Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 171: The Third Test

Erza and Mickey's cooking skills turned out to be surprisingly impressive.

There was something magical about sipping hot soup on a chilly day like this, it warmed the body and soul.

Rhodes couldn't help but be amazed. These two strong, battle-hardened women were actually great cooks?

Do powerful women like them secretly practice cooking at home just to blow everyone away with their skills later?

Of course, Mira's cooking still held the crown. That was undisputed.

Everyone sat around the campfire, bowls in hand, enjoying the warmth and laughter as they listened to the master share stories from the past.

Mostly, Makarov used the time to reflect on the shortcomings each candidate had revealed during the exam and encouraged everyone to keep striving for next year.

After lunch, Warren and Max had more or less recovered. They packed their things and headed back with the rest of the examinees who hadn't made it past the second stage.

Only Makarov, Erza, Cana, and Rhodes remained at the campsite.

Makarov took a deep breath before speaking about the final phase of the exam.

"To be honest, given your current condition, I wouldn't recommend proceeding to the third stage."

Cana opened her mouth to insist she was fine, but when she thought about Rhodes' state, she hesitated. This was her exam, yes—but without Rhodes' help, she wouldn't have made it this far.

She looked at him instead. "What do you think?"

Rhodes paused, then said, "Why don't we at least hear what the task is? Better to understand what we're up against before making a decision. No point in quitting blindly."

Makarov exchanged a glance with Erza.

Erza pulled out a mission scroll and read, "The third test is a real mission: track down a juvenile unicorn beast hiding nearby and eliminate it."

"A unicorn?!" Cana's eyes widened in shock. "Isn't that classed as an S-Class monster?!"

"If it were a fully-grown adult, yes," Makarov explained. "Unicorn beasts in adulthood are capable of causing tremors, collapsing mountains, and destroying entire mineral veins. They pose a huge threat to nearby towns and villages."

"But this one," Erza added firmly, "is still a juvenile. It's weaker and hasn't yet developed its full strength. Still, it must be stopped before it matures. That is your final mission."

Rhodes frowned in thought. "Beasts take time to grow. Can't we rest a day or two before continuing?"

Makarov shook his head. "No. The deadline is sunset today. Even in its juvenile state, the unicorn is dangerous—especially at night, when it's at its most active."

"If you don't complete the task before dark, the mission will fall to Erza."

Rhodes glanced at Cana, who looked uncertain.

"We'll rest for a little while and then give it a shot," he suggested.

Cana hesitated. "But your injuries..."

"If we don't even try, we'll regret it later," Rhodes said, managing a grin. "Worst-case scenario, you take the lead, and I'll stay out of the way."

He figured it would be a waste to come this far, with the support of both Makarov and Erza, and not even attempt the final challenge.

Cana's eyes softened, touched by his resolve. She nodded firmly. "Alright. Let's do it."

During the break, Rhodes took the opportunity to chat with Master Makarov and Erza, hoping to gather more information about the unicorn beast.

He figured once this was all over, he should probably sign up for a class like "Rare Magical Beast Illustrated Studies." He had never even heard of a unicorn-type monster before, let alone knew what it looked like.

"I could draw it for you," Erza offered, pulling a pen and a sketchpad out of her bag without hesitation.

Rhodes blinked. "Wait, you carry a sketchbook around with you? You draw?"

"Of course," Erza said matter-of-factly. "A sketchbook is essential. You never know when inspiration will strike for a new armor design."

She spoke with such sincerity that Rhodes didn't dare doubt her.

"I use it so often that I've gotten pretty confident in my drawing skills," she added proudly. "Here, I'll draw the unicorn for you now."

Cana, watching this unfold, had a somewhat complicated expression on her face.

This was Rhodes's first time seeing Erza draw, and admittedly, he was a little excited. Erza always gave off such a capable, battle-hardened vibe, seeing her do something like sketching was oddly refreshing.

"The unicorn's most distinct feature is, of course, the horn," Erza explained as she sketched. "Then there are its powerful hind legs and thick tail. The musculature is very different from that of a human. And don't forget the claws—the curvature is quite unique..."

She narrated seriously as her pen moved across the page. One could tell she was genuinely passionate about it.

A few minutes later, she turned the sketchpad around and proudly held it up. "All done. What do you think?"

"Hm... well... how should I put this..." Rhodes carefully chose his words. "It's amazing. You really captured all the features you just described."

He meant it, but unfortunately, those were the only things she had captured.

Erza, however, remained modest. "Oh, I'm still not that good. I've got a long way to go before I can match Reedus."

'Reedus?! You're aiming to compete with Reedus?!'

Rhodes was honestly speechless. This was Erza's artistic benchmark? Well, he had to admire her ambition.

"Right... Keep up the good work," he encouraged with a polite smile.

Truth be told, Mira's drawing skills weren't much better. Back when she was explaining Celestial Spirit Magic to him, she'd also shown off her "art."

Thanks to that, before Rhodes had even grasped what Celestial Spirits actually were, he'd been convinced they were some kind of bizarre monsters from a horror story.

And now, seeing Erza's drawing prowess, he could only conclude, those two were a perfect match in more ways than one.

Cana gave Rhodes a thumbs up. It was incredible how well he handled that situation without breaking a sweat.

Although Erza's drawing was a little abstract, her knowledge was solid. At the very least, she managed to clearly describe the unicorn's defining traits.

She also shared that the unicorn beast liked to hide in mountainous caves, sometimes natural, sometimes ones it dug out itself.

As for its magic affinity, it was clearly Earth-based, and its defense capabilities were known to be quite high.

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If someone were to accept a mission like this through the guild, most of what Erza shared could be easily looked up in the request details. So technically, she wasn't giving away any unfair advantages.

As the sun inched westward, Rhodes had recovered some of his magic and stamina. He summoned a Scuttle Crab and called out to Cana to begin their search.

Time was running out. They needed to locate the unicorn quickly—any battle planning would have to be figured out along the way.

Riding on the back of the crab, Rhodes could still take it easy and continue resting. Maintaining just one summon at a time wasn't much of a burden anymore, and the crab's 360-degree field of vision was far more convenient than constantly turning his head to check their surroundings.

"Should we split up and cover more ground?" Cana suggested. "Searching together is just too slow. The canyon's massive—we'll never finish before sunset if we keep moving like this."

Rhodes instinctively hesitated. Splitting up could be dangerous.

But then he remembered, Master Makarov and Erza were each shadowing one of them. With that kind of backup, they'd be fine. He nodded. "Alright. How do we stay in touch?"

Cana pulled out two enchanted cards and handed one to Rhodes.

The moment he took it, a chibi version of Cana popped up on the surface of the card, waving her arms.

Likewise, Cana's card showed a tiny, animated version of Rhodes.

"These are linked communication cards," she explained, giving him a quick demo.

The mini-Cana on Rhodes' card flailed dramatically while shouting "Help me, help me!" And simultaneously, the card pointed toward Cana's current location like a compass.

Rhodes raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Is this like Warren's magic? You really do everything, huh."

Cana shook her head. "No, it's not as advanced. These just send out a basic distress call and show the direction of the card holder. It's nowhere near as convenient as Warren's telepathy."

Still, it was clever. A specialized version of communication magic, optimized for rescue scenarios, and most importantly, with tracking included.

Cana's skills really were incredibly broad.

Rhodes thought that, given more time and experience, she could grow into the role of one of those dependable "wise old mages" who always seem to know everything.

It wasn't easy learning so many different types of magic and being decent at all of them.

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