Hidden

The giant arena fell silent.

Riyao withdrew its magic, blinked, and revealed an innocent smile.

His lips curled upwards, his eyes narrowed into slits, and his face screamed, "I didn't do anything."

The commentator Chapati, wiped the sweat from his forehead and loosened his fingers at his collar.

"Hahaha, it seems Fairy Tail is about to rise again. This year's Grand Magic Games allows each guild to send two teams, as long as they have the strength."

"Seven years ago, some people may not know that Riyao, a member of the Fairy Tail Elite Team, was once the most renowned healing mage in the entire kingdom."

A gasp of amazement rippled through the arena, followed by a murmur of discussion from the audience.

"Oh! That's great, my kidneys... my cold constitution is cured!"

"I've been constipated for days, I can finally be free!"

"Bro, I'll take care of yours. These past few days... ugh... I need to go to the bathroom now..."

Riyao suddenly felt a headache coming on and pressed his temples with his fingers.

The competition schedule looks like it won't be quiet for the next few days.

I'll have to find somewhere else to stay when I get back.

I don't want to be stuck in a hotel all day trying to see a doctor.

The competitors were exchanging harsh words with each other on the field.

It's just a greeting.

Natsu was the first to rush over, his face flushed red, pointing his finger at Riyao.

"Why did you guys participate in the competition? And you even came in first place in the preliminaries?!"

Riyao's smile was somewhat wicked, with one corner of his mouth twisted to one side.

"I just came here out of boredom to join in the fun."

Mirajane leaned over, grabbed the stunned Erza, hooked her arm around her shoulder, and pressed her body against hers.

"Haha, didn't expect that, did you? Oh dear, you guys are so lame, only got eighth place? We easily took first place, oh dear."

Mirajane bobbed his head back and forth, his tone brimming with smugness.

Erza was so angry that her teeth were grinding, and the sound could be heard several steps away.

Millianna lunged forward, leaping into Erza's arms and wrapping her arms around her neck.

"Eru-chan! I've missed you so much!"

Erza's unpleasantness vanished instantly. She picked up Millianna and spun around in circles, the two of them spinning on the ground several times before stopping.

"You've changed so much! And Kagura, you've changed so much too."

Erza looked in Kagura's direction and smiled at her.

Kagura was a little awkward, standing at a distance without approaching, her hands clasped together in front of her, her toes lightly touching the ground.

When acquaintances meet, they all start catching up.

They gathered in twos and threes, chatting animatedly.

Riyao suddenly became a hot commodity, with representatives from several guilds gathering around and asking for appointments.

"Sigh, I'm starting to wonder if participating in this competition was the right decision."

"Haha, after all, seven years have passed, and you've accumulated quite a few complicated symptoms. I reckon you'll be quite busy after the competition ends."

Jura patted Riyao on the shoulder and laughed heartily. His palm was thick and heavy, making Riyao's shoulder feel heavy.

Lyon approached Gray, arms crossed, chin slightly raised.

"Don't forget our bet."

What bet?

"If we win, Juvia has to join our guild."

Let's not even talk about whether you can win.

Gray glanced at Lyon as if he were an idiot.

"We will not hand over our partners!"

Juvia was so moved that she covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes welling up with tears.

Seeing that it was about time, Chapati cleared his throat and raised his voice again.

"Alright, audience, the results of the first day's matches will be announced by our referees!"

Pumpkin Toma makes a dazzling appearance, now wearing a referee's hat over his Pumpkin head, the brim perched crookedly on his head.

"Now, let me reveal the results of the first day's competition, Pumpkin!"

In the center of the arena, the ground cracked open, and a huge stone monument slowly rose from the ground.

The sound of the stone rubbing against the ground was dull and heavy, and the stone tablet only stopped when it reached the same height as the stands.

Two characters appeared on the stone tablet.

"Hidden".

Everyone was completely bewildered, looking at each other in confusion.

Riyao touched his chin and ran his fingers along it twice.

"I'll take the first round. This looks like a game of hide-and-seek. I'm a pro at finding people."

The four of them thought it made sense and had no objections.

Cana nodded, and Wendy hummed in agreement.

Erza also thought it made sense.

Natsu roared and raised his arms high.

"Me! I'm really good at finding people too!"

Gray pressed down on Natsu's face and pushed him back.

"I think I can. I can use Ice-Make to create clones and hide."

The two started scrambling, one grabbing the arm and the other pulling at the collar, and it looked like they were about to get into a physical fight.

Erza for a moment, then rested her fingers on her chin.

"Let Gray handle this one. We've already found someone with Riyao; we're all in the same guild after all, so let's prioritize the bigger picture."

Gray grinned smugly, his mouth stretching almost to his ears, and put his hands on his hips.

Under Erza's gaze, Natsu backed down.

He opened his mouth, but only managed a muffled groan.

When Lyon saw Gray participate in the competition, he didn't hesitate to sign up for the first match, his eyes fixed on Gray.

Other guilds also sent their own players.

The Blue Pegasus sent out the short Ivan (Snow Magic).

Raven Tail sends out the purple sweet potato spirit Nullpudding (possibly Transformation Magic).

Mermaid Heel dispatches the energetic overalls-wearing girl, Beth (Earth Magic).

Sabertooth sent out the bard Rufus (Memory Magic).

The Quatro Cerberus dispatched the shirtless, muscular Yeager (Plant Magic).

The other players, guided by instructions, headed to their respective teams' viewing stands.

The sound of footsteps in the passageway was dense and chaotic, gradually fading into the distance.

Eight players remained on the field.

The location is beginning to change.

A cluster of buildings began to emerge in the center of the site.

The houses, streets, clock tower, and fountain square were all cast by magic.

The eight people were scattered and appeared in different parts of the town, each standing in a different corner.

The Fairy Tail members of Tenrou Island stared wide-eyed.

It was their first time seeing the Grand Magic Games, and they were speechless for a long time upon witnessing this magnificent scene.

"How much magic would that require?! And it even looks like a physical object."

Makarov stroked his chin, scrutinizing the buildings closely, his eyes narrowed to slits as his gaze swept over them.

Macao explained it to them, then shrugged.

"It's like this every year, I just don't know how they manage to do it."

Suddenly, countless puppets of the contestants appeared in the town, densely packed in the streets and alleys, filling the entire town.

The clothes, body shape, and hairstyle are exactly the same as the real person, making it almost impossible to tell the difference.

Commentator Chapati passionately launched into his commentary, his voice booming from the broadcast.

"The rules for this competition are here! Simply put, find the contestant's real body and attack it. Hitting the real contestant earns one point, and the attacked person will be teleported back to a location in town. Conversely, attacking the doll deducts one point. The maximum score for this round is twenty points, and Limitless to negative scores!"

A green light appeared in Riyao's eyes, and two faint lights shone deep within his pupils.

He looked around, and the entire structure of the town became transparent in his field of vision. All the puppets were dim and lifeless, and only seven figures that shone with the light of life were clearly visible.

After all, they are just puppets, without life, so it doesn't hinder Riyao from searching for living people at all.

A smirk appeared on his lips.

And so, the hunt began.