"Again! I won't give up easily!" Marco gritted his teeth.
No matter how difficult it was, he had to learn it!
Ever since obtaining the [Saint System], he had been trying to comprehend and awaken his "Cosmo" but he had made no progress.
Without someone to guide him through systematic training, it wasn't something he could easily figure out on his own.
Marco had even wondered if he simply didn't possess Cosmo at all.
After all, his body was clearly native to this world.
But the [Saint System] dispelled his doubts—it explicitly confirmed that he did have "Cosmo."
Over the years, Marco had worked tirelessly, yet "Cosmo" remained elusive.
Instead, his talent for magic became increasingly apparent.
Sometimes, he wondered if his magic talent overshadowed his Cosmo potential, keeping it dormant.
Looking at his Magic Power source, which resembled a swirling galaxy of stars, Marco occasionally thought it looked a lot like a "Cosmo."
Maybe the two had merged into one?
Of course, these were just Marco's speculations.
The truth would only be revealed once he truly grasped "Cosmo."
Watching Marco's unwavering determination, Gildarts grew even more impressed.
Talented and hardworking—Marco was truly a role model.
His presence had even motivated the other kids in the guild to push themselves harder.
He was the kind of person who inspired growth in others.
Gildarts didn't know that Marco couldn't use other types of magic—he simply assumed Marco hadn't learned them yet.
That was perfectly normal, because Gildarts had never successfully taught anyone else!
Most people who wanted to learn "Crush" quickly realized how difficult it was and wisely backed down.
And once they gave up, Gildarts couldn't force them to continue, so his teaching success rate remained a solid 0%!
Now, faced with Marco's stubborn persistence, Gildarts found himself equally fired up.
He refused to believe he couldn't teach someone—he was determined to make Marco master it!
The two were a perfect match—worthy opponents in their own right.
One had never successfully taught anyone and the other was seemingly incapable of learning.
Yet here they were: one daring to teach, the other daring to learn.
It was almost comical.
However, their intense training session didn't last long, as the rest of the guild members began arriving one after another—clearly, they had all come to see Gildarts.
"Gildarts!" Gray exclaimed excitedly upon seeing him.
His bond with Gildarts ran deep—it was Gildarts who had brought him to the guild and the two had always shared a close relationship.
"Lil Gray, you've grown a bit taller too." Gildarts smiled as he spoke, patting Gray on the head.
He was genuinely happy to have brought such a talented child back to the guild.
Even if Gray hadn't turned out to be exceptional, Gildarts would still have taken him in without hesitation—after all, the boy had been all alone back then.
But of course, it was even better that Gray had grown into someone so capable.
Aside from Gray, the other children in the guild were also quite affectionate towards Gildarts.
Erza, Levy, Cana, Jet, Droy, and even Laxus—all of them looked up to Gildarts with admiration.
Gildarts was the "idol" of the Fairy Tail guild, a middle-aged version of Marco, widely beloved by everyone.
And by "everyone" that didn't just mean the kids—even the adult members of the guild held Gildarts in high esteem.
There was only one exception: Natsu.
At this point, Natsu had only just joined the guild and this was his first time meeting the legendary 'strongest mage of Fairy Tail'.
He had already heard Gildarts' name of course and it had stuck firmly in his mind.
Natsu was fiercely competitive by nature.
He loved challenging strong opponents, loved setting them as his goals—and his ultimate aim, naturally, was to surpass every one of those powerful figures he set his sights on.
So someone like Gildarts, hailed as the strongest in Fairy Tail, was impossible for him to ignore.
No, he absolutely wouldn't ignore him.
"Gildarts, this is Natsu—a new kid in the guild. He uses Fire Dragon Slayer Magic and has a lot of talent."
Marco pulled Natsu, who had been standing on the sidelines watching, into the "Gildarts circle" and introduced him proactively.
"Natsu, this is Gildarts!"
Marco glanced at Natsu, knowing full well that the boy was already familiar with Gildarts' name.
Though he hadn't known Natsu for long, the kid was so straightforward—so single-minded—that Marco felt he already had him completely figured out.
"Hey, I'm Natsu! Gildarts, I challenge you to a fight!"
Before Gildarts could even respond, Natsu went straight from 0 to 100, immediately asking Gildarts for a fight.
"..."
Silence fell over the group as everyone stared at Natsu with strange expressions.
If challenging Marco or Erza could be considered brave…
Then what did challenging Gildarts count as?
Blind courage? Ignorance ?
"Sure!"
Whatever the others thought, Gildarts just laughed and agreed without hesitation.
He wasn't the type to put on airs of arrogance.
"This kid really reminds me of you back in the day, Marco."
After accepting Natsu's challenge, Gildarts shot Marco an amused look, teasing him lightly.
Marco felt a little awkward—after all, he had just done something similar not long ago.
Now Natsu had shown up and pulled off the same act like him, which was admittedly hard to take seriously.
But he wasn't surprised.
Marco deeply admired Natsu's attitude—that fearless, relentless drive to grow stronger, to keep challenging those above him.
It was the exact kind of spirit a true powerhouse needed.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
BAM!
Natsu went flying, landing flat on his face with stars spinning above his head.
"..."
The group fell into silence for a moment before Gildarts clapped his hands with a relaxed expression.
"It's over. Natsu isn't weak—he's got real potential."
After knocking Natsu out with a single punch, Gildarts gave an objective assessment.
Just from that one punch Natsu had thrown, he could gauge the boy's skill level.
Though far from Marco's caliber, Natsu was still exceptionally talented, on par with Gray.
"Natsu, wake up! Are you okay?"
Marco rushed to Natsu's side, his expression was serious.
As he called out, he waved a hand in front of Natsu's eyes.
"Oh no! Someone get Porlyusica, quick!"
After waving his hand twice, Marco's face suddenly changed.
He stood up abruptly and shouted, startling everyone into silence.
"Just kidding. Natsu's fine—he just needs a moment to recover."
Before the others could panic, Marco's expression shifted again, his anxious look melting into a grin.
His words left everyone dumbfounded once more.
"You little brat! Don't scare us like that! You think I don't know my own strength?!"
Gildarts was the first to react, shaking his head with a resigned chuckle.
Even he had been momentarily fooled by the kid's antics.
The other children quickly caught on too and soon they were all teasing Marco, laughter and playful banter filling the air.