Erza and Miki's cooking was surprisingly good.
On such a cold day, having a hot bowl of soup was truly enjoyable.
Rhodes was amazed that these two seemingly tough women could both cook so well.
Could it be that these super strong women secretly practiced cooking at home, only to surprise everyone with their skills out of nowhere?
Of course, Mira's cooking was definitely still the best.
Everyone held a bowl as they gathered around the warm campfire, listening to the guild master tell stories of the past...
Mostly, he pointed out the shortcomings everyone showed during the exam, then encouraged them to work harder next year.
After lunch, Warren and Marcus had almost recovered. They, along with the other three who failed, packed their things and left together.
The camp was now left with only Makarov, Erza, Kana, and Rhodes.
Makarov began to explain the content of the third test.
"Actually, given your current condition, I would advise against continuing with the third test."
Kana wanted to say she was fine, but seeing Rhodes' state, she decided to ask his opinion instead.
Although this was her test, without Rhodes' help, she might already have returned with Warren and the others.
Rhodes thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you tell us the content of the test first? Let's hear it out before making a decision. We shouldn't give up without even knowing what it is."
Makarov glanced at Erza.
Erza took out a mission sheet. "The third test is actually a mission—to locate the lair of the Unicorn Beast and eliminate it."
"Unicorn Beast?" Kana's eyes widened. "Isn't that an S-rank beast?"
"If it's an adult Unicorn Beast, yes, it's considered S-rank. They can cause minor earthquakes, destroy mountains and mineral veins, and threaten nearby towns."
Makarov explained, "But this one is still in its juvenile stage, so it's less dangerous in every aspect."
Erza added seriously, "We have intelligence that it's hiding nearby, feeding and growing in secret. We must locate and eliminate it before it reaches adulthood. This is your mission."
Rhodes thought for a moment and asked, "Doesn't it take time for a beast to mature? Could we rest for a day or two before continuing the test?"
"No," Makarov shook his head. "The time limit for this test is until sunset today. Even as a juvenile, the Unicorn Beast can cause significant damage, and nighttime is when it's most active. We can't leave it unattended.
If you can't complete the mission before nightfall, Erza will take over."
Rhodes looked at Kana's expression, then said, "Let's rest a bit longer, then give it a try, okay?"
Kana looked worried. "Your body..."
"If we don't even try, won't we regret it?" Rhodes replied. "At worst, you can be the main attacker while I stay out of harm's way."
With the guild master and Erza as backup, Rhodes thought it would be a shame not to give it a shot.
Kana was touched and nodded firmly. "Okay."
While resting, Rhodes decided to chat with the master and Erza, trying to get more information about the Unicorn Beast.
It seemed like he needed to add a "Rare Magical Creatures" course to his studies when they got back—he had never heard of the Unicorn Beast and had no idea what it looked like.
"How about I draw it for you?" Erza pulled out a sketchpad and pen from her luggage.
Rhodes was surprised. "You carry a sketchpad with you? You know how to draw?"
"Of course. So that I can immediately sketch any inspiration for new armor designs, a sketchpad is a must-have," Erza said seriously. "Since I use it often, I'm quite confident in my drawing skills. Let me draw it for you now."
Kana had a rather subtle expression.
It was Rhodes' first time seeing Erza draw, and he felt a bit excited.
"The Unicorn Beast's most notable feature is its horn, of course. Then there's its powerful hind legs, its thick tail, its muscular build quite different from a human's, and the distinctive curve of its claws..."
Erza spoke as she sketched, sounding quite professional.
A few minutes later, she flipped the sketchpad over and proudly showed it to Rhodes. "How's this?"
"Uh... how should I put this..." Rhodes carefully chose his words. "It's impressive. You've captured all the features you just mentioned perfectly."
Only problem was, aside from those features, there wasn't much else.
Erza grew modest. "No, it's not that great. It's still far behind Lidas's skills."
You actually want to compare yourself to Lidas!
Rhodes couldn't help but marvel at Erza's artistic ambition. "So Lidas is your goal... Well, keep it up."
Actually, Mira's drawing skills were just as bad. When she once tried to explain what Celestial Spirits were to Rhodes, she had drawn them for him.
Until Rhodes learned more about Celestial Spirit Magic, he thought they were just bizarre blobs, even more oddly shaped than his summoned creatures.
After seeing Erza's drawing today, Rhodes could only say that these two really were worthy rivals.
Kana gave Rhodes a thumbs-up. Amazing—he could even handle that.
Although the drawing was rather abstract, Erza's experience was real. At least she clearly described the Unicorn Beast's characteristics.
She also mentioned that the Unicorn Beast liked to hide in caves, either natural or dug by itself.
As for its magical attribute, it was clearly earth-type, with very high defensive capabilities.
If they had taken on this mission at the guild, most of what Erza said could easily be found, so it wasn't exactly giving away the answers.
As the sun gradually dipped lower, Rhodes' magic and stamina recovered a bit. He summoned the Gorge Swiftcrab and called for Kana to set off.
Time was running out, so it was best to start searching. They could continue planning for the battle along the way.
While riding on the back of the crab, Rhodes could continue resting.
Maintaining just one Swiftcrab wasn't much of a burden for him, and using the crab's 360-degree view was much easier than constantly turning his head.
"Should we split up?" Kana suggested. "Together, we're not very efficient. This gorge is huge—we could search till dark and still not be done."
Splitting up could be dangerous... That was Rhodes' first thought.
But after considering that the master and Erza would be following one each, he agreed. "How do we keep in touch?"
Kana took out two cards and handed one to Rhodes.
The moment Rhodes took it, a chibi version of Kana appeared on the card.
Kana's card also showed a chibi version of Rhodes.
"These two cards can be used to communicate," Kana demonstrated.
The chibi Kana on Rhodes' card waved its little hand, saying, "Help me! Help me!"
At the same time, the card pointed to the direction where Kana was.
Rhodes was amazed. "Is this Warren's magic? You're good at everything, huh..."
Kana shook her head. "No, it can only transmit this one distress signal and indicate the holder's direction. It's far less convenient than Warren's magic."
So, basically a distress-specific version of telepathy, with the crucial function of locating the other person.
Kana was too versatile.
If given more time to accumulate knowledge, she might just become that "wise and all-knowing" figure, like a dependable "old mentor."
However, mastering every kind of magic to the highest level was not an easy task.