"No surprises here—Erza must be my daughter," Ian concluded, a look of happiness spreading across his face.
"To be honest, I'm not quite prepared for fatherhood yet," he muttered. "But just thinking about having a daughter fills me with excitement."
"However, when I imagine Erza growing up and maybe getting into a relationship, I can't help but feel incredibly irritated as her father."
Ian's face darkened as he thought about the future. The idea of his precious daughter being swept away by someone—especially a certain "punk"—was simply unbearable.
"Thankfully, I'm not one of those old-fashioned fathers who can't adapt," Ian reassured himself.
"I won't interfere too much in Erza's future relationships, but as my daughter, she must adhere to my Three No's Rule when it comes to dating!"
"First, no guys with large, pointless tattoos on their faces—clearly a sign of a lack of common sense."
"Second, no guys with naturally blue hair—they look too much like punks."
"Third, and most importantly, absolutely no one named Jellal! I can't stand that name—it fills me with disgust."
In a matter of minutes, Ian had already mentally prepared himself for Erza's future relationships.
Now, if he ever crossed paths with Jellal in this world, he would have no hesitation in delivering a powerful punch.
Even though the current Jellal had no connection to Erza—thanks to Ian's interference in her fate—and was probably still just an innocent, naïve boy, Ian felt no need to hold back.
Yes, Ian's fists were hard enough to break the legs of any "punk."
Originally, Ian didn't feel much toward Jellal as a character...
In fact, he had some sympathy for him. After all, Jellal had been manipulated for most of his life, which led him to make terrible decisions and live the rest of his days in atonement.
But now that Erza was Ian's daughter, all bets were off.
To the blue-haired Jellal...
Or rather, to any blue-haired Jellal in existence...
Stay away from his precious daughter.
It would be best if Jellal didn't show up in Ian's field of vision at all.
Otherwise, Ian would punch him every time he saw him. No need for explanations—an angry father's rage is always unreasonable.
---
Meanwhile, in Edolas...
"Achoo!"
A certain blue-haired boy with a tattoo on his face, and whose name included the letters J-E-L-L-A-L, sneezed suddenly.
"Prince, are you alright?"
"You've been working too hard lately. Maybe you should take a break," said a black cat, who was always by the boy's side, its eyes filled with concern.
"Don't worry, Pantherlily. I'm fine..."
"I just suddenly felt a tightness in my chest."
"It feels like my upcoming journey to Earthland is going to be especially difficult."
Jellal furrowed his brows, his face filled with worry.
He wasn't sure why, but a sudden sense of dread had washed over him.
It was as if something truly terrifying awaited him on his path to Earthland, like a great danger silently lying in wait, ready to ensnare him.
"It must be that the king has caught onto something."
"I'll have to move quickly..."
"I have to stop the king's plans."
Jellal thought to himself.
In his mind, this newfound fear must have come from his ambitious father, the king, discovering his whereabouts and schemes.
No matter how clever and resourceful this Jellal from Edolas was—able to stand against the entire kingdom by himself at such a young age—he couldn't possibly imagine that the source of his fear wasn't his father.
No, it was coming from an unknown stranger in another world—someone he had never even met before.
And this stranger, the man who held so much disdain for him, was now calmly opening up his simulation device.
"Claim rewards."
Ian began by retrieving the rewards that the system had failed to deliver from his previous simulations.
[Rewards distributing...]
In an instant, the knowledge and magical power Ian had gained through his hard-fought simulations surged into his body like a tidal wave.
Yes, the most valuable aspect of the Dream Simulator was time.
Every time Ian simulated a timeline, he could retain the magical skills and power he acquired within that simulation and merge them into his current self.
In his first simulation, Ian had traveled back to the year X365, to the Kingdom of Dragonoids, where Irene lived.
There, Ian had spent five quiet years following Irene around while training diligently.
It wasn't until X370, when Ian believed he had become strong enough, that he traveled to a neighboring kingdom. There, he assassinated the general who was supposed to marry Irene, using illusion magic to take his place.
For the next five years...
Ian systematically eliminated all the corrupt nobles in that kingdom, turning it into a formidable empire. In X376, he married Irene and then heroically died in battle.
As a result, Ian became a legendary hero in that timeline.
Even now, in the current timeline, the Magic Council still preserved epic tales of "Ian," and statues celebrating his deeds stood in various locations. Every year on the anniversary of his death, the Council held memorial services in his honor.
During that first simulation...
Ian gained eleven years' worth of magical power and the "Sage" attribute of Dragon Slayer Magic.
Yes, with Irene's help, Ian became a Dragon Slayer.
Now, as Ian absorbed the eleven years of magical training he had undergone in Irene's timeline, his strength surged, shattering the S-class mage barrier and propelling him to the level of the Ten Wizard Saints.
But Ian's magic power didn't stop increasing there.
He continued to grow stronger, surpassing the level of Jura from seven years ago, reaching the power Jura possessed during the Grand Magic Games, when he was hailed as the strongest human.
It wasn't until Ian reached this incredible level of power that the surge finally began to slow down.
Ian could feel it clearly—there was a massive barrier before him, blocking his path to even greater power.
---
One more chap today coming later.
If we can reach 50 power stones, I will release an additional 3 bonus chapters.
Like it ? Add to library!
Ian was acutely aware of the barrier that lay ahead of him, the dividing line between humans and true monsters.
If he took just one more step forward, he would break through to the level of the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar. That level, as described by the head of the Lamia Scale Guild, would place him among beings no longer considered entirely human.
"Whew…"
Ian exhaled deeply, contemplating the magnitude of his power. "It seems the reward from the first simulation has taken me as far as it can."
He shifted his focus. "Now it's time to claim the rewards from the second simulation."
With a thought, Ian tapped into the system, extracting the rewards from his second simulation.
Ian's second simulated timeline had taken him to the year X377, one year after his supposed death. During that year, the "Dragon Slayer Hero" Acnologia had gone on a rampage, slaughtering dragons indiscriminately—be they ordinary dragons or those of the Dragon King level. Anyone who stood in Acnologia's path was met with certain death.
The dragons of the Edolas world were on the brink of extinction. To counter Acnologia's overwhelming strength, the great Fire Dragon King Igneel made a desperate alliance with the dark wizard Zeref in an attempt to find a way to defeat the invincible Dragon King.
Thus began a four-hundred-year-long relay race, spanning generations and involving celestial wizards, dragon slayers, dragons, and even dark wizards—all working together to accomplish one goal.
However, none of that concerned Ian.
His mission had been different. While the others focused on the grand battle, Ian was tasked with the less glamorous job of shepherding a group of young, arrogant dragons—dragons who completely disregarded humans—to safety on the northern continent.
To complete this task, Ian had mastered a special technique he called "Dragon Taming Art," a form of psychological manipulation that allowed him to subtly control dragons. He had also developed a unique transportation magic, specifically designed to affect dragon slayers.
This magic worked by imbuing the air with the properties of a conduit, causing it to move in such a way that even Acnologia, who was normally immune to magic, would feel sick upon contact. It was a tactic inspired by Irene's ability in the original timeline to use earth magic to force Acnologia away.
Though Ian, like Irene, couldn't truly harm Acnologia, he could at least make the Dragon King's life miserable. However, there was a drawback—after using the transportation magic, Ian himself would get airsick.
For nearly twenty years, Ian had traveled with the young dragons, teaching them and clashing repeatedly with Acnologia. Only after two decades of effort had he successfully relocated all the young dragons from Ishgar to the northern continent.
Yes, in the process, Ian had managed to provoke not only the five Dragon Gods but also Acnologia himself.
The worst part? Ian had gone through the entire second simulation believing it was just a long dream, much like his first simulation. After all, it was common to experience long, vivid dreams that seemed to last forever, only to wake up and find that barely any time had passed.
And in a magical world like this, a long dream didn't seem unusual.
Because of this assumption, Ian had never bothered to hide his true identity during those years.
In hindsight, it was a grave mistake.
"Extract!" Ian commanded, snapping himself out of his thoughts. He had no choice but to move forward. There was no changing the past now—he could only curse the system for leaving him in the dark and focus on getting stronger.
Strong enough that none of his future enemies would be able to harm him.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, the magic and power Ian had accumulated over twenty years in the Five Dragon Gods timeline surged into his body like a torrent.
In an instant, the barrier separating humans from non-humans within him shattered.
At this point, Ian's magic power was on par with the lower ranks of the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar—comparable to legendary wizards like Warrod Sequen, one of the founders of Fairy Tail.
He had surpassed most S-class wizards, though he was still a step behind the likes of God Serena, the former number one wizard of the Ten Wizard Saints who had betrayed Ishgar and joined Zeref's Alvarez Empire.
But that was fine—for now, God Serena wasn't a threat. He was likely still hiding in some remote village.
As of this moment, Ian had ascended to the topmost echelon of wizards on the continent of Ishgar.
But it wasn't enough.
Even though Ian now stood among the strongest, there were still monsters that dwarfed even the Four Heavenly Kings—titans like Irene and the Magic King, not to mention the terrifying Dragon Gods and the invincible Acnologia.
Ian had only one option left.
"System, initiate a simulation!"
The moment Ian issued the command, his consciousness was plunged into darkness.
[Simulatable targets: Gray. Timeline: Deliora's first invasion of Gray's hometown.]
[Simulatable targets: Cana. Timeline: Cornelia Arupelona's death.]
[Simulatable targets: Natsu. Timeline: Before Igneel and Zeref sent Natsu through the Eclipse Gate.]
Ian's eyes narrowed as he studied the options.
Natsu's timeline wasn't worth tackling—it involved his complicated connection to Zeref and his resurrection as the demon END. The only thing that truly troubled Natsu was Igneel's sudden disappearance, and that was something Ian had no way of fixing.
That left Cana and Gray.
Gray's situation was urgent and deeply tied to Ian's current goals, so the choice was clear.
"Simulation initiated," Ian muttered.
The world around him blurred, spinning into a maelstrom of time and space. When the disorienting sensation finally subsided, Ian found himself standing in the middle of a burning town.
"Help! Somebody, please!"
"Put out the fire, quick!"
"Damn it, why is that monster Deliora here?!"
Screams of terror echoed through the smoke-filled streets, and panic-stricken people ran in every direction.
[Warning: Timeline deviation detected.]
[Host must act immediately or this timeline will spiral into catastrophe.]
[There is a high chance Gray will die.]
"Damn it!" Ian cursed, vanishing into the chaos in a flash.
Within the ruined, smoldering remnants of the town, a small boy stood frozen in terror. Before him, his parents lay trapped beneath a collapsed building, pinned and unable to move.
"Gray, run!"
"Don't look back, just run!"
Gray's father, Silver, was covered in blood, his legs crushed under a heavy beam. Despite the pain, he used what strength he had left to shield his unconscious wife, Mika.
Silver knew he could have escaped. He had been one of the first to notice Deliora's approach, but he had turned back for Mika, rushing into the collapsing house to save her.
Now, escape was impossible.
But dying alongside Mika was something Silver did not regret. If there was one thing he could not bear, it was the thought of leaving his son behind.
"Gray, you have to be brave!" Silver urged, his voice tight with pain. "You're old enough now to make your own decisions. Take our hopes with you and survive!"
Sometimes, it took more courage to run than to fight.
"Father! Mother!"
Gray's voice cracked as tears streamed down his face. His heart was torn between his overwhelming desire to stay and the bitter reality that his parents could not be saved.
In the distance, the ground shook as Deliora approached, its monstrous roars growing louder.
"Gray, RUN!"
Silver's voice was hoarse with desperation.
Gray clenched his fists, his young heart burning with hatred. He wanted revenge—he wanted to kill the monster that had destroyed everything he loved. Someday, he swore, he would defeat Deliora.
But before Gray could act on his rage, a shadow fell over him.
Deliora loomed over the boy, its clawed hand raised to strike.
"NO!"
Silver screamed in a last, futile effort to protect his son, his battered body struggling to break free of the debris.
Gray's pupils shrank in terror as he stared up at the demon. Maybe, he thought, it would be better to die here. Better than what came after…
But just before Deliora's blow could land, a figure appeared between Gray and the demon.
It was Ian.
"Not this time," Ian said, his voice calm yet cold. He wrapped an arm around Gray, pulling the boy to safety as he raised his free hand toward Deliora.
"Who gave you permission to harm what's mine?"
Before Deliora could comprehend the situation, a massive surge of gravity magic exploded from Ian's hand, sending the demon flying skyward.
"Boom!"
The impact echoed through the burning town as Deliora was launched into the sky, disappearing amidst the clouds.
A moment later, the heavens opened up, and rain poured down, extinguishing the flames that had ravaged the town.
It was as if the sky itself was mourning the destruction below.