Unlike the awakening test that each student had only one fight, the knockout exam had six stages before a winner was decided and each stage was more tasking than the previous one.
Apart from minimizing their mana usage, they had to make sure they didn't sustain damage that would decrease their fighting ability because no one was to be treated by the school's healers unless they had been eliminated.
'At this point, I wished I had a friend that awakened the light element.' Blake sighed when he now realized how useful they were.
[With your rank anyone that isn't your sworn enemy would love to be your friend, but someone decided not to have friends.] The system snorted.