"Why?! You did this on purpose, didn't you?!" On the shore, Gajeel grabbed Natsu and shouted angrily. Natsu looked utterly devastated, not even bothering to fight back. "Congratulations on passing," Marco said with a smile to the duo who secured ninth place. "We should really thank Natsu for this!" The two laughed cheerfully. Thanks to Natsu, they managed to avoid ranking behind Gajeel. Ninth place plus eleventh place averaged out to tenth place, but since one of them was ninth, their priority for advancement was higher than Gajeel's tenth place. This was the importance of securing a better ranking. However, if Natsu had been eleventh and the other twelfth, they would have had to concede the advancement spot to Gajeel. After receiving Gajeel's "encouragement," Natsu felt something was off. He counted the people on the shore—only five. Even if he fell one spot behind, it wouldn't matter much, so he didn't push himself to fight for the position. Of course, he also wanted to prevent Happy from being flung off again. With advancement already secured and having lost to Gajeel, Natsu chose to take care of Happy. At least he had beaten Gray. But when he reached the shore, he realized he was twelfth and was completely dumbfounded. This wasn't how it was supposed to go! What made it worse was that Gray had advanced early, right after Marco, Erza, and Mirajane! Gajeel, who had missed advancement because of this, was furious. He grabbed the petrified, ashen-faced Natsu and began scolding him. "It's all my fault..." Happy was filled with guilt, believing he had held Natsu back. Otherwise, Natsu wouldn't have failed to clear even the first round. Snapping out of it, Natsu pushed Gajeel away and comforted Happy. He didn't blame Happy at all—the decisions had been his own from start to finish. How could he blame his partner? Seeing this, Marco smiled. This was Natsu—he never shirked responsibility or blamed his comrades. The boy who was always searching for his "dragon father" had grown, though he was still unreliable most of the time. "Don't worry, you might still have a chance," Marco said to Gajeel, Natsu, and Happy, making Joey and Elfman nearby tense up. If Natsu and Gajeel wanted to advance, they'd have to take their spots. Joey and Elfman were fifth and sixth respectively. As long as their partners ranked before fifteenth and fourteenth, and their average position was tenth or better, they'd secure advancement—but that left only two spots left. Under the despairing gazes of Natsu and Gajeel, Cana finally arrived. She had actually taken it easy, since others were fighting for rankings, and her magic gave her an advantage. When tired, she used ice cards to create a platform to rest on. Wind cards helped her speed up, and she could even ride gusts on ice—effortless, but use too much magic. Thus, Cana hurried along and finally reached the finish line in fifteenth place, successfully advancing alongside fifth-place Joey. This completely dashed Gajeel's hopes of advancing. Elfman and his partner had already set off for the next stage, while Joey and Cana secured the last spot. All nine advancement slots had been filled. Googlᴇ search novel-fire.ɴet Natsu laughed heartily at the petrified Gajeel from the sidelines. He'd been eliminated right after Elfman advanced, but Gajeel—the tenth-place finisher—had it worse. He'd glimpsed hope several times only to have it crushed repeatedly, suffering far more than Natsu had. Moreover, Natsu could console himself with excuses for failing, whereas Gajeel's loss was purely due to being outperformed. So, once Natsu recovered, his mood wasn't as sour. "Not bad," Marco said with a smile, high-fiving Cana as she reached the shore. Clearing the first stage at least earned them the right to face the final boss, Laxus. "I owe it to Joey. I was kind of dead weight," Cana admitted sheepishly, having come to terms with reality. Despite years of relentless self-improvement, she knew her abilities weren't exceptional. She'd joined the guild at six and trained harder than the kids who came later, yet those very children began showcasing remarkable talent, gradually surpassing her. The pressure weighed heavily on her—especially from Erza and Mirajane. Though both girls were a year older, they'd started systematic magic training later than Cana, with Mirajane having only studied for a year or two. Watching herself, after years of grueling effort, be overtaken was undeniably disheartening. It wasn't jealousy but self-disappointment—a natural reaction when living alongside prodigies. The thought of Erza and Mirajane becoming S-Class Mages while she remained behind would only deepen the blow. "Gathering intel and forming teams are part of missions too," Marco reassured her. "Not everyone excels in direct combat. Even S-Class Mages aren't omnipotent—they need allies. So, you're hardly dead weight." His words were sincere. No rule barred S-Class Mages from teaming up; Gildarts and Laxus simply preferred working alone. Besides, the exam encouraged cooperation. "Right! I'll definitely pull my weight!" Cana nodded firmly, confident in her versatile card magic. She was sure she could contribute in the coming stages. "Let's move on to the next challenge," Marco said, beckoning Joey and Cana. As for Natsu, Happy, and Gajeel, it was time for them to head back. The guildmates who hadn't reached the finish line would also be notified—Marco's crows had already taken flight, guiding everyone back to the starting ship. Natsu, Gajeel, and Happy were the first to experience the "Crow Express," being swiftly pulled back to the starting point by the crows. Once everyone was gathered, they would all be transported back to Hargeon together. Deep in the dense forests of Tenrou Island, Laxus had already encountered his first group of examinees—Erza and Mirajane, who had been chasing each other along the way. Laxus wasn't particularly surprised by this, as Makarov had already explained the entire process to him. He knew Marco would be taking on some of the examiner responsibilities in the first stage. Cloaked in a grand cape, Laxus stood with crackling lightning coursing over his body, his expression stern—like a true final boss.