A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

The two girls glanced at each other and answered in unison, "Of course!"

The game has finally reached its end!

Lucy drew her cards with trepidation, receiving one [Friendship Bond] and one [Elder's Expectation].

[Friends' Bond: Select any two characters to enter the 'Bond' state. Characters with this state cannot damage each other; using it again will cancel the 'Chain' state.]

[Elder's Blessing: Restores health and mana to full. Remove this card from the game after use.]

Both are item cards, both are very useful, and both have important significance.

"Come on, Kira! Be my friend!"

The moment Lucy saw her hand, she finally smiled, because she knew she could survive Kira's last turn!

"Designate myself and Kira, and use [Friendship Bond]!"

Upon activating the card's effect, white chains immediately appeared on the character cards of Lucy and Kira, indicating that they were in a "bond" state and could not attack each other.

"That should do it! You won't be able to harm me in the next round, so we should be able to pass the level, right?"

However, Kira raised an eyebrow: "Really? I still have one card in my hand. Although I just told you it was [Defense], I might not be telling the truth!"

"During my draw phase, I can draw two more cards, plus the two more after activating [Genius of Mischief]. Do you dare bet that [Friendship Bond] isn't among these five cards?"

"Of course I know that!" Lucy looked at the cards in her hand and shouted, "Activate [Celestial Summon] three times! Use [Elder's Blessing]!"

"Underestimating the enemy and being careless! That can be fatal in battle!"

While Lucy activated her skill to summon a Celestial Spirit, Kira earnestly said to the two, "I may not be able to speak as persuasively as the Chairman or Gildarts, but I still hope you remember that you should never let your guard down before the battle is completely over!"

"The most dangerous crisis often lurks in the final moments before victory! Without this mindset to face every test and battle, one cannot become a qualified S-rank mage!!"

"Yes Yes……"

Hearing their casual, perfunctory response, Kira immediately became displeased: "What are you doing?! This is a very important test for you! Listen carefully to your senior's teachings!! I prepared these lines for a whole minute!!!"

However, the two were watching the Celestial Spirit abilities that Lucy had summoned and did not respond.

Kira sighed helplessly, "Alright, alright! My turn!"

He silently drew two cards, then two more, but none of the five cards had the [Friendship Bond] effect, meaning he couldn't harm Lucy.

"Alright! You've passed the test!"

"Huh?! But we haven't finished reading the Protoss skills yet! And why does your character card have...?"

"Why bother reading character cards? They're all skills that seriously ruin the game experience!"

Kira snatched the cards from their hands and put them all back into the box. "Have you forgotten you're taking an exam right now?! Survive this dungeon, and you'll have plenty of chances to play later!"

The three of them stood up and dusted off their pants.

"Thanks, Kira!" Cana waved with a smile.

Kira stretched out his hand and used magic to open a storage space, putting the game card box inside: "You guys are lucky! And... Kana!"

"what happened?"

Kira sighed and said meaningfully, "Children don't need those ridiculous excuses to see their parents!"

Kana remained silent upon hearing this. She was well aware of this, but the goal she had set back then had become a shackle in her heart over the years, binding her tightly and making it difficult for her to break free.

Seeing Cana's expression, Kira knew she hadn't listened to him again, so he turned to ask, "By the way, Lucy, did you write a proper farewell letter to your father the other day, as I told you?"

Upon hearing Kira's words, Lucy was taken aback at first, finding his question rather absurd. However, she quickly recalled Gildarts and Cana's relationship and guessed that Kira must know the details and was therefore trying to explain himself.

"What farewell?! Don't make it sound like we'll never see each other again!"

Lucy put her hands on her hips, looking a little angry, and said, "Anyway, you probably want to say something like, 'Lucy had such a bad falling out with her father before, but now she can get along with him openly, so you should feel free to reveal your identity to Gildas,' right?"

"I didn't mean to say that! I really just wanted you to have a proper talk with your father... By the way, your attitude wasn't too bad, was it? As children, you should sometimes be considerate of your parents' feelings!"

"Alright, alright..." Lucy waved her hand impatiently, "Why do you sound like an old man?"

"Tch! This is a rare piece of advice! If you don't listen, you'll regret it later..."

Lucy was about to say something like, "You have no idea how long-winded my dad is," but then she remembered that Kira was an orphan, and swallowed her words.

'Kira... could it be that he really wants to see his parents?'

If Kira knew what Lucy was thinking, he would definitely yell, "You're overthinking it! And stop with the endless internal monologues!"

"Why are you so concerned about this?" Lucy was about to walk with Cana to the end of the passage when she suddenly turned around and asked Kira.

"Oh, it's nothing."

Kira waved casually and followed. "But there's a high chance something unexpected might happen during this test. If we can't stop it, you and your dad might never see each other again! In other words, that letter really will be your final farewell. I don't want you to have any regrets!"

"Huh??" Lucy frowned and tilted her head, looking completely puzzled.

Cana looked at Kira, who had followed them, and asked curiously, "Are you coming with us?"

Kira replied, "Yes! There are some things I need to discuss with the chairman!"

Chapter 304 The End of the Passage...

At the end of the passage, there was a bright light.

The midday sun beat down on the forest path, illuminating the surrounding trees in vibrant colors. The ancient trees, some perhaps several hundred years old, swayed in the slightly salty breeze, their branches and leaves fluttering and casting rustling sounds, creating an atmosphere of tranquility and peace.

Whizzing……

The soft rustling of clothes in the wind was accompanied by the approaching sound of three chaotic footsteps.

"This new outfit is nice!"

Sensing the movement, Makarov, who had been sitting upright on the large rock, slowly opened his old but bright eyes and looked at Kira, who was standing in front of him, blocking the sunlight with his body.

Kira first looked around, where several people had already gathered.

Gajeel and Levy arrived first because they took the "Quiet" route. The two of them were sitting together, seemingly "flirting," and there was a sour smell about them.

Natsu and Happy cleared the game in a very short time thanks to Gildarts's significant leniency, and are now feeling a bit down, while Gildarts is having a great time playing with Happy.

It took me about 15 minutes to play cards with Lucy and Cana, which is relatively fast. Now, only the groups of Fred, Gray, Meester, Elfman, and Juvia remain.

"Hmm... there's no hope for Juvia's group. After their defeat, they should be taken to Erza's camp. I just hope Erza didn't hit them too hard just now. As for Mester and Wendy, they should still be on the island right now."

Judging from Kira's perception of magic, the paths chosen by the group were not much different from the original work. The only difference was that, because of Kira and Laxus, Freed's group also passed the first stage of the test.

“Gildas told me everything, is your information accurate, Kira?”

Maklov looked solemn. Tenrou Island was not only the holy land of Fairy Tail, but also the cenotaph of the first guild master, Mavis. It was his own territory!

This place, soon to be invaded by the dark guild 'Heart of the Devil,' and even the legendary dark mage Zeref might be here, made Makarov completely uneasy.

"Absolutely true! When has my intelligence ever been wrong?"

Maklov's expression turned serious again: "In that case, I would like to suspend the assessment and prepare for battle!"

Whether it was out of duty as "chairman", or out of the role of "parent" or "examiner", this decision was correct, but it was not what Kira wanted to see!

After all, if that were the case, this assessment would be... way too boring!

"Why? Why not just include the 'Devil's Heart' in the assessment?"

"Nonsense!" Maklov scolded, "This guild has been around for far too long! Nobody knows how deep their foundation is! Although they are both part of the 'Baram Alliance,' 'Heart of the Devil' is not comparable to 'Oracle Seis,' their strength cannot be easily assessed!"

Kira sat down next to Makarov and said, "Don't worry, Chairman! You should know that their high-ranking combat force is almost completely crippled! I still have two of my undercover agents there, and the rest are just grunts! Isn't this perfect for them to test their skills?"

But Maklov remained adamant: "That won't do! As a parent, I can't put my children in danger!"

“How can they grow without going through trials?” Kira retorted. “I think this level of danger is just right, enough to both unleash their potential and improve their ability to respond to crises.”

"There are even bigger enemies waiting for them in the future... no, they're waiting for us!"

Maklov's heart skipped a beat: "Who else?"

He knew that Jia never spoke without reason, so if he said that, he must have found out something.

"In any case, it's an opponent even more dangerous than the upcoming 'Heart of the Devil'!"

Upon hearing Kira's words, Makarov fell silent. If that were the case, perhaps Kira was right. Letting these fledglings he had been protecting spread their wings and fly high ahead of time might not be a bad choice.

But...do we really have to do this? What if something goes wrong...?

Seeing that Makarov seemed to be wavering, Kira pressed his advantage and offered a suggestion: "How about this? Tell them the situation and let them choose for themselves?"

Maklov glanced up at Kira and said, "Do they even need to think about their choice?"

As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. For 'Fairy Tail', Makarov knew exactly what kind of personalities these children had and what choices they would make in this situation.

"hey-hey……"

Kira wasn't surprised that Maklov had seen through his little scheme; he just smiled.

While the group was chatting, three more groups arrived: Fred and Biguslow, Gray and Rocky, and Elfman and Abba Green.

Laxus did not follow. After finishing the assessment, he went straight back to the camp to prepare for the upcoming battle.

Mira didn't come either; she stayed with Erza at the camp to take care of Juvia and Lisanna.

"Quite a few people have passed the test..."

Looking around and counting carefully, Maklov was quite surprised to find that only two groups had been eliminated in the first stage of the assessment.

On the one hand, he hopes that all the children can pass; on the other hand, he also hopes to lower the pass rate and reduce the number of people taking the test later.

Kira stood beside him and said meaningfully, "Surprised? These guys have gotten so strong without you even realizing it! So..."

He didn't continue speaking, but the implication was clear.

“I understand what you mean! I agree, let’s do it that way!” Makarov sighed, “It’s just that it’s a bit of a disturbance to the First Generation…”

"Hahaha!"

Upon hearing that Makarov had finally agreed with his opinion, Kira burst out laughing and reassured him, "Don't worry, Chairman! Seeing Fairy Tail so full of talent now, the First Generation must be very happy!"

"Is everyone here? Then..."

Markov stepped forward with his hands behind his back, gathering everyone present together. "Now I will announce the results of the first phase of this assessment."

"Levy and Gajeel were very lucky to pass through the Path of Stillness and broke through!"