The following day, Alex continued his training routine, but this time he planned to achieve teleportation by manipulating space.
According to his understanding of the ability, if he erased the space between himself and a target, he could reach said target instantly. With the ability to negate a wizard's magic, erase his own wounds, and possess instant movement, Alex should be among the strongest in Fiore provided, of course, that he fully mastered his power.
There were still other skills to learn. For instance, if he erased the existence of heat in an area, he could instantly bring it to absolute zero. He also needed to train to erase his own aura, making him undetectable to others and gaining a sort of invisibility. Finally, there was resurrection; Alex should be able to negate his own death by turning it into fiction, thus becoming immortal not to mention halting aging. But he would leave that for last.
All afternoon, Alex tried to erase the space between himself and a tree in front of him, but something so abstract was not easy to achieve.
"To achieve such a big leap, I should start with a small one first," he thought. He shouldn't be so greedy.
So, Alex started running while taking small leaps, imagining he could cut the distance every time he used his heel for momentum. After several attempts, he finally did it. Alex was able to displace himself half a meter with each small leap as he ran. Bit by bit, he became more skilled, and with every step, he grew faster.
Eventually, night fell. Alex went to the guild for dinner as usual; his daily routine had become a habit. Upon entering, he was greeted by the same noise as always. All the members were so lively; it seemed they never got tired.
Avoiding the noisy area, Alex headed to his quiet seat next to Mirajane. If people were gossips, someone would have already started a rumor that he liked Mira. Curiously, someone was already occupied a seat at the bar; Cana was already drinking her beer. She turned to see Alex and greeted him.
"Do you always arrive at the same time, Alex? Why are you the only one who trains every single day?" Cana asked.
Alex found something odd about her. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something wasn't right; she was usually with the guild drunks, yet here she was sitting at the bar. Putting his doubts aside, Alex replied, "Maybe I train every day because I want to get stronger. Before awakening my magic, I felt very weak."
"So, are you saying you don't feel weak anymore and that, after getting your magic, you're now strong?" Cana asked, eager to hear his answer. She decided to get a bit closer to Alex; if she invested some time in making friends, it was more likely he'd help her during the New Year's event.
"For now, I have more or less some control over my magic. I haven't mastered it completely, but I think it's enough to defend myself," Alex said confidently.
"Really? Then, since you sound so sure, why don't you have a friendly match with someone from the guild?" said Mirajane, emerging from the kitchen.
Cana agreed with Mira. She looked at her, and the two reached a tactical agreement. "Hey, Natsu! Come here a moment," Mirajane called out.
Natsu, who was sitting with Happy, heard Mira call his name and went over to see what she wanted. When he reached the bar, Cana said to him, "Tell me, Natsu, don't you want to have a friendly fight against Alex? He says he's already strong enough to defend himself."
"Besides, I heard from the Guild Master that his magic is very strong. You might not even be able to beat him," Mirajane added maliciously to fire Natsu up.
Alex's eyes widened. Why had they set up a fight for him out of nowhere? Women were incomprehensible creatures; one moment they smile and talk normally, and the next they want you to fight someone for no reason.
Natsu reacted with excitement. "What! Are you serious? Then Alex, let's have a fight right now!"
The guild fell silent at Natsu's words. Whispers began to circulate.
"The new guy is going to fight Natsu?"
"Seems so; that fire idiot always wants to fight half the world."
"Shh, don't let him hear you or you'll be next on his list."
"Anyway, is this the rookie's first fight? This will be interesting to see. And of all people, he's up against Natsu. Even if he isn't the strongest, he might be the most stubborn in the guild when it comes to fighting."
"Who do you think will win? Does anyone know what the rookie's magic is?"
"Is it even necessary to ask? Obviously, it'll be Natsu. They say the other guy just awakened his magic."
"Really? If you're so sure, why don't you bet on Natsu?"
"Are you looking for a fight? If you bet on the rookie, I bet on Natsu!"
Cana heard the whispers that gradually turned into loud conversations, but what caught her attention was that old Wakaba and Macao were talking about bets. Knowing Alex's magic, she made a quick decision. She grabbed a notebook and a leather bag and headed to their table.
"I heard you wanted to bet! So leave it to me place your bets! Between the rookie Alex and Natsu the Dragon Slayer!"
"Bets! Bets! Place your bets! If Natsu wins, the conversion is 1 to 1.5. Bet 100 jewels, and if you win, you take 150!"
"If Alex wins, the conversion is 1 to 3! Bet 100 jewels, and if you win, you take 300!"
Immediately, they started placing bets of 10,000, 25,000, and 30,000 jewels. Most bet on Natsu; nobody knew how ridiculous Alex's magic was, as the Guild Master hadn't told anyone. The only ones who knew were Erza (who wasn't at the guild), Mirajane, and Cana. Everyone else was in for a surprise.
Alex didn't have a chance to refuse. Cana had already gathered a considerable amount of jewels; if he backed out now, he'd look like a coward. So, he could only accept the fight reluctantly.
"Noisy brats, you never stop causing trouble!" said Makarov, stepping out of his office as soon as he heard people shouting "Fight!" Everyone went quiet. After all, if the new guy was going to fight, everything depended on whether the Guild Master gave his permission.
Makarov turned to Alex and asked, "Are you sure you want to fight? Do you have control over your magic?" implying that Alex shouldn't let any accidents happen.
"Don't worry, Master. Although it hasn't been long since I awakened my magic, I already have enough control to protect myself."
Makarov trusted Alex's words; he wouldn't doubt a member of Fairy Tail. "Since you're sure, then head to the backyard of the guild. I don't want you breaking anything in here."
"Alright, Alex! Let's fight!" Natsu said energetically, as if he couldn't wait a second longer.
Everyone walked toward the backyard. Makarov subtly went to Cana's side, rolled up some money 30,000 jewels and handed her a small slip of paper with Alex's name written on it. Then he followed the crowd to act as the referee for the match. Cana could only accept her master's antics of betting secretly.
However, Cana saw that even the Guild Master had immense confidence in Alex. This raised her expectations even higher for when she would eventually ask for his help with the S-Class exam. She became more determined than ever to do whatever was necessary to achieve her goal.