Chapter 441: Survival Assessment I
Icarus’s voice cut through the field.
"In order to enter this training center, you must survive for one minute against a group of five A rank giants."
Damian’s eyes narrowed immediately.
’There has to be a catch.’
His gaze swept across the assembled candidates, cataloging what his instincts were screaming at him.
Everyone here was at peak A+ rank.
The Aura radiating from their bodies made that clear, dense and controlled in ways that only came from years of pushing against the rank barrier.
’Their physical stats are all at the limit... around 800 minimum.’
Some of them felt even stronger, their presence carrying weight that suggested they’d broken past the theoretical ceiling.
’Even if they can’t kill five giants alone, surviving one minute should still be easy for awakeners at this level...’
Icarus’s cold eyes found Damian’s face, reading the calculation there.
"Inside the wards of that dome..." His hand gestured toward the massive structure behind them. "You won’t be able to use your Aura."
The words hit like a physical blow.
’So that’s why...’
Goosebumps rose across Damian’s skin as he stared at the dome.
Without Aura, everything an awakener relied on would be stripped away.
Skills wouldn’t activate, Domains couldn’t manifest and Weapon arts that depended on Aura enhancement would become worthless.
He won’t even be able to enhance his body with Aura.
’Fighting A rank giants with just raw physical stats...’
His mind raced through the implications.
Telekinesis will still work since it was a mental skill.
Self-healing would be gone completely.
Sonic Blink, Macro Vision, Stealth, Obsidian Hide... all his active skills would be useless.
’Did all of them survive this?’
His eyes swept across the assembled candidates again, seeing them in a completely different light.
The old woman who’d brought Damian here moved toward the dome, her hand glowing as she made a gesture.
A section of the shimmering barrier peeled back, creating an opening large enough to walk through.
"Enter when you’re ready."
Her voice carried no warmth.
Damian waved his hand, light flashing as his axe materialized from the spatial ring.
The handle that had broken during his fight with Jonathan Thorne had been repaired over the past month, reinforced with materials that could withstand his full strength.
He walked toward the opening without hesitation.
Behind him, the other candidates moved to surround the dome’s perimeter, positioning themselves to watch what would happen.
Whispers started spreading through their ranks.
"I almost died in there..." A scarred veteran’s voice carried clearly. "Those bastards move faster than you’d think for Giants... Without Aura reinforcement, one hit breaks bones."
Another voice chimed in, this one carrying grudging respect.
"Regulus Blackwood is a beast though... He survived easily."
Eyes turned toward the black-haired man with black eyes who stood with casual confidence.
"All his physical stats are above 900... He’s been pushing past the stat limits for years now. Those giants couldn’t even touch him."
Someone else spoke up, looking toward the pink-haired man.
"Sicar Verratoux is even more effective against them."
The pink-haired man’s expression remained neutral as attention shifted his way.
"His physical stats aren’t as good as Regulus, but he used mental skills to easily pass. Those giant helmets couldn’t defend easily against his mental attacks, even weakened ones without Aura backing them."
The old woman moved to stand beside Icarus, her face turned toward where Damian was approaching the dome entrance.
"What do you think, General? Will he be able to survive?"
Icarus’s cold eyes tracked Damian’s movements.
"He has high willpower from what the reports indicated... Telekinesis as well." His voice came out measured. "He should be able to survive for one minute using mobility and evasion."
He paused, something shifting in his expression.
"But... didn’t he say his limit is death? Let’s see how true that is... Don’t open the wards after one minute passes."
The old woman’s eyes widened fractionally.
"General, that’s–"
"An order."
His tone left no room for argument.
****
Damian stepped through the barrier, feeling it seal behind him with a sensation like walking through honey.
The moment he crossed completely inside, every trace of Aura in his body vanished.
It was gone, like it had never existed.
’This is an Aura-less zone...’
The sensation was familiar.
He’d experienced something similar during his raid on the Tranquil City police detention center months ago.
’I need this technology for the Mafia.’
The thought came automatically, his mind already filing away information.
’Maybe recruit scientists from the Southern Region... From what I heard, wards and everything related to this technology comes from Arcane Dynamics Corporation.’
He pulled up his status screen in his peripheral vision, checking what the breakthrough had actually given him.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Strength: 754 → 759
Speed: 767 → 772
Stamina: 759 → 765
Vitality: 763 → 768
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
His eyes tracked across the numbers, disappointment bleeding through.
’They only increased by small amounts even after breaking through a major rank barrier...’
The gains were minimal compared to what he’d expected from reaching A- rank.
’My body is too strong now... The Devourer Art has condensed my physical form to the point where normal breakthroughs barely improve the foundation.’
As he was immersed in his thoughts, a massive gate on the opposite side of the dome began opening, metal grinding against stone.
GROOOOOAN
The sound echoed through the enclosed space.
Damian’s grip tightened on his axe.
For a second, nothing moved.
Then a spear the size of a tree trunk came hurtling through the opening.
WHOOOOSH
The weapon cut through air with a sound like thunder, aimed directly at Damian’s center mass.
He threw himself sideways, the spear missing him by inches and embedding itself in the ground where he’d been standing.
BOOM
The impact cratered the floor, sending cracks spider-webbing outward.
’That would have killed me instantly...’
Five shapes emerged from the gateway.
’A rank Giants... Way taller than I expected...’
Thirty meters tall, their bodies covered head to toe in dark armor that gleamed with some sort of technology and each one carried weapons that made Damian’s axe look like a toy.
They moved with surprising speed despite their size, boots shaking the ground with each step.
"HUMAN!"
The closest giant’s voice boomed like an avalanche.
"SURVIVE IF YOU CAN!"
They attacked simultaneously.