Boom—!!!
A deafening explosion erupted at the entrance of the breakfast shop!
Immediately following it were the mingled screams of several people and the sound of building debris being sent flying.
Darwin, who was about to stuff a bun into Erza's mouth, and Erza, who was stubbornly resisting, froze simultaneously, their eyes widening in unison.
Darwin's hand held the soft, white bun, suspended in mid-air;
Erza forgot to chew, her mouth bulging like a hamster's.
In the next instant.
Whoosh—!!
A powerful gale poured into the shop from the entrance, scattering the steam inside and forcing it to flee out of the side windows.
Then came a sound that, to them at this moment, was the most terrifying of all—
"The hunt begins!!!"
Pfft-pfft-pfft—!!!
A mixture of hot soup and bun juice sprayed simultaneously from Darwin's and Erza's mouths, drenching each other's faces.
We're doomed!
It's Auntie Zera!!
Darwin and Erza whipped their heads around, only to see a dark figure being thrown toward them like a shot put.
Thud!!
Their table was instantly flipped by the impact; food scattered all over the floor and drenched their clothes.
"Ow..."
"Did she find us this fast?"
Darwin rubbed his aching arm, trying to push himself up from the ground. When he opened his eyes and saw the dark figure that had been tossed like a shot put, his jaw dropped in shock.
"Chris...???!!"
At this moment, Chris's eyes were rolled back, she was completely unconscious, her face was ashen, and she was foaming at the mouth. Bits of breakfast bun still clung to her lips—she looked like someone who had lost her very soul.
Looking at her state, it was clear that while she was eating breakfast on the street and searching for people, she had the misfortune of being spotted by Zera and was knocked out with a single punch.
Ruthless!
Simply too ruthless!
The uncle who loved watching drama nearby felt his legs tremble, his whole body turning weak: "No way, that Zera... she's even that heavy-handed with her own daughter?! Quick... run..."
"Run where?!"
With another explosive shout, a gallant figure lunged into the breakfast shop like a hungry tiger descending a mountain or a wild horse breaking its reins; no one could stand in her way.
Immediately after, a fist wreathed in flames enlarged before their eyes.
"Oh no—"
Boom!!
Flame erupted, instantly blowing away the ceiling of the Meow-Meow Breakfast Shop. The drama-loving uncle turned into a shooting star and vanished into the sky.
Looking at the gaping hole in the roof, the Cat Manager's lingering hope finally died. As if losing all strength, he turned into a puddle of liquid, slumped limply on the floor.
"My... my shop...!!"
"Just send the bill to Fairy Tail later; someone will reimburse you!"
After leaving those words, Zera stepped over the "liquid" on the floor and came before Darwin and Erza, her face beaming with an ill-intentioned smile.
"Now then, Darwin and Erza..."
"Are you two going to lie down and go to sleep yourselves? Or do I have to help you??"
Gulp—
Darwin and Erza were both drenched in sweat, their bodies trembling with a mix of excitement and fear. They wanted to run but had nowhere to go; they wanted to fight but didn't dare.
On this day, they recalled the terror of being dominated by "Mama."
Erza secretly tugged on Darwin's sleeve and whispered, "Darwin, what do we do? We can't win at all!"
Darwin's sweat grew thicker, but he forced himself to stay calm: "Don't worry, watch me awaken Auntie Zera's maternal love!"
"Um... Auntie Zera, no, Mama Zera, we just ate breakfast..."
"And?"
"So... can you not hit us in the stomach?"
Erza: "..."
This is the 'awakening maternal love' you were talking about?
Zera's footsteps paused for a moment before she resumed her pace, though a flicker of tenderness appeared in the depths of her eyes: "How regrettable, but no!"
The plan to awaken maternal love failed!
Darwin had no choice but to stiffen his neck and shout: "Bring whatever moves you have at me, don't hurt Erza!"
"No, Darwin!!"
Truly a pair of ill-fated lovers!
Zera's smile widened, but her strike remained merciless.
Bam!
Thud!!
The world went dark.
...
Darwin and Erza woke up at the same time.
When they reopened their eyes, they found themselves back at the guild, sleeping in the lounge on the second floor.
Outside the window, it was already dusk.
The golden afterglow of the setting sun poured through the window, making them feel warm and peaceful.
They looked at each other like two disconnected robots rebooting their systems.
"This is...??"
"I remember we were eating breakfast... what happened after that? My head hurts..."
As they regained their senses, scenes of the thrilling encounter jumped out from the depths of their memories—
The breakfast shop, Zera descending from the sky, the flaming fist...
"Ah!!"
"I remember! We were caught by Auntie Zera at the breakfast shop, and then she gave us a punch!!"
"What about the examination?!"
"I don't know, but at this hour, it's probably already over..."
Just as the words fell, the two noticed the sounds of their guildmates chattering from outside the closed wooden door.
Chris's voice was the loudest, completely drowning out the others: "...I'm not like that idiot Darwin, I'm..."
They didn't hear the beginning or the end.
Darwin only heard that one most critical sentence and impatiently threw off the covers, flipped out of bed, put on his shoes, pushed open the door, and stepped into the hallway—the movements were smooth and seamless.
The examination had indeed ended!
How could he be so sure?
Because all his guildmates had returned to the guild, and everyone held a piece of paper in their hands...
No, it should be called a "report card"!
Everyone was comparing their report cards. If they saw someone with a lower score, they would smugly toss their hair and put on an arrogant expression.
However, that arrogant look didn't quite match the swollen, bruised state of their faces.
If they saw someone with a higher score, they would shout indignantly, saying things like "Dare to have a match with me?", "You just relied on XXX," or "If you're so tough, try to out-drink me today."
By watching and listening, Darwin quickly learned the high-score list for this exam. The members were indeed the "seeded" contestants like Joey, Reiya, Huide, and Stuart.
Of Licht's three missions, only two were completed, but many people successfully evaded Zera's "hunt" and managed to "slug it out" until the end.
Among these people was Chris!
Although Chris was the first to be knocked out by Zera, she woke up earlier than the others and was thus able to join the second half of the hunting game.
At that time, due to Zera's "hunt," many contestants' conditions had dropped. Relying half on skill and half on "picking up the scraps," Chris defeated three veteran wizards of the guild.
Because of this, she was promoted past the usual ranks to become a B-Class wizard of the guild!