The Retired Hero is an Extra

'No, no, no, this darned f–' Jash almost cursed at the thought of Rui changing that, but his next words calmed Jash down.

"...and this year, it'll continue to be the same."

Not just Jash, even the audience was ready to go and beat the shit out of Rui if he did something like that.

Heck, even some professors who were older victims of Rui's pranks wanted nothing more than to skin him for his insolence.

Unbeknownst to them, Rui was sweating himself, feeling the presence of the Vice-Principal narrowing down on him.

Since the spectators were eager, placing bets and speculating on outcomes, served to add to the pressure that had already mounted.

Rui secretly took a deep breath, reminding himself, 'It'll be fine; I have the permission.'

Meanwhile the examinees were trying their best to keep their cool, not wanting to be swept away by the burden placed upon them.

Yet many, like Jash, were thinking the same thing, 'If only this damned guy would announce the rules and start it!'

With a final glance at the crowd and a brief, reassuring smile to himself, Rui felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

The anticipation was almost unbearable, but he forced himself to remain calm, taking in every detail of the environment.

The test would soon begin, and he had come too far to falter now. Rui's heart raced, but he kept his focus on the task at hand.

The stakes were high, and the pressure was immense, but he was ready to do his job in the best way possible.

Finally, Rui began speaking once again, "It seems many interesting people are participating this year..."

His voice carried over the murmurs of the crowd as it slowly hushed down yet they had to strain to hear.

The examinees sharpened their focus as the reality of the situation set in.

"Just what's taking so long?" Jash grumbled in annoyance, hating the long wait.

However, Rui didn't seem to hold anyone in his eyes as he beamed at the negative reaction, seemingly enjoying their plight.

"So... we have changed the format of this year's tournament quite a bit!" Rui exclaimed, trying to hype it up.

And indeed it worked as many people were surprised at the change of events as it had never happened before.

Despite the first two tests being different each year, everyone knew that the third test would be the same, separating the participants based on their gender.

"Oh, don't worry! The format has only been altered slightly!" Rui's voice was amplified across the stadium.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for quite a large number of parents and guardians of the participants.

"What? Wait, why is there even a change?"

"My son's been preparing for it for the last two years! That is so not fair!!"

Many conversations broke out among the crowd, but before the audience was confused even further, Rui coughed.

It wasn't that he wanted to diffuse the situation, but he was forced to do it. The pressure from an SS-Rank hunter was no joke.

"Now, now, we all know that looking at the same thing with little to no change every year got boring, " Rui said, confusing them further.

"So the professors thought that we needed a change and luckily, the principal approved it," Rui sneakily mentioned the principal.

And as expected, many voices died down just from hearing his mere mention.

"In short, this year, both our girl and boy participants will be teleported to one location chosen by us,"

"Now, that's the same, isn't it?" Rui asked, tilting his head with a big smile.

"Therefore, they will only have one weapon they chose right now for the entire duration of the test!" Rui exclaimed and got the expected reaction.

His smile brightened as he continued, "Now, our lovely participants will fight for the supplies, survival, weapons, points and also arrive at the final location."

"Every participant will have to fend for themselves, and this means they can also steal from others or force them into subordination to increase their numbers."

As soon as he mentioned it, the so-called friends in the examinee group distanced themselves from each other and eyed each other warily.

"But, but, but there is a slight twist! At the final location, a boss monster will be present!!" Rui's excitement was evident as he reveled in the challenge.

Though he turned quiet after mentioning the shocking detail, revealing nothing about the final hurdle.

Of course, that was also a test of resources, knowledge, skill, leadership or own strength.

However, he also skipped over one detail purposefully.

'Nothing can be done about him,' Jash sighed, shaking his head.

He was well aware of the gimmick of a boss monster they placed, something either Amael or the protagonist could solo.

'This should be an easy victory, right?' Jash thought, wondering if that would truly be the case.

Deep inside, he couldn't help but find something odd about the entire situation being too easy and decided to just stay alert.

"The time limit is three days, and once it's over, the custom suits will freeze any movements, halting ongoing fights," Rui concluded with a wide smile.

Anyone with eyes could tell that he enjoyed toying with the participants feelings and he was planning something shady.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot... there are no rules!" Rui exclaimed at the top of his lungs, but the audience remained silent.

"Yeah, you guessed right. Everything else is allowed—win by trickery, wisdom, or strength. It doesn't matter... or does it?"

Hearing Rui's ambiguous instructions angered the examinees who were plotting to get others to work for them while they relaxed.

Unfortunately, it wasn't Rui who came up with the test, but the professors with the approval of the Principal.

There was just absolutely no way they would allow an easy entry into the sacred Academy to anyone unworthy.

'In the end, only one's own strength matters,' Amael thought, isolated by the other examinees in fear of his status.

His thoughts were absolutely correct as no amount of trickery or traps would work if the enemy was just that strong.

Unsurprisingly, some examinees would only understand it after facing it firsthand, especially the ones targeting Amael to get Avon's favor.

Uncaring of the schemes, plots, tricks going on in the heads of young kids, Rui finally said something that eased the worries of many.

"Oh! And don't worry, our instructors will activate the barrier around the students if the attack might be fatal," Rui began with a tone of sincerity.

However, it was just a mask. "But of course, once the barrier is activated, poof! You are out," Rui concluded, smirking at the cursing examinees.

"That means that we don't care if your injury is not fatal, so be careful!" Ru shrugged his shoulders casually, uncaring of the glares he received.

At this point, even the Vice-Principal was barely resisting his urge to slap Rui to death along with the person who suggested him as the announcer.

Zander facepalmed, frustrated by Rui's vague explanation and odd antics as they weren't a good show at all!

Of course, the ones who were watching it and had no connection to the examinees enjoyed it, especially the ones who had failed the Entrance Test in the past.

And only because the audience was entertained and excited to see the fights did Zander, the Vice-Principal, retain his sense of reasoning.

Thankfully, even Rui also caved in under the growing pressure of Vice-Principal Zander as well as the eager audience.

"So are you guys READY?!" Rui's expression almost immediately turned into a bright face despite the cold sweat on his back.

'I am done for,' he thought while the audience screamed loudly, cheering for it to begin.

"YES!!!"