A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Whether it's Kira or anyone else, I'd better finish this battle quickly!

Gray shook his head and turned his gaze back to Timalia in front of him.

……

At the highest point of the examination hall, a dozen or so people gathered, some training, some playing, some holding meetings, each busy with their own things.

Mavis stood atop the highest boulder, holding a specially made telescope and gazing into the distance. From her elevated position, coupled with her superhuman magical perception, she could essentially take in the entire battlefield.

Precht and Makarov were nearby, discussing how to conduct the third round.

The decision to have each candidate bring a supporter for this assessment was made after careful consideration by the three of them. Their intention was to let these supporters hone the candidates' skills, just like in previous years when the S-rank mages in the guild would examine the S-rank candidates. This would allow these kids to personally experience how vast the world is and how strong the mages outside are.

Things unfolded much as they had expected, and everyone made considerable progress, even the S-rank kids.

"Eba Green and Freed have been eliminated, Lu Xiaoz has emerged, Juvia is unharmed, Natsu and Gajeel are still undecided, Wendy is temporarily at a disadvantage, and Gray's battle is intense."

"Everything is pretty much what I expected!"

Once again proving her wisdom and calculation ability, Mavis felt extremely proud, and her petite and delicate face smiled extremely brightly, like a pure white angel.

Auguste nodded indulgently, but ultimately refrained from saying anything like "You're amazing" or "Well done," because that would make him feel like this girl wasn't his mother, but his granddaughter.

But he still played along, pretending to be curious as he asked, "There are still several hours until sunset. I wonder how many people will be left by then?"

"Well... you'll find out when the time comes." Mavis smiled, without giving a direct answer.

She has now learned not to easily act like a prophet in front of others, because as it turns out, there are too many things in this world that cannot be calculated, and even though she is quite confident in herself, she doesn't want to experience the embarrassment of being proven wrong.

Makarov's voice betrayed a hint of weariness: "Judging from the looks of it, this competition won't eliminate many people. Do you have any good advice for the next round?"

"Why not just let them draw lots and play one match?"

Precito squinted his remaining left eye, acting as if it were none of his business, "The fact that they made it that far proves their strength."

The wind blowing from the peak lifted his white hair and beard, but even sitting cross-legged on the ground, he still exuded the aura of a powerful figure.

Fight?

Makarov shook his head in silence. If only this were a problem that could be solved with a single battle!

This is a selection process for S-rank mages of the guild, a very important assessment. It's not some kind of magic tournament, so we can't just look at strength!

The first two rounds, set by Mavis and Precht, were quite good; they at least tested the candidates' strength, intelligence, luck, and so on. If, when it was my turn, I were simply made to fight, wouldn't that be far too lacking in skill? It would make me, the current chairman, seem far inferior to the first and second generations! —Although that was indeed the case…

Judging from the personalities of those kids, they would definitely love a draw or a free-for-all, right?

Thinking about this, Makarov couldn't help but frown: "Let's think about it some more..."

Noticing the worry on the man's face, Precht suddenly said, "You're getting old, Makarov! After this, are you considering stepping down from your position as chairman?"

It has been 49 years since Precito stepped down and Makarov took over as the third guild master of Fairy Tail. Next year will be the 50th anniversary, which is also the 100th anniversary of the guild's founding. Makarov will be 90 years old at that time, which is indeed a good opportunity for the generational change!

Makarov suddenly realized something: 'So I've been in power for this long? Almost as long as the previous two generations combined…'

"Stepping down? It doesn't seem like a bad idea!" Makarov murmured softly, this time he was really taking the idea of ​​stepping down as chairman to heart.

Whether it was the first president, Mebius, enjoying the bliss of motherhood, or the second president, Precito, who had entered a state of health and wellness, both filled this little old man with envy.

I've worked hard for most of my life, shouldn't I enjoy myself a bit?

Okay! It's decided! I'll retire next year!

……

Above the forest, Kira, wings outstretched, flew rapidly in one direction, leaving behind a few familiar comments: "That Dispel guy... seems to have been heading straight for Natsu and Gajeel from the very beginning. Could he be cheating?"

Kira had already left the center of the exam hall and was rushing to the battlefield where Natsu and Gajeel were fighting. The two had been fighting for some time, and judging from the changes and stability of their magical power, they were basically evenly matched. The reason Kira was in such a hurry to get there was because Dispel was almost there.

Dispel has no magic power, so Kira's ordinary method of sensing magic power doesn't work on him. However, since they've spent so much time together and are in the same body, they can still locate each other by their aura.

However, Kira wasn't constantly aware of things, which gave the other side the opportunity to sneak into Yinping.

Well, in fact, it was Kira's carelessness.

"Wait for me, Natsu!!"

Chapter 593 Gajeel: Today I'm going to get my revenge on the fire dragon!

If Gray and Timalia, and Wendy and Ultear are the coldest places in the exam hall, then Natsu and Gajeel's battlefield is the hottest place in the entire exam hall.

Flames and steel are the two most conspicuous things here, one red and one black, carving out an ugly clearing in this dense forest. The air is so dry that there is hardly any moisture left, and any girl who cares about her appearance would face the serious crisis of cracked skin if she stood here.

"It's so hot here..."

Dispel peeked out of the woods briefly before quickly retreating, but that brief appearance was enough for him to get a clear view of the scene.

Countless black steel weapons were stuck in the ground, vaguely resembling swords, spears, clubs, and axes. However, these weapons were melting at the moment. Under the perfectly controlled extreme temperature, each piece of metal was heated into molten iron and flowed down rapidly, then gathered again in the pitted areas of the ground, like a hundred rivers flowing into the same stream.

The steel melted into molten iron, forming river channels. The ashes left after the trees and weeds were burned were scattered on the ground. With the hissing of flames, the heat continued to rise into the air, as if an invisible gray-white shroud had been hung in the air.

The fiery red flames, white smoke, black water, and yellow earth create a unique visual experience even from a great distance.

"Natsu and Gajeel did a good job... but I don't want to fight in a place like this!"

Dispel wiped the sweat from his forehead and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

He arrived at the battlefield before Kira, but he did not intervene directly. Instead, he stood quietly behind a tree, watching the two fighting fiercely in the open space from afar.

"Fire Dragon's Crushing Fist!"

"Iron Dragon's Heavy Hammer!"

"The Fire Dragon's Horn!!"

"Iron Dragon's Hooked Scythe!!"

Natsu and Gajeel fought fiercely, each punch and elbow aimed at the other's face, stomach, and head without any mercy.

"Flame Mode!!!"

"Ironclad Mode!!!"

A series of heart-wrenching roars echoed through the mountains and forests, as if the louder the shout, the higher the output.

"Ora ora ora..."

"Wood big wood big wood big..."

The white dragon scale scarf radiated a strange golden light on Natsu's body, as if it had imbued him with the powerful magic inherited from Igneel, allowing him to unleash a raging inferno that could almost destroy the heavens and the earth with every attack.

It was Natsu who introduced the new battle mode—Fire Dragon King Mode!

"Fire Dragon King's Crushing Fist!!"

boom!!

With a single punch, flames exploded, engulfing Gajeel completely. However, his long-term training had forged a physique far more resilient and robust than that of the original character, and the resulting steel body was not so easily broken.

Gajeel had been waiting for this victory for a long time. This opportunity to continue the test and determine who was superior was a rare chance for him, a chance to prove that his strength was above Natsu's. Thinking of this, Gajeel couldn't help but show a crazy expression on his face as he fought.

"You think you're the only one with new moves, Fire Dragon!"

"During the three months you were on your way to the Western Continent, I didn't just sit idly by!!"

Gajeel shouted proudly, and at the same time, the steel on his body changed color. It was no longer the pitch-black iron color, but a bright white metallic color that seemed to be a mixture of various metals.

"I... am no longer the Iron Dragon I used to be!"

"By absorbing harder metals, I have made my body both harder and more flexible, greatly enhancing both my attack and defense! I am now... 'Dragon King Kong' Gajeel!"

Boasting that he had more than doubled the recipe for himself, Gajeel's aura changed once again, becoming more solid and robust. His attacks were devastating, his defenses were impenetrable, and his entire body was perfectly integrated without any flaws.

Dragon Slayers advance by consuming magical energy. In the original work, Natsu often evolved his flames into multi-attribute flames by absorbing other people's magical energy. However, Gajeel is now ahead in this regard.

One day, he overheard Kira discussing with others in the guild about strengthening Dragon Slayer Magic and learned that 'it is possible to evolve by consuming the magical power of others'. However, everyone in the guild knew Gajeel's temper, and Levy, the only one who wanted to help him, was not strong enough. So he could only secretly save money to buy a large amount of metal.

Finally, hard work pays off, and he successfully improved his physical condition to a higher level!

Although this incident caused him to go on fewer dates and slowed down his savings for a future wife, Gajeel felt it was all worth it.

clang!!

Natsu's Fire Dragon Fist struck Gajeel hard, but the effect was minimal, only causing him to take a half step back. The violent flames that erupted had no effect on Gajeel at this moment.

"What?! It's so hard!!" Natsu's expression changed.

"What's wrong? Is this all you've got, Fire Dragon? It's nothing!" Gajeel sneered smugly, then shouted and swung out a powerful Iron Fist.

Boom! !

"Ugh—!"

This attack was far more powerful than the previous one, sending Natsu flying. Gajeel didn't give up the opportunity to stop and talk back, but instead quickly closed in, his fists being the same metallic silver-white color as his body.

"Take this! The Vajra Dragon's powerful punches!!"

Thump! ...

Outside of the assessment, they were guildmates, but now inside the assessment, they were opponents. So Gajeel only held back three-tenths of his strength, concentrating the remaining seven-tenths in his hands and continuously unleashing them with increasing speed and force, a cruel and sinister smile on his face, making him look exactly like a super villain.

Gajeel, now in his new form, faces Natsu's Fire Dragon King Mode once again. He not only becomes more adept at defense but also surpasses Natsu in attack. At this point, he is fully capable of matching Natsu in Fire Dragon King Mode, or even stronger!

"No way, no way? You've gotten this weak, Fire Dragon? You haven't been so busy with your romance while you were in the Western Continent that you've neglected your training, have you?! I heard about you and that bunny girl!"

Gajeel kept making sarcastic remarks, but in his heart he was extremely envious of Natsu.

'Damn it! That fire dragon… He usually seems so silly, like an emotional idiot, but after a trip to the Western Continent, he's got a child with that bunny girl and is even getting married because of the pregnancy (←I don't know where this rumor came from). This development is unbelievably fast! I'm so envious… He's such a complete bastard!'

Yes, Gajeel is taking his anger out on Natsu right now.

This anger stemmed from the defeat in the battle against Phantom Lord last year, from the fact that his own reputation had remained obscure while Natsu's had soared over the past year, and from the feeling of being outpaced in both love and career...

"Ugh... Ugh!... Damn it!... Ga... Ugh!... Gajeel, that guy..."

Caught off guard by his opponent's sudden breakthrough, Natsu was forced to retreat repeatedly, forced to raise his hands in a defensive stance to block the attacks. "What on earth did he eat?! How did his body become so tough?!"

"Damn it! Why can't I get a stronger fire?"

As fellow Dragon Slayers, Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy once gathered to discuss their respective diets, concluding that Gajeel's diet was the most diverse, as he could eat not only iron but also other metals; Wendy's diet was the most economical, as she didn't need to spend money and could live on air.

Natsu, who only eats fire, is neither economical nor convenient.

First of all, he doesn't have any fire worth eating. The flame dishes on the guild's menu are all artificial flames created by other mages using magic. They're just for the taste and have no effect on making him stronger. The flames that can actually make him stronger are extremely hard to find and are a matter of chance.