Chapter 162: This Is Just Too Hard

Erza was a straightforward person who didn't hold back anything about her magic or fighting techniques. As long as Rhodes dared to ask, she dared to answer.

She even encouraged Rhodes and Kana after answering his questions.

Rhodes then straightforwardly asked her about Mystogan and Laxus.

"As for Mystogan, I haven't seen him much either, but I know he's a master of illusions. Just his magic that puts the entire guild to sleep is already very tough to deal with."

Erza was also quite curious about Mystogan, so she analyzed a bit as she spoke, "That powerful sleep magic probably requires some preparation time. The key lies in those staffs he carries.

To deal with him, it's best to strike before he draws a staff or, if affected, pretend to be asleep to deceive him."

"Heh..." Rhodes let out an awkward smile.

Neither of those options seemed achievable for a normal person, right? Unless they actually did what Rhodes suggested that day on the train — having Alzack and Bisca shoot him with black bullets.

But thinking about it, Rhodes realized that he could already sense some indistinct pressure from strong gazes; let alone Mystogan.

Black bullets weren't that easy to hit either.

"You've already seen Laxus; he uses lightning magic and possesses the powerful magic inherited from the guild master. Whether it's speed or strength, long-range attacks or close combat, he's formidable in every aspect."

Erza frowned slightly. "Honestly, I can't think of any weaknesses he might have. Even if I wear my Thunder Emperor Armor, I don't have much confidence in defeating him."

Rhodes sighed, "This is just too hard."

"The road to becoming an S-Class wizard will never be smooth. We all faced powerful enemies when we tried." Erza patted Rhodes's shoulder and earnestly encouraged him, "Keep it up. If it's you, you will definitely become S-Class."

Mira smiled and reminded, "Erza, it's Kana who's taking the exam."

"Hmm? Oh, right! It's Kana." Erza clenched her fist, looking pained as she reflected, "As an examiner, making such a rookie mistake of forgetting the candidate... I'll need to put in 120% effort during the exam to make up for this!"

Rhodes responded helplessly, "That's really unnecessary..."

But Erza wasn't listening anymore, "I've decided! I'm going back to prepare right now!"

"Erza—"

Before Rhodes could stop her, Erza had already strode out of the guild, ready to do some last-minute pre-exam training.

"Ara ara..." Mira smiled; she loved a bit of drama.

"Mira, keep this a secret for me." Rhodes figured that if the other candidates found out about this, especially the group facing Erza, they'd definitely be out for his blood.

Mira tilted her head, "But I'm not very good at keeping secrets."

Rhodes thought for a moment, "How about I treat you to ice cream next time?"

"Sure, I'll try my best then."

Though winter had already arrived, one must eat ice cream even more during winter.

"Mira, one seafood pizza over here!"

"Okay~"

Rhodes glanced over — Nab was the one ordering. Eating seafood at this time of year... this guy had quite some money, huh?

Despite never working, how did he manage that?

...

That evening, the four gathered again.

Wooden flooring had already been laid in the yard — something Mira had asked Laki to do earlier in the day.

The payment was a drawing Rhodes had done for a clamp. Laki liked it very much. Rhodes had some doubts whether this girl would ever find a boyfriend; if she did... well, a moment of silence for that guy.

Kana shared her findings with Rhodes, "Miki's partner has been confirmed; it's Joey."

"Joey?" A muscular figure appeared in Rhodes's mind, "The guy with muscles even bigger than Elfman's?"

Elfman felt somewhat offended, but when it came to building muscle, no one in the guild could match Joey, "That guy... a true man."

Kana ignored Elfman's comment, "Yeah, that's him. His magic can enhance both his and his teammates' muscle strength, which pairs well with Miki's fighting style."

Rhodes nodded, "They're both into close combat, huh? We'll also need to consider the interference of Miki's magic bird."

Mira added, "If you do come across Miki, be gentle with Little Bee."

Little Bee was Miki's magic bird. Although it could speak, it wasn't like Happy; it was more of a pet, and bringing it along didn't count towards the partner quota.

Since it acted as a microphone when Mira sang and helped her deliver letters, Mira liked Little Bee a lot.

"Don't worry." Rhodes nodded, but then added, "But wait — are you implying that when we face the two and a half of them, we'll still have the leeway to hold back?"

"Ara..." Mira felt her words might be a bit disrespectful to Miki and Joey, "That's because Kana and Rhodes are strong."

Mira's words relaxed Kana a bit, and she continued, "As for Mest, his partner seems to be Wang, but Mest is nowhere to be found, and Wang won't admit it. Ask him anything, and he won't say a word."

Wang, full name Wang Qiange, joined at the same time as Joey. Their relationship was similar to that of Macao and Wakaba — rivals but also good friends.

This guy was taciturn, the kind of person who wouldn't say a word even if you hit him three times.

Because of that, he had fewer arguments with Joey compared to Macao and Wakaba.

But the number of times they fought was not necessarily any less, as not speaking didn't prevent him from getting into fights.

"That's just his personality, right?" Rhodes said, "I think I've spoken less than three sentences to him in the past six months."

Rhodes speculated that Mest had chosen him as a partner precisely because of his personality — reducing the risk of "exposure."

"Yes, his magic allows his arms to transform into Iron Hounds for attack," Kana added, "Kind of like Elfman."

Elfman, displeased, protested, "Why are both people being compared to me? His magic is completely different from mine."

"In any case, he's a close-combat type. The tricky part is Mest's spatial magic," Rhodes continued, sharing the information he'd gotten from the guild master, although he didn't mention the memory magic.

"He can teleport instantly, and if your reaction is slow, he can easily ambush you."

It's practically unlimited blinking, and he can even take others with him. Rhodes was envious to the point of drooling.

"Spatial magic is indeed troublesome, but it's not unbeatable," Kana didn't seem too fazed.

Just leave an obvious gap to lure him into attacking, or use her cards to set some traps; dealing with such an enemy wasn't too difficult.

Rhodes and Kana discussed their competitors' strengths and weaknesses for a while, made a few simple battle plans, and then moved on to the next topic.

"Erza gave me some information today..." Rhodes repeated what she'd said, and added, "Also, while she didn't say it directly, from her tone, I think we'll definitely have to face an S-Class wizard.

So in the first round, one team might be eliminated directly, and the three advancing teams will each have to face an S-Class wizard."

"..." Kana didn't even have time to think about the three S-Class wizards' intel, "You could infer all that from her words?"