"The stone staircase before you is the Path to Heaven. Climb the staircase, reach the end, and press one of the eight Magic Crystals to qualify, kabo."
"A race? I won't lose!" Natsu rubbed his fists together, ready to sprint as soon as the signal was given.
Wendy looked at the massive stone staircase and immediately said, "Wait a moment, let me cast Troia on everyone first."
Laxus would be fine as long as the stone staircase didn't move—he wouldn't get dizzy.
The main concern was Natsu, who would get motion sickness with even a slight shake.
"Doesn't this feel a bit too simple? Just a pure speed contest?" Erza frowned slightly.
"It's so high…" Lucy tilted her head back and stood on her tiptoes, trying to see the finish line.
"Be careful of the other competing teams. This staircase probably isn't as simple as it looks," Kagura narrowed her eyes, observing their opponents before shifting her gaze back to the steps.
"Everyone! The competition is about to begin, kabo. Let's count down from five, kabo."
"Five, four, three, two, one!" The pumpkin-headed hologram fired a starting shot into the sky.
With the sound of the gunshot, the competing teams charged forward simultaneously.
Ultear instantly left a tall ice wall at the base of the stone staircase, blocking the teams behind them.
Ignoring their shouts and curses, Kagura and Erza took the lead, ascending the steps rapidly.
"There's gravity suppression on the staircase," Kagura confirmed as soon as she took her first step.
The gravity suppression was very slight for her—so slight that she wouldn't have noticed it if she hadn't frequently trained with Gravity Magic.
The initial part of the path was easy to traverse, with almost no noticeable pressure.
Erza and Kagura led the way, followed by Ultear, Lucy, and Cana, striding upward swiftly. In the blink of an eye, they had covered one-fifth of the distance.
They knew it was one-fifth because it was conveniently marked on the steps.
"The gravity suppression is intensifying."
This time, Kagura didn't need to point it out—Lucy and Cana had already felt it.
With their relatively weaker physical training, they had started to sweat.
"Requip!" A golden light flashed around Erza as she switched into her running gear, the same lightweight outfit she wore for 24-hour endurance races.
Kagura glanced at the staircase.
This was only the beginning. "Hold on for now. If it becomes too much later, I'll activate an anti-gravity field to help ease the pressure."
"It's fine, we're still early. It's a bit tiring, but we can manage," Lucy shook her head, indicating she was okay.
"I really need to train more after this," Cana said with a regretful expression.
"It seems this preliminary round is screening for basic training. Let me know if you feel too much pressure." Kagura glanced back to check on the two before continuing to lead the way.
The Path to Heaven was a special magical artifact crafted by artisans and blacksmiths under Toma E. Fiore's direction.
It had multiple functions, one of which was gravity suppression. This path tested the Mages' training, including their stamina, magical power, and willpower.
The countless steps drained their physical stamina, while the constant struggle against gravity suppression consumed their magical power.
Both had exhausted their energy, testing only their willpower now.
The pumpkin head's warning about life-threatening dangers was just meant to scare people.
Each sky ladder was patrolled by several massive flying magic beasts—griffins—with knights riding on them, making rescue operations effortless.
It was as if they were deliberately showcasing the military might of the Fiore Kingdom.
Ascending the Path to Heaven step by step, Lucy and Cana were drenched in sweat, panting heavily, staggering with each step as they slowly trudged upward.
In contrast, Erza and Kagura seemed unaffected by the gravity suppression, advancing without any hindrance.
When they reached the final fifth of the journey, Lucy was the first to hit her limit, stumbling and nearly falling.
"I really can't go on..." Lucy said, pounding her sore legs.
"You've done quite well. You've never experienced gravity suppression before, and both your physical strength and magical power have been drained." Cana, though still able to walk, could barely speak.
"Everyone, one team has already reached the finish line, kabo."
"No time to waste, let's go." Kagura unleashed her full gravity magic, and Lucy and Cana immediately felt the resistance vanish, taking deep, comfortable breaths.
Ultear's original ice wall had been shattered, but none of the teams from the Honey Bone Inn had reached their position, saving them from having to fight anyone.
"I never imagined this path would be so difficult. I underestimated it," Cana said, taking a deep breath.
With Kagura's anti-gravity magic neutralizing the pressure, Cana and Lucy stayed close to her and quickly reached the finish line.
Ultear and the others had wanted to see which team was first, but unfortunately, aside from the huge magic crystal in the center of the circular stone slab, the other eight magic crystals were inside a closed room.
After pressing that magic crystal, the room would descend to the ground like an elevator before ascending again, thoughtfully designed for those who were too exhausted to climb down after reaching the top.
The circular stone slab was eerily quiet, leading Ultear to guess that the first team had already left.
Ultear placed her palm on the purple magic crystal, and text appeared above it as a three-dimensional image.
[Congratulations on being the second team to pass the preliminary round. Please stand firm and hold on, as this room will take you directly to the ground.]
Along with the holographic text, handrails appeared on the walls of the room.
"There's already a second team that passed, kabo."
"Great! I thought we'd have to climb down ourselves—I'd rather die than do that." Lucy breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the message.
"Hey! Natsu!" The first person Lucy saw when the doors opened was Natsu.
Natsu, Laxus, and the remaining members were also present at the base.
"Were you eliminated?" Lucy asked Natsu curiously.
"What's that supposed to mean?! Can't you think positively? We were the first team to pass!" Gray looked exasperated.
"How did you manage to climb that sky ladder?"
"Just kept charging forward!" Natsu replied casually while picking his ear.
"What about the gravity suppression?" Cana pressed.
Laxus explained, "Wendy enhanced our speed beneath our feet. As for the gravity suppression—it was nothing special."
The only one here who wasn't a Dragon Slayer Mage, Gray, was also a training maniac who had been through hellish training with Natsu since childhood.
Through sheer determination and not wanting to lose to Natsu, he managed to keep up with the Dragon Slayers.
Their celestial path had a bizarre style—a gravity-suppressed sky ladder that they somehow turned into a flat-out race.
Laxus transformed into lightning elements, shooting forward like an arrow released from its bow. Natsu used his flames as accelerators to charge ahead fiercely.
Gajeel transformed his body into lightweight metal, drastically reducing his weight and running even faster than Natsu.
Although Gray had Wendy's wind elements supporting him, his weight was a disadvantage.
In the end, in this inexplicably started race, he finished right after Wendy, achieving the excellent result of fifth place within their own squad!
...