The Retired Hero is an Extra
Chapter 164 - 164: Ending the Entrance Test

Ziva used her element to overpower Ava and Sylvie, eliminating them despite their struggle against her element.

To everyone's utter shock and horror, she had basically decimated half the top 10 girls.

—Boom!

At the same time as their barrier activated, creating a gap in her sight, Caera's condensed fireball spell struck Ziva.

At least that was what Caera thought until finding Ziva walk out unscathed from the explosion.

"But how?" Caera asked in shock before remembering that Jash advised her not to mess with Ziva.

She thought he was joking or messing around with her, but her current situation seemed to reflect he was aware of Ziva's abilities.

And indeed he was, whether it was from the novel or by talking to her at the end of the Imperial Banquet.

Talking about Jash, he was in the same position as earlier with intense muscle pain.

Even the slightest movement was enough to elicit screams from deep inside him.

'It should be time for that now,' he sighed, knowing he would have to grit through the pain for it.

At the time, he was the only one on the island, similar to Ziva after she easily eliminated Caera.

Though she gave a caring remark as they parted, "See ya soon, fiery fire firer."

With Caera eliminated, Ziva approached the stone platform to examine the groove more closely.

The groove appeared meticulously crafted, with a shallow indentation that deepened outward, matching the shape of the monster's scale.

Its edges were smooth but distinct, hinting at the precision of the original carving.

The channel was slightly curved, accommodating the natural contours of the thing it was meant to hold.

The groove also seemed to hold the same insignia of the Solarnelle Academy itself.

It was as if the groove was not merely a decorative feature but also a functional one, designed with both artistry and purpose in mind.

Looking at it, Ziva was confused for a second as the size closely resembles that of the boss monster's scale, but...

'Wasn't it just a simulated monster? Where do I find its scales?'

Without another choice, she could only return to the place where the boss monster was defeated, looking for its scales.

On the other side, Jash was still in the same position despite knowing what needed to be placed and where.

He needed time to recover a bit and gain some mental resilience to bear through the pain.

'Damn! Why did I even bring them away in the first place!?'

He inwardly lamented his own decisions, regardless of it being his own backup plan and the reason for him to have won the battle.

No matter, the problem remained the same.

However, the audience that was watching the screen being split to show Ziva and Jash were too excited at this point.

They had seen one amazing thing after another, increasing their excitement to unprecedented levels.

"Damn! What's he doing!? He should be searching like the girl!"

"Yeah! He's just a lazy ass, sleeping everywhere!"

"True! It's suspicious that he won at all..."

"You blind or something? We all saw what happened on both sides, idiot!"

"You...! You dare!"

Just like that, quite a few brawls were about to begin amongst the audience as they failed to capture the importance of the event right now.

For them, the fights were the beauty of the Entrance Test and now that it was over, nothing else mattered.

Of course, that wasn't to say everyone in the audience was the same as some were patiently waiting for it to end.

"It was fun while it lasted, yeah?"

"Yeah! I wonder if these talented kids will ever face difficulties such as this in their life."

"True, they seem too sheltered..."

As heated discussions had begun amidst the audience, Rui wanted to do something, but he couldn't.

He had no authority when it came to the lovely audience.

After all, who knew what kind of crazy shit he would try to pull?

Thankfully, Vice-Principal Zander didn't have to step up again as the screen focused on Ziva.

She had found quite a few intact scales on the monster's neck which she took and tried to fit in the groove.

"Ohh, this was quite close!" Rui commented as she tried the sixth scale, but it failed to fit in the groove at all.

After countless attempts, Ziva felt like attacking the groove itself as it seemed to be useless itself.

Just like that, she was forced to act like a clown, diminishing the reputation she had built after securing victory in the final battle.

Alas, the audience found her futile efforts to be funny when she had finally had enough.

"Damn it!"

For the first time, she vented her frustration, scooping as many scales as she could before taking a step.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, something shined in her field of vision, attracting her attention.

Unlike all the other scales, that scale appeared to be shiner, smoother and sturdier upon picking up.

She could tell the difference based on the first touch and felt that it had to be the one.

It would be utterly stupid for it to be one of the numerous similar looking scales when a different, unique one existed!

—Tak!

Just as she placed it on the surface of the stone platform, it sank in perfectly, leaving no gap behind.

At least that was how it was supposed to go, but the scale was scratched, attacked and damaged in many places.

Thus, it wasn't a hundred per cent the same as the groove, but it was surely the correct one.

Still, it reminded her that even if the monster was simulated, its scales were real, or else Ziva wouldn't be able to keep it by her side.

Just like the female side had real scales of the monster, the male side had the real horns of it.

And Jash was the one to cut off its real horn perfectly, unlike how Amael and the protagonist made a mess of the other one.

Due to having the lore from the knowledge, Jash was already aware of the horn being an important setup.

That's why he chose to keep it by his side, and it even served as his emergency weapon when he became unarmed.

It saved him from elimination despite its chipped surface. Though its chipped surface was much to Jash's dislike.

"I have no other choice, do I?" he asked rhetorically to no one in particular as he barely stood up.

—Clack!

Just as he stood up abruptly to get all the pain together, his teeth clacked against each other, stopping him from thinking about body pain.

Instead his gums hurt insanely for a second before being replaced by the rest of his body.

The pain was no joke either.

Even merely walking became a chore for him as groans leaked from his mouth at every step.

"Ugh, why did I do this?"

"Argh, so annoying!"

"Owww, definitely not doing this again!"

Every step of his was laced with a groan and a complaint as he reached the boss monster area after a few long minutes.

During that time, Ziva had tried placing other scales and removing the one she had, all without success.

In the end, she had no other option but to wait as the Entrance Test would only end after both the male and female participants had finished it.

Yes, to place the scales and horn in the groove on the stone platform was the way to end it this year.

It could be different, similar or even the same next year. No one knew.

Not like it mattered to either Jash or Ziva as they were going to be inside the Solarnelle Academy by then.

Finally reaching the stone platform, Jash couldn't help but put his hand on it to take support and stand for a few seconds.

"Huff... huff..."

He breathed heavily as he had been holding it in, trying to keep the pain at bay, though it didn't really seem to have helped.

'Hope I'm not the first one here,' he prayed inwardly as his eyes eventually looked at the groove.

This groove was distinctively shaped, reflecting the unique curvature and dimensions of the monster's horn.

Taking out the horn and holding it in his left hand, Jash couldn't help but sigh at its current state.

'Too bad, but it gotta work,' Jash shirked off the responsibility as he tried placing it according to its size.

The channel began with a broad, tapered opening, designed to fit the horn horizontally..

One end of it was deeper and larger in diameter while the other was shorter, pointed almost as if made perfectly to its dimension.

As the groove extended outward, it maintained a consistent depth, ensuring a snug and stable placement.

Just placing it once, Jash easily fitted it despite the cracks and signs of chipping away on its surface.

However, it was fixed and didn't budge, just like what happened with the scale Ziva placed on the groove at her side.

As if the mechanism was done confirming the authenticity of the items, the stone platform sank deep.

But not without leaving a floating holographic message in its place.

[Congratulations for ending the Entrance Test!!]

Alongside the message, confetti burst with vibrant colors, symbolizing celebration and joy as well as the end of the Entrance Test.

"Finally...!" Jash mumbled, wanting his long-awaited rest.

Looking at the scene, the audience burst into loud cheers as the Entrance Test had finally concluded and the winners would be announced shortly.

Of course, Ziva and Jash both felt a sudden pull and were teleported out of the Island despite not knowing their current surroundings.

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