"Not only have I made progress on the 'lock,' but Long-Chain Trial II has shown up too… does that count as a double win?"
Shane sat down on the couch and sank into thought.
"Wait a second."
He had Erza hold on for a moment as he examined the new trial's contents.
"Select five companions and guide their magic to the forefront of the world…" He chewed on the line, brows knitting.
The completion condition clearly hinged on the phrase "forefront of the world."
But to him, the wording was maddeningly vague.
What level of strength counted as meeting the standard?
Did it mean the guild's widely recognized S-Class? Or did it mean the level of people like Guild Master Makarov—one of the Ten Wizard Saints, truly standing at the peak of the world?
If it was the former, Shane had met plenty of people with that kind of potential, and the difficulty was obvious.
But if it was the latter…
Just thinking about it made the road ahead feel endless.
Ten Wizard Saints-level power wasn't something you reached easily—let alone raising five people to that point.
And there was another ambiguity: the word "reach." Did it only refer to actual strength and realm? Or did it require official recognition—the title itself?
If it was the latter, that added even more bureaucracy, waiting, and nonsense.
"The second trial is already this annoying…" Shane sighed, rubbing his brow. "I used to think witnessing the Eclipse Gate was a pain. Now it looks like the first long-chain trial was basically a beginner freebie."
He realized obsessing over definitions here wouldn't solve anything.
"Whatever—let's pick one target and test it first!"
His gaze naturally fell on the girl beside him, waiting quietly.
Erza sat upright, red hair draped over one shoulder, black jewel-like eyes watching him with a questioning look—probably wondering why he'd been staring at her so much today.
"Five companions…" Shane sized her up, his thoughts quickening.
That number felt strangely specific—matching the five children who crossed the Eclipse Gate and jumped four hundred years.
Normally, someone would connect the trials and go hunt down the other four besides Natsu, then make those five the targets.
But… Shane's brain didn't work like that.
"If the Book of Heroes doesn't name them, then I'm obviously picking the five people with the most potential, fastest growth, and best ability to help me clear this efficiently."
And Erza—solid foundation, outstanding talent, tough mindset, and visible progress—
No matter how you looked at it, she was the obvious first pick.
In Shane's mind, whether Erza could reach the world's top tier wasn't even a question.
Honestly, for her, deciding what outfit to wear tomorrow was probably harder than becoming "forefront of the world."
"Um… what is it?" Erza was getting uncomfortable under his scrutiny. She'd even started looking down to check whether she'd put her clothes on backward.
Shane shook his head and didn't explain.
Instead, with a tentative "try it and see" mindset, he made the decision deep inside:
Erza would be the first of his five companions.
The instant the thought settled, there was no dramatic phenomenon.
Only in his awareness—beneath the golden words [Path of the Sacred Flame]—a small chibi icon quietly appeared: a serious-looking red-haired girl.
It worked!
Shane's eyes lit up at the successful "bug test."
That confirmed his guess: the trial didn't force him to pick the Eclipse Gate's five kids. He could choose freely.
And if he could choose freely, then—
His mind immediately jumped to an existing powerhouse in the guild: Master Makarov.
If he could count the master as a "companion," then with a Ten Wizard Saints-level mage, wouldn't that mean one-fifth of the trial progress would be instantly done?
Maybe Makarov could even introduce him to other top-tier people.
The thought made Shane feel a tiny flash of regret.
If he'd tested whether the master was eligible first, he could've decided whether to spend a slot on Erza afterward.
If the master qualified, this whole trial might be cleared within a month.
Still, he'd confirmed the most important part: how the trial selection works.
He'd return to the guild later and test it properly.
For now, he shifted focus back to his original priority:
Erza's "portable charger" effect in real-world terms.
He stood, walked over to her, and spoke with the excited tone of a researcher about to run an experiment.
"Erza, help me out. I want to test something."
What followed was essentially a "distance test" in their living room.
Shane had Erza stand in the center of the room while he stepped backward bit by bit, fully concentrating on the lock's loosening rate—how strongly the "ripples" formed in his inner sea.
The results were clean, and better than he'd hoped.
When they were within one meter, especially when they were pressed close—like forehead-to-forehead, or sitting shoulder-to-shoulder—
the inner sea "shook" the most, and the lock loosened fastest: only about 30% weaker than the effect he'd felt near Igneel.
At around three meters, the ripples were still far stronger than near Natsu—but clearly weaker than at one meter.
Once they passed five meters, the resonance plummeted. The effect was basically zero.
"Perfect…" Shane stopped and smiled in satisfaction.
One meter for peak efficiency, three meters for effective range—both entirely reasonable for daily life.
He couldn't help thinking his luck was ridiculous.
If this "charger" effect had landed on Natsu or Gray—those two chaotic idiots—getting them to stay within three meters consistently would be harder than climbing into the sky.
He'd end up chasing them until they started hiding from him.
With the excitement came a question he couldn't ignore:
Why Erza?
What kind of connection did she have to dragons?
She'd said herself she was an orphan—her memories began in Simon's village, and she knew nothing about her origins.
That made Shane suspect the answer might lie in her past.
But he pushed the thought down for now.
Erza was happy in Magnolia, happy in Fairy Tail.
He'd find the right time later to talk to her properly about it.
For now—this wasn't the moment to dig.
When the testing ended, Shane looked at Erza seriously.
"The progress of one of my spells is linked to you being near me."
He chose the simplest explanation.
"Basically: the closer you are, the faster it improves. So… going forward, could you try to stay near me as much as possible—ideally within three meters?"
He didn't make it an order. Erza was her own person with her own work and life.
If they could keep that distance in normal daily routines, the "charging" would already be more than enough.
Erza's expression softened with understanding. She still didn't get the mechanism, but she accepted the idea.
She barely hesitated before nodding firmly.
"I understand. No problem. We're usually together anyway."
To her, it wasn't a burden.
If anything, it felt like being needed.
And being able to help Shane—she genuinely didn't mind at all.