Internet Magic in Fairy Tail

Because Erza had spent so much time customizing her character, she entered the game later than most players.

The familiar sensation of her consciousness separating occurred, much like in the other games she’d played.

As the mild dizziness subsided, Erza opened her eyes.

The first thing she noticed was her breathing… and her perspective.

Her field of view was almost twice as high as usual, as if she were standing atop someone else’s shoulders. At the same time, her chest no longer had the usual heavy weight.

“In-game, I’m 2.5 meters tall…” she mused.

Erza looked down at herself and felt very satisfied with her character. Scanning her surroundings, she found herself in a dilapidated hall. The crystal chandelier on the ceiling swayed precariously, and the walls were cracked and crumbling, as if a train had smashed through them.

Who am I?

Where am I?

What am I supposed to do?

A big question mark seemed to float over Erza’s head. For now, she decided to explore.

Walking through a broken wall, she stepped outside onto a large platform. There, she saw two male players, their names glowing green above their heads: Natsu and Happy.

At that moment, Natsu was looking up, gripping the “Natsu” above his head and trying to pull it down with all his strength.

“It’s so tough! Happy, help me out!”

“What are you doing, Natsu?” Happy spread his hands helplessly. “That thing is called a character name. Look, I have one above my head too.”

If Natsu’s character resembled him about 70%, then Happy’s character looked like it was modeled after Nate. While not identical, it bore at least a 90% resemblance. Erza did a double take, nearly mistaking him for her boyfriend.@@novelbin@@

Suddenly—crack!

Natsu managed to snap off the “Na” from his name, laughing triumphantly. “Hahaha! I’m stronger! See, Happy? I got it off!”

Happy looked as if he’d been struck by lightning. “You can actually break it?! What now? People will see your name and it’ll just say ‘Tsu’!”

“Of course you can break it! This is just a game,” Natsu said matter-of-factly.

Happy rolled his eyes. “Idiot, Natsu! Nate said this is Future Lucy’s world. There are 10,000 dragons here!”

“Dragons! Right! Let’s go find some dragons! Off we go, Happy!” Natsu tossed the “Na” on the ground and clenched his fists, brimming with excitement.

Erza: “…”

Looking up, she noticed a name floating above her head as well—Knight, glowing green.

“Wait, Natsu.”

“Hmm? Who are you? You’re so tall!” Natsu turned and was stunned.

Erza smirked. “When did you get so tiny, Natsu?”

“That voice… It’s Erza!” Happy exclaimed, wide-eyed. “Why are you a man?!”

“A man’s body is more convenient,” Erza said confidently. “If you’re going dragon hunting, let’s go together.”

Standing before Natsu, she towered over him. He didn’t even reach her knee; it was like a dwarf confronting a giant.

“Darn it, I’m so jealous!” Natsu clenched his fists. “Is it too late to remake my character?!”

At that moment, a beam of golden light flew in from the distance, humming softly before landing in front of the trio.

“Nate?” Happy called out, then narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Wait, who are you?”

“…”

Nate stood speechless, surveying the scene before him: a youthful version of himself, a replica version, and a burly uncle version.

Shaking his head, Nate adopted a formal tone. “You’ve arrived at the right time, brave heroes from another world. This world is in peril—”

Before he could finish, Natsu raised a fist in excitement. “It’s Nate.”

Happy nodded. “It’s him for sure.”

“…Use my title during the game!” Nate retorted, annoyed. “Call me Great Sage.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s part of the game’s lore…” Nate pointed at the words floating above his head. “I’m currently the Great Sage. I summoned dragon slayers from another world to act as heroes. Your mission is to slay dragons and protect this world. Got it?”

Before he could finish his grand speech, Natsu cut in eagerly: “So where are the dragons?!”

“I know you’re impatient, but hold on.” With his hands clasped behind his back, Nate continued calmly, “A single person isn’t enough to take down a dragon, so it’s best to form a team first. Let me introduce some—hmm?”

His gaze shifted to Knight. “Erza?”

“It’s me.”

“Why are you a man… and so tall?” Nate was taken aback.

“A man’s body is stronger,” Erza answered matter-of-factly.

While pragmatic, it wouldn’t make much difference against dragons. Nate shook his head. “Fine, suit yourself. Now, as I was saying… Hmm?”

He suddenly noticed that Natsu’s name was missing several characters, leaving only one.

“Where’s your name?!”

“It’s on the ground,” Natsu said proudly, pointing at the lone “Na” at his feet. “It took a lot of effort to take it down.”

Nate froze, utterly baffled. He had never anticipated someone dismantling their own character name, so there was naturally no in-game countermeasure.

“Well done. You found a bug for me…”

“Really? Is there a reward?” Natsu asked eagerly.

“No,” Nate replied flatly. Only Natsu could pull off something like this.

“Anyway,” Nate continued, “if you want to hunt dragons, open the game map. The red dots mark dragon locations. It’s best to form a five-person team. Ideally, each member should use a different type of Dragon Slayer magic. What elements did you all choose?”

“Fire!” Natsu answered instantly.

“Same here, Fire!” Happy followed.

“Me too,” Erza added.

“Are you guys serious?!” Nate facepalmed. “Natsu, you already know Fire Dragon Slayer magic. Why pick fire again?”

“Because two fires make it stronger!” Natsu clenched his left fist. “This is my fire!” Then his right fist. “And this is my in-game fire!”

Mashing his fists together, he combined the flames into one massive fireball. “Left fire and right fire combined—Fire Dragon’s Grand Flame!”

With a loud boom, he hurled the fireball at a distant ruin, causing an enormous explosion and a towering pillar of flames.

“Haha! How’s that? More powerful, right?” Natsu gloated, hands on his hips, flames flickering inside his mouth as he laughed.

Nate: “…”

Where was the supposed improvement?

“What’s your plan if you encounter a fire dragon? All three of you are fire-element Dragon Slayers!” He paused, then added, “A team should always include a Sky Dragon Slayer as support to boost the party’s effectiveness.”

“Anyway, you three wait here. We’ll need two more players!"