Weak, slow, cold.
That's what Damian felt when the light disappeared. He immediately regained his focus and noticed his new environment. But what he saw sent a cold shiver down his spine. Damian was falling from the sky, thousands of meters up, with a massive city below him, large enough for millions of people. He noticed four other things: First, Damian couldn't use his mana or any of his abilities; he had reverted to being an ordinary human. Second, there was a black bracelet on his wrist. Third, he was wearing a backpack. Fourth, he saw many black dots falling with him.
Thanks to his [Multi-Mind] skill, Damian analyzed the situation at high speed and concluded the following: his cultivation was currently sealed by the bracelet. Damian assumed this was part of the exam, so he didn't bother trying to remove it. Second, he guessed the backpack was a parachute, as the academy wouldn't let them fall to their deaths and turn into a bloody paste. As for the black dots he saw, he guessed they were the other students.
These were Damian's personal analyses, with no proof, until a voice from the bracelet he was wearing interrupted his and the other students' doubts.
"Welcome, participants. It was fun to see you all getting wet, but as the exam supervisor, I must state the rules before you land. First, your cultivation has been sealed by the bracelet on your wrist. No one should try to take it off; it won't work anyway. Second, the backpack on your back is a parachute that you can release at any time you want by pulling the cord on the right side. Third, after you land, the city will be surrounded by a deadly dome. If you try to touch it, I guarantee your immediate death. But that's not all; the dome will shrink every second until the end of the exam. Also, don't worry about dying. If you suffer a life-threatening injury, your bracelet will activate, teleporting you to us and treating you immediately. The city has weapons and food, so don't worry. As for how to pass the exam, it depends on the number of students you've killed, how long you survive, and your performance. Also, remember that the exam is currently being broadcast to the public, so do your best; I don't want my audience to get bored. And finally, let the Battle Royale begin!"
After hearing the supervisor's words, some students calmed down, while others became more nervous and anxious because the audience was watching them, even though they knew the exam would be broadcast. As for Damian, he didn't care about the audience at all. He knew the academy's exams were always broadcast, so he had expected his exam would be too.
Damian continued to descend until he could see the buildings clearly, so he decided to pull the cord, releasing the parachute from his backpack. At that moment, Damian saw many parachutes appear next to him. A few minutes later, Damian landed on the roof of a twenty-story building, but he wasn't alone. Three other students had also landed on the roof. Damian looked around and saw weapons like daggers, axes, and a spear lying on the roof.
Damian immediately lunged for the closest weapon, which was an axe, but there was a student in front of him rushing towards the same axe. The student grabbed the axe and intended to kill Damian, but a strong grip seized his arm, and another fist hit his stomach, making him regurgitate everything he had eaten. Damian didn't give the student any chance. With a swift movement of his hand, he grabbed the axe from the student's hand, and with his other hand, he grabbed the student by his clothes and threw him off the roof.
Even though there was no mana and the students' cultivation was sealed, Damian had the new cheat cards he had acquired: [Multi-Mind], [Super Bones], [Advanced Senses], [Underwater Breathing], and [Very Weak Poison Resistance]—all passive skills. Because of this, the student stood no chance against Damian. Of course, Damian wasn't the only one with cheat cards; any race other than humans had a strong advantage due to their bodies. One could say this was unfair, but in a real battlefield, there is no such thing as fair or unfair.
After Damian threw the student off the building, his enhanced instincts sensed danger. He jumped to the side and saw a spear pierce the ground where he had just been standing. Damian looked in the direction the spear came from and saw the other two people on the roof with him: one with long ears and blonde hair, an Elf, and the other, a girl with a furry tail and ears and cat-like eyes—a half-human, half-cat. The Elf and the half-human looked at him with cautious eyes. They had both seen Damian easily dispose of the other student, so they decided to form a temporary alliance to take him down.
Damian grabbed the spear, pulling it out of the ground, and looked at the Elf, saying, "I received your gift, and unfortunately, I didn't like it, so I must return it to you." As the Elf watched Damian prepare to throw the spear, his instincts urged him to run and avoid the attack. He decided to run towards the half-beast girl. The girl saw the Elf running toward her. She thought he was betraying her, so she tightened her grip on the daggers she had acquired, ready to fight. But at that moment, she saw a spear pierce the Elf's head, causing his body to fall to the ground. Before his head hit the ground, the bracelet on the Elf's wrist lit up and teleported him out of the exam for treatment.
The girl froze in place, not knowing what had happened. Then she instinctively looked at Damian and saw him preparing to throw his axe in her direction. The girl wanted to move, but her body was frozen with fear and shock. Damian threw the axe at the girl, piercing her skull. The girl disappeared from the exam immediately after being hit by the axe, to be treated. Damian walked over, picked up his axe, and looked at it. He liked the axe; he loved the brute force that came with using it, so he decided to use the axe for now.
Damian went down the building via the stairs, paying attention to his enhanced senses. He reached the fifth floor and heard a sound. Damian entered the fifth floor to look for anyone. The place was surrounded by desks and computers; it looked like a normal office floor, except for the lack of employees and the blood scattered throughout. Damian looked at a specific desk; he knew there was a life behind it. He raised his axe and threw it, piercing the desk and the computers until it reached the person hiding. The axe pierced their back, causing their bracelet to light up and teleport them out of the exam.
Damian picked up his axe, went to the stairs again, and decided to go down. He faced and killed three more participants with his axe, ending their exams. Damian left the building and paid attention to his senses again. The first thing he noticed was the dome the supervisor had mentioned. Apparently, Damian was in the middle of the city, so there was no need to move; the dome would shrink, directing participants toward Damian. So Damian decided to clear his area of any people who were still alive. Damian's enhanced senses detected movement from a nearby building, so he decided to enter it.
"I wonder what Arthur is doing now."