Chapter 164: The Exam Begins

They had to take the train, no doubt about it. The tickets were bought, and everyone was here — switching to a carriage last minute was not an option.

Although Makarov found it a headache, once they were on the train, they should behave... at least in theory.

Ideals are ideals, but reality is reality.

Once they boarded, a sort of isolation barrier formed around the nine of them, with all the other passengers instinctively keeping their distance from these oddballs.

Rhodes suspected that if they brought a few more people along, they wouldn't even need to fill all the seats to get a private compartment experience.

Realizing that her opponents were such a quirky bunch, Kana felt much more relaxed and began secretly observing Mest.

Mest, who was gnawing on the back of his seat, noticed Kana staring at him and became wary.

Did she notice something strange? Was my acting not convincing enough? Mest began gnawing on the seat even harder.

Joey was showing off his muscles to the others. Even though the compartment wasn't that warm, he was still bare-chested, making one wonder if he had trained with Gray.

Miki's gaze darted around at the other candidates, as if she were ready to start a fight at any moment.

Marcus and Joey were chatting happily, with Marcus even reaching over to feel Joey's muscles, confirming that they were indeed real.

Worren watched quietly, while also keeping an eye on Marcus to prevent him from revealing any secrets.

Wang Qiangji, as usual, remained silent, leaning quietly against his seat without a word.

Rhodes... felt sorry for the guild master.

The old man was now fully focused, much like a teacher leading a group of elementary school kids on a field trip, worried something might happen.

Only, unlike a teacher who worries about the students, Makarov was worried about what others might suffer.

The train clattered along the tracks heading northeast, slowly traveling to colder regions.

Most of the trees along the railway had already turned yellow, with only conifers and similar evergreens maintaining their green hue.

Upon closer inspection, even the evergreen leaves looked different from how they did in summer.

Onibus Station - Kunuki Station - Oshibana Station.

Passing through three cities, the scenery outside the window gradually became desolate, and Worren's expression grew increasingly tense.

Rhodes asked, "Worren, are you feeling unwell?"

"N-no, nothing's wrong," Worren said, breaking into a cold sweat. "It's just that we're getting close to that place."

Marcus blurted out, "Hahaha, did you forget? Worren's afraid of heights! We're approaching the Great Canyon, and the train has to cross a bridge."

"Oh, right!" Kana clapped her hands, then teased, "Want to drop out of the exam while you still can? The test site is right by the canyon, you know."

"N-no, stop joking around! I barely managed to get this opportunity..." The train reached the bridge, and Worren had already closed his eyes, sweating. "Besides, the test is in the canyon, not above it!"

The railway bridge seemed to run straight across the canyon. Rhodes looked out the window and saw the strange landscape outside — he wasn't sure whether to call it a mountain or a stone pillar.

To him, this place resembled a stone forest, but while stone forests were breathtakingly beautiful, this environment was more aptly described as desolate and treacherous.

One book said that this place was formed by a prehistoric earthquake, while another claimed it had taken millions of years of weathering to become like this.

The least scientifically accepted theory was that this had once been the battleground of two dragons, and after they fought, natural evolution had shaped it into its current form.

Rhodes found the most unscientific version to be the most plausible — that is, if Natsu and Wendy hadn't lied about being raised by dragons.

Everyone got off at Clover Station, the first stop after crossing the bridge.

The guild master led them back a few kilometers to the edge of the canyon, then headed north for several more kilometers.

By now, the north wind had picked up, and the wind near the canyon seemed particularly strong, causing everyone to bundle up even tighter.

Rhodes and Kana walked quietly at the back of the group, carefully observing the terrain.

Miki complained, "Are we on a hiking trip or something?"

Worren's legs were still trembling, and he had to lean on his partner, Marcus. "Who... who would hike in a place like this?"

Marcus sighed, "If you're like this now, how will you handle the exam?"

"I-I'll be fine once we're down there..." Worren said, trembling. "Guild master, how much further?"

"We're here," Makarov said, pointing to a peak in the middle of the canyon with a Fairy Tail flag on top. "That's the starting point for this exam.

From there, heading north, is a natural maze. At the end of the maze, there are three exits, each marked with our guild's flag."

Kana glanced at Rhodes. Did they guess correctly? It really was a maze? We might win this — we could just fly over it.

But that wouldn't work; in this scenario, Mest's spatial magic would be more advantageous.

"The next part is about the rules. Each of the three exits in the maze has a magic circle that can only be opened using a specific 'key.'

There are only three keys, currently scattered throughout the maze.

Your task is to go to the starting point and write your name on the board there, then find one of the three keys in the maze and reach a different exit."

Marcus asked, "Can only one group enter each exit?"

Makarov nodded. "Correct. Once a group enters an exit, it will close, which means at most three groups will pass this stage."

"W-what about us getting down there, Guild master?" Worren had a bad feeling about this.

"You'll have to figure that out yourselves," Makarov replied.

Worren turned pale — that was bad news.

Miki rubbed her hands, which were clad in tiger-claw gloves, and asked, "Guild master, can we take the keys from others if we can't find one ourselves?"

"Yes, until you reach the exit, stealing keys is not prohibited," Makarov said as he took out eight flares and distributed them. "Since the environment down there is complex, you might run into dangerous creatures, so you can ask for help at any time.

But firing a flare means forfeiting the exam, and I will come for you immediately. Any other questions?"

"There's a crucial question," Rhodes raised his hand. "The train ticket from earlier... No, I mean, what does the key look like, and how big is it?"

"It looks like this." Makarov transformed into a wooden plaque shaped like the Fairy Tail emblem.

After a moment, he changed back. "That's the shape, and the size is about what I just became."

A wooden plaque half the height of a person — its large size would make it easier to find, but carrying it while running or fighting would be quite inconvenient.

It seemed that once they got the key, they would need to avoid everyone else and head straight to the exit as quickly as possible.

Everyone made their judgments, and Makarov waved his hand. "Alright then, the first round of the Fairy Tail S-Class Wizard Promotion Exam starts now!"

"Summon, Crimson Beak Bird!"

Two large beaked birds appeared, and Rhodes and Kana each mounted one.

The beaked birds took a few running steps and leaped off the cliff, flying toward the flag in the middle of the canyon.

"Flying? That's cheating! Let's go, Joey!"

"Oh!"

Miki and Joey ran to the edge of the cliff, leaped down to a lower rock face, and agilely jumped down further.

Mest placed a hand on Wang Qiangji's shoulder, and the two of them instantly vanished, reappearing at the bottom of the canyon.

Their figures then flickered repeatedly, advancing even faster than the beaked birds could fly.

And the last group...

"Hurry up, Worren! We're falling behind!" Marcus tried to drag Worren.

But Worren clung tightly to a rock, almost crying in fear, "No, it's too high!"

Marcus was exasperated, "Do you want to take the exam or not?!"

Worren wanted to cry, "At least let me mentally prepare myself!"