The Retired Hero is an Extra

Unlike the impressed Jash, Leonard was thinking something else entirely: 'This reading is normal, so the measuring machine should be fine.'

He was still doubting the results of the strength test, but he didn't have time to waste, so he moved on to the next one.

"Next, strike that training dummy with your strongest attack aided by mana," Leonard instructed, pointing to the first training dummy.

Although confused by the impatience in Leonard's actions and commands, Jash nodded and returned to the first platform.

"What weapon do you want to use?" Leonard asked, snapping his fingers once again.

This time, the wall behind him transformed into a weapon rack, displaying all kinds of weapon prototypes ready for use.

'Yeah, I don't have a weapon,' Jash mused, remembering the ban on storage rings for the entire Entrance Test.

"Sword," he answered, and Leonard brought tens of swords forward to pick from.

After a brief adjustment and taking a grip on all the swords, Jash finally picked a 1-meter-long sword with a single sharp side..

"The dummy can handle even C-Rank hunters' attacks, so attack it with your all," advised Leonard.

"The final score you get will appear there," he added, pointing to the empty screen hanging from the ceiling.

Jash nodded and returned to the dummy's side, swinging his sword to get a feel and adjust to its weight.

'This test is worse for those who rely on artifacts, be they mages or warriors,' Jash smirked at the thought of the pampered nobles.

Simply because it wasn't easy to adjust to a new weapon one was holding for the first time.

There was a high chance it would reduce the efficiency of the wielder, resulting in only subpar results irrespective of their real strength.

'It's more so a test of talent than strength,' Jash mused, masterfully getting used to the sword in seconds.

His mental proficiency of using anything as a weapon and wielding it to slay foes helped him adjust easily to any melee weapon.

Especially so for a sword, something he had been wielding and using ever since he started training.

'Jash's presence seemed to reduce as he held the sword, entering a focused state effortlessly, getting ready to attack.

'He entered a focused state so easily?' Leonard noted, surprised by Jash's monstrous talent and anticipating another crazy reading.

Without wasting any time, Jash looked at the dummy in front of him, his eyes taking in the subtle grooves and jugged parts on its surface.

His eyes, moving at fast speeds, narrowed in on the upper chest region of the training dummy, his sword pointing to the ground.

In the next second he swung—

—Slash!

His sword was pointing at the ceiling before he retracted the blade, looking at the minor scratch at the training dummy's chest.

Though it didn't even take a second to heal.

'Lacking,' Jash noted, sensing the strain in his muscles as he executed that swift strike.

Although it was too fast for anyone at his rank to perceive, Leonard had seen it wide and clear, his jaw hanging wide.

Leonard struggled to comprehend how a kid could deliver an attack on par with top E-Rank or even some D-Rank hunters.

Of course, he didn't know that Jash had still managed to hold back, not using a sword that suited him and also his mana circulation.

'If only I could use that one,' he sighed internally, knowing he had no option to use that until some time into the academy.

In essence, he was using a mana circulation method that Inigo gave him instead of the one he had refined from his past life.

'Still, it can't be compared to the one that I made for the battle against the demon king,' he lamented his lack of strength to use it.

Nevertheless, a small smile appeared on his face as he would get to use the lesser version of it after entering the academy.

'I just need to wait till D-rank for that one,' he guessed in his heart, not so sure when he would be able to use it.

"Well, whatever," he muttered, putting aside the sword as the memories of the harsh training he went through replayed in his mind.

Not only was he forced to train with his father, he also had to spar with Caera and the hunters of their family.

Sometimes even Emma and Kesha helped the twins to get better at fighting hunters instead of monsters.

After all, they did get enough hands-on experience with the several dungeon expeditions they went on.

Due to all these factors, Jash never got the time to focus solely on sword master, having no other option to polish it with every fight.

Still, there were certain limits that would only break at crucial moments of enlightenment, however small they may be.

In the end, Jash had been stuck in his sword master, unable to achieve anything more.

So, he chose to focus on refining his mana control and increasing the strength behind his attacks with the least amounts of mana.

'If only I had achieved the intermediate level of sword mastery,' Jash lamented the wall in his breakthrough but shook his head.

'This is not the time to be thinking about this,' he reminded himself, shaking his head before turning to face Leonard.

Thankfully, Leonard had composed himself after the shock he got from watching Jash's performance.

The time Jash spent in introspection was more than enough for Leonard to do so.

"Congratulations for achieving such a high score in the test," Leonard praised the moment Jash turned around.

"Mhm. Thank you," Jash responded politely, changing his mind about annoying the already annoyed professor.

However, Leonard's words made Jash curious about his score, so he turned around to check it.

"6481?" Jash blurted out, astonished by the unexpectedly high score.

'What the hell!? That's higher than the protagonist, right?' he thought, trying to recall the scores mentioned in the novel.

Alas, even if it was indeed higher than the mentioned score, Amael and the protagonist were neck-to-neck in the novel.

And now, they both had a system willing to help them, there was no way they would only have the same score.

Albeit, their test had not yet been conducted, so it was difficult to guess their new scores.

Oblivious to it all, it didn't stop Jash from recalling the scores mentioned in the novel.

'If I remember correctly, Amael was leading by less than a hundred points with his score being 5499 and the protagonists being 5436...'

It eased Jash's heart to know that he was performing better and could get the comprehensive Rank 1.

'I won't be losing my money,' he thought with a small smile.

By the time he was done thinking, Jash returned the sword to Leonard, who was silently observing him.

"Let the flow take you," Leonard said vaguely after a great deal of hesitation.

"Hm?" Jash hummed questioningly but Leonard kept his quiet for the entire time before Jash gave up.

"You may go and wait for the last round to start. The Trial of Might has ended," Leonard said instead, making Jash leave.

"What did you think you did?" The same feminine voice echoed in the room, questioning Leonard.

"I just did what I felt was right. It's on him to comprehend it, though," Leonard answered politely, "Besides, not like you stopped me."

The voice didn't respond and a silence fell over the room as Leonard waited for the next candidates to show up.

'He's a monster. I am sure he will figure it out,' Leonard mused with a smile, the negative feelings for Jash submerging within.

Of course, his dislike for him was still strong.