Chapter 182: Announcing the Trial Results
"Alright, the second round of the trial is over. Everyone can rest now."
As Noah announced the end of the trial, the five participants took a deep, collective breath and slowly exhaled, releasing the immense tension that had gripped them.
Noah tossed each of them a healing potion before raising a hand and teleporting them all back to the guild's campsite on the beach.
The other guild members rushed forward to greet them as they appeared.
"Big Sis Mira, are you okay?" Lisanna and Elfman were the first to reach Mirajane's side, their voices filled with concern.
Mirajane, still sitting on the ground, aching all over and completely drained, just shook her head. "I'm fine, but I need to rest for a bit."
Lisanna and her brother sat down beside her, offering their silent support.
"Big Sister, are you alright?" Yukino and Wendy ran to Sorano, looking at her worriedly.
After drinking Noah's potion, Sorano wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right then and there. But seeing her sister, she mustered her remaining energy and affectionately rubbed her cheek against Yukino's.
"I'm okay," she murmured. "Just sore all over. I just want to go home and sleep while cuddling you, Yukino-kun."
"Sister..." Yukino blushed, looking exasperated.
Wendy spoke up from the side. "Let me heal you, Sorano."
"Thank you, Wendy-kun."
As Wendy began to use her healing magic, Carla watched over her anxiously, ready to intervene if the young Dragon Slayer pushed herself too hard.
Erza walked over to where Cana was sitting. "You holding up?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Cana replied, wincing. "Just feel like my whole body's about to fall apart." Having traveled with Gildarts, she was no stranger to hardship, but the full-body ache was still deeply uncomfortable.
"That's normal," Erza said reassuringly. "But Noah's potions work wonders."
"I can feel it," Cana agreed. A cool sensation was spreading from her stomach throughout her body, dulling the pain wherever it passed. She already felt much more relaxed. Erza nodded and began to chat with her, sharing stories from her own travels with Gildarts.
"Brother, how are you feeling?" Kagura asked, running to Simon's side with a worried look.
"I'm alright," Simon said softly. "The pain is pretty bad, but I took Noah's potion. It's already much better." Kagura sat down beside him, quietly keeping him company.
Ultear and Gray made their way over to Lyon. Gray looked down at him on the ground and smirked. "Looks like you didn't get a good score this time either."
Lyon, exhausted and in pain, had neither the mood nor the energy to argue with Gray. He simply rolled his eyes. "Are all the girls in this guild just ridiculously strong? And Noah barely held back as the examiner. I'm starting to seriously suspect our guild's trial is way too hard. I bet other guilds don't have it this tough."
"Don't blame the test just because you're not good enough," Gray shot back. "Look at Ultear and Erza. They passed just fine."
Lyon rolled his eyes again. Those two weren't exactly normal; they were practically monsters. He'd been on enough jobs to know that wizards their age with that level of power were unheard of.
"Do you have a problem with me?" Ultear asked, tilting her head slightly as she noticed Lyon's expression.
Lyon immediately shook his head. "No! Not at all! I just think you're incredibly strong, Ultear."
She nodded, satisfied. Lyon let out a silent sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted right now was for her to drag him back to the training grounds for another session.
After letting everyone rest, Noah walked over to Makarov to discuss the results. Erza and Ultear soon joined them, and after a brief deliberation, Makarov gave his approval, and the final results were decided.
"Alright, everyone! It's time to announce the results of the trial!" Noah clapped his hands, gathering everyone's attention.
"Are they announcing the scores?" Mirajane asked, looking at Noah nervously. Sorano had a similar expression. Having performed well in both rounds, they were the most anxious. The other three knew they likely hadn't passed, but they watched with keen interest to see who would.
"In the first round, the item search tested your perception, reflexes, and other abilities. The results are as follows: Mirajane, 4 points. Sorano, 5 points. Lyon, 1 point. Simon, 3 points. And Cana, 2 points."
"The second round, the battle, tested your overall combat strength. The results are: Mirajane, 5 points. Sorano, 4 points. Lyon, 2 points. Simon, 1 point. And Cana, 4 points."
"The combined total scores for both rounds are: Mirajane, 9 points. Sorano, 9 points. Lyon, 3 points. Simon, 4 points. And Cana, 6 points."
Noah read out the final tally, and the guild members immediately burst into discussion.
"Wow, Mirajane and Sorano are amazing! They both got such high scores!"
"Cana did great too! That's a solid score for her first time."
"Lyon and Simon had it rough. Weren't they the last two last time as well?"
"It's not that they aren't strong, it's just bad luck. The people they're competing against are just stronger."
The members thought about it and realized it was true. Last year they had Erza, and this year Cana had joined the mix alongside the consistently powerful Mirajane and Sorano. It wasn't that Lyon and Simon were weak; it was just that their peers were exceptionally strong.
"Wait a minute, it's a tie!" someone shouted. "Mirajane and Sorano both have 9 points! So who becomes S-Class? Or..."
"It's up to the Master. They were probably just discussing this."
"Due to the fact that two participants have a score of 9 points," Noah said, his voice becoming serious, "after a discussion with the Master and the other two S-Class wizards present, we have reached a final decision."
He paused, letting the tension build. Everyone stared at him, holding their breath. Mirajane and Sorano were the most anxious of all, their fists clenched as they watched him, waiting for the final verdict.
Seeing all eyes on him, Noah broke into a smile.
"Because your strength, scores, and all-around performance were so close, it was impossible for us to choose one over the other. Therefore, we have decided... that both of you will become S-Class wizards.
"So," he asked, his smile widening, "are you happy?"
~~~
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