"If it's about luck, we might have a chance!"
While everyone else fell into confusion and anxiety, Lucy suddenly became energized, cheering on Cana beside her.
No one knew where Lucy's confidence came from.
Although her name had some connection to luck, her actual experiences weren't particularly convincing.
Taking the longest detours, receiving the hardest beatings—that was the standard Lucy effect...
Cana sighed and said, "A one-eighth probability is the best scenario. A one-fourth probability might be passable, but the others..."
Gray frowned, carefully considering the worst-case scenarios:
"Among the other five routes, the priority would definitely be Ankh and Mirajane. They're relatively gentle... At least compared to the others, they probably won't fight seriously against us."
"Next would be Gildarts. Although the old man is incredibly strong, he probably won't go all out against us. Not that it makes much difference whether an S-Class Mage goes all out or not when facing us..."
"And the most disastrous routes..."
Gray fell silent, and everyone else tacitly quieted down too.
They all thought of the opponents on those final two routes.
Erza and Laxus.
One was the responsibility-obsessed Queen who would take even acting seriously, and the other was a short-tempered brother who spoke little but trained you with his fists...
After an eerie silence, Evergreen was the first to break it.
"So, although it might be unrealistic, theoretically there should be as many as seven teams that could pass the first exam."
Although... only theoretically.
Elfman said dejectedly, "Impossible! How could we possibly break through the defenses of Ankh and my sister?!"
Levy said with a bitter smile, "In the worst case, only two out of eight teams would pass, going straight to the finals..."
Gajeel, feeling dizzy from the motion sickness, leaned his arm heavily on Levy's head and said firmly, "Don't say such discouraging things! We'll win no matter who our opponent is!"
Levy actually seemed to enjoy this somewhat intimate position, helplessly complaining, "You didn't listen to anything we said, did you?"
Natsu similarly waved his fist enthusiastically. "That's right... ugh... even if the opponent is Gildarts, I'll take him down!"
Makarov nodded with satisfaction, then waved his hand grandly again, shouting loudly.
"Alright, get ready! The S-Class Mage Promotion Trial begins now!"
"Huh?"
The people on the boat froze in place.
Gray looked confusedly at the distant Tenrou Island and said, "But Master, we're still at sea?"
"Hehe~" Makarov chuckled mischievously without saying anything.
"Then let's go, Happy!" Natsu quickly reacted, shouldering his pack and calling out energetically to Happy.
Happy immediately responded excitedly, grabbing Natsu and flying toward the distant Tenrou Island.
"We're heading out first to choose our route!"
"Wait, that's too sneaky!"
"Natsu, you brat!"
Just as Natsu was feeling proud of his quick reaction, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his face, as if he had crashed headfirst into an invisible wall.
The duo of one person and one cat fell back onto the ship's deck.
Cana's eyes flickered, and she immediately exclaimed, "Is this a Magic Rune?!"
Everyone instantly caught on, scanning the ship's hull to find barriers of purple-text Magic Runes rising around them.
In the distance beyond the ship, Freed spread his wings while Bickslow stepped on his floating dolls, swiftly flying toward Tenrou Island.
Freed smiled and shouted back at the people on the ship, "I set the Magic Rune to automatically dissolve in five minutes. You all just stay put for now."
"Why not just lock them up until the exam ends?"
"That wouldn't count as an exam then!"
Everyone pounded on the Magic Rune barrier, glaring at the two flying away figures and yelling:
"You jerk, Freed!"
"Let us out!"
Loke couldn't help but ask Makarov, who seemed unconcerned, "Hey Master!, is this really allowed?"
Makarov chuckled and replied, "Of course it is. It's not a speed race, after all~"
"But if that guy gets to the island first, there might be Magic Runes everywhere!"
Natsu pounded the barrier in frustration when Happy suddenly remembered, "That's right! Doesn't Levy know how to modify Magic Runes?"
On the other side of the deck, Levy had already put away her magic pen for altering formulas and said cheerfully.
"That's right, I can modify the Magic Runes."
"However... only Gajeel and I can pass through!"
After Levy altered the formula, she created a small opening.
Gajeel grabbed her and leaped right into the sea.
"What?!"
Betrayed once again, the others stared in disbelief from behind the barrier.
Lucy clung pitifully to the barrier and cried out sadly, "Levy-chan?!"
Levy blinked cutely at her and said, "Sorry, Lucy-chan!"
Meanwhile, Evergreen had also secretly rewritten the Magic Rune and smugly said. "Freed and I are teammates in the Thunder God Tribe. I can undo a Magic Rune of this level too."
Elfman immediately cheered excitedly about being manly, while Evergreen shot him an exasperated look.
The two slipped through the barrier and jumped into the sea.
"No way!"
Watching yet another pair speed away, the remaining members were left bewildered.
Even Doranbolt and Wendy's team had slipped away unnoticed at some point.
The disheartened few obediently stayed on the ship, waiting for Freed's Magic Rune to dissolve on its own.
...
Five minutes later, the Magic Rune vanished.
Natsu rallied his spirits again, called out to Happy, and sped off toward the shore of Tenrou Island.
Juvia transformed into water, carrying Lisanna—who had turned into a fish via Animal Soul—and swam toward the shore just as swiftly.
Gray conjured an ice slide and, together with Loke, elegantly glided toward their destination.
The remaining members each used their unique skills, and none were particularly slow, except for...
Cana, who relied on technical magic cards and was a longtime heavy drinker, and Lucy, a Holder-Type Mage whose physical fitness was among the worst in the guild—aside from being tough—and who carried a heavier physical burden than most female Mages.
The two floundered in the water, struggling indignantly as they swam manually toward the shore.
With their hopeless, short-legged paddling, they finally made it ashore and reached their destination.
As expected, barriers had already been raised, blocking seven of the eight routes, leaving only one path available for them.
Cana sighed and said, "As expected, we're last."
"Don't worry, I've always been lucky!" Lucy clenched her fist encouragingly.
Cana immediately broke into a smile, and after regaining her composure, the two of them stepped into the final path.
"It's not as dark as I imagined," Lucy remarked thoughtfully, gazing at the brightly lit mountain tunnel.
"Probably because of these firefly-like insects. They're called Spirit Light Bugs, and their glow is just right—not too harsh."
As they chatted and walked deeper into the passage, a faint sound suddenly reached their ears.
"Someone's here."
Cana nervously swallowed, took a few steps forward, then abruptly halted.
With a complicated expression, she turned back to Lucy and said.
"I'm not sure if this counts as luck or misfortune for you."
Lucy hurried forward, and upon seeing the person inside the cave, she gasped sharply.
The person ahead was none other than the squad leader Lucy often saw—
Ankh.