Blazing Flame Demon Lizard

Early the next morning, inside the Fairy Tail guild.

Laxus and the still half-asleep Ye Yang stood before Makarov.

The rest of the guild eagerly began placing bets on who would successfully advance to S-Class.

Fortunately, Macao had set a betting limit this time. Each person could wager no more than 20,000J.

The last round had scared him badly after the payouts.

The odds for both of them were the same, 1:2. Judging from the bets everyone placed, nearly all of them had wagered on Laxus winning.

Compared to Ye Yang, they still believed Laxus was stronger.

Only the few people close to Ye Yang had placed their bets on him.

Ye Yang looked at Erza beside him with a puzzled expression.

"So, you beat Mirajane in your match?"

Erza calmly replied, "Of course. She's still no match for me."

Mirajane instantly got angry when she heard that.

"Tch. If I hadn't still been unfamiliar with Receive Magic, you? How could you possibly have beaten me?"

Erza ignored Mirajane's words completely. Seeing Erza's attitude, Mirajane's temper flared at once.

"You damn armor girl, just wait. I'll definitely settle this score with you!"

Laxus's partner was Freed, his loyal little fanboy.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Makarov said, "Since everyone is here, let's set off."

The five of them rode in the carriage without speaking the entire way. The atmosphere was incredibly oppressive, but Ye Yang seemed completely unconcerned and lay down to sleep.

After traveling for the entire morning, the carriage arrived at the foot of Nilus Volcano.

It was already a scorching summer, and now they were standing at the foot of a volcano. Ye Yang and the others were drenched in sweat, and Ye Yang had been awakened early by the heat.

"Old Man, did you really have to hold the S-Class exam on a volcano in the middle of summer? Couldn't you find somewhere a little cooler?"

"Hmph, what do you know, brat? To become S-Class, you must adapt to all kinds of harsh environments. If you can't even endure this much, what S-Class wizard are you supposed to be?"

Ye Yang stared speechlessly at Makarov, who was eating a popsicle and fanning himself.

"Old Man, putting down what you're holding might make that a little more convincing."

"It's your exam, not mine! I'm already this old. Can't I enjoy myself properly?"

"You can, of course you can. You call the shots."

"Hmph, at least you know your place."

Just then, the carriage came to a stop.

"Alright, brats, we're here."

"Let me explain the task for this examination."

"This mountain is called Nilus Volcano. A group of Monsters known as Blazing Flame Demon Lizards live on this volcano. These Monsters have dwelled in lava all year round and occasionally trigger small volcanic eruptions."

"Once the volcano erupts, the villages and towns below suffer enormous financial losses."

"The town at the foot of the mountain survives by mining a mineral called Molten Rock. In the past, the Monsters on this mountain and the villages below had always maintained a non-aggression arrangement."

"But over the past few months, for some unknown reason, the Blazing Flame Demon Lizards have begun attacking workers who go up the mountain to mine."

"The Magic Council sent troops and wizards from the major guilds to deal with it. Although they wiped out those lizards, large numbers of them continued to appear."

"According to survivors from the latest group of wizards whose extermination mission failed, there is an enormous Blazing Flame Demon Lizard inside this volcano."

"Your task is to see who can eliminate the Blazing Flame Demon Lizard first and retrieve its horn."

"Don't underestimate the strength of these Blazing Flame Demon Lizards. Every one of them possesses power comparable to a B-Class wizard."

"The time limit is eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Here are two maps of Nilus Volcano."

"If you have no questions, you may set off."

After hearing this, Laxus grabbed a map and immediately ran toward the mountain ahead.

Seeing that he had already set off, Erza immediately grabbed Ye Yang and ran up the mountain.

According to the map, there were two paths leading up the mountain, and both sides chose different routes.

After the four of them left, Gildarts stepped out from the side.

"Old Man, who do you think will successfully advance to S-Class?"

After pondering for a moment, Makarov said, "Even I'm not entirely sure. Ever since I drove out that unfilial son of mine, I haven't known much about Laxus's strength."

"As for Ye Yang, I haven't personally seen his strength either, but I'm more optimistic about that brat."

"Hahaha." Gildarts laughed. "I'm more optimistic about that brat too."

"Alright, alright, I need to keep an eye on those two boys. Hopefully they won't cause any major trouble. Hahahaha."

After Gildarts left, Makarov immediately began fanning himself.

"I'm dying of heat. Why did I choose a place like this? At my age, I still have to put myself through this."

As he spoke, he took out a blue gemstone, and a refreshing coolness instantly washed over his entire body.

"So comfortable~"

At that moment, Erza dragged Ye Yang as they charged nonstop toward the mountaintop. Every lizard that attacked along the way was wiped out in large groups by a single Laser from Ye Yang.

Before long, the two of them stopped midway up the mountain to rest.

Erza studied the map.

"Ye Yang, if we keep going, we'll reach the cave entrance. We'll enter through the cave on the east side. I think Laxus and the others will enter through the western cave."

"But the terrain inside the caves is complicated. We don't have a map, so finding that enormous Blazing Flame Demon Lizard will be very difficult."

"Don't worry, Erza. My senses are very sharp. Just follow me when the time comes."

A light seemed to go off in Erza's head. "I almost forgot you could do that."

"That way, we can find that lizard first. We just don't know how strong it is."

Just then, the sound of crawling footsteps continuously echoed around them.

Upon hearing it, Erza immediately stood up and prepared for battle.

A huge number of Blazing Flame Demon Lizards suddenly appeared all around them, surrounding the two of them.

Ye Yang slowly rose to his feet. "So you've finally come, you crawling vermin."

Erza asked, "You already knew we were surrounded?"

"Of course. These guys aren't simple. They're like an army with strict discipline. They placed a few decoys along the mountain path, luring us in the direction they wanted us to go."

"When they saw us stop, they immediately encircled us."

"You really can't underestimate any kind of creature."

Erza looked at Ye Yang in confusion. "If you knew, why didn't you warn me sooner?"

I originally wanted to avoid letting Ye Yang waste too much energy along the way, but who would have thought this guy's magic power was practically endless? Not a single one of those demon lizards could withstand even one move from him.

We stopped here to rest because I was tired from running. This guy looks completely unaffected. Whether it's his physical condition or the total amount of his magic power, I simply can't compare to him. I really don't know whether this guy is even human.

No, if this continues, I'll only hold him back!

"Ye Yang, leave this to me. Hurry and go."

Seeing Erza's expression, Ye Yang understood what she was thinking.