Sora stepped out of the bathtub, put on the scratched Angewomon suit, and followed Angewomon's instructions to input data into the suit. The damaged areas rapidly repaired themselves before her eyes, and in the blink of an eye, the suit looked as good as new.
The next morning, she carried out her usual routine—"card draw" ritual.
Sadly, her luck was nightmarish—out of ten draws, all she got were Sukamon and Numemon.
Thankfully, she had decisively absorbed Vamdemon the previous day; otherwise, who knew when she'd manage to obtain a useful Digimon?
Entering the guild, she walked up to the mission board—while soaking in the bath last night, she had considered taking on a job to earn money for custom clothing, though she later learned that her outfit could be repaired with data, she still needed funds for rent and guild meal expenses.
Rent and meal fees could be deferred, but Sora didn't like the feeling of being in debt.
Thus, she stood before the mission board, ready to accept a task.
"Oh? Sora, you're taking on a mission?" Makarov walked up beside her. "You can take any mission on the first floor. As for the second floor, only S-Class wizards can go up there. If you find a mission you like, bring the request to me."
Sora asked, "Master, are there any jobs for models?"
Makarov was speechless, "...That kind of job would never appear on the mission board!"
"Really? I was hoping to make money while lying down." Sora sounded a bit disappointed.
With her goddess-like Angewomon appearance—tall and graceful—modeling would be an easy and lucrative job.
It was much easier than regular missions, and there wasn't even any fighting involved.
Makarov rolled his eyes, "Once you become famous, those photo magazines will come looking for you… But until then, you have to work hard to make a name for yourself."
"That makes sense. If I'm not famous, I won't get paid much as a model either."
Sora nodded and scanned the mission board, finally picking out a request. "How about this one?"
[Mission: Expel the Monster]
[Details: Drive away the rampaging gorilla-like monster Vulcan from Mt. Hakobe.]
[Reward: 100,000J]
Makarov took a look and said, "Vulcan, huh? These creatures cause trouble every so often. They usually appear in groups and have Take Over Magic, allowing them to possess human bodies."
'...Take Over Magic can be used like that?' Sora mused.
Vulcan's version of Take Over Magic was completely opposite to hers—more like parasitic magic than anything else.
Makarov continued, "But for you, it might not be an issue."
"Why?" Sora asked, puzzled.
Makarov chuckled, "Vulcan is very lecherous and has a thing for beautiful women. If they capture you, well… you can imagine the consequences."
'Consequences? Like… cream puffs?'
Sora clenched her fists and grinned, "I see. Then I'll just have to teach them a lesson!"
Makarov's eye twitched, "I was actually trying to persuade you to pick another mission."
If a man wizard took on this task, he wouldn't be so worried. Even if they got possessed, rescuing them afterward wouldn't be a big deal.
But Sora was a woman—and a stunning one at that.
Even if she was rescued, the psychological trauma could last a lifetime, and Makarov didn't want that to happen.
Sora reassured him, "I'll be fine."
She could fly, after all. Worst case, she could just fight from the air, keeping out of the Vulcans' reach.
"I'll find someone to accompany you—someone who can also be your guide," Makarov called over a young man with short blond hair wearing headphones. "Laxus, take Sora with you on this mission."
Laxus scoffed, "Tch. A boring mission like this, and you want me to go?"
As Makarov's grandson, Laxus was born with immense magic power. At just seventeen, he had already reached S-Class wizard level—an achievement most wizards couldn't attain in a lifetime.
However, he hadn't officially earned the S-Class title yet because he still needed to pass the exam.
Makarov grinned, "If you go, I'll put you on this year's S-Class exam list."
In truth, Makarov had already decided to include Laxus in the exam list, regardless of whether he accepted the mission or not. Laxus had already met all the requirements in terms of strength and mission completion.
But Laxus didn't know that and was genuinely worried he wouldn't make the list.
After all, Makarov had the final say.
"Fine, whatever." Laxus reluctantly agreed.
At this stage, he was only mildly rebellious—not yet the arrogant, overbearing character he would become later in the main storyline.
Sora clapped her hands, "Great! With you around, I can try a different strategy."
Laxus glanced at her but didn't respond.
Sora immediately grabbed his hand, "Let's go!"
"Let go, I can walk by myself." Laxus awkwardly pulled his hand away and strode ahead.
At this point, he wasn't just rebellious—he was still a little innocent.
A sly smile flickered at the corner of Sora's lips, but she waved to Makarov without showing her thoughts and then followed Laxus out of the guild.
Makarov watching them leave, muttered, "Laxus, take this chance to win Sora over!"
There were plenty of potential guides—Macao, Wakaba, and others would have happily volunteered. In fact, they might have been better suited for the job.
But out of a little personal bias, Makarov had handed this opportunity to Laxus.
Sora and Laxus headed to a rental shop and leased a Magic Vehicle to travel to Mt. Hakobe.
Magic Vehicles ran on magical energy. On this trip, Laxus wasn't just a guide and bodyguard—he was also the driver. He felt more and more like a servant and suspected his grandfather had tricked him.
The more he thought about it, the faster he drove. He just wanted to finish the mission quickly and go home.
Two hours later, they arrived at their destination.
At the foot of Mt. Hakobe, the road ahead was covered in snow, and the Magic Vehicle couldn't go any further, so they had to continue on foot.
Sora stepped out of the vehicle and shivered as the icy air hit her, "It's freezing!"
She hugged her own arms, noticing goosebumps forming on her skin.
Though she was a Digimon, her body functioned like a human's—down to the pores.
Laxus smirked, "Hmph. That's what you get for dressing so lightly."
Sora turned to him and smiled, "Oh? But you're shivering too."
Laxus scoffed, "I just used up too much magic power. Once I recover, this cold will be nothing!"
Wizards adapted to harsh environments better than regular people—especially Laxus. But since he had burned through a lot of magic energy driving, his resistance had temporarily weakened.
"Healing Light!"
A rainbow-colored glow radiated from Sora's palm, enveloping Laxus.
"What are you doing?" Laxus blinked in surprise.
Sora smiled, "Now you'll recover faster."
Laxus felt his stamina and magic replenishing quickly, secretly impressed—he hadn't expected the guild's new member to have such a rare healing ability.
If he ever formed a team, he'd definitely want a healer like her.
Sora dismissed the spell and turned toward the mountain, "Let's go find Vulcan. With you behind me, I have nothing to fear."
"Just so you know, I won't help until you're completely beaten."
Sora smiled, "That's fine. Your presence alone is enough."
With that, she strode into the mountain.
"…Weird woman," Laxus muttered, hands in his pockets as he followed.
***
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