A New Life in Fairy Tail

The second magic they worked on was Thought Projection. Isn't this just a magical version of the Shadow Clone Jutsu? The duration was much better than a shadow clone's, but shadow clones were better in terms of sheer numbers. Noah and Mavis improved the spell, allowing the Thought Projection to communicate with the caster in real-time, touch physical objects (or not, based on the user's will), and use magic. Most importantly, it was now possible to create multiple projections, though this required an immense amount of magic power. Noah could barely manage to create two, and even then, they were weak, only capable of the pre-improvement version that could only speak and couldn't touch anything.

Besides improving existing magic, Noah also learned the Three Great Fairy Magics from Mavis: Fairy Law, Fairy Glitter, and Fairy Sphere.

Fairy Law was a legendary spell of absolute judgment, using holy light to vanquish the darkness by destroying everything the caster perceives as an enemy. However, it had a drawback: the more enemies it destroyed, the more of the caster's own life force it consumed.

To have a large-scale, auto-targeting group attack that didn't shorten his lifespan, Noah and Mavis modified Fairy Law. They changed the cost from consuming life force to consuming magic power; the more enemies, the more magic it required. They also altered the three-second casting time. It could now be either charged up or cast instantly. The charged version was more powerful, while the instant-cast version was weaker with a smaller range. To achieve both great power and a wide range, it would require a massive expenditure of magic.

Fairy Glitter's power was on par with Fairy Law's. It was an unforgiving light from the heavens that rejected the existence of all enemies, created by collecting and condensing the light of the sun, moon, and stars. Since Noah had already developed a somewhat similar spell, with Mavis's help, he extracted the suitable parts of his own magic and integrated them into Fairy Glitter. This allowed the spell to lock onto and weaken enemies before the main attack. It also no longer just collected celestial light; it could now gather and compress all sorts of different energies, making it even more powerful. Like the new Fairy Law, Fairy Glitter could be cast instantly without an incantation, but with reduced power. Increasing its strength required more magic.

When it came to improving magic, Noah's philosophy was simple: convert all costs into magic power consumption. The greater the cost, the greater the magic consumption. The confidence to make these changes came from his ever-growing magic power reserves. Besides, these ultimate spells already required vast amounts of magic to cast; the better versions just required even more.

Noah also found it strange that the guild mark had no other functions. It couldn't just be an identity mark; it needed more utility. He proposed this idea to Mavis, who readily agreed, and they began their research together.

After some study, they added a communication function to the guild mark. By consuming magic, a member could search for and contact other nearby members with the mark. The search range was determined by the amount of magic spent. A central communication device was set up in the guild hall to contact any member at any time. The guild mark could also automatically store ambient Ethernano and magic dissipated by the member during daily spell use. This stored power was used to receive signals from the guild and other members, while actual calls would consume the user's own magic. In emergencies, a member could use the mark to send a distress signal, allowing the guild to dispatch a rescue team.

However, the most important new function was that the collected magic was not just for receiving signals. It was also used to purify the member's magic, strengthen their life force, and increase their total magic power. This was the most significant improvement and took the longest to develop, requiring a full year with Mavis's help. With this, Noah could confidently say that Fairy Tail's growth was now unstoppable.

Since the mark's storage capacity wasn't large and had to be split between two functions, the passive enhancement effect was small. But because it was continuous, the long-term benefits were still considerable. There was also an active enhancement option: a member could channel their own magic into the mark to purify it and strengthen their life force more quickly. However, this method was fraught with danger. Such rapid enhancement was far less stable than the passive method and could easily lead to various negative consequences. After discussion, Noah and Mavis limited the active effect, allowing it to only enhance a member's power by a certain percentage of their total magic. Pumping in more magic would not increase the effect. They also hid this active function, leaving only the passive one to prevent anyone from trying something foolish.

After numerous tests confirmed that the improved guild mark had no issues, Noah's first act was to return and replace Makarov's mark. With his own vast magic power, the passive life force enhancement took immediate effect on Makarov. He felt a wave of vigor, and he looked visibly younger. He felt a lightness in his body, as if he were no longer a man in his seventies.

"You and the First Master have created something incredible," he said to Noah in awe. "But this doesn't touch upon any taboos, does it?"

"You mean the Curse of Ankhseram, Master? No, it doesn't. This is purely a strengthening of life force; it doesn't break the boundary of life and death. It just makes the body healthier and stronger and less prone to illness, but it cannot prevent aging and eventual death."

Makarov sighed in relief. "That's good."

"Gramps, let's replace the marks for all the guild members."

After everyone received their new guild marks, they all marveled at the new communication function. At Makarov's suggestion, the passive enhancement effect was kept a secret, known only to the Guild Master.

The process of learning and improving various magics took Noah over a year. When he looked up, the year was already X774.

While out on missions, Noah used his memories of the future to find a remote and peaceful village: Rosemary Village. There, he met three people who had left a deep impression on him: Erza, Simon, and Kagura. At this time, they were still very young, nothing like the grown-ups he remembered. After learning that Noah was a wizard, Erza and the others were filled with admiration. Noah, in turn, decided to teach them magic. Whenever he had free time from his missions, he would visit Rosemary Village to instruct them.

One day, Noah returned to the guild and went to the counter. He saw a worried look on Makarov's face. Noah paused, then quickly asked, "Gramps, did something happen? You look troubled."

"It's your Grandpa Rob. I haven't been able to contact him recently. I've had people look for him, but there's been no news."

"Grandpa Rob?" Noah was taken aback. The name was familiar. He was the reason Erza joined Fairy Tail. He remembered that Rob had lost his magic for some reason and was captured and taken as a slave to the Tower of Heaven. Noah had met Rob through Makarov a long time ago and had even suggested he settle down in Magnolia to be with his old friends Makarov and Porlyusica, but Rob had refused.

Noah quickly asked, "When did this happen?"