**Chapter 19: Sudden S-Class Exam**
"Gildarts," Guild Master Makarov called out.
"Ohhh! Guild Master! Long time no see!"
"How did the mission go?"
The smile on Gildarts' face vanished, and the entire guild fell silent. Then Gildarts flashed a victory sign and grinned. "Of course, I completed it perfectly!"
"Ohhhhhh!!"
"He did it! Amazing!"
"As expected of Gildarts! He finished a mission that no one has been able to complete in ten years!"
...
The guild instantly erupted with excitement. S-Class missions were only available to S-Class Mages, and above them were SS-Class missions, followed by the Ten-Year Missions.
For every mage, challenging higher-difficulty missions was like climbing ranks in a game. S-Class Mage was like reaching the strongest king tier, and going further meant earning stars—one star at a time, each one a new adventure and challenge.
Fairy Tail currently had only one S-Class Mage: Gildarts. S-Class missions were even rarer. To the regular members, Gildarts felt like a legendary player in the highest rank.
Having one of their own guild mages complete a Ten-Year Mission made the regular members feel incredibly proud when they went out.
Makarov breathed a sigh of relief, but still gave Gildarts an annoyed glance. This guy was another problem child.
Gildarts noticed Kaito standing beside the Guild Master and greeted him with a smile. "A new face? Nice to meet you, I'm Gildarts."
"My name is Kaito. I've been in Fairy Tail for almost a year now, so I'm not exactly new." As he spoke, Kaito carefully looked Gildarts up and down. Hmm… nothing on him worth taking.
Gildarts felt a strange chill under Kaito's gaze, as if he was about to lose something, though he didn't understand why.
He soon went to report the details of his mission to Makarov. Dangerous missions above S-Class were almost always reported in full.
Kaito had no interest in listening to the details. After staying in the guild for a while, he left, returned to his dorm, took a bath, and went to sleep.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. During these days, Kaito ate, drank, and relaxed casually. He noticed more and more people returning to the guild.
Normally, some members rested in the guild while others went out on jobs, keeping the numbers relatively stable. But in the past few days, everyone who returned stayed, making the small guild feel a little crowded.
On the morning of the third day, when Kaito arrived at the guild, he found almost everyone present. The atmosphere was unusually serious. Even the usual troublemakers like Natsu and Gray were quiet.
Many people seemed to be praying, their faces tense and nervous. Kaito didn't understand what kind of event required this kind of mood. As always, when he didn't understand something, he didn't bother thinking about it. He ordered a huge pile of food as usual, sat down, and started eating alone.
With so many people present and the tense silence, the sound of Kaito chewing loudly stood out dramatically.
Suddenly, the door on the second floor creaked open. Guild Master Makarov appeared, instantly drawing everyone's attention. Standing behind him was Fairy Tail's only S-Class Mage, Gildarts.
"It's time!"
"I've been waiting so long!"
"Finally!"
"Guild Master, announce it already!"
"Who will it be this year?"
"Me! It has to be me!" Macao clenched his fists in front of his chest and prayed. Macao was one of the outstanding mages in Fairy Tail. He had participated in last year's exam with his partner Wakaba, but the test was too difficult and they failed at the first stage.
Not only Macao—many others were also praying silently. Although they felt it was unlikely, what if the Guild Master suddenly had a brain fart due to old age and picked their name?
"Ahem!" Makarov cleared his throat.
"Following Fairy Tail tradition, I will now officially announce the list of participants for the S-Class Mage Promotion Exam!"
"Ohhhhh! It's finally happening!"
"Great!"...
Makarov raised his hand to quiet them. "Because S-Class missions are extremely dangerous, the exam's difficulty will not be lowered no matter how many times someone has failed in the past."
"In fact, the difficulty has been increased this year. Over the past year, I have carefully observed everyone's strength, heart, and soul. Regrettably, only one person has fully met my standards for an S-Class Mage."
Everyone was shocked by Makarov's words, and their hearts sank. There was only one spot. The competition was too fierce. Whispers broke out immediately.
"Only one?! Only one S-Class candidate this year!"
"Previous years had three or four!"
"But none of those three or four passed the exam either!"
"Looks like the Guild Master really wants to add another S-Class Mage to the guild."
"But who could it be?"
"Me! Me! Me!" Many people looked up at Makarov, praying desperately.
Makarov didn't drag it out any longer and loudly announced, "The only person qualified to participate in the S-Class Mage Exam is——Kaito!!!"
"...?!"
The entire guild fell deathly silent. In an instant, every single person turned their gaze toward Kaito, who was still eating noisily.