Erza widened her eyes as she crouched beside Marco, showing no urgency at all. This forced Marco to explain the situation to her. "I'm responsible for determining who the top nine participants are," Marco said, causing Erza to suddenly understand it. She had thought Marco was simply waiting here for the others to set off together. "Master has a lot of confidence in you." There was a hint of admiration in Erza's voice. The fact that Marco was entrusted with this task spoke volumes—it was practically like taking on some of the examiner's duties already. "Don't you have confidence in me?" Marco stopped fiddling with the crab and turned to look at Erza, smiling as he asked. Erza was clad in black armor adorned with white cross patterns, bat-like wings spread behind her, a one-handed sword in her grip, and her crimson hair tied into a ponytail. Her "Requip Magic" was the real deal—a literal "one-click outfit change," complete with hairstyle alterations, just like a magical girl transformation. "Of course I have confidence in you." Faced with Marco's question, Erza answered without hesitation. She, too, believed Marco would undoubtedly pass the S-Class exam. "Too bad I don't have much confidence in you." Marco smirked mischievously, and the words instantly wiped the smile off Erza's face, leaving her visibly annoyed. "Do you really think I don't even have the strength to earn Laxus's approval?" Hands on her hips, Erza retorted indignantly. She wouldn't claim she could defeat Laxus, but earning his recognition? She was sure she could manage that much. "If it were next year, you'd definitely get his approval. But this year? It's his first time as an examiner, and he'll set the bar especially high—maybe even higher than Gildarts. Failing wouldn't be your fault; it'd be Laxus's." Marco shook his head. If Gildarts were still the examiner this year, Erza's chances of earning approval would've been better. But with Laxus as a first-time examiner? Unless Erza could outright defeat him in a direct fight, there was no way she'd get his recognition. Those guildmates who thought Laxus would set a lower standard than Gildarts were sorely mistaken. Laxus had always wanted the guild to be filled with strong fighters, and the title of "S-Class Mage"—reserved only for the strongest of the strong—was something he'd never lower his standards for. He'd likely hold others to the same criteria Gildarts had set for him, if not raise them even higher. Erza froze at Marco's words. She hadn't considered any of this. So… would Laxus deliberately make things difficult for them? Just to deny them passage? "How is that making things difficult? It's the rules. If the S-Class Mage examiner deems you unworthy of becoming an S-Class Mage, you either defeat him outright or accept it. Simple as that." Marco shook his head again. This wasn't about being unfair—Laxus was operating within the rules. Recognition was always subjective. Why are there so few S-Class Mages in the guild? It's all because Gildarts sets the bar too high, and Makarov tacitly allows it. The old man is very strict about S-Class missions. If you're not S-Class, you're not even allowed on the second floor, just to prevent lower-ranked mages from secretly taking on such tasks. Failing and tarnishing the guild's reputation is one thing, but the real issue is that S-Class missions are excessively dangerous. Losing guildmates to such missions is far more unacceptable—especially since it could have been avoided. Gildarts is always away, constantly taking on S-Class missions, but he doesn't mind at all. He doesn't feel exploited; he loves traveling, and doing S-Class missions is just another way for him to see the world. With such a reliable workhorse like Gildarts around, having fewer S-Class mages in the guild isn't really a problem. The only downside is how it demoralizes those who've repeatedly failed the promotion trials. And then there's Laxus—after becoming S-Class, he's also been frequently taking on missions, proving himself just as much of a workhorse. It's safe to say these two have earned the right to set such high standards, since they never slack off. "I'll do my best! And I've prepared special armor to counter Laxus!" Hearing Marco's words, Erza refused to back down. Knowing her opponent was Laxus, she had prepared accordingly—specifically, the "Thunder Empress Armor," designed to counter lightning-based mages. "Go for it! Show Laxus what you've got!" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novęlfire.net Seeing Erza's stubborn determination, Marco naturally didn't say anything to discourage her. Instead, he offered encouragement. Of course, deep down, Marco still didn't believe Erza could defeat Laxus. Erza still needed time to grow. The four-year age gap between them meant she had a lot of catching up to do. Laxus was already entering his rapid growth phase, while Erza was just beginning to bloom. The gap between them would persist for a long time. "What are you two talking about?" While Marco and Erza were conversing, Mirajane also reached the finish line. She landed beside them, eyeing them suspiciously. "About Laxus," Marco replied, glancing at Mirajane. The girl was currently in her demon form, which looked impressively fierce. However, Mirajane clearly hadn't fully mastered this power yet. She needed even more time to grow than Erza, since she'd started learning magic later. Even the greatest talent needs time to develop. "Hmph! Don't underestimate me! I'll go defeat Laxus right now to prove it!" Upon realizing Marco had no faith in either of them, Mirajane reacted more strongly. She immediately spread her wings and flew toward the dense forest of Tenrou Island, where Laxus was waiting beneath the towering ancient trees. Seeing Mirajane rush ahead, Erza snapped into action. After a quick farewell to Marco, she chased after her rival. She could tolerate Marco being ahead, but never Mirajane. No doubt Mirajane's "head start" was motivated by the same thought—whether she could defeat Laxus or not, as long as she found him before Erza, she'd still win! Marco had said that both she and Erza would have a hard time gaining Laxus's approval, so winning in this aspect would still count as a victory! Whenever Mira and Erza ran into each other, Mira's competitive spirit would flare up intensely. Even stealing a bite of Erza's privately saved cake could be considered a win, let alone outperforming her in the exam—that could easily count as two victories! Watching the two girls racing off into the distance, Marco could only smile helplessly. These two were even more exaggerated than Natsu and Gray. Speaking of Natsu and Gray, a while after Erza and Mira had left, Gray finally arrived, sliding all the way on ice. He had a bit of a home-field advantage, making him the fourth to reach the finish line. ----------------------------- Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on . (.)com/Newbietranslator