Chapter 158: Three Years of S-Exam, One Year of Mock Practice

"Are you sure you don't want to team up with Natsu or Gray?" Rhodes asked.

Usually, when choosing a partner, it made sense to pick someone who could make up for your weaknesses. For example, if someone lacked in strategic thinking, they might pick someone intelligent. For those who lacked experience, it was wise to pick someone more seasoned.

For people like Cana and Warren, who were experienced and had good tactical skills, it would make more sense to pick someone like Natsu who was a powerhouse in combat.

Cana shook her head. "Strength is definitely important. Natsu and Gray are both very strong, but you're also not bad... I heard that you were qualified to participate, weren't you?"

Warren looked surprised. "Really? I had no idea!"

Cana got frustrated. "Why did you even come to ask Rhodes if you didn't know anything?!"

Warren scratched his head sheepishly. "I might've 'overheard' people talking about partner choices, and Rhodes' name came up a lot. Plus, you were heading this way too."

"You…!" Cana wanted to hit him. Was this guy just here to mess with the competition?

Warren avoided Cana's glare and turned to Rhodes. "Anyway, both of us want you to be our partner. What do you think?"

What could Rhodes think? Of course, he was happy to be trusted, but at the same time, worried that he might not live up to their expectations.

Though he didn't want to participate in the exam himself, joining as a partner could be a good opportunity to understand the exam's difficulty level and prepare for next year.

Warren seemed like the natural first choice since he was a guy, which made everything easier without risking any misunderstandings.

But choosing Cana wasn't a big deal either; they got along like bros, so there wouldn't be any misunderstandings to begin with.

Rhodes suggested, "Why don't you two settle it with rock-paper-scissors?"

"No problem!" Warren agreed enthusiastically.

"No way! No one can beat Warren in rock-paper-scissors," Cana immediately protested.

Warren had the ability to read opponents' moves in battle. Playing rock-paper-scissors against him was basically giving up for nothing.

"How about drawing lots then?" Rhodes asked.

"I'm in!" Cana agreed.

"No way!" This time Warren opposed it.

Cana was skilled at cheating and used card magic, so seeing how confident she was meant she probably already figured out a way to cheat.

Rhodes sighed. "You magic users sure are troublesome."

Mira laughed. "You're a magic user too, you know."

Rhodes looked at her. "Mira, do you have any suggestions?"

Mira thought for a moment and said, "Cana was the first to come here, so how about choosing Cana?"

"Mira!" Cana jumped over the counter and hugged Mira.

Rhodes felt a bit envious.

"Mira~" Warren said pitifully.

"Don't be like that." Mira wasn't sure if she was talking to Cana or Warren. She pointed behind Warren. "Look, someone's here for you."

Warren turned around. "Marcus?"

Marcus raised his hand to greet everyone, then asked, "Hey, Warren, have you decided on a partner yet?"

"Just decided." Warren smiled. "It's you. Help me out!"

"Me?" Marcus was surprised. He thought Warren would pick Rhodes or Elfman.

Warren nodded firmly. This was the most common way people picked partners in the guild: they just picked someone they were close with, without worrying too much.

"Alright! I'll do my best to help you pass!" Marcus raised his hand.

Warren did the same, and they high-fived with a loud clap.

The two of them suddenly exuded an aura of "If we work hard, we'll definitely win."

"Rhodes?" Cana looked at him.

"I'll give it my all too." Rhodes raised his hand and high-fived Cana, smiling. "Meet me after school."

"Huh?"

Meeting after school was, of course, to discuss exam matters. You couldn't go into the exam without any preparation. They couldn't have Cana just drinking up until the day of the exam.

That evening, in the guild's small courtyard, aside from Rhodes, Mira, and Elfman, Cana was now also present.

"You practice here every day after work?" Cana looked in surprise at the various pieces of equipment in the courtyard and the marks on the ground.

No wonder people said Rhodes progressed so fast. It seemed it wasn't just talent; he had put in a lot of hard work.

"We've been doing this for quite a while now," Rhodes said. "It's getting a bit challenging now that it's colder, but training to withstand the cold isn't bad either."

According to Gray, even he wasn't born immune to the cold; resistance to the cold could be trained.

"Even Mira…?"

Mira was doing some warm-up exercises and smiled. "I like to work out occasionally, and I also help coach these two."

"I see." Cana nodded. No wonder people said Rhodes and Mira's relationship had progressed as much as his strength.

"Don't look at me like that, as if I'm scheming something." Rhodes waved his hand.

"Let's focus. Since we've decided to partner for the exam, coordination is crucial. So from today on, you also need to—"

Rhodes started to feel unsure of himself as he spoke. Talking about building rapport with another girl in front of Mira… maybe he was out of his mind.

Luckily, there was a special reason for this, and Mira did support him picking Cana.

"I understand!" Without a word, Cana also joined in on the warm-ups. "What next?"

"Uh... take it slow." Rhodes said. "Although the Master said the official start is in a week, I think the exam has already started."

"The first step is to gather information. First, I need to understand what past S-Class exams were like, and then try to guess this year's content so we can train accordingly."

Three years for the S-Class exam, one year for mock practice.

That information should be the easiest to gather; both Cana and Mira could provide it.

"Every year, the content changes. There are usually three rounds. The first one isn't too hard, but in the second round, there's interference from an S-Class mage, or sometimes it's a competition with other participants. The third round..."

Cana hesitated. She hadn't gotten past the third round, so she looked at Mira.

Mira said apologetically, "Sorry, I can't disclose the contents of the exam."

Even the previous exam content was confidential... Rhodes thought for a moment, then asked, "What if I hug your legs and beg you?"

Elfman stepped forward, clenching his fists. "Then I'll knock you flying! Manly style!"

Mira covered her mouth, laughing.

"...Alright, fine." Rhodes gave up trying to get Mira to spill any details. "Cana, tell me more about what you know."

"Alright." Though it wasn't a pleasant experience, seeing how serious Rhodes was, Cana shared the details of her last three attempts.

As Rhodes listened, he jotted down notes. This was all valuable information that could help deduce the examiner's thought process.

He couldn't help but recall his high school teacher's advice: "You need to understand the exam maker's intentions. What knowledge point are they trying to test with this question?"

Once she finished sharing, Cana looked a bit disheartened. "These are all failed experiences. Are they really useful?"

"Of course." Rhodes closed his notebook. "From the exam content, the Master already gave us the answer yesterday."

"Answer?" Cana thought about it. "Are you talking about the criteria he mentioned for eligibility?"

"Exactly—abilities, mindset, character." Rhodes explained. "The first round in past exams could be considered a basic test, examining our fundamental ability to solve common challenges, whether it's by relying on magic or on our companions."

"The second round is like an advanced question, testing our raw strength. Whether it's through brute force or clever strategies, we have to overcome the challenge of the S-Class mages or the competitors."

"And the third round could be the bonus question. Since there are no reference materials, we can only speculate." Rhodes looked at Mira, "I guess it's probably a test of comprehensive abilities, maybe involving a specific mission to be solved, or a simulated task set by the Master, with a final evaluation based on the performance."

Mira's eyes showed a hint of surprise. Rhodes felt he had at least guessed part of it correctly.

"Then there's the more detailed analysis," Rhodes continued. "The exam location is Clover Canyon, and I happen to know a bit about it. The terrain there is complex, and it's possible the content might involve…"