After following Gildarts for about a week to learn from him, the S-Class mage exam of Fairy Tail finally officially began.
For any guild, the S-Class mage exam was a truly major event, and Fairy Tail was no exception. Every year during the exam period, the members of Fairy Tail behaved as if it were a festival, each more excited than the next.
Among them, the two most excited were undoubtedly Natsu and Gray, since both had their own reasons to become S-Class mages.
And yet… neither of them qualified.
The criteria for S-Class exam eligibility were based on multiple factors. Perhaps Natsu and Gray's strength was sufficient, but in other areas, they fell far short—especially in calm decision-making during missions. Though Gray trained in ice magic, his temper was in no way less fiery than Natsu's!
This year, due to Mystogan's withdrawal, only five members were participating in the S-Class exam.
First were Macao and Wakaba, both of whom were older and likely participating in their final S-Class exam. The remaining three were Mirajane, Cana, and a man named Chris. Ur wasn't familiar with Chris, but he often saw him at the front of the mission board, marking him as one of the guild's more diligent mages. As for his strength, Ur could only say it was average.
When mages completed missions, they often encountered situations where their own strength wasn't enough to handle them alone. That was when teammates became essential.
The S-Class mage exam specifically tested this aspect: each mage had to choose a partner to team up with during the exam. This tested not only team coordination but also a mage's relationships within the guild.
This was why Cana had sought out Ur.
If a mage couldn't even find a partner during a mission, it already said a lot about them. The specific missions of the S-Class exam changed each year. Only the guild master knew the entire exam process, and even the S-Class examiners only learned their missions shortly before the exam began.
However, three things remained constant:
The partner requirement.The exam location. No matter the year, the final exam always took place at Fairy Tail's sacred ground: Tenrou Island.The examiners. Each year, the guild's S-Class mages acted as examiners.
When Makarov announced the exam list in the guild, Gildarts and the others had already departed, likely having reached Tenrou Island by now.
"Now, I officially announce the start of the S-Class mage exam! The first mission: five teams depart from the guild to Tenrou Island simultaneously. The first two teams to arrive may pair up to complete the next mission. The third and fourth may also pair up, while the last team must complete the second stage alone. The exam begins!"
After Makarov's announcement, everyone froze. They had never seen an exam mission announced in the guild itself, but soon everyone understood.
Natsu dragged Macao, Gray grabbed Wakaba, and they all dashed out of the guild.
In the blink of an eye, they disappeared.
Because they hadn't qualified for the S-Class exam, Natsu and Gray decisively joined Makarov and Wakaba's teams. It seemed they had already planned this, as Macao and Wakaba hadn't even chosen partners, apparently expecting Natsu and Gray to be disqualified.
Seeing these two groups take action, Chris immediately grabbed his partner, the purple-haired, violet-eyed Laki Olietta, and ran toward the exit. Mirajane followed closely with Lisanna.
Cana, seeing this, grew anxious and grabbed Ur, wanting to catch up. Unfortunately, Ur remained standing still, unmoving.
"Why aren't you leaving? We need to hurry!" Cana urged.
Although she didn't know what the second-stage exam entailed, it was obvious that the last person would be at a disadvantage.
Ur calmly looked ahead at Makarov, who was grinning slyly like a fox, and said leisurely, "Why rush? Do you know the way to Tenrou Island?"
"Of course. Don't forget, I've taken the exam before."
"You're sure? But that's over the sea…"
Ur's calm words left Cana stunned.
Right! There were no fixed landmarks at sea, and without a navigation map, even repeated trips wouldn't guarantee she could accurately find Tenrou Island.
"What do we do then?" Cana asked, confused.
Ur shrugged, pointing at Makarov ahead. "Of course, we find our exam proctor."
All the participating mages had fallen into Makarov's trap this time. Not every mage was taking the S-Class exam for the first time, so this seemingly simple first-stage problem tricked them all into a fixed mindset.
Emmmm! Macao and Wakaba didn't count—they were just unlucky with their partners.
The spectators in the guild were all feeling dazed. Only Makarov, however, watched Ur with interest for a moment before smiling and saying, "I hid the maps somewhere in the guild. Go find them! If you find them, they're yours."
Hearing this, Ur glanced at Makarov, then, under everyone's gaze, reached out and pulled five maps directly from Makarov's person.
Makarov: "······"
Everyone: "······"
Cana stared at Ur in disbelief, while Ur himself remained calm, barely hiding a smile.
Damn! Five maps hidden in one place—where else could they be but on Makarov himself?
Ur grabbed the maps, ignoring Makarov's scowling, and left immediately.
As Ur departed, Mirajane, wearing a serious expression, returned to the guild.
Seeing Mirajane, Makarov smiled again. "Yo, Mirajane, here for the map? I hid it somewhere in the guild. Go find it, and if you find it, it's yours…"
Before he could finish, Mirajane strode up and grabbed the remaining four maps from his arms.
Makarov: "······"
Everyone: "······"
Taking the maps, Mirajane ignored Makarov's stiff expression and left with Lisanna.
Before leaving, she couldn't help muttering in her heart, "Still pretending, huh? Luckily, I saw Ur's move outside. Otherwise, you would've fooled me, you old trickster…"
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Next Chapter: The Second Stage
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