The sudden rampage of the jungle monsters was actually being subtly directed by Ultear.
She had often visited this island over the years and had frequent interactions with the local beasts.
Temporarily commanding them was something she could easily manage—mostly just by offering some food as a bribe, which worked quite well to point them at the candidates.
"If you want to become an S-Class Mage, you cannot be afraid of these things!" Gray declared boldly.
However, despite his brave words, he was currently sprinting away from a giant beast even faster than Loke...
"You are really pushing yourself too hard!" Loke yelled, running right beside him.
...
"Run this way, Evergreen!" Elfman shouted in another part of the jungle.
"Stop nagging me! You have no right to yell at me like that!" Evergreen snapped back as they fled from a pack of raptors.
Almost all the candidate teams were currently being chased through the dense jungle by various terrifying monsters.
"Do not get in the way of my promotion exam!" Natsu roared.
When Natsu encountered a massive, scaly monster blocking his path, he didn't even entertain the thought of retreating or running—he just punched it straight to the ground.
"Well, you showed up right in front of Natsu, so you only have yourself to blame," Happy sighed, shrugging helplessly at the groaning beast.
"Let's go, Natsu!"
"No, wait a minute, Happy."
Natsu grabbed the dizzy monster by its thick collar scales and shook it.
"You stupid monster! Hurry up and tell me where the First Master's grave is! Where exactly is it?!"
"You are actually speaking human language to it. Can it really understand you?" Happy sweatdropped.
"I don't know..." Natsu admitted.
"I see..." the monster groaned in a deep, rumbling voice.
"It spoke human language!" Happy shrieked, his fur standing on end.
He wondered if Natsu's brand of chaotic calmness was even scientifically possible.
"But you can talk too, right, Happy?" Natsu pointed out logically.
"I... actually can't refute that..." the blue cat sighed.
"There isn't even a small hint on this island. How are we supposed to find a single hidden grave?" Happy asked, looking around the thick foliage.
"Wait, I remember now. This island looks like a specific shape from the outside, right? Like a big mushroom," Natsu noted.
"That's right," Happy agreed.
"Don't you think the very top of it looks suspicious?"
"It really does look suspicious."
It had to be said, the two of them shared an oddly similar, single-minded train of thought.
"Great, let's head straight to the top of the island then!" Natsu cheered.
"Aye, sir!"
...
At the temporary beach camp on Tenrou Island—
"Nani?! You are saying Evergreen and Elfman are getting married?!" Erza, who was temporarily acting as the camp cook, was so utterly shocked that she completely forgot to stir the soup in her pot.
"Yes. That is exactly why I was so shocked that they managed to successfully sneak attack me," Mira explained, touching her cheek with an embarrassed smile.
"Wait a minute! When exactly is the wedding?! Since when did they have that kind of intimate relationship?!" Erza raised her soup ladle aggressively, her tone sounding as if she were strictly presiding over a high-stakes court case.
"No, I think it's probably just part of their battle plan, right?" Ur chuckled from the sidelines.
"Without a doubt, it is a battle plan," Raizel sighed.
He propped his chin lazily on his hand, looking utterly bored by the gossip.
"It seems I am still not mature enough to handle such news," Mira sighed.
Despite saying this, her tone was quite relaxed and amused.
"Are you absolutely sure it is just a battle plan?" Erza blinked, her expression adorably clueless when it came to romance.
"I don't think those two could possibly have that kind of relationship. They don't really interact much normally, do they?"
"Weren't they in the same team during the last Harvest Festival battle? They were even in my team too!" Mira pointed out.
"Oh, right... If they were to actually get married..." Erza murmured, her imagination running wild.
"Stop! Do not even think about it—the visual is terrifying!" Raizel quickly cut off their spiraling conversation.
...
[Please be very careful,] Jellal's urgent, telepathic voice suddenly echoed directly into Raizel's mind.
[Has Grimoire Heart arrived?] Raizel quickly responded through the mental link.
A long time passed, and Raizel received absolutely no further reply from Jellal.
The connection had been severed.
"Everyone, stop what you are doing and gather around. I have something critical to announce." Raizel knocked his knuckles hard against the wooden table, his sudden serious tone signaling the examiners to come closer.
"What is going on?" Erza asked promptly, her relaxed demeanor vanishing.
"Wait a moment, I need to bring Gramps back first." Raizel instantly teleported away.
A split second later, he returned with Makarov in tow.
"What is happening? Why so sudden?!" Makarov demanded, completely bewildered.
Raizel had just teleported directly to Mavis's hidden grave, grabbed him and without a single word of explanation, told Makarov to come along immediately.
If Raizel weren't usually so composed and respectful, Makarov would have scolded him right then and there.
Raizel's expression was deadly grave. "I think this S-Class Exam might need to end prematurely, or perhaps change its format entirely. I want to hear everyone's opinions."
"What is it?"
"Just tell us directly, kid!" Gildarts urged, stepping up.
"Just now, I received a telepathic warning message from Jellal," Raizel stated.
"Jellal?!?" Erza gasped.
"You mean the former Wizard Saint who destroyed the Magic Council?!" Makarov yelled.
Raizel nodded. "Yes, that Jellal. Actually, what you all do not know is that I have collaborated with Jellal twice before—once during the Tower of Heaven incident and once during the Nirvana event. Actually, he was the one who unsealed Nirvana for us, too."
Erza and the others looked completely shocked.
"You collaborated with him?!"
"Didn't you feel like the magical shackles were opened particularly easily during that last battle?" Raizel pointed out.
"Now that you mention it...!" Erza slammed her hand forcefully against the table in realization.
Raizel lightly tapped the table twice to quiet everyone down.
"Alright, just consider Jellal as a neutral third party for now. Listen to what I have to say without interrupting. Save any questions for the end."
"I received word from Jellal that the dark guild Grimoire Heart is highly likely to attack Tenrou Island very soon."
The camp fell dead silent.
"Grimoire Heart's target isn't actually us," Raizel continued.
"Their main target is most likely the Black Wizard Zeref, who has temporarily appeared on our island. Grimoire Heart coming to Tenrou Island is just incidental to capturing him."
"The Black Wizard Zeref! How is that even possible?! Is he really still alive?" Ultear frowned deeply, playing her part flawlessly while genuinely disturbed by the confirmation.
Raizel nodded emphatically. "He is alive. He has actually been alive all along and right now, he is most likely wandering somewhere on this very island."
"Why is everyone so shocked?" Wendy asked curiously, holding Carla tight.
Ultear let out a soft, shaky sigh before explaining to the young girl.
"Wendy... if Zeref is still alive, he would be at least four hundred years old..."
"What!!!" Wendy gasped.
"Wait! Is he a black-haired youth wearing a diagonally draped white robe or some kind of toga scarf?!" Carla suddenly shrieked.
She seemed to remember something horrifying, her wide eyes fixed intently on Raizel.
Raizel nodded grimly. "It seems your premonition was exactly correct, Carla. We can confirm now that Zeref is on Tenrou Island."
"And I should tell everyone right now that I cannot locate him. Whenever I try to scan for him using Archive Magic, a thick impenetrable magical mist appears and blocks me."
Raizel held up a hand to stall their rising panic. "But everyone shouldn't worry too much about him directly. Zeref isn't actually particularly dangerous as long as no one tries to provoke or actively attack him. He has been peacefully wandering in deserted places for the past four hundred years just to avoid hurting people."
"Our main focus should be entirely on Grimoire Heart, and preventing them from capturing Zeref and using his magic."
"Wait a moment!" Makarov raised his hand to firmly interrupt Raizel.
"Tenrou Island has a powerful, ancient protective barrier. A dark guild cannot just waltz in."
In Makarov's eyes, Zeref slipping in was a rare exception, after all, he was a mythical mage who had lived for 400 years.
According to the dark legends, he was an unparalleled magical genius, so it wasn't entirely surprising he could bypass their wards.
But an entire flying guild ship?
Raizel shook his head slowly, locking eyes with the Guild Master.
"Gramps, I want to tell you some very unfortunate news—they can definitely get in."
"First, the ancient barrier around Tenrou Island cannot be considered an absolute flawless defense, there are fatal flaws to be found if you know where to look. And second..."
Raizel paused, letting the heavy weight of his next words sink in.
"Their Guild Master is none other than our second-generation master, Precht. If he truly wants to enter Tenrou Island, it will be utterly effortless for him."