"Here is the list of participants for this examination," Makarov read out one name after another, his gaze sweeping over the young faces in the crowd.
These are the future of the Guild, they are his pride:
"Natsu Doraguniru.
Gray Fullbuster.
Jubia Locksha.
Elfman Strauss.
Kana Alberona.
Fried Justin.
Rebbie Makujaden.
Mest Gryder.
And... Rhode!"
Natsu, Gray, and Elfman all wore expressions full of fighting spirit upon hearing their names, while Fried and Mest each focused on inheriting Laxus's will and on tasks, so they appeared slightly serious.
Reby was very surprised; she usually didn't have much confidence in herself, and she hadn't been undertaking tasks in a rush like Jet and Troy lately, so she didn't expect the President to recognize her.
Jubia was greatly surprised; she still considered herself to be a newcomer and had previously been on opposing sides with the Guild, so she couldn't believe she was able to participate in such an important event.
Kana felt much more relaxed; she didn't have a strong desire for S-Class anymore, whether she passed or not was fine, she considered it as just attending a parent-child activity.
Rhode was not surprised at all that he was selected, because a lazy person like the President hadn't consulted him on creating the test questions, which meant he definitely had to participate in the exam.
But for others, this might not be good news.
Some were thrilled, some sweating from their foreheads, and Mest was pulling a strange smile.
Even the Ten Wizard Saints' alternate needed to be called in specifically for the exam, showing that place called Celestial Wolf Island indeed had issues.
Perhaps this time, Makarov used the name of the exam to reveal the Guild's secrets to the outstanding young Mages.
Here's a chance to achieve something great!
Lucy felt Mest's smile was weird, but the next second Mest bit the table corner, mumbling, "I want to know, what does the table taste like? I really want to know!"
"Hey..." This was really a strange man, Lucy concluded.
This made her feel more at ease since there were plenty of weirdos in the Guild, especially ones that approached her, often standing out among the oddballs.
She didn't know where she got her knack for attracting oddballs.
"Ah..." Alzack frustratingly scratched his head, "I didn't make it again this year..."
"It's okay, Al," Bisca said boldly beside him in front of everyone, "Just try again next time."
The comfort was effective, Alzack blushed; although he couldn't take part in the exam, he had Bisca.
At least better than Jet and Troy.
Those two were still wildly gesticulating in celebration for Reby, failing to notice her slightly troubled expression.
Gajeel just found out what happened, although he had some guesses why he wasn't selected, he was still a bit hurt.
When Li Li opened his mouth to comfort him—the blow was even bigger.
Big Gajeel got comforted by his cat, just like the little Sky Dragon!
Once the crowd quieted down a bit, Mira introduced, "The exam rules are mostly the same as in previous years; first, you must find a partner in the Guild to team up with for the exam—of course, it can't be any of us."
Erza added, "Similarly, as per tradition, I, as an active S-Class Mage, will be responsible for obstructing you. Mira and Kildas too."
Mira and Kildas raised a hand with a smiling face and waved to the crowd below.
"Mira and Kildas too?!"
"Among the candidates is Rhode."
"Is the difficulty Hell Level this year?"
While everyone worried, there was always a fool who stood out: "S-Class exams should be like this, I'm fired up!"
"Moreover, unlike previous years, we have the largest number of participants this year, so..." Makarov held up two fingers, "This year there can be up to two spots for advancement to S-Class."
"Two?" Many gasped, and then Rhode felt a lot of people looking at him.
"The exam time is in one week, the specific content of the exam will be announced then." Makarov said,
"Everyone has been working hard recently, try to use this week to adjust your state. A week later, all candidates and their partners gather at Harujion Port. Meeting adjourned!"
Makarov was straightforward, he stated the essentials and left.
Those not selected were discussing enthusiastically who might become S-Class this year, some left with a sense of loss, while others went diligently to pick up tasks, with no more scrambling competition for them.
Erza didn't say much and followed the President out, since there were more matters to discuss.
Kildas gave his daughter an encouraging gesture, Mira waved to her husband... and brother, then left as well.
Kana wasn't encouraged at all, she sulkily took a swig of her drink, "So annoying, what's with the encouragement."
Elfman wasn't encouraged either, even though there was one more spot, it didn't affect the exam difficulty.
Even if his sister was an examiner, Elfman didn't think there'd be any convenience, instead, he might get beaten worse, especially since this year's opponents are all strong.
"Alright, Wendy, let's cancel this week's extreme training and slowly lower the intensity, just maintain an optimal state."
"Ok, I'll do my best!"
"Suddenly felt Rhode is really cunning, having already arranged to team up with Wendy in advance," Lucy thought Wendy was amazing.
Though her combat power might not compare to Natsu or Gajeel, she's a Dragon Slayer Mage, and partnering with her means no worries about getting injured.
"That's called foresight..." Rhode said, "Why didn't you chat with Mest?"
"I wanted to ask about cooperation, but he disappeared in no time."
Lucy was helpless, that guy chews tables and chairs, anyone unaware would think he's a Wood Dragon Slayer Mage.
Whether strong or not was unknown, but in terms of unreliability, he's similar to another Fire Dragon Slayer Mage.
Despite her huge pressure, she's been worried about dragging back the exam.
Gray comforted, "Don't worry, Mest is strong. He participated in the exam last year, so he has more experience than us."
"Last year?" Lucy asked puzzled, "Who was his partner last year?"
"Last year was... huh?" Gray hesitated, unable to recall.
Rhode said, "It was Wang Qiangji."
Gray overlooked the oddity he had just noticed, suddenly realizing, "Ah, right, since Wang doesn't usually stand out, I didn't think of him."
"Ah..." Lucy wasn't familiar with Wang Qiangji either, "I've only said hello to him once, then he replied 'hello' and didn't speak anymore, feeling hard to communicate with."
Wendy sympathized, weakly saying, "Me too."
"Considering he speaks less than ten sentences a week, that's already something!" Rhode consoled, "He usually has Joy order food for him."
Lucy and Wendy: "..."
Seems reasonable.
"By the way, have you decided on your partners? Who's Natsu teaming up with?" Lucy smartly thought she could gather information on competitors for Mest.
"Natsu?"
"Already left." Gray pointed at the door, "He picked Hapi, saying he'll train hard this week and knock everyone down."
"..." That's very typical of Natsu, Lucy then asked, "What about Gray?"
Gray curiously said, "Huh, didn't you know?"