Their Respective Trials!

Some are happy, some are sad.

When Natsu and Cana's groups are unlucky enough to encounter the examiners they least want to meet, there are always lucky ones.

For example, Mest and Wendy.

As the youngest pair of all participants, the two carefully chose what seemed to be the safest passage.

When they passed through the dark cave and saw the wooden sign at the end with a large "Pass" written on it, they were both stunned.

Several seconds passed before the two of them reacted, and then they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"We... passed?"

"That's wonderful, Mr. Mest!"

They stumbled upon this one-in-eight stroke of luck.

At the end of another passage.

Elfman and Evergreen then encountered one of their least favorite enemies— Mirajane.

"Elder sister..."

Elfman stared at the smiling, white-haired figure emanating a terrifying magical pressure, and beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

Not to mention that he was no match for Mirajane in terms of strength, even if he could, the authority his older sister had built up in his heart over the years would prevent him from mustering the slightest courage to fight.

"A real man... must fight..."

Elfman tried to encourage himself while his legs trembled uncontrollably, creating a rather comical scene.

"Hmph, what a useless man."

Evergreen couldn't stand it any longer. She snorted and stepped forward. She had already thought of a solution.

Then, he suddenly made an explosive statement to Mirajane.

"Mirajane, I'm telling you this first!"

"After Elfman finishes the S-Class Mage exam, we'll get married right away!"

"... ha?"

Mirajane's smile froze instantly.

Elfman stared blankly at Evergreen beside him, his mind completely blank.

Marry...?

How come I didn't know about this?

Mirajane was clearly taken aback by the sudden news, and was momentarily at a loss for words.

Marry?

My silly little brother is actually getting married?!

As the older sister, should I offer my blessings first? But they're rivals now...

Now!

A glint flashed in Evergreen's eyes as she seized the moment Mirajane's mind wavered.

She nudged Elfman hard with her elbow, who was still in a daze.

"Be a man! Now's the time!"

"Oh oh!"

Although Elfman hadn't quite grasped the situation, his body had already reacted instinctively.

Seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the two men, one on the left and one on the right, swiftly subdued Mirajane, who was still in a state of confusion.

On the other hand, Gray and Loke weren't having much luck either.

The examiner they were chosen to be Gildarts, another legendary figure in the guild second only to Jiang Bai.

"Oh, it's you two."

Gildarts looked at the two people in front of him, still with that same nonchalant attitude.

"Come on, let me see how much you've improved over the years."

He beckoned to Gray and Loke with his finger.

A battle ensued.

Gildarts was primarily testing Gray's abilities, since this was Gray's trial.

A clash of magic, a battle of fists and feet.

After a series of not-too-intense tests, Gildarts was quite satisfied with the growth of his junior.

"Not bad, Gray, your strength has met my requirements."

Gildarts suddenly stopped what he was doing and spoke.

Then, as if remembering something, he grinned.

"By the way, Jiang Bai specifically told me beforehand that I must let you experience what a real S-Class is like."

As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying magical power, though inferior to Jiang Bai's but far surpassing that of others, and powerful enough to change the very fabric of the world, surged into the sky from Gildarts' body!

Faced with this magic, Gray and Loke were as insignificant as two small boats in Tempester.

Like Natsu, Gray also truly felt that despairing gap.

After a long while, Gildarts withdrew his magic and patted Gray on the shoulder.

"Kid, remember this feeling. S-Class is just the beginning."

"Go ahead, you've passed."

Compared to the previous encounters, which were either surprising or delightful, the meeting between the last two groups was filled with tension.

Juvia and Lisanna bumped into Levy and Gajeel head-on in a narrow passage.

"It's a combat route..."

"There's no other way, we have to fight!"

There was almost no wasted words between the two sides, and the battle broke out instantly.

Lisanna and Juvia faced off against Gajeel and Levy.

However, the outcome of the battle was predetermined from the very beginning.

Lisanna's strength has barely improved because she has been in Edolas for too long. Her "Animal Soul" Take Over Magic is no longer sufficient in the current battle.

Levy, has been quite active these past few years. Her mastery of Letter Magic is both offensive and defensive, making her extremely useful in tactics.

As for Juvia and Gajeel, the two were originally comrades in the Phantom Lord guild, Gajeel's strength had always been above Juvia's.

The Iron Dragon's Roar met the restraint of the water flow.

Ultimately, due to the combined effect of superior strength and teamwork, the battle ended in victory for Gajeel and Levy.