The Extra who regained his past life memories

I activated Devour the moment Amy released her lightning spell.

A small bolt of lightning shot toward me.

As it crossed the distance between us, the air suddenly distorted.

The crackling bolt no longer traveled in a straight line.

Instead, it was pulled forward, as though an invisible force had seized it.

Dark mana gathered in front of my outstretched hand while traces of Space mana silently intertwined with it.

A tiny black vortex formed.

It wasn’t large—barely bigger than my palm—but it rotated steadily, drawing everything nearby toward its center.

Space created the attraction.

Darkness stabilized the phenomenon, allowing me to control it without the entire spell collapsing.

The instant the lightning reached the edge of the vortex—

It disappeared.

Not exploded.

Not scattered.

Simply...

Consumed.

The vortex tightened briefly before becoming perfectly stable once more.

Then I felt it.

Something flowed back into my Mana Core.

It wasn’t the lightning itself.

The spell had already been broken down.

What returned was pure mana.

Refined.

Compatible.

As if my Mana Core had reconstructed the absorbed energy into something I could naturally use.

My eyes widened.

"...It really works."

I lowered my hand as the vortex gradually faded into nothingness.

The surrounding air still crackled faintly with residual static, but the lightning itself was completely gone.

No explosion.

No scorch marks.

Nothing.

Silence filled the training ground.

I looked toward Amy and Astrid with a grin.

"So..."

"How’s my new skill?"

I flexed my fingers happily.

"It can absorb magical attacks and convert the mana into my own."

I glanced at the fading vortex.

"Right now, that’s all it can do."

"But..."

A smile slowly spread across my face.

"I have a feeling it’ll become something much greater as I grow stronger."

For several seconds...

Nobody spoke.

Amy blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Then her eyes sparkled.

"Whoa!"

"That’s amazing!"

She leaned toward me excitedly.

"So if someone throws magic at you..."

"You just eat it?"

"And recover your mana?"

She laughed loudly.

"That’s completely unfair!"

"That’s cheating!"

I scratched my cheek awkwardly.

"I don’t think it’s cheating..."

"It just happens to work like that."

Amy only laughed harder.

Astrid, however...

Didn’t laugh.

She quietly observed me.

Her crimson eyes remained fixed on my hand, replaying every detail of what she had just witnessed.

Finally, she spoke.

"...That is an extremely dangerous skill."

Her voice was calm.

Measured.

The voice of someone who had spent years on countless battlefields.

"Gray."

"Do you understand what you’ve created?"

I tilted my head.

"Hm?"

She folded her arms.

"If this skill continues evolving..."

"It could become one of the greatest nightmares for every mage."

She slowly raised one hand.

"Imagine fighting someone whose spells can never reach their target."

"Every attack they cast..."

"Only replenishes your mana."

Her gaze sharpened.

"That isn’t merely powerful."

"It’s oppressive."

Amy slowly stopped laughing.

Even she began imagining it.

A mage whose attacks only made their opponent stronger...

That truly was terrifying.

Astrid continued.

"Fortunately..."

"You’re still far too weak to bring out its true potential."

"So don’t become overconfident."

I nodded immediately.

"I won’t."

She studied me for another moment before asking,

"How did you even come up with something like this?"

Amy also turned toward me, her curiosity replacing her excitement.

I scratched my cheek.

"I based it on my Mana Core."

Both of them blinked.

"My Mana Core continuously absorbs and refines mana."

"So I wondered..."

"What if I created a spell that worked using the same principle?"

I raised my hand again.

"Space creates the attraction."

"Darkness stabilizes the spell and lets me control it."

"If I used Space by itself..."

"It would probably collapse instantly."

"So I combined both affinities."

That explanation was true.

Mostly.

I simply left out the part about remembering the concept from my previous life.

That secret would remain buried forever.

Astrid remained silent.

She looked at me for several long seconds.

Then...

"...Incredible."

There wasn’t any exaggeration in her voice.

Only genuine admiration.

"A person who can create a spell by observing the principles of their own Mana Core..."

She shook her head slightly.

"I’ve never heard of anyone doing something like that."

Amy grinned proudly.

"Hmph!"

"My little brother really is amazing!"

I smiled sheepishly.

"Hehe..."

Then another thought suddenly crossed my mind.

"If Devour really works..."

I looked toward Astrid.

"Can I enter a dungeon after I reach F-Rank?"

"I want to test it against monsters."

Astrid answered immediately.

"No."

Her reply came without even a second of hesitation.

I blinked.

"...That fast?"

She sighed.

"You may enter one someday."

"But not without the Matriarch’s permission."

"If I secretly let you go..."

"I’ll be the first person she punishes."

Amy burst into laughter.

"Oh, definitely."

"Mom would absolutely destroy us."

I imagined it.

...

"...We’d probably be grounded forever."

The thought alone was enough.

I immediately nodded.

"Okay."

"I’ll ask Mom properly."

Astrid smiled in satisfaction.

"Good."

"That’s my little Gray."

She couldn’t help letting out a quiet chuckle.

Then she clapped her hands once.

"Enough."

"We’ve spent enough time talking."

She looked directly at me.

"Now..."

"It’s time for your sword training."

Astrid stepped toward the center of the training ground.

Her relaxed smile disappeared, replaced by the calm, disciplined expression of an instructor.

"Bring out your sword."

I nodded.

"Yes."

I reached for Eclipse and slowly drew it from its sheath.

Shing—

A deep crimson glow spread across the blade.

The obsidian edge seemed to devour the surrounding light, making the sword appear darker than the shadows themselves. Even the air around it felt slightly heavier, as though the weapon carried a quiet pressure of its own.

Elegant.

Beautiful.

Deadly.

Astrid examined it carefully.

"...Excellent craftsmanship."

Her crimson eyes traced every inch of the blade.

"A G-rank blood-bound weapon at your age..."

"The Matriarch certainly prepared well."

I smiled proudly.

"I named it Eclipse."

Astrid nodded approvingly.

"It suits the sword."

Then she looked at me.

"Tell me about your swordsmanship."

I tightened my grip slightly.

"I practiced the basics before my awakening."

"My Beginner Sword Mastery reached ninety-eight percent."

"But the techniques Mother taught me are only foundations."

I looked down at Eclipse for a moment.

"I don’t want to copy someone else’s swordsmanship forever."

"I want to create my own sword style one day."

Astrid’s lips curved into a faint smile.

"A good ambition."

"But remember this."

She raised a finger.

"You cannot build a magnificent castle without a solid foundation."

"The same applies to swordsmanship."

"If your fundamentals are weak..."

"Even the greatest technique will eventually collapse."

I nodded seriously.

"I understand."

Astrid stepped back.

"Then show me your foundation."

Without another word, I took my stance.

I steadied my breathing.

Centered my balance.

Then—

I swung.

Horizontal slash.

Vertical cut.

Diagonal strike.

Reverse slash.

Thrust.

Step.

Pivot.

Turn.

Every movement flowed into the next.

Not quickly.

Not slowly.

Just steadily.

Astrid watched silently.

She didn’t interrupt me.

She simply observed every detail.

The position of my feet.

The movement of my hips.

The angle of my shoulders.

Even the way I breathed.

Only after I completed the entire sequence did she finally speak.

"...Again."

I immediately repeated everything.

This time—

She began correcting me.

"Relax your shoulders."

I adjusted.

"Your grip is too tight."

I loosened it slightly.

"Don’t force the sword."

"Guide it."

I nodded.

Again.

Horizontal slash.

"...Better."

Vertical strike.

"Your weight shifted too early."

I corrected myself.

Diagonal cut.

"Widen your stance."

Thrust.

"Good."

Her voice remained calm throughout the entire session.

She never praised unnecessarily.

Nor did she criticize harshly.

Every correction was concise.

Accurate.

Efficient.

It felt less like she was teaching me...

And more like she was carefully polishing rough metal into a sharpened blade.

Minutes became hours.

Swing after swing.

Correction after correction.

Gradually...

The unnecessary movements disappeared.

My shoulders relaxed.

My stance stabilized.

Even Eclipse began feeling lighter in my hands.

Not because the sword itself had changed—

But because my body was finally learning how to move with it.

At some point...

I stopped consciously thinking about every motion.

My body simply...

Moved.

Naturally.

Fluidly.

As though each correction had become instinct.

Astrid gave a small nod.

"Now we’re getting somewhere."

A smile unconsciously appeared on my face.

"I’m improving."

"You are."

She folded her arms.

"But don’t misunderstand."

"What you’re improving isn’t your swordsmanship."

"It’s your foundation."

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