Early the next morning, inside the Fairy Tail guildhall.
Laxus and a half-asleep Caelan stood side-by-side in front of Makarov.
The rest of the guild was buzzing with excitement, eagerly placing bets on who would successfully claim the S-Class title.
Fortunately, Macao had learned his lesson from the last disaster and firmly capped the maximum bet at 20,000 Jewel per person.
The odds were set at 1:2 for both candidates, but looking at the betting pool, nearly everyone had put their money on Laxus.
It was nothing personal against Caelan, but Laxus had been a powerhouse in the guild for years, and most believed he was the absolute strongest candidate.
Only the few people who had actually seen Caelan fight went against the grain and placed their bets on him.
Caelan stood there, yawning loudly, before glancing over at Erza, who was standing proudly by his side.
“So, you actually beat Mirajane, huh?” Erza crossed her arms, her expression perfectly calm.
“Of course.
She is not yet my equal.” Mirajane, standing a few feet away, instantly flared up.
“Tch!
If I had better control over my Take Over Magic, do you honestly think you could’ve beaten me?!” Erza completely ignored her, which only made Mirajane even angrier.
“You stupid armor freak!
Just you wait!
I’ll definitely pay you back for this!” On the other side of the room, Laxus stood silently with his chosen partner—Freed Justine, his most loyal follower.
Makarov clapped his hands, cutting through the noise.
“Alright, since everyone is here, let’s head out.” The five of them boarded a private carriage.
The journey was suffocatingly tense and dead silent.
Caelan, however, was entirely unbothered by the heavy atmosphere.
The moment the carriage started moving, he leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and instantly fell asleep.
By noon, the carriage had finally arrived at the foot of Mount Nilus.
It was already the peak of summer, and being at the base of an active volcano only made the heat infinitely worse.
The scorching temperature woke Caelan up immediately, and everyone stepped out of the carriage drenched in sweat.
“Old man, are you serious?” Caelan complained, fanning himself with his shirt.
“It’s the middle of summer!
Did you really have to hold the S-Class exam on a literal volcano?
Couldn’t you have picked somewhere with a breeze?!” “Hmph!
What do you know, brat?” Makarov retorted.
“To be an S-Class Mage, you must be able to adapt to and overcome any harsh environment!
If you can’t even handle a little heat, how can you call yourself S-Class?!” Caelan stared at the guild master in absolute disbelief.
Makarov was currently eating a popsicle and aggressively fanning himself with a paper fan.
“Master, your speech would be a lot more convincing if you weren’t eating a popsicle right now.” “This is your exam, not mine!
I’ve lived a long life, I’m allowed to enjoy myself!” “Right, right.
Whatever you say, boss.” “Hmph.
At least you know your place.” Makarov tossed his popsicle stick aside and cleared his throat.
“Alright, listen closely.
This mountain is Mount Nilus.
It is the natural habitat of a species of monsters known as Blazing Flame Lizards.
They thrive in the magma deep within the earth and frequently trigger minor volcanic eruptions.
Whenever this volcano erupts, the town at the base of the mountain suffers massive financial losses.
“Historically, the town has relied on mining a specific ore called Molten Rock to survive, and the monsters on the mountain generally left them alone.
But over the last few months, the Blazing Flame Lizards have suddenly become highly aggressive, attacking the miners without warning.
“The Magic Council has already dispatched troops and mages from various guilds to cull the numbers, but no matter how many they kill, more keep appearing.
According to the survivors of the latest subjugation attempt, they spotted an abnormally massive Blazing Flame Lizard deep within the volcano.
“Your objective is simple: Whoever defeats the Alpha Lizard and brings back its horn first will pass the exam and become an S-Class Mage.” Makarov pulled out two rolled-up parchments and handed one to each of them.
“Do not underestimate these lizards.
Every single one of them possesses the strength of a B-Class Mage.
Your time limit is 8:00 AM tomorrow morning.
These are the maps of Mount Nilus.
If you have no questions, you may begin.” The moment Makarov finished speaking, Laxus snatched the map, turned on his heel, and sprinted up the mountain path with Freed close behind.
Seeing them take off, Erza immediately grabbed Caelan’s sleeve and dragged him toward the opposite trail.
According to the map, there were two main routes up the mountain, and the two teams had naturally chosen different paths.
Once the four Mages had disappeared up the mountain, Gildarts casually stepped out from behind the carriage.
“So, Master.
Who do you think is going to win?” Makarov stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“It’s hard to say.
Ever since I kicked my foolish son out of the guild, I haven’t really kept a close eye on Laxus’s growth.
And I haven’t personally seen the full extent of Caelan’s power yet, either.
But…
if I had to choose, I’m leaning toward Caelan.” “Hahaha,” Gildarts chuckled.
“I think the new kid is gonna take it, too.” He stretched his arms.
“Alright, I’d better go keep an eye on them.
Hopefully, they don’t cause too much trouble.
Hahaha.” Once Gildarts left, Makarov immediately started fanning himself aggressively again.
“Good lord, it’s hot!
Why did I pick this awful place?
I’m way too old for this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a glowing blue lacrima crystal.
Instantly, a wave of refreshing, cool air washed over him.
“Ahhh…
much better.” Meanwhile, halfway up the mountain.
Erza was practically dragging Caelan up the steep, rocky incline.
Every time a pack of Blazing Flame Lizards ambushed them, Caelan would casually raise a finger and obliterate the entire group with a single laser beam without even breaking his stride.
After an hour of climbing, the two of them stopped in a small clearing to rest.
Erza unrolled the map, studying it intently.
“Caelan, look here.
Just past this ridge is the entrance to the eastern cavern.
I assume Laxus and Freed will be entering through the western cavern.
The problem is, the tunnel network inside the volcano is incredibly complex, and we don’t have a map for the interior.
Finding the Alpha Lizard is going to be extremely difficult.” “Relax, Erza,” Caelan said, stretching his arms.
“My sensory abilities are top-tier.
Once we get inside, just follow my lead.
I’ll find it.” Erza’s eyes lit up.
“I completely forgot about your sensory magic!
That gives us a huge advantage.
Now we just have to worry about how strong the Alpha actually is.” Just as she finished speaking, the soft, rhythmic sound of countless scaly claws scraping against the rocks echoed around them.
Erza immediately jumped to her feet, drawing her sword as hundreds of Blazing Flame Lizards emerged from the crags, completely surrounding them.
Caelan slowly stood up, dusting off his pants.
“Finally.
I was wondering when these oversized geckos were going to make their move.” Erza shot him a sharp look.
“You knew they were surrounding us?” “Obviously.
These things aren’t just mindless beasts.
They operate exactly like a disciplined army,” Caelan explained, observing the hissing lizards.
“They intentionally sent small, weak packs at us down the trail to act as bait, herding us in the direction they wanted us to go.
The second we stopped to rest, they closed the net.
You really can’t underestimate any living creature.” Erza frowned.
“If you knew they were doing this, why didn’t you warn me?!” ‘I wanted to take care of the small fry so Caelan could conserve his Magic Power for the boss,’ Erza thought, frustrated with herself.
‘But his Magic feels completely bottomless!
He casually wiped out every single lizard we met.
I’m the only one who actually needed this break because I ran out of breath.
He’s not even breaking a sweat.
His physical stamina and magical reserves are on a completely different level.
Is he even human?!’ She gritted her teeth.
‘If this keeps up, I’m just going to hold him back!’ Erza tightened her grip on her sword and stepped in front of him.
“Caelan!
Leave these to me and go on ahead!” Caelan looked at the determined expression on her face and immediately understood what she was thinking.