Trial-ing

Ed hurled a Kunai toward the small island with all his strength. It traced a perfect arc through the air before landing on the island's shore.

Ed waved to Makarov on the boat and Cana in the sea. "Then I'll be going on ahead~" A flash of golden light went off, and Ed vanished from the boat, appearing directly on the island's shore.

"That's totally unfair! Master! You're obviously going easy on Ed! Do you have some kind of shady deal going on? You gave him special treatment, didn't you?!" Cana had been swimming miserably in the sea, but the instant she saw that Ed had already reached the island, her whole mood collapsed. She loudly complained to Makarov.

"What nonsense are you talking about? This concerns the S-Class Mage Trial. How could I possibly go easy on anyone? All I can say is that Ed's magic is much more convenient than your card magic."

Makarov calmly glanced at Cana. "Besides, the trial has already begun no matter what. Are you sure you still want to stand there discussing whether I went easy on him?"

"Tch!" With no other choice, Cana could only keep swimming.

Meanwhile, Ed had successfully reached the island. Looking up, he saw a high slope in the distance. It looked like he could get a better view of the island's overall layout from there, so Ed headed straight for it. From the slope, he took in the island's rough appearance.

The island was not large. A lush green hill stood at its center.

The hill's slopes were gentle and covered in dense trees. At its foot stretched a continuous forest.

The forest was far from quiet. The roars of magical beasts could be heard from time to time, along with flocks of startled birds taking flight.

There was also a small river that seemed to flow down from the mountain, though he could not see its source because of his limited view.

"So all I need to do is take care of the magical beasts first, right?" Ed took a deep breath, did a few chest stretches, and warmed up a little. "Sorry, Cana, but you'll have to make this trip for nothing. I already told Mira that I'm passing the S-Class Trial this time."

After warming up, Ed took out another Flying Thunder God Kunai and hurled it toward the forest.

His figure flashed repeatedly as he made his way to the forest's edge. Listening to the roars coming from within, Ed charged toward their source without hesitation.

Before long, Ed spotted a wild boar rampaging through the woods. "A boar-type magical beast, huh? It looks pretty thick-skinned..."

The moment Ed finished mocking it, the boar seemed to hear him. It turned its head and charged straight at him.

Ed casually tossed a Kunai above the boar. Then magic power gathered in his hand, forming a Rasengan.

"Flying Thunder God: Second Stage!" A flash of golden light erupted, and Ed instantly appeared above the boar. He slammed the Rasengan directly onto its head. Magic power exploded, kicking up a cloud of dust. When the haze cleared, the boar was dead beyond doubt.

Ed examined the boar's body and discovered a rope tied around its neck. A red note was attached to the rope. He took it down and unfolded it, finding a single sentence written on it: Come find me. I am beneath the stars.

"What the hell? Is this some kind of riddle? Isn't every place beneath the stars?" Ed complained weakly as he looked at the message. Remembering Makarov's words that two clues would be enough to find the location, he figured the key must be on the other note.

"Red, huh... Anyway, I should look for more magical beasts." Ed put away the note and resumed his search for prey.

Cana finally swam to shore. Before she could even catch her breath, a boom rang out from the distant forest. "Damn it, Ed has already started! Tch... Swimming here took way too long. Hah... I'm exhausted... Anyway, I need to head over there first." Panting heavily, Cana forced herself to pull herself together and headed toward the forest.

Ed, meanwhile, kept using Flying Thunder God to travel quickly and had already found the second magical beast. It looked like a giant ape. "Oh! An old friend! Isn't this Vulcan?"

Looking at the familiar monster, Ed also spotted the rope around its chest. The note on it was gold. "Hmm... Could it really be based on hair color...? Gold should mean Laxus... Then red means Erza? Does that mean I still need to keep looking?"

Ed felt somewhat helpless, but he could not let it go. Who knew whose information the next magical beast would carry? "This time, I'll try this!"

Ed threw out a Flying Thunder God Kunai as usual, then activated the Second Stage and appeared directly in front of Vulcan. He placed both hands at his sides as magic power gathered in them. Golden spheres appeared in his palms, and he thrust them forward.

"Twin Rasengan!" The Rasengans in both hands struck Vulcan's body simultaneously. The immense magic power erupted with the force of a small typhoon, and the doubled impact sent Vulcan flying. It crashed through a stretch of trees before falling to the ground, its fate unknown.

Ed rushed forward and took the note from its body. It read: No stars can be seen overhead.

Ed was utterly baffled. "What the hell is this? One says beneath the stars, and the other says there are no stars overhead. What are these two trying to do? Tch. The one beneath the stars is hard to say, but Laxus is probably either underground or in a cave, right?"

Ed thought it over and felt that was probably what it meant. Still, although it was not impossible to search with only that clue, it would take far too much effort. He decided to keep looking for more magical beasts.

When Cana reached the forest's edge, another loud boom came from deep within the woods. "Another one? Is Ed moving that fast? Tch, this feels even more dangerous now..." Without time to rest, she headed deeper into the forest, trying to find the magical beasts carrying clues.

The commotion from Ed's defeat of Vulcan seemed to have attracted several magical beasts. Watching the figures hiding among the surrounding trees, and catching the faint stench in the air, Ed thought for a moment before decisively taking action.

"Since you're all here, don't just watch. Come play together~, Majestic Destroyer Flame!" Ed took a deep breath and opened his mouth, spewing out a sea of fire. The flames spread through the surrounding forest, forcing the magical beasts hiding within to leap out one after another to escape the blaze.

"I've never gotten to experience setting a mountain forest on fire before. This time, I finally get to enjoy it~" Ed showed no trace of nervousness as he watched the three magical beasts surround him.

Seeing the red, gold, and red notes on their chests, Ed calculated, "Now I've got both of them. Then there's no need to wait—let's get started. If things go smoothly, I might even finish the trial before nightfall!" Ed drew his Kunai and charged straight at them.