"That Gildarts, even after leaving he's still causing me so much trouble."
Watching Gildarts' retreating figure, Makarov gritted his teeth in frustration.
Gildarts had roused everyone's spirits with his speech, then simply walked away, leaving Makarov to handle all the preparations for the S-Class Exam alone.
Naturally, this annoyed him greatly.
Originally, only Marco, Erza, and Mirajane were supposed to participate in the exam.
A simple arrangement would have sufficed, as Makarov knew that among the three, only Marco stood a real chance of passing.
Erza and Mira were essentially just there for the ride.
After all, becoming an S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail ultimately required true strength.
Though Erza and Mira were both exceptionally talented, they still weren't quite up to the standards of an S-Class Mage.
They wouldn't even be able to get past the first barrier guarded by Laxus.
So this S-Class Exam was essentially arranged specifically for Marco—just a formality, really. Marco's strength was already undeniable to all.
"Master! Let us participate too!" Natsu shouted excitedly.
He'd always wanted to take the S-Class Exam but had been repeatedly denied.
Makarov believed they were still too inexperienced and hadn't even given them the chance to register.
Now, fired up by Gildarts' words, Natsu was unwilling to back down.
Along with the other young members, he pestered Makarov relentlessly.
"Even if it's just to experience the atmosphere and join in the excitement!" Gray chimed in.
He too aspired to become an S-Class Mage.
After all, he had been picked up by Gildarts, who was an S-Class Mage himself.
Gray had always seen Gildarts as his role model.
However, Gray was slightly more level-headed than Natsu.
He knew full well that his current strength wasn't enough to pass the S-Class Exam.
But failing this time didn't matter—even Laxus hadn't cleared it in one go.
He could always try again later!
"Fine, fine! Anyone who wants to join, come along!"
Pestered endlessly by Natsu, Gray, and the others, Makarov had no choice but to relent.
"Yay!"
The younger members cheered and rushed to sign up.
Some of the older mages, also inspired by Gildarts' words, soon followed suit.
Before long, several A-Class Wizards had joining in as well.
To participate in the S-Class Exam, one had to at least be an A-Class Wizard—that was the basic requirement.
Compared to the S-Class, advancing to A-Class was much simpler—they weren't even in the same league.
Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel had already reached A-Class.
After Makarov gave his approval, Marco noticed Cana visibly relax before she too went up to participate.
"Are you really going through with this?"
When Cana returned after registering, Marco patted her shoulder and asked.
"Yes. I will become an S-Class Mage!"
Cana nodded firmly, her resolve clear.
Her conversation with Gildarts seemed to have given her a new goal—she wanted to confess everything to her father after becoming an S-Class Mage!
"..."
Marco remained silent.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Cana harbored some serious misunderstandings about Gildarts—which was why she had always kept her identity a secret.
"Marco, do you know anything about this? What exactly do we have to do for the S-Class Exam?"
Cana turned to Marco, her eyes shining with determination.
Unlike the other kids who were just participating for the experience, she was dead serious.
"If I had to guess, the first round will involve fighting Laxus."
Marco didn't hold back, directly sharing what he knew.
Of course, it was just speculation—Makarov and Laxus's reactions seemed to confirm it, but they hadn't given a clear answer.
Then again, maybe Makarov would step in himself.
"What?!"
At Marco's words, Cana froze, her eyes widening as if she'd just been struck by lightning.
"Laxus… How could we possibly beat him?"
Her head drooped, her whole demeanor deflating.
No matter how confident she was, she couldn't imagine defeating Laxus.
Cana had joined Fairy Tail early—at just six years old, even before Gray—so she knew Laxus better than most.
When she first arrived, Laxus was only eleven.
She had watched him grow stronger over the years and understood better than anyone just how terrifying his talent was.
"Of course not. They wouldn't expect you to actually defeat him. You just need to earn his recognition." Marco chuckled helplessly.
Cana really had some wild ideas—if the S-Class Exam required defeating an S-Class Mage, the difficulty would be absurdly high.
"Earn his recognition? That still sounds impossible..."
Cana clicked her tongue.
The challenge hadn't gotten any easier.
Laxus's standards were sky-high now, and she doubted she could meet them.
"So I'll ask again—are you sure you want to take part?" Marco pressed the question.
He knew Cana well—she wasn't the most unshakable person, and because of the weight she carried, her emotions were more fragile than most.
In other words, Marco suspected that if she failed too many times, she might lose confidence entirely.
Of course, that was just his guess. No one could truly predict how someone's personality would shape their reactions.
"I'm doing it! I have to try!"
Cana bit her lip but ultimately made up her mind.
Her father, Gildarts, had just encouraged her.
No matter what, she had to take this chance.
Maybe if she became an S-Class Mage, her father would finally acknowledge her!
Just as Marco suspected, Cana had some misunderstandings about Gildarts.
She always felt like Gildarts ignored her, but in truth, he treated her no differently from the other kids.
The reality was that Cana saw Gildarts as a father, while Gildarts remained unaware of that connection—so he didn't show her any special paternal affection.
That was why she felt invisible to him.
But if she didn't take the initiative to approach him, of course Gildarts would interact more with the kids who did.
That was only natural—it had nothing to do with whether she was an S-Class Mage or not.
Laxus became an S-Class Mage, but that didn't make him any closer to Gildarts.
The two things weren't related.
"Alright, do your best."
Marco didn't press further.
It wasn't a big deal, and Cana did have decent magical talent—after all, she was Gildarts' daughter.
"Marco! Are you teaching Cana some secret tricks?"
Gray, who had just finished signing up, sidled over, eyeing Marco and Cana suspiciously.
Though Gray had already prepared himself to just go through the motions, if there were any "exam hacks," he'd gladly listen in.
Gray's attitude was much more serious than Natsu and Gajeel's—those two were already daydreaming about the glory of becoming S-Class Mages.
"No tricks, just some guesses."
Marco naturally didn't turn anyone away.
He told everyone who asked and didn't mind them spreading the news.
In the end, the S-Class Exam would come down to strength.
Soon, the news spread, and almost all the participants knew the first round might involve fighting Laxus—except for Natsu and Gajeel, the two "dragons," who remained clueless.
Knowing the exam content in advance, some actually came up with countermeasures, like equipping magic items with lightning-resistant properties.
Laxus scoffed at this.
If they thought those things could defeat him, they were seriously underestimating him.
However, Laxus wouldn't hold it against those who prepared in advance.
In fact, he'd even give them extra points—gathering intel and preparing tools were part of a mage's professional skills, and magic items were part of one's strength.
On this point, Laxus was surprisingly open-minded.
He didn't think item-reliant mages should be looked down on.
If someone could wield powerful magic tools effectively, that was their own skill.
.....
Amid the tense "exam prep," the day of the S-Class Exam arrived as scheduled.
Makarov had been swamped these past few days.
As the guild master, he had to oversee the entire process, staying in the shadows to ensure everyone's safety during the test.
"I really shouldn't have let so many people take the exam at once!"
Looking at the twenty-plus participants, Makarov grumbled.
He still thought the number was too high.
But he wasn't working alone.
Some veteran A-Class Wizards from the guild who weren't taking the exam had been recruited—most had attempted the S-Class Exam multiple times before, only to be thoroughly crushed and give up on advancing.
These people were familiar with the entire exam process, making them perfect as staff members.
"In the future, we should screen applicants and not let those with no hope participate."
As a candidate, Marco stood beside Makarov and offered his suggestion.
He supported setting a threshold for the S-Class Exam—after all, past experience showed that failing it repeatedly could really shatter one's confidence.
There had even been cases where members left the guild entirely after failing the S-Class Exam too many times.
This is why Makarov set participation thresholds for the S-Class trials.
There was no other choice—the strength of the S-Class Mages in the guild was simply too monstrous, raising the bar for S-Class qualification far too high.
Although Gildarts wasn't an overly strict person, if someone's strength didn't meet his standards, attempting S-Class missions would be too dangerous.
Thus, he would rigorously block their promotion to S-Class.
Repeated failures in the trials could shatter one's confidence, leading them to leave the guild.
Such incidents were quite demoralizing.
Therefore, Makarov would first screen the list of participants, holding back those whose strength or mentality wasn't ready.
The reason Makarov so readily agreed to let these youngsters participate was his trust in their resilience.
Even if they were discouraged, they wouldn't wallow in defeat—they'd only work harder to improve themselves.
Besides, a single setback wouldn't have too great an impact.
"Brat! Get back to your examinee group!"
Makarov snapped at Marco, though passing the trial was a foregone conclusion for him.
Procedures still had to be followed.
Standing beside Makarov like this made it seem as if Marco was already an examiner.
While his strength qualified him, he wouldn't officially earn that title until he secured his S-Class Mage status.
"Heh~" Marco chuckled and returned to the group.
Truthfully, no one found it odd that Marco stood beside Makarov like an examiner.
Everyone knew his strength and was certain he would pass this trial.
So when they learned they could form pairs for the exam, many rushed to Marco, hoping to team up with him.
Such a reliable powerhouse was naturally in high demand.
But Marco refused them all, stating he didn't need a partner.
Laxus had participated twice alone and Marco wouldn't bring a teammate either—unless it was Erza or Mirajane.
However, Erza and Mirajane were also highly sought-after partners.
After all, they were originally qualified to take the trial alongside Marco.
These two girls, the same age as Marco, were also prodigy mages, gradually making names for themselves.
Teaming up with them would significantly boost one's chances of success.
Yet both Erza and Mirajane firmly declined.
Seeing Marco want to go solo, Erza followed suit, and Mirajane, unwilling to fall behind, didn't even bring Elfman.
Lisanna didn't sign up, opting to cheer them on instead.
"Master! Hurry up and explain the rules! I can't wait any longer!"
Natsu shouted excitedly.
He had no partner—well, except for Happy.
Though by the rules, Happy didn't count as an "examinee," Natsu vehemently disagreed, insisting Happy was his teammate.
Makarov naturally wouldn't argue with Natsu over this.
In fact, it was a good thing—it highlighted Natsu's shining quality.
The boy truly valued his companions and friends, which greatly appealed to Makarov.
A true chosen one of Fairy Tail.
"Natsu, I'll definitely become an S-Class Mage before you!"
On one side, Gajeel and Natsu were locked in a rivalry.
He was alone, without any teammates, because he saw that Natsu didn't have any either—clearly, Gajeel didn't consider Happy to be Natsu's teammate.
Of course, Gajeel actually felt a little envious of Natsu.
Because Natsu had a cat—not just Natsu, but Wendy, another Dragon Slayer Mage, also had a cat.
Only he didn't have one!
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