"Erza Scarlet!"
The moment Marco announced the name, the crowd erupted.
Everyone knew Erza was the top-seeded contestant in this assessment.
Drawing her as an opponent would be terrible luck—likely resulting in an early elimination in the first round!
"A worthy opponent!"
Bacchus's eyes gleamed as he looked at Erza.
She was one of his targets, given her formidable strength.
'Don't pick me, don't pick me, don't pick me!'
Many silently chanted in their hearts, hoping to avoid this formidable adversary.
No one wanted to lose their chance to showcase their skills without even getting a proper opportunity.
Considering the rules of the Bypass qualification, facing a powerhouse like Erza meant she would likely unleash her full strength right away to secure a quick victory.
There would be no mercy, and one might be knocked out of the arena in mere seconds.
Under the crowd's watchful eyes, Marco reached in again and pulled out another red ball.
With a resigned sigh, he set it aside and drew once more—this time retrieving a yellow one.
"Rockley!"
As Marco announced the name under Bacchus's intense gaze, the latter couldn't hide his disappointment but quickly turned his attention to his teammate.
"Go for it, Rockley! Time to show your manly spirit!"
Bacchus gave Rockley an encouraging pat on the shoulder.
"I've got this!"
Gritting his teeth, Rockley raised a fist in determination.
He wore a full-head dog pelt hood, his face peering out from the open jaws of the canine.
"Go for it!"
The surrounding "hounds" cheered loudly, stirring up quite the fervor.
Even members of other guilds in the audience joined in to support him.
In contrast, the Fairy Tail side remained calm and composed.
No one doubted Erza's victory—the only question was how long Rockley could last.
Even if Erza held back, she wasn't one to go easy, and if her opponent was too weak, he wouldn't last long against her.
"Someone I've never heard of before." Erza calmly remarked.
In truth, among the younger generation of Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus, she only knew a few names.
Rockley clearly hadn't left much of an impression on her.
"Ichiya-san, you'll draw the next one."
After placing the balls for Erza and Rockley aside under the sign labeled (Erza vs. Rockley), Marco called Ichiya forward, signaling him to take charge of the next draw.
At the same time, he glanced toward the Quatro Cerberus seating area.
Quatro Cerberus was led by Bacchus, who was also a participant, so naturally, he couldn't be the one to draw.
As a result, the three guild masters had been invited out in advance, with Master Goldmine personally handling the draw.
Marco, Ichiya, and Goldmine each took turns drawing, and before long, all fifteen matchups had been determined.
With a quick scan, Marco noted that the results were only average for Fairy Tail.
Some matchups looked like easy wins, while others had landed them against troublesome opponents.
Erza vs. Rockley, Mirajane vs. Jenny Realight, Natsu vs. Ren, Gray vs. Yager, Gajeel vs. Locker, Hisui vs. Karen, Elfman vs. Bacchus, Juvia vs. Gub Sek, Cana vs. Semmes, Lisanna vs. Hibiki.
To ensure no one faced a fellow guildmate, Fairy Tail's ten participants were evenly matched—five against Blue Pegasus and five against Quatro Cerberus.
This had taken considerable effort during the draw.
Marco, Ichiya, and Goldmine had spent a long time ensuring the pairings fully complied with the rules.
The process could definitely be optimized next time.
While drawing one by one was exciting, it also tested everyone's patience.
"The draw is complete. Everyone, prepare yourselves—the exam begins in ten minutes."
With the pairings finalized, all names and opponents were recorded.
A freshly drawn bracket by Reedus was displayed beneath the judges' seating for everyone to see.
The bracket even included portraits of the participants, helping unfamiliar magic users from other guilds recognize their opponents.
During the ten-minute break, many took the opportunity to observe their opponents and gather last-minute intel.
After all, understanding the enemy was part of the battle—strategizing in advance was just another aspect of the exam.
Of course, some were far more relaxed, completely uninterested in researching their opponents.
Take Natsu for example.
No matter who he faced, he was confident in his victory.
This was the same guy whose intermittent bursts of confidence led him to challenge Marco.
When it came to self-assurance, Natsu never lost to anyone.
"Is this what it means to have a manly mindset?"
Watching Natsu eagerly cracking his knuckles nearby, Elfman couldn't help but feel envious.
He was a little nervous—after all, he'd heard Bacchus was incredibly strong, even serving as Quatro Cerberus's leader.
Didn't that put him on the same level as Erza in terms of status?!
For Elfman, this draw was far from ideal.
He clenched his fists and began warming up.
No matter how formidable the opponent, he would give it his all.
He couldn't afford to embarrass Fairy Tail.
The ten minutes passed quickly, and with the sound of stirring music, the first joint S-Class examination officially began.
"The first match: Erza versus Rockley. Both contestants, please enter the arena."
Standing at the center of the dueling field, Marco announced.
As his voice faded, both competitors emerged from their respective entrances.
Erza's fiery red hair stood out vividly.
Clad in armor, she cut a heroic and valiant figure, a stark contrast to Rockley, who wore a dog-head cloak.
Yet both received equally thunderous cheers, with mages from both sides shouting encouragement at the top of their lungs.