Wakaba moved first. In two quick steps he was in front of Natsu, gripping his shoulders urgently.
"Natsu, quick, I want to challenge you!"
Before Natsu could even answer, angry voices erupted all around them.
"Shameless, Wakaba! Going straight for the kid in the guild?"
"Yeah! If you have guts, challenge us instead!"
"Your character is just as bad as that ugly airplane haircut of yours!"
Wakaba completely ignored the mocking from the people around him. All he could think about was securing Natsu, this easy-looking opponent.
Similarly, Macao made a move that was just as shameless. He targeted Lisanna, who had only learned magic not long ago.
"Lisanna-chan, whether I can become an S-Class mage is in your hands. Please accept my challenge."
Faced with their challenges, Natsu and Lisanna reacted very differently.
Natsu had been in a bad mood for not being on the candidate list.
But when he heard the exam rules, his gloom vanished. He was fired up and practically bouncing with excitement.
So when Wakaba came to challenge him, Natsu rolled up his sleeves without a second thought, his fighting spirit blazing.
"Do not underestimate me! I am not going to let you pass this challenge that easily.
Since I get to decide the rules... let us have a contest of Fire Magic!"
"F-Fire Magic?"
Wakaba's grin froze on his face.
He was a Smoke Magic user, he did not do Fire.
Forget that, he was supposed to compare fire with Natsu, the Dragon Slayer of Fire.
As expected, Wakaba went down in flames in his very first challenge.
...
On the other side, Lisanna's eyes gleamed slyly as she thought of a much better approach.
"Um, Uncle Macao, competing with magic is too scary.
Why do we not do something gentler instead... like baking a caaake?"
Macao: "...Goodbye."
He did not even hesitate. He turned on his heel and walked off.
They only had two hours for the entire exam. Even if he had faith in his cooking, who would waste valuable time baking a cake?
Watching Macao retreat in defeat, Lisanna immediately covered her mouth and giggled.
Mira hurried over, patted her little sister proudly on the shoulder, and gave her a big thumbs up.
But even as she felt proud of Lisanna's cleverness, she could not help glancing worriedly toward where Kabe had gone.
Idiot, why did you not come challenge me? If you did, you would pass easily...
...
Meanwhile, after watching Macao and Wakaba both stumble, everyone's attention turned to the last of the three S-Class candidates.
Under the expectant, slightly predatory gazes of the guild, Kabe walked unhurriedly toward a tall, broad-shouldered black-haired boy.
He extended his right hand and set his elbow on the table.
"Joy, if you are a man, do not refuse."
Joy Fullborn, a member who had joined the guild slightly later than Natsu.
Despite being a support-type mage who specialized in healing magic, he was particularly obsessed with working out and constantly referred to himself as a "super muscle mage."
As Kabe walked toward him, Joy was already thinking up ways to make things difficult for him.
But when Kabe issued his invitation and offered his hand, Joy's pride made it impossible for him to say no.
"Damn it, if it is about muscles, I will not lose!"
Bang!
With a heavy thud, Kabe slammed Joy's hand flat against the tabletop in an instant.
He leaped to his feet and raised both arms in victory.
"Yahoo! First challenge, success!"
"You idiot!!" echoed twice
Macao and Wakaba, both freshly frustrated, snapped their heads around in shock.
A couple of members, angry that Joy had gone down so easily, marched up and smacked him on the back of the head.
"Moron! Did you train your brain into mush along with your muscles?
Arm wrestling that guy? Why did you not just challenge him to an eating contest while you were at it?"
Joy slumped in his seat, clutching his head in both hands, unable to accept that he had been completely overpowered by Kabe's strength.
He also silently regretted giving in so quickly and letting Kabe snatch such an easy win off him.
Macao and Wakaba, after their initial shock, exchanged a glance.
Then, as if they had read each other's minds, they charged toward Joy at the same time, planning to copy Kabe's tactic.
"Macao: "Joy! Arm wrestle me! Be a man and do not refuse!"
Wakaba: "No, start with me! Let me show you what a real man is!"
"Get lost! You think I am going to fall for the same trick twice?!
Both of you, get away from me!"
Feeling like a soft persimmon everyone wanted to squeeze, Joy roared in fury and refused both their challenges.
He stormed off to sulk in a corner by himself.
...
While the two washed-up uncles were still pestering Joy, Kabe had already found his second opponent.
"Warren, try to read my thoughts. If you succeed, you win. If you cannot, I get my second victory."
Warren, who specialized in Telepathy Magic, perked up immediately when he heard that Kabe was challenging him in his strongest field.
He accepted at once, brimming with confidence.
Bringing two fingers together, he pressed them to his temple and locked his gaze on Kabe, starting to read his mind.
Kabe crossed his arms, looking relaxed on the surface, letting Warren do his thing.
Inside, though, he was yelling at the top of his mental lungs.
Warren, do me a favor. If this works out, you can have my entire private stash! I am counting on you!
A flicker of conflict flashed across Warren's expression, then he cranked his acting up to the max.
"S-so strong... such overwhelming mental power. I cannot see anything at all."
Sweat started to bead on his forehead.
The guild members, who did not know what was really going on, immediately got sucked in.
"You are kidding, Warren's Telepathy Magic is not working on the brat?"
"Does that mean Kabe is about to win two in a row?"
"Hey, Warren, pull yourself together! Your Telepathy is supposed to be invincible, you cannot be tripped up by this kid!"
No matter how they shouted, Warren finally let his hand fall with a long exhale.
"I cannot do it. I lose this round."
Feeling Warren had agreed to their little under-the-table deal, Kabe let out a quiet breath of relief.
Their eyes met in the air for a brief moment, then Kabe immediately turned away, scanning the guild for his next target.
All of this did not escape Makarov's notice.
But instead of stopping them, the master simply watched and nodded to himself in satisfaction.
He is not just charging in headfirst. He is using his comrades' weaknesses and choosing clever methods to clear the challenges...