The Exam Begins

"According to Fairy Tail's long-standing tradition, I am now here to announce the list of participants for the S-Class Mage Upgrade Examination."

Not long after Gildarts returned, Makarov gathered everyone in the guild together. He and Gildarts stood on the second floor of the guild, looking down at the crowd below, their voices echoing throughout the entire guild.

Everyone who had been working hard for the upgrade assessment for the past year was also very excited. In fact, old people like Macao were relatively calm. Anyway, they were used to being a lazy bum. They had already had children, so whether or not they became S-Class didn't really matter.

But the young newcomers were all fired up, especially Natsu and his gang of lunatics, who were already yelling and screaming.

"Wow, I'm fired up!"

Happy, the little blue cat Happy, lazily lay on Natsu's head and yawned boredly. "Natsu, you have no chance of being chosen, give up!"

"What are you doing Happy? Can't you have any faith in me?" Natsu rolled his eyes in annoyance, feeling quite displeased that his good partner was constantly belittling him.

"Hehe, I think Happy is right! Natsu, you should give up. Only I, Gray, am qualified to become S-Class!" Gray proudly displayed his naked body.

"Huh? What did you say? You streaking pervert!"

"So what if I said it, you fire-breathing bastard?"

Natsu expertly headbutted Gray on the forehead, veins bulging on his forehead. He could tolerate Happy's teasing, but Gray absolutely couldn't stand it; they'd start a fight at the slightest provocation.

However, before Natsu and Gray could make a move, a crimson figure clad in armor appeared behind them like a ghost. With two punches, two twitching, lifeless figures appeared on the ground, each with a large, smoking bump on their head.

"You all better be quiet, or I'm going to get my hands on you!" Erza, blowing on her fist with a serious expression.

"You already made a move, forget it."

Eleven quickly averted his gaze from the spectacle. At this moment, he didn't want to provoke these annoying guys. He was too nervous about securing a spot in the assessment to have any time to complain about them.

Makarov stood on high ground, his gaze sweeping down over the faces of every member of the guild, a smile unconsciously appearing on his face.

The guild has flourished and grown in recent years, attracting many new members. However, this old man can still call out everyone's name without hesitation. As the guild leader, he has done a great job.

With a light cough, Makarov amplified his voice with magic, instantly drowning out the commotion in the guild.

"This year's assessment will be held in the Grand Canyon of Terror, known as a forbidden zone for humans!"

"That place is a natural labyrinth, teeming with monsters. One wrong move and you could be reduced to ashes. Everyone, please do your best to survive!"

Upon hearing the name "Grand Canyon of Terror," the crowd downstairs erupted in chaos, many displaying expressions of terror. It truly lived up to its reputation as a forbidden zone for humanity; countless mages had entered and never returned.

I never expected that the S-Class Exam, which hasn't been held for many years, would be held in a place like this all of a sudden. Is the guild leader getting a little too excited?

However, while some were afraid, others were excited. Take Natsu, for example, this hothead. He had never heard of any Grand Canyon of Terror, but it sounded pretty impressive, and he got excited again!

Seeing the strong reaction from everyone to his choice of location, Makarov felt a little smug. He waved his staff and continued, "I have carefully observed the abilities, minds, and souls of each of you over the past year! There are four participants in total!"

"Laxus Dreyar!"

"Snort!"

"Macao Kongpo!"

"Huh? I got chosen too, President?"

"Wakaba Minye!"

"Of course, I won't lose to that Macao guy!"

"And Eleven Brain! All four of them!"

"Yoshi!" Eleven clenched his fist tightly; he had been genuinely nervous when only one person remained.

"The assessment rules will be announced on the day of the assessment. Only one person will be selected from among the participants. The assessment will begin in three days. In these three days, get yourself into the best condition and be prepared to face the trial!"

After saying this, Makarov fell silent and quietly observed the crowd's reaction.

"Ah! That's it?! Damn it! Why wasn't I chosen?!" Natsu cried out in frustration, clutching his head.

"Natsu, you never had any hope anyway, so don't worry about it, don't worry about it!" Happy waved his little wings, offering a hypocritical word of comfort.

"Damn it, isn't my training enough?" Erza clenched her fists tightly, her face filled with disappointment and resentment.

Mira, who had been biting her lip tightly, immediately changed her tune after seeing Erza's expression. "Oh dear, who was it that had the audacity to say they were determined to become S-Class, Erza?"

Erza (`Д´): "Damn, you weren't chosen either, were you?"

Mira (`へ´)ノ: "Ah, but I'll definitely be chosen next time!"

(`Pan´)

Eleven ignored the farcical scene of the underdogs fighting behind him, his gaze constantly shifting between the participants.

To be honest, he hadn't really seen Macao and Wakaba, those two uncles, fight much. Although they were called uncles, they weren't much older Eleven. They were in their prime and, before Eleven and his generation of kids grew up, they were definitely the main force in the guild. Their strength was naturally not that simple.

Finally, Eleven's gaze settled on Laxus happened to be looking in Eleven's direction as well. Their eyes met in mid-air, sparking like steel blades clashing.

Regardless of the two older men's strength, Eleven felt that his biggest opponent in this assessment was still Laxus. The two had been fighting since childhood and had competed all the way. Eleven would rather die than lose to Laxus!

"Laxus, S-Class is mine!" Eleven declared in victory.

"Hmph! Boring. Stop with the bragging. See you in the assessment!" Laxus, taking advantage of his height, gave Eleven a cold and disdainful look, then turned and left, leaving behind only those words.

Three days later...

"Maria, you don't need to bring lunch! I'm not going on a school trip, I don't need to bring food." Eleven put down the bags he was carrying on the table and looked at Maria helplessly.

Maria looked at Eleven, who was still carrying only a small bag, and said with some unease, "Um, well, I wish you good luck with your exam, and please be careful!"

"Don't worry, Maria, I will definitely succeed and become S-Class before I leave the orphanage. Then you can rest assured!" Eleven smiled and patted Maria's hand.

"Yes! But please don't push yourself too hard, and don't get hurt!"

"Hehe, in other words, if I don't become S-Class, then I won't leave the orphanage for the time being, okay?" Seeing that Maria was still a little worried, Eleven started to act shamelessly in order to change the subject.

Maria smiled at Eleven, shook his hand, and said nothing more.

Back then, this little hand was so tiny in my palm, and I personally handed it over to Fairy Tail. Now, this child has grown so remarkably tall, taller than me, and with hands bigger than my own.

Time flies! Five years have passed in the blink of an eye, and it's time for Eleven to leave the orphanage.

Although Maria was used to the comings and goings of children around her, Eleven was the one she was closest to. It was inevitable that she would feel a little reluctant to part with her little angel who was about to go out and live independently.

"Eleven, keep it up!"

"Yes!" Eleven nodded vigorously, a bright smile spreading across his face.

Stepping out of the orphanage and arriving at the guild, Makarov and Gildarts, along with a group of mages participating in the assessment, were already waiting at the entrance. Eleven's smile gradually faded, and he became serious.

"Alright, the assessment has begun!"