As the four waited, Master Makarov's wrinkled face broke into a massive grin as he swagger to the gild hall.
He hopped onto the bar counter with surprising agility.
"Everyone, shut your traps! I have an announcement!"
Standing on the counter, Makarov looked tiny, but his voice boomed like a temple bell.
The rowdy guild hall fell silent instantly, every pair of eyes turning to the little old man.
His face flushed with excitement.
He didn't look like an old man at all as he shouted.
"As the third Master of Fairy Tail, I've held this position for over forty years. In all that time, I have only selected one S-Class Mage!"
He paused for effect, looking over the crowd.
"But in recent years, our guild has seen an explosion of talent! Therefore, I have decided to restart the S-Class Promotion Exam starting this year! We will be selecting a new S-Class Mage!"
For a split second, the guild fell into a dead silence.
You could hear a pin drop.
Then, the room exploded.
A wave of cheers erupted that nearly blew the roof off.
Everyone roared and fist-pumped, their faces red with excitement—an outsider might have thought everyone had just been promoted.
Amidst the tsunami of noise, Mirajane led Lisanna and Elfman through the crowd to Ankh's side.
"Ankh," she asked, confused. "What's the difference between an S-Class Mage and a regular one? Why is everyone losing their minds?"
Infected by the hype, Ankh's expression softened. "There are certain missions—the 'SS' and 'S' rank quests I mentioned before—that are extremely dangerous. Only S-Class Mages recognized by the Master are allowed to even look at them."
"It's more than just missions," Erza added, smiling as she stood beside Ankh. "The title represents the Guild's acknowledgment that you are one of its strongest pillars. It is the first step to true recognition in the magic world."
Lisanna poked her head out from behind her siblings while looking up to them.
"But our guild is the strongest in Fiore, right? Why do we only have one S-Class Mage? I heard other guilds have tons of them!"
Laxus, sitting nearby, snorted with disdain.
"Those trash guilds?" he scoffed, his voice fierce. "The garbage they select wouldn't last five seconds in a real fight. And they still dare to call themselves S-Class?"
Lisanna shrank back, startled by Laxus's intensity.
Ankh patted Lisanna's white hair to comfort her. "Laxus is blunt, but he's not wrong. Every guild has different standards. Fairy Tail's standards are just... higher."
'Much higher actually,' Ankh thought. 'No matter how many 'S-Class' mages other guilds produce, none of them could survive a casual slap from Gildarts.'
Makarov let the cheers die down before dropping the next bomb.
"Based on my observations over the past year, I have selected four candidates for this year's exam!"
The tension in the room skyrocketed. Everyone wanted to know who qualified.
Natsu and Gray were already shoving each other, elbows flying.
"I'm definitely getting picked, Ice Princess!"
"In your dreams, Ash Brain. You think you deserve it?"
Makarov deliberately dragged out the silence, building the suspense, before shouting the names in one breath:
"Ankh Seram!"
"Laxus Dreyar!"
"Erza Scarlet!"
"Cana Alberona!"
"Congratulations! You four will proceed as the S-Class Mage Exam participant!"
The guild erupted again.
Macao, a veteran member of the guild, crossed his arms and sighed emotionally.
"Times have changed... This era belongs to the young ones now."
His best friend Wakaba shot him a look.
"What do you mean 'times have changed'? It's just that us old folks are washed up. Why do you have to be so depressing?"
"Damn it, Wakaba! Did you have to say it out loud?!"
Naturally, those who weren't chosen were crushed.
Natsu and Gray slumped against each other, trudging out of the guild with imaginary sad violin music playing in the background.
Ankh watched them go while shaking his head.
'Is the drama really necessary? Even if you participated, neither of you could beat Laxus or Erza yet.'
"Why wasn't I chosen?" Mirajane sighed, looking dejected. "I've been working hard too..."
Ankh gave her a mocking look. "You haven't even been in the guild for a month. What kind of skills have you shown the Master? You're dreaming."
Mirajane glared at him, ready to argue.
Elfman poked Ankh's shoulder timidly. "Ankh-san... why was Cana selected?"
Elfman liked Cana; she was the "senior" who took care of the new members.
But compared to monsters like Laxus and Erza, she seemed out of place.
Ankh stroked his chin. "Cana is young, but she was the first of our generation to join. Her raw power might not be the highest, but her accumulated contributions and experience are massive. She's earned her shot."
'Plus,' Ankh thought, 'she has a heavy burden driving her forward.'
While they were discussing, Makarov suddenly hopped over to their table.
His expression turned serious.
"Listen up, you four. For this S-Class exam, I plan to divide you into two groups for a match."
"First, choose the partner you want to cooperate with. I'll explain the full rules at the location in three days."
With that, the Master cackled like an old rascal and sprinted away before anyone could ask questions.
"Choose a partner?" Erza frowned. "What does that mean? Shouldn't the Master assign them?"
Laxus sat on the table, looking calm.
He turned his sharp gaze to Ankh. "What do you think, genius?"
Ankh hesitated, analyzing the situation.
"Knowing the Master... a 2-on-2 match is likely a test of cooperation first. The winning team will probably advance to the next round."
Erza nodded slowly. "That sounds like him. He values teamwork above all else."
"But it won't end there," Ankh continued. "After testing our teamwork, he'll test our individual strength. My guess? The winning team will have to fight each other in the finals."
For the first exam of the "Golden Generation," Ankh doubted the Master would make it impossibly hard like the Tenrou Island trials in the future.
It would be straightforward, but brutal.
Now, the only question remained: Who teams up with whom?
----------
Cana fails the S class exam 4 times before the canon S class exam in X784, but she qualified each year for the exam prove that she was no pushover i guess ? cant really remember her power since she only show up to get drunk and show her boobs.