Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 170: The Mountain... Collapsed

Erza glanced toward the distance, her brows furrowed in concern. "Master, Laxus..."

"It's alright," Makarov said with a small shake of his head. "I'll speak with him later."

Then, turning to Rhodes and Cana, he smiled gently. "But first, congratulations on passing the second stage of the exam!"

"Master..." Cana stepped forward, her excitement now dimmed by exhaustion. "What's the next stage?"

She sounded worried now, and for good reason. If the next challenge was as brutal as facing Laxus, there was no way she and Rhodes could handle it in their current state.

Makarov let out a warm chuckle. "Don't fret just yet. Go rest at the camp first."

After everything they'd been through, a bit of rest before the third trial was more than deserved.

The two nodded and followed Makarov toward the camp. Cana was tired but still able to walk on her own. Rhodes, however, could barely stay upright and had to lean heavily on Erza, who offered silent support with her usual calm strength.

"By the way, what about the other teams—"

BOOM!

A massive tremor cut Rhodes off mid-sentence.

The ground rumbled beneath their feet, and before he could even turn around, Erza had scooped him up bridal-style, grabbed Cana by the arm, and dashed after Makarov to safety with impressive speed.

When Erza finally set him down, Rhodes turned his head just in time to witness the full collapse of the mountain wall—the very wall he had cracked with his punch.

The fracture had deepened. Now, a web of cracks stretched from the shattered cliff across the ground, connecting with the crater left by Laxus's lightning stomp, and spread all the way to the opposite mountainside.

The towering rock formation that had once stood proudly as a natural arch, one of the island's scenic wonders, crumbled into a heap of jagged stone.

It was now, a very unimpressive rocky hill.

Makarov's mouth hung open. His expression was one of pure disbelief, like he was watching a slow-motion disaster unfold.

"I could've sworn this examination site was reinforced with earth magic before the test..." he muttered.

Erza crossed her arms thoughtfully. "It probably started when Rhodes' summoned beasts began tunneling through the cliffs and underground. Then came the floating cannon spell, which drew rock from inside the mountain. Add in that punch to the wall and the collateral damage from Laxus's lightning."

She tilted her head slightly. "All of that likely triggered a chain reaction that destabilized the enchantments holding the mountain together."

Rhodes chuckled awkwardly. "So... do I have to pay for this?"

It was technically part of his strategy, creating that crack to block Laxus's line of sight, but he hadn't meant to pulverize a whole mountain range.

Makarov sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. "No compensation necessary. But, since this happened near the railway, I'll probably have to write a formal apology."

He let out a nervous laugh, patting Rhodes on the back. "At least I chose a site several kilometers north of the tracks. If we'd been closer... hoo boy."

Luckily, the train route hadn't been affected. That alone was enough to be grateful for.

Makarov muttered under his breath, "Next year, we're holding the S-Class exam on our own land. If something gets destroyed, well... at least we won't owe anyone a letter."

And surely, the kids would be a bit more careful on their own turf next year. Right?

Makarov rubbed his forehead, sighing. Rhodes was usually a well-behaved and sensible one. Surely he wouldn't, Right.

The Master let out a slow breath, silently praying Rhodes wouldn't get led astray by a few of the guild's more creative troublemakers.

Meanwhile, Rhodes glanced at the Master curiously.

'Did rubbing your forehead like that actually wear out your hairline?Being the head of a guild filled with eccentric lunatics probably wasn't great for hair preservation.'

'Yeah... being Guild Master definitely wasn't easy.'

The temporary camp for the S-Class exam was set up in a small clearing just a short distance from the testing area. It was modest, with a large tent pitched in the center, surrounded by a couple of warm fires flickering merrily.

Inside the tent, Warren and Max lay sprawled out like battle-worn veterans. Outside, Mickey, Joey, and of all people, Wan Chanzi were busy prepping a meal.

From the thick bandages wrapped around Mickey and Joey's arms, and the soothing ointment plastered on their foreheads, it looked like Warren and Max hadn't been the only ones caught in the crossfire of something intense.

Nearby, a makeshift chopping board had been propped up on crates. An assortment of pots and ingredients were laid out, courtesy of what Rhodes strongly suspected was Erza's personal supply.

After all, he'd definitely seen her wheeling in a suspiciously massive luggage cart back at the guild.

Cana glanced around, taking a quick headcount. "Hey... where are Mest and—wait, wasn't Mystogan one of the examiners?"

"Mystogan had urgent business and left early," Makarov explained casually. "As for Mest, he said he wanted to explore a little and would return on his own."

The Master chuckled to himself. He knew perfectly well that sneaky Mest was trying to "investigate" Fairy Tail's so-called secrets again. But as long as he didn't interfere with the exam, Makarov let him be.

Just then, Erza suddenly clapped her hands.

"Cooking? I want to help!" she declared with sparkling eyes, then promptly shoved Rhodes toward Cana. "Here, hold him, I'm changing!"

"DON'T CHANGE!!"

Warren and Max bolted upright from inside the tent, shouting in panic.

"We surrender! We surrender!"

Cana giggled as she caught Rhodes and helped him sit down. "Let me guess, you two ran into Erza?"

Warren slumped back down with a haunted look. "Yeah, it was terrifying."

Max lifted an arm wrapped in bandages and pointed to both himself and Warren. "She thrashed us. Gave us the full Titania experience."

"I can see that." Rhodes chuckled and leaned back with a groan. "So, Mest and Wan Chanzi met Mystogan? Did they pass?"

Max, now wide awake and full of gossip, snorted. "Not even close. They were out before the test even started."

"Out?"

"Yup. Fell asleep during the intro briefing. Mystogan just looked at them, sighed, and transported them straight to camp."

'Seriously! They didn't even get a chance to fight for a flag. And with teleportation magic, no less! How do they mess that up?'

Rhodes had his suspicions about Mystogan.

He quietly leaned toward Cana and muttered, "You don't think Mystogan plays fair, do you? I mean, what if he hypnotized everyone right after explaining the rules? Or maybe he just used illusion magic to conjure up a fake flag or something?"

Cana glanced at him, eyes wide. "Now that you mention it, thank goodness we didn't run into him."

They both exchanged a solemn look, one of deep relief. If Mystogan had been their examiner, they might've lost without even realizing how they lost.

"Haha! When you put it that way, maybe we didn't do so badly after all!" Warren said cheerfully. "At least we fought Erza for a few rounds!"

Getting thrashed still counted as participation, right?

Rhodes replied with a smirk, "Yeah, but at least Mystogan walked away unscathed."

Warren immediately sat up, offended. "Oh come on! You got beaten to a pulp by Laxus, and you're throwing shade at us?!"

"But we passed," Rhodes replied matter-of-factly.

"Ughhh!" Warren clutched his head in defeat. "I still think Laxus went easy on you. Why did we have to get the one examiner who doesn't know the meaning of mercy?!"

From the cooking area, Erza—who was happily stirring a pot with one hand and gripping a very sharp kitchen knife with the other—turned around with a bright smile and gave Warren a thumbs-up. "You've still got a long way to go!"

Warren immediately collapsed back into the tent. "I'm tired. I'm not coming next year, unless I've gotten way stronger."

Rhodes laughed, joining in the banter. As the conversation continued, he realized something, his body didn't feel quite as tired anymore.

The warmth of friends and laughter was its own kind of healing.

After a while, Cana, quiet until now, suddenly looked at him and spoke.

"Thank you, Rhodes."

He blinked. "Huh?" He gave her a wry smile. "Don't thank me too much. I probably won't be of much help in the next round. Sorry."

Foll𝑜w current novels on fɾēewebnσveℓ.com.

His summons, the three Murk Wolves and six Raptors had already been defeated and hadn't respawned yet. His own magic reserves were running dangerously low. It was unclear how much he'd recover before the third stage of the exam.

"If it's something like a search mission, maybe I can get a Murk Wolf to help sniff things out," he added. "But if it's a fight, I might be dead weight."

Cana gently shook her head. "Don't say that. No one could've done better than you today. I'll carry the next round if I have to."

Just then, the smell of food began wafting through the camp, warm and inviting.

Erza cheerfully waved her ladle in the air. "Everyone! Food's ready, come eat!"

...

Alright, folks, it's time to toss those shiny powerstones this way💎💎💎