The Retired Hero is an Extra

Jash paid close attention to everything Caera said, believing it to be important yet he had a hard time grappling with everything at once.

'Why is it so... complex?' Jash thought in utter confusion as Caera finished.

After an entire minute of mulling over it, he broke the silence and asked the question plaguing his mind. "Why so complex? Instead of letter coding, can't we just use the color of the mana to define the ranks? Wouldn't that save a lot of time and effort?"

To him, the entire ranking system felt unnecessary, prompting him to question the one who 'taught' him.

Opposite him, Caera's expression turned dark at his question, but she took a minute to calm herself before responding.

"Fuu..." She inhaled sharply before turning to face Jash with a bright smile.

"It's not like I created the ranks and it's not even that complex for you to complain. What happened to your genius, eh?"

Just as Jash opened his mouth to talk back, she gave him another strike.

"It's simple enough that even those who don't have access to mana understand it, yet the one who broke the record can't?"

Finally, her bright smile turned into a mocking smirk, causing Jash to pause in his tracks.

'Damn it! So unfair!' lamented Jash with an indignant expression as he chose to ignore her taunts. 'I might as well read about it from the library later...'

In the end, he went through an unwanted training session which ended with him having a dead look on his face as he exited the training ground.

"It's fine, really. You don't need to be so down," Caera consoled him, patting his shoulder as they walked side-by-side.

"Haa... That's not-... Haa," Jash tried explaining himself but ended up only sighing ruefully.

"Learning how to handle the bow and achieving an accuracy rating of 78 isn't all that bad for your first day. Also, don't forget your body is still untrained and this was the first time you wielded a bow!"

Even though Caera tried to cheer him up, Jash didn't feel all that happy about his talent with the bow.

'Though incomplete, I have past life memories and knowledge about combat and mana. Yet all I got were these ridiculous results... Maybe I should just stick to the sword and other melee weapons...'

Jash found his future direction lacking as he truly thought of wielding a bow to be easier and better than fighting with a sword.

'I would just have to move like a monkey in the front, taking damage and getting smeared in blood. Urgh... Why could I not have talent in the bow?'

Just as he regretted his lack of talent, Caera nudged him, jolting him awake from his reverie.

"You weren't listening, were you? Haa. Seriously, that's your problem. You never listen!" Caera shouted exasperatedly before walking away.

Dumbfounded by her sudden change in behavior, Jash dashed to her and asked straight away, "What happened? What's gotten in your head?"

Listening to his rude tone, Caera didn't want to answer and freed her wrist before walking away at a pace faster than he could muster.

"Caera!" Jash shouted her name and took a step forward, only to find himself encapsulated by a white-black mana shell.

'Grandpa?' thought Jash in recognition, relaxing his guard fully.

Yet it only served to perplex him as he hadn't seen Cornelius since the day he got his past life memories.

'Just what could he want to talk to me about?' mused Jash, forgetting about his recent altercation with Caera.

Meanwhile, Kesha, who witnessed the morning training to the twins' quarrel, left after feeling the distance from Caera increase, but not before glancing at the place where Jash stood a second ago.

'I must inform Young Miss before she hurts herself further by blaming herself for Young Master not coming to placate her.'

The single thought caused Kesha to increase her pace, unaware of the eyes observing her every action.

Not only her, Cornelius remained aware of every action within the family estate as long as he wished for it.

Usually, he didn't stay at the Estate and remained outside to explore some ruins or unknown lands as it served to fuel his curiosity.

However, it was different these days as he was taking note of Jash's behavior to resolve his dilemma when the chance presented itself.

Looking at the downcast Jash, who was lamenting about his talents after doing better than most in his first attempt, made Cornelius's lip twitch.

"This child is so troublesome," mumbled Cornelius to himself. "Still, I should tell him about it before he becomes even more prideful."

To alleviate his worry and prevent Jash from going down the wrong path, Cornelius decided to have a small chat with him.

Well, more like forcefully brought him in, but that's not what matters, right? It's the thought that counts.

Seizing the appropriate moment, Cornelius took on a serious expression as he stared straight into the calm eyes of Jash.

However, it was his turn to be surprised to see Jash remain calm under his gaze.

Even the strongest hunters wouldn't dare look him in the eye, yet here stood Jash, meeting his gaze.

His grandson's achievements caused his lips to curl upwards, but he concealed it instantly and broke the silence. "Jash, I heard about your talent from Carcel, but there's something he doesn't know. Under no circumstances are you supposed to tell him about it, do you understand?"

Hearing Cornelius's grave tone, Jash nodded with a stern expression on his face yet he was also curious about it.

'What is it that caused Grandpa to be super serious?' wondered Jash, hoping for a quick answer and he truly didn't have to wait.

"Congratulations on your awakening and surpassing my time, alas, you failed to break the world record," Cornelius paused immediately as he noted Jash's shock.

To Jash, he really didn't know how to react. It was like a thunder struck his happy life, sundering it into dust.

Despite his internal turmoil, he tried his best to calm himself as he squeezed out his question, "Who?"

However, Cornelius didn't respond and changed the topic, leaving Jash puzzled.

"There's another thing to note. The awakening ceremony—yours or anyone else's—is all artificially created by the ambient mana. It isn't natural. You're aware of this, yes?"

"Also, you know who awakened naturally after countless years of waiting. Your life is far from easy. You may consider yourself the most talented in your generation or even the world, but that's not true at all."

"Keep this in mind."

Before Jash could respond or question further, Cornelius waved his hand, and Jash vanished from the space.

He was stunned at finding himself in his room.

He couldn't help but mutter incredulously, "Just... what?"

His face scrunched up as he tried to grapple with the intent behind his grandfather's sudden actions.

"Something even dad doesn't know? Just what is he hiding? Better yet, who?"

"Natural awakening... there is just you, no? Even the protagonist couldn't do it, but you did it, my friend."

A smile blossomed on his face as the figure of a white-haired boy his age came to Jash's mind.

However, his smile morphed into a serious expression as he prayed, "I just hope my hunch doesn't come true."