The Retired Hero is an Extra

Jash charged through the chaos, leaping over retreating examinees whose weapons collided and were flung about.

His eyes darted around, catching sight of the repelled weapons as well as examinees, calculating the distance between him and them.

With one step, he was closer to the boss monster; with another, he was mid-air before stepping on a repelled dagger.

Using its hilt as a foothold for a split second, Jash jumped up using the same method to reach the monster's head.

"Perfect," he muttered, noting the situation of the boss monster getting overwhelmed by the onslaught of spells and attacks.

It caused it to be momentarily disoriented and Jash had counted on just that, choosing to believe his mental calculation.

Seizing the chance, Jash hurtled towards the monster and brought his sword down in a precise arc, severing its horn cleanly.

"KUAAGH!!" The boss monster roared, confused and enraged, as the horn fell away, leaving a gaping wound.

It seemed to have come out from its primal reaction, causing many examinees to falter and stumble, even if they weren't in its direct vicinity.

Jash, however, was very much expecting it, taking hold of the horn as his prize and kicking off from the monster.

Still, that didn't mean he was entirely unaffected by the loud roar.

However, he was among the least affected, using mana to seal his ears, minimizing the impact.

Some examinees had tried, only to fail or were unable to do it in time, leading to the same results.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side, the protagonist and Amael climbed the monster's body, trying to slice off its horn.

Yet what met their swords was the flailing monster as they both cursed instinctively, "Oh no!"

Due to their aim being off, they ended up slicing off different parts of the horn, and their swords even collided.

However, both knew there was no time for anything else as they used mana to cover their ears and distance themselves.

Alas, what would a meter of distance matter when they were far closer than Jash, and weren't ready for it.

The worst part was the lack of cooperation.

But no one doubted it, especially given that the golden-haired boy had been named the common enemy just minutes ago.

Still, had they worked in tandem, their swords would have flashed from opposite angles and their combined effort would have completely removed it.

The monster's movements only became more erratic as it thrashed around, struggling to regain its bearings.

If Jash's decisive strike had already left it reeling, then the attack from Amael and the protagonist served to only further enrage it.

Alas, its erratic movements splashed the water away, robbing itself of its inherent advantage.

Of course, the examinees unable to overcome the shock from its roaring were swept away in the water, getting eliminated to prevent any harm.

Though a few were dealt with by other examinees, who were jealous and eager to reduce their competition.

'So stupid,' Jash commented inwardly, looking at their actions.

Everyone knew about the Entrance Test being broadcasted, so it was quite stupid to act obnoxiously and create a negative impression.

Not just the professors, there were several hidden scouts amongst the audience, so it only decreased their chances to get selected.

After all, who would want a troublemaker?

Someone so selfish as to eliminate a teammate for a reward they might never receive.

That was utter foolishness and such examinees could only hope they changed earlier when left with no other choice other than the Hunter Association.

'Well, they deserve to be their dogs and slaves,' Jash thought with disregard, already recovering from the earlier roar.

It wasn't just him though.

Amael and the protagonist both were recovering at absurd paces, almost catching up to him despite the difference in effect.

'Something's up,' Jash thought with narrowed eyes, noticing the change in their expressions.

He was sure that they wouldn't be stronger than their novel counterparts, but this situation seemed to defy it.

'I better let them suffer before taking them out,' Jash planned with a nod to himself, appreciating his decision to wait.

If he had already fought the boss monster and defeated it, giving his all, he would be at the mercy of others.

A scene he didn't want to see.

Luckily, his gamble paid off, helping him gauge them while not having to show his everything.

'All they can talk about is my deftness and precision, nothing more, nothing less,' Jash smirked inwardly, praising his genius.

Of course, it was just his narcissism blinding him from seeing that his sword could shatter at the slightest touch.

That's not all. He also sliced off the horn in one go, directly from its root—the hardest part of it.

If that didn't give a rough idea of his strength then what else could?

Especially since both of them had the system keep a close eye on him, allowing them to get a rough idea about him.

{Rough Estimate: Early E-Rank}

'Better to consider him a sub-rank higher, so Mid E-Rank?' Amael mused, wary of the new threat while keeping an eye on the protagonist.

(Host, he is nearly as strong as the past you)

'Imposs...ble,' the protagonist's thought broke as he found it to be unbelievable and even his focus on Amael loosened.

At that exact moment, Amael was looking at the protagonist and saw his gaze fixed at the boss monster instead of him.

'Weird. I thought he glared murderously at me. Was it just my imagination?' Amael thought in confusion and suspicion.

Was it fate or something else that made the protagonist seem unaware of Amael, allowing him to not raise any suspicion?

Unlike them, Jash had nothing to help him gauge them, and so he did the next best thing.

"It's mine!" he shouted before raising his sword,

—Crack! Crumple!

And it shattered due to his movement, making him feel extremely embarrassed.

Though he masked it, and didn't need to act, spurring the others into moving against the boss, something he wanted.

Of course, the over smart ones considered it to be Jash's scheme and not an honest mistake despite it being one.

Poor them didn't know they were being used to deplete their vitality and mana while also damaging the monster.

'It's going to be crazy,' Jash mused with a suppressed smile, aware that only a few tens of examinees would survive its onslaught.

Just like him, a few were waiting for others to attack and reap the rewards, making some examinees target them instead.

During the fight against the boss monster itself, several betrayals occurred, with many examinees getting teleported outside.

When the total count dropped below 20, the area seemed almost empty besides some small pools of water and blood.

Of course, the blood belonged to the monster as its scales were almost falling while its body was injured at various places.

A lot of blood leaked from its body yet it stubbornly stayed in its position.

'It's tired,' Jash noted and so did the others, planning to take it down and become the champion.

No matter, everyone had fought hard to get this victory, and they too were exhausted despite their strength.

The mages like Caeron and Yirox were running low on mana while the warriors, Avon, Grunghin, Zaos, Amael, the protagonist, the lightning boy were tired physically.

'Not like none of them are faking it,' Jash rolled his eyes, huffing for breath as if he was the most tired.