It's been 18 years since I was reincarnated into this world. There was no warning, no system prompt, not even a memory of how I died. I just... appeared. A baby, abandoned in a forest, found by an old man in a jester's outfit. His name was Makarov. Kind, wise, and unexpectedly warm, he took me in and raised me as his own. I was adopted without question, and before I knew it, I was living with him as part of his family.
Year X772
When I turned six, I finally started noticing things. Makarov wasn't just a strange, kind old man—he was the Guild Master of Fairy Tail. The name triggered something in me. I remembered hearing it before in my past life. That's when it hit me: I'd been reincarnated into an anime world.
But that was all I knew—just the title. I didn't remember the story or the characters. And honestly? I didn't care. I was happy here.
I asked Makarov about everything: magic, the guild, this world's rules. He explained it all patiently. Then I asked the big question: Could I use magic too?His face grew solemn. "No," he said. "You don't have magic."Was I disappointed? A bit. But I didn't feel crushed. When he saw I wasn't upset, he looked relieved.
Still, I asked another question: Can I still join the guild, even without magic?I was ready for rejection, I had other choice anyway.But Makarov just smiled and said, "As long as you live by Fairy Tail's ideals, you're always welcome. And since you already do, you're free to join anytime."And just like that, I joined. I chose red for my guild mark and placed it on my left chest over my heart. It looked cool. I felt proud.
I also lived with Makarov's grandson, Laxus. We didn't talk much. When Grandpa encouraged us to bond like brothers, we both nodded—but never followed through. He just sighed every time.
Year X778
Time passed, and by the time I turned 12, I was still magicless. But that didn't stop me. I trained relentlessly to grow stronger—through physical training, weapon training, and every other method I could find.
New faces joined the guild.Erza, the red-haired girl who used Requip magic.Gray, the shirtless Ice-Make mage.And the most unique of them all was Natsu—pink-haired, wild, and fiery in every sense of the word. We found him in a forest, claiming he was searching for a dragon named Igneel. At first, I thought it was nonsense. Dragons? Seriously? But Makarov believed him… so I did too. I guess this really is a magical fantasy world, after all.
Oh, and apparently Natsu's a Dragon Slayer. Makarov said it like it was a big deal. I mean, sure—it sounded cool. But Natsu didn't really strike me as anything close to a "dragon slayer." Maybe he'll live up to the name when he's older.
Then Makarov told me something personal—something that probably should've shocked me. "You were found in a forest too," he said. "But the difference is you were just a baby. The name 'John Doe' was stitched into your clothes. Since I adopted you, I gave you a new name—John Dreyar." I just blinked. "Oh. I see." I already knew. And honestly? I didn't care. What mattered was the life I had now. Makarov looked a little stunned—maybe even impressed—by how indifferent I was. But even if I didn't see it as some life-changing revelation, I still felt deeply grateful. I bowed my head and thanked him sincerely. He just smiled and said, "It's nothing. There's no need to bow—you're my son." He was right. I call him Father. And if he hadn't found me back then… I probably wouldn't be alive now.
Life in the guild was wild. The new generation was full of monsters—powerful, talented mages. I admired them, sure. Maybe even envied them a bit. But I never hated them. Natsu and Gray fought constantly—probably because of their opposing elements. Erza would often step in and stop them. She was clearly the strongest among us, and they were definitely afraid of her. Me? I kept my distance and trained alone.
Eventually, Makarov encouraged me to socialize more—so I did. I started spending time with the other guild members, especially Natsu, Gray, and Erza. We gradually grew closer, and I even began sparring with them.
Against Natsu and Gray, I sometimes managed to win—though it was more luck than skill. They were still young and learning to control their magic. But with Erza… that was a different story.
Without her using magic, I could occasionally hold my own. But the moment Erza activated her magic, it was game over. Her strength was absurd for someone her age—even without magic, fighting her was no joke. Still, I gave it everything I had. People started calling me fearless. I'm not sure if that's true. All I know is, even when I was the one most beaten up in a spar, I kept standing—sometimes even while unconscious.
Makarov scolded me a lot for that.
Erza often apologized when she went too far. I always told her, "It was my choice. Not your fault." I accepted every spar as experience. Natsu found it impressive, while Gray mocked me for being reckless. I just shrugged—compared to my past life, this was nothing.
Outside of fighting, I trained in everything I could—cooking, blacksmithing, survival, alchemy, engineering you name it. I didn't have magic, so I had to excel at everything else. People were often impressed, but to me, it was nothing special. With talent and hard work, anyone could do it.
Over the years, we experienced joy, laughter, tragedy, and pain… but all of that is in the past.
Year X784:
And now, this is the present. I might just be the strongest magicless person around.
Sometimes, I wish I could be on Saitama's level—but I know that's impossible. This isn't his world. Maybe if I had reincarnated into his universe, I'd have gotten those insane powers too. But no, I ended up here. And honestly? That might be for the best. This world is way more peaceful than Saitama's.
For some reason, I got assigned to a mission with Natsu—well, more like Natsu asked me to come along. Not that I minded. I'm not really sure why, though. He's way stronger than me now, so it's not like he actually needs my help. That said, when it comes to raw physical strength—with or without mana—I might have a slight edge. For someone without magic, my strength is pretty ridiculous. Still, that doesn't exactly explain why I was needed for this mission… but whatever. Maybe he just wanted some company. He has Happy, sure, but maybe is because I was the only one available. Makes sense—I rarely go on missions and spend most of my time training anyway.
And truthfully, it was my choice. Natsu originally planned to go alone—with Happy, of course. I could've turned him down, but I accepted his request because… well, I was bored. Makarov permitted it, and we packed our stuff and left the guild shortly after. Natsu mentioned something about tracking down a "Salamander."
Hmph… I have a feeling I might regret tagging along—but it's too late to back out now.
Natsu said he didn't expect me to agree, and I just told him I was bored. He accepted that answer without question—typical Natsu.
Right now, we're on a train, and as usual, Natsu's getting wrecked by his ridiculous motion sickness. Even with medicine, nothing seems to help. Honestly, it feels way beyond normal.
Maybe it's a Dragon Slayer thing… or maybe Natsu's just built weird. Either way, whatever. We're almost at our destination now he can take it.
After finally arriving at the port town of Hargeon, Natsu was still dizzy and disoriented. Happy tried to wake him up while the train conductor looked on, clearly concerned. Happy reassured him, saying it was normal—Natsu was always like this. Wanting to get off the train as quickly as possible, I carried Natsu outside. Even then, he was still woozy and ended up throwing up what looked like rainbow sherbet. Thankfully, I'd brought a plastic bag just in case, Natsu thank me.
Once Natsu felt better, we began exploring the town, searching for the Salamander based on the information he and Happy had gathered. As we wandered through the streets, Natsu kept complaining about the train ride.
Natsu: "Man... I hate riding trains."
Happy: "You're no good at riding anything, Natsu."
John: "Is it just you, or are all Dragon Slayers like this?"
Natsu: "Every Dragon Slayer is like this!"
Happy: "I don't know... we've never actually met any other Dragon Slayers. I think Natsu might be the only one."
John: "Is that so?"
Natsu: "Happy! That's not true! Every Dragon Slayer is like this—I'm sure of it."
John: "Well, if we ever meet another Dragon Slayer, we're putting that theory to the test—maybe by riding a boat for a long time."
Natsu: "Gah... I don't even want to think about it. Not to mention, I'm starving after all that throwing up..."
Happy: "And we don't have any money to buy food."
Natsu: "But you've got some, right John?"
John: "We brought enough food to last a week, but you two devoured it like gluttons on the first day."
Happy: "Aye! Natsu is such a glutton!"
John: "That includes you."
Happy: "That's not true!"
John:sighs "Whatever. Yes, I still have money—but it's only enough for a train ticket, ticket to home. So don't get your hopes up about me buying food for you."
Natsu: "So stingy."
John: "Your fault, your problem."
Natsu and I argued for a bit while Happy just watched and sighed. Eventually, we dropped it and continued exploring. Then Natsu turned to Happy with a more serious tone.
Natsu: "Say, Happy… this 'Salamander'—it's Igneel, right?"
Happy: "Yeah! I mean, Salamander is a fire dragon, right? Who else could it be?"
Natsu: "Yeah… that's what I thought."
John: "Is that information even legit?"
Happy: "It's true!"
John: "If that were really true, this whole town would've been turned to ash by now. It's a dragon we're talking about they are a monster."
Natsu suddenly grabbed my sleeve, his eyes intense.
Natsu: "Hey! I know Igneel is a dragon, but he's not the kind of monster who would destroy a town without a reason! He's the kindest dragon—and he's my father."
John: "Okay, okay! I'm sorry. I only said that because I've never seen a dragon before. Can you let go now?"
Happy: "Natsu, calm down. He didn't mean it like that."
Natsu released my sleeve, his expression softening.
Natsu: "Sorry. I didn't mean to get worked up. I just hate it when people talk badly about Igneel."
Happy: "You really shouldn't do that again."
John just nodded silently.
John (Thought):Jeez, I was only joking... Guess he's really sensitive about anything involving Igneel. Note to self: no more joke about a dragon name Igneel around Natsu.
John: "Fine. Let's just say the info is true. But if Igneel's really here, shouldn't someone in the town have seen a giant dragon?"
Natsu: "Oh, Igneel can transform into a human."
John: "Right, you did mention that in the past."
John (Thought):A dragon that turns into a human... classic anime logic.
John: "Still, I'm not sure that info's reliable. Could just be some con artist using the name 'Salamander.' Or maybe 'Salamander' is just a title someone claimed for themselves."
Natsu: "That might be true... but either way, we're going to find out. Even if it turns out to be nothing, there's still a small chance it could be real—right, Happy?"
Happy: "Aye, sir!"
John: "Welp, whatever... It's not like he's just going to show up that easily."
They all came to a sudden stop as they noticed a large crowd gathered up ahead. Amid the noise, one girl's voice rang out above the rest.
Girl: "Salamander-sama! You're so wonderful! Burn me!"
Natsu and Happy immediately turned to each other, eyes wide with excitement.
Natsu/Happy: "Salamander!"
Meanwhile, I stayed where I was, completely dumbfounded.
John: ...
John (Thought):Seriously? I mention him and he actually shows up... How does that even happen? Whatever—I'm still not convinced it's really him.
Natsu & Happy both take off running toward the crowd.
Natsu: "See? Talk about someone, and they show up!"
Happy: "Aye!"
As the two took off running toward the crowd, I let out a sigh and followed after them.