Internet Magic in Fairy Tail (Re-upload)

Those watching the S-Class Exam live broadcast weren't limited to the candidates and examiners on Tenrou Island.

The guild's group chat was buzzing with excitement.

When Mest removed Mystogan's mask, revealing his true face, the chat exploded.

…

Macao: "Jellal? Is that the former Councilor Jellal?!"

Wakaba: "Wait a second, something doesn't add up. Why is Mystogan Jellal?"

Jet: "Didn't Jellal get broken out of prison by the Oración Seis?"

Lisanna: "It's not the same person! Mystogan is Jellal from Edolas."

Troy: "Ah, I see! No wonder Mystogan was always so secretive…"

Lucy Ashley: "It's because your world's Jellal is a villain, right? He probably had to hide his face."

Warren: "Wait, why is Big Sis in this group chat?!"

Lucy Ashley: "How rude! Stop calling me Big Sis!"

Lucy Ashley: "I'm a member of Fairy Tail too, even if it's from another world."

Reedus: "It was Mira who added her. @Mirajane"

…

Under the Tenrou Tree

Mest stared blankly at Mystogan.

"Jellal… no, wait. You're Jellal from another world?"

Loke, finally understanding, said, "So that's why you always wore a mask. Must've been tough."

As the exiled Lion of the Celestial Spirits, Loke had also kept his true identity hidden from the guild.

"Sorry. Now that you've found out, there's no need to hide it anymore." Mystogan nodded. "I'm Jellal from Edolas, not the one you know."

"This was originally only known to the Master, Laxus, Nate, Wendy, Carla, Natsu, and Happy."

Huh? That many people knew?

Loke rolled his eyes. So it wasn't much of a secret to begin with… unlike him, whose secret only Nate knew about.

"This doesn't matter at all. Let's continue the exam!" Loke stepped aside to rest, leaving the stage to Mest.

"Alright, let's continue." Mystogan smiled faintly, appreciating the guild's easygoing atmosphere. No one judged him for resembling Jellal, which made him feel at ease.

"Next, I won't hold back anymore."

Mystogan retrieved five staffs from his back and looked at Mest.

"You'll see magic like you've never witnessed before!"

As he spoke, the five staffs were planted firmly into the ground.

"Skyscraper!"

Mest's jaw dropped. Did I just do something really stupid?

Initially, he had only removed Mystogan's mask out of curiosity and as part of his duty as a spy, wanting to uncover the secrets of this mysterious figure.

Instead, he learned Mystogan was from another world—a revelation that seemed entirely pointless. Worse, Mystogan had now vowed not to hold back.

Please, I just want to pass the S-Class exam! Mest thought desperately. I need to get closer to Fairy Tail's secrets, find some dirt, and report back to the Council!

"W-wait!" Mest waved his hands frantically.

But it was too late.

The ground beneath his feet glowed with intense purple light.

BOOM!

A massive explosion rippled across half of Tenrou Island. The resulting shockwave hurled Mest high into the sky.

As Tenrou Island grew smaller in his field of vision, the violent force left him unable to activate his teleportation magic.

"What kind of magic is this?!"

Mest was pale with shock. By the time he came to his senses, he had been blasted into outer space.

Looking up at the starry sky, he saw a massive rift tear across it. From the rift emerged a horrifying demon, seemingly from another dimension.

The demon had a cyan face, sharp fangs, and a single massive, blood-red eye.

Just the size of the eye alone seemed as vast as a city!

"Mon-Monster!" Mest stammered in terror, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Teleportation!!" he screamed, desperately attempting to use his magic.

But it failed.

The Abyssal Demon opened its enormous maw, slowly moving to swallow him whole.

"AAAAHHHH!" Mest let out a blood-curdling scream.

…

On Tenrou Island

Loke was left dumbfounded, watching the scene unfold. He couldn't tell what had just happened.

All he could see was Mest suddenly trembling and convulsing on the spot, screaming incomprehensibly.

Then, with a thud, Mest fell to his knees before collapsing onto the ground, his eyes rolling back.

"How unfortunate. You've been eliminated," Mystogan said calmly.

"Better luck next year."

A golden magic circle appeared beneath Mest and Loke, and with a flash, the two vanished from the scene, teleported back to the ship.

…

On the Ship's Deck

Nate stood with an utterly exasperated expression.

Why did you even provoke him in the first place?

Makarov probably wanted Mest to pass the S-Class Exam so he could officially become an S-Class mage. That way, there'd be no need for him to continue his covert work for the Magic Council.

But Mest just had to take off Mystogan's mask.

And now, he's been eliminated in the second round.

…

"Uh, what happened?" Lucy asked, sidling up curiously. "Nate, do you know?"

"It's probably an illusion spell. A very strong one," Juvia replied.

Nate nodded in agreement and opened the group chat.

…

[S-Class Promotion Exam Group Chat]

Nate: "You guys seriously eliminated everyone?"

Nate: "Do you know how obvious it makes it look that I went easy on them?"

Mystogan: "Apologies. Since my identity was exposed, I figured I couldn't appear weaker than Jellal."

Such strange competitive energy… Nate couldn't even begin to respond to that.

Mirajane: "Lucy and Cana don't have enough strength to qualify as S-Class. Letting them pass could put them in danger during high-risk S-Class missions."

Oh, so it's my fault now?! Nate thought. Guess I'll need to find a way to help them improve their strength later.

…

Laxus: "So you went easy on Natsu and let him pass, didn't you?"

Nate: "Natsu meets the criteria for both strength and potential. Should I have blocked him just because?"

…

Erza: "I didn't go easy!"

Nate: "Erza, what was your test like?"

Erza: "I lost…"

Erza: "I didn't expect Meredy's magic to be so terrifying. I let my guard down."

What the heck happened there? Nate thought, deciding he'd ask Meredy later.

…

Gildarts: "I'm done here too."

Gildarts: "Huh? Did everyone else finish already?"

You're done too? Nate looked up at the live feed and only saw Elfman being teleported back.

"Where's Gajeel?" Nate asked, confused.

Elfman dropped to his knees, crying: "Gajeel is dead!"

"What?!"

Nate immediately turned back to the broadcast.

Cana, who was watching the same scene, muttered, "What on earth is that stupid old man doing?"

The screen showed hundreds of miniature Gajeels surrounding Gildarts, all futilely trying to attack him.

Nearby, Panther Lily was frantically trying to calm the situation: "Gajeel, let it go already!"

…

In the chat group:

Gildarts: "Sorry, I might've gone a bit overboard. He'll return to normal in a little while."

…

Nate quickly did some calculations in his head.

The first round eliminated two teams.

The second round eliminated four teams.

Only two teams remained to advance to the third round:

Natsu and Gray

Ultear and Meredy

Nate: "You guys really didn't hold back at all. 😱!"