In the evening, Nate learned through his private chat with Mirajane that the 16 participants of the S-Class Exam had already ford eight teams.
Won's Group (4 Teams):
- Cana & Lucy
- Ultear & redy
- Juvia & Wendy
- Levy & Evergreen
n's Group (4 Teams):
- Natsu & Gray
- Freed & Bickslow
- Elfman & Gajeel
- st & Loke
...
Sigma Male: "How many participants do you think will pass?"
The Departing Traveler: "I don't know, maybe all of them can pass. ??"
Nate didn't quite believe that, but he didn't press further. After finishing his conversation with the waitress, he returned to creating Pokémon.
To ensure the ga could launch as soon as possible, Nate worked overti, determined to complete the entire first generation of Pokémon before the S-Class Exam officially began.
...
Three Days Later
Nate updated the third card pool for the ga.
The previous Second Card Pool—featuring Pidgey, Caterpie, Weedle, and Ekans—was moved to the Permanent Pool.
The new Limited Pool included Fearow, Rattata, Sandshrew, and Clefairy.
Shortly after the update, Nate received a private ssage from Jude Heartfilia.
Jude Heartfilia: "My dear son-in-law, the third batch of rings has been completed."
Ever since learning about Nate's relationship with Lucy, Jude rarely addressed him by na. Instead, he always called him 'son-in-law,' which Nate suspected was a subtle push toward marriage.
Sigma Male: "How many rings this ti?"
Jude Heartfilia: "The partnership with the banks for the [Magic Net Pay] feature has gone very well. Thanks to their financial loans, monthly production has now reached 1 million rings!"
The smooth progress delighted Nate. With this production rate, it would take just 17 months for every person in the Fiore Kingdom to have a Magic Net ring...
'On second thought, that's still too slow.'
Sigma Male: "Can production be increased further?"
Jude Heartfilia: "It's difficult in the short term. It's not about money—we don't have enough skilled artisans. We're recruiting apprentices, but training them will take ti."
Sigma Male: "Understood. Where are you? I'll co over to enchant the rings."
Jude Heartfilia: "I'm at ho."
Jude had workshops all over the country, with the largest located in the capital. Each week, all completed rings were sent to his ho.
Nate replied with a quick "On my way" and used his Flying Thunder God magic to teleport directly there.
This ti, he didn't bring Lucy along—she was training with Cana for the S-Class Exam.
...
At the Heartfilia Mansion:
"Nate-sama, I hear you're dating Lucy-ojou!"
The housekeeper, Spetto, greeted him at the door with a teasing tone.
Nate was montarily speechless. 'Who spilled the beans?'
It had to be Jude. That old man probably couldn't stop talking about it, and now even the staff knew.
"Good to see you, Spetto-san. Where's Jude?"
"He's in the warehouse. I'll take you there."
The so-called warehouse turned out to be larger than Nate's mansion on the outskirts of Magnolia.
Jude was already waiting for him inside.
Before starting, Nate discreetly planted a Flying Thunder God marker in the warehouse so he could return anyti.
"My dear son-in-law, you're here."
After exchanging greetings, Nate imdiately got to work enchanting the rings.
With 1 million rings, he worked tirelessly from morning until evening to finish the job.
Jude stayed by his side the entire ti, occasionally asking about his and Lucy's relationship.
Although Jude always claid not to ddle in his daughter's life, his concern was impossible to hide.
Once the enchanting was complete, Jude proposed:
"This batch of rings should be partially distributed to the capital. I think it's ti to open a dedicated Magic Net ring store there."
"That's fine," Nate agreed after so thought. "But make sure to leave a portion for online sales."
The goal was to gradually encourage people to embrace online shopping. Physical stores were more symbolic and didn't need to be widespread.
Jude considered this and nodded. "Then let's start with 100,000 rings for the capital. I'll update the inventory now."
He opened his Magic Net account and began setting the stock for the [Magic Net Marketplace].
...
anwhile, across the sea from Ishgar, on the continent of Alvarez, there stood a vast and mighty empire.
The Alvarez Empire, a superpower built upon the combined strength of 730 guilds, was known as a military and magical juggernaut.
Its capital, Vistarion, was a bustling tropolis. Compared to Magnolia, Vistarion was a sprawling city of grandeur, making the forr seem like a re village in comparison.
The streets of the capital were alive with citizens enjoying the vibrant nightlife. The wealth and prosperity of the empire were evident everywhere, with lights illuminating the city and throngs of people filling the streets.
High atop one of the city's towering spires, Azuma, a mber of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, stood silently, gazing at the distant imperial palace.
"This is strange... The emperor here is called 'Spriggan,' not 'Zeref,'" he murmured.
Under the orders of their leader, Hades, the Seven Kin of Purgatory had traveled across the ocean to Vistarion with a singular goal: find Zeref.
However, unlike Jellal's direct approach of storming a palace, they chose to infiltrate the city and gather information discreetly.
Yet, their efforts yielded no results.
The locals referred to their emperor as 'Spriggan.'
"Could our intelligence have been wrong?" Azuma furrowed his brows. "No, at the very least, we need to confirm the emperor's appearance. I should report this to Hades-sama."
Pouring magic into his Magic Net Ring, Azuma activated the network. A translucent interface appeared before him.
But in the next instant—
"How interesting... There's no trace of magic flow. What kind of magic is this?"
A woman's voice, rich with curiosity, echoed from behind him.
Azuma's pupils contracted sharply as he spun around.
Before him stood a tall woman with crimson hair tied into four braids, her face strikingly similar to Erza's.
She was clad in a black cloak, thigh-high boots, and a black witch's hat, holding a staff with deer antler-like patterns marked with dark spots.
The woman's intense gaze was fixed on the floating Magic Net interface.
"Mouse-chan, tell , what kind of magic is this? And why is there no magic flow involved?"
She smiled faintly, her tone calm yet unsettling.
'Who is this woman?'
Azuma's heart pounded. The magic emanating from her was overwhelming—far beyond anything he had ever encountered, even from Hades.
Standing before her felt like standing at the edge of a volcano about to erupt.
Without hesitation, he turned to flee.
But before he could take a single step—
"Poof!"
His body shrank in an instant. In the blink of an eye, he was no longer a towering man but a... mouse.
"Mouse-chan should stay as they are," the crimson-haired woman said with a playful smirk.
She bent down, picking up the Magic Net Ring between her thumb and forefinger. Holding it up to the moonlight, she inspected it curiously.
"So, this is it?"
She tried infusing magic into the ring, but nothing happened.
"How peculiar," she murmured, her brows knitting in confusion.
As a mouse, Azuma clenched his tiny teeth and growled, "That's a Magic Net Ring. Only its original owner can use it. If you want to try it, you'll need to buy a new one."
"Is that so?" The woman crouched to et his gaze. "Then hand over a new one, and I'll let you go."
Azuma hesitated. 'Where am I supposed to get a new ring?'
"Undo the magic first," he demanded, trying to maintain composure. "I'll use the Magic Net to buy one for you."
The woman chuckled softly and waved her wand. Instantly, Azuma returned to his human form.
However, he found himself unable to move.
"Don't think about escaping, mouse-chan. I'm just curious about your magic," she said with a sly grin.
Resigned, Azuma picked up the ring she tossed back at him and activated the [Magic Net Marketplace].
To his surprise, he found that there were indeed rings available—over 90,000 in stock, though the numbers were dropping rapidly.
Wasting no ti, Azuma quickly purchased one using Magic Net Coins.
Within monts, the stock was depleted. Azuma counted himself lucky to have secured one.
In the blink of an eye, a teleportation circle materialized before him, delivering the new ring directly to his hand.
The crimson-haired woman's eyes widened in surprise.
"Hmm... No magic flow at all. This is... teleportation magic?"
She was captivated. Although the phenonon resembled teleportation, it lacked the usual traces of magic.
With a snap of her fingers, the ring floated into her hand.
Slipping it on, she infused magic into it, causing text to appear before her eyes.
"Ah, it activates with magic input," she murmured.
"Beware of using your real na," Azuma cautioned nervously. "Now, can I leave?"
With a dismissive wave of her hand, the woman allowed him to go.
Azuma fled without looking back, his heart racing.
The woman examined the interface further. "Userna required?"
She pondered for a mont before typing: 'Scarlet Empress'.
"Yes, this sounds much better. Scarlet Despair was never cute anyway."
She delved deeper into the Magic Net, exploring the forums and various features.
The more she learned, the more her astonishnt grew.
"This... isn't magic. It's divine magic, the work of a god."
Intrigued, she entered the [Magic Arena], imdiately queuing for a match.
The process was instantaneous.
In the next mont, her consciousness was forcibly transferred into the virtual space.
She opened her eyes to find herself in the [Seaside Arena].
"Is this... teleportation to a beach? No, it's a fabricated world—a virtual space?"
The woman crouched, scooping up seawater into her palms and licking it lightly.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"The taste of saltwater..."
For the first ti in 400 years, she experienced flavor.
...
"Hey, are you going to fight or not?"
A tanned woman stood at the shoreline, looking unimpressed.
With a flick of red magic, the crimson-haired woman obliterated her opponent in an instant—disintegrating her entirely.
But the opponent didn't die. Instead, she was forcibly ejected from the arena, her data fading like static.
"Not dead... Just forcibly removed," the crimson-haired woman mused.
Her eyes narrowed as she inspected her surroundings again.
"This Magic Net... It's not human magic. It's divine magic."
Exiting the ga, her eyes sparkled with a newfound obsession.
Browsing the forum, she quickly found the creator of the Magic Net.
...
Nate
Userna: Sigma Male
...
Without hesitation, she added him as a friend and sent a ssage:
[Scarlet Empress]:
"Greetings, esteed god. May I ask which divine domain you govern?"
~~~
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