The Extra who regained his past life memories

She looked directly into my eyes.

"Foundation comes first."

"Technique comes later."

"And mastery..."

Her expression became slightly more serious.

"Mastery comes after countless battles."

I nodded.

"I’ll remember that."

She smiled faintly.

"I know you will."

Meanwhile, several meters away, Amy continued practicing her own swordsmanship.

Occasionally, Astrid would glance toward her.

"Young Lady."

"Your left foot."

Amy immediately corrected it.

"Yes!"

A few moments later—

"Your wrist is too stiff."

Amy adjusted again.

"Better."

Despite teaching both of us simultaneously...

Astrid never seemed distracted.

She noticed every mistake.

Every imbalance.

Every wasted movement.

Watching her teach made me realize why Mother trusted her so much.

She wasn’t merely strong.

She understood strength.

Time continued passing.

Swing.

Step.

Slash.

Pivot.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Eventually, my arms began to feel heavy.

My palms stung from gripping Eclipse for so long.

Even lifting the sword became noticeably more difficult.

I exhaled slowly.

"...I think that’s enough."

Astrid nodded.

"For today."

I carefully cleaned Eclipse before sliding it back into its sheath.

A swordsman respected their weapon.

No matter how exhausted they became.

After securing the sword at my waist, I walked over to Astrid and bowed slightly.

"Thank you."

"I learned a lot today."

Astrid smiled warmly.

"It is my duty."

Then she added casually,

"Besides..."

"I was the one who requested permission from the Matriarch to become your instructor."

I blinked.

"...Really?"

She nodded.

"From the very beginning."

"I’ve been looking forward to teaching you."

I couldn’t help smiling.

"...Thank you."

Astrid reached over and gently ruffled my hair.

"You’ve worked hard today."

"But remember..."

She looked directly into my eyes.

"Natural talent only determines where you begin."

"It doesn’t decide where you’ll end."

"The strongest swordsmen I’ve met weren’t always the most talented."

"They were simply the ones who refused to stop improving."

I nodded firmly.

"I won’t stop."

Astrid smiled.

"I know"

Then she tilted her head slightly.

"So..."

"How much did today’s training improve you?"

A grin slowly spread across my face.

"I was just about to check."

I focused inward.

"Status."

[STATUS WINDOW]

Name: Gray Starlight

Age: 8

Rank: F-

Bloodline: [Unawakened]

Physique: [Unawakened]

Class: None

Talent: SS+

Attributes

Strength: F-

Agility: F-

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) (Passive)

Darkness Control (F) (Passive)

Body Reinforcement (F) (Active)

Devour (F) (Unique • Growth-Type)

Effects:

• Mana Absorption – Converts absorbed mana into the user’s own mana.

• Life Drain – Absorbs life force from living beings to restore the user’s vitality.

• Essence Assimilation – Assimilates absorbed essence to strengthen the user.

• Elemental Consumption – Devours elemental attacks and converts them into mana.

• Skill Predation (Locked)

• ••••• (Locked)

• ••••• (Locked)

Masteries

Novice Sword Mastery – 32%

Novice Mana Mastery – 3%

Bound Weapon

Eclipse

Rank: F-

Ability:

• Lifesteal

⸻

I stared blankly at the screen.

"...I ranked up."

A smile slowly spread across my face.

"I’m finally F-Rank."

No...

More accurately—

F-Rank Minus.

Even so, it was still a genuine breakthrough.

Only a little over a week had passed since my awakening.

Yet I had already crossed into F-Rank.

My physical attributes had improved.

My Mana Core had become stronger.

I had created Body Reinforcement.

And...

My first original skill.

Devour.

Just looking at the status window filled me with excitement.

Astrid quietly watched my changing expression before asking,

"So?"

"How much progress did you make?"

I looked up with a grin.

"I reached F-Rank."

Astrid’s eyebrows rose slightly.

"So soon?"

She wasn’t shocked.

Only pleasantly surprised.

"Congratulations."

"You’ve officially stepped into the world of true Awakeners."

Amy immediately ran over.

"Really?"

"You ranked up already?"

She looked genuinely happy.

"Congratulations, Gray!"

Without waiting for permission, she ruffled my hair.

I puffed out my cheeks.

"My hair..."

She only laughed.

"It’s your reward."

Astrid smiled faintly before speaking.

"Reaching F-Rank isn’t your greatest achievement today."

I blinked.

"It isn’t?"

She shook her head.

"No."

"You improved your fundamentals."

"You created your own skill."

"And..."

She looked directly into my eyes.

"You learned how to think."

I tilted my head.

"...Think?"

Astrid nodded.

"Most people only imitate."

"They copy spells."

"They copy sword techniques."

"They follow the paths others have already created."

She folded her arms.

"But you..."

"You observe."

"You analyze."

"And then you create."

She smiled.

"That’s far more valuable than ranking up."

Her words made me pause.

I hadn’t really thought about it that way.

To me...

I was simply trying things that sounded interesting.

Seeing my thoughtful expression, Astrid laughed softly.

"Don’t think too deeply about it."

"Just continue doing what you’ve been doing."

"As long as you don’t become arrogant..."

"I believe you’ll surpass all of us one day."

Amy immediately nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course he will!"

"He’s my little brother!"

I sighed.

"There you go again..."

"What does that have to do with you?"

Amy proudly placed both hands on her hips.

"It has everything to do with me!"

"If your big sister wasn’t so amazing, would you have grown up this awesome?"

I stared at her.

"...That doesn’t make any sense."

"It makes perfect sense."

"No, it doesn’t."

Astrid watched us argue before letting out an amused sigh.

"Some things never change."

She smiled warmly.

"You two really are siblings."

Amy laughed.

"I know, right?"

I crossed my arms.

"I don’t know if that’s a compliment."

The three of us couldn’t help but laugh.

The laughter echoed throughout the training grounds.

For a brief moment...

There were no monsters.

No future disasters.

No terrifying protagonist waiting somewhere beyond the horizon.

Only family.

Only peace.

I quietly looked toward the clear blue sky.

I’ve become stronger.

Not by much...

But one step at a time.

I slowly clenched my fist.

F-Rank.

This was only the beginning.

One day...

I would master Ice.

Darkness.

Space.

I would forge my own swordsmanship.

Create countless original skills.

And become powerful enough that no one could ever threaten the people I loved.

No matter what the future tried to throw at me...

I would carve my own path through it.

Because this time...

I wasn’t just following fate.

I was creating it myself.

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