Warlock Ch 289. Survival is Our Top Priority
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, here we go. Let guess—you didn't follow the rules when you took your exam, right?"
Damian smirked but said nothing. She wasn't wrong.
"Figures," she muttered, shaking her head. "You're the type who just does whatever he wants."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," he teased.
"It is when you're supposed to be on my side."
He leaned back, propping his feet up on the table. "Hey, I haven't done anything to screw you over yet."
"Yet," she repeated, unimpressed.
Damian simply grinned.
Selena sighed, rubbing her temples. "Look, I know you don't care about rules, but for so of us, rules are what keep us from getting killed. Or worse."
His smirk faded slightly. "You an the assassination attempts."
She went quiet. "Yeah," she muttered.
Damian tapped his fingers against the table. "Alright, Princess. Since you're so big on rules, let ask—what do you think is gonna happen in the next phase?"
She glanced at him. "What do you an?"
"Do you really think this is going to get any easier?" He leaned forward slightly, voice lower. "They already threw assassins at you. This whole test is just an excuse to let people kill each other off. Do you really think the next stage will be any different?"
She hesitated.
"And if you get targeted again," he continued, "what then? You still gonna follow the rules?"
Selena exhaled slowly. "...I don't know."
Damian studied her for a mont before shrugging. "Well, let know when you figure it out."
Selena didn't answer imdiately, instead chewing on the grape she had just taken. Her eyes flickered, thoughts clearly churning behind them. Damian wasn't exactly trying to be wise or philosophical, but if his words managed to drill so sense into her stubborn head, that was a bonus.
He smirked, leaning back against his chair. "Here's my advice, princess. Survival is your top priority. You can take the exam next ti as long as you still have your life."
Selena fell silent again. Her expression was unreadable. Then, after a long mont, she sighed. "I know."
"Good," Damian said simply and took another bite of food.
The room remained relatively quiet for a mont, the tension from their earlier discussion lingering in the air. But before anything else could be said, the quiet was shattered by the sudden burst of the exit door slamming open.
Three contestants stumbled in, panting heavily, their bodies covered in scratches, dirt, and—most notably—blood. They were exhausted, barely able to stand, but clearly alive.
Damian, without missing a beat, clapped his hands together with an easy grin. "Welco, friends! You made it!"
The three contestants froze mid-step. Their eyes darted toward him, and as recognition dawned, their exhaustion was swiftly replaced with alarm.
One of them, a young man with disheveled dark hair, visibly flinched. "Y-You!" He pointed at Damian, his voice trembling slightly. "You're that lunatic!"
'Oops,' thought Damian.
Selena raised an eyebrow, about to open her mouth and clarify, but Damian lifted a hand, subtly stopping her. No, no. This was good. Let them fear him. Let them hesitate. Fear was a powerful weapon, after all.
So instead of clearing the misunderstanding, Damian did the exact opposite.
He grinned, his expression twisting into sothing deranged. "Oh? We et again." His voice dropped into a chuckle, dark and unhinged, sending visible shivers down their spines. "Too bad this is the waiting room and we can't kill each other here. If not…"
He trailed off, letting the sentence hang in the air. Letting their imaginations do the work.
The three contestants paled, visibly recoiling. One of them instinctively reached for a weapon but quickly thought better of it.
Slowly, cautiously, they shuffled toward the opposite side of the room, seating themselves at a table far away from him.
Selena exhaled sharply through her nose, shaking her head. "You enjoy this too much."
Damian leaned back, smug. "It's efficient."
"It's ridiculous."
"It's working."
Selena muttered sothing under her breath but didn't argue further.
The waiting room began to fill up. More contestants poured in, one after another. So were limping, others covered in blood, but they were alive. The final count landed at twenty-five.
Less than half of the original participants had survived the first segnt.
A few of them glanced around the room, scanning their remaining competitors. The realization hit them—every single person in here was strong. That was the only way they made it this far.
Damian observed them, taking note of the ones who stood out.
There was a broad-shouldered werewolf man, his eyes sharp and calculating. A vampire woman with pale skin and cold, piercing red eyes sat near the back, sipping from a small vial of blood. A dark elf with intricate silver markings along his arms adjusted the straps of his armor, while a burly human combat mage leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
All powerful. All dangerous.
And all now competitors.
Selena exhaled quietly. "Less than half made it."
Damian nodded. "ans the next phase will be worse."
She grimaced. "Can't wait."
The room humd with quiet tension. Conversations were hushed, spoken in murmurs. No one wanted to draw too much attention to themselves. Everyone was on edge.
Then, the familiar chi of the announcent system rang out.
A voice echoed through the room.
"Congratulations, contestants. You have successfully survived the first segnt of the S-Rank Exam. Take this ti to rest. Recuperate. The next segnt will begin shortly."
A collective silence fell over the room.
Rest.
That word alone made it clear—whatever was coming next would require every ounce of energy they had left.
Damian smirked, glancing at Selena. "Guess we better enjoy this while it lasts."
She crossed her arms. "You an while we still have a chance to breathe?"
"Exactly."
Selena shook her head but picked up another piece of fruit from the table. "Fine. But no more weird grinning at people."
Damian's smirk widened. "No promises."
She groaned.
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