After finalizing the name "National S-Class exam Tournament," Marco proceeded to discuss the next steps.
Minor details like "emblems, slogans, and promotional phrases" were quickly decided, as few people paid much attention to these aspects.
"With the current number of participating Magic Guilds being too large, my idea is to add a preliminary round or qualifying round mechanism. Otherwise, this tournament will take far too long."
It wasn't until the tournament format was brought up that the guild masters focused their attention, as the rules could genuinely impact their vested interests.
"Preliminary round, qualifying round..."
Upon hearing this, many masters of smaller guilds immediately sensed trouble.
Such a system, clearly designed to eliminate participants, seemed targeted at them.
The implication was that if their strength was insufficient, they might not even make it to the main tournament.
"How many guilds will advance to the main tournament?" Someone spoke up, voicing the question on everyone's mind.
"Eight?"
Marco hesitated before suggesting a number.
This was his first time organizing such a large-scale event, and he lacked experience, so he was genuinely discussing it with everyone.
Marco's suggestion of eight was based on careful consideration.
Previously, even with just three guilds, the tournament had been quite challenging, lasting three full days.
With eight guilds, it would undoubtedly take even longer, as each guild would send multiple participants.
Even with some restrictions on numbers, there would still be more participants than in the previous three-guild tournament.
If each guild sent just five members, eight guilds would mean forty participants and three days might not be enough to complete the matches.
"Too few! That won't work!"
For the guild masters, however, this number was clearly hard to accept.
With a total of 110 Magic Guilds participating, a preliminary or qualifying round that narrowed it down to just eight would mean an excessively high elimination rate.
"Eight is far too few. Most people would just be making a wasted trip. No, no—we need at least some opportunity!"
The masters of the smaller guilds erupted in protest, arguing fervently for a chance to compete in the main tournament.
Eight spots offered too little opportunity.
In the discussions, guild names like "Fairy Tail," "Blue Pegasus," "Quatro Cerberus," "Lamia Scale," "Mermaid Heel," "Titan's Nose," "Twilight Ogre," and "Cait Shelter" were mentioned.
Just these well-known guilds alone already exceeded eight in number.
This meant that the eight main tournament spots would essentially be claimed by these renowned major guilds, leaving smaller guilds with no chance to stand out.
"Then let's change it to sixteen, doubling the number!"
After some thought, Marco conceded.
This would indeed provide more opportunities, and starting with a round of sixteen was more traditional—sixteen, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals.
"Sixteen does offer a real chance."
Marco's significant compromise quickly quelled the disputes below, as both major and minor guilds could accept this number.
For the major guilds, it made little difference.
Even with an additional round of sixteen and eight more Magic Guilds, it would just mean one extra round of matches—one more round to dominate.
The smaller guilds stood no chance against them.
"Alright, it's settled then. First the preliminary rounds, followed by qualifying matches, and finally the main tournament with sixteen guilds participating."
Seeing no objections from anyone, Marco confirmed this rule—the basic competition format that wouldn't be easily altered going forward.
"Next, let's discuss the issue of hosting locations."
Marco moved the agenda forward, and this topic immediately stirred commotion among the attendees.
Clearly, this was another crucial issue, as whichever location hosted would reap the greatest benefits.
"Why not just rotate hosting duties like you did before?"
Someone voiced their confusion, believing this to be the best approach since it would give every guild a chance to host the event on their home turf.
"It's completely different now. Previously, there were only three guilds, but now we have one hundred and ten participating! An event of this scale isn't something just anyone can organize."
Marco spoke with a smile, his words calming everyone down.
As Marco pointed out, the situation was entirely different now.
With only three guilds, the requirements were manageable, but with one hundred and ten guilds, it was a different story altogether.
Some smaller guilds might not even have the capacity to accommodate all the participants.
"Oh... this..."
Once this reality sank in, the leaders of the smaller guilds were at a loss.
This was a practical issue that couldn't be changed by mere willpower—some of them couldn't even bear the burden of hosting the event.
"This is the inevitable consequence of scaling up too much."
Marco had no easy solution for this.
While he wanted to share some benefits with the smaller guilds, they had to be capable of handling the responsibility.
"So, let the major guilds handle the hosting."
The guild master of "Titan's Nose" spoke bluntly.
They had the capacity to take on the role of event organizers.
"Actually, smaller guilds could collaborate to host the event or negotiate with their city governments to see if they can secure funding."
Marco, who had been frowning and pondering the issue, suddenly brightened up as he thought of a brilliant idea.
It was similar to the World Cup—the event could be hosted jointly by several guilds pooling their resources.
Even if smaller guilds lacked the capability on their own, they could partner with their respective cities, with the cities providing the funding.
This proposal was met with immediate cheers.
The leaders of the smaller guilds felt revitalized, as if they had been thrown a lifeline.
They looked at Marco with deep admiration.
Despite being a member of Fairy Tail—and possibly its future guild master—and despite Fairy Tail being undeniably a major guild, the largest of them all, Marco was striving to secure benefits for the smaller guilds and find solutions for them.
His selfless dedication to the collective good earned everyone's respect.
"Then it's settled. Those with the capability to host individually may do so, while those who cannot may collaborate—whether through guild alliances or city partnerships, both are acceptable."
Seeing no further objections, Marco finalized this rule.
Although the major guilds felt somewhat disappointed by this arrangement, they had little room to complain.
With the three founding guilds—Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, and Quatro Cerberus—in agreement, the others who had joined later naturally had nothing to say.
"I believe this National S-Class Exam Tournament requires establishing a dedicated organizing committee."
Marco continued, expressing his thoughts.
"This committee will primarily be responsible for safeguarding everyone's interests, maintaining a fair competitive environment, shouldering the duties of refereeing, and also organizing each seminar. We'll vote during these seminars to decide which guild or city will host the event."
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Early Grand Magic games!