S-Class Examination

Open panel

Age: 13

Height: 160

Yujiro Hanma: 30% (Hanma Bloodline, Yujiro's Martial Arts, Demon Back)

Armament Haki: Intermediate (Hardening, Coating)

Observation Haki: Beginner (Perception)

Conqueror's Haki: Intermediate (Intimidation)

Kamehameha (depending on the amount of ki infused)

Ye looked at his panel, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. Haha, it's reached 30%. Sure enough, only by following the protagonists can I rapidly increase my panel progress. But improving the three types of Haki really is difficult. Looks like I'll have to train properly from now on.

Erza looked at Ye, who was smiling, and asked, "Ye, what happened? Did something make you happy?"

Ye smiled. "Yes, my abilities improved, and I even awakened Demon Back. Of course I'm happy."

Erza pondered for a moment. "Ye! Don't tell me... you're a battle maniac?"

Ye stopped walking and froze. "Mm... mm... mm. Now that you mention it, I guess I am. Whenever I encounter a powerful opponent, I can't help getting excited. Hahahahaha! Come on, the sun's about to set. We need to go question that old bastard properly."

At the manor, the anxious lord watched the two figures approaching from the distance, feeling deeply uneasy. After all, he had concealed many things. But seeing them return meant the matter had been resolved, and the mine could return to his hands.

The lord hurried to the gates to welcome Erza and Ye.

With a beaming smile, he asked, "My two young mage lords, has the matter been resolved?"

Ye answered with a dark expression, "Yes, it's been resolved. But shouldn't you properly explain the truth you concealed, my lord?"

Cold sweat trickled down the lord's face. "This... sigh, fine. I'll tell you both."

The lord sighed. "That group of bandits did indeed arrive here several months ago and seize my mine. At the time, I had plenty of capital and could afford the losses. I thought those mages would quickly deal with the bandits, but things went against my wishes. The mages who came were all too weak. Every time they came, they were killed by those bandits. But for some reason, the bandits kept growing stronger and stronger. The mages who came were no match for them at all."

Erza said, "Perhaps those repeated sacrifices strengthened that Minotaur, and the power it fed back to those people became increasingly stronger as well."

The lord continued, "Did you see that monster?"

Ye asked, "My lord, have you seen that magical beast? And still managed to return alive?"

The lord shook his head. "No, I haven't seen it. Among those mages, some did return—but they returned as corpses, thrown out by them. When I saw that mage's body, it looked as though it had been torn apart. That's why I issued the magical beast subjugation request."

Ye said, "Then why didn't you mention the magical beast at all to us?"

The lord said helplessly, "Because I was losing money every day, in just a few months, the money in my hands had nearly been exhausted. Yet after one mage mission after another failed, the difficulty of this commission kept rising, and so did the reward. I simply couldn't afford it. But if this matter wasn't resolved quickly, I would definitely go bankrupt."

"So, I concealed the difficulty of the commission and told every mage who came that it was merely a group of bandits. Since I acted as if I were very wealthy, they thought I had money to burn, so I raised the commission reward to 2 million J."

"Actually, I knew this mission had already reached S-Class. But the minimum reward for S-Class was 5 million J, and I simply couldn't afford it. That is the reason for everything. But rest assured, once I restart my mining business, I will pay you the full 5 million J commission reward without shorting you a single coin."

Erza said angrily, "Hmph! I will report this matter to the Magic Council. Just wait for the Council's punishment! Let's go, Ye."

Ye said indifferently, "Yeah, yeah."

The lord anxiously chased after them. "No! Please, don't! Please don't tell the Magic Council! I'll truly lose my reputation and everything I own!"

Erza said coldly, "This is the punishment you must bear."

Outside the Fairy Tail guild entrance

Boom! One kick!

Ye said happily, "Hahaha! I'm back!"

Makarov roared furiously, "Brat, how many times have I told you not to kick the door around?!"

Makarov glared at him. "Brat, how did the commission go?"

Ye grinned. "Hahaha, of course it was completed perfectly."

Makarov showed a surprised expression. "Fine, you should report on the mission."

Ye said carelessly, "No. It's time for me to eat."

Ye hurried to the bar counter. "Hello! Give me a grilled meat feast for ten people. (¯﹃¯)"

Makarov was so angry his teeth showed. "What did you say, brat?!"

At that moment, Erza came over to Makarov's side. "Guild Master, let me report to you."

Makarov calmed down slightly. "Fine. I'll let that brat off for now."

After listening to Erza's report, Makarov stared in surprise at Ye, who was stuffing himself with food.

Erza said worriedly, "Guild Master, I'm worried that Ye will..."

Makarov smiled. "Erza, don't worry. Grandpa is still here. I'll keep an eye on him. But I have a feeling that before long, this brat will become unimaginably powerful."

Erza froze in shock. "Grandpa, you mean...?"

Makarov said confidently, "That's right. I think that brat Ye didn't use his true strength at all back then."

Damn it, so that wasn't even all of his strength? I need to improve my own strength too. I can't let that guy surpass me.

Before they knew it, half a year had passed.

Open panel

Age: 13

Height: 168

Yujiro Hanma: 42.5% (Hanma Bloodline, Yujiro's Martial Arts, Demon Back, Force Release)

Armament Haki: Intermediate (Hardening, Coating)

Observation Haki: Intermediate (Perception, Hyper-Perception)

Conqueror's Haki: Intermediate (Intimidation)

Kamehameha (depending on the amount of ki infused)

Ye looked at the panel before him and sighed. "Can't the panel display the size of my ki reserves? I don't even know what level my current ki reserves are at in this world. But as the progress increases, I'm increasingly realizing just how powerful the Hanma family's body is. It has given me what feels like endless ki reserves. Still, after doing missions for these past few months, it feels like I can no longer raise my progress. Sigh, forget it. I should go to the guild first."

Boom! One kick!

Makarov said seriously, "Ye, why are you only getting here now?"

As if he had seen something unbelievable, Ye blinked and said, "This is Fairy Tail, right? Did I come to the wrong place??? No, this is definitely the place. Has the Guild Master been possessed or something???"

Makarov roared with a sharp-toothed snarl, "Brat, is your head filled with shit or something?!"

Ye said happily, "Now that's more like the Guild Master. By the way, what's going on today? Why is everyone so serious?"

Makarov said irritably, "You were the only one missing, and you made all of us wait."

Ye asked in surprise, "Could the guild be holding an event? Like, if we complete a commission, we can get a bigger share of the reward?"

Makarov once again wore a sharp-toothed snarl. "How could that be?! Ahem! Ahem! Ahem! All right, today I'm announcing the list."

Oh! Oh! Oh!!!!!!!

The Guild Master was finally announcing it!

Mirajane said, "Hmph! This year, it'll definitely be me!"

Erza said, "You? Train for a few more years first."

Mirajane snapped, "What did you say, you armor girl?!"

Erza snapped back, "I'm talking about you, you little delinquent!"

The two pressed their foreheads together, radiating terrifying auras. Everyone around them immediately retreated beyond a two-meter radius, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

Makarov said, "All right, all right. I will now announce this year's selected candidate for S-Class Mage—Laxus Dreyar."

Laxus said coldly, "Hmph!"

Fried said excitedly, "Oh!!! I'll definitely help Laxus obtain S-Class!!!!!!"

Makarov continued, "And Ye!"

Everyone instantly turned to look at Ye, who was still wolfing down food, and cold sweat unconsciously formed on their faces.

Ye was still cramming food into his mouth when he suddenly felt countless gazes on him and turned his head.

Chewing meat, he mumbled, "Wha's wrong? Why are you all looking at me? Chomp chomp."

Everyone in the guild was speechless. They all wondered how this guy had been chosen, even though he was indeed very strong. (╥╯^╰╥)

Makarov roared, "Brat, swallow what's in your mouth before you speak!"

Ye nodded, swallowed his food, and said, "So what happened?"

The veins on Makarov's forehead bulged. "I said—" he ground his teeth, "—you have been selected to participate in the S-Class examination!" His teeth nearly shattered from gritting them.

Ye was overjoyed. "Hahahahaha! The old man really has good judgment! This is the most correct thing you've done all year! If you ask me, you should just give me the S-Class title directly. No need for all this fancy nonsense. I'll make Fairy Tail famous! Hahahahaha!"

Makarov roared, "Brat, the S-Class examination is a very serious matter! It has to be reported to the Magic Council! It's not some child's play like you say!"

Ye said unconcernedly, "Yeah, yeah."

"Ahem!" Makarov said, "Those selected, please choose your partners as soon as possible. Tomorrow, you will depart from the harbor for the S-Class examination site."

Macao asked, "Guild Master, are you presiding over the S-Class exam this year?"

Makarov smiled mysteriously. "I think that man should be returning soon."

Macao's lips curled up slightly as well. "Is that so?"