Laxus was surprised to see Marco arriving with Cana and Joey in tow. Marco's presence meant the first stage had concluded, and all nine qualifying teams were now heading his way. The speed at which the first stage was cleared was indeed remarkable. What puzzled Laxus, however, was why the earlier departures hadn't arrived yet while Marco, who should have been the last, was already here. Were the strange creatures on Tenrou Island really that troublesome? Little did Laxus know, some fools hadn't even found their way. He thought the traces he left behind were obvious enough—surely no one could miss which direction to take. Pathfinding, scouting, tracking, wilderness survival—these were all essential skills for a mage. The S-Class Exam covered a comprehensive range of abilities. It just went to show how high Fairy Tail's standards for an S-Class Mage truly were. "They should be arriving soon," Marco said. With all the commotion here—thunder and lightning—anyone with half a brain would know to head this way. After all, everyone knew Laxus' magic. "How are you holding up?" Marco approached Erza, his voice laced with concern. Though she bore no visible injuries, her magic was severely depleted. Facing an opponent like Laxus, Erza had no choice but to give it her all. Regardless of the outcome, she had no regrets. At Marco's question, Erza forced a weak smile, though it barely reached her lips. Severe magic exhaustion left the body utterly drained, yet she stubbornly propped herself up with her sword, refusing to fall. "I'm fine..." Erza replied to Marco before shifting her gaze to Laxus. Content orıginally comes from novel_fіre.net She wanted to know if she had passed this stage of the exam. Watching Erza struggle to stand beside Marco, Laxus frowned. Just as Marco expected him to disqualify her, Laxus—still scowling—declared. The result took even Marco by surprise. Frankly, Erza's current strength fell far short of Fairy Tail's S-Class standards. Yet Laxus, of all people... The moment Laxus uttered "Passed," Erza's face lit up with joy—but her body had reached its limit. Before she could finish speaking, she collapsed. Marco didn't hesitate to catch her. He stepped forward and caught the unconscious girl in his arms. Clad in light attire, Erza felt small and fragile, her body completely devoid of strength. She had clearly passed out—her exam was effectively over. Laxus' "Passed" was nothing more than a consolation prize. And what truly shocked Marco was this: Laxus... actually knew when to offer one? If it were before, Laxus at this time would have coldly declared "eliminated," even if he acknowledged Erza's talent and strength in his heart. Not meeting the standard meant not meeting the standard. Time passes, and everyone changes. At eighteen, Laxus no longer grew more extreme. Instead, he seemed to be emerging from his rebellious teenage phase. Mirajane approached, intending to take Erza from Marco's arms. Though she and Erza were always competing, sometimes even bickering and exposing each other's flaws, she couldn't just leave Erza . Besides, Erza was only wearing a tube top and lying in Marco's arms in such a state wasn't exactly appropriate. Before Mirajane could even speak, Laxus spoke up, effectively freezing her in place. Laxus had no intention of concerning himself with Erza. With Marco here, someone would take care of her even if she fainted. Mirajane fell silent. "Go on, Mira. There's no reason not to give it a try. I'll take care of Erza." Seeing Mira's hesitation, Marco spoke up with a smile, encouraging her not to worry about Erza. With him here, Erza would be fine. Mira gave Marco a strange look, her expression odd. She didn't want to say it, but it was precisely because Marco was here that she was worried. Still, as Marco said, she'd come all this way. If she didn't at least try, she'd definitely regret it. With that thought, Mirajane hesitated no longer. She shot into the sky. Her hands moved rapidly, unleashing a barrage of dark purple magic bullets toward Laxus. The demon Mirajane had taken over also wielded "Dark Magic," so these attacks felt eerily familiar to Marco. And it wasn't just Marco—Laxus had made his name by defeating Jose Porla, earning the title 'Thunder God'. Seeing Mirajane's technique, his expression also turned peculiar. However, her dark magic bullets were far weaker than Jose Porla's, not even in the same league. With a wave of his hand, Laxus sent crackling lightning crashing into the dark bullets, effortlessly intercepting them. The lightning continued relentlessly toward Mirajane. Her expression changed, and she swiftly flapped her wings to dodge. She had only intended to test the waters with a few bullets, but Laxus had countered them so easily?! 'There's really no hope of winning...' Mirajane accepted reality. After witnessing Laxus's battle with Erza, she had no choice but to face the truth. She knew what she had to do now—just like Erza, she needed to showcase her strength as much as possible to earn Laxus's approval. Hovering in the air, Mirajane thought for a moment and decided to stop playing around. Dragging things out was pointless. This was an exam—no one else would come to help. She needed to go all out with her strongest attack right now, letting Laxus see her full power. Maybe then he'd give her a "pass" too? At this thought, Mirajane decided to use her ultimate move, just like Erza, unleashing her strongest magic at the moment. ----------------------------- Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on . (.)com/Newbietranslator