"For just the basics, having me as your tutor is fine, but after that..." Makarov thought for a moment and said, "Go ask Mira for guidance."
Rhodes looked at him, "Ask Mira?"
"Yes, you already know, don't you? She used to be an S-Class Mage and practiced Take Over Magic."
"What I meant was, would it be okay for Mira?"
"This much won't be an issue; she's a strong girl," Makarov replied. "Besides, it's been almost a year since Lisanna's incident. Although such sorrow never truly fades away, we can't let her live in grief forever. Helping her heal and find a new direction is our duty as comrades."
Even if Makarov hadn't mentioned it, Rhodes had planned to do so anyway. He was only worried that suddenly bringing up Take Over Magic might upset her. Mira's situation was complicated, and it needed a proper opportunity to discuss...
Oh, and it turns out there's just such an opportunity.
Rhodes asked, "Master, do you know any good restaurants in Magnolia?"
Makarov was caught off guard for a moment, "Res...taurant? You sure have a wide range of questions today."
"Hehe." Rhodes smiled. They seemed unconnected, but there was some underlying relevance.
"The most expensive one is near the cathedral; the best-tasting one is by the south park; the best overall..." Makarov laughed, "...is our guild."
"Eww~" Rhodes said in disdain, "I understand your love for the guild, but saying that all of a sudden is really corny."
"..." Makarov actually blushed, "You little brat with no sense of sentiment."
Rhodes widened his eyes—Makarov blushing?!
But after a few seconds, Rhodes felt at ease—just now in the guild, the old man had even wiped his nose on him. A bit of blushing wasn't a big deal.
The old man was rather cute.
Getting the antidote wasn't much trouble.
Porlyusica threw a small bottle at Rhodes and warned him not to misuse the poison even with the antidote.
Rhodes, feeling cheeky, asked if there was a backup or a backup for the backup.
Then Porlyusica promptly kicked him out and slammed the door shut.
"Forgot to ask about the cost." Rhodes realized his debts might have just increased a bit.
The Master seemed to have other business with Porlyusica, so Rhodes thought it better not to disturb them.
Once he learned Take Over Magic, he'd head out again to earn money and pay off his debts!
…
September began with a light drizzle, falling from midnight until the morning.
Along with it came a hint of autumn's chill.
The evidence of the temperature drop was that Wurm was willing to run around by Rhodes' side again.
As a skilled budgeter, Rhodes, noticing the slight dip in temperature, bought a few autumn-winter clothes right away.
Rhodes' money-saving tip: buy clothes out of season.
"Morning, Rhodes. Not riding your strongest summoned beast today?"
With the release of Sosha's Tale a few days ago, Rhodes, the "Strongest Newcomer," had gained a bit of fame around Magnolia.
Especially on the days when he rode his crab to and from work, many people recognized him.
"Morning to you too. The strongest summoned beast likes a day off every Sunday; it's not always willing to carry me around."
Rhodes maintained basic politeness, but fake news rolled off his tongue effortlessly.
"A summoned beast with a day off? Incredible."
"Yeah, yeah."
With a spring in his step, Rhodes headed toward the guild.
He was in a good mood today.
In the past two days, he'd spent a lot of time in the guild's library reading about Take Over Magic.
He was nearly ready to give it a try. Plus, he had lunch scheduled with Mira at a restaurant near South Park.
According to the Master, the food there was good, not too expensive, and there were lots of beautiful ladies.
The downside was that most of them had male companions.
The more Rhodes listened, the weirder it sounded—wasn't that just a date spot? And it sounded like the old man frequented this restaurant and always stared at the pretty women? Is that how... eternally youthful he was?
The Master sternly declared that he was just appreciating them.
One couldn't help but wonder if Macao and Wakaba had learned their bad habits from him during their younger years.
…
In the morning, Rhodes did his usual cleaning. When he wasn't on a mission, he worked part-time as a server at the guild's tavern.
Even after he could handle most missions alone, he didn't plan to quit this job.
He'd already imagined it—one day, he'd be so strong, he'd be like Erza, taking on an entire enemy guild by himself.
When the last opponent fell and, with their final strength, asked him, "Who... who are you?"
Rhodes would answer, "Just a guy who serves drinks at the guild."
He couldn't wait for that scene!
The guild gradually grew lively, and suddenly Natsu came running to the counter with a mission flyer:
"Mira, I'll take this one! Rhodes, wanna team up?"
"No, I've got plans today." Rhodes thought for a moment and asked, "Why are you heading out again? Did you and Happy already spend all the rewards from last time?"
"Love! There's still a lot left from last time," Happy said. "But this mission is to investigate a monster that suddenly appeared at the volcano."
"A monster at the volcano?"
"That's right!" Natsu clenched his fist, eagerly saying, "Igneel loved volcanoes, and this 'monster' that appeared suddenly—it could be Igneel!"
"I see." Rhodes recalled that Natsu had always been searching for his adoptive father, the fire dragon Igneel.
Even if there was only the vaguest clue, regardless of the distance or the travel time, Natsu would grit his teeth and insist on going.
Rhodes asked Mira, "Is this kind of mission dangerous?"
"Unknown monsters can be a bit dangerous." Mira reviewed the mission details, then smiled, saying, "But this mission is only to investigate, not to exterminate. And the destination is a volcano—if it's Natsu, it should be fine."
Natsu took the commission from Mira and rushed off, only to come running back at the door:
"Rhodes, you're really not coming?"
"No, I'm learning magic with the Master today." Rhodes glanced at Mira. "And, well, I've got another thing planned."
"Sigh..." Natsu left, looking deflated.
Mira smiled, "As expected of the strongest newcomer—Natsu has started to rely on you this quickly."
Rhodes replied, "I think he trusts my canyon swift crab more."
Shortly after Natsu left, Cana also came to the counter with a mission flyer. "Mira, I want to take this mission."
"Okay." Mira glanced at it, recording it while asking, "Cana, it seems you haven't worked in a while, right?"
Cana looked a bit unnatural, "I haven't been drinking much lately, so I'm not short on booze money."
Mira thought for a moment, then said, "Speaking of which, the guild's liquor sales have dropped significantly recently."
Cana pretended to be angry, "Are you saying I alone support the tavern's revenue?"
Mira laughed, "Just kidding... but you are one of our 'main patrons.'"
At this moment, the Master's voice called out, "Rhodes, come to the yard."
"Coming!" Rhodes waved at Mira, "Mira, see you at noon!"
"Alright."
"Oh~ see you at noon? Another date with Rhodes?" Cana covered her mouth, saying dramatically, "I'm so jealous~"
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
"Are you sure you want to take it over?" Makarov looked at the large, green crab in front of him. "That will mean taking its body."
"Yes, I want to try." Rhodes nodded. "Even if I take it over, as long as I 'release' it within a certain amount of time, it shouldn't be harmed, right? I've already mastered the method to 'release' it."
Back when Rhodes first learned to ride a bicycle, he experienced the painful lesson of only knowing how to ride but not how to stop, always crashing into a wall to come to a halt. Naturally, he learned his lesson—learning to stop before learning to skateboard, and asking how to brake before learning to drive. When he learned summoning, he was excited and only learned the forced recall later. Now, learning Take Over, he wasn't about to make the same mistake.
Makarov frowned but felt that Rhodes was trustworthy. "If you're sure, then let's begin."
"Alright." Rhodes placed one hand on the crab's head. "Be good, don't resist."
He closed his eyes, focusing on the 'flow' of magic within his body, trying to match the state described in the books. At a certain moment, Rhodes opened his eyes: "Take Over!"
A blue magic glow poured from Rhodes' hand, enveloping the swift canyon crab entirely. Immediately afterward, light patches flickered on Rhodes' body, and golden light enveloped him.
The golden light only lasted for a short time. When it faded, Rhodes felt a large chunk of his magic power drained away.
And then... nothing happened.
Through the crab's eyes, he could see himself looking confused.
Makarov said, "It failed—concentrate."
"Even a failed Take Over uses up that much magic?" Rhodes was disheartened. A failed attempt like this meant one less chance to practice in the morning.
"Of course. When magic reaches this stage, whether it succeeds or not, the magic power has already been consumed."
Makarov asked, "Why did you get distracted at the last moment?"
"Well... I was worried it'd look ugly."
Rhodes was a bit anxious. There are different kinds of Take Over magic. Some people completely transform into the creature they take over, while others keep their original form with only some features of what they've taken over.
Rhodes... really didn't want to end up scuttling sideways like a crab.
"If you're worried about that kind of thing, then maybe Take Over magic isn't for you," Makarov said. "First, you have to believe in your own heart, and then it will respond to you with a 'miracle.' But remember, it isn't really a 'miracle'; it's just your heart. Magic is the power of one's heart."
"Believe in myself, believe in my own heart," Rhodes tried to ask himself, what did he want most? First strength, then style.
If he could be strong enough, it wouldn't matter if he wasn't stylish—because as long as he defeated his enemies, that'd be the coolest thing. But how strong could taking over a crab really make him?
No, no, crabs have their own strengths.
Also, the power of Take Over magic, aside from depending on the creature being taken over, also relied heavily on the user's own magic power. If the Master used Take Over magic, even if he took over a common rabbit, he could probably kick most of the guild members into the sky with one blow.
Believe...
"Take Over!"
Light patches lit up, a flash of golden light, and the crab disappeared from its place. Rhodes' appearance changed dramatically!
Hands, legs, and body, even his head, were covered by a hard shell—like he was wearing green armor.
A pair of antennae stood up from his head, and his face seemed to be wearing a mask, his eyes glowing a faint yellow.
His chest was protected by a thick shell, and the gauntlets extended from his fingers down to his forearms, appearing particularly strong.
These were all things Rhodes could "see" for himself. After taking over the crab, he had a peculiar 360-degree field of vision, and he could see his entire appearance without needing a mirror.
"Is this... Mōzi? Golden Armor Jirou? Armored Warrior Elephant Handsome?"
After seeing himself, Rhodes suddenly associated himself with three characters of similar color schemes.
Suddenly, he thought that this green armor looked quite cool. He used his fists to tap his chest and arms—the hardness seemed pretty decent.
Makarov stood with one arm behind his back, the other hand raised in front of him, two fingers up, as if he was ready to subdue Rhodes at any moment if he went berserk.
"Master, I'm fine."
Makarov lowered his arm, "Good. How do you feel?"
Rhodes moved around a bit. He felt more agile than usual.
He raised his right hand, and the gauntlet glowed, transforming into a crab claw. As he opened and closed it, he could feel the power behind it.
Rhodes tried moving his legs, and immediately he dashed forward, much faster than usual.
He focused his mind, immediately using the crab's skill, and it seemed like afterimages were left behind as he moved.
"Is this Phantom Step?" Rhodes got momentarily distracted, and with a loud crash, he smashed through the courtyard wall, charging straight out.
It was, apparently, the same spot that the crab had smashed through last time he summoned it.
What a coincidence! Rhodes was thrilled to find that crashing through a wall didn't hurt at all.
"Rhodes!"
"I'll fix it later!"
Rhodes' voice was carried away by the wind as he ran to the lake behind the guild.
Swimming, diving, even standing on the lake surface!
Taking over the crab automatically gave him mastery over water combat!
Speaking of the crab...
Rhodes focused his mind, sensing the Summoner's Canyon. In the upper and lower river lanes, one crab was patrolling the upper lane, and the other hadn't disappeared but instead had entered a resting state, its main body submerged underwater with its antennae sticking out.
This left Rhodes confused. This magic was supposed to take over the target's body, but what exactly had he taken over? Its respawn timer?
Rhodes spent a while in the lake, getting familiar with this magic, then returned to the courtyard and undid the Take Over magic in front of the Master.
Thankfully, there was no situation like Chita's where his clothes tore.
"Any discomfort?"
"No, just that magic power is drained a lot—feels like it uses more than summoning two crabs simultaneously."
"That's one of the drawbacks of Take Over magic. Increase your magic power and get used to that form, and it'll improve."
Makarov thought for a moment, then asked, "How's that crab doing?"
Rhodes checked the Summoner's Canyon. There were crabs patrolling both the upper and lower lanes. "It has recovered."
"That's good." Makarov didn't say it out loud, but in his heart, he still felt a bit uneasy about the idea of taking over one's battle companions.
"But Master..." Rhodes said, confused, "I only canceled the Take Over magic—I haven't performed the 'release' step yet."
"What? How could that be..." Makarov said in shock, "Could it be that, in your Summoner's Canyon, there's actually a third crab?"
"That shouldn't be..." Rhodes had clearly seen the crab jump out of the water from a resting state.
Could a new one have been spawned?
Makarov thought for a while, "Well then, can you still use Take Over magic right now?"
Rhodes closed his eyes, and after a moment, opened them. "Take Over!"
Familiar light patches appeared, and Rhodes transformed once again.
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
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