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While Akira was having a magic class with Mavis, the other S-class candidates also arrived at Tenrou Island. The first to arrive was Laxus. With his lightning magic and thunder dragon slayer magic, his speed was the strongest amongst the guild.
Arriving at Tenrou Island, Laxus then released his magic power and covered the entire island. Then, using a trick he learned from Akira, he began to sense the monsters on this island. In no time Laxus sensed 10 monsters who were the strongest on this island.
Picking the nearest one, Laxus ran forward with his top speed. In less than 2 minutes Laxus found his first prey.
It was a monster who looked like a boar. Expect this boar was like 10 meters large and looked like a small mountain.
The boar didn't even have time to squeal. As Laxus skidded to a halt, his body flickered with gold sparks. He didn't bother with a complex move; he simply raised his hand toward the 10-meter beast.
"Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!"
A massive spear of lightning fell from the sky, piercing the boar and vaporizing it instantly. Nothing was left but a scorched crater and the smell of smoke. Laxus walked to the center of the burn mark and saw a small bronze coin with a weird symbol on it.
"A clue? That was way too easy," Laxus muttered, his eyes glowing.
But as he moved toward the next signal, he realized his magic power was dropping fast. Using Akira's trick to sense the island took a lot of focus, and his mana wasn't infinite. The next monsters were much stronger; these were S-rank threats that could destroy a whole town.
The ground shook as a massive serpent made of volcanic rock burst from the cliffs. It had five heads, and each one was as large as a house. This was a Stone Hydra, an S-rank monster with a defense like a fortress. Laxus leaped into the air, his fist covered in lightning.
"Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"
He slammed his fist into the middle head, but the rock was too hard. It didn't even crack. The Hydra swiped its tail, and the force was so strong it shattered the trees nearby. Laxus had to use his lightning flicker to move at top speed just to stay alive, but his magic power supply was dropping fast. He was starting to pant, his chest feeling tight.
Laxus narrowed his eyes and put all his power into one point. He charged forward like a golden bolt, slicing through all five necks at once. The rock beast fell apart into a pile of stones. Laxus landed on one knee, gasping for air. He searched the rubble everywhere, but there was no treasure or lacrima.
"Nothing? Damn it," he grumbled.
Before he could rest, a shadow covered the sun. An Elder Griffin with black feathers and claws like steel dived from the sky. This was another S-rank predator known for its insane speed. It moved so fast that Laxus could barely see it. The beast slashed his shoulder, sending him flying into a rock wall.
"You're fast," Laxus growled, wiping blood from his mouth. "But I'm faster."
He tried to stand, but his legs felt heavy. His magic power was almost at zero. The Griffin roared and charged one last time, aiming its sharp beak at his heart. Laxus waited until it was inches away and forced the very last of his mana into his lungs.
"Roar of the Lightning Dragon!"
A huge blast of lightning hit the Griffin point-blank. The explosion was so loud it shook the whole forest. When the dust cleared, the monster was gone. Laxus dragged himself over to the scorched feathers and searched the ground. He found another bronze coin, but when he looked closely, it was exactly the same as the first one.
"It's the same clue," Laxus spat, leaning against a tree. He was shaking, and his vision was blurry. He checked his radar and saw seven more dots. If every monster had the same clue or nothing at all, he was wasting his energy.
" Damn it, I need to find another way " Laxus muttered as he sat down under a tree. Although he could fight all these monsters, it wouldn't be cost-effective. Not to mention whether he would be ganged up on by other monsters, he also has to be wary of other guys in the guild. And what's more, he also has to fight that uncle.
…..
After Laxus, the next person to arrive at Tenrou Island was Ur. Right behind her were Wakaba and Macao. Just like Laxus, these three didn't waste any time and went their own ways to hunt monsters and collect clues for the trial.
It didn't take long for the monsters of Tenrou Island to realize they were in trouble. One by one, the strongest beasts on the island were beaten down by these crazy guild members. Every now and then, the entire island would tremble as huge amounts of magic power were released into the air.
Ur was especially scary to watch. She moved through the forest like a blizzard, and every place she fought was turned into a complete iceland. Massive monsters that had lived for decades were frozen solid before they could even scream. Meanwhile, smoke and the smell of burning wood filled the sky whenever Macao and Wakaba found their targets.
In less than 2 hours all 10 monsters were defeated. And somehow everyone was just like Laxus, holding one type of clue or duplicates. This led to everyone reaching the same conclusion.
They will just go after each other and steal the other's clues.
And so they began to search the other contestants. And unexpectedly, the first to find each other was none other than Macao and Wakaba. The two rivals, who knew each other inside out, didn't need any signals or trash talk. As soon as they saw each other, both of them began to fight each other like two stray cats.
"Purple Net!" Macao shouted, throwing his hands forward to trap his old friend in sticky, violet flames.
Wakaba didn't even flinch. He took a deep breath and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. "Smoke Wall!" The purple fire hit the smoke and hissed, creating a messy explosion between them.
Both of them were already panting. Hunting those S-rank monsters earlier had drained a huge chunk of their magic power. Macao's shirt was torn from a previous fight, and Wakaba's pipe was shaking in his hand because his fingers were so tired.
"Give it up, Wakaba!" Macao yelled, throwing a barrage of fireballs. "Purple Rain!"
"In your dreams!" Wakaba replied. He manipulated the smoke to form giant fists, punching the fireballs out of the air. "Smoke Fist!"
They went back and forth for twenty minutes, fire clashing against smoke. Each hit was getting slower and weaker. Macao tried to dash forward for a physical strike, but his legs gave out halfway. At the same time, Wakaba tried to summon a smoke clone, but it just poofed into a tiny cloud and disappeared because he was out of mana.
Eventually, both of them collapsed onto the grass, just a few feet apart. They were covered in soot and bruises, breathing heavily. Both of us looked at the sky while panting.
"Hey Wakaba, we are getting old," Macao suddenly said as he looked over at his friend.
"Huh, what the hell are you talking about Macao? I'm telling you I'm still a youth who hasn't gotten married yet!" Wakaba shouted, his face turning dark.
"You idiot, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about how we are the oldest in the guild, but we are still worse than the kids who are half our age," Macao spoke with a tired sigh at the end.
Hearing this, Wakaba also fell silent. In fact, he had realized this point way sooner than Macao. After all, he had gone on a few missions with Akira and saw how high the ceiling really was. They had barely finished their monsters and were now completely out of breath, while the younger ones were probably still looking for more things to break.
They both lay there in the dirt, looking at the sky and feeling tired in their bones. The silence lasted for a while until the air suddenly turned very cold. The grass around them started to freeze, and they heard the sound of someone walking toward them.
A shadow fell over them. Ur stood there, looking down at their beaten-up faces with a small smile.
"Huh, did you guys fight each other to a draw?" Ur asked, crossing her arms as she looked at the two exhausted mages.
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