Upgrade Assessment (3)

About ten minutes later, the transparent wall that had trapped everyone emitted a clear sound, and then it turned into countless fragments and disappeared into the air.

"The spell has failed, get out of here!" (Churchill)

Upon hearing the shouts, the crowd, whether sitting or lying down, stood up and rushed forward.

"Break down"

"Whoosh!"

The moment the sound faded, a white, grid-like energy flashed by, and the next second, everything, including the carriage, was broken down into countless miniature individuals.

"Sorry! We'll be going now!"

After saying this, Gildarts left with Wakaba.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, a large group of Makarov roared, "Do you even respect me, the chairman?!"

Unlike before, this time the audience did not avoid him, but instead overtook Makarov and ran forward.

When Gildarts and his companion arrived at the fork in the road, a wooden sign with a red cross was erected on the road that Old Suo had chosen earlier.

"Choose the forest? Heh! Then I'll choose... the plains!"

With that, Gildarts pulled Wakaba toward the leftmost intersection.

Shortly after Gildarts left, Sonia's team arrived, followed by Rexar's team, Ivan's team, and finally Bohr's team.

Just as the subsequent groups entered their respective routes, Sordil, as the pioneer, unfortunately encountered his opponent and engaged in battle... well, let's just call it a battle for now!

"Miss, look how beautiful the scenery is here! Why don't we stop fighting and have a picnic?"

Lyra's forehead was covered with question marks as she watched the silver-haired boy easily dodge her attack and extend an invitation to her.

"Little brother, if you don't take the test seriously, don't blame your older sister for being ruthless!"

"We're doomed! We're doomed! The witch is laughing. We're in big trouble now!" (Macao's inner thoughts)

Meanwhile, a fool who was unaware of the enormity of his mistake continued to flirt with the beautiful woman in front of him.

"Miss, how could you do this? Didn't we promise to love each other forever?"

Upon hearing this, the red hash mark on the back of Lyra's head instantly expanded several times, transforming into a background halo.

"Earth Surge"

"Buzz!"

Watching the ground crash down like a raging sea, Old Suo didn't hesitate and immediately rose into the air, far away from the ground. Uh... out of a sense of duty, the foolish Zoro also rescued Macao as he made his escape.

"Miss, don't be angry, or you'll age faster!"

"Ah~~ Azure Rock Fury!"

After easily dodging his opponent's attack once again, Old Suo Teleportation to her side, gently put his arm around her waist, and said affectionately, "Miss, how about we stay like this forever?"

Feeling the heat emanating from her body, Lyra's cheeks rapidly warmed up, eventually turning into a red lantern that seemed to emit smoke.

"Whoosh"

Having escaped their clutches with the last shred of sanity, Lyra stepped aside and said coldly (in a haughty tone): "You've passed the test, now's the time to go!"

"Miss, you haven't answered my question yet, why are you kicking me out?"

Upon hearing this, two gunshots rang out, and then Lyra and Macao lay down.

"Big brother, please stop your supernatural powers and spare my life, okay?" (Lyra's inner voice)

"Awesome! Boss Sordil, you're truly awesome! (Macao's inner thoughts)"

Old Suo glanced at the two men on the ground, shook his head, then carried them onto the windboat and sped forward.

Compared to the quirky fighting style of Sordil, Gildarts's style is much more normal.

"Lightning Halberd!"

"Crush!"

After neutralizing the opponent's attack, Gildarts threw out another white grid, and at the same time, he quickly stepped forward and punched the opponent in the right rib area.

"Call out"

Seeing Gildarts ' attack, Holi threw a ball of lightning with her right hand to block the white grid, and pressed down on the incoming fist with her left palm.

"Wakaba!"

Upon receiving Gildarts ' signal, Wakaba did not hesitate and immediately unleashed his most powerful attack as previously agreed.

"Smoke Assault"

"Smoke Clone"

With Wakaba joining the battle, the battlefield was instantly shrouded in thick smoke.

"Puff!"

"Puff!"

Suddenly, two figures emerged from the smoke —Gildarts and Wakaba, who had come to participate in the assessment. The two exchanged a hand gesture, then quietly bypassed the smoke and fled forward.

A moment later, the smoke dissipated, revealing a burly, red-haired man among them.

"Heh! These two lads are pretty good, but they won't get past me so easily!"

After saying that, the red-haired giant Holi chased after the two who had fled in that direction.

Compared to the resourceful (and utterly irritating) Sordil and the intelligent and courageous Gildarts, Rexar's group was far inferior in terms of resources. To make matters worse, their luck was even worse than their abilities, as they stumbled upon a double S-Class Mage route that was practically hellish in difficulty. Thus, in just one encounter, they were defeated, becoming the first group to be eliminated.

Three days later, thanks to their flying advantage and the cooperation of the proctors, Sordil's group was the first to arrive at the meeting point.

The instant she landed, Lyra swiftly escaped Old Suo's clutches and hid behind Makarov.

Upon witnessing this scene, Makarov, along with Ridas and Garpate beside him (the two S-Class Mage on the double S route), were instantly bewildered.

"Oh my god! Why is Lyra's face so red? Could it be that that naughty boy Sordil... (Makarov's inner thoughts)"

"Hey! What's wrong with Lyra? Could it be that she's interested in that little guy...?" (Ridas, Garpate's inner thoughts)

"Oh no! Oh no! Will I be disqualified for flirting with the examiner? (Macao's inner thoughts)"

"Why are these guys all staring at me like that?" (Old Suo's inner monologue)

"Should I tell the president what this naughty boy did? Oh, how embarrassing! Maybe I should just forget it!" (Lyra's inner thoughts)

Just as everyone was gazing at each other in silence, three groups of people who had taken a safe route appeared in time, breaking the strange atmosphere.

"Young Master!"

"President!"

Hearing the voice behind them, everyone instantly thawed.

"Sonia, you're too slow!" (Old Suo)

"Hmph! If you hadn't trapped us inside the spell, young master, how could we be slower than you!"

"Sister Sonia, even if we weren't trapped inside the barrier, we probably still wouldn't be able to catch up with Sordil and the others. After all, they fly, while we walk."

After Leena finished speaking, the other four nodded in agreement, acknowledging the fact.

"Alright! Stop arguing, everyone. Go to your tents and rest to recover your strength. We'll also Gildarts and the others. (Makarov)"

The guild leader gave the order, and since they were indeed tired, everyone went into their tents to rest... well, except for the perverted Suo!

"Miss, we've known each other for so long, and you still haven't told me your name!"

Looking at the silver-haired boy in front of her, Lyra felt that burning, tingling sensation return to her body.

Realizing something was wrong with her, Lyra quickly turned her face away, dropped the word "Lyra," and fled into a nearby tent.

Upon seeing this, Makarov and his two companions were utterly stunned.

"Ah~~ that rascal really did make a move on Lyra! Will Her Highness the Empress bring her army to attack?" (Makarov)

"Ahhhhh, no way?! The S-Class beauty is about to be plucked! (Ridas, Garpate)"

Before the three could even warn the womanizing playboy, scumbag, and scoundrel, the alert inspectors took the initiative.

"Young Master, have you forgotten something?"

Hearing the sound behind him, Mou Suo, who was gazing at the beautiful figure in the distance, was instantly awakened.

"Huh? Sonia, what are you doing here?"

Looking at the person pretending to be stupid, Sonia poked his heart with her finger while saying speechlessly, "Young master, can you please clean up this mess? You're not afraid of being punished by the madam, but I'm afraid of being implicated by you!"

"Cough cough"

After coughing twice, Suo's eyes widened instantly, and he ran into the woods on the side.

"Young Master, where are you going?"

"I've been so busy traveling these past few days that I forgot to report to Her Majesty the Queen! (Old Suo's telegram)"

Hearing the voice in her heart, Sonia shook her head speechlessly, then turned and walked towards her tent. But in that instant, she seemed to pull a spherical object from her waist.

Two days later, Gildarts and his companion, looking disheveled and as if they were fleeing a disaster, burst into the camp.

Not long after the two arrived, a burly, red-haired man with a weary expression emerged from the direction they had come from.

"Chairman! (Gildarts and his companion)"

"President! (Holi)"

Nodding to the three of them, Makarov then asked, "Holi, how is it?"

"These two kids are pretty good. Although they couldn't beat me, they successfully completed the mission!"

Makarov nodded upon hearing Holi's words.

"In that case, you all rest for the night to recover your strength and magic. Tomorrow, you'll participate in the second assessment with the other groups!"

"Yes!"

After speaking, the three of them, with the help of others, went into the tent that had been reserved for them.

The following morning, after resting, the group arrived at the entrance to Croba Grand Canyon.

"Everyone, congratulations on successfully passing the first test!"

At this point, Makarov gave the crowd a round of applause, and then continued, "Next, I will announce the content of the second test, as well as the precautions."

"The second test requires you to hike through the Croba Grand Canyon to Clowbar City within three days and hunt ten Rainbow Flying Fish."

"Holy crap! Seriously? This is such a terrifying challenge right off the bat! (Macao, Wakaba)"

"You will receive a signal flare shortly. If you are unable to continue during the competition or encounter mortal danger, you can release the signal flare to call for help. However, releasing the signal flare will also mean that you have given up the assessment, so please consider it carefully."

"In addition, when you cross the canyon, you must not proceed along the existing railway tracks; you must find your own way to cross the canyon."

Do you have any further questions?

"No!" (Everyone)

"Alright! I hereby declare the second assessment officially begins!"