"Why?! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
On the shore, Gajeel pinned down Natsu and loudly questioned him, while Natsu looked despairing and didn't even fight back.
"Congratulations on passing."
At the side, Moen smiled and said to the ninth-place two-person team.
"We really have to thank Natsu properly!"
The two laughed cheerfully. Thanks to Natsu, otherwise their ranking would have been behind Gajeel.
Ninth place plus eleventh place averaged out to tenth place, but because one of them was ninth, their priority for advancing was higher than Gajeel, who was tenth. That was the importance of grabbing rankings.
But if Natsu had been eleventh and the other one twelfth, then they would have had to hand over the advancement spot to Gajeel.
After receiving Gajeel's cheering, Natsu felt that something was off. He counted and saw that there were only five people on the shore. Even if he fell behind by one rank, it wouldn't matter much, so he didn't go all out to fight for the position.
Of course, it was also to prevent Happy from being flung away again. With advancement already secured and having already lost to Gajeel, Natsu chose to take care of Happy. Anyway, he had at least beaten Gray.
But after getting ashore, he realized he was twelfth. This made Natsu completely dumbfounded, this wasn't how the script was supposed to go!
What made Natsu even more uncomfortable was that Gray had already advanced early, even ranking just behind Moen, Erza, and Mirajane!
And Gajeel, who missed the advancement because of this, was even more furious. He grabbed the ashen, petrified Natsu and questioned him nonstop.
"It's all my fault…"
Happy blamed himself deeply, thinking he had held Natsu back. Otherwise, Natsu definitely wouldn't have failed to pass even the first stage.
Coming back to his senses, Natsu first pushed Gajeel away, then began comforting Happy. He didn't think it was Happy's fault at all it had been his idea from beginning to end. How could he blame Happy?
Seeing this, Moen smiled. This was Natsu—he wouldn't shirk responsibility, nor would he push all the blame onto his companions. This child who had been searching for his "dragon father" had gradually grown up, though he was still unreliable most of the time.
"Don't worry. Maybe you still have a chance."
Looking at Gajeel, Natsu, and Happy, Moen spoke. This made Joey and Elfman beside him tense up.
If Natsu and Gajeel wanted to advance, they could only take their spots. One was fifth and the other sixth. As long as their teammates ranked within fifteenth or fourteenth, and their average ranking was at least tenth, they could advance steadily—but that would leave only two spots remaining.
"They're here!"
Under the desperate gazes of Natsu and Gajeel, Cana finally arrived. She was actually quite relaxed, since others were fighting for rankings, and her own magic could assist her.
When tired along the way, she used ice cards to create a large patch of ice to rest on. She could also use wind-attribute cards to accelerate, even letting the wind push the ice forward—saving effort but consuming magic power.
Thus, Cana hurried all the way and finally arrived at the finish line in fifteenth place, successfully advancing together with fifth-place Joey.
This completely extinguished Gajeel's hope of advancing. Elfman had already left for the next stage with his teammate, while Joey and Cana took the last spot. All nine advancement slots were now filled.
Natsu laughed loudly at the petrified Gajeel. He himself had already been eliminated when Elfman advanced earlier, but Gajeel, who placed tenth, had it worse seeing hope multiple times only to be crushed repeatedly. Compared to that, he had it much better.
Moreover, Natsu could at least find an excuse for failing, while Gajeel simply lost outright. So after recovering, Natsu didn't feel as bad anymore.
"Not bad."
Moen smiled and high-fived Cana. Having passed the first stage, they at least had the qualification to face the big boss, Laxus.
"Thanks to Joey. I was the one dragging things down."
Cana felt a bit embarrassed, and she had basically accepted reality. Although she had been working hard to improve over the years, her strength really wasn't that outstanding.
She had joined the guild at six years old and had always trained diligently. She had put in more effort than those who joined later, but the later arrivals had each displayed powerful talent and gradually surpassed her, which put a lot of pressure on her.
Especially Erza and Mirajane they gave her the most pressure. Both were girls, and although they were a year older than her, they had started systematic magic training later than her. Mirajane had only been learning for one or two years.
Watching others surpass her despite her years of hard training was truly stifling and painful. It would be one thing if Erza and Mirajane hadn't become S-Class mages, but if they both advanced, completely reaching a different level, the blow to Cana would only be even greater.
This was not about being unable to stand others doing well, but rather disappointment in herself. It could only be said to be human nature. Living in the same era as exceptionally talented people, even living together with them, being struck by it was normal.
"Gathering intelligence in advance and organizing a team are also part of completing missions. Not everyone is good at frontal combat. Even S-Class mages are not omnipotent, they also need companions. So there is no such thing as dragging others down."
Moen said with a smile, soothing Cana's emotions.
Moen's words were naturally sincere. No one said that S-Class mages could not form teams. It was just that Gildarts and Laxus were used to acting alone. Moreover, forming teams was originally allowed in the exam, and even encouraged.
"Mm! I will definitely be able to help too!"
Cana nodded seriously. She was still very confident in the versatility of her card magic. In the upcoming stages, she would definitely be able to help and would not be completely useless.
"Let's go, we'll head to the next stage."
Moen smiled and called out to Joey and Cana. As for Natsu, Happy, and Gajeel , they could already return directly.
As for the guild companions who had not yet reached the finish line, they would naturally all be notified. Moen's crows had already taken flight, and the crows would carry the companions back together to the large ship that served as the starting point.
Natsu, Gajeel, and Happy—two people and one "cat"—were the first to experience the "crow express," being pulled by crows and swiftly returned to the starting point. After everyone gathered, they would be taken back together to Hargeon.
Deep within the forest of Tenrou Island, Laxus had already welcomed his first wave of examinees, namely Erza and Mirajane, who had been chasing and competing all the way here. Laxus did not find this surprising. Makarov had already told him the process. He knew that Moen would take on part of the examiner's responsibilities in the first stage.
With a cloak draped over his back, lightning flickered around Laxus's body. His expression was serious—just standing there, he looked like a big boss.
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