"What?! We have to fight Gildarts?!"
The shocked voices erupted instantly around the guild hall.
"We can't possibly win! How are we supposed to become S-Class Mages then?"
"Gildarts is so strong can anyone even last against him?"
"No, no, no, there's no way we can beat Gildarts. Doesn't that mean no one can pass the exam this year?"
The guild members stared at each other, stunned by the revelation that the final stage would involve facing the strongest mage in the guild.
"You don't need to win," Makarov replied calmly, his gaze sweeping the crowd. "You only need to gain Gildarts' recognition."
That answer didn't seem to ease the tension.
"But to gain Gildarts' recognition, your strength has to be considerable," one member muttered. "If you're taken down in a single move, you won't get it. This really is the S-Class Promotion Exam… no wonder it's so difficult."
The room filled with murmurs of admiration and worry.
Cana's eyes lit up the moment she heard Gildarts' name. She turned to Noah, excitement bubbling in her voice. "Gildarts is back? And he's one of the examiners this year? Is this what you meant when you said he'd be back by the end of the year?"
"Yes," Noah said with a knowing smile. "I told Grandpa I wanted to take the S-Class Exam, so he specifically asked Gildarts to return at the end of the year to be an examiner."
"So that's why you were so sure he'd come back…" Cana nodded in realization.
Once the murmurs began to die down, Makarov raised his voice again. "The exam will be held in one week. At that time, the entire guild will travel together by boat to Tenrou Island, our sacred ground. Those taking the exam should prepare well and adjust their condition. We will gather at Harujion Port in one week. Meeting adjourned!"
The crowd slowly began to disperse, chattering excitedly as they left the counter area.
Laxus, who had been frozen in disbelief ever since hearing Noah's name on the S-Class list, finally came to his senses. His eyes narrowed, and he strode over with an annoyed expression. "Noah, why didn't I know you were taking the S-Class Exam? Neither you nor Grandpa told me!"
Noah grinned mischievously. "Simple. I told Grandpa not to tell you. I wanted to see that exact expression on your face."
Laxus' frown deepened, and without another word he turned toward Makarov. "Then I'll just tell Grandpa I want to take the exam too. If you can participate, so can I."
Before he could get far, Noah grabbed his arm. "That's impossible. Grandpa won't let you take the S-Class Exam because your strength isn't enough yet.
S-Class Mages have to complete S-Class missions jobs that require overwhelming strength. If you're not careful, you can easily get seriously injured… or worse. Grandpa's not the type to let guild members risk their lives if they aren't ready. Even if you signed up, he'd screen you out in the initial exam phase.
The only reason I'm participating is because I proved to Grandpa that my strength met the standard. And that's why he called Gildarts back so he could judge whether I'm truly qualified to be promoted.
As Grandpa's grandson, his standards for you will be even stricter. Without far greater strength, there's no way he'd approve your participation."
Laxus went quiet, his anger fading into thoughtfulness.
Noah's words hit hard because they were true. He couldn't even defeat Noah in their daily sparring matches. If Grandpa had been reluctant to approve Noah despite his power, Laxus didn't stand a chance right now.
Finally, with a frustrated sigh, Laxus slumped into a chair.
Noah clapped him on the shoulder with a smirk. "If you want to take the S-Class Exam someday, you'd better start training seriously. Your talent's good if you work hard enough, you'll meet Grandpa's standards before long.
But surpassing me?" Noah laughed. "That's going to be very, very difficult! Hahaha!"
Laxus's already gloomy mood only grew worse. He suddenly stood up, glaring at Noah.
"Let's go. We're having a fight outside. I don't believe I can't beat you!"
Noah rose from his seat with a calm smile. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you understand it's still way too early for you to beat me."
Just as the two were about to head out, Cana, who had been standing nearby, spoke up. "I want to become an S-Class Mage too."
Noah turned to her without hesitation. "Then come train with us."
"Me? I can join too?" Cana's eyes widened in surprise.
Ever since her training had gotten on track, Noah had been occupied with missions and rarely trained with her anymore aside from occasionally answering her questions about magic when she ran into difficulties.
"Of course," Noah said with a grin. "In fact, training together will help you improve faster."
Hearing this, Cana's face lit up. She quickly followed Noah and Laxus to their usual training grounds.
The day's practice began with a sparring match between Noah and Laxus. As usual, Noah easily suppressed him, forcing Laxus to grind his teeth in frustration before retreating to the side for physical conditioning.
Meanwhile, Noah turned his attention to Cana, guiding her through magic power training to expand her reserves.
Once both had completed their basic routines, they moved on to joint combat drills. Most often, it ended up being Noah against both Laxus and Cana Laxus serving as the main attacker while Cana supported from a distance. Noah made a point of engaging Laxus directly, giving Cana the breathing room she needed to last longer in the fight, knowing that getting knocked out too early would waste the opportunity for growth.
And so, the week passed quickly.
Early the following morning, the entire guild woke before sunrise and assembled at Harujion Port.
"Master! I didn't know we had such a big ship!"
"Yeah, Master, when did we even buy this?"
The guild members stared in awe at the massive vessel docked at the pier, where Makarov stood proudly at the bow.
"This ship? I didn't buy it I rented it," Makarov said with a wag of his finger. "So be careful. Don't damage it.
Alright, everyone, since we're all here, let's get aboard. Our destination Tenrou Island, the sacred ground of Fairy Tail!"
"Ohhh!"
With a chorus of cheers, everyone boarded the ship. Once all were on deck, Makarov gave the order, and the vessel slowly pulled away from the harbor, setting sail into the glittering expanse of the open sea.
Before long, the coastline vanished behind them. The sun blazed overhead, and despite changing into swimsuits to keep cool, the sweltering heat soon had everyone slumped in their seats, dripping with sweat and unwilling to move.
"Why is it so hot?!" Cana fanned herself weakly, turning to Noah with a look of utter misery.