Night.
In an unknown forest.
Zeref, having finished drinking water, was calmly enjoying the tranquility of nature.
Under the Moonlight, silver shadows flickered among the trees, and a pack of wolves silently approached, drooling and eyeing the man before them covetously.
"Roar~"
Each wolf let out a low growl, their forms emerging from all directions.
"Don't come closer, I'm really not your enemy!"
Zeref extended both hands, kindly advising them, a hint of fear in his voice.
"Absolutely… absolutely…" Zeref hadn't finished speaking.
But the wolves paid no heed; they had been hungry for a long time, and the man before them was already their food.
All the wolves lunged forward.
An inexplicable energy dispersed around Zeref's body, and in an instant, all the wolves fell from the air, their eyes turning white, dead beyond dead.
"…cannot come near me… I'm sorry!"
Zeref slowly squatted down, head bowed in sorrow. As he grieved, the surrounding objects rapidly lost their life, even the birds in the air fell to the ground.
"I clearly had no intention of taking lives; it's this world that rejected me!"
"Natsu, I really want to see you!"
Jellal looked at everything around him that had lost its life, thinking of the only thought in the world, and slowly said.
…
"Ah~"
On the other side, above the Fairy Tail Guild, a figure rapidly plunged into the river.
"I didn't expect Natsu to pull a trick like that!"
Lucy lay on the riverbank, grumbling in frustration.
Just now, she had thought Natsu looked very cute while sleeping, but she didn't expect to be punched away when she approached him.
The next afternoon.
"Damn it, this mission is mine!"
"Let go, Natsu, I got it first…"
Zorn, refreshed, pulled Cana into the Guild. The first thing he saw was Natsu with a head full of bumps, brawling with Gray, not caring about the bumps on his head at all.
"Well, Lucy, Natsu is just like that. He didn't intentionally break into the bathroom."
Meanwhile, Wendy was trying to calm down a furious Lucy.
"Damn that guy, honestly, he's so heartless." Lucy glared fiercely at Natsu, who was happily brawling.
She had been happily bathing at the time, when a large head appeared upside down, as if falling from the sky.
And he even said to her: "Yo~ Lucy"
So she directly took revenge for that, along with the punch from the previous night.
Zorn also smiled helplessly and shook his head. Cana, however, let go of his hand and went to Lucy to comfort her, planning to teach Lucy a few things.
Zorn, with a glance, spotted someone with even more severe injuries—Laxus.
He was completely wrapped in bandages, leaning against the railing on the second floor.
"Hahaha, Laxus, what kind of outfit is that?!"
Zorn burst out laughing, clutching his stomach, but Laxus turned his head away and snorted coldly, clearly in a bad mood.
"That's my fault. I got carried away while fighting and couldn't hold back."
Gildarts rubbed his head, speaking apologetically.
The Guild Master, sitting at the bar, suddenly called out: "Zorn, come here for a moment!"
On the other side.
"Bang~ Bang~"
Erza and Panther Lily were clashing swords in the Guild, fiercely. Their swordsmanship was quite good, but seeing Erza's relaxed demeanor, it was clear that her skill level was very high.
"That's enough! But you are truly strong, Lily!"
"No… I should say, as expected of Erza, is this what an S-Class Magician of the Guild is like?!"
Panther Lily returned to his small form. He had just used all his strength, but Erza easily countered him, and there was no damage to the surroundings, showing Erza's control over her power.
Because of this, he also fully understood the significance of S-Class Magicians in the entire Guild.
Especially Zorn and Gildarts.
Panther Lily looked at Zorn and Gildarts, who were talking to the Guild Master.
He also looked at Laxus on the second floor; he had already sensed this person's strength.
Only the other two.
He turned his body, his eyes thoughtfully looking at Mirajane and Ur, who were laughing. After thinking for a moment, Ur and Mirajane both looked at him and smiled in greeting.
It startled him too.
"Haha, well done, Panther Lily, as expected of my cat!"
"How about it, Erza, my cat isn't bad, right?!"
Gajeel, who was nearby, suddenly picked him up, proudly showing him off, clearly overjoyed.
…
"What's wrong, Cana? Are you still worried about the Examination?"
Zorn held Cana's small hand as they walked, turning to ask Cana, who seemed a bit off.
"It's nothing, I just… don't know how to face him, and…"
Cana murmured, a hint of sorrow on her face. She had prepared for so many years, wanting her father to witness her efforts, but as she approached this step, she became nervous.
"Don't worry, your current strength is already very strong!"
"I estimate he'll be very surprised, and Gildarts is very muddle-headed. If you don't tell him directly, I don't think he'll figure it out!"
In Zorn's mind, aside from the old man's immense strength, there was only his muddle-headedness, after all, he was someone who couldn't even tell directions.
"Pfft~ Haha, you're right!"
Cana also thought of her father's personality and chuckled, her previous emotions completely gone, replaced by a resolute look in her eyes.
"I must ask him properly what he's truly thinking…"
Cana suddenly thought of something, clenching her fists, her knuckles cracking continuously.
Zorn swallowed at the sound.
He also remembered Gildarts mentioning so many women's names in the original plot. He only hoped he would be more careful this time, otherwise Cana might truly explode.
…
Three days later, Fairy Tail Guild.
On a high platform, a curtain hung directly down from the second floor, completely obscuring what was behind it.
The members of Fairy Tail were all extremely nervous; they all knew what was about to be announced.
"So excited, so nervous…"
"Natsu, calm down!"
Happy looked at the extremely nervous Natsu, whose head was shaking from side to side, and calmly advised him.
"Hmm… Zorn… isn't here…"
"Don't worry, he's there. He'll be out in a bit."
Cana bent down and held Simi in her arms, gently comforting her, and pointed her finger towards the curtain.
This slightly eased Simi's heart.
"Simi, be strong. The ones who can stand in that position are some of the strongest people in the Guild!"
Tami, who already knew something, flew proudly in the air, her eyes gleaming as she watched the stage.
"Cough, cough~"
With a cough, the curtain slowly rose.
The Guild Master appeared before Everyone with several S-Class Magicians of the Guild.
"According to the ancient rules of Fairy Tail, I will now announce the S-Class Magician Promotion Examination list…"
"Oh! Yay!"
"I'm fired up!"
The Guild Master announced with a slightly serious expression, but before he could finish, the crowd below cheered excitedly, Natsu even shouting excitedly with his whole body ablaze.
"Everyone, quiet down!"
"The Guild Master hasn't finished speaking!"
Erza and Gildarts, seeing this, quickly stopped them, their expressions as serious as the Guild Master's.
"Examination Location: The Guild's Holy Land—Tenrou Island!"
"I have carefully observed your performance, abilities, and souls over the past year. There are a total of eight participants!"
The Guild Master paused slightly here, his gaze sweeping around.
The crowd below also swallowed.
"Natsu Dragneel"
"Gray Fullbuster"
"Juvia Lockser"
"Elfman"
"Cana Alberona"
"Freed Justine"
"Levy McGarden"
"Mest Gryder"
"That's all."
After the list was announced, the Guild members had various reactions: some were sad, some were upset, some were excited, and some were Happy.
"Oh! S-Class Exam?"
Lucy suddenly exclaimed.
"Next, the examination content is the main thing!"
"Based on past experience, those participating in the examination will face the people on stage—that is, the examiners!"
Lisanna walked up to Lucy and said softly, but clearly, these words had a greater impact.
"What, these people…"
Lucy stared blankly at the people on stage.
Erza, Mirajane, Laxus, Zorn, Ur, Gildarts.
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