Internet Magic in Fairy Tail

“Who told me that? Some helpful guy I met at the hotel.”

Natsu scratched his chin. “I was gathering information at the hotel this morning and saw a guy sitting alone in the corner. He said he was a mage from some guild called Diabolos, or something like that.”

“Diabolos?”

Nate immediately understood and shook his head. “That’s the Dragon Eaters’ guild—a group of fifth-generation Dragon Slayers. They’re not exactly a Dark Guild, but their methods and style come close.”

“Dragon Slayers? No wonder that guy smelled so weird!”

Natsu recalled how Nate had once explained the different generations of Dragon Slayers. He himself belonged to the first generation.

“The fifth generation? So they’re mages who gain Dragon Slayer magic by eating dragon meat?” Natsu finally pieced it together, looking both amazed and horrified. “People actually eat dragons?!”

“Interested in trying some yourself?” Nate teased.

“That sounds... creepy.” Natsu shuddered, then asked, “But where are they even getting dragon meat? Are they targeting the Five Dragon Gods?”

“Four hundred years ago, not every dragon that fled Ishgar survived. The Five Dragon Gods are just the ones left,” Nate explained casually. “It’s reasonable that the Dragon Eaters’ guild would go after them.”

For fifth-generation Dragon Slayers, dragon meat was a direct source of power. The more they ate—and the stronger the dragon—the more powerful they became.

From a human perspective, the Dragon Eaters weren’t entirely wrong. Most dragons were considered threats or outright monsters to humanity.

“Was there only one guy you met?” Nate asked.

“Yeah, just one,” Natsu replied. “He was a young guy with heavy dark circles under his eyes... and he was also a ghost.”

A ghost?

Nate instantly had a guess. If his memory served him right, that was probably Wraith, a former Fairy Tail member in life. Seriously, was Fairy Tail everywhere? Even in the distant Northern Continent, you couldn’t avoid them.

“Where is he now?” Nate asked, then dismissed his own question. “Never mind. I’ll find him myself.”

It wasn’t hard to sense a ghost’s presence. Activating his Six Eyes, Nate scanned the flow of magic throughout the city. Moments later, he opened his eyes.

“Found him.”

…

Meanwhile, in the bustling streets of the City of the Right Hand, a shadowy alley remained dimly lit.

A mage, pale as a ghost, slipped in silently.

Suddenly, the ring on his finger glowed faintly. Raising his hand, Wraith opened Magic Net. A private message from a guildmate appeared:

Blade Dragon·Kiria: “Forget about the Wood Dragon God for now, Wraith.”

Wraith: “What’s wrong?”

Blade Dragon·Kiria: “Haven’t you been playing [Dragon Hunter] these past two days? We’ve confirmed it—it’s an actual parallel world! The dragons there are real!”

[Dragon Hunter]? Wraith thought, recalling the game that had launched two days ago.

Wraith: “You’re in the game?”

Blade Dragon·Kiria: “Yes! Magic Net is incredible—we can communicate even across worlds.”

Blade Dragon·Kiria: “Anyway, join the game as soon as possible. The Guild Master is calling us to assemble and hunt dragons!”

Blade Dragon·Kiria: “According to the ‘game’ setting, there are 10,000 dragons in that world!!! Enough for us to feast endlessly!”

“Ten thousand dragons?!” Wraith muttered, stunned. “Where on Earth did they find so many?”

He suddenly glanced upward. A figure stood silently above the alley, suspended mid-air.

Noticing Wraith’s gaze, the figure descended gracefully, like a falling leaf.

“So [Dragon Hunter] is basically a buffet for you Dragon Eaters,” the newcomer said with a faint smile. Nate recognized the irony: why bother going after the Five Dragon Gods when there were 10,000 dragons available in the game?

“You’re…?” Wraith asked warily. “Nate, the creator of Magic Net.”

“Nice to meet you, Wraith.” Nate landed softly. “I know who you are.”

“You know me?” Wraith asked, startled.

“I’ve seen your photo in Fairy Tail’s archives. You were one of their mages... in your past life.”

“Fairy Tail…” Wraith repeated, clearly confused. “So it’s true? I was part of Fairy Tail? But I don’t remember you… or anything, really.”

“That’s not surprising. You died more than forty years ago.” Nate scratched his head, feeling odd about explaining someone’s past to their ghost.

Wraith’s gaze darkened. “If I was part of Fairy Tail, then tell me—how did I die?”

Nate sighed inwardly. How should I know?

“You could meet the Guild Master, Makarov,” Nate suggested. “He might remember.”

But Wraith’s wariness only grew. “I don’t need to meet anyone until I figure out who killed me.”

Nate could sense his turmoil. Clearly, this ghost wasn’t at peace.

“All right,” Nate said after a moment’s thought. “Your guildmates want you to join them in the game, right? I also need some help. Why not meet in [Dragon Hunter]?”

Wraith considered this. “You want to meet my guild in the game?”

“Yes,” Nate replied, nodding. “And if you like, I can introduce you to Makarov there.”

“Fine,” Wraith said at last. “Let’s meet in the game.”

He turned and drifted through a nearby wall, ghostly form vanishing completely.

Nate lingered, thinking briefly before opening Magic Net again. He sent a private message to Makarov:

Sigma Male: “Hey, Master. Did Fairy Tail ever have a member named Wraith?”

Fairy Tail’s Grandpa: “Wraith? He died decades ago. There should be a record in our archives. Why do you ask?”

Sigma Male: “I just ran into his ghost in the northern continent. Want to meet him?”

Fairy Tail’s Grandpa: “A ghost?! How’s that possible?! Then again... we’ve seen stranger. Where do we meet?”

Sigma Male: “In [Dragon Hunter], at the smithy in the Capital City.”

After sending the message, Nate split his consciousness: one part logged into [Dragon Hunter], while his physical body returned to the hotel.