The next day, the atmosphere at the Fairy Tail Guild was lively, with boisterous voices that could be heard throughout the entire Magnolia Town.
However, the residents had already grown accustomed to the group's rowdiness; if the noise were to vanish one day, they would be the ones feeling out of place instead.
Makarov stood on a table, arranging matters for tomorrow's Harvest Festival, which would be followed immediately by the Fairy Tail S-Class Promotion Trial, allowing the residents of Magnolia to witness it all together.
"The Harvest Festival performances are a must. Each team will put on a show. All of you, put some heart into it and liven up the atmosphere, but don't cause too much destruction."
Hearing the high-spirited cheers below, he wasn't worried about the atmosphere; his only fear was that these troublemakers would get carried away.
Mirajane flashed a sweet smile: "Don't worry, Master, we've been ready for a long time."
Erza said with full confidence: "I'll keep an eye on Gray and Natsu!"
Although the Master didn't name names, everyone knew those two were the biggest troublemakers, always managing to start a fight for no apparent reason.
Natsu grumbled, "Why keep an eye on me? Am I really going to cause destruction? What do you think, Happy?"
Happy looked excited and gave his mindless support: "No way!"
"Good partner!"
Lucy covered her face, unable to watch: "You two, stop acting in concert like that."
Beside them, Gray complained, "Just talk about Natsu. Do you really think I don't know the limits?"
He had always felt he was very mature; he wondered why everyone thought of him that way, his gaze subconsciously drifting toward Juvia.
Juvia's face flushed, and she said without hesitation: "No! Gray-sama is the coolest!"
Everyone was speechless. Had anyone even mentioned a contest of coolness just now?
Even if it were a contest of coolness, would they really be outshined by that guy who only wore boxers?
"Alright, alright, everyone settle down."
Makarov pressed his hands down to quiet the crowd, then said: "Also, this year's S-Class Promotion Trial has been moved up, so the residents of Magnolia Town can witness it."
Natsu said excitedly: "I'm all fired up! I'm definitely becoming an S-Class this year!"
Fried, his long green hair covering his eyes, smiled: "To better follow Laxus, I shall give it my all."
Elfman flexed his muscles: "I'm going to become an S-Class man!"
"Master, am I on the trial list?"
"What kind of trial is it this year?"
Everyone was incredibly excited, their faces filled with anticipation; since the list hadn't been announced yet, perhaps they all had a chance.
Makarov cleared his throat and said: "The trial is divided into three stages. The first stage is to find seven sealed Elemental Magical Beasts within the Kingdom of Fiore; finding and breaking the seal counts as success."
"These are magical beasts created by Tartaros that they haven't had time to reclaim yet. I've discussed it with them and arranged for this to be one of the trial stages."
"Magical beasts?"
Everyone was startled. That group of demons from Tartaros certainly wouldn't be interested in anything weak, so these seven magical beasts were likely extraordinary.
Makarov nodded slightly: "Exactly. As you suspect, the magical beasts are extremely powerful, all at the peak of S-Class. You must be careful."
Only by making the trial more difficult could they better ensure their safety when taking on s-class missions in the future; the trial was essentially a simulation of an s-class mission.
"We will definitely find the magical beasts."
"The second stage must be subjugating the magical beasts!"
"No kidding. Why else would we release them if not to subjugate them?"
Everyone was completely fearless. On their journey, they had encountered so many powerful opponents; a mere magical beast was something they could handle with ease.
Makarov saw that everyone was taking it so lightly, felt a bit helpless; such carelessness would lead to trouble.
He continued: "The second stage is indeed subjugating the magical beasts, but you must successfully bring back the sharp horn from the beast's head."
"And on the way back, all the S-Class Mages of the guild will be obstacles. Gildarts, Laxus, Erza, Mirajane, and Cana—these five will try to seize your beast horns. Once one is taken, one S-Class slot will be gone."
Everyone's hearts tightened. Subjugating the magical beasts was hard enough, but they didn't expect something even more difficult to follow. Even if they succeeded, their magic power would surely be heavily depleted; would they still have the strength to break through the S-Class blockade?"
"In the third stage, everyone who passed the second stage will join forces to subjugate a Combined Magical Beast. The more beast horns Gildarts and the others seize, the more powerful the combined beast will be. Conversely, the fewer horns they seize, the weaker it will be. If they don't seize a single horn, there will be no third stage, and everyone who passed the second stage will become an S-Class!"
At this, Makarov's expression turned serious: "Don't think Gildarts and the others will go easy on you. To ensure the third stage happens, all the S-Class Mages will give their all."
Everyone was startled and immediately responded: "Yes!"
Lucy suddenly asked: "Master, if three people pass the second stage and the combined beast is successfully subjugated, do all three pass? If it fails, are they all eliminated, or is it based on performance? Is there a time limit?"
Makarov showed a look of appreciation: "It's excellent that Lucy thought of this. Failure means everyone is eliminated, no question about it."
"The Combined Magical Beast is even more powerful than you think. During the fight, you can choose to withdraw, and Gildarts and the others will save you, but that means failure. If one person withdraws, that person is eliminated, and the others continue to fight."
"The time limit is one day and one night. If the beast cannot defeat the challengers and the challengers cannot defeat the beast, it's considered a success for the challengers. Of course, slacking off isn't allowed; the Judging Panel will determine that."
Lisanna said in surprise: "Doesn't that mean the later battles require cooperation? If someone is eliminated, the remaining two will face even more fierce attacks."
Evergreen said: "This means it's best if five or four participants pass the second stage. The fewer the people, the harder the third stage becomes."
Everyone thought about it and realized it was true, but who could guarantee they could keep their beast horn under the assault of an S-Class powerhouse?
Among everyone present, perhaps only Acnologia and Irene had that kind of confidence!
Of the five S-Class Mages, everyone felt that besides Cana the drunkard, the others were incredibly difficult to face.
"Master, who is participating in the trial this year, and how many are there?"
Levy thought of a point: the most important part of this trial was the second stage. If there were enough participants, they might be able to use their numerical advantage to first deal with the S-Class Mages who were watching like hawks, and then the others could proceed with the trial.
This would benefit everyone else, and after that, it would be down to individual skill.
Makarov laughed and said: "Anyone who wants to participate in this trial can; there's no limit on the number of people."
The crowd immediately boiled over; cheers and shouts erupted throughout the guild, nearly blowing the roof off.
Romeo said excitedly: "No limit on numbers! I can participate in the trial now."
Droy had a look of confidence on his face: "Then I'm going to compete with Natsu and Gray!"
The weaker Mages made up the vast majority; many had never participated in an S-Class Promotion Trial before, and now they finally could in person.
Seeing the excited crowd, Acnologia smiled: "This is an individual battle. With no limit on participants, the more people there are, the more competitors you'll have. You'd better be prepared."
Happy said excitedly: "Maybe even I can become an S-Class Mage!"
A fighting spirit appeared on Natsu's face: "Happy, I won't lose to you!"
Everyone was suddenly startled. That's right, anyone who registered could join. Didn't that mean Happy, Carla, Lilly, and Monica could all participate?
Lilly and Monica were fine; those two were quite strong. But if Happy and Carla passed, they would lose some serious face.
Everyone was already secretly cheering themselves on; they had to be fully prepared for this trial!
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