A full decade had passed, and it wasn't just the little town that had undergone dramatic change.
Even Kageyama Ren's strength had transformed beyond recognition.
The most direct evidence lay within his updated personal stats panel...
Name: Kageyama Ren
Physique: Special Constitution (Able to consume multiple Devil Fruits)
Haki:
Observation Haki: LV7 (+)
Armament Haki: LV7 (+)
Conqueror's Haki: LV7 (+)
Devil Fruits:
Zoan-type: Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Beast Model: Azure Dragon – LV7 (+)
Paramecia-type: Heavy-Heavy Fruit – LV7 (+)
Logia-type: Glint-Glint Fruit – LV7 (+)
Combat Arts:
Swordsmanship: LV7 (+)
Rokushiki: LV7 (+)
Magic:
Magic Power: LV8 (+)
Enchantment Magic: LV7 (+)
Separation Magic: LV7 (+)
Resistances:
Toxin Resistance: LV7 (+)
Illusion Resistance: LV7 (+)
Elemental Resistance: LV7 (+)
Time Resistance: LV7 (+)
Space Resistance: LV6 (+)
Funds: 438,889
In ten years, Ren hadn't just raised all his core stats to Level 7, he had even advanced his Magic Power to Level 8.
Level 7 signified entry into the Ten Wizard Saints tier. Level 8 represented the fifth-ranked Saint level, the highest magic potential a human could possibly attain.
One step further, and he would reach the realm of the Ishgar Four Gods of Ishgar—a threshold separating the human from the inhuman.
With magic at the human limit, paired with his Devil Fruits, Haki, martial techniques, and support magic, Ren now had the power to traverse the continent of Ishgar virtually unchallenged. He even believed that if he ever had to face Warrod Sequen, a man blessed with immense magic but lacking in direct combat skills, he could win.
Beyond this, Ren had invested heavily into resistance development: toxins, illusions, elemental damage, and even the manipulation of time and space. Four resistances had reached Level 7, and one had reached Level 6. These gave him an edge against 99% of mages in the world.
Why bother with resistances?
It was a necessary compromise. As powerful as Haki and the Azure Dragon Fruit were, they primarily offered external defense. Internal vulnerabilities remained. Even someone on the level of Kaido, a top-tier Devil Fruit and Haki user, could still be injured from within.
And in this world, there existed mages who could rip a human heart straight out of their chest using Space Magic. Unlike Law's Ope Ope no Mi, this magic didn't preserve life. If your heart was removed, you died.
Some spells could even shrink internal organs until they vanished entirely. The scope of such magic extended to island or even country scale. It could compress an entire island down to the size of a ping pong ball.
There were poisons that could drive people mad, illusions that led to permanent insanity, time-manipulation that could stop everything in an instant, and mind-control magic that forced total obedience.
That was why Ren fortified himself against them all. With these resistances in place, even powerful spellcasters would find their magic useless against him.
Still, Ren didn't let his power get to his head. He knew that in the face of monsters like Irene Belserion, he would still be instantly defeated.
But he had confidence that, with more savings and the support of his Enchantment Magic, especially its ability to apply system-level enhancements, he would soon be strong enough to hold his own. At the very least... he wouldn't be annihilated in a single blow.
As for Enchantment Magic-
It was essentially broken.
Ren could use it to add all kinds of bizarre effects to himself. While it couldn't apply absurd abilities like invincibility or omniscience, the range it did offer was already insane.
Even with that cheat-like magic, Ren didn't neglect his Devil Fruits, Haki, or martial arts training. He understood something vital: magic had limits. At least for now, he couldn't push his magic beyond the thresholds set by certain characters.
Take the Alvarez Empire, for example. Among them stood the twin pillars of power—Irene and August, the latter known as the "Calamity" and dubbed the King of Magic.
Defeating August in a magic duel was like reaching for the heavens.
Even Gildarts, in the original story, had discovered August's only quasi-weakness... and still couldn't win. August didn't lose in battle. He lost because he was moved by the image of the mother he never knew. Emotion broke him, not combat.
Ren understood this.
August could replicate any spell, then cast it even more powerfully than the original user. This power came from the incredible magic he inherited from both Zeref and Mavis Vermillion.
To face a monster like that, Ren had no intention of using magic.
Instead, he would rely on his Devil Fruits, martial arts, and Haki. He gambled that August couldn't copy Fruit abilities, or combat skills like Rokushiki or Armament Haki.
Of course, that was assuming he ever had to fight August in the first place.
Still, it was better to prepare in advance.
By this point, his daily missions no longer provided meaningful income. Even decades of routine tasks wouldn't get him to the level needed to battle someone like August.
Worse, the looming war between the Western Continent and Eastern Continent was drawing closer by the day.
Time was running out.
That was why Ren shifted his focus to high-level quests.
[Advanced Mission: Join any Mage Guild. The final reward will depend on the guild's strength and future potential.]
The moment Ren saw this mission, he already knew where he was headed:
Fairy Tail.
Not only did the system imply it would yield the best rewards, but there was another reason.
The Fairy Tail emblem granted passive boosts to magical power. More than that, it gave members the morale to shout, "We are Fairy Tail wizards!" and miraculously turn the tide of battle.
With perks like that, how could he not join?
In fact, if the buffs worked the way he remembered from his past life, even someone as strong as Irene might be able to one-shot Acnologia just by shouting that line—assuming the willpower was strong enough.
Then again, that might just be wishful thinking. Such boosts were vague and subjective. Just because it worked for others didn't mean it would work for Ren or Irene.
Crunch.
Erza bit into the Devil Fruit after peeling the skin.
"Urgh..."
Her adorable face scrunched up instantly.
She'd thought the fruit would taste good, so she took a huge bite...
"It's awful! Ren... and Mom... you both tricked me!"
Her birthday was ruined, or so she thought.
"Erza," Ren said softly, patting her head, "just imagine being able to attract anything made of metal."
The Magnet-Magnet Fruit wasn't limited to just iron. It affected ferromagnetic elements like iron, nickel, and cobalt.
But for a new user like Erza, attracting and controlling metal should be the easiest function just like Captain Eustass Kid.
"Huh?"
She paused, then followed Ren's suggestion.
Suddenly, every knife and fork in the room floated into the air.
"This is amazing!"
Her eyes lit up as she guided the utensils with ease, as if they were extensions of her own body.
"That's what the fruit does," Ren said with a smile, impressed by how quickly she grasped the basics.
"I knew it! I knew the gift from my brother was special!"
Erza immediately took back her earlier complaint.
"Magnetism, huh?" Irene mused as she watched Erza manipulate metal freely.
"If it's magnetism... then all iron-based mages are doomed. Even some lightning mages are going to get crushed," she thought with a warm smile.
Yes, many years later, in the conflict between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord, Erza would unleash a new finishing move.
A spell inspired by that very power:
Dragon Slayer Secret Art – Gajeel Flying Blades!
At that time, the young Gajeel had no idea what destiny awaited him.
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Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!