The Strongest S-Class Contender

Lisanna took Lucy out shopping.

Lucy wanted to stay on the bar and continue lounging, but Lisanna grabbed her and dragged her out of the guild.

The guild hall fell silent again.

Mirajane, having had some free time, came out from behind the bar and sat down next to Riyao, resting her head on his shoulder.

The two shadows overlapped, casting a long silhouette on the wooden bar counter.

Erza also went out to do some quests, saying she was inspired by everyone's enthusiasm.

"That's the kind of thing she would say. I wonder if Freed will take the S-Class Exam seriously this time."

Riyao rested his chin on Mirajane's head, his voice muffled.

"Hard to say. He's probably obsessed with Laxus and doesn't care about anything else. He's strong enough, but he just doesn't participate actively and prefers to play support."

"And then there's Juvia. Her current strength is enough to make her S-Class, thanks to her unique elemental physique."

Mirajane counted on her fingers.

"This year's S-Class Exam is going to be exciting. If they all participate, the competition will be much fiercer than in previous years."

Wendy sat on the chair next to them, her legs dangling in the air, listening to their conversation with a puzzled expression on her face.

She discovered that Riyao and Mirajane only mentioned two people: Freed and Juvia.

"Riyao Bro, Mira Sister, don't the others have a chance? Are Mr. Natsu and the others not even eligible?"

Riyao's hand then casually ruffled Wendy's little head.

"Everyone else has obvious weaknesses. The old man is very shrewd; he'll most likely set up obstacles to deliberately make things difficult for them. Otherwise, why wouldn't a new S-Class Mage have appeared in the past few years?"

Wendy blinked, her mind starting to analyze the weaknesses of the other people.

Mirajane then took over and continued rubbing Wendy's head.

Wendy's head was passed around like a ball between the two adults, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Take Natsu for example. Natsu's strength fluctuates wildly, especially when it comes to transportation..."

"Even if he manages to get back up and win, in some missions, time is more important than the outcome. For example, protecting an important person—in the few minutes you're knocked down, the client might already be dead. Such a mistake is fatal in S-Class missions."

Wendy suddenly realized and tapped her palm with her little fist.

"I see! So what we need is consistent performance."

"That's right."

"And what about Mr. Gray?" Wendy then asked.

Riyao shrugged, his expression full of disdain.

"His attack methods were too limited before. An ice mage, all he ever thought about was smashing and slashing people with ice blocks. The ice he created were either hammers or swords; his imagination was as poor as a dried-up riverbed. He might as well just use an iron sword in battle; that way, he could save some magic power."

Ur, who had just come out of the kitchen, overheard this and nodded in deep agreement.

"That little fool Gray has become so unimaginative as he's grown up. The most important thing about Molding Magic is creativity and adaptability. He used to create interesting things when he was younger, but he's become more and more rigid and inflexible as he gets older."

"Lyon is better than him in this respect. Lyon's ice can move and change, adapting to different combat scenarios. Gray's ice is just a dead block of ice; you just throw it out and that's it."

Ur sighed after he finished speaking.

Gray stepped into the guild just as he heard someone chirping about him.

"Hey!! What do I have that's worse than that idiot Lyon?!"

"That's definitely not as good."

Ur stood with his hands on his hips, showing absolutely no respect.

"Look at Lyon's ice; it mimics animal movements. His ice birds can fly, and his ice snakes can coil around people—it's incredibly versatile. Look at your ice; all you do is smash and chop. It's rigid and boring."

"My pose is static! His is dynamic! They're two different approaches! How can they be the same!"

Gray crossed his arms, stubbornly refusing to admit it, his neck held high.

"Think about how Riyao's ice sword turned into chains a while ago."

Ur poked Gray's forehead with his index finger.

"After the sword is launched, it can transform twice, from a sharp weapon into a binding chain. Would you call that static or dynamic?"

"That... that is..."

Gray's lips twitched, and his eyes began to dart around.

He tilted his head to dodge Ur's finger attack, then dashed towards the guild gate.

"I still have other cases to handle! Goodbye!!"

Before the words were even finished, the person had already rushed out the door, running faster than a rabbit.

Only a shirt remained, lying forlornly on the ground.

Riyao looked down at the shirt, then at Ur.

"Is this a side effect of learning the Ice-Make? Like Natsu getting motion sickness, is it an occupational hazard?"

"Don't look at me. That's Gray's own bad habit; I didn't teach him that."

Ur guiltily turned his head to the side, avoiding looking at Riyao.

She bent down, picked up Gray's clothes, dusted them off, and tossed them into the clothes basket behind the bar.

The basket still contained the vest Gray had left behind last time, the jacket he had left behind the time before that, and the sweater he had left behind the time before that.

Wendy's curiosity wasn't satisfied, and she continued to press for answers.

Who else has weaknesses?

Mirajane thought for a moment, then continued rubbing Wendy's head without stopping.

Wendy's hair was already a bird's nest, but she didn't care at all.

"Take Levy for example. She's the complete opposite of Gray. Levy very thoughtful, intelligent, and has a unique understanding of magic. But her abilities don't keep up with her ideas. She knows this weakness, which is why she chooses to operate in a team."

"Jet and Troy are her teammates; the three of them complement each other's weaknesses. Jet is responsible for frontal restraint, Troy for interference and control, Levy provides support or restraint from the rear using Letter Magic. This combination is quite reasonable."

"This is also the strategy of most mages; not everyone can be an all-rounder like me."

Riyao added some details, and also took the opportunity to praise himself.

Mirajane rolled her eyes at him, but didn't argue.

"Can we team up for the S-Class Exam?" Wendy asked.

"Yes, that's fine." Mirajane nodded.

"Huh, so can we choose Mira, who's already an S-Class mage?"

Wendy's eyes lit up.

"You're overthinking it. There's no way such a thing could happen. If I could have an S-Class Mage as a teammate, what would be the point of the assessment? I could just let them pass easily."

Mirajane reached out and pinched Wendy's cheek, giving it a gentle tug.

Wendy's face was distorted and her mouth was pinched into a duck's beak, but she still managed to make indistinct sounds.

"So... how did Brother Riyao get through that time?"

Mirajane's hand suddenly stopped.

She released Wendy's face, turned her head, and reached out to pinch Riyao's face.

Press your two thumbs on Riyao's cheekbones and pull them to the sides.

"You actually teamed up with Erza back then."

Riyao's face was stretched into a comical shape.

"You're not looking for me."

They changed their approach again.

I'm very sad.

Riyao's expression contorted into various shapes under Mirajane's fingers, but his eyes were full of helplessness and amusement.

Wendy and Carla both perked up their ears and leaned forward unconsciously.

Carla put down her small teacup, while Wendy didn't even bother to tidy her disheveled hair.

Wow, this looks like something interesting.

Riyao was both amused and exasperated. He reached out and pulled Mirajane into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"When I took the S-Class Exam, you weren't even in the guild yet."

"I don't care."

Mirajane buried her face in Riyao's chest, her voice muffled.

"I'm furious. You actually teamed up with another woman."

"What can I do to comfort my Mira?"

Mirajane lifted her head from Riyao's embrace, a pre-prepared smile curving her lips.

"Come shopping with me later."

"Okay." Riyao agreed without even thinking.

Wendy and Carla exchanged a glance.

It took me several seconds to realize that there was nothing sensational about this story.

When Riyao and Erza teamed up, Mirajane hadn't joined a guild yet.

That means this was just another instance of him being affectionate.

Wendy silently brushed her disheveled hair back into place.

Carla picked up her small teacup again and took a sip of tea.

"Wendy, let's not have too high expectations of these adults in the future."

"Um..."

Wendy's voice carried a hint of world-weariness that seemed out of place for her age.