On Tenrou Island
On Route F, one of the eight paths, Noel stood in the middle of the road with his arms crossed and eyes closed, quietly waiting for the S-Class Exam candidates who had chosen this route.
Before the eight exam participants and their partners set off from Hargeon Port, Noel, Mirajane, Erza, and Gildarts—four of the S-Class mages—had arrived on Tenrou Island a day in advance.
They each guarded four of the eight routes, preparing to face off against the candidates and their partners.
As for the remaining four routes, the examinees would face each other in direct confrontations, with only one team advancing from each match-up.
Theoretically, up to six teams could pass this first round at best, while at worst, only two teams would make it through.
"The guild's sacred ground—Tenrou Island, huh?" Noel murmured as he sensed the powerful magic flowing from the massive tree at the center of the island.
"I can clearly feel the magic continuously being transmitted into my body through the emblem as a dium. This must be the work of the first guild master... Truly remarkable. But for so reason, the magic network on Tenrou Island feels strangely unnatural... Is it just my imagination?"
Feeling the warm energy seeping into his body, Noel pondered the odd sensation for a mont before shaking his head and deciding to let it go.
("Oh well... That aside, I wonder which unlucky soul ended up picking my route?")
Abandoning his thoughts about the island's abnormalities, Noel scratched his cheek and speculated on who would be facing him.
In terms of difficulty, with his current strength, even without using his divine power, he was far beyond the rest of the guild's mbers.
It was fair to say that the path he guarded was the most challenging of all—more difficult even than Gildarts' route.
Anyone who ended up encountering him could definitely be considered unlucky.
As Noel was lost in thought, two voices reached his ears—one crisp and feminine, the other deep and sowhat rigid.
"I wonder what kind of path we chose... Sigh, as long as we don't run into Noel or Erza, we should be fine."
"Don't say such discouraging things. I will help you beco an S-Class wizard."
(This voice...)
Noel slowly opened his eyes.
Standing at the entrance of the path before him were a petite, blue-haired girl and a stern-looking young man dressed in black.
"Welco," Noel said softly, his gaze settling on them.
"I am the guardian of Route F. Unfortunately for you two, your luck is terrible. If you want to move forward, be prepared to fight ... Gajeel, Levy."
At the sight of Noel, both Gajeel and Levy froze in shock.
"You've gotta be kidding... It's Noel?!" Levy murmured in disbelief.
Cold sweat ford on Gajeel's forehead as he forced a smile. "Damn, we really drew the worst possible lot this ti."
"I won't be holding back," Noel said, taking slow, deliberate steps toward them. "If you want to beco an S-Class wizard, then co at with everything you've got."
"Hmph, of course... Iron Dragon Sword!"
Gajeel planted his foot firmly on the ground, his right hand transforming into the shape of an iron sword.
Using the ground's reaction force, he launched himself toward Noel at high speed.
"Wait, Gajeel!" Levy called out in alarm, seeing him charge recklessly.
She tried to stop him, but Gajeel clearly wasn't listening.
His speed didn't slow, and with his arm fully transford into an iron blade, he swung it in a horizontal slash.
Noel took a half-step back, subtly shifting his body to narrowly avoid the strike.
Then, without hesitation, he extended his hand and grabbed Gajeel's arm.
With a slight exertion of force, he flung Gajeel into the air, sending him crashing into a rock wall.
"This level of strength won't be enough to pass the test, Gajeel," Noel said calmly.
"Fla!"
Taking advantage of Noel's montary focus on Gajeel, Levy had already written a magic word at high speed.
A burst of fire shot toward Noel.
Noel simply shook his head.
With a single strike of his hand, wrapped in divine light magic, he effortlessly dispersed Levy's flas.
(He's really strong... What should we do?) Levy thought, her expression growing tense.
"Iron Dragon's Roar!!"
By then, Gajeel had already gotten back to his feet.
Opening his mouth wide, he unleashed a powerful silver whirlwind filled with countless shards of iron.
The force of the Dragon Slayer's roar tore through everything in its path—trees, dirt, and debris were all shredded and swept away.
In an instant, the entire battlefield was engulfed in a storm of dust and destruction.
"Did we do it?" Gajeel wiped the corner of his mouth, his eyes fixed on the cloud of dust.
"Your strength is decent, but you're too slow."
A voice suddenly ca from behind him, making every hair on Gajeel's body stand on end.
Before he could react, a powerful force struck his lower back, sending him flying.
As he was flung into the air, Noel—now a streak of glowing light—had already appeared above him.
With a sharp downward kick, he sent Gajeel hurtling toward the ground at high speed.
Before he could even reach the ground, Noel reappeared below him and struck him again, sending him soaring once more.
From the ground, Levy could only watch helplessly as Gajeel was caught in Noel's relentless assault, unable to fight back.
The terrifying speed of Noel's Holy Light Magic was fully on display.
Boom!
After enduring dozens of consecutive hits midair, Gajeel finally crashed into the ground.
His entire body was in a miserable state.
If Noel hadn't held back and refrained from adding magic power to his attacks, Gajeel might not have been able to stand at all.
"Gajeel, are you okay?" Levy rushed forward and extended her hand to help him up.
"I'm fine... but damn, this guy is really a monster." Gajeel patted the dust off his clothes, his face serious as he looked at Noel, who remained completely at ease.
"Gajeel, we need to co up with a—"
"Hah, I've known for a long ti how strong he is, but this is the first ti I've faced him head-on like this!"
"Hey, Gajeel! Are you even listening to ?!"
"But that's exactly what makes it worth the challenge! Watch !"
Gajeel clenched his fists, ignoring Levy's words as he tried to stand up and fight Noel again.
However, he completely failed to notice the increasingly dark aura surrounding Levy's face.
BAM!
Gajeel collapsed onto the ground again—but this ti, it wasn't Noel who struck him.
"Gajeel, you idiot! You big dummy!!!"
Levy shouted furiously after landing a solid punch on Gajeel's head, knocking him back down before he could even get up.
The sheer intensity of her resentnt was so strong that even Noel, standing a short distance away, could feel it crystal clear.
"Why'd you hit , you little shrimp?" Gajeel sat on the ground, rubbing the new lump on his head with a confused expression.
Levy shot him a sharp glare and said, "Gajeel, we can't beat Noel by brute force alone. The only way we stand a chance is by working together and coming up with a strategy!"
"Uh... Hmm... This..." Gajeel was montarily stunned by Levy's imposing aura, muttering incoherently.
"Listen to , do this..." Levy leaned in close to Gajeel's ear, whispering sothing.
Gajeel nodded repeatedly, occasionally responding with words like "Oh," "I see," and "Got it."
(They finally realized that only by working together do they stand a chance? Well, at least they're not hopeless.)
Seemingly having finished their discussion, Gajeel clenched his fists, a confident grin appearing on his face as he stood up. "Alright, let's restart the fight!"
"Co at ," Noel narrowed his eyes.
"[Steel]" Levy wrote in the air, and a chunk of steel materialized.
Gajeel imdiately bit into it, devouring it slowly.
At the sa ti, his left arm transford into the Iron Dragon's spear, and he charged toward Noel.
"[Iron Dragon Lance: Demon Logs!]" Gajeel's spear-like arm swung fiercely, delivering a thrust that sliced through the air with explosive force, aid directly at Noel.
"Not bad," Noel nodded.
At so point, a blade of pure white light had appeared in his hand.
The radiant sword clashed against the iron lance, producing the sharp clang of tal colliding.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Noel skillfully parried Gajeel's strikes.
The attacks were full of montum, but they had an obvious flaw—they lacked proper technique, making them easy to read.
However, due to the length of Gajeel's spear, Noel was temporarily unable to close the distance and could only respond cautiously while slowly retreating, looking for an opportunity.
Unknowingly, Noel had already been pushed back several ters.
Gajeel's lips curled into a sly smile as if his plan had succeeded.
Suddenly, he ceased his attacks and leaped backward.
"Hmm?" Noel was slightly startled, but in the next mont, he understood why Gajeel had retreated—because beneath his feet, nurous glowing magical letters had suddenly appeared.
"This is... Levy's magic letters!!"
Boom!
A series of continuous explosions erupted as dozens of letters labeled [Explosion] detonated beneath Noel's feet.
Whoosh!
Bursting through the smoke, Noel spread his wings of light, narrowly escaping the blast zone just in ti.
However, it seed Gajeel had already anticipated the direction Noel would escape in.
He had positioned himself ahead of Noel, his body now covered in the tallic dragon scales of the Iron Dragon.
With a vicious grin, he swung his fist.
"[Iron Dragon's Steel Fist!]"
Facing Gajeel's tal-coated, dragon-scaled punch, Noel had no ti to properly defend.
In haste, he could only raise his arms in front of him to shield himself.
Without any fancy maneuvers, he took the full force of the blow and was sent hurtling back into the fiery explosion's center.
Boom! Boom!
The explosions continued in succession, and crimson flas shot up into the sky.
"We did it!" Levy cheered, throwing her arms around Gajeel's neck in excitent.
Gajeel, caught off guard, stiffened for a mont, a faint, nearly imperceptible blush appearing on his face.
"...It was a bit rough around the edges, but not bad."
Just as Levy and Gajeel were celebrating, an unexpected voice suddenly rang out, causing both of them to freeze.
Their expressions shifted to shock as they turned toward the source.
With a whoosh, the fiery explosion dissipated, revealing Noel standing amidst the fading flas.
Though his clothes were slightly disheveled, he appeared completely unhard.
"That was a good attempt, but now... it's my turn to attack." Noel's lips curled into a slight smile as he suddenly vanished, reappearing instantly in front of Levy and Gajeel.
In his hands, a brilliant [Holy Sword of Light] materialized, slashing toward them in a dazzling arc.
(We're finished.)
Levy closed her eyes as the [Holy Sword of Light] drew closer.
Having just let their guard down, they had no ti to react.
(Damn it.)
Gajeel quickly stepped in front of Levy, shielding her behind him, a deep sense of unwillingness filling his heart.
Whoosh!
The [Holy Sword of Light] stopped just a few centiters away from Gajeel and Levy, its brilliant radiance dazzling to the eyes.
"Huh?"
Levy slowly opened her eyes, staring at the scene in shock.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Noel's lips as he gazed at Levy and Gajeel with a gentle expression.
Then, he spoke.
"You've passed."
"Eh? EHHHHHH?!!"
Both Gajeel and Levy let out cries of surprise, staring blankly at Noel.
As the light magic slowly faded away, Noel crossed his arms, seemingly amused by their reactions.
"But... we didn't even defeat you?"
"Why did we suddenly pass?"
Gajeel and Levy asked in confusion.
Noel tilted his head slightly, blinked, and responded with a puzzled tone.
"You two... don't actually think you have to defeat an S-Class Mage to pass the first test, do you?"
"Isn't that how it works???"
"Well, not exactly."
Noel scratched his cheek and explained, "As long as you display strength at an S-Class level and receive the acknowledgnt of the S-Class Mage overseeing your test, you can pass."
From the very beginning, Noel never intended to make the challengers on his route defeat him to pass.
In reality, even if Mirajane and Erza worked together, they still wouldn't be able to defeat him—let alone the other participants.
Furthermore, in the S-Class Promotion Exam, it was an unspoken rule that the examiners would go a little easy on the challengers.
As long as the participants showed enough ability to prove they were qualified for S-Class, they could move forward.
Another reason Noel allowed them to pass was that Levy wasn't a combat-oriented mage.
If Gray, Natsu, or soone else had ended up on this path, Noel would have set much stricter requirents for them.
"So...," Levy blinked a few tis and hesitantly asked, "does that an... Gajeel and I have earned your approval, Noel?"
"Yeah."
Noel nodded with a smile.
"You're still a bit inexperienced, but your teamwork was excellent, and you both made full use of your abilities. Strategically, you passed as well. So... I'll let you through this ti."
"YES!!"
Levy and Gajeel exchanged glances, both of their faces lighting up with joy.
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