The cost of repairing the training ground was ultimately split five ways.
Lin Yuan, Laxus, and Mira each took a share. Natsu got one for instigating the duel, and the last was charged to Gray for "illegally running a betting pool."
"I didn't take any money!" Gray protested.
Cana found the cash box he had hidden under the table. "Because you didn't have time to."
Makarov ignored the commotion and handed three bills to the people involved. Laxus paid without even looking, while Mira spent a long time counting every broken wooden post, insisting that two of them had already been eaten by insects.
After paying his share, Lin Yuan asked, "What does it take to enter the S-Class Exam?"
The hall grew considerably quieter.
Natsu climbed up off the floor. "Beat everyone!"
"No," Erza said.
"Being able to go up to the second floor!" Gray pointed at the stairs.
"That comes after you become S-Class."
Laxus leaned against the window without joining in, but his gaze rested on Makarov.
"The guild master decides who the candidates are," Makarov said. "Magic power, fighting ability, mission records, what your companions think of you-all of those are just points of reference. As for what really matters, the rules are different every year."
"Then decide now," Laxus said.
"Now?"
"Put both our names down."
Makarov smiled. He took two thick mission logs from under the counter. One belonged to Laxus; Lin Yuan's name had only just been written on the other.
Laxus's log was almost full. Subjugations, escorts, rescues, and investigations-page after page bore completion stamps, with quite a few compensation bills tucked between them.
Lin Yuan's log had only a few thin pages.
Sleeping Church, the glass lamp delivery, and the mine rescue.
"You just fought to a draw, so what?" Makarov asked. "Laxus has plenty of mission experience, but he always puts completing the objective ahead of cleaning up the aftermath. Lin Yuan can spot dangers others overlook, but he's only been independently responsible for a handful of missions."
Laxus frowned. "Are you saying neither of us is qualified?"
"I'm saying next year's list won't be written until next year."
The old man closed both logs and pushed one toward each of them.
"If you want to enter, fill in the blank spaces."
Lin Yuan opened his mission log. The last page bore a single Guild stamp, and a great expanse of blank paper stretched all the way to the bottom.
"Can I take A-Class missions?"
"With approval, yes, but a senior member must accompany you on your first one."
"I'll take him," Mira said immediately.
Makarov looked at her, then at Lin Yuan. "Both of you need someone to lead your teams."
A vein twitched at Mira's temple. "Sooner or later, I'm tearing that rule off the Guild wall."
"Talk about it when you can afford to pay for the wall."
Amid the laughter, Macao and Wakaba quietly looked away. They had clearly already guessed who would be called on as the "senior members."
Lin Yuan walked over to the mission board on the first floor.
The requests were arranged according to reward and level of danger. The ones in the top row weren't S-Class Missions, but they still bore red warning markers.
He didn't choose the highest-paying subjugation mission. Instead, he took down the request that had been there the longest.
Seven magic signal towers in the western canyon had stopped working after a series of windstorms, cutting off three trade routes. The mission required them to inspect all seven towers, escort the repair materials, and restore the network before the next windy season arrived.
Estimated time: twenty days.
Reward: 400,000 J.
The biggest problem was that the seven towers stood on different ridges. An ordinary team would spend half its time traveling between them.
"Did the reward catch your eye?" Mira asked.
"The distance did."
Laxus also walked over to the mission board. He glanced at the request in Lin Yuan's hand, then took down a different one to subjugate a thunderbird in the south.
"Twenty days?" He scoffed. "By the time you get back, I'll have finished three."
"Do compensation bills count too?"
"Want to fight again right now?"
Makarov coughed heavily, and both of them looked at the training ground, which still hadn't been repaired.
Laxus was the first to turn away. He tossed his mission sheet onto the bar.
Mira stopped lingering over Lin Yuan's mission and took down a request from the other side to clear out a magical beast nest. Erza then chose to guard a merchant caravan, while Natsu and Gray started wrestling again over the same request to find flame ore.
The area in front of the mission board soon descended into chaos.
Early the next morning, four teams made their final preparations in front of the Guild.
Macao ended up leading Lin Yuan to the western canyon. Mira went with Wakaba, and Erza joined another team of adults. Laxus set off alone as before, the travel bag on his shoulder lighter than it had been when he returned.
Lisanna came running out with a bag of bread to eat on the road. She pressed it into Mira's hands, then held another bag out to Lin Yuan.
"Lin Yuan, remember to write."
"It's only twenty days."
"Someone said he'd be back soon last time, and then he stayed away from the Guild for three months."
Everyone looked at Laxus at once.
"What are you looking at me for?"
"Because it was you," Makarov said.
Their laughter carried a long way down the early-morning street.
The teams headed off in different directions. No one mentioned the previous night's draw again, and no one pressed to know which of them was closer to S-Class.
Makarov stood at the entrance until the young people gradually disappeared from sight. Only then did he lower his gaze to the list of candidates in his hand.
The sheet of paper was still blank.
"Want to know if you're qualified..." The old man put the list away and turned back toward the noisy Guild. "Then let the missions answer for you."