After being stopped by Noah, Wendy went to Erza. Yukino, who stood beside her with tears brimming in her eyes, was carefully bandaging Sorano's wounds.
"Alright, these are just surface injuries. They'll heal quickly once you drink the potion."
Sorano comforted Yukino, who looked like she might burst into tears at any moment. Seeing that her sister's wounds were indeed starting to close, with the bruises fading little by little, Yukino's expression eased.
Although Noah hadn't allowed Wendy to use healing magic, she was still able to help with bandages, so Wendy assisted Erza in tending to her cuts.
Not far away, Lisanna was bandaging Mirajane, with Elfman doing his best to help.
"I can't believe Erza took first place!" Mira said indignantly.
"Calm down, Sis. You need to take care of your body and rest. You've still got the exam this afternoon," Elfman reminded her.
"That's right, there's another round later. I'll definitely beat Erza this time!" Mira insisted, still fired up.
Lisanna could only sigh while wrapping the bandages more tightly.
Simon also received help from his younger sister Kagura, who quickly dressed his wounds.
"Don't let your test results get you down, Brother," Kagura said, looking worried. She feared that finishing last might weigh heavily on him.
But Simon shook his head and replied in a relaxed tone, "I never expected to beat them anyway. This just confirms what I already knew. All we can do is give it our best."
Hearing his easy response, Kagura finally felt relieved and stayed quietly by his side.
Meanwhile, Noah walked into the forest, surveying the destruction left along the five tracks.
In addition to the original trap marks, there were countless signs of attacks. Mirajane's track in particular was torn to pieces, with the ground completely overturned. The other tracks bore plenty of damage too. Had Noah not set protective wards beforehand, the aftermath of those attacks might have spread and destroyed the forest entirely.
Shaking his head, Noah reset the traps and shifted their positions. At the same time, he arranged a function that would automatically transfer out anyone seriously or fatally injured.
Once the repairs were complete, Noah emerged from the forest and found that everyone had already prepared lunch. Deciding it was best not to waste time, he sat down to eat.
The moment Natsu saw Noah return, he immediately wanted to dash toward the racing track, but Noah firmly stopped him. Hungry or not, lunch came first.
After everyone had eaten and rested, Noah finally asked who wanted to test the racing track.
Natsu's hand shot up right away, followed quickly by Gray.
"Two volunteers. Anyone else?" Noah asked.
Fried looked around, saw that no one else moved, then exchanged a glance with Bickslow and Evergreen. Together, they raised their hands.
"The three of us want to give it a try," Fried said.
The Thunder God Tribe had always believed that, with their abilities, at least one of them should have been able to reach the S-Class level, especially since Laxus himself was already recognized as one. But when none of them had passed the exam, frustration lingered. They wanted to test just how wide the gap really was between themselves and the chosen participants.
"Alright, that makes five. If anyone else wants a turn, wait until these five are finished," Noah instructed.
With that, he led the group of five to the starting point. The other guild members were already gathered there, eager to see how Natsu and the others would perform.
Sorano and Mirajane both smiled faintly. They had pushed themselves hard earlier, and now it was Natsu and the others' turn to suffer.
Lyon leaned forward with interest, ready to witness his junior Gray embarrass himself.
Erza and Simon also settled down, waiting to watch how this race would play out.
"Ready… go!" Noah shouted.
The five of them, each mounted on a horse, charged onto the track. Almost immediately, ice-made daggers came flying toward them.
But having just witnessed Erza and the others' earlier performance, they knew magic was prohibited here. They had come prepared and quickly dodged aside.
The first four rounds went smoothly enough, but the final stretch suddenly grew much more intense.
Gray, who had trained in the guild since childhood, and Natsu, whose body was beginning to manifest dragon-like traits, both possessed exceptional physical strength and reflexes. With just enough effort, they managed to dodge every strike.
The others weren't so fortunate. Though Fried, Bickslow, and Evergreen were strong in their own right, their physical abilities couldn't match those of Natsu and Gray. All three sustained varying degrees of injury as they pressed forward.
By the time they escaped the anti-magic zone, Natsu and Gray had already rushed ahead into the forest, leaving the Thunder God Tribe hurrying to keep up.
Relying on his sharp instincts, Natsu avoided many of the traps but he still set off quite a few and was blown sky-high several times. Yet thanks to his dragon-strengthened physique, he was able to push through despite the damage.
Gray, by contrast, kept his cool. He analyzed each step carefully, probing for danger. Thanks to the lessons he had learned from Noah, he avoided most traps altogether, and for the ones he couldn't, he simply forced his way through with sheer grit.
The Thunder God Tribe fared much worse. They lacked the physical resilience to bulldoze through traps. Among them, Fried proved the best at analysis and avoidance, while Bickslow and Evergreen struggled.
Before long, Natsu and Gray burst out of the forest nearly side by side. Their eyes met in midair, and in that instant, both understood what the other was thinking.
"Let's settle this!"
Gray struck his right fist against his left palm.
"Ice-Make: Floor!"
An ice road shot forward, and Gray conjured skates beneath his feet. He launched himself onto the frozen path, gliding at incredible speed.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Natsu thrust his flaming fists behind him, the explosive force propelling his body forward at a speed nearly identical to Gray's.
As the two raced neck and neck into the distance, Fried finally emerged from the forest, followed shortly by Bickslow and Evergreen.
They had taken far longer to clear the traps. Watching Natsu and Gray disappear ahead, the three couldn't help but sigh.
They couldn't even compare to Natsu and Gray, let alone the mages who had already participated in the S-Class Exam.
Still, they pushed onward. At the very least, they wanted to understand the gap for themselves.
At last, Natsu and Gray crossed the finish line simultaneously, colliding with one another as they did.
"I crossed first!"
"No, I was ahead!"
Neither would back down. Together they turned toward Noah and demanded in unison:
"Noah, who crossed first?"
"You both crossed at the exact same time," Noah replied evenly.
"Impossible! I must've been there first!"
"No way! It was me!"
The two broke into yet another heated argument, while Noah merely looked at them and refused to indulge their squabble.
By then, Fried, Bickslow, and Evergreen finally staggered across the finish line and walked over to join the others.
....
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