The Pumpkin Man's voice, amplified through a megaphone, carried clearly into every hotel room across the Royal Capital.
Every participating team pushed open their windows, some leaning out from balconies, others standing on rooftops, watching the massive projected image of the Pumpkin Man hovering in the sky.
"What is that, a giant pumpkin?" Gajeel muttered, his attention fixed entirely on the strange figure.
Juvia, too, focused on the announcement. "One hundred and eighty-two teams… what an outrageous number."
Mira nodded. "Well, guilds have been expanding these past few years. Although… some have disbanded because they couldn't manage themselves."
Rhodes added thoughtfully, "And it's likely not just us who noticed that two-team loophole. Other guilds probably formed two squads as well."
Laxus frowned. "What's this 'preliminary round' about?"
Rhodes shook his head. "No idea. There's never been a prelim before. The rules have always been announced on the day of each match. Let's listen carefully, he's probably hiding details in his wording."
The Pumpkin Man continued, "Since its founding, the Grand Magic Games has reached its seventh year, and each competition has grown increasingly intense."
"However, as the number of teams increased year after year, the event has gradually become a bit… dull. As a result, the organizers have received criticisms from the public."
"Therefore, starting this year, regardless of how many teams register, only the eight most exceptional teams will be selected through a preliminary round to enter the final competition!"
Rhodes raised an eyebrow. Interesting. Weren't the organizers the Fiore Royal Family? Since when were they this eager to listen to public feedback?
Was the King unusually wise… or did he simply enjoy putting on grand spectacles?
"Next, I will explain the rules of the preliminary round," the Pumpkin Man said. "In simple terms, it's a race! Starting from the hotels where you currently reside, the first eight teams to reach the official Grand Magic Games venue, Domus Flau, will qualify!"
"Of course, the race has more detailed rules, which are..."
He deliberately dragged out the last word.
At that moment, Rhodes and the others felt a faint tremor beneath their feet.
Mira looked down. "The Ferris wheel stopped moving."
Their hotel, the famous Ferris-wheel-style rotating structure, had frozen mid-turn, leaving their room positioned slightly below the center.
Laxus glanced toward the distance. "Other hotels are shifting."
Countless magical mechanisms activated at once. Low-elevation hotels were lifted upwards, while those perched higher began descending steadily.
In every contestant's room, one wall sank downward, revealing a staircase leading upward, directly toward the sky.
Above the Pumpkin Man, flickering patterns of light rippled like a mirage. A colossal spherical structure, previously hidden high above the clouds, came into view.
Judging by its size, it was practically a floating city.
Every staircase extended upward toward that airborne fortress.
And on the eastern side of the massive sphere, a long passageway stretched horizontally, connecting directly to Domus Flau, the arena built on the mountain outside the Capital.
"Please proceed through the passage and enter the Sky Labyrinth," the Pumpkin Man continued. "Then, find the exit leading to Domus Flau. All five members must arrive together for your team to qualify."
"There are no restrictions on magic use during the competition. Furthermore, the organizers are not responsible for casualties. Now then, the preliminary event of the Grand Magic Games, Sky Labyrinth, begins!"
"They didn't even give us any prep time," Rhodes sighed, already stepping onto the stairs. "Come on, let's win ourselves thirty million."
Mira smiled as she followed. "I thought we were doing it for the guild's honor?"
"No outsiders here," Rhodes replied. "And Master Makarov's already slipped up more than once."
Laxus said nothing, simply accelerating forward.
Gajeel's eyes burned with excitement. "Then I'm doing it to crush the Fire Dragon."
"Juvia fights for Gray-sama!" she declared passionately.
More than one hundred and eighty teams surged upward from their respective staircases.
The steps were incredibly long, and steep enough that even walking would have drained a normal person. But for qualifying Magicians, climbing wasn't enough, they had to run.
Rhodes and his team quickly picked up speed. Thankfully, none of the five suffered from poor stamina, and they reached the first entrance without difficulty.
Looking up, they saw yet more staircases ahead, with passages branching left and right. There were no guardrails; one glance downward revealed the floors far below.
Above them was no ceiling, only half-walls, rotating gears, sliding platforms, and bizarrely shaped doors suspended in the air.
It was a massive, three-dimensional labyrinth.
The group all turned to look at Rhodes at the same time.
"Do you already have a strategy?" Mira asked.
Rhodes nodded. "The simplest method is to not enter the labyrinth at all. Instead, we climb, or fly, along the outer wall straight to the exit."
Juvia blinked. "But… we're required to enter the labyrinth, aren't we?"
"There is a chance it could count as breaking the rules." Rhodes flicked his cloak dramatically, wearing a confident smile. "So, while we were climbing the stairs, I thought up three plans: an inferior one, a middle one, and a superior one."
The others stared at him, stunned.
"Inferior, middle, and superior?" Laxus echoed.
Rhodes nodded with satisfaction. "The inferior plan is to explore slowly. Mark our path, find patterns, maybe draw a map. If we're lucky, we could reach the exit quickly enough."
"The middle plan is to find the teams following the inferior plan, beat them up, steal their maps, and combine the pieces into the correct route."
"As for the superior plan… we determine the location of the eastern exit, walk in a straight line toward it, and whenever we hit a wall, break through it. The organizers said there are no restrictions on magic use."
After laying out the three plans, Rhodes felt deeply satisfied.After being called the "Fairy Strategist" for so long, he finally sounded like one.
"So," he asked proudly, "which plan do you pick?"
Laxus answered instantly. "The superior plan."
Gajeel snorted. "I like beating people up, but assembling maps sounds annoying. I vote destruction, more destruction!"
Juvia placed a hand on her chest. "Juvia will go along with anything."
Mira smiled gently. "I'll follow whatever everyone decides."
And so, unanimously, they chose the superior plan, —leaving Rhodes feeling slightly melancholy.
Shouldn't the superior plan usually be "too reckless," the inferior "too slow," and the middle "just right"…?
"Well, that settles it," Rhodes said with a shrug. He exhaled a thick cloud of green mist that enveloped the group, concealing them completely.
"Due east, thirty degrees upward," he instructed. "One wall per person, rotating turns. After breaking it, pull back into the mist immediately. We move unseen all the way. First up, Gajeel."
The team stepped forward. After only a dozen steps, they ran into their first wall.
Gajeel cracked his knuckles. "Iron Dragon's Roar!"
Rumble—!
The wall didn't break instantly. Crack lines spread slowly across its surface, and only when Gajeel pushed harder did it finally collapse, leaving a human-sized opening.
Feeling that his pride had taken a hit, Gajeel muttered, "Tch… It's no normal wall. It's made of special magic materials."
The others nodded in understanding.
If the walls were this sturdy, then most ordinary teams wouldn't even be able to attempt their so-called superior plan.