Two Unlucky Saps!

"So, theoretically, seven groups of people can qualify, right?"

"Impossible! Jiang Bai, Gildarts, Erza, and Laxus— that group is practically a group of death! Only Mirajane, who hasn't seriously trained in years, has a slight chance of getting through."

"I think, in the end, maybe only two groups will pass."

Just as everyone was discussing and calculating the slim chances of success, Makarov's booming voice once again resounded throughout the entire sea.

"Alright! Enough with the chit-chat! I hereby declare the S-Class Mage Promotion Exam officially open!"

"Ah?"

"Start now? But the ship hasn't even docked yet!"

Everyone was taken aback.

Makarov, however, revealed a mischievous grin.

Natsu understood instantly!

"Happy!"

"Ai!"

Happy understood immediately, activated Aera, grabbed Natsu by the back of his collar, and soared into the sky.

"Everyone, Happy and I are heading out first! Haha!"

Natsu's smug laughter echoed in the air.

"Damn it! So cunning!"

Natsu, you stop right there!

The crowd on the ship erupted in anger, shouting at Natsu.

However, just as the man and the cat flew out of the boat's range, ready to unleash their power, "Bang!" they seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall and were bounced back.

"This is?"

"It's Freed's spell!"

All eyes immediately turned to Freed and Bickslow.

Behind Freed, a pair of magnificent wings materialized using Letter Magic, while Bickslow, riding on his four baby puppets, leisurely flew towards Tenrou Island.

"Freed, you bastard!" Natsu was so angry he jumped up and down.

Freed turned back gracefully, leaving behind the words, "Don't worry, this spell is just to prevent you from sneaking away; it will dissipate on its own in five minutes."

Bickslow followed behind him, adding with a sly laugh, "Why not just keep them locked up in there forever, baby!"

"In that case, the match cannot proceed normally."

Gray watched the two figures fly away and shouted angrily at Makarov, "Old man! Isn't what they did against the rules?!"

Makarov, hands clasped in his pockets, said nonchalantly, "It's alright, it's alright! It's not like it's a race!"

"Hateful!"

Natsu angrily pounded on the transparent magical barrier in front of him with his fist.

"Oh, right!" someone suddenly remembered something.

"Isn't Levy also skilled in Jutsu Shiki Magic?"

All of everyone's hopes instantly fell on Levy.

"Yes!" Levy nodded and said affirmatively.

"I can rewrite the spell!"

Upon hearing the news, the people on the ship had just begun to smile, but before they could even enjoy their happiness for two seconds, they saw Levy and Gajeel jump off the ship one after the other, plunge into the sea, and swim quickly toward the island.

Levy turned back in the water, calling out apologetically, "But, I only rewrote this spell so that only Gajeel and I could go out!"

"What?!"

"Hehehe! We're on our way, little ones!" Gajeel let out his signature raucous laugh from the water.

"Levy!" Lucy exclaimed in disbelief.

"Aren't we best friends?!"

"Sorry, Lucy! This is a competition!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Evergreen also snorted coldly and stepped forward.

"Hmph! I've known that guy Freed for a long time. His little tricks are no match for me!"

"Evergreen! Well done!" Elfman immediately roared with joy.

"Alright, Elfman, let's go!"

"Oh! A real man should be at the forefront!"

Another group of people left gracefully amidst the envious, jealous, and resentful gazes of the crowd.

The remaining people on the boat could only watch helplessly as they swam further and further away.

How many minutes are left?

Only two minutes have passed...

"Damn it! Every second feels like an eternity!"

Finally, after the longest three minutes of my life, the invisible wall quietly disappeared.

"Happy!"

"Ai!"

Natsu and Happy soared into the sky once again.

"Lucy, let's hurry up and get going!"

"Um!"

"Loke, hurry up!"

Hey! You should at least put on some pants before you go!

However, Gray couldn't wait any longer.

"ICE MAKE! Floor!"

He placed his hands on the ship's gunwale, and a massive surge of magic instantly appeared, creating a crystal-clear ice slide that stretched from the ship's side all the way to the distant sea.

Gray and Loke slid off the ship like they were on a slide, hurtling towards the island.

Lisanna and Juvia were not to be outdone; one activated Take Over Magic, instantly covering her body with scales and transforming into an agile fish-man form.

The other one transformed into a stream of water, leaping into the sea with the other, and chased after them at an astonishing speed.

"Cana, stop daydreaming, we're the last group!" Lucy urged anxiously.

Cana snapped out of her daze and looked around, "Aren't Mest and Wendy still here?... Wait, where did they go? When did they disappear?"

At this moment, Natsu and Happy had already set foot on the land of Tenrou Island.

"Natsu, I sensed it... there are many very powerful magical energies on the island," Happy said, still shaken.

"Of course!" Natsu was not afraid at all; on the contrary, he was even more excited.

"After all, Jiang Bai and Gildarts are both on the island!"

"So, Natsu, which passage should we choose?" Happy pointed to the eight dark openings in front of them.

Without a second thought, Natsu confidently pointed his finger at the passage marked with the letter "E".

"Choose E! That's definitely Erza's 'E'!"

"Why does it have to be Erza?" Happy, puzzled.

Natsu clenched his fist, a fanatical smile spreading across his face, as he began to dream about his path to S-Class.

"My plan is to defeat Erza first, then Laxus Gildarts, and finally, Jiang Bai! Haha!"

After saying that, he charged into the E tunnel like a mad bull, shouting, "Erza, I'm coming!"

"Hmm... Are you completely certain that this passage belongs to Erza?"

Happy sighed helplessly and had no choice but to hurry and follow.

The two hadn't run far in the tunnel when they saw light ahead.

We've reached the end!

"Natsu! There are people ahead!" Happy warned.

"Yosh! Watch me take her down in one move! It must be Erza!"

Natsu charged out of the cave with a fierce momentum.

However, when he and Happy saw the person in front of them clearly, their expressions froze instantly.

On a comfortable beach chair, a dark-haired young man was leisurely crossing his legs, a lollipop dangling from his mouth. His dark eyes had unusual pale blue pupils, and he was looking at them with an extremely lazy and bored expression.

The moment Natsu and Happy saw that figure, their bodies froze completely.

Natsu...

Happy's tears flowed down like water from a tap that had been turned on.

"Our S-Class Exam journey... has come to an end."

If Natsu were to encounter Erza, he might still have a fighting chance, but if he were to meet Jiang Bai... he wouldn't even have the slightest chance!

Jiang Bai looked at the two unlucky guys in front of him who seemed to be petrified, slowly sat up from the recliner, took the lollipop out of his mouth, and gave them a bright smile.

"Oh! So it's you two unlucky guys!"