Chapter 123

"Secondly, Laxus—this guy absolutely has the potential to be a Wizard Saint, and perhaps even more."

"Then there's the guild's newest member, Mystogan. This guy is also very strong; his future is limitless."

"Black Natsu, a monster among monsters. Makarov even suspects that this guy could rival a Wizard Saint right now."

"Because, up until now, Makarov doesn't know of anyone who could force Black Natsu to use a second move!"

"And then, there are Erza and Mirajane, whom Black Natsu brought back this time."

"These two are also seeds for the Wizard Saints."

"Prosperity! Makarov can almost foresee just how powerful Fairy Tail will be in the near future."

"Looking at Erza and Mirajane before him, Makarov’s old face crinkled with a smile."

"That expression made both Mirajane and Erza instinctively take a step back and hide behind Black Natsu."

"Is this really the guild master? Why is he so sleazy?"

The straightforward Erza looked at Black Natsu in confusion.

Makarov’s smiling face suddenly collapsed.

This was the first time he had been described as sleazy. It was painful; he wanted to cry...

In the end, under Makarov’s impatient urging, the Fairy Tail emblem was inscribed onto Erza, Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman.

With this, Fairy Tail welcomed even more newcomers.

The welcome party followed shortly after.

That night, everyone was very happy, and many drank themselves into a stupor.

It was also that night that Laxus returned to the guild.

The same scene played out once again.

Having trained bitterly for a year, Laxus once again challenged Black Natsu to meet at the beach behind the guild.

Facing the vast ocean, Laxus’s confidence swelled to unprecedented levels.

"Hey! Tomorrow is the S-Class promotion exam. This time, I will definitely beat you!"

"Absolutely!!!"

Under the starry sky, Laxus’s sharp eyes stared fixedly at Black Natsu.

His words were filled with powerful self-confidence.

To this, Black Natsu also gave a response.

"Then come on, if..."

"...you can actually do it!"

The next day arrived.

The newly joined Mirajane, Erza, and the others had already settled in.

It could be considered the official start of their Fairy Tail life.

Furthermore, at last night’s party, they had met many members of the Fairy Tail guild.

Among them was Gray.

Well, the assessment remained shockingly consistent.

"Is there actually a pervert in this guild too?"

Erza, not understanding the situation, spoke up.

In an instant, the guild burst into laughter.

Outside the sky-screen, Gray was beyond speechless.

Ur, however, was very interested: "Speaking of which, Gray, having carried the title of 'pervert' all these years, it really has been hard on you."

Gray: "I don't want to talk right now, especially not to you, Ur..."

"If it weren't for you, would things have turned out like this?"

Ultear: "You can't blame this on Mother."

"Look at Lyon next door. You’re fellow disciples, you used the same training methods, so why is it that others don't have the habit of stripping everywhere?"

Natsu: "That's right! Lyon doesn't seem to have that habit."

Happy: "Could it be..."

Gajeel: "Is Gray a natural-born pervert??"

Cana: "Eww~~ I'm moving further away."

Gray: "Ah?? It's not like that, you guys listen to me explain."

Charle: "Nothing to explain, let's just watch the screen."

Wendy: "Um, Charle, move over a bit. Gray-nii is right next to me, let me scoot."

Gray: "Wendy... you... even you..."

Today, the Fairy Tail guild seemed exceptionally lively.

People who usually worked outside had all chosen to return to the guild on this day.

The confused newcomers were completely bewildered.

Whenever they asked someone, the answer they got was a mysterious smile and: "You'll know in a moment."

Such answers were enough to drive people like Erza and Mirajane to the brink of madness.

However, they had no choice but to follow the crowd and gather in front of the guild stage, waiting quietly.

It didn't take long.

The closed curtain was slowly pulled open.

It revealed the full view of the stage.

Above, only two mages were standing there at this moment.

Makarov and Gildarts!

Today, Makarov had shed his usual image of a sleazy old man.

He was dressed neatly in his finest Wizard Saint attire.

His wrinkled face was full of seriousness, his gaze sharp.

This appearance completely overturned Mirajane and the others' impression of Makarov.

This old man... does he actually have some substance?

The moment Makarov revealed himself, the entire guild erupted.

"Quiet down, you brats!"

The aged voice rang out from the stage.

The previously rowdy guild went silent in an instant.

Makarov’s gaze was like a sword, sweeping across the room before he coughed twice.

"Ahem, sorry to keep you all waiting."

"Haha, hurry up and announce it, Master!"

"I've been looking forward to this year's exam for a long time."

"Who will it be? I wonder if I'll make the list?"

"You? Forget it. You can't even beat me, and you want to participate in the S-Class Black Mage exam?"

"What kind of crap are you talking about? Even if I'm bad, I'm still good enough to beat you."

Discussions rose and fell.

The few who had just joined the guild huddled together.

"S-Class Black Mage exam?"

Mirajane frowned slightly.

"So cool! I just asked around, and apparently there's only one S-Class Black Mage in the guild right now."

Lisanna added.

"They say that's a title only the strongest of the strong can hold," Elfman said with envy.

"S-Class Black Mage, huh? I'm starting to look forward to it. Will my name be on it?"

Erza stroked her chin in thought.

["Your name? You're overthinking it, aren't you? It would be more like having my name."]

Mirajane retorted mercilessly.

"You? Don't even mention it, you're someone who just learned magic."

"But I can fight you to a draw, can't I?"

"That was just me not being serious, I didn't even use Dragon Slayer Magic, and besides, that was Satan Soul's strength."

"Satan Soul is me, so the strong one is me!"

Seeing the two of them about to bicker again, Lisanna and Elfman exchanged glances and sighed helplessly.

"Starting again? This is the third time today. I really don't know where they get the energy to fight every day."

Just as Lisanna was complaining.

Makarov on the high platform spoke up again.

"I won't say much else, let's get straight to the point."

"There are two candidates for this year's S-Class Black Mage exam."

The entire guild’s members pricked up their ears, focusing intently on Makarov on the stage.

Hoping that their own name would be among those two spots.

"Over the past year, I believe everyone has witnessed their strength, hard work, and conviction."

"So, today, they have successfully earned the ticket to S-Class!"

"They are..."

On the platform, Makarov’s gaze locked instantly onto Laxus, who was sitting in the corner of the guild with his arms crossed.

"Laxus Dreyar!"

Countless eyes followed suit and locked onto Laxus.

This decision was not surprising; Laxus’s strength was plain for all to see.

Before Black Natsu arrived.

He was hailed as the number one of the younger generation, completing almost every mission in a crushing manner, leaving countless people dumbfounded.

This was enough to prove Laxus’s strength.

Facing everyone’s gaze, Laxus didn't care in the slightest.

His eyes were just locked onto a figure in the crowd.

A flash of fighting spirit crossed his eyes!

"Next is the second candidate."

Makarov didn't keep everyone waiting, looking directly into the crowd at Black Natsu, who was standing beside Erza and the others.

"Natsu Dragneel!"

The crowd shifted their gaze once again, with looks of worship, envy, and more gathering on Black Natsu.

"That guy? He's also a monster."

"I remember, didn't he take down Laxus in one move back then?"

"Hiss! Does that mean Natsu is even stronger than Laxus?"

"At least he was back then, but it's hard to say now. Both are geniuses, and both can complete missions in a crushing way."

"Therefore, it's really hard to tell who is stronger or weaker right now."

Discussions were constant all around.

Mirajane looked at Black Natsu with joy in her eyes: "Congratulations, congratulations! S-Class Black Mage, it sounds so cool. It won't be long before I catch up to you!"

Mirajane clenched her small fists; the announcement of the candidates this time seemed to have completely stirred up her interest.

She was no longer struggling with whether she would hate the power of the demon.

According to Lisanna, Erza had previously sought out Mirajane, and the two had talked a lot about the nature of power, though Lisanna didn't know the result.

Since that day, Mirajane seemed to have opened up a lot and no longer resisted the demon power.

This was also the reason why Mirajane could master Take Over magic so quickly.

However, Lisanna also felt it was strange; ever since Erza sought out Mirajane last time, the two seemed to be at odds, looking at each other with displeasure.

She didn't know what they had talked about in the end.

Outside the sky-screen.

Gray: "S-Class Black Mage exam... has Black Natsu reached this step so quickly?"

Erza: "He is Black Natsu, after all. With his strength, he was long since qualified to be an S-Class Black Mage."

Mirajane: "Well said, but how old is Black Natsu in the footage right now?"

"He should be even younger than Erza, right?"

Hades: "Black Natsu’s age... it's impossible to calculate."

Brain: "That's right. If you say he's hundreds of years old, theoretically that's fine, but if you say he's in his teens... that also works."

Ultear: "After all, he crossed four hundred years of time. By rights, those four hundred years shouldn't count, so he should be in his teens."

Sting: "Anyway, no matter how old he is, Black Natsu-san’s promotion in this S-Class exam is a done deal, right?"

Freed: "Don't underestimate Laxus!!! Laxus is also not weak at all."

"You have to know, in the history of our world, this year was the year Laxus became an S-Class Black Mage!"

"I believe the Laxus of that world will be the same!"

Laxus: "Ahem... Freed, I think... you might be better off not holding such high hopes..."

Gajeel: "Haha, Freed, you can't let your subjective wishes influence your judgment."

Igneel: "Speaking of which, should our Natsu be an S-Class Black Mage by now too?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Fairy Tail guild fell into silence.

After a long while, Natsu gritted his teeth and spoke.

"Damn it! If it weren't for that black dragon, I would already be an S-Class Black Mage by now!"

Gray: "If you're going to say that, I'm not happy. I didn't lose the last exam yet!"

Cana: "You guys wait a minute, last time we really reached the First Master's grave, so if we're really talking about it, the S-Class Black Mage should be me!"

Natsu: "How is that possible? It must be me!!"

The guild became rowdy once again.

Clearly, everyone was not very satisfied with the last exam.

Igneel sighed helplessly and exchanged glances with the phantoms of the other two dragons.

Finally, he sighed: "So, even now, Natsu still hasn't become an S-Class Black Mage?"

In the sky-screen.

"The location for this year's S-Class Black Mage exam is an island in the western ocean called Monster Paradise. We will decide who is this year's S-Class Black Mage there!"

Makarov said loudly to the guild.

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this!

Monster Paradise?

"If I remember correctly, that should be the location for S-Class missions, right? It seems many S-Class missions point to that island, the legendary island inhabited by thousands of monsters."

Macao said with an ugly expression.

Wakaba also raised his head, looking at Makarov with worried eyes: "Master, isn't this a bit beyond the syllabus? Is it really okay?"

To this, Makarov was resolute.

"Since they want to become S-Class Mages, they must be suited for S-Class difficulty. If they can't even do this."

"What's the point of talking about S-Class?"

"But..." someone was still worried.

"You guys can rest assured. Since they are S-Class candidates, they must possess S-Class strength."

Gildarts spoke up at this moment.

"Don't underestimate these young people!"