The Retired Hero is an Extra

The reward chest opened to reveal two similar vials of potions, each of a different color.

"Mana Recovery Potion and Healing Potion?" Jash exclaimed in recognition, his brows arching in doubt.

No physical harm had befallen him, but the potions could still be useful for the rest of the exam.

Anyhow, the reward chest and the potions perplexed him, as rewards weren't ever mentioned in the novel or any information about the Academy.

Unlike him, the staff were in disarray trying to figure out how he got the reward chest from another place.

It was actually a reward from a chain-quest where different numbers of clues pertaining to the same objective were left in various places.

Many participants were solving the puzzle, unaware that others had already moved ahead.

Only after solving the puzzle at five different levels would two examinees come face-to-face and realize the futility of their struggle.

Of course, the reward being two potions and the sub-rewards at each stage were meant to make up for it.

Unfortunately, that same reward chest was with Jash, who was... just sleeping.

If only Jash knew they considered him to be lazily sleeping around, he'd one hundred percent go and beat the shit out of them.

Though they were at least A-Rank hunters, it wasn't realistic, but Jash wouldn't care at that point.

Well, there was a much higher chance of him not giving a damn and just ignoring them, just like he did with almost everything.

He had a simple motto that he followed: Why take unnecessary stress and tension if it can just be forgotten?

It wasn't really complex, but applying it in real life was difficult where every person was burdened by one tension or another.

And as if to prove this point, Jash threw away the reward box and pocketed the two vials, placing them next to the sword.

Thankfully, he had gotten a belt from an examinee, allowing him to secure the potions and give them a layer to prevent any accidental damage.

However, he pursed his lips in the next second, pondering about his next set of actions.

'What even is left for me to do?' he wondered, relaxed after his breakthrough in sword mastery.

It took him a few seconds to come to a decision. "Maybe I should stabilize it," he mumbled to himself, still in deep thought.

He absentmindedly tried to dig his way out of the soil and find some examinees to stabilize his impetus breakthrough.

Just as he moved, a stinging pain erupted near his heart at the mana core.

"W...what?" he uttered through bated breath, caressing his chest to placate the unexpected sensation of pain.

No matter how realistic the illusion was, it was after all only an illusion, so Jash remained oblivious to his body's condition.

His mana was entirely exhausted to bring him back to consciousness and maintain his bodily functions.

Though his body didn't really exert itself, his brain sure did—the sensations and nerve signals wouldn't stop immediately.

And that's exactly where mana came in.

It served as a mediator between the lucid state of being in an illusion and the real world, working to restore the balance.

That's why his entire mana was almost depleted.

It was only because he was relaxing that he didn't realize it after waking up and it only showed effects as he moved.

Nevertheless, Jash's mind was sharp enough to conclude that his mana was exhausted, taking the best steps to solve it.

In a hurry to restore his mana, he took out the vial of Mana Recovery Potion and gulped it down in one go.

"Aargh," he groaned at its bitter taste amid the rising pain before a cool sensation spread through his stomach.

It slowly crept to his mana core, immediately dousing the burst of pain with a fresh wave of pure mana.

Well, it all happened within a second of taking the potion but for Jash, that might've been hours.

The pain was no worse than during his awakening ceremony, and it would worsen if he emptied his mana core as a higher-ranked hunter.

Though their higher absorption rates prevent the problem unless they are in a mana-less environment.

Then... good luck.

In one way or another, Jash too was in a similar situation without mana, buried under a tree.

If not for immediately consuming the Mana Recovery Potion, he might've suffered more and even damaged his Mana Core in the long run.

'Damn you, Rui! Just you wait!' Jash vowed, gritting his teeth while clutching his chest.

Fortunately, the staff was busy looking out for other examinees as only a few thousand examinees were left after an entire day.

Or they were busy trying to figure out the source of the reward chest that Jash received from nowhere.

Sadly for them, they were destined to not find out anything about it and could only edit that part out, lest someone claims favoritism.

Meanwhile, Jash finally dug his way out of the soil and squinted his eyes against the sharp sunlight shining on his muddy face.

The stark difference in brightness forced him to be caught off-guard for a second, but no one was there to take advantage of it.

After dusting himself off, Jash trudged back to the cave, in hopes of encountering someone.

Alas, all his luck seemed to have been used or was it really bad luck?

"Damn it! When I didn't want to fight, I encountered so many examinees and monsters, so where are they now?"

Jash grumbled in frustration, unable to encounter even a hair of an examinee as he traversed the forest.

No matter how much he looked around or the amount of noise he made, he only found some weak E-Rank monsters.

One swing was all it took to eliminate them as he didn't even look back to check on them.

In fact, his frustration could also be attributed to his rumbling stomach as he didn't eat anything since the start of the Entrance Test.

If not for hunters being stronger due to the presence of mana in their bodies, he would've long craved anything edible.

He was no different than a starving teen finding his fridge empty after being given hopes of a sumptuous meal.

Sadly, his stringent choice of food being carried from his past life was really difficult to fulfill.

'So annoying,' he thought, remembering the long periods of starvation in his past life.

Despite the situation of his previous world dropping to a level where humans would even eat rotten food, he didn't even eat fresh meat.

And that same habit, instinct, routine, or whatever you call it, had become a part of his soul across two lives.

Even before regaining the memories, he puked at the sight of meat, not to mention eating it.

That was impossible.

The only change would be his past life experiences of chewing on fresh self-cooked food even when standing in pools of blood and flesh.

"Ugh," he groaned with an irritated countenance as he stepped into a desert next to the forest before turning back.

"As if a desert would have any food when even the forest didn't..." he muttered, turning to look at the leafy treetops.

"Just what is the use of having such lush trees when they can't even produce the smallest of a nut," he complained, punching a tree trunk.

—Thud!

—Kieeek!!