Some Laugh, Some Cry

Seeing that Natsu, with Cana's help, was on the verge of surpassing him, Gray anxiously shouted, "Elfman, let's team up! Let's eliminate Natsu and Cana first!"

Elfman:... I'm just being honest, not a fool!

Natsu and Cana are clearly targeting Gray, so why should he get involved? Wouldn't it be better to take advantage of this opportunity to fish in troubled waters and secretly distance himself?

"Go for it, Gray!" Elfman encouraged Gray.

He then swam underwater, with only a dozen meters left to the finish line; it was time for him to sprint.

Marcus, standing on high ground, straightened up upon seeing this, staring intently at the lake with a serious expression.

"Congratulations to Elfman for coming in second place in the underage group! This is an unexpected result and a testament to Elfman's strength. Let's congratulate Elfman again!"

"With just five meters left, Gray and Natsu are neck and neck, so the third place is still uncertain!"

"Will Natsu, with Cana's help, take third place? Or Gray ultimately uphold his dignity as an ice mage? We'll find out in five meters!"

Marcus's emotional manipulation intensified the cheers from the shore.

Holding Happy, Lisanna, standing next to Hughes, also looked nervous, her little hands clenched. "Go, Natsu! Faster, faster!"

"Ai!"

Hughes:... Elfman performed exceptionally well and won second place, and you didn't even glance at him? Your own brother can't compare to your lover, can he?!

"Go, Natsu, just three more meters!"

"Ai!"

Hughes glanced at Lisanna out of the corner of his eye. At such a young age, she dared to be so lovey-dovey; it was simply outrageous.

A mischievous idea popped into his head, Hughes nimbly crouched down and gently nudged Lisanna.

She winked at the person and the cat, her tone sarcastic. "Hey! Lisanna, you said Elfman could get second place all by himself, how come Natsu is so bad even with Cana's help!"

Is it that they look down on second place, or that they're simply not good enough?

"Hmph, Hughes, what do you know? Swimming limited Natsu's performance. If it were on land, Natsu would have been number one long ago!" Lisanna retorted with slight impatience.

"But Natsu hasn't won any other matches either! Before we joined, the guild organized a lot of tournaments."

"Natsu came in second to last in the running Natsu; Erza came in first in the eating contest, and Natsu came in last..." Hughes held up his fingers and told Lisanna and Happy one by one.

Macao had just told him this news.

"Huh? Natsu is terrible!" Happy stuck out his little tongue and complained.

"Happy, it's not that Natsu is bad, it's that they're bullying Natsu. They know Natsu isn't good at it, and they deliberately hold these matches!"

"Ai?"

Hughes rolled his Byakugan. This wasn't just about being a fangirl; it was practically a fanboy obsession.

"Hughes, do you think I'm right?" Lisanna, desperate for validation, looked at Hughes with shining eyes.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes!"

"Smack!"

Hughes slapped her to the ground, pulled out Recording Magic Crystal, and said, "One month of housework punishment plus another half month, or I'll broadcast this to Mira!"

The starlight in Lisanna's eyes vanished instantly.

"Happy, ┭┮┭┮, I think I've fallen into a trap!"

Little Happy raised his right hand. "Hey! It's okay, Lisanna, as long as you give me the fish, I won't tell anyone what you just said!"

"You dead cat, get out of here!" Enraged, Lisanna threw Happy, whom she was holding, to the ground.

Happy, who had fallen to the ground, rubbed his bottom with his Cat Claws: "Lisanna, I only need one."

Hughes was slightly speechless. Happy had only been born a short time, yet his unscrupulous nature was already evident.

Is it because the Fairy Tail guild has too many evil influences, or is this cat's genes just wrong?

"Beep, beep!"

"Match over!"

"Let's congratulate Gray for taking on two opponents single-handedly, and using his longer fingernails compared to Natsu to cross the finish line first, successfully securing third place."

"Congratulations to Natsu! He finally escaped the bottom three and unexpectedly won fourth place in this competition, although it's all thanks to Cana!"

As expected of the guild's default event host, even though Marcus is still young, his ability to stir emotions is top-notch. With just a few words, Hughes nodded in agreement and wished him well in the face of Natsu and Gray's joint pursuit.

"Marcus, stop running away! A win is a win! Why do you have to use words like 'nail'?" Gray said angrily.

He only managed to get third place after a grueling battle against Natsu and Cana. For Marcus to say that, isn't he implying that his victory was unfair?

"Yes, Marcus, don't run away! What do you mean it's all Cana's credit? I was the one who did the most work!"

Enraged, Natsu followed Gray, and the two of them, one in front and one behind, surrounded Marcus.

"Hey, don't hit me! As the host, I'm just stating the facts!"

"What are you babbling about, Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"You, a host?! Ice Make: Hammer Soldier!"

Boom! A streak of light flashed across the sky, both ice and fire. The only trace Marcus left around him was a faint, mournful cry that echoed from the distant sky.

A magical artifact resembling a microphone fell alone from the sky, landing among the forest ice and fire people.

This is a magical prop that Marcus specially commissioned to host the event.

Natsu bent down, grinning as he picked it up. "Hehe, is Marcus asking me to host the next adult competition?"

"Ice Make: Ice Block!" A blue and white magic circle lit up above Natsu's head, and a block of ice the size of three of Natsu's heads appeared from it.

Gray swung his index and middle fingers downwards, sending a massive ice block crashing down and landing squarely on Natsu's head.

"Bang!"

Thump!

With his eyes rolling back, Natsu collapsed, a round, swollen bump on his head. From a distance, it looked as if a gourd had grown out of Natsu's neck.

Gray bent down and snatched the microphone from the unconscious Natsu's hand.

Someone who can't even read properly can't be a decent host. Marcus is clearly handing over this great job to...

"Bang!"

A small, pale fist, yet seemingly carrying a thousand pounds of force, fell from the head of the unsuspecting Gray.

"This familiar feeling... it's Ai~" Gray murmured as he lay on the ground, but before he could finish speaking, his eyes had already become completely glazed over.

Erza looked helplessly at the Forest Fireman and Iceman lying unconscious on the ground; the two of them had secretly fought again while she was away.

"Honestly, these two are so close, can't they just get along?" Suddenly, Erza noticed the magical item belonging to Marcus in Gray's hand...

Meanwhile, Macao and Wakaba excitedly went around asking for their gambling money; they had struck it rich this time.

Elfman came in second, Gray surprisingly came in third, which was beyond everyone's expectations; 99% of people made the wrong bets.

"Nab, 100,000 J; Reedus, you get 50,000 J, hurry up and give them to me."

"Warren, you also have to give me 100,000 J; Marcus, stop hiding, come out now, you also bet on Gray to come in second, pay up now."

Hughes took out some sunflower seeds and started cracking them open while watching Nab and the others kneel on the ground in dejection, weeping silently.

Before the gambler's result, the world is bright, and the future is promising; after the result, the gambler wonders, "Why has the world treated me like this?!"