Natsu, a Nobody in Internal Battles

Just now, thinking that Hughes was about to say something indecent, Mira hurriedly covered Hughes ' mouth. Because Hughes was lying in the water, Mira ended up straddling Hughes.

Mira, her cheeks flushed red, hurriedly got up and quickly got off Hughes, giving Hughes a heavy slap before leaving.

Hughes watched Mira's retreating figure as she fled back to the guild, shaking his head. "Girls grow up, they're just so unpredictable! In this sweltering weather, going back to the guild is just asking for trouble!"

Meanwhile, in the center of the lake, a great deal of discussion had already begun.

"In a swimming competition, you can't use magic, but you can hinder your opponent?" Gildarts stroked his stubble, seemingly lost in thought.

Hughes's idea is indeed good; it can minimize the power gap between mages, making it a fairer way to play.

Laxus raised an eyebrow excitedly, glanced at Gildarts, then turned to look at Hughes behind him, his heart pounding with excitement.

A swimming competition? And magic can't be used yet?

This is no less than the perfect opportunity to trample Hughes and Gildarts underfoot in public!

In terms of magic, he's no match for Hughes and Gildarts, but swimming?

His physique, honed over ten years, might not be weaker than theirs!

Laxus's eyes flashed with lightning as he stared intently at Gildarts. From this day forward, his name, Laxus, would resound throughout the guild.

Laxus could easily sense Gildarts's eager gaze; he never refused a challenge from one of the guild's younger members.

Gildarts turned his head, a wide smile spreading across his face, and looked at Laxus. "We'll come back after the smaller match!"

Laxus nodded with a hint of excitement.

In another spot in the middle of the lake, Erza, Cana, Lisanna, and others dressed in swimsuits were lying on swimming rings; around them, the "Forest Fire and Ice People" were exchanging harsh words.

"You damn upturned-eyed bastard, this is a swimming competition, not a water game! You're doomed to lose, you stupid fire dragon!"

Gray laughed triumphantly and arrogantly. Although he was not a water mage, ice and water were of the same origin, so this was his home turf.

"You perverted, droopy-eyed man, how could a mere swimming competition trap a fire dragon that lives in magma? We're dragons that can swim in magma!"

Not to be outdone, Natsu kicked his legs into the water and rushed to Gray's side, shouting menacingly.

Gray was not afraid of Natsu. The two touched forehead to forehead, one ice and one fire, and steam rose from their foreheads.

"You bunch of kids, hurry up!" Laxus urged impatiently, eager to trample Hughes and Gildarts under his feet.

"Good afternoon, everyone in the guild; the first ' Fairy Tail Swimming Contest' is about to begin, and I, Marcus, will be providing full coverage."

"The first event is the swimming competition for the junior group, with participants including Erza, Gray, Natsu, Elfman, and Cana..."

"The rules of the swimming competition are simple: no magic is allowed, but other methods are not restricted; the first to reach the finish line where Gildarts is from the starting line where Hughes is the winner!"

As Marcus's voice faded, Hughes and Gildarts, standing on opposite sides of the lake, waved to the guild members watching.

"Go Natsu!" Lisanna, who wasn't participating in the match, stood near Hughes, hugging Happy and waving her little fist to cheer Natsu on!

"Ai!"

"Oh! I'm fired up! This time, I'm going to leave Gray and Erza far behind!" Encouraged by Lisanna and Happy, Natsu was bursting with passion.

"You squinty-eyed bastard, last place is definitely yours!"

Hughes secretly glanced at Elfman, who was also a contestant like Natsu. His younger sister was cheering for her opponent but hadn't offered him a single word of congratulations; he was curious about Elfman's expression right now.

Sure enough, Elfman's already dark complexion became even darker, as if ink had been splashed on it.

Hughes took out the Recording Magic Crystal and recorded the scene, believing that Elfman and Lisanna would thank him in the future.

Hey-hey!

"Please return to your respective tracks, the race is about to begin!" Under Marcus's command, Natsu and the other participants quickly returned to their pre-determined race tracks.

The tension began to spread...

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Beep!"

As the whistle blew, figures flashed out from the starting point, using all four limbs at incredible speed.

According to Hughes, Natsu and the others' pursuit of victory at this moment is like a wild horse that has broken free of its reins and is in heat—the wildest of animals.

After glancing around the arena a few times, Hughes turned to look at the groups of people on the shore; he was looking for the gambler duo.

Hughes believed that such a good opportunity would arise even if Wakaba's "braking system" truly failed.

Meanwhile, Marcus, the commentator standing on a high vantage point, began reporting on the conditions of each track.

"As expected of Erza, she took the lead from the very beginning, leaving Gray was in second place, more than ten steps ahead."

"Elfman, currently in third place, is making a strong push. The gap between him and Gray in second place is getting smaller, while the gap between him and Erza in first place is getting bigger!"

"Regarding this match, Marcus I can say is that it was a complete stomp. Erza single-handedly crushed everyone; they weren't even in the same league. My dad couldn't beat me this easily!"

Pushing through the crowd, Hughes finally found the gambler duo. Macao and Wakaba held betting boards, one with a swollen head and the other with bowed legs, trembling as they weaved through the crowd, a heartbreaking sight.

"Macao, what are you betting on this time?"

"Hey, new customer, Hughes, this is your first time participating in our betting game! This time, our betting game is very simple: we'll see who comes in the top three." As he spoke, Macao handed the betting board to Hughes.

Hughes took the betting board, his eyes filled with curiosity as he looked at it:

Erza wins the championship, odds of 1 to 1 (crossed out).

Gray wins the championship with odds of 5 to 1; he finishes second with odds of 1.2 to 1; and he finishes third with odds of 1.2 to 1.

Elfman, odds of 5 to 1; second place, odds of 1.5 to 1; third place, odds of 1 to 1.

If Natsu wins, the odds are 1 to 100; if he gets second place, the odds are 1 to 100; if he gets third place, the odds are 1 to 100.

... Natsu pays out 100??

Hughes, thinking he had misread it, quickly rubbed his eyes and looked again. The odds of Natsu getting into the top three were still 1 to 100.

"Hey, Hughes, since this is your first time participating, I, Macao, will give you a friendly reminder: don't bet on Natsu, it's a sure way to lose."

Hughes: ≡(▔□▔)/

Damn it, I thought I could make a fortune off the fact that "Natsu is fighting on the side of the road," but I never expected that everyone would know about it.

Hughes glanced at the betting board in his hand, then occasionally looked at the race on the lake. It was a tough decision!