A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

"President, which external aid personnel will participate in this assessment?"

Makarov glanced at the person who asked the question and said calmly, "Everyone except August and the second generation has it!"

Glug...

Everyone swallowed hard to calm their nerves.

Besides August and the second generation, everyone else is there?! That means Serena, the strongest of the Ten Wizard Saints, Timaria who can stop time, and Brandish who can enlarge her breasts are all there too?! How are we supposed to fight these guys?!

"That kind of opponent is impossible to defeat..."

"Not necessarily! What if one of them could become a teammate..."

"What should I do? What should I do? Fighting these people will kill me, won't it??"

"What are you worried about?! There's absolutely no chance you'll be selected as a candidate, okay?!"

"Nonsense! I've worked very hard this year!"

"Great!! Doesn't that mean I can finally fight those people?!"

"Interesting! I'll see if I can take them all down one by one!"

The intervention of these powerful foreign players has elicited mixed reactions, with some expressing concern and others excitement. Their confident statements have sparked another round of noise and criticism.

"Did you all hear that clearly?"

Just as the guild members were discussing amongst themselves, Makarov coughed lightly, interrupting their enthusiasm once again, and continued to announce the rules:

"This year, twelve guild members have been granted the qualification to participate in the S-level assessment, which is the 'reserve team'; there are also twelve people in your team who will help you, and they are the 'external support team'."

"In other words, this is a free-for-all involving twelve teams and a total of 24 people! And at most, only one person can become an S-class mage in the end!"

"The list of twelve candidates is: Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, Juvia, Freed, Biggleslow, Abrams, Gajeel, Levy, Elfman, and Lisanna!"

"The 'external support team' consists of S-rank members from the guild and guests visiting the guild, namely Kira, Gildarts, Laxus, Erza, Mira, Cana, Serena, Dispel, Jellal, Ultear, Brandish, and Timalia—these twelve people!"

"Each substitute will be randomly matched with a teammate from the 'foreign aid team' through a lottery, but you will only find out who your teammate is on the day of departure."

"The meeting time is three days from now, at the guild gate. We will take Kira's airship to the Darus Mountains for the assessment."

"This assessment will be conducted by myself, the first generation, the second generation, and Augustus as the judges."

……

After announcing the basic competition rules, Makarov left to handle related matters, while the guild once again became noisy, with the twelve candidates gathering together to discuss the terrible future they were about to face.

Gray rubbed his furrowed brow, radiating an aura of 'distress': 'To be teammates and opponents with those people... just thinking about it is incredible!'

"Ugh~ I'm so disappointed that I can't be on the same team as Lord Gray again this year!!"

After not seeing him for three months, Juvia has been incredibly persistent with Gray these past few days, following him everywhere he goes, much to Gray's annoyance.

Happy took a bite of the fish head: "Natsu, it seems I can't help you this time. You'd better do your best!"

"Oh! I've received your encouragement!!"

On the other side, Lucy, Levy, and Wendy were huddled together, shedding tears and sharing their anxieties.

"I never imagined I'd be participating in this year's assessment; this is just too exciting!!"

"Waaaaah... What should I do? I'm just a little kid!"

"If only I could be matched with a strong teammate..."

Gajeel walked up to Levy and scolded her arrogantly, "You can't have this kind of mentality! Since it's an assessment, you have to rely on your own strength!"

"Idiot Gajeel! My strength is..."

After a brief argument, Levy playfully punched Gajeel in the chest with her little fist, and then they ran to the side to whisper to each other, much to the dismay of the others: this guy who had both a successful career and a happy love life was simply infuriating.

Thor and his two companions, along with Elfman and his sister, gathered together to discuss their leader and sister.

"I wish I could be on the same team as Laxus (Mira)..."

"Seriously, don't you guys think the skill gap between these 'foreign aid team' members is too big?"

As soon as someone uttered those words, silence fell once again.

Chapter 577 Plastic Sisters: Kana, if I could, I really wouldn't want to meet you...

"A difference in strength? Now that you mention it, it certainly seems so."

Elfman flexed his large muscles and said, "I heard that those two women from the Western Continent couldn't even beat Laxus and Erza together, and they are just one of the so-called 'Twelve Shields,' equivalent to the strength of the 'Number One Wizard.' It's unbelievable to think about."

Lisanna rested her chin on her hands, leaning against the table, and echoed her brother's words: "Yeah! With them around, can we really do well on the assessment? It's practically like they're the ones taking the assessment..."

To be honest, Lisanna herself didn't expect that she would be able to participate in the S-level assessment this year, even though her strength is not very strong.

"I think the president and the others should be able to consider this..."

Philid's eyes flickered, somewhat displeased that the two siblings mentioned Laxus's defeat. "This is, after all, our test. With the First Hokage here, she will definitely make proper arrangements of the power."

The title of "Fairy Strategist" had already spread throughout the guild. Even those who hadn't witnessed it firsthand believed in the title without question; this was the unique trust that belonged to "Fairy Tail."

"Forming a team with a powerful mage is also a form of training for us. Seeing a mage of that level firsthand might inspire us to fight. I think that's what the guild master and the others are thinking."

It must be said that Fred is indeed a bit smarter than the others. He can understand some of the game plans from their past experiences and personalities, but not much.

"What we should be worried about now is who our teammates are! If we enter the assessment as 'substitutes + supporters' and are matched with strong teammates, the assessment will be relatively easier; otherwise, it will become very difficult."

Biguslo stuck out his tongue and chuckled, "If we're talking about the strongest, it should be Kira, right?"

Since Kira defeated Gildarts at the last Harvest Festival, he has become the strongest member of the guild on the surface. Even though Gildarts's importance in everyone's hearts remains unchanged, he has become the second strongest in terms of status.

"That Serena and Dispel are really strong too! One has eight Dragon Slayer Magics, and the other is Kira's counterpart. He claims his strength is on par with Kira's!"

"Women who use time magic and shape magic are also troublesome! The latter can only be resisted with enough magic power; but dealing with the former's time-stopping magic is almost impossible!"

"If it were Urutia's Arc of Time, it might be of some use."

After some discussion, the group still couldn't determine who was the strongest or how to deal with the supporters—they were ultimately too weak and lacked combat experience and coping skills in this area.

"The strongest is debatable, so what about the weakest one..."

Before the sentence was even finished, someone immediately blurted out, "The weakest one should be Kana!"

"It must be Kana!"

"Kana!"

I think it's Kana!

Several people spoke in unison, then froze, exchanging glances and looking at each other in bewilderment, an awkward atmosphere filling the air.

The substitutes vary in strength, and the same applies to foreign players.

In the former case, Levy and Lisanna could try to secure the second-to-last position; as for the latter... without a doubt, the weakest is Cana.

Although she has become much stronger over the past year, in terms of talent, she still can't compare with others. Among that group of people, she's practically like a husky mixed in with a pack of wolves.

"Ahem... It seems nobody wants to be teammates with Kana..."

Lucy/Levy/Wendy/Lisanna: 'Sorry, Cana! It's not nice to think like this, but if I could, I really wouldn't want to be matched with you...'

(Kana, who isn't here: ??)

"Lucy-san, didn't you work with Kana-san last year to make her S-class? You should have a good understanding of each other, right?"

Wendy's voice was sweet and coquettish, but it sounded somewhat teasing at this moment.

What level is Lucy? Of course, she wouldn't be bothered by Wendy's question and immediately replied righteously, "Of course! Cana and I are very good sisters!"

(Levy glanced at Lucy furtively: Lucy!! Aren't I your best friend?! I'm so sad!!... I'm going to seek comfort from Gajeel!)

"But we can't control who we're matched with. Since the guild leader and the others are using a lottery system, it's to ensure the randomness of team formation. This is to test whether we can develop synergy with our teammates in the shortest amount of time..."

She rambled on and on, but few people listened, because Lucy lacked confidence.

The girls understood, but they didn't show any strange expressions. On the arena where they competed to become S-class mages, no amount of sisterly affection could compare to a powerful teammate.

Plastic sisters are nothing more than this.

Several perceptive boys also noticed, but Natsu wasn't among them. He was excitedly waving his fist: "Isn't it great to team up with Cana? That way, if I win, it's like winning a two-on-one fight!!"

Everyone thought to themselves: You'd have to be able to win first!

……

Time flew by, and soon it was time to meet again in three days.

As the warm December sun shone across Magnolia, Natsu and the other twelve candidates, carrying their luggage, gathered at the guild entrance, ready to head to the assessment location.

The familiar, cool magic airship stopped at the guild's entrance, attracting many passersby to stop and watch. This time, they weren't on a primary school field trip, but rather like they were taking a graduation exam. Everyone was well-prepared and, with a special car, they were heading to an unknown exam venue a thousand miles away to complete an exam that would mark the end of their studies.

Since Makarov had not informed them of the exact duration of the assessment, Natsu and the others brought camping essentials in case of unforeseen circumstances, a necessary habit for a qualified mage when going out.

"President! Can we really go together?"

At the guild entrance, three kittens, Happy, Charlu, and Lili, came to Makarov's side, their expressions excited.

Originally, they were disappointed that they couldn't participate in their partner's S-level assessment, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, and after arriving here, they were notified that they were allowed to accompany each other.

Of course they'll go!

Makarov smiled, his Mediterranean hairstyle shining brightly in the sunlight. He stroked his sparse beard and replied kindly, "Of course!"

"Yay!!"

Happy was the happiest. Everyone else in the team had gone out, and it was just Happy and Charlene staying at the guild... well, that wasn't so bad, was it? But going to the training grounds with Natsu would definitely be more fun, and camping along the way would be even better!

However, before he could be happy for long, Kira pinched his chubby cheek with a mischievous grin: "After all, if there's a mission to deliver a message, we'll need you three little ones to run errands!"

"Huh?! How could this happen?!"

"Since you're going along, it's only natural to help out, right? If Wendy goes with you guys to those desolate mountains and wilderness areas, she'll suffer a lot..."

Xia Lulu remained true to her proud and aloof nature. Although she didn't say it explicitly, her tone was full of affection for Wendy.

"With so many older brothers, sisters, uncles, and grandfathers here, how could a little girl like you suffer? Even if you do suffer, it's a necessary test in the assessment, a trial for growth..."

Unfortunately, Charlotte wouldn't listen to Kira's assurances at all, acting like a worried mother who was afraid her daughter would be bullied when she went out.

Lili was much more direct, standing with his arms crossed beside the two cats, his big eyes filled with anticipation for the assessment in the coming days: "I also want to see just how strong those people are! I heard before that they are practically the mages standing at the pinnacle of humanity in this world!"