End of the exam

The girl placed the dagger against his neck, pointing to the cube attached to his belt. "Tell me, what do you have here? Is it enough to buy your life?"

In a weak, almost whispered voice, he replied, "Four..."

"Four what? Four hundred silver coins? Four thousand silver coins?"

*Cough* Alex coughed before saying, "Four out of ten. That's my evaluation of you."

In a clear and audible voice, he continued, gripping her wrist that held the dagger and tightening his grip.

A groan escaped her as he held her firmly, his grip strong enough to make her feel her bones being crushed. The dagger fell from her hand, and he pushed her forcefully to make her fall to the ground.

Shock held her tongue as she stared at the young man who had consumed poison in front of her. He showed no signs of fatigue or weakness – little did she know that due to the "Immortal Poison" technique, his body was immune to all known toxins.

The "Immortal Poison" technique was the most potent poison technique, although it was devastating, as it made no distinction between friend and foe. It didn't fit Alex's style, so he abandoned it.

The girl tried to stand and flee, but her legs failed her. A strange and unwelcome sensation coursed through her – the feeling of her muscles becoming numb and ceasing to function. It was paralysis.

"It's impossible. I've been poisoned. When did this happen? When did I realize my situation?"

"That's why I gave you four out of ten. It's disappointing to meet a killer who's this foolish. Let's count them: one – the girl who approached me despite coming from the future didn't present her document to the supervisor or register for the exam; two – the girl who approached me to give her a potion didn't even try to control the illusion aura she was emanating. Three, knowing I'm proficient in magic, you should've at least tried to control the illusion aura around you." With caution, Alex held the dagger from its blade, avoiding contact with the handle. Olivia finally realized how she was poisoned; the poison was in the handle of the dagger. He pretended to drop it, enticing her to use it.

Her body trembled a moment ago, thinking she had everything under control. But now, she was at the mercy of someone who should have been her prey. Her mind still hadn't grasped the situation.

"How can someone be this observant? How did he turn the tables like this? How did he entice me to hold the poisoned dagger? And how is he still standing after being poisoned?"

All these questions flew from her mind as she saw the terrifying face in front of her.

Alex lifted his foot and struck it down with all his strength, targeting her knee.

*Crack*

*aaaah...allÏ*

The sound of bones shattering was followed by a scream that pierced the ears. This type of poison paralyzed the body, but it didn't stop the pain. With one kick, he shattered her kneecap. While she bit her lip, restraining herself from screaming, he still noticed a hint of pain in her eyes. That kick didn't stop her from feeling pain.

Alex's strategy had worked. He counted on her not realizing the danger of his "Immortal Poison" technique. That would allow him to trick her into holding the dagger.

Her body shivered a moment ago when she thought everything was under her control. But now, she was at the mercy of her supposed prey. Her mind still hadn't fully grasped the situation.

'How can someone be this observant? How did he turn the tables like this? How did he entice me to hold the poisoned dagger? And how is he still standing after being poisoned?'

All these questions flew from her mind as she gazed upon the terrifying face before her.

From beneath the white smoke, a woman in her thirties emerged. She was short, pallid, with dark circles under her eyes, bearing the look of addiction. Her yellow teeth were still clamped down on her lip, which she had bitten, causing it to bleed.

After contemplating for a moment, the immobilized woman spoke, "I'll give you a point for your acting skills. Five out of ten. Not bad. You're now on par with my second brother, whom you killed in a similar manner. Those were dreadful days, memorable but not repeatable."

The paralyzed woman before him, who could only feel pain and agony, pleaded for mercy and begged for his compassion. "Please, have mercy on me. I suffer from an internal injury caused by a powerful sorcerer. It's a wound that won't heal, and the pain is relentless. All I wanted was some money for painkillers. Greed got the best of me."

Alex looked at her with a cold glance and spoke mockingly, "Should I forget that you poisoned me and wanted to hear me scream? It seems I was mistaken about you. You're nothing like the second one. He didn't plead to keep his life because he knew he had lost. So, you'll die."

He knew that she had given up, and now he would execute his plan. With a cold and composed demeanor, he threatened her with skinning her alive, leaving her flesh for wild animals to feast upon, all while she watched in agony. She was fully convinced that he would carry out his threat.

"Your rival is the guard, Liam. He's one of those responsible for attempting to reduce the number of participants. There's a lot to gain behind it. And you've ruined his plans and humiliated him in front of everyone."

"Only a narrow-minded person hires an assassin for such a trivial reason. Oh, by the way, the poison in your body is lethal. You won't live... oh, it seems she's already dead. Doesn't matter." Alex stared at the woman, and it appeared that the poison had taken effect quicker than he anticipated. He drew a magical circle on her body, igniting it into flames and leaving only ashes behind.

"I have a race to win, and I've wasted enough time."

Without delay, Alex produced a magical document and recited some incantations. From thin air, a giant red eagle with ornate black saddle appeared. He mounted the eagle and soared into the sky towards the finish line.

Earlier that day, before the exam, Alex found a shop that sold tamed monsters. The best part was that you didn't need to take the monster with you or take care of it. These monsters lived in a natural reserve created by tamers, and with the teleportation magic, you could summon them whenever you wanted.

Alex hadn't expected to need the red eagle so soon, but he was glad he had purchased it, despite its hefty cost. After wasting time dealing with the assassin, he had no desire to waste more with the magical barrier set up by the magic students. Within a matter of minutes, his flight had concluded, and he landed the red eagle right at the finish line.

The examiner's eyes widened as he saw one of the candidates using a bird to pass the exam. He jumped up and pointed to the bird, which had disappeared after Alex returned it to its habitat. "What does this mean? How did you use a bird to pass the exam?"

Alex responded, turning left and right, "A bird? Seriously?... Just kidding. I don't recall any rule prohibiting the use of creatures."

"I'm not joking with you. I can't overlook this. It goes against the purpose of the exam. It's like an unwritten law."

"You can't overlook an unwritten law, but you can overlook the students who created a giant magical barrier that even a blind man can see through." Alex's words embarrassed the examiner, who didn't know how to respond. The idea was to overlook the main candidates to increase the exam's difficulty. Filing complaints against students who obstructed others' tasks was expected, but using it as a loophole to break the rules hadn't happened before.

*Boom!* A deafening explosion sounded behind them. The shared magical barrier constructed by the students shattered into small fragments. It wasn't an easily breakable barrier. If two beginner-level wizards or more worked together to execute a magical circle, its power would match that of an advanced wizard or even more. Thousands of small fragments of the barrier, colored in a celestial blue mana, fell and shone brightly before disappearing upon touching the ground.

Amidst the falling fragments, a figure emerged, walking at a slow pace. The figure was dressed in a wide coat and a hood that concealed their face. Bandages covered their entire right hand, and their grip was still firm. The bandages were dyed red with blood, and drops fell from the hand's grip. The blue lights behind them added a theatrical effect as they made their way to the finish line.

Alex turned to the examiner and remarked, "And you thought bringing the eagle was overkill. Look at that fireworks display... Just take the document." The person in the hood approached without saying a word and handed the document to the examiner. With a finger, they formed the number one, but upon seeing another document in the examiner's hand, he seemed to slump in disappointment. Lowering his head and shoulders in dejection