The Extra who regained his past life memories

[Gray’s POV]

I thought about all the possible ways to use my Darkness Affinity, but no matter how much I tried, my mind remained blank.

The only techniques I could come up with were blinding my opponents and creating smoke screens.

Compared to Ice Affinity, Darkness felt far too unfamiliar.

"If I can’t think of anything now, I can always ask Amy later."

Unlike Darkness, we both possessed Ice Affinity, so if I ever got stuck, I had someone I could ask for advice.

Still...

Before relying on anyone else, I wanted to push myself first.

I wanted to create every spell I could think of on my own.

After pondering it for a while, I realized something.

Ice Affinity wasn’t just excellent for offense.

It was equally effective for defense.

Ice walls.

Ice shields.

Protective barriers.

All of those should be possible.

With that thought in mind, I decided to begin with the simplest one.

An ice shield.

I extended my hand and imagined a round shield materializing in front of me while steadily pouring mana into the spell.

At first...

Nothing happened.

Only a thin layer of frost appeared in the air before quickly fading away.

I frowned.

"...Again."

I focused once more and carefully adjusted the flow of mana.

This time, a fragile layer of ice slowly began to take shape.

But before it could fully stabilize—

Crack.

Fine fractures spread across its surface.

The shield shattered into countless tiny ice fragments.

"...Again."

Taking a deep breath, I calmed my thoughts and tried once more.

This time, I paid closer attention to every detail.

Instead of forcing the mana to obey me, I guided it more gently, shaping it piece by piece.

Slowly...

The mana responded.

A small, shallow shield of ice gradually formed before me.

It wasn’t particularly large.

Nor was it sturdy enough to block a powerful attack.

But...

It remained intact.

"I think... I’m starting to understand it."

A small smile appeared on my face.

Encouraged by my success, I continued experimenting.

Ice spikes.

Ice blades.

Ice needles.

Small ice walls.

Defensive barriers.

Failure after failure followed.

Some shattered the moment they formed.

Others consumed far too much mana before collapsing on their own.

A few even exploded into harmless snowflakes before I could complete them.

Yet despite all the failures...

Every attempt taught me something new.

Every spell improved my control a little more.

Every mistake became another lesson.

Without realizing it, hours passed.

Then—

A familiar notification appeared before my eyes.

[Congratulations! You have acquired the skill: Ice Control (F)]

For a moment, I simply stared blankly at the screen.

Then a broad smile slowly spread across my face.

"Finally..."

I couldn’t hide the excitement in my voice.

After nearly an entire day of experimenting, failing, and trying again, I had finally obtained my first elemental skill.

Naturally, it was only F-rank.

I was still a beginner.

But that didn’t bother me in the slightest.

Skills could evolve.

If I eventually awakened Space Control (F), I could continue refining it until it became Space Control (E), replacing the lower-ranked version.

Of course...

That was much easier said than done.

Improving a skill required constant practice, creating new techniques, refining old ones, and accumulating enough experience to deepen one’s understanding.

Nothing came easily.

And honestly...

I preferred it that way.

By the time I finished training, I felt completely exhausted.

Not physically.

Mentally.

My mana reserves were nearly depleted, and continuously visualizing, creating, and refining spells had drained my concentration far more than ordinary sword practice ever had.

Still...

I didn’t regret a single moment.

Feeling satisfied with today’s progress, I decided to see just how much I had improved.

Silently, I called out in my mind.

"Status."

Immediately, the familiar translucent screen appeared before my eyes.

⸻

[ STATUS WINDOW ]

Name: Gray Starlight

Age: 8

Rank: G+

Bloodline: [Unawakened]

Physique: [Unawakened]

Class: None

Talent: SS+

Attributes

Strength: G+

Agility: G+

Endurance: F

Mana: F

Mana Capacity: F+

Will: F+

Charm: S

Intelligence: C+

Luck: ??? (Random)

Affinities

• Ice Affinity

• Darkness Affinity

• Space Affinity

Skills

• Ice Control (F)

Mastery

• Swordsmanship Beginner Mastery (98%)

• Beginner Mana Mastery (41%)

Bound Weapon

Name: Eclipse

Rank: ??? (Current Growth Stage: G+)

Ability:

Life Steal

⸻

"Hmm..."

I quietly examined every change.

"I’ve made quite a bit of progress."

My Will had advanced to F+, while both my Strength and Agility had also improved.

More importantly, my overall rank had finally reached G+.

That alone made today’s training worthwhile.

But what pleased me the most wasn’t my increased attributes.

It was the fact that the Skills section was no longer empty.

Ice Control (F).

My very first elemental skill.

The moment I acquired it, I immediately noticed the difference.

Manipulating ice had become much smoother than before.

The amount of mana required to create simple spells had decreased noticeably, and maintaining them required far less concentration.

It wasn’t a dramatic improvement...

But it was enough for me to clearly feel the difference.

"My mana is recovering too..."

I could sit down and meditate to recover it more quickly.

However, after spending nearly the entire day experimenting, my mind felt exhausted.

"Pushing myself any further today would only hurt my efficiency."

With that thought, I closed the status window.

After putting Eclipse back into its sheath, I looked around the training ground.

Amy was still practicing.

Her movements remained steady and precise as she repeatedly swung her katana, sweat rolling down her forehead.

Each strike looked almost identical to the previous one.

No wasted movement.

No hesitation.

Perfect discipline.

Seeing her train so seriously, I didn’t interrupt her.

Instead, I quietly walked over and sat beside the training area.

Just because I had finished my own training didn’t mean I had the right to interrupt hers.

That would be disrespectful.

So I simply rested my chin on one hand and silently watched my sister continue practicing.

The peaceful atmosphere was strangely relaxing.

The sound of her sword cutting through the air echoed rhythmically throughout the training ground.

Whoosh—

Whoosh—

Whoosh—

Without realizing it...

My eyelids gradually became heavier.

The mental exhaustion from repeatedly creating spells finally caught up to me.

Before I knew it, I was half-asleep while waiting for Amy to finish.

⸻

About fifteen minutes later...

Amy finally lowered her katana and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Only then did she notice me.

Sitting nearby.

Half asleep.

My chin resting in my hand as I struggled to keep my eyes open.

A mischievous grin slowly spread across her face.

"Hehe..."

An idea immediately popped into her head.

Silently, she coated one hand with a thin layer of ice.

Then, without making the slightest sound, she tiptoed behind me.

Slowly...

Very slowly...

She reached toward the back of my neck.

The instant her freezing hand touched my skin—

"AH!"

I practically launched myself out of my seat.

A violent chill shot straight down my spine.

I spun around in confusion, looking everywhere to find the culprit.

"W-What was that?!"

Then...

I heard it.

A quiet giggle.

Which quickly turned into uncontrollable laughter.

Amy was clutching her stomach, laughing so hard she could barely stand.

The moment I saw her expression...

I understood everything.

"You did that on purpose!"

I pointed accusingly at her.

She couldn’t even answer properly because she was laughing too hard.

"S-Sorry..."

"Pfft..."

"You looked too funny!"

"Hmph!"

I puffed out my cheeks.

Things were different now.

Before my awakening, I could only accept her teasing.

But now...

I had an element too.

Without saying another word, I coated both of my hands in ice.

The cold mana instantly gathered around my palms.

Amy’s laughter stopped immediately.

Her eyes widened.

"...Gray?"

Then she noticed the grin spreading across my face.

"...Gray, wait."

I slowly took a step forward.

"No."

Another step.

"No, no, no..."

She instinctively backed away.

"You froze my neck."

"So now..."

I raised both icy hands with a wicked smile.

"It’s your turn."

Amy immediately turned around and ran.

"AAAAH!"

"Gray!"

"Wait!"

"Hmph!"

"You’re not getting away today!"

I sprinted after her without hesitation.

The two of us dashed around the training ground, laughing and shouting.

Amy was surprisingly fast, but I refused to give up.

She kept glancing back while laughing.

"You’ll never catch me!"

"Oh really?!"

"Just wait until I do!"

"I’ll make sure both of your cheeks are ice-cold!"

"Hahaha!"

"You have to catch me first!"

Soon, our chase spread beyond the training ground and into the mansion courtyard.

The servants watched us run past with amused smiles.

None of them seemed surprised.

To them...

This was completely normal.

The young master and young miss often argued over the smallest things before chasing each other around the estate.

It was simply another ordinary day in the Starlight household.

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