At Magnolia's largest central park, a massive crowd—almost as big as the ones during the cherry blossom viewing festival—had gathered, totally blocking off all the pathways.
All the Fairy Tail members were lined up on the road leading out from the park exit, rubbing their hands together in anticipation and itching to show off their skills.
"COOL!!"
A sharp, passionate cheer echoed through the park.
Fairy Tail's famous and overly enthusiastic fan, a frequent extra participant in all kinds of events, and renowned reporter Jason, was already sitting in front of a crystal ball.
He was excitedly gripping a microphone, ready to commentate on the event.
"The annual event has kicked off once again! All Mages without active work assignments are required to participate in the 24-hour endurance road race championship! This competition is definitely going to be reported as both COOL and HOT!!"
Jason bounced around excitedly, introducing the most popular championship contenders for this endurance race to the crowd.
Naturally, the Mage getting the biggest introduction was the reigning multi-time champion, Jet.
Even though Jason accidentally roasted him by pointing out how his work performance was the exact opposite of his racing skills, Jet stayed pretty damn confident.
His "God Speed" magic was made purely for running acceleration—when it came to raw speed alone, he was easily one of the top in the guild.
When it came to running away... or rather, speed races, Jet genuinely believed that even among those monstrous S-Class Mages, only Laxus could actually match him.
But since even Laxus couldn't continuously spam that lightning-dash Magic, Jet was absolutely positive he'd secure the championship again!
Jet was soaking up his rare moment in the spotlight!
Gray, who was warming up, glanced over at him and muttered, "Honestly, Jet is only ever this confident at times like this."
Natsu clenched his fists and grinned with total confidence. "Ha! This year's gonna be different. I'm definitely winning this!"
Gajeel gave Natsu a sideways, disdainful glare. "The louder people brag like that, the harder they end up losing."
Natsu just flashed a mysterious smirk. "Hehe... I've got a secret weapon this time."
Over in another group, Cana chugged down an entire barrel of booze.
She wiped her mouth with gusto and loudly declared, "Fuel refill complete! Bring on the race!"
Lucy laughed. "That's so like you, getting drunk right before a running competition. But speaking of which, everyone really seems fired up for this."
Lisanna leaned in with a slightly mischievous smile and whispered, "It's probably because nobody wants to face the punishment game."
"Punishment? Game? What's that?" Lucy felt a sudden wave of panic, instinctively sensing that this exact kind of bad luck would probably land right on her.
Elfman's normally steadfast face started sweating bullets as he muttered nervously.
"It's nothing... for a real man it's nothing... it's just that punishment... heh, I just almost died last time... it's fine, Lucy..."
His rambling only made Lucy even more terrified. "What the hell is it, then?!"
"SILENCE, EVERYONE!!"
Just as Lucy was frantically trying to figure out what the punishment was, Guild Master Makarov stepped up onto a newly built stage, lifting a Magic Speaker to start his speech.
"Members of Fairy Tail! This competition will require both your physical strength and your wits! The rules are as follows: Starting from right here, you'll follow the designated route and sprint all the way toward Mount Ibol.
This year, we've scattered a bunch of Snow White Beast scales across Mount Ibol. You have to grab a scale as proof and make it back here within 24 hours.
No mid-race dropouts allowed! Only those who complete the entire course with that kind of determination and resolve are worthy of being Fairy Tail Mages, capable of kicking ass in future missions!
Additionally, because of a ton of complaints from previous participants, we're throwing in a new rule: Flying Magic is strictly prohibited. All other magic is perfectly fine."
Happy and Evergreen immediately froze on the spot, while Lisanna and Carla just facepalmed in disbelief.
"And of course, keeping up with tradition—the person who finishes in dead last will get to enjoy a very special punishment game~"
As he finished speaking, the old man's expression turned totally mischievous again, and he started shaking his hips side to side.
The crowd below physically shuddered.
Some of the previous victims actually started wiping away tears, while others just stood there trembling in fear.
Seeing everyone react like that made Lucy panic even harder.
"At the end of the day, the Master really only cares about the damn punishment game," Wakaba sighed helplessly, taking a drag from his pipe.
Macao waved over at his son Romeo on the sidelines while reminiscing. "Originally, this endurance race was made for kids in the guild like Levy and Lisanna who didn't have a lot of physical strength. It was supposed to help the kids build up their stamina, but now it's just turned into the Guild Master's own twisted selection contest..."
Ankh, who was standing casually between the two older men, seamlessly slid into the conversation.
"Anyway, only the last place gets punished. There's no way we're ending up at the bottom, so just let the old man have his fun."
Much like the two veterans, Ankh was super unlikely to finish last, but he also thought it was way too much effort to actually try competing for the top spots.
Plus, since the Master only punished the loser and didn't even bother offering a reward for the champion, Ankh had zero motivation and was basically just tagging along as a passive participant.
Macao noticed Ankh's totally casual attitude and asked curiously, "Ankh, aren't you even gonna try to win? It's pretty rare to see so many S-Class Mages gathered up for this."
Ankh just shrugged. "Nah. If I actually tried, the competition wouldn't be half as entertaining. Besides, with Laxus here, I'm not gonna steal his spotlight."
Macao and Wakaba shifted their gaze and, sure enough, spotted Laxus standing confidently right at the starting line.
Laxus's bulky cloak was draped over Freed's arm, his iron-like muscles were straining against his tight shirt, and he had this totally arrogant look on his face, like he had already won the whole championship.
Macao muttered, "...He's taking this way too seriously."
Ankh shook his head and pointed with his chin. "That's nothing. Take a look at the other one from my team."
Their eyes shifted again, landing on a girl with long scarlet hair tied up into a ponytail.
She was decked out in a sports cap, athletic wear, and shorts.
Behind her sporty sunglasses, you could see her eyes practically burning with an extreme determination to win.
Erza, fully changed into her sporty gear, was jogging in place to warm up.
She adjusted her breathing and declared with fierce intensity, "Since this is a competition, the only goal is to win! This outfit is specially designed to reduce muscle strain and allow for prolonged sprinting."
Wakaba looked confused. "There's actually Magic gear that does that?"
...
Ankh fell silent for a second before finally explaining, "You know how it is. It's all about the aesthetic and the sense of ceremony."
Macao and Wakaba nodded in complete understanding.
It made perfect sense for Erza to do something extra like that!