Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
Recently, the younger members of the Fairy Tail Guild have been exceptionally busy, each one rushing around.
Natsu and Gray didn't even have time to bicker.
Tasks on the request board visibly thinned out; jobs close to Magnolia were snatched up instantly.
The reason for all of this was the S-Class Mage Promotion Exam.
Every year, qualified Mages are selected.
After competing with each other, they stand out and become S-Class Mages of the Fairy Tail Guild!
Aux has also been particularly idle recently.
Everyone was working alone; no one was pestering him to team up.
And he took the opportunity to get some good rest.
"These past few months have been great; the smell of alcohol in the guild has faded a lot, and it's not as noisy as before."
Aux happily enjoyed Mirajane's service.
He felt an indescribable joy.
"Aux, don't you want to become an S-Class Mage? Why aren't you busy working like Natsu, Gray, and Alzack?" Erza asked.
She had also been quite relaxed during this period.
Everyone was rushing to take jobs, so she didn't have to be so busy and finally had time to rest.
"I've only been in the guild for about three months; how could I possibly be on the S-Class Mage Promotion Exam list? My tenure is too short; working hard would just be a waste of effort," Aux replied.
He still had some sense.
No place would promote someone who had only been working for a few months.
Since he had a rare excuse to be lazy, he wouldn't compete with people like Natsu for requests.
Erza and Mirajane both smiled.
They both agreed with this statement in their hearts; it was very difficult to gain the approval of the Master and members.
Three months was too short a time.
"There's still time, still some time..."
"Manly man..."
"Exhibitionist, put on some clothes!"
"No time! I need to complete three more tasks today! I want to be S-Class!!!"
"..."
As they were talking, Natsu and a few others rushed back from outside in a hurry, muttering as they charged towards the request board.
They quickly scanned the task descriptions, tore them off, and slapped them on the counter.
"Sister, I want to do this job..."
"Mira, quickly register me; time is running out!"
"Work, work..."
They returned quickly and left even faster.
They didn't even have time to say hello; their work ethic was something else.
Aux stretched lazily, and after watching the show, he also left the guild to wander around.
Tomorrow, the answer would be revealed!
He wondered how many would be selected.
The next day arrived in a flash!
Most of the members of the Fairy Tail Guild had been waiting there for a long time.
There was tension, there was excitement.
All the members hoped to hear their names.
Aux held a coffee, standing in a secluded corner, feeling everyone's excited hearts.
In the open space in front, Makarov appeared with Mirajane and Erza behind him.
Facing this exam, even the two women maintained a serious attitude, standing solemnly on the platform, waiting.
"After a year of observation, the candidates for this year's exam have been determined," Makarov announced.
Aux, below, felt bored; why hadn't he heard those lines from the original story?
It really disappointed him!
"This year, there are only two candidates for the exam..."
All the guild members gasped.
As strict as ever, only two were qualified to participate in the promotion exam this year.
They wondered who the lucky ones would be.
"I guess I'm out of luck..."
Wakaba sighed deeply; he hadn't been very diligent in his work recently, so it would probably be hard for him to qualify.
Macao, next to him, also regretted, "It's the same for me; Mystogan should be in this year, and the other one is hard to say."
Other members also speculated.
"Mystogan should be qualified to participate, and I think the other one is Aux..."
"Impossible, Aux has only been in the guild for three months; that's too short a time."
"That's true, but everyone thinks Aux is qualified, and the Master should seriously consider it."
"I still think it's impossible..."
"Who is the other one? It's really exciting!"
"..."
Many people thought Aux was qualified.
Hearing these words, even Aux, who was just watching the show, couldn't help but be stunned.
He hadn't expected everyone to rate him so highly.
It even sparked a little hope in him; maybe he could push Cana out.
"The first one is Mystogan..." Makarov announced.
The guild members were not surprised.
Aside from being very mysterious, Mystogan was undoubtedly excellent in all other aspects, so his selection was perfectly normal.
Macao and Wakaba looked around.
They wanted to see how beautiful this woman, whom Aux spoke of, truly was.
But they didn't see any unfamiliar beautiful women.
Natsu grinned: "Mystogan isn't here; how about the old man cancels his qualification?"
Everyone else booed him.
How could such a decision be made so frivolously?
But... why didn't Mystogan show up? He should have responded after being selected.
Aux, meanwhile, squinted at the crowd; a dark figure raised one hand.
"The second one is Cana!"
Makarov clearly saw Mystogan as well, nodded in acknowledgment, and then announced the second name.
Sigh... Aux sighed in disappointment; for a moment, he had truly hoped it was his own name.
But it wasn't!
"Cana, she's been participating for years..."
"She just has bad luck; every time she encounters a very strong opponent."
"This year, she's probably..."
"Is this the third or fourth time?"
"..."
Hearing the second member, the guild members all felt complex emotions.
Cana was simply unlucky.
She had failed so many times, always unluckily encountering opponents she couldn't defeat.
"It's not me, damn it..."
Natsu shook his head in frustration; he had said he would become an S-Class Mage in one go.
Gray next to him was also very disappointed.
Those not selected were unwilling but had no other choice but to redouble their efforts and wait for next year.
"Among the two members, only one at most can become an S-Class Mage; I hope you two will take this seriously," Makarov said.
Cana below rubbed her arms, her eyes still holding a stubborn determination to become S-Class.
She had to work hard this year!
If she failed again, the blow to her would be immense!
"This exam requires finding a partner to team up with, who must be a guild member and cannot be an S-Class Mage."
"The specific details of the promotion exam will be explained separately tomorrow, after the two of you have chosen your partners," Makarov said.
Aux was stunned after hearing this.
This year also required choosing a partner, so who did Mystogan choose?
Did the selected person also not meet Mystogan?
That shouldn't be the case!
"Members who were not selected, do not be discouraged; work hard and strive to perform even better."
Makarov comforted the others.
This S-Class Mage Promotion Exam announcement was complete; now they just had to wait a few days for the S-Class members to be revealed.
...
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