Ten minutes later…
A flash of light shimmered, and a figure stepped out from the maze's exit.
Glancing at the cheering crowd around him, Mystogan muttered under his breath, "So, that crystal ball was the exit after all."
He then spotted KIra munching on snacks and watching the show from a distance. Mystogan quietly walked over and plopped down beside him.
"Didn't expect you to be the first one out," KIra said with a grin. "I was betting on Lucy, with her knack for puzzles."
"Just got lucky," Mystogan replied. "When I stumbled across that crystal ball, I thought it was another trap…"
"Luck's part of strength, you know!" KIra chuckled.
As they spoke, a few more figures emerged. It was Mirajane and her siblings, who had just seen Mystogan teleport out without triggering any traps. Feeling bold, they'd taken the plunge themselves.
"We made it, Elfman!" Mirajane exclaimed.
"Sis, you were so manly going all-in like that!" Elfman boomed.
Mira just smiled, saying nothing, and happily sat down next to KIra.
Three minutes later, Laxus and his Thunder God Tribe strutted out. Having transformed into lightning, Laxus didn't have to worry about traps slowing him down or damaging the maze. He zipped around, brushing past walls and corners, and quickly found the target.
Two minutes after that, Lucy emerged with a whole group in tow.
"Finally out!" Natsu roared.
"That damn KIra, I'm gonna take him down!" he added, shaking his fist.
"Yeah, good luck with that. You can't even beat him…" Gray muttered.
"We owe this one to Lucy!" someone chimed in.
"Hehe, it was nothing…" Lucy said modestly, though inside she was beaming: 'Look at you guys getting carried by me for once!'
"Lucy-san looks pretty thrilled, doesn't she?" Mira said with a giggle.
KIra nodded. "Carrying the whole team single-handedly? Showing off like that's gotta feel amazing!"
Soon, the 30-minute time limit was up.
Ding ding ding!
The bell rang, signaling the end of the preliminaries. Only about 20 people had escaped the maze. The remaining ten spots would go to those closest to the exit when time ran out.
Boom!
With a massive puff of smoke, the maze collapsed into a small, handheld cube. Everyone still inside tumbled out, some sprawled on the ground, others sitting awkwardly—none looking particularly graceful.
"It's finally over! Those two hours were torture!" someone groaned.
"Damn it! I didn't even roll six sixes! I was this close!" another complained.
"I saw the crystal ball, but then I got teleported somewhere else—argh!" a third voice wailed.
"The preliminaries are officially over!" Dispel announced through his microphone. "Twenty wizards escaped the maze and will advance to the main competition. The ten closest to the exit will also move on! To those who didn't make it, don't lose heart—you can try again next year!"
"Here's the list of those who passed: KIra, Mystogan, Mirajane, Elfman, Laxus…"
"These 30 wizards will compete in the next round. Congratulations!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"Man, that was exhausting!" someone said.
"I'm fired up!" Natsu shouted.
"Is that guy seriously still full of energy?" Gray muttered.
The competitors would get a break, of course—no way they'd make everyone fight back-to-back. The whole week was set to be a blast.
---
That night, the guild was in full celebration mode.
"KIra, you jerk! How dare you turn my adorable Levy into a pig? Unforgivable!" Jet and Droy shouted.
Levy, blushing, tugged at their sleeves "'C'mon, guys, stop bringing it up already~"
"Huh?" KIra smirked. "What, you're saying you wouldn't love Levy if she was a pig? Is that all your feelings for her amount to?"
He had them cornered.
"N-No way!" Jet stammered. "I'd love Levy no matter what she looked like!"
"Yeah, exactly!" Droy added. "Levy as a pig was the cutest thing ever!"
Levy: "…"
KIra: "What a pair of idiots."
Gray chuckled, watching the scene. "Those two got played like fiddles."
"Mira-san's bunny outfit was so cute…" someone muttered dreamily.
"Oh, stop, you're embarrassing me~" Mira giggled.
Erza, on the other hand, was fuming. "Who's the jerk that made me do a thousand-piece puzzle?! Fess up right now!"
"If we can't find the culprit, just blame KIra," someone suggested.
"Huh? Why're you so defensive? Was it you?" Erza glared.
"My punishment was fine—200 push-ups? Too easy!" another bragged.
"Are you a monster or something?" came the reply.
"Ugh, why'd it end so fast? I didn't even get my six sixes!" someone whined again.
Natsu, bursting with energy, ran up to Laxus. "Yo, Laxus, what was your punishment?"
"Shut up!" Laxus growled, his face dark with barely contained rage. "You're so damn loud!"
The Thunder God Tribe stood silently around him, exchanging glances. They knew Laxus was in a foul mood. The guy who usually oozed confidence had been forced to wear a JK uniform in front of everyone—humiliating for someone like him.
The trio shared a look, silently agreeing to never speak of it. But with so many spectators watching the preliminaries, they could only hope people had been too distracted to notice—or that two hours was enough for them to forget Laxus's embarrassment.
"Why's he so mad?" Natsu asked, clueless.
KIra pulled Natsu away. "Probably just tired from the maze. Don't worry about it. Oh, by the way, the maze records everything. I've got the footage, so in a few days…"
His voice trailed off as he walked further away, but it got louder, deliberately so.
Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen exchanged another glance: 'That KIra is doing this on purpose!'
It worked like a charm—Laxus was now seething, itching to jump into the main competition and let off some steam.
"So, what's tomorrow's first round gonna be like?" Natsu asked.
"Didn't they say we'd be split into teams?" someone replied.
"I hope our usual team can stick together. We've got the best synergy," another added.
Happy, munching on a fish, mumbled, "I heard from the Master and Dispel that they're gonna try to split up the usual teams."
"Makes sense," KIra nodded, sharing his thoughts. "If it were me, I'd balance the six teams' strength as much as possible. Makes the competition more exciting."
"Huh? Strength? How do you even measure that?" Natsu asked.
"Based on magic power, spells, stuff like that. With the Master's experience, he could probably figure it out."
Lucy clasped her hands together, praying. "Please, Celestial Spirits, don't let me end up against KIra, Laxus, or Erza…"
"If they're balancing team strength, the S-Class wizards will probably be split up," KIra said. "Me, Laxus, Erza, Mystogan, and Mira will likely each lead a team."
"That makes sense… but what about the sixth team?" someone asked.
Natsu grinned wide. "Obviously, it's gonna be me!"
Gajeel scoffed. "Tch, it should be me."
"Could be me, too," Gray chimed in. "You two have way too many weaknesses. One slip-up and you're done."
Juvia clung to Gray. "I want to be on Gray-sama's team!"
"The Thunder God Tribe's pretty strong, too. Maybe one of them will lead," someone suggested.
"If it's an attack-and-defense battle, rune magic's got a big advantage. I've never seen anyone break Freed's runes."
"Man, we're up against some tough opponents!"
"Wait, can Mira-san really lead a team?"
Mira flashed a dazzling, confident smile. "Don't worry—I'm plenty strong!"