"The rules for this round are as follows," Pumpkin Man announced, raising his cane dramatically.
"Each contestant will declare the number of monsters they wish to challenge, then enter the Demon Subjugation Hall to fight!"
"In the hall, monsters of various ranks will appear randomly based on the number you choose. Defeat them, and you gain that number of points."
"But if you fail to defeat them all," he paused for effect, "you earn zero points. So choose wisely."
"Also! Regardless of rank, each monster is worth exactly one point, meaning luck is a major factor!"
A ripple of surprise ran through the audience.
Pumpkin Man continued:
"Once a monster is defeated, it will not reappear. Therefore, each subsequent contestant may only choose up to the number of remaining monsters."
"If, after all eight contestants have taken a turn, monsters still remain, a second round will begin, with the same order as before."
The contestants absorbed every line of explanation, each calculating implications in their head.
This event tested strength, strategy, and luck all at once.
Clearly, the greatest advantage belonged to the contestant who went first, as long as that person was strong enough.
If Jura started first and simply chose to fight 51 monsters, he could practically secure first place on the spot.
So the question was:
How will the entry order be decided?
Pumpkin Man presented a lottery tube and shook it.
"The order will be determined by drawing lots! These are magic slips that only reveal numbers after they leave the tube!"
One by one, the contestants stepped forward.
Erza's slip lit up first.
The camera zoomed in: 1
The rest followed:
Number 2: Millianna
Number 3: Yerol
Number 4: Rogue
Number 5: Simon
Number 6: Refus
Number 7: Gajeel
Number 8: Jura
Rhodes exhaled softly.
"Gajeel's luck is truly abysmal."
For once, even Laxus cracked a joke.
"His expression's about as bad as his luck."
Juvia felt sympathy bloom in her chest.
"But Miss Erza drew Number 1. That means Team A will almost certainly win, right?"
Wendy frowned thoughtfully.
"There are so many calculations… Brother Rhodes, what would you do if you got Number 7?"
Rhodes did some quick mental math, then gave a helpless smile.
"If I wanted the highest possible ranking, then I'd cling to Erza's leg and beg her to defeat all 100 monsters immediately."
Wendy and Juvia blinked.
"Why?"
Rhodes explained patiently:
"If Erza chooses 51 monsters, she secures first place.
Then 49 monsters remain.
Number 2 only needs to beat 25 to secure second place, leaving 24. Number 3 would need 13, leaving 11. Number 4 needs 6, leaving 5.
Number 5 needs 3, leaving 2. Number 6 needs 2, leaving… nothing."
He tapped Gajeel's slip.
"The ones left with nothing? Number 7 and Number 8.
Meaning Gajeel and Jura would end up fighting over last place, with the loser receiving zero points."
Everyone imagined Gajeel versus Jura.
Then fell into solemn silence.
Laxus crossed his arms.
"You're assuming everyone succeeds perfectly."
"Of course," Rhodes nodded. "But even without perfect performance, the difficulty of securing a high rank decreases for each earlier contestant."
"And with contestants like Rogue, Simon, and even Yerol, Gajeel has almost no room left."
"In this order, unless the first few people get absolutely terrible luck, Gajeel's chances are grim."
Everyone sighed deeply.
Indeed, losing due to pure bad luck felt terribly unfair.
But Fairy Tail's past Game performances weren't exactly luck-heavy either…
Fortunately, Team B's current lead was enormous.
Just then, they noticed something strange.
Erza had approached Pumpkin Man and said something quietly.
Pumpkin Man immediately panicked.
"N-No! This is absolutely not a game of pure luck! This competition emphasizes a mage's ability to grasp the battlefield situation and adjust tactics accordingly—"
Erza's lips curved in a calm, deadly arc.
"No, there's no need for that."
Erza walked straight toward the entrance of the Demon Subjugation Hall, her boots echoing across the suddenly silent arena.
She raised her voice so everyone could hear:
"I will defeat 100 monsters."
"EH?!!!"
Gasps erupted from every corner of the stadium.
Before anyone could even process the insanity of her declaration, the enormous demonic gate creaked open, allowing Erza to step inside.
The giant lacrima screens immediately switched to interior feeds.While the crowd murmured in confusion, Natsu and Gray burst into laughter.
"That's our Erza!"
"As expected of her!"
Team B, meanwhile, all turned toward Rhodes.
Wendy's eyes sparkled.
"Miss Erza is helping us! She's so kind!"
"…,"
Rhodes thought silently. 'No. That tone wasn't kindness.'
It was simply Erza deciding, on instinct, "This is the most efficient path." And then doing it without hesitation.
A few seconds later, one of the magical cameras locked onto Erza's location within the labyrinth.
Her back first came into view.
The image zoomed out slightly, and her slender armored figure became almost insignificant on the screen.
Surrounding her from all directions were: dozens of wolf-shaped mechanical beasts, each her height, multiple dinosaur-like monsters towering above her, ghost-type constructs twice as tall as the wolves, hulking giant-type machines large enough to crush buildings
Their metal claws scraped the stone floors, their glowing eyes flickering like predatory embers.
Compared to those ferocious monstrosities, the lone female knight seemed impossibly small, fragile, even.
It was a scene that made the audience grit their teeth in worry.
And yet…
Her long scarlet hair, swaying gently behind her, stood out like a flaming banner, a declaration that she would not yield.
Pumpkin Man, voice trembling, tried to regain professional composure:
"R-Regardless, choosing 100 is far too reckless! This event was not designed to be completed in a single run! For her to attempt to clear everything!"
Simon interjected nervously,
"I… I think if it's Erza, she could actually do it."
Millianna immediately lifted her hands like cat paws, kicked one leg up, and wiggled her imaginary tail.
"If Simon says so, then I support Lucy-chan too!"
Gajeel took it even further, shouting across the arena:
"Hey, if that woman really defeats all of them… what happens to us? Are we stuck fighting for last place?!"
Pumpkin Man stiffened.
"T-That is impossible! There's absolutely no need to worry!"
Jura chuckled politely.
"I believe it's better to consider backup plans ahead of time."
Rogue and Refus kept silent, their expressions unreadable.
Yerol muttered to herself,
"If it were Miss Mirajane, she could totally clear it. And the Fairy Queen, if she pushed herself, maybe too…"
She sighed, confused.
"Why was Miss Mirajane replaced, anyway?"