-Class mages had gathered. "Master, after this exam is over, I plan to attempt that quest…" came a familiar voice.
As Ur entered, he happened to overhear the conversation between Gildarts and Makarov.
Ur's eyes flickered.
So he's going to try the Hundred-Year Quest?
The timing lined up.
Beyond S-Class lay SS-Class missions. Above those were Ten-Year Quests, missions left uncompleted for an entire decade. And above even that—the Hundred-Year Quest.
To date, only one such quest existed in the world. Its contents were enough to drive any mage to despair. Even Gildarts, in the original storyline, would lose an arm and a leg because of it.
No, to be precise, he hadn't even properly begun the quest when he encountered a certain black dragon that wandered the skies. That encounter had cost him dearly, forcing him to abandon the mission.
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"Yo, Ur! I heard about what you pulled off this time! Quite the spectacle, huh? Wahahaha!" Gildarts noticed him and burst into hearty laughter.
Ur smiled back, a slightly… peculiar smile. He wondered whether Gildarts would still laugh so heartily once he discovered he had a daughter. And even more interesting, what kind of expression would he make once father and daughter reunited… and Cana learned about all those "romantic exploits" Ur had meticulously collected?
Ah.
Better stop there.
The mental image was a bit too stimulating.
Ur forcibly suppressed the thought and turned to Makarov. "Master, has the list of S-Class exam candidates been decided yet?"
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Next Chapter: Mystogan
Next Next Chapter: The Exam Begins
Next Next Next Chapter: The Second Stage