Marco wasn't a die-hard fan of Saint Seiya, so he genuinely couldn't recall this particular Bronze Cloth existing.
Upon closer inspection, the Cloth did resemble a horse with wings, though the wings were noticeably tiny.
Moreover, its color scheme and design differed from his memory of the 'Pegasus Bronze Cloth'.
Clearly, the system didn't make a mistake.
"Is he dead?!"
While Marco was reeling from the "Pegasus" turning into "Equuleus" the only boy under the nearby shade of trees suddenly jumped to his feet.
He asked the question in a panic, directing it at Natsu, who lay motionless on the ground.
The boy had spiky black hair and was shirtless, wearing only oversized blue shorts.
His clothes, which had been on him moments ago, were nowhere to be seen.
Thud!
The black-haired boy yelped as a fist connected with his head.
The punch was so hard that a visible bump seemed to form where he'd been hit.
"Of course he's not dead! Don't spout nonsense, Gray!"
The one who punched Gray was a red-haired girl beside him.
With delicate features, she wore a suit of armor and carried a sword at her waist.
Taller than Gray and radiating a heroic aura, she was sure to grow into a stunning beauty.
After scolding Gray, the girl—Erza—hurried over to Natsu with a worried expression.
Though she believed Marco had held back, seeing Natsu completely still made her uneasy.
"Let's go check too, Cana."
Following Erza, Gray quickly caught up, calling out to a girl nearby who was cradling an adorable white puppy.
"Okay."
Cana nodded obediently, hugging the puppy as she hurried after them.
The girl had chestnut-brown hair tied into a ponytail and wore a cute orange sundress, giving off a sweet and gentle vibe.
"By the way Gray, where are your clothes?"
While running, Cana didn't forget to remind Gray who had suddenly stripped off his clothes.
"Huh?! When did that happen?!"
Gray looked genuinely surprised, as if he'd only just noticed his clothes were missing.
Abandoning checking on Natsu, Gray immediately began searching for his clothes.
Cana put down the puppy she was holding to help look as well.
The two humans and one dog created quite a chaotic scene.
This commotion snapped Marco out of his stunned state.
He stopped examining the "Equuleus Bronze Cloth" and turned his attention to Natsu lying on the ground.
Looking at the motionless Natsu, Marco wasn't actually worried about him.
He knew exactly how much force he'd used in his strikes.
Moreover, Natsu's body was extraordinarily tough - far beyond normal human standards.
Marco could tell just from how his fists had felt upon impact.
This was actually one of the effects of "Dragon Slayer Magic," which transformed the user's physique into that of a dragon.
Marco had already learned about this from Master Makarov.
In short, Natsu was extremely durable and definitely wouldn't be killed by a few punches.
Furthermore, his [Saint System] had indicated that Natsu was an important story character in this world.
He probably had the same "unkillable cockroach" attribute as the "Bronze Saints" so how could he possibly be taken down so easily?
Marco knew the Earth Land world he now inhabited was from an anime called "Fairy Tail."
And that was all he knew.
Marco had only heard the name "Fairy Tail" and had never actually watched the anime, leaving him completely in the dark without any foreknowledge advantage.
But that didn't matter.
With the [Saint System] at his disposal, Marco just needed to focus on training hard.
No matter what challenges came, he would meet them with his fists, punching his way through to create a broad path forward!
Although he didn't know the plot or characters, Marco was certain he'd already connected with the main storyline.
After all, the mage guild where he was growing up was called "Fairy Tail" - it couldn't possibly be unrelated to the main plot, right?
It made sense when you thought about it.
Common sense suggested an anime's title would be closely tied to its main story, like "Naruto".
"Fairy Tail" should be no different.
Natsu's appearance now, along with previous missions triggered through Gray and Erza, continually confirmed Marco's theory that his guildmates were all important story characters.
Under Marco's watchful gaze, Erza approached the unconscious Natsu.
"Natsu! Are you okay? Wake up!"
Erza grabbed Natsu's shoulders with both hands and shook him vigorously.
The violent shaking made Natsu grimace in pain as he struggled to open his eyes, showing signs of waking up.
Seeing this, Erza shook him even harder.
She lifted Natsu's entire body off the ground and shook him violently.
Natsu turned pale as his limbs flailed wildly in the air like a ragdoll under Erza's forceful movements.
"Hey hey hey! Erza! Put Natsu down quickly! What you're doing is only making him more dizzy!"
Seeing Erza's actions, Marco couldn't hold back anymore and hurriedly spoke up to stop her.
He covered his forehead with a helpless expression.
Seriously, is this really saving someone?
It feels more like making sure Natsu isn't dead enough yet!
"Oh."
Erza obediently let go and Natsu fell to the ground with a 'thud'.
Noticing Natsu still showed no signs of waking up, Erza's clever mind came up with another idea.
She decisively raised her hand.
'Smack!'
A slap landed, leaving a clear red handprint on Natsu's pale face, making him look even worse.
"Stop stop stop!"
Witnessing Erza's move, Marco quickly stepped forward.
He reached out in time to grab Erza's wrist, preventing her from delivering another slap that would leave another red mark on Natsu's face.
'Confirmed, she's about to finish him off.'
Marco complained inwardly, though it was just a joke.
He knew Erza didn't mean to hurt Natsu intentionally.
Erza, who had only joined the guild a year ago, was also a problem child—a girl who had suffered severe psychological trauma.
Last year, when Erza first arrived at the guild, she was even more unstable than Natsu, who kept claiming he had a "Dragon Dad."
She was extremely withdrawn and barely interacted with anyone.
It was only after going through some experiences that Erza gradually let down her guard and became friends with everyone in the guild.
Marco knew that this girl, who appeared strong-willed, rough and always shielded herself with hard armor, actually had a very tender heart.
"Let go of me, Marco."
With her wrist caught by Marco, Erza struggled forcefully.
Marco released her hand but remained wary of Erza delivering another blow.
Poor Natsu couldn't endure any more of this torment.
Glancing at Natsu, Marco was starting to feel a bit worried now.
Although he knew how to control his strength, Erza truly had no sense of restraint!
Natsu, this poor kid, had only joined the Fairy Tail guild a couple of days ago.
He better not die like this!
Otherwise, Marco really wouldn't know how to explain it to Master Makarov.
As the leader of the kids in the guild, he had the responsibility and duty to protect the safety of the children who followed him.
"Marco, what you did was wrong. This was just a spar. Natsu is also a member of the guild. You shouldn't have hit him so hard. He's just a newcomer and not as strong as you."
Erza didn't attack again but stood up instead.
She placed her hands on her hips and glared at Marco, her cheeks puffed up like two little buns, clearly dissatisfied with Marco's actions.
She thought Marco had gone a bit too far.
"Pfft!"
As soon as Erza finished speaking, Marco reached out a finger and lightly poked her cheek, deflating the little buns on her face.
"Marco!"
That really stirred up a hornet's nest.
Erza grew even angrier.
She was trying to have a serious discussion with Marco, but here he was, fooling around and playing games with her!
"Calm down, Erza! Before you came over, Natsu was already starting to wake up. Didn't you notice at all?"
Marco reached out, signaling for Erza to calm down, then quickly shifted focus, steering the conversation back to Natsu.
"Huh? Is that true?"
Marco's words successfully caught Erza off guard.
Forgetting her anger, she asked in confusion.
"Of course! Natsu was almost awake! It was your subsequent actions that made him end up like this!"
Seeing that Erza had calmed down and begun reflecting, Marco seized the moment to press on.
His words were resolute and left no room for doubt, delivering a definitive conclusion to the matter.
Erza wasn't the type to shirk responsibility—quite the opposite.
She had an extremely strong sense of duty and was very reasonable.
Under Marco's guidance, she couldn't help but start questioning herself.
'Did I really make a mistake? Is that why Natsu still hasn't woken up?'
Erza carefully recalled the situation.
When she had first arrived, Natsu had indeed seemed on the verge of waking up—not at all like the half-dead state he was in now.
The reason Natsu had ended up like this… was actually her fault?
"I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to!"
Realizing her mistake, Erza immediately apologized—not just to Natsu, but also to Marco for her earlier accusations.
She had been far too rash!
Under Marco's influence, the current Erza, though still a bit awkward, had learned to honestly admit her mistakes and say "I'm sorry" to others.
"If apologies were enough, what would we need doctors for? Natsu's in bad shape—hurry up and take him to see Granny Porlyusica."
Marco shook his head, directing Erza to carry Natsu on her back.
In this situation, the priority was to get Natsu to a doctor as quickly as possible.
Granny Porlyusica was the advisor of the Fairy Tail guild—a female version of a "miracle healer"—and lived deep in the forest.
"Got it!"
Erza swiftly lifted Natsu onto her back and followed Marco as they dashed deeper into the woods.
As they ran, Erza kept apologizing, admitting she shouldn't have hurt Natsu or baselessly accused Marco.
Her face was full of remorse, guilt and worry for Natsu.
Meanwhile, Marco generously comforted her, assuring her it wasn't her fault—she had only acted out of concern for a guildmate, not malice.
"..."
"If I remember correctly, wasn't it Marco who knocked Natsu out in the first place? Why does it feel like all the blame's shifted to Erza?"
Cana and Gray, who had finally found his clothes, watched the scene unfold.
The two kids exchanged glances, feeling like something wasn't quite right.
"Gray! Cana! Hurry up and follow!"
Before they could figure it out, Marco's voice called from ahead, and the two quickly rushed after them.