A New S-Class Exam

As the sun and moon pass and time flies, the year X779 has come to a peaceful end, and soon the year is drawing to a close again.

Aside from Wendy joining Fairy Tail, nothing particularly noteworthy happened in X779; life was quite peaceful.

The anticipated retaliation from the Oración Seis did not materialize, which made Eleven wonder if Brain was truly frightened by him.

Wendy also integrated well into Fairy Tail's life during this year. Although she was too young to be allowed to take on missions by the guild master, she could still do some simple chores and became Fairy Tail's youngest and cutest mascot.

During this time, Eleven took Wendy to see the long-lost Mystogan. Wendy was deeply moved, while Mystogan was somewhat embarrassed. He never expected that the little girl he had forgotten would come looking for him, giving him the feeling of a scumbag father being confronted by his daughter.

Surprisingly, Wendy and Porlyusica get along quite well. Wendy goes to the cabin every day to learn about pharmacology from Porlyusica. Recently, she and Carla even moved into the cabin to live with Porlyusica, which shows how much Porlyusica likes this little girl.

Happy remained as persistent and enthusiastic as ever towards Carla, a rare sight for this little glutton who showed such great interest in anything other than fish.

Indeed, besides food, the only thing that can hold a small animal's attention for a long time is...

I love it!

Another thing worth mentioning is that Kinana, the previous mascot, quit.

In order to do the mission with Erik, Kinana finally learned magic through tireless efforts—a simple magic that could release venom.

Although it has virtually no power, Erik's supply pack is an excellent item.

These two are inseparable these days, even when doing quests, making all the single guys in the guild green with envy.

As for Eleven, there's really nothing to say. Just two months ago, he was on edge, guarding against a possible sneak attack from the Oración Seis, but within two days, he had completely forgotten about it.

Eleven was very proactive in completing missions, taking on several large S-Class Missions in succession. He ventured into volcanoes and descended into the deep sea, truly experiencing the splendor of the S-Class realm, and his strength steadily improved with each mission.

Oh, by the way, if we're talking about Eleven's achievements in the field of magic, we have to mention the remote communication method he developed based on Rob's experience.

It's not really a method; it's just that Eleven separated a small portion of his Spiritual Power and placed it in other people's minds, so that they could communicate by Telepathy no matter how far apart they were.

In other words, this is a remote communication technology that allows only a one-way connection with Eleven.

When he first developed this magic, Eleven incredibly excited and excitedly distributed some Spiritual Power fragments to every member of the guild.

Then Eleven became the guild's public mouthpiece.

Even small things like ordering a beer or airing out the sheets require him to relay messages. Some people stay up late to chat with him or use him to talk to others.

In the end Eleven could only withdraw his Spiritual Power with a dark expression, leaving only Spiritual Power trace for the Chairman and Mystogan, people who needed it but wouldn't bother him often.

Everyone else is such an idiot! I can't put up with them!

The Fairy Tail cast was greatly disappointed. What a fun magic spell! Why wasn't it continued to be available?

Although the year X779 is coming to an end, besides the Harvest Festival, the guild has another important event to prepare for: the annual S-Class Mage promotion examination, which will be held once a year starting last year.

"Hmm, Eleven, do you have any recommendations for this year's S-Class Exam?"

On the second floor of the guild, Makarov and Eleven sat facing each other on a sofa, discussing issues related to this year's S-Class Exam.

Since Eleven was already S-Class Mage, he naturally went from being a candidate to an examiner. This change excited Eleven immensely; the thought of being able to torture... cough... teach candidates like Gildarts made him so excited that he couldn't sleep.

"Laxus will definitely participate, he should be back soon," Eleven said with a hint of excitement.

"Hmm! Laxus shouldn't miss it. Is there anyone else?" Makarov nodded and continued to ask.

"Hmm... Mystogan said he still can't come back and can't participate. Oh, right, Macao and Wakaba should be participating too, they participated last year."

"Heh, let's talk about those two guys later." Makarov chuckled helplessly.

Makarov felt a surge of anger when he thought about how those two looked when he mentioned the S-Class Exam to them. They were both grown men, yet they'd lost all confidence because of a junior—how pathetic!

"What about Erik? I think he's actually pretty good, we could give him a try." Eleven continued, stroking his chin, ignoring what Makarov was thinking.

Makarov frowned, then gently shook his head. "No, Erik hasn't truly integrated into the guild yet. I need to observe him more."

Don't let Makarov's seemingly endless plastic surgery and drinking spree fool you. He genuinely fulfills his responsibilities as guild leader, keeping a close eye on everyone in the guild and understanding these children he's watched grow up better than anyone else in the world.

Eleven didn't argue with Makarov. Instead, he held up the exam planning booklet, slumped into the sofa, and sighed, "Well, I really don't have any recommendations, sir. You'll have to decide for yourself."

"Speaking of which, wasn't this assessment a bit too easy? We even got to choose an assistant! And Gildarts isn't here this year. Why didn't we get this treatment last year?"

After saying that, Eleven waved the paper in his hand and looked at the old man with a hint of resentment.

Makarov squinted, swaying back and forth with his wine glass, ignoring Eleven's complaints. Last year's assessment was so difficult that it had turned Macao and Wakaba into complete losers, and Makarov didn't want the guild to have any more of those losers.

"Hmm, Gildarts is indeed unable to return due to his mission, but having you here is enough." Makarov took a sip of his drink and said slowly, "Setting up collaborators is also to deepen the bonds of cooperation among guild members, which I think is a very good method!"

"Oh, I see," Eleven replied casually, but he knew in his heart that the old man was intentionally adjusting the difficulty of the assessment, since last year's assessment was indeed a bit too complicated.

Hmph! I passed such a difficult test? As expected of me, Eleven! Even those who advanced to S-Class after me only passed the easy test. There's nothing to be proud of!

Haha, I'll just tell Laxus that when he gets back!

Fantasy, novel; online reading: Fairy Tail: Thoughts Follow Your Heart