The First Round! A Test of Both Strength and Luck!

On Tenrou Island, Jiang Bai and his team worked with great efficiency, quickly carving out eight passages through the dense jungle.

"Done, that's almost done." Jiang Bai dusted off his hands, looking at his masterpiece with satisfaction.

"The rest is just waiting for the president and the others to arrive."

The day after Jiang Bai and his group were ready, Makarov, along with Natsu and the other contestants, set sail from Hargeon Port and headed towards Tenrou Island in a grand procession.

However, the atmosphere on the ship was far less exciting than I had imagined.

"I can't take it anymore... I'm dying of heat..."

Lucy lay sprawled out on the scorching deck like a dehydrated salted fish, her limbs spread out in a "T" shape, utterly disheveled.

She felt that if she stayed in the sun for even a second longer, she would turn into dried fish.

Happy next to him lay listlessly on the ground, even his favorite "ah" sound was weak and feeble.

"Lucy, you should pay a little attention to your appearance," Levy said helplessly, holding up a small parasol.

However, this suffocating heat was not a problem at all for one person on the ship.

However, he was experiencing something even worse than heatstroke—seasickness.

"Wendy... quick... use your magic... I can't take it anymore..."

Natsu was deathly pale, slumped limply on the ship's side, as if he were about to vomit up his dinner from the previous night.

Seeing this, Wendy quickly ran to his side and cast the Enchantment Magic "Troia" on him.

Surprisingly, the magic that had always worked perfectly failed to work this time.

Natsu's condition showed no signs of improvement.

Wendy said somewhat embarrassedly, "Mr. Natsu, I'm sorry... it seems that because this magic has been used on you too many times, you... you've become immune to it."

"How could this be?! Ugh—!"

Upon hearing this, Natsu's face showed despair, and he gagged again.

"Is this awful weather for real?"

On the other side, Gray had already stripped down to his underwear, revealing his muscular upper body.

Juvia's gaze never left Gray from the moment he appeared.

At this moment, her eyes were sparkling with hearts, a suspiciously glistening liquid clung to the corner of her mouth, and her face bore the standard expression of a lovesick woman.

"Hiss~ Hiss~ Lord Gray's body... Hehehe..."

"Juvia, aren't you hot at all?" Lisanna asked curiously, looking at her.

Keep in mind that Juvia was still wearing that thick, long-sleeved winter coat at that moment.

"Juvia isn't hot," Juvia, shifting her body, her gaze still fixed on Gray.

"But Juvia, upon seeing Lord Gray's body, felt... a surge of heat within her."

As she spoke, she made heavy, panting sounds, like a pervert.

"Hey! Gray!" Cana, also feeling unbearably hot, called out to the moving ice block not far away.

"Make some ice to cool things down!"

"No way," Gray refused decisively.

"The assessment is about to begin, I need to conserve my magic power."

Just when everyone was suffering from the heat and seasickness, Carla's clear voice suddenly rang out.

"Ah! We can see the island!"

"Have we finally arrived?" Panther Lily's spirits lifted.

"Wow, there's a huge tree on the island!" Wendy exclaimed, pointing to the towering tree that seemed to pierce the sky.

Just then, Makarov, dressed in a flashy beach shirt and wearing sunglasses, walked out of the cabin.

"It's said that elves live on that island," he said mysteriously.

"President!"

"Moreover," Makarov's expression turned serious,

"This is also the final resting place of Mavis Lyon master of Fairy Tail."

After he finished speaking, his tone suddenly became serious.

"Now, let's announce the content of the first assessment!"

"Upon arrival on the island, you will need to choose one of the eight passages that have been opened up on the island to enter. Only one group of people can enter each passage."

As he spoke, a huge magical screen appeared beside Makarov, clearly displaying the situation at the ends of the eight passages.

Only those who successfully pass through their chosen passage will be considered to have passed the first test.

"President," Lucy noticed the annotation on the screen.

"What does the word 'dou' above mean?"

"At the end of the paths where Jiang Bai, Gildarts, Laxus, Erza, and Mira all go, the word 'Fierce Battle' is written!"

"There is also the word 'guo'!"

"No way... please don't!"

As everyone looked at the text on the screen, a bad feeling crept into their hearts.

Makarov grinned, confirming their suspicions.

"You guessed right. 'Fight' means that the two groups who chose this path need to fight each other, and only the victorious side can continue."

"The 'fierce battle' requires you to fight one of Jiang Bai's five randomly selected opponents, and you must gain their approval to pass."

"As for 'passing,' congratulations, that's the only lucky path that allows you to pass the first test without fighting anyone."

Makarov shrugged.

"So, the first test will be your skill and your luck!"

"Great!" Lucy instantly perked up, clenching her fist with confidence.

"When it comes to luck, I never lose!"

"One in eight chance, huh?" Cana pulled out her card, a relaxed smile on her face.

"Watch me use cards to predict a wave."

After a long talk with her father, Gildarts, she no longer harbored such a deep obsession with the title of S-Class Mage as before.

Just do your best.