Chapter 11: The New S-Class Mage
"You've gone too far!!!" Even though they weren't nearby, Makarov and Happy on the ship both complained loudly.
Dino quickly rushed over to check on everyone and found that several participants had been knocked unconscious by the shockwave. Fortunately, they weren't seriously injured. Dino breathed a sigh of relief. He had tried his best to hold back.
However, the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was just too strong. It was a Devil Fruit with an incredibly high baseline of power. Once consumed, it granted devastating strength from the very beginning. This type of Devil Fruit was fundamentally different from something like Luffy's Rubber-Rubber Fruit, which started weak and required creative application to become powerful.
Suddenly, "Bang!" A crack opened in the ground, and Erza's figure emerged. Most of the armor on her body had shattered into pieces. At the critical moment, Erza had used her magic to quickly requip into her Adamantine Armor, the one with the strongest defense, barely withstanding Dino's attack.
"Erza!" Dino rushed to her side and supported her.
"I'm sorry. I didn't control my strength well enough. Are you hurt?"
Erza shook her head with a bitter smile. "I'm fine. You were holding back the entire time, while we were attacking with everything we had. We should be the ones apologizing. I knew there was a gap between our strength, but I didn't expect it to be this enormous."
Dino's expression turned serious. "I can't afford to lose while carrying the title of Fairy Tail's strongest mage."
"Also, congratulations, Erza. You've become Fairy Tail's newest S-Class mage."
Erza froze for a moment, then looked around. She found that every participant in the S-Class exam had passed out except for her. According to the rules Master Makarov had stated, she had indeed become an S-Class mage. She'd longed to reach this rank, but she never expected to succeed this way.
Suddenly, Master Makarov's angry voice rang out. "Dino! You brat! Look what you've done!"
"Hold on, old man! Don't be fooled by how destroyed this island looks. Actually, nobody's seriously injured! They just got knocked out by the shockwave and will wake up soon."
Only then did Makarov realize that everyone except Erza had simply fainted, and their injuries were actually less severe than from a typical brawl. Obviously, this meant Dino's control over his vibration magic had improved considerably. His progress since last year was remarkable.
"Even so, this is completely excessive! You nearly destroyed the entire island!"
"Well, maybe I've picked up a bad habit. Whenever I see an island, I just want to wreck it for some reason."
Suddenly, Erza hesitated, then raised her head to look at Makarov. "Master! I…"
Before she could finish, Makarov interrupted. "I know what you want to say, but don't think you passed the S-Class exam purely by luck. Luck is also part of strength. Don't assume that you need to defeat Dino to pass. If that were the requirement, there might never be another new S-Class mage in this guild."
"The main reason for having S-Class mages as examiners is to show newcomers that becoming S-Class isn't the end. Being S-Class is just a starting point. There's a much broader world out there with far stronger mages. It pushes you to keep improving so you can truly shoulder the title of Fairy Tail's S-Class mage."
Makarov had always been most optimistic about Erza. She was strong enough to become S-Class and could approach problems with a level head. Mirajane was strong enough but too hot-tempered and needed more tempering. Cana had enormous potential, but her current strength was still lacking.
When Erza heard Master Makarov's words, she stopped second-guessing herself. "I understand, Master."
Dino leaned in and whispered in Erza's ear. "Okay, stop worrying about it. The test Laxus took to become S-Class was way easier than yours, but don't tell anyone I said that."
Soon, Dino and the others brought all the unconscious participants back to the boat and headed toward the guild. Halfway through the journey, everyone began waking up one by one. When they learned that Erza had ultimately become the new S-Class mage, they all expressed their congratulations despite feeling disappointed.
Then they crowded around Dino with questions. The shock Dino had delivered was simply too overwhelming. When Dino fought without magic in the guild, he often lost more than he won. But when he used magic, he became someone completely different.
Having someone this powerful in the guild truly made everyone feel secure.
Dino was genuinely relieved. He loved his guildmates and the lively atmosphere of Fairy Tail. It was best if no barriers formed because of this incident. As for Laxus, his pride was too strong, and Dino honestly had no idea how to deal with someone with that kind of attitude.
"They're back! The Master and the others are back!"
Before the boat even reached shore, everyone in the guild had already gathered at the docks.
"President! Who became an S-Class mage?"
"Erza, it has to be Erza!"
"Mirajane, it must be Mirajane!"
"Cana's got a shot too!"
"Maybe nobody passed!"
Makarov announced once everyone gradually quieted down. "This time, the person who passed the S-Class mage examination is… Erza Scarlet!"
"Woohoo!!!"
"I knew it was Erza!"
"Congratulations, Erza!"
"As expected of Erza! She became an S-Class mage at only fifteen years old. If it weren't for the monster Dino, Erza would be Fairy Tail's youngest S-Class mage ever!"
Dino shouted back. "Hey! Bastard! I heard someone taking advantage of the chaos to call me a monster! Show yourself and fight me!"
Makarov continued. "To celebrate the birth of our new S-Class mage, let's have a feast!"
"Yeah!!!" Everyone cheered excitedly and rushed toward the guild hall.