Jake stood in the middle of the wasteland, one hand pressed hard against the torn flesh where his arm used to be. The air reeked of blood and smoke, thick enough to sting his eyes and burn his throat.
Around him, the ground was littered with broken weapons, shattered stones, and the bodies of students who, minutes ago, had been laughing and fighting for their dreams.
He stared up at the figure that had descended from the massive airship.
"That's… definitely not a teacher," he muttered, his voice hoarse.
The man or whatever he was, he lifted both arms, and dark smoke began to pour from both his hands. It rolled forward like a living shadow, spreading fast, twisting as if it hungered for anything alive.
Jake didn't wait to find out what it did. He turned and started running or rather, limping as fast as his failing body would allow.
Think, Jake, think.
If the test was supposed to eject them when they got killed or incapacitated, then he could just knock ... out and end it, right? That's what he thought, until he saw the corpses.
They were still there.
No shimmering light, no teleportation, just lifeless bodies lying in the dirt.
"...It's broken," he whispered. "The exam's bugged."
The ground behind him cracked as the black smoke crawled closer. He could feel the cold from it, unnatural and heavy. There was no way he could outrun it.
He wanted to give up, until he saw what the smoke did to someone. A nearby student caught in it screamed once, then went silent, their body crumbling like ash in the wind.
Jake's stomach turned, no, there's no way I am dying like that.
If he couldn't out run the black smoke, then he had to stop the source from which the black smoke is coming from.
He spun around and saw a group of seven students already rushing the creature from which the black smoke is coming from, they must've had the same thought.
The demon or man, he didn't even flinch. He let them get close, not directing the black smoke to them as if he wanted them to get close to him, and that...that made him more scarier to Jake.
One of the braver ones leapt high into the air, channeling light into his fists. "Take this!" he shouted, diving down like a meteor.
Jake winced, too high, man, that's a rookie mistake, even he that doesn't have than much battle experience could tell. As the boybwas in the air, he has no chance to freely move in the air.
Before the student's strike could land, the creature raised one hand and caught him mid-air by the face. The boy's body went limp instantly as the smoke surged around him. He hit the ground a second later, unmoving. He didn't even make any sound, how could he when his head has already been detached from his body.
The others didn't waste any time, they attacked in desperation, blades flashing, spells bursting, but nothing worked. Their blows passed through the black haze like it wasn't even there.
One by one, they fell.
The silence that followed was worse than the screams.
Jake didn't even realize he'd stopped running. His legs refused to move anymore. He sank to his knees, the world blurring as blood loss and exhaustion took over.
So this is it, he thought weakly, I didn't even last ten minutes.
The creeping smoke reached him, curling around his body like cold fingers. His vision dimmed, his lungs burned.
Then...
System Notification:
Warning!!! Harmful toxins detected in host bloodstream.
Estimated time to death: 3 minutes.
Would you like to commence toxin removal?
Jake's mind went blank.
"...Wait," he whispered. "I can do that?"
Jake didn't hesitate. He mentally shouted at the glowing words hanging in front of his fading vision.
"Yes! Commence toxin removal!"
A sharp pulse went through his body, like static crawling under his skin. The system's voice echoed again, cold and mechanical.
System Notification:
Toxin removal process initiated.
Error!!! insufficient energy detected.
Process aborted.
Jake's eyes widened. "What?! Are you kidding me?!"
He doubled over, coughing, each breath scraping like sandpaper in his lungs. The black smoke was seeping through his pores now, and every nerve in his body screamed.
He slammed his fist weakly into the ground. "You can't quit on me now, you stupid system! There has to be another way!"
The system's red glow flickered faintly again, as if thinking.
System Notification:
Searching for alternative energy source…
Scanning…
Suitable energy source found.
Jake blinked through the haze. "Good—good, whatever it is, use it!"
The pause that followed was too long.
System Notification:
Energy source located: Host's… biological output.
Each ejaculation will provide sufficient energy for one toxin removal process.
Jake froze.
For a full second, his pain, panic, and even the choking smoke stopped mattering. He just stared at the words in disbelief.
"You're joking."
No reply.
He laughed or maybe it was a sob. "Out of everything in the multiverse, you're telling me that's my power source?!"
The system didn't answer.
He groaned, half in agony, half in despair. "I can't believe this. I got transmigrated into a magical death world and ended up with a degenerate battery pack!"
The edges of his vision were starting to go dark. His body felt heavy, every breath harder than the last.
But even through the pain, he managed a weak smirk. "Figures. Out of all the powers in fiction, I had to get the one powered by… that."
Then the darkness closed in completely.