Supreme Warlock System : From Zero to Ultimate With My Wives-Chapter 288: Beat The System

Warlock Ch 288. Beat The System

A contestant wielding dual swords lunged toward the exit, only to be intercepted by three others who tackled him to the ground.

A beast lunged at a warlock, sinking its claws into his chest.

Selena flinched but kept running.

They were getting close.

Fifteen meters.

Ten.

Five.

Then, finally— They reached the exit.

Damian's fingers tightened around hers as they dived through just as the invisibility started fading.

The moment their feet touched solid ground, a flash of light surged behind them.

Then... Silence. They managed to pass the first segment.

Selena, panting, barely turned her head in time to see the remaining contestants on the other side. She swallowed, turning back to Damian.

He smirked, completely unfazed.

"Well," he said. "That was fun."

Selena shot him a look, still catching her breath. "You call that fun?"

Damian stretched, rolling his shoulders. "Beating the system? Walking past a battlefield without lifting a finger? Yeah, I'd say that was very fun."

She exhaled, placing a hand on her hip as she glanced back at the now-sealed door. The shimmering portal pulsed slightly, a faint hum emanating from it. They couldn't see what was happening in the maze anymore—only their reflections in the glowing surface.

"What about the others?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the door.

Damian shrugged. "Dunno. Guess we just need to wait until the time is up."

Selena frowned but didn't argue. She turned her attention to their surroundings. The space they had entered wasn't nearly as ominous as the labyrinth. It looked more like a… waiting room?

Simple, clean, and eerily quiet.

A few wooden chairs were scattered about, paired with long tables stacked with food and drinks. Bread, meat, fruits, water, and even wine.

Selena blinked. "They're feeding us?"

Damian smirked. "Guess we deserve a reward for surviving."

She stepped toward the table, her stomach growling at the sight. But before her fingers could touch a piece of fruit, Damian's hand shot out, catching her wrist.

She turned to him, confused. "What?"

His expression had lost its usual amusement, replaced with something far more serious. "Let me check first."

Selena raised an eyebrow. "You think they poisoned the food?"

"Wouldn't be the first time someone tried to wipe out contestants outside of combat," he muttered. "And considering someone really wants you dead? Wouldn't put it past them to lace every bite with something nasty."

"…Fair point." She took a step back, crossing her arms.

Damian exhaled and activated [Observation].

A faint glow flickered in his eyes as the skill scanned the food and drinks before them. He focused, waiting for the system's analysis.

[Observation Successful.]

[Food Status: Safe.]

[Freshly prepared. No traces of poison or magical tampering detected.]

[Drink Status: Tampered.]

[Liquid appears normal, but contains Mana Corrupting Agent].

[Effect: Slows mana flow by 30% for 1 hour. Spellcasting efficiency reduced by 20%.]

Damian's smirk returned, but this time it carried an edge of amusement. "Well, well."

Selena stiffened. "What?"

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He gestured toward the drinks. "Someone was very thoughtful. The food's fine, but the drinks? Spiked."

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Poison?"

He tilted his head, reading further into the details. "Not lethal. Something… subtler. Slows reaction time. Impairs mana flow."

Her eyes darkened. "So they want us vulnerable for the next segment."

"Looks that way." Damian tapped his chin. "Though, I'm almost flattered they put in this much effort."

Selena sighed. "So we stick to the food."

"And drink nothing from this table," he added. "Not even a sip."

She nodded, grabbing a piece of bread and sitting down. Damian followed, picking up a chunk of roasted meat.

The silence between them was surprisingly comfortable as they ate. The tension of the exam, the constant battle for survival—it all seemed distant for the moment.

"You don't eat like a warlock," Selena said suddenly, watching him.

Damian raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly does a warlock eat?"

She smirked. "Messier. More… unhinged."

He chuckled. "Sorry to disappoint. I save the unhinged act for special occasions."

She popped a grape into her mouth. "I noticed."

"Anyway," Damian said, tossing the bread into his mouth, "if you think I eat weirdly, you should see how Cas—I mean, Master Cassius eats. He's a warlock, but he eats like a privileged high noble magus."

Selena gave him a dubious look. "I can't tell if you mean that as a compliment or an insult."

"Both," Damian admitted shamelessly. "He's got that 'I own everything in the room' energy, you know? Even when he's just cutting steak, it's like he's planning how to conquer a country."

Selena raised an eyebrow. "So you eat like a… normal person?"

"Shocking, I know."

She tilted her head slightly, gaze still locked onto him. "You're weird."

"That's what they tell me," Damian said with a smirk.

There was a small pause before he spoke again. "Just asking, you're a fae, right? Why don't you fly at all? I mean, you can fly."

Selena blinked at the sudden shift in topic but didn't hesitate to answer. "The rules say that. The vampires can't turn into bats. The werewolves can't shift into beast mode. And fae… we can't fly."

Damian frowned. "Why?"

She shrugged. "We agreed."

"That doesn't make sense."

Selena gave him a look. "Because keeping a fair playing field makes no sense?"

Damian opened his mouth to argue, to say that in his own S-rank exam years ago, there were no such restrictions. Back then, it was pure survival, a brutal test of strength, wit, and endurance. No holding back, no limitations. But then he stopped himself.

He couldn't say that. Not without explaining why he knew that.

Instead, he just shook his head. "No, I mean… in an exam like this, wouldn't flight be an important survival ability? It's like telling a mage they can't use spells. It defeats the purpose."

Selena huffed. "It's different. We signed the agreement. Fae magic has a lot of advantages, and flight gives us too much mobility. They thought it would be unfair."

Damian scoffed. "And you agreed to that?"

"Of course. That's the rule."

He gave her a deadpan stare. "Rules are meant to be broken."