“No need, Erza,” Caelan said gently.
“I might be lazy, but I’d never put my partner in danger.
These lizards aren’t particularly strong individually, but there are way too many of them for you to fight right now.” Hearing Caelan’s words, Erza tightened her grip on her hilt.
For the first time in her life, she felt her strength was painfully inadequate—that she was actively dragging her partner down.
She had fought these creatures on the way up, and she knew she couldn’t take out this entire horde on her own.
Even at her current level, killing just one took considerable effort.
“Erza, lend me a sword,” Caelan requested.
She looked at him in confusion but handed over her blade without hesitation.
“Thanks.” “Armament.” Vmm!
In an instant, the silver blade was coated in a gleaming, pitch-black sheen.
Erza’s eyes widened in awe.
It was the first time she had ever seen him use an ability like this.
“Soru!” Fwip!
Caelan vanished from his spot, instantly reappearing right in the middle of the lizard horde.
Flashes of dark steel tore through the cavern, moving so fast they blurred into a blinding dance of blades.
‘So fast!’ Erza gasped inwardly.
‘His swordsmanship is completely beyond mine.
Dammit!
Is the gap between us really this massive?!’ It barely took thirty seconds before Caelan casually reappeared exactly where he had been standing.
The hundreds of lizards surrounding them stood completely frozen in place.
A moment later, a thin red line materialized across every single one of their scaly necks.
With sickening unison, their heads slid off their shoulders, and a geyser of blood painted the rocky crags.
‘Sigh.
If only I had Conqueror’s Haki, I wouldn’t have had to put in the physical effort,’ Caelan lamented internally.
He tossed the sword back to Erza.
“Alright, let’s keep moving.” Right at that moment, a massive pillar of lightning tore through the sky on the other side of the mountain.
KABOOM!
Caelan glanced toward the deafening sound before leading Erza toward the cavern entrance marked on their map.
Meanwhile, on the western trail, Laxus and Freed had also been ambushed by a lizard horde.
However, the monsters surrounding them had already been reduced to charred, smoking husks that smelled faintly of barbecue.
“Incredible, Laxus!” Freed praised, his eyes shining with admiration.
“You wiped them all out in an instant!” Laxus didn’t respond.
He just stared silently in Caelan’s direction.
“Let’s go,” he finally muttered.
Far away at the base of the mountain, Makarov was watching both teams through a magical viewing lacrima.
A proud smile spread across his face.
“Laxus has really grown up…
to think he’s reached this level,” Makarov murmured.
“And that brat Caelan…
since when did he possess such masterful swordsmanship?
That pitch-black coating must be what he calls Armament Haki.
What a terrifyingly versatile ability.” Back on the eastern path, Caelan and Erza quickly reached the cavern entrance.
The moment they stepped inside, a suffocating wave of heat washed over them, accompanied by a distant, echoing roar.
“Looks like the Alpha Lizard is afraid we won’t be able to find it,” Caelan smirked.
“Interesting.
Let’s go, Erza.
The boss just gave us its exact coordinates.” “Right.” The deeper they ventured, the hotter the air became.
The temperature spiked to such absurd levels that Erza was forced to coat her body in Magic Power just to keep from roasting alive.
Caelan, on the other hand, simply activated his Glint-Glint Fruit, letting the blistering heat pass harmlessly through his light-based body.
As they descended further toward the magma chambers, Erza’s magical reserves began depleting rapidly.
Caelan quickly realized her physical limit was approaching.
“Erza, you need to head back,” Caelan instructed gently.
“If you go any further, your body won’t be able to handle the heat.” Before she could even protest, Caelan shoved a vial of recovery potion into her hands.
“What is this?” she asked, blinking.
“A potion I had Porlyusica brew up.
It’ll restore your Magic Power.
We’ve already cleared out all the monsters on the path, so just drink this and wait for me outside the entrance.” “But—!” Fwip!
Caelan vanished in a flash of golden light, leaving no room for argument.
Erza stared at the empty space for a long moment before nodding solemnly.
“Understood.” Clenching the vial, she turned around and began the long trek back up.
Fortunately, they hadn’t gone too deep, and it wasn’t long before she bumped into Gildarts waiting near the tunnel exit.
“Come on, little Erza.
Let’s head down,” Gildarts smiled kindly.
He could see the bitter frustration burning in her eyes.
It was the exact same look he had just seen on Freed’s face over on the western path.
But Gildarts wasn’t exactly great at emotional comfort, so he figured he’d leave the pep talks to the Master.
Meanwhile, the deeper Caelan ventured into the magma caverns, the wider his smile grew.
The volcanic walls weren’t just made of rock—they were literally encrusted with raw rubies, emeralds, and diamonds.
“Holy crap!
I’m rich!
I’m actually rich!” Caelan practically drooled, his eyes turning into giant Jewel signs.
“Why didn’t I ever think about mining active volcanoes for gems before?!
Mine!
Mine!
It’s all mine!!” In a matter of minutes, his pants pockets, jacket, and shirt were bulging with precious stones.
He had even completely maxed out the ten inventory slots provided by his System.
“I can’t fit anymore!
Gah, I’m definitely bringing a giant sack next time,” he muttered, patting his painfully stuffed pockets.
“Thank you for your generous gifts, Mother Nature!” Completely blinded by his newfound wealth, Caelan had entirely forgotten he was in the middle of the S-Class exam.
A sudden, deafening explosion ripped through the cavern walls, shaking the entire mountain.
“Crap!
I totally forgot about the exam!” Caelan smacked his forehead.
“Laxus must’ve gotten there first!
I need to hurry!” Fwip!
Deep inside the core magma chamber stood a Blazing Flame Lizard dozens of times larger than the rest of its kind.
Standing directly in front of the massive beast was Laxus.
“Lightning Spear!” Laxus condensed volatile yellow lightning into his palm, violently hurling it forward as it shaped into a crackling lance of pure energy.
The Alpha Lizard raised a massive scaly claw and slammed it into the ground.
A geyser of molten magma instantly erupted from the floor, forming a liquid wall that perfectly intercepted the lightning spear.
Without skipping a beat, Laxus dissolved into a bolt of lightning, rematerializing right beneath the beast’s massive underbelly.
He pulled his fist back, electricity screaming around his knuckles.
“Lightning Shock Fist!” BOOM!
Zzzzt!
“ROOOOOAR!!” Roaring in pain, the Alpha Lizard viciously swiped its massive claws downward.
Laxus leaped back to dodge, but the beast immediately spun, whipping its heavy, armored tail right at him.
Reacting entirely on instinct, Laxus crossed his arms, taking the brutal impact head-on.
The sheer force sent him rocketing backward like a cannonball, slamming violently into the cavern wall.
CRASH!
As Laxus peeled himself out of the crater, the Alpha Lizard opened its jaws.
A colossal, crimson Magic Circle flared to life in its mouth, unleashing a devastating torrent of concentrated fire directly at him.
Laxus’s eyes widened.
‘Not good!’ Right before the flames engulfed him, a blinding flash of golden light pierced the darkness.
A searing laser beam completely shredded through the pillar of fire and exploded violently against the Alpha Lizard’s snout.
KABOOM!
“RROOOOOOAR!!!” The massive beast was knocked off its feet, crashing heavily onto the cavern floor.
Laxus immediately knew who had intervened.
He dropped down from the wall and landed steadily on his feet.
“You’re late,” Laxus grunted.
“Hahaha!
Sorry, sorry!
I got held up by some very pressing matters on the way down.” Laxus turned around, only to be met with the sight of Caelan’s ridiculously bulging clothes.
He squinted, his eye twitching violently as he realized the younger Mage’s pockets were quite literally overflowing with precious gems.
“So this is what you call ‘pressing matters’?” Laxus deadpanned, pointing at a large ruby that had just slipped out of Caelan’s pocket and clattered onto the floor.
Caelan quickly snatched it up, frantically stuffing it back in.
“Hey, you know me.
I view wealth like it’s mere dirt!” “Then why,” Laxus asked slowly, “are you stuffing dirt into your pockets?” “It’s my first S-Class exam!” Caelan defended smoothly.
“I just wanted to take a few souvenirs back to commemorate the occasion!”