SUMMONER'S JOURNEY

January 6, X784

Ironclad – Richard's House

The soft creak of wooden floorboards echoed through the empty house as Richard paced back and forth, deep in thought. His amber eyes traced over the familiar surroundings—the worn-out couch, the neatly arranged shelves, and the portrait of his parents that hung above the fireplace.

"What am I supposed to do now?"

For the past three days, he had done nothing but think, gathering as much information as he could about the Fairy Tail Guild, Fiore, and the state of the world. The discovery that he was in a world based on an anime he barely knew anything about had shaken him to the core.

It wasn't as if he had been a fan—he had never even watched Fairy Tail himself. But he had heard about it.

Richard leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, recalling a conversation from his past life.

"Dude, you HAVE to watch Fairy Tail! It's got amazing fights, crazy powerful wizards, and even a war with DRAGONS!"

His old friend, Ethan, had been obsessed with the anime. Richard, on the other hand, hadn't been interested.

"Nah, not my thing. I'm more into sci-fi."

"Come on, at least watch a few episodes! The characters are awesome! Natsu, Erza, Laxus—they're all crazy strong! And there's this guild called Fairy Tail that always gets into wild fights but somehow wins every time!"

Richard had shrugged off the recommendation back then. He had always been too busy with school, games, and part-time work to dive into long anime series. But he had absorbed a little from his friend's constant ramblings.

Fairy Tail is a powerful guild.

There are big wars and fights.

Something about dragons.

It has a happy ending.

That was all he knew.

But before he could ever give the anime a chance, fate had decided otherwise.

He remembered it vividly.

It had been a normal day. He had been carrying groceries up the stairs of his apartment complex, distracted by his phone. A single misstep was all it took.

The world had spun violently around him. His body tumbled down the concrete steps. His head slammed into the ground.

And then—darkness.

When he woke up, he was Richard Luminous, a 14-year-old boy in a world of magic.

At first, he had thought he was in some generic fantasy world. But after seeing the name "Fairy Tail" on Sorcerer's Weekly, the reality of the situation hit him like a truck.

He wasn't just in any fantasy world.

He was in one that had wars, monsters, dragons, and insanely powerful mages.

And he knew nothing about what was going to happen.

Over the past three days, Richard had meticulously gathered information from the guild, local traders, and traveling merchants.

Fiore was a powerful kingdom with many guilds.

Dark Guilds were a serious threat.

Fairy Tail had a strong reputation but was also chaotic.

The Magic Council kept the peace, but they weren't always reliable.

Most importantly, there were no records of any past wars involving dragons.

"Does that mean it hasn't happened yet?" Richard thought, feeling his stomach twist.

If he was truly in the past of Fairy Tail's timeline, then the events his friend mentioned—wars, dragons, conflicts—were all still ahead.

And he was completely blind to what was coming.

Richard rubbed his temples.

For three years, he had avoided thinking too much about the world outside Ironclad. He had trained, worked, and lived a relatively peaceful life. But now, reality was crashing down on him.

He couldn't stay here forever.

He had two choices:

1. Live quietly in Ironclad, avoiding danger.

2. Join a strong guild that could help him survive.

He thought about it carefully.

Option 1 seemed safer—he could train in peace, build up his strength, and never get involved in big conflicts.

But he knew it wasn't realistic.

Ironclad wasn't a fortress. If something big happened—a war, a calamity—the town could easily be wiped out. And if he was caught in a disaster alone, there would be no one to help him.

That left Option 2—joining a guild.

But which one?

After gathering information, one name stood out—Fairy Tail.

At first, he was hesitant.

Going with the protagonists was usually a death sentence. They always attracted the worst kind of trouble.

But the more he thought about it, the more Fairy Tail made sense.

1. It was one of the most powerful guilds in Fiore.

Even other strong guild masters were former Fairy Tail members.

2. They had a good reputation for fighting Dark Guilds.

If anyone could protect him, it was them.

3. The world had a "happy ending."

If Fairy Tail survived until the end, then sticking with them was safer than being alone.

Yes, it would be dangerous, but it was better than wandering blindly through a world he didn't fully understand.

Fairy Tail was his best shot at survival.

With his decision made, Richard turned his attention to preparing for his journey.

First, he needed money and gear.

His parents' house was too big for him to maintain. If he left it behind and it was destroyed in a war, he'd have no one to complain to.

Selling it was the best option.

The real estate broker in town valued the property at around 7 million jewels—

Along with 10 million he had saved from before he became a little rich for the moment.

Now He planned to:

Purchase combat-enhancing magic weapons, a magic tent and daily necessities.

And a high-quality enchanted cloak for protection from shops.

While shophing for items he also apologize to to drawf gear guild memebers and thanked them for taking care of him for all this years. Although they were sad that he was leaveing the town, they were happy that he was finally moveing on his life.

Once everything was done, he was read to travel north to Magnolia—the home of Fairy Tail.

...

Standing in front of the house one last time, Richard took a deep breath.

"This is it."

He was leaving behind his old life in Ironclad.

For three years, he had hidden, hesitated, and waited.

But now, he had a goal.

With a determined heart, Richard turned toward the road leading out of Ironclad.

Next stop—Magnolia.