You definitely have to bring it; the tickets are bought, and the people are here. There's no way to change to a carriage at the last minute.
Although Makarov also felt a headache, they should restrain themselves after getting on the train... right?
Ideals are ideals, reality is reality.
Once on the train, the situation was that a circle of isolation formed around the group of nine, as all the passengers instinctively kept their distance from these peculiar people.
Rhode suspected that if they brought out a few more people, they wouldn't need to fill the seats to enjoy a private compartment treatment.
After realizing that her opponents were such an odd bunch, Kana felt much more relaxed and was now sneakily observing Mest.
Mest, who was biting the seatback, noticed Kana staring at him and became wary.
Did she notice anything unusual? Is my acting not good enough? Mest started biting the seat more vigorously.
Joy was showing off his muscles to his companions, even though it wasn't that warm in the carriage, he was still bare-chested, making people wonder if he had trained with Gray.
Mickey's eyes were scanning the other contestants, as if ready to start a fight at any moment.
Marcus was having a cheerful chat with Joy and even reached out to pinch Joy's muscles, which seemed quite genuine.
Wolian quietly observed, while also keeping an eye on Marcus to prevent him from leaking any secrets.
Wang Qiangji was as silent as usual, quietly leaning against the backrest without speaking.
Rhode... felt sorry for the President.
The elderly man was very focused, much like a teacher taking a group of primary school students on a trip, afraid that something might happen.
However, while the teacher worries about the students having accidents, Makarov worried about others having accidents.
The train clanked along the tracks, heading northeast, gradually moving into colder territories.
Most of the trees along the railroad had already withered yellow, leaving only conifers like pines to retain their greenery.
Upon closer inspection, even the conifer leaves differed in color from those in the summer.
Oshibana Station - Gunu Station - Onibus Station.
After passing three cities, the scenery outside the window gradually turned desolate, and the expression on Wolian's face grew more solemn.
Rhode asked, "Wolian, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"No, nothing." Sweat appeared on Wolian's forehead. "It's just that place is approaching."
Marcus blurted out, "Hahaha, did you forget? Wolian is afraid of heights! We're nearing the Grand Canyon, and the train is about to cross the bridge."
"Oh right!" Kana clapped her hands and teased, "Want to back out of the exam now? The test site is in the Grand Canyon!"
"No, don't joke about it! I finally got this opportunity..." As the train crossed the bridge, Wolian had already closed his eyes, sweating, "Besides, the exam is inside the canyon, not above it!"
The railway bridge seemed to pass directly over the canyon; Rhode looked outside to see a peculiar landscape, unsure whether to call them mountains or stone pillars.
He thought, if he were to describe the place, it had some resemblance to a stone forest, but compared to the striking beauty of a stone forest, the environment here should be described as desolate and treacherous.
A book once said that this was formed by a prehistoric earthquake, while another said it took millions of years of erosion to become like this.
The least accepted theory was that it was once a battlefield between two dragons, and after the fight, it naturally evolved into what it is now.
Rhode felt that the most unscientific theory might be the correct one—if Natsu and Wendy weren't lying about being raised by dragons.
The group alighted at the first station after the bridge, Kroba Station.
The President led them back a few kilometers to the canyon's edge and then walked a few more kilometers north.
By this season, the north wind had picked up, and the wind near the canyon seemed exceptionally strong, making everyone tighten their clothes.
Rhode and Kana quietly walked at the end of the group, carefully observing the terrain.
Mickey complained, "Are we on a field trip?"
Wolian's legs were still trembling, and he had to lean on his partner Marcus, "Who... who would go hiking in a place like this?"
Marcus sighed, "If it's already like this now, what are you going to do during the exam?"
"Once, once we're down there, it'll be better..." Wolian asked painfully, "President, how much farther?"
"We're here," Makarov pointed to a peak with a Fairy Tail flag in the canyon's center, "That's the starting point for this exam."
From there north, there's a natural maze, and there are three exits at the maze's end, each marked with our guild's flag.
Kana glanced at Rhode, did we guess right? Do we really have to go through the maze? We're sure to win; it seems like we can just fly over.
But no, in this case, Mest's space magic might be more advantageous.
"Next are the specifics of the rules. Each of the three maze exits has a magic array that can only be opened with a special 'key.'
And there are only three keys to open these arrays, currently scattered throughout the maze."
Your task is to first write your name on the notice board at the starting point, then find the three keys in the maze and enter different exits.
Marcus asked, "Can each exit only allow one group to go through?"
Makarov nodded, "That's right; once a group goes through an exit, it closes, meaning at most three groups can pass this round."
"B-b-but... President, how do we get down?" Wolian had a sense of foreboding.
Makarov said, "That's up to you to figure out."
Wolian's face turned white; this was truly bad news.
Mickey clapped her gloved hands and asked, "President, if we can't find a key, can we take one from someone else?"
"Yes, before reaching the exit, snatching is not prohibited," Makarov handed out eight signal flares, "Because the environment below is complex, you might encounter dangerous creatures, so you can call for help at any time.
However, releasing a signal flare means quitting the exam, and I'll rush over immediately. Are there any other questions?"
"Yes, there's a crucial question." Rhode raised his hand and asked, "The train tickets for coming here... no, what does the key look like, and how big is it?"
"About this big." Makarov transformed into a wooden plaque shaped like the Fairy Tail emblem.
A moment later, he changed back, "That's the shape, and its size is roughly what I transformed into."
A wooden plaque over half a person's height—while it's big and easier to spot, carrying it either on your back or in your arms would be inconvenient, especially since holding it makes fighting difficult.
It seemed like finding the key meant you'd have to avoid others and quickly head for an exit.
The group made their judgments, and Makarov waved his hand, "Now, the first round of the Fairy Tail S-Class Mage Promotion Exam begins!"
"Summon, Deep Red Beaked Bird!"
Two large beaked birds appeared, and Rhode and Kana each mounted one.
The birds took a few steps before leaping off the cliff, flying toward the flag in the canyon's center.
"Flying? That's too cunning! Let's go, Joy!"
"Oh!"
Mickey and Joy ran to the cliff's edge, leapt down to a lower rock face, and then agilely leaped downwards.
Mest placed a hand on Wang Qiangji's shoulder, and the two disappeared instantly, reappearing at the valley floor.
Then, their figures flickered continuously, advancing even faster than the beaked birds could fly.
And the last group...
"Hurry up, Wolian! We're falling behind!" Marcus tried dragging Wolian along.
But Wolian clung to a rock, tears almost spilling, "No, it's too high!"
Marcus was frazzled, "Do you even want to take the exam?!"
Wolian wanted to cry, "At least let me mentally prepare!"