socalfunplaces Chapter 175 Big Boss Laxus
Chapter 175 Big Boss Laxus
Chapter 176 The Big Boss Laxus (Please Subscribe!)
"Why?! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?!"
On the shore, Gajeel pressed down on Natsu and questioned him loudly, while Natsu looked desperate and didn't even try to fight Gajeel.
"Congratulations on passing the test."
Meanwhile, Moen smiled and spoke to the ninth-place duo.
"We both really need to thank Natsu!"
The two laughed and joked, thanking Natsu for helping them, otherwise their ranking would have been behind Gajeel's.
The ninth and eleventh place average out to tenth place, but because one of them is ninth, their advancement priority is higher than that of Gajeel, who is tenth. This illustrates the importance of securing a good ranking.
But if Natsu is eleventh and the other one is twelfth, then they can only hand over their advancement to Gajeel.
After receiving encouragement from Gajeel, Natsu felt something was amiss. Moreover, he counted that there were only five people on the shore, so even if he fell behind by one place, it wouldn't matter. Therefore, he did not go all out to compete for that place.
Of course, it was also to prevent Happy from being thrown out again. With Happy already advancing steadily and having lost to Gajeel, Natsu chose to take care of him, since he had at least beaten Gray.
When he got ashore, he found out he was in twelfth place, which left Natsu completely dumbfounded. This wasn't how the script was supposed to go!
What made Natsu even more upset was that Gray had advanced to the next level much earlier, even ranking only behind Moen, Erza, and Mirajane!
Gajeel, who missed out on advancing because of this, was furious. He grabbed Natsu, who had turned to petrification and gray, and questioned him relentlessly.
"It's all my fault"
Happy felt extremely guilty, believing that he had held Natsu back; otherwise, Natsu would definitely have made it through the first hurdle.
Natsu snapped out of his daze, first pushing Gajeel away, then comforting Happy. He didn't think it was Happy's fault; it was his idea from beginning to end, so how could Happy be blamed?
Seeing this, Moen smiled. This was Natsu. He wouldn't shirk responsibility, nor would he blame his companions for his mistakes. This child who had been searching for "Dragon Daddy" had gradually grown up, although he was still unreliable most of the time.
"Don't worry, you might still have a chance."
Looking at Gajeel, Natsu, and Happy, Moen spoke up, which made Joey and Elfman, who were standing nearby, tense up.
If Natsu and Gajeel want to advance, they can only take up two of their spots. They are fifth and sixth respectively. As long as their teammates are ranked fifteenth or fourteenth, and their average ranking is greater than or equal to tenth, they can advance steadily, but that would only be two spots short.
"They're here!"
Amidst the despair in Natsu and Gajeel's eyes, Cana finally arrived. She was actually quite relaxed, since someone was vying for her ranking, and her own magic could provide her with assistance.
If you get tired on the way, you can use the Ice Card to create a large area of ice to rest on. You can also use the Wind Card to help you speed up, or even use the wind to blow the ice along. It's convenient and effortless, but it consumes magic power.
Therefore, Kana rushed all the way and finally reached the finish line in fifteenth place, successfully advancing with Joey in fifth place.
This completely dashed Gajeel's hopes of advancing. Elfman had already set off for the next stage with his companions, while Joey and Cana had secured the last spot. All nine advancement spots were now filled.
Natsu laughed and mocked the petrified Gajeel. Gajeel had been eliminated when Elfman advanced, but Gajeel, who ranked tenth, was the most miserable. He had seen hope several times, only to be crushed again and again. He was much worse off than Elfman.
Moreover, Natsu could find excuses for not passing the test. Gajeel failed simply because he couldn't beat him, so Natsu's mood wasn't so bad after he recovered.
"Not bad."
Moen smiled and gave Kana a high-five as she reached the shore. She had passed the first hurdle and was now qualified to face the big boss, Laxus.
"Thanks to Joey, I was the one who dragged the team down."
Kana was a little embarrassed, and she had basically come to terms with reality. Although she had been working hard to improve herself over the years, her skills were indeed not that outstanding.
She arrived at the guild at the age of six and has been diligently training ever since. She has put in more effort than the children who arrived later. However, the children who came later have shown great talent and have even surpassed her, which has put a lot of pressure on Kana.
Erza and Mirajane, in particular, put the most pressure on her. They were both girls, and although they were a year older than her, Erza and Mirajane started learning magic systematically much later than she did, with Mirajane having only been learning for a year or two.
Seeing someone surpass you after years of hard work is indeed a very depressing and sad feeling. It would be better if Erza and Mirajane hadn't become S-class mages. But if they had, and everyone was no longer on the same level, the blow to Cana would have been even greater.
This isn't about being jealous of others' success, but rather about being disappointed in oneself. It's only human nature to feel this way. It's normal to feel discouraged when you're living in the same era as someone with extraordinary talent, or even alongside them.
"Gathering intelligence and organizing a team beforehand are all part of the mission. Not everyone is good at direct combat. Even S-rank mages are not omnipotent and need teammates, so there is no such thing as dragging them down."
Moen smiled and reassured Kana.
Moen's words were naturally sincere. No one stipulated that S-class mages could not form teams. It was just that Gildarts and Laxus were used to going it alone. Besides, forming teams was allowed and even encouraged in the assessment.
"Yes! I'm sure I can help too!"
Kana nodded seriously. She was quite confident in the versatility of her card magic and was sure it would be helpful in the later levels, so it wouldn't be completely useless.
"Let's go, let's move on to the next level."
Moen greeted Joy and Cana with a smile, while Natsu, Happy, and Gajeel could head straight home.
Those guild members who had not yet reached the finish line would also be notified that Moen's crows had taken off and would lead their companions back to the large ship that served as the starting point.
Natsu, Gajeel, and Happy, along with another cat, first experienced the "Crow Express," being pulled by crows and rapidly returning to the starting point. Once everyone was together, they would be taken back to Hargeon.
Deep in the dense forests of Tenrou Island, Laxus had already welcomed his first batch of examinees, Erza and Mirajane, who had been chasing after him all along. Laxus wasn't surprised by this, as Makarov had already told him the process, and he knew that Moen would take on some of the responsibilities of an examiner in the first round.
With a cloak draped over his back, Laxus's body crackled with lightning, and his expression was serious; he stood there like a big boss.
(End of this chapter)