Her body was riddled with wounds. The forest had been packed with traps, and it was impossible to avoid them all.
When Erza finally stepped out of the trees and caught sight of the road ahead the final stretch leading to the finish line she exhaled in relief.
The forest had been treacherous; a single misstep could have meant serious injury.
Several of her armors had been badly damaged because of her carelessness and would no longer be usable in the next rounds. But there was no time to mourn them. Drawing in a steadying breath, Erza reminded herself that the exam wasn't over yet. One last road lay before her.
She scrutinized the path carefully. No traps were visible.
At first, she doubted her own eyes the forest had made her wary of everything. There were no signs or markers to indicate what lay ahead. The only way to know for certain was to step onto the road itself.
After another close inspection revealed nothing, Erza trusted her instincts.
This was a speed test, after all. Hesitation meant losing.
"Requip! Flight Armor!"
Her Flying Armor had been spared earlier, since she had removed it before entering the trap-filled forest. Now she donned it again, intending to charge for the finish line in one decisive sprint.
With a powerful kick, she launched forward.
At that moment, Sorano and Mirajane burst out of the forest almost side by side.
Both were battered and bruised, but Sorano had fared better. Her Angel magic allowed her to adapt flexibly, enabling her to dodge and neutralize many traps. She still bore injuries, but fewer than Mirajane.
Mirajane's condition was much worse. Her Take Over magic gave her tremendous power, but her lack of versatility made the forest far more punishing.
She had tried to brute-force her way through at first, but Noah had accounted for that possibility when designing the traps. Each had countermeasures against sheer strength.
After two or three failed attempts, Mirajane was forced to slow down, dodging and enduring instead. When she stumbled into an unavoidable trap, she could only grit her teeth, accelerate, and smash through.
By the time she emerged from the forest, her body was covered with fresh wounds, and her stamina and magic reserves were severely depleted.
Looking up, she saw Erza already flying halfway toward the finish line. Panic tightened her chest. If she hesitated now, Erza would seize victory.
But memories of the forest's horrors kept her cautious. She scanned the road carefully… only to find no traps.
Glancing again at Erza's rapidly advancing figure, Mirajane hardened her resolve. She spread her wings and shot forward. Even if there are traps, it's only a short distance. I'll break through them if I have to.
Sorano had been equally wary. She tested the road ahead by summoning a few small angels. When they triggered nothing, she released her Flying Angels and soared toward the finish line at full speed.
Lyon emerged from the forest shortly after Sorano. His Ice-Make magic wasn't as versatile as Erza's or Sorano's, but its adaptability had carried him through at a respectable pace. He, too, was bloodied and exhausted.
Spotting the three women ahead, Lyon didn't recklessly give chase. Instead, he observed them carefully first, waiting to confirm the road was truly safe. Only then did he accelerate to catch up.
Simon was the last to emerge. His abilities were less versatile than Mirajane's, and his speed fell short of Lyon's. He had made it through only by methodically dodging traps or confronting them head-on when escape was impossible.
Now, though, the gap was too wide. There was no way to catch up with the frontrunners.
After confirming that the road ahead was safe, Simon set off at a steady pace toward the finish line. At this point, it was better to conserve strength than burn out in vain.
Up ahead, Erza still led, with Mirajane chasing from far behind.
Mirajane pushed herself as hard as she could, wings beating furiously, and began to close the gap between herself and Erza. But the distance was simply too great.
Erza crossed the finish line first.
"No. 1, Erza Scarlet!" Noah announced loudly.
The guild members, who had been stunned into silence by the contestants' brutal struggle through the forest, finally snapped out of it and erupted into applause.
Mirajane crossed the line next, followed closely by Sorano.
"No. 2, Mirajane Strauss! No. 3, Sorano!"
Lyon glided in on his ice path soon after. A little later, Simon staggered across as well.
"No. 4, Lyon Vastia! No. 5, Simon! The first round of the exam is over!"
Noah declared the conclusion of the stage, then turned to the five exhausted participants.
"Rest for now. The second round will begin this afternoon."
All five exhaled in relief. Their clothes clung to their sweat-soaked bodies. In the heat of competition, they hadn't noticed their exhaustion, but now that the pressure was lifted, the fatigue and pain settled in all at once.
Each was covered in wounds. Without hesitation, they pulled out the recovery potions Noah had prepared and drank them.
A cool sensation spread from their stomachs through their entire bodies. Their fatigue faded, their breathing steadied, and their injuries began to mend.
Wendy had taken a step forward, ready to heal them with her magic, but Noah gently stopped her.
"Your magic isn't enough to fully heal all five of them. Besides, they've taken my potion and are already recovering. By this afternoon, they'll be almost fully restored. This too is part of the exam outside these walls, there won't always be a healer at their side."
Wendy bit her lip, eyes glistening with tears, but she said no more. She could only watch the five with worry in her heart.
Natsu, however, was brimming with excitement. He bounded up to the examinees.
"You guys fought so well just now! I wanna join too!"
Then he spun toward Noah.
"Noah, let me try it too!"
Gray, Freed, and several others perked up immediately. Their eyes lit with the same desire they too wanted to test themselves against the course, to measure the gap between their own strength and that of the S-Class candidates.
Noah thought it over. The course was temporary and would be dismantled soon anyway. Letting them try it out wouldn't be a problem.
"Alright. But I need to repair the track first. In the meantime, go prepare lunch."
The moment Natsu heard permission, he bolted for the campfire with childlike enthusiasm, eager to help with cooking.
Gray, on the other hand, first checked on his senior Lyon. After quickly dressing his brother's wounds and confirming they were already healing, he too headed off to lend a hand with the meal.
....
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