**Chapter 14: The New S-Class**
The S-Class Mage Promotion Exam concluded with an incredibly shocking process and result.
"The exam is over! Ren is promoted to S-Class Mage!"
Master Makarov announced the result loudly.
Makarov was very happy right now. He had known early on that this brat Ren was strong.
After all, he had gone to pick Ren up personally.
He just hadn't expected Ren to improve so quickly in just one short year.
Now that Ren could defeat Gildarts (or at least force a concession), Makarov, who always treated the guild members as his own children, was naturally happier than anyone to see Ren grow to this extent.
Ren deactivated his Resurrección form, returning to his normal appearance.
Mirajane said to Ren, "Congratulations! But I won't admit defeat just like this. I will train hard and become an S-Class Mage very soon too!"
Ren was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Yeah, thanks. You definitely will."
Hearing Ren's affirmative answer and looking at his sincere and handsome face, Mirajane's heartbeat accelerated slightly.
"Ren-nii! Congratulations on becoming an S-Class Mage!" Elfman said with a somewhat simple and honest grin.
"Ren! That was too amazing! Wait for me! When I get stronger, I'll challenge you!" Natsu said excitedly to Ren.
Watching such a spectacular battle between Ren and Gildarts, he understood that the gap between him and the top-tier mages was very, very large.
But he wasn't discouraged. It let him know just how high the ceiling for powerful mages was, and how weak he currently was.
"Then get stronger!"
"Oh! I'm all fired up!!"
Ren patted Gray on the shoulder. "Good work, partner!"
Gray wore a bitter smile. Logically, since his partner became an S-Class Mage, he should be the happiest.
But there was almost no difference between him being there and not being there. Without him, Ren would still have been promoted to S-Class.
"Congratulations on becoming an S-Class Mage," Cana said with a look of envy.
Her only wish was to become an S-Class Mage, which was why she worked so hard on missions.
Others saw that she qualified for the S-Class Exam for two consecutive years, but how many saw her hard work?
She failed this time, but she was convinced by her loss.
She originally thought she would feel terrible seeing that man fail (Gildarts conceding), but the result was the opposite; her mood wasn't bad. It turned out that the invincible man could also be defeated (in a sense). It felt like the distance between them had closed a little.
When the group returned to the Fairy Tail guild.
Master Makarov publicly announced that Ren had become the guild's new S-Class Mage.
The atmosphere in the guild was instantly ignited.
The guild had gained another S-Class Mage, making a total of four S-Class Mages now.
And this wasn't self-deception; he had become S-Class relying on solid, genuine strength.
This meant the guild's power had truly become stronger. No guild member wished for their guild to be weak.
The stronger the guild, the more commissions it could attract. The more famous the guild, the more honor its members felt.
With the birth of a new S-Class Mage, Makarov announced a celebration party, and everyone in the guild cheered.
Celebration parties were what the guild members loved most—basically a modern-day party.
Eating, drinking, playing, singing, rapping, and using magic to liven things up. Everyone enjoyed the happiness brought by the celebration.
---
**Harligeon Port**
A handsome young man walked down from a ship.
"Finally at Harligeon. I'm almost back at the guild."
The young man was none other than Ren.
Time flew like an arrow.
Three years had passed since Ren became an S-Class Mage.
Now, Ren had lost the childishness on his face, replaced by a bit of maturity, making him even more handsome.
He stood over 1.8 meters tall, slender and upright. Back then, wearing the Zanpakutō at his waist looked a bit disharmonious.
Now, the Zanpakutō at his waist looked perfectly fitting.
Still dressed in white robes, he was very eye-catching walking down the street.
Suddenly, a commotion came from ahead.
Many girls around him ran in that direction.
"I heard a famous mage has come to town."
"Lord Salamander!"
"Salamander? Is it Natsu? Haven't seen Natsu in a long time."
Hearing "Salamander" (Fire Dragon), Ren first thought of Natsu, as Natsu's magic was Fire Dragon Slayer Magic.
His moves were also Fire Dragon related.
Ren walked over to take a look and found a crowd of girls surrounding a man of about thirty, asking for autographs.
Discovering it wasn't Natsu, Ren lost interest.
Just as Ren was preparing to turn and leave.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out.
"Igneel! Igneel!"
Then, Ren saw the cherry-pink-haired Natsu squeeze into the crowd.
Seeing the middle-aged man in the center, Natsu was a bit confused. "Who are you?"
"Looks like we found the wrong person, Natsu," the blue cat said to Natsu.
At this moment...
"Natsu! Happy!"
The familiar call made Natsu and Happy shake all over. They turned their gazes toward the direction of the voice.
Seeing Ren, a look of surprise and joy immediately appeared on their faces.
"Ren!!"