After the cheers below subsided, Marco stood up and walked to the front of the viewing platform.
Under everyone's gaze, he began explaining the exam rules.
"Randomly drawn one-on-one matches. In the first round, you won't face members from your own guild. That's good—this is exactly why we're here!"
Listening to Marco explain the exam rules from above, Bacchus looked excited.
His gaze swept toward the viewing platforms of Blue Pegasus and Fairy Tail, mainly sizing up the magic users who had already gained some fame.
Erza, Mirajane, Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel—the first two were powerful and had already made a name for themselves in the Fiore Kingdom.
As for the latter three, Bacchus remembered them well for previously capturing the corrupt councilour.
As for Blue Pegasus, Hibiki, Ren, and Karen were all worth noting.
He particularly wanted a match against that Karen—there was still unfinished business between them from years ago.
Like Marco, he wasn't fond of her.
Bacchus didn't want a weak opponent.
While that would guarantee advancement, he cared more about fighting strong opponents than advancing—that was his real purpose in taking this exam.
"Who can win the fastest?"
Erza listened carefully, particularly intrigued by the conditions for obtaining the bypass qualification.
It wasn't that she wanted the bypass—rather, she considered winning more slowly in battle so she wouldn't have to skip a round.
If the other participants knew Erza's thoughts, they'd be devastated.
Many were desperate to get the bypass and advance straight to the quarterfinals, yet Erza wanted the opposite.
Worse, she acted as if she could easily secure the bypass if she wanted—as if none of the other competitors stood a chance.
Of course, she had the right to think that way.
At least among the Fairy Tail members, everyone believed the bypass qualification would most likely go to Erza, with only Mirajane having a shot at competing for it.
"Everyone, do your best to finish your matches as quickly as possible and fight for that bypass spot."
Seeing that Marco had finished explaining the rules and was about to start the draw, Erza turned to her guildmates and reminded them.
At least in this first round, they weren't opponents yet.
"Why? Aren't you going for the bypass qualification, Erza?" Hisui spoke up, her expression full of surprise.
Her words puzzled everyone.
When she first heard about the bypass qualification, Hisui had thought that with good luck, she might skip the round of fifteen to eight.
But once the bypass rules were announced, she was stunned—completely giving up on the idea of getting it.
She resigned herself to fighting properly, just hoping not to disgrace her master's reputation.
To her surprise, it seemed Erza wasn't planning to compete for the bypass—almost as if she wanted to deliberately leave it for someone else.
"That's right. I'm not going for it. You all should try to secure it." Erza nodded.
Though she didn't want the bypass for herself, she still hoped her guildmates could get it.
After all, it was a direct ticket to the quarterfinals.
"I won't compete either. You all decide."
Noticing Erza's gaze on her, Mirajane immediately spoke up.
If Erza wasn't going to compete, then neither would she—not for any particular reason, but simply to match Erza in everything.
'Perfect!'
Hisui's heart leaped with joy.
With two formidable competitors out of the running, her hopes for the bye slot were reignited.
She glanced around at her companions—Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Juvia, Elfman, Lisanna, Cana—all strong opponents, yet none of them made her feel as utterly outmatched as Erza and Mirajane did.
'Besides, I have a secret weapon.'
Thinking of the "secret weapon" her master Marco had given her before the trials, Hisui's confidence grew even stronger.
She was determined to make a name for herself in this competition!
"Even if you say that, I doubt it'll come down to me." Lisanna shook her head with a resigned expression.
Even if Erza and Mirajane weren't competing, giving the rest of them a chance, there was no way she'd be the one to claim the bye slot.
Lisanna knew her place—among the ten participants from Fairy Tail, her strength ranked near the bottom.
"Do your best!" Cana said solemnly, offering Lisanna some comfort—though she was also comforting herself.
She, too, wanted that bye slot.
Cana's goal was to become an S-Class mage and the higher her ranking, the better her chances.
A bye in the second round would guarantee her a spot in the top eight.
If she could then face a weaker opponent in the quarterfinals...
Though it might seem like wishful thinking, without such thoughts, Cana would likely despair.
Her luck today had been terrible.
"Whether we fight one more round or one less isn't the main issue. What matters is securing a spot in the top eight—that's something we can't afford to give up lightly." Gray spoke earnestly, observing everyone's expressions.
Aside from Natsu, who was enthusiastically interacting with competitors from other guilds, and Gajeel, who was itching for a fight, the rest of their companions clearly had their eyes on the bye slot.
"Gray is right. So all of you should give it your all."
As the leader of Fairy Tail's team, Erza had naturally considered this as well.
She looked at Gray and Natsu—the two candidates she had high hopes for.
Originally, she had wanted Mirajane to compete, but Mirajane clearly had other ideas.
"Of course I'll give it my all! I'm going to become an S-Class Mages!" Natsu chimed in excitedly.
Truthfully, he hadn't really understood what everyone was discussing, but no matter what, he would always fight with everything he had.
No one doubted that—Natsu was always serious in battle.
"Don't worry, I'll compete too." Gray nodded solemnly.
He didn't want to miss out on the fight either, but this was for the guild's honor.
Gray's sense of duty and responsibility wouldn't let him refuse Erza's request.
"..."
Juvia opened her mouth but then hesitated.
She wanted to say she could compete too, but she knew it wouldn't matter.
Erza and Mirajane had the confidence to hold back, even delay if needed, but the rest of them couldn't afford to be so generous with one another.
Moreover, the Bypass qualification not only depends on one's own strength but also on the opponent's.
Before the draw results are announced, no one can say for sure if they'll qualify to compete.
"Surely, no one thinks I'd rig the draw, right?"
From the stands, Marco asked with a smile, interrupting the discussions among the members of Fairy Tail, as he had already begun drawing the first pair of contestants for the match.
"Of course not!"
Amid the cheers from the contestants and audience below, Marco reached into a transparent box and started stirring its contents.
Inside the box were thirty small balls in three colors—orange-red, blue, and yellow—each representing the emblem colors of Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, and Quatro Cerberus, respectively, with the names of their guild members enclosed.
Marco gave the balls a quick stir before grabbing one, causing a stir among the crowd, especially from the Fairy Tail side.
As expected, when Marco pulled out the ball, it was indeed the orange-red one belonging to Fairy Tail.
With a smile, he opened it to reveal a slip of paper with a name written on it.