Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master

As August arrived, Magnolia seemed to grow even hotter.

The town had done a great job with greenery, and shade from trees was easy to find, but that also meant the constant buzzing of cicadas filled the air.

On good days, the rhythmic hum felt nostalgic, a reminder of what summer should be like.

On bad days, it was just plain annoying.

Inside the Fairy Tail guild hall, the ceiling fan spun slowly, offering a weak breeze to the bustling tavern below.

The heat made even the usual boisterous chatter feel oppressive.

Rhodes slumped over a table, drained and sluggish. He wasn't the only one.

Many guild members sat around with lazy expressions, sipping ice-cold beer just to get a moment's relief.

But one person remained popular despite the heat—Gray Fullbuster.

Though sweat dripped from his forehead, he was still working hard—transformed into the guild's personal ice-maker.

Of course, the biggest benefit of his service? No one reminded him to put his shirt back on.

Except for Natsu.

That guy was completely unaffected by the heat.

Even in this scorching weather, he was running around, full of energy, occasionally breaking into weird dances for no reason.

Mira walked over, filling an empty cup with ice before pouring in a refreshing drink.

She slid it across the counter toward Rhodes and gave him a small smile.

"You don't look very energetic."

"Thanks…" Rhodes took the cup with a bitter expression. "I barely slept last night. It's too hot, and the mosquitoes wouldn't leave me alone."

The mosquito repellent left behind by Goodman had just run out. Rhodes mentally reminded himself to buy a new bottle after work.

Mira gave him a look of understanding sympathy.

"That sounds rough… Oh! I haven't seen Warm these past few days. Where is he?"

Rhodes sighed dramatically.

"Too hot. The little coward's been hiding in Howling Abyss to escape the heat."

He pressed the cool glass to his forehead, letting out a sigh of relief.

"To make things worse, I feel like my magic power growth has slowed down recently. I'm not improving as fast as before."

Mira chuckled softly.

"That's only natural. Your magic power is already at a pretty high level—you won't see as much of a difference as you did in the beginning."

Rhodes raised an eyebrow.

"You think I'm that good?"

"At the very least, Jet isn't a match for you anymore."

She quickly covered her mouth, realizing it might be a bit rude to put it that way.

It was true.

Back when Rhodes first summoned the Krug, Jet already had a hard time fighting it.

But now?

Not only had Rhodes' magic power grown, but he had also unlocked something new—the Three Shadow Wolves.

A combination of two Shadow Wolves and one Great Shadow Wolf.

The Shadow Wolves were as large as tigers, with muscular builds and saber-like fangs.

The Great Shadow Wolf was even larger and had two heads.

When all three wolves leaned forward, baring their fangs, they looked intimidating and powerful—a clear upgrade from the Krug.

Through several sparring matches, Rhodes quickly learned their strengths.

More agile than the Krugs. Better at tracking (keen sense of smell). Can move in the shadows, making them harder to detect

Even Cana, who effortlessly countered his Krugs, struggled to land her cards on these fast-moving wolves.

The magic power cost to summon them? Roughly the same as three Scuttle Crabs.

That meant Rhodes could now command both Krugs and Shadow Wolves simultaneously, turning one-on-one fights into group battles, giving him a significant advantage.

The problem that came with it was that Rhodes himself became a bigger target.

Of course, every strength comes with a weakness.

And Rhodes had found his:

Now that his summons were stronger, his opponents started targeting him instead.

The best way to neutralize his magic was to attack the summoner directly.

That left him with two main escape strategies:

Option 1: Ride the Scuttle Crab and run away at full speed.

Option 2: Follow the Krug underground and hide until the fight was over.

Cowardly?

Maybe.

But effective?

Absolutely.

Of course, those escape tactics were only temporary solutions.

To truly solve the problem, Rhodes knew he had to become stronger.

One approach was constant physical training and combat practice, but that would take years of dedication before seeing real results.

Another option was to learn a new type of magic that would enhance his abilities in battle.

But

"Everyone seems to specialize in only one type of magic," Rhodes observed. "Why doesn't anyone learn multiple types? Wouldn't that make it easier to handle different situations?"

Mira, ever patient, gave him a knowing smile.

"Because there's not enough time or energy."

She leaned slightly against the counter, tilting her head as she explained,

"Whether it's mastering a new magic or increasing your magic power, both take an enormous amount of effort. If you try to learn multiple types at once, you'll end up spreading yourself too thin. Instead of mastering anything, you'll just be stuck at an average level in everything."

Rhodes frowned, considering her words.

"Imagine adding another magic practice session to your current schedule," Mira continued. "Would you even have time?"

Rhodes mentally reviewed his daily routine:

Meditation & Physical Training – Non-negotiable. These were the foundation of growth.

Summoning Magic Practice – Critical. The faster he could summon, the less vulnerable he'd be in battle.

Work at the Guild – Necessary. Even Nab, the guild's laziest member, picked up part-time jobs every now and then.

Reading & Research – Essential. He still lacked basic knowledge about the world, and he couldn't afford to make dumb mistakes due to ignorance.

There was barely any time left in his schedule.

"Maybe I could cut down on sleep?"

Mira's expression darkened instantly.

"Absolutely not!"

She raised a finger, her voice turning firm and serious:

"Sleep is essential for mental recovery. You already have an intense schedule—if you push yourself further, you'll end up suffering from Magic Deficiency Syndrome!"

Rhodes had read about it in books.

It usually happened when a mage overused their magic without proper rest.

At best, it could cause temporary blackouts. At worst, it could lead to sudden death.

A terrifying condition for any wizard.

Training to become stronger only to end up dead from overworking himself.

That would be beyond stupid.

Rhodes exhaled slowly and nodded.

Not having time to practice now doesn't mean you won't have time in the future.

That was the key realization Rhodes needed to grasp.

He couldn't rush things.

Priorities existed for a reason.

If he focused on his current objectives—Expanding his common knowledge and shortening his summoning chants, then, once those goals were achieved, he would naturally have time to explore other magic.

After all, he had only been learning for less than a month.

There was no point in trying to sprint before he could walk.

Mira, sensing his thoughts, suddenly brightened up and tapped the counter.

"Don't look so down. I've got good news for you!"

She set down a neat stack of bills with a light ding, ding, ding, ding...

"It's payday!"

"Already?!"

Rhodes blinked in surprise.

He picked up the stack and quickly counted—120,000 Jewel, exactly.

"That was fast! But wait, I haven't worked for a full month, have I?"

Mira tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Hmm, the day we went shopping for supplies counted as overtime."

Rhodes paused.

Then nodded.

"Then, thank you."

It was a small moment, but he understood—

This wasn't some random summer job like the one he had done before.

This was Fairy Tail.

They took care of their own.

He glanced at Mira, silently appreciating her thoughtfulness.

Mira waved toward Laki, who was chatting nearby.

"Laki, come grab your share!"

"Coming!"

Laki jogged over and grabbed her own, much thicker stack of bills—she was a full-time member, after all.

She sighed dramatically, pressing the money against her cheek.

"Finally! My hard work has paid off. I can feel the exact measure of my time and labor value."

Rhodes froze.

That was a weird way to phrase it.

After all the effort he was putting into learning proper language, there was no way he was adding phrases like "labor value" to his vocabulary.

Nope. Deleted from memory.

Laki then hummed happily, rubbing the bills with an affectionate sigh.

"Now I can finally get a few more 'cuties'!"

Rhodes blinked.

Cuties...?