A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

"What are you all dawdling for?! Get up here now!!"

"Oh oh oh!!!"

The three little ones spread their snow-white wings and flew together toward their respective partners.

Half an hour later, everyone had assembled.

Under the envious and longing gazes of the other guild members, the airship roared like thunder, carrying 28 people and three cats, and flew eastward.

Chapter 578 Each Teammate

It's colder and windier up high, but thanks to the airship's built-in windproof barrier, they felt refreshed and invigorated.

Makarov was getting old and his health wasn't what it used to be; he would shiver from time to time, which drew Precht's disapproval. However, despite his disapproval, the old man still shared a cup of his herbal tea.

As for the equally elderly August...

It just goes to show that there are differences between all the elderly people!

Despite his white hair, wrinkled face, and long beard, Auguste appeared robust and energetic, showing no signs of fatigue typical of someone over 80.

The others were much better off; they played, argued, and drank as they pleased, chattering away as if there were more than 20 ducks quacking above them.

Boom!Boom!

After drinking the tea, Makarov seemed to feel completely refreshed, a surge of warmth rising from his stomach throughout his body, dispelling the unbearable cold.

"Now, everyone come over and draw lots to be matched with your teammates for this assessment. Those who draw the same number are your teammates, and that number will be your team number!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Happy, Charlotte, and Lily the three cats flew out of the room, dragging two cardboard boxes in their hands.

Ten minutes later, as Mebis finished writing, the team situation for this assessment was revealed to everyone: "So, the team situation for this S-level assessment is as follows."

"Team 1: Wendy and Timalia!"

"Is this little girl teaming up? It looks like something interesting!"

From their first meeting, Timalia had her eye on Wendy and couldn't wait to get close to her, but she never had the chance. Now, hearing that she could team up with her, she couldn't contain her excitement.

Wendy noticed this expression and couldn't help but shudder: "Please...please guide me!"

"Don't worry, I will definitely teach you properly..." Timalia stuck out her tongue and licked her lips, her eyes looking like those of a mother wolf eyeing a fat sheep.

Wendy: I'm scared...

"Team 2: Gajeel, Dispel!"

"Heh heh... I've been matched with an amazing guy!"

Gajeel was very satisfied with this teammate. He had already heard about Dispel's victory over Serena with his swordsmanship, and was basically certain that he was one of the strongest among the supporters, and that his strength was not much weaker than Kira's.

The two are quite fated, you see, because when Dispel first appeared, he took over by using Gajeel's old boss's head.

"Team 3: Juvia, Gildas!"

Juvia didn't react much. In her eyes, there were only two kinds of people: "Lord Grey" and "everyone else".

In contrast, Gildas was quite happy. After all, for him, teaming up with a young and beautiful girl was definitely better than teaming up with a man: "Hehe...Leave it to me, little girl!"

"Team 4: Gray, Urutia!"

"This is a rare opportunity, so let me teach you the true secrets of the Ice Form!"

"You're going to fight using Ice Shape magic? Then you can't disgrace Uru's name!"

As Uru's daughter and disciple, the two share a bond that no one else has. Ice-Shape Magic can serve as a bridge connecting their magical powers, and they might even be able to unleash extraordinary combination magic.

Moreover, the two are respectively skilled in the Arc of Time and the Ice Demon Slayer Technique, making them arguably the most compatible pair in terms of magic.

"Team 5: Abrams, Erza!"

"Now it really is a team of 'fairies' and 'queens'!"

Although she had always coveted Erza's title of "Fairy Queen," Abram was still impressed by Erza's strength and luck. With such a person as an ally, this test might not be hopeless.

"Team 6: Felid, Gerald!"

Both were taciturn and handsome men with above-average intelligence. After learning about their teammates, they didn't communicate much, only nodding in acknowledgment.

Although he was slightly disappointed that he didn't get a match with Laxus, he knew that the probability of this happening was only one in twelve. What a coincidence that he would run into such good luck?

"Team 7: Lisanna, Laxus!"

"Leave the assessment to me!"

"Yes...yes!!"

Lisanna seemed slightly reserved, mainly because Laxus's expression was too cold—even though he was trying to appear very enthusiastic. However, the two standing together gave off a distinct vibe of a domineering man and a delicate younger sister.

"Team 8: Elfman, Kana!"

"Looks like there's no hope again this year..." Elfman said dejectedly, his face ashen.

This terrible remark made Kana so angry that she smashed the bottle in her hand over his head: "What do you mean by that, you bastard?! Who do you think you are?!"

Even if I'm the weakest of the twelve, I'm still a true S-class mage!

"Team 9: Levy and Serena!"

"Eh?! That's great!!" Levy's eyes lit up, her excited expression was quite adorable.

That's it, that's it! The number one spot in the Ten Saints is no joke! With teammates like that, we might have a chance this year!

"What a perfect combination!"

After a period of hard work and rigorous training, Serena has almost completely lost the fat on his stomach. As always, his inner chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur) is burning brightly.

No matter who they face, he is confident enough to carry them to victory. As for whether they can achieve final victory, that's not something he can guarantee: "This time I should be able to fight Gildarts and Kira!"

"Team 10: Biguslo, Mira!"

"Please guide me!" Mira smiled sweetly, radiating a gentle aura.

"I'm counting on you this time!"

Although he said that, Bigusro knew very well that with his and Mira's strength, there was little hope of standing out among so many big shots.

'It's not a bad idea to treat it as a learning experience... Let's try harder next year!'

"Team 11: Lucy and Brandish!"

Lucy knew she had latched onto a powerful patron, so she immediately clasped her hands together and pleaded earnestly, "Please!! This time, it all depends on you!!"

"Don't hold me back."

Brandish took a sip of his hot drink, his tone indifferent, but to Lucy it sounded like, "Don't worry, I've got your back."

"Finally, it's Team 12: Natsu and Kira!"

"Huh? A solo team with Natsu... Come to think of it, the last time was several years ago, wasn't it?"

"That's because I'm getting stronger and stronger!!" Natsu exclaimed with an excited smile. "Kira, how about we settle this after this is over?"

"Hmph... wait until you get the S-rank title!"

Kira paused, then added, "Or if you perform exceptionally well in this assessment and defeat someone of sufficient stature, I might give you a chance!"

As for whether the portion is enough, that's entirely up to you!

"Don't worry! I'm sure I'll get an S-rank in the assessment this year! I'm fired up!!"

"With a teammate like me, who has both exceptional strength and intelligence, even Happy could become an S-class..." Kira boasted shamelessly, looking quite smug.

That's incredibly disrespectful!

His words caused a huge uproar, and everyone stared at him and Natsu beside him with hostile eyes.

Kira pretended not to notice the group's fighting spirit and patted Natsu beside him, "How about it, Natsu? Are you confident you can take all these people down?"

"Of course!!"

Natsu was burning with fighting spirit and spoke without thinking—of course, even if he had thought it through, his intelligence wouldn't have allowed him to detect Kira's provocation.

Everyone: ??

"So you're pretty brave, Natsu?"

Happy's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but sweat for his old partner: We absolutely can't agree, Natsu! Look at their faces!! Those dangerous eyes! That dangerous tone! That dangerous…

"Of course! I'm super brave, okay?!"

What are you saying, Natsu?!

Harpy covered his eyes in despair.

Chapter 579 The First Test: Preparing Food

The sky was azure, dotted with white clouds. The mountains before me stretched endlessly, like a long, winding serpent lying dormant, waiting for the right moment to burst forth and devour the world.

The Darus Mountains are a desolate mountain range located in the southeast of the Kingdom of Fiore. The mountains and rivers are not particularly beautiful, and the scenery is not pleasant. In every aspect, it is far inferior to Sirius Island, so it wouldn't be a big deal if it were destroyed.

Although this place is remote and has no special minerals to mine, and is almost deserted, it is not without its advantages. Its biggest advantage is that it is a large place with various magical beasts occupying the area, making it a perfect training ground.

However, in the time that followed, the biggest crisis here was not any monsters, but the destruction caused by these uninvited guests from Fairy Tail.

The magic airship landed in a spacious valley. The ground was covered with weeds that were a dozen centimeters high. All around were mountains, each one majestic. Not far away was water, with a waterfall cascading down from the top of one of the mountains. The river meandered and the water was crystal clear. A few flower petals floated on the surface of the river, and a faint fragrance drifted on the wind.

"The smell of nature is so comforting!"

"Really? I don't know how I feel about that."

Compared to Cana and the others who stayed in the guild, people like Kira, who had just returned from the Western Continent and only stayed in Magnolia for a few days, did not enjoy the embrace of nature much. Instead, they felt a bit nauseous.

Of course, there are also some people who are naturally active and can have a blast no matter where they are, such as Natsu and Happy. As soon as they get off the airship, they run around like crazy, even more carefree than when they are at home.

"Come here, everyone, stop fooling around, the assessment is about to begin!"

Mavis was still wearing only a white dress. The swaying weeds looked like a group of lewd old men constantly scratching her fair and smooth feet, and a strange feeling crept into her heart.

Upon hearing her call to action, everyone was taken aback: "Huh?! So soon? I thought it wouldn't start until at least tomorrow..."