(Heartfelt thanks to 'Mikoto-nee' for the 10,000 reward! And thanks as well to 'Fei Ye | Sleepless City', 'Mu Jin Missed You in Years Gone By', 'Yakumo Maki', 'Kong Cheng_Du Zou', 'Wufeng Haotian', and 'Invincible Origin' for their rewards!)
Displayed on the screen before everyone was a diagram resembling a map.
At the very bottom of the diagram was an entrance.
That entrance was probably the spot on Tenrou Island where a wisp of smoke was rising.
Connected to the entrance were seven passages.
All seven passages eventually led toward the exit.
However, the middle sections of those seven passages had an exceedingly complex structure.
The middle of four of the passages each bore a portrait.
They were the portraits of Erza, Mira, Gildarts, and Laxus, the four current S-Class Mages.
The remaining three passages converged in the middle, becoming a single passage.
In other words, there were ultimately only five routes leading to the exit.
Seeing this diagram, Noah more or less understood how the first stage of the S-Class Mage promotion exam would unfold.
"Just as you can see, four of the seven passages leading to the finish are each guarded by a current S-Class Mage. If you choose one of these four passages and encounter one of the four S-Class Mages, you must either defeat them or gain their approval before you can proceed to the finish."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Makarov first pointed at the four passages marked with the portraits of the S-Class Mages and explained them, before pointing to the other three passages that would eventually converge.
"Those who choose the other three passages, which eventually merge together, will encounter one another on their way to the finish. The moment you meet, the test begins."
"I see." Gray seemed to understand as well.
"In