"Waaaah~! I didn't make it again this year~!!"
Alzack felt terrible; he still hadn't gained the qualification for the promotion exam this year.
Bisca comforted him from the side: "There's always next year, Alzack. Don't lose heart."
Gajeel was a bit panicked: "Wh... why didn't I get selected... even Juvia made it..."
In terms of strength, he was the ace of the Phantom Lord guild, and his power was above Juvia's.
Erza crossed her arms and smirked at Gajeel: "Heh... you're still far from it."
"Bastard!!"
Gajeel bared his teeth at Erza; he knew this woman must have played a part in it.
At that moment, Lucy finally understood why everyone had been so active with work the past few days: "I see, so everyone was trying their best to show off, hoping they'd be chosen."
Wendy cheered loudly for those who were chosen: "Wow! Good luck, everyone!"
Makarov continued, "Only one person will pass this year. The test will take place in one week. Everyone, get yourselves into peak condition."
"There are some new members here, so I will explain the rules."
Mirajane said: "Starting this week, the eight of you will each need to choose a partner."
Erza took over the explanation: "There are two rules for choosing a partner. First, they must be members of Fairy Tail. Second, they cannot be S-Class mages."
Lucy thought for a moment and said: "That means we can't choose Kael, Erza, or Gildarts."
Wendy agreed: "That's true. It would be way too powerful if Kael and the others joined in."
Makarov crossed his arms: "The details of this exam will be shared once we reach Tenrou Island. This time, Erza will follow tradition and continue her attempt to stop you."
"Ehhhhh?!"
Many people were startled upon hearing this.
"Erza stopping us... so that means we have to defeat Erza to become an S-Class mage?"
Lucy's eyes widened. Erza was incredibly strong; how could anyone possibly defeat her?
Max guessed: "Uh... she'll probably go easy on them, right? After all, S-Class mages are way too strong."
Warren said with a gloomy face: "Now do you see how hard it is to become an S-Class mage?"
Even though he wasn't among those chosen for the promotion exam, thinking about the difficulty made him feel like his future path to becoming an S-Class mage was looking pretty dark.
Gildarts smiled: "Complained enough? This is a path every S-Class mage must pass through."
Everyone was shocked to hear Gildarts speak up as well.
Elfman's happy expression froze: "Wait..."
Happy's eyes widened: "No way..."
"Gildarts is joining too?!"
Natsu had a face full of excitement.
Gray complained from the side: "Don't be so happy!!"
Gildarts was a monster among monsters. If he joined, the exam difficulty would increase drastically.
At that moment, Gray thought of something else and looked toward Kael: "Wait! Gildarts is joining... so Kael..."
A bright smile appeared on Kael's face: "Of course I'm joining too."
"No way———!!"
Everyone's eyes went wide.
Erza alone would have been one thing, but with Gildarts and Kael joining as well, the difficulty had suddenly skyrocketed to Hell level.
The three S-Class mages—let alone just these few examinees, even if everyone in the guild teamed up, they wouldn't last a few minutes against these three.
"The eight chosen participants must bring their partners and gather at Hargeon Port within one week. That is all! Meeting adjourned!"
Makarov announced the dismissal, and everyone scattered, eagerly discussing who would be able to promote to the new S-Class mage this time.
The favorites were Natsu and Freed.
Even though Natsu was often defeated in the guild, his opponents were always S-Class mages.
Natsu's strength was recognized by everyone in the guild. With his monster-like physical stats and powerful Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, he was the most popular candidate.
Freed was the leader of the Thunder God Tribe. During the Battle of Fairy Tail, his powerful script magic forced almost everyone in the guild to move according to the rules he set.
Only a monster like Kael could break those rules.
Gray crossed his arms with a worried frown: "Looks like this year is going to be very difficult."
Lucy said in surprise: "No way, is this really the first challenge for all of you?"
Natsu shouted excitedly: "I'm all fired up!! I'm definitely going to become an S-Class mage!!"
Wendy gave a bitter smile: "This really looks difficult..."
She had seen the battle between Kael and Gildarts. In that state, Kael could easily toy with the Oración Seis and leave the Kingdom of Edolas with no way to fight back.
Yet even with Kael going all out in that state, he could do nothing against Gildarts.
Even though Gildarts gave up later, everyone could tell he was still holding back. That kind of strength was absolutely overwhelming.
Now that these two were appearing together, just thinking about how hard it would be was terrifying.
"Nooooo~! Elfman!! The path to becoming an S-Class mage is getting further and further away!!"
Elfman held his head and wailed. He felt like his future was bleak; his very first time getting a spot and it was a Hell-difficulty start.
"Ahaha! Everyone, just do your best!"
Lisanna couldn't think of any encouraging words. Gildarts plus Kael, and then adding Erza—Erza was the easiest of the bunch, but even the 'easiest' was an impossibly high hurdle for them.
"Has everyone chosen a partner yet?"
Lucy asked curiously.
Natsu said without hesitation: "I'm definitely teaming up with Happy."
"Aye!"
Elfman's petty side came out: "Happy? That's not fair! If the content of this test is a race, he can fly! How is that a competition!"
Gray threatened with a smile: "I don't mind. If you fly, I'll give you a piece of my mind."
"Don't be so mean, Gray!"
Then Happy raised his fist with determination: "No matter what, I'll make Natsu an S-Class mage!"
Natsu also crossed his arms and gritted his teeth, saying seriously: "I know you're all my friends, but I absolutely cannot fail this time!! I can't just stay here. Training, training!!"
"Aye!"
Natsu ran out, and Happy quickly followed behind him.
Lisanna watched Natsu run away and said with some emotion: "I've only been gone for two years, and Natsu is already prepared to take the S-Class mage exam. Natsu has always thought that if he becomes an S-Class mage, he'll be able to see Igneel. He values this exam more than anyone else."
Only then did Lucy realize Natsu thought that way: "I see! Good luck, Natsu!" As his teammate, she could only cheer for him in her heart
------------------------
Currently on Patreon: Chapter 380 available.
My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/LIZBETH1242
If you leave reviews, I'll upload more chapters faster