The Extra who regained his past life memories

"But no."

Mother’s gentle smile remained.

"You are not entering a dungeon yet."

"Eh?!"

I immediately looked at her in disbelief.

"But Mom, I’m already F-rank!"

"I’ve improved my swordsmanship, mana control, and even created my own skill!"

"And Astrid will accompany me!"

I quickly tried to explain.

Surely with Astrid there, everything would be fine.

After all, Astrid was one of the strongest people I knew.

But Mother simply shook her head.

"Gray."

Her voice wasn’t harsh.

It was calm.

The same calm voice she used whenever she wanted me to understand something important.

"Your rank is not the problem."

I blinked.

"Then what is?"

Mother placed her cup down and looked directly at me.

"Your perception."

I tilted my head.

"Perception?"

She nodded.

"Yes."

"Strength, speed, magic power..."

"All of those are important."

"But they mean nothing if you cannot notice danger before it reaches you."

Her expression became slightly serious.

"Monsters don’t fight like training partners."

"They don’t stand in front of you and announce their attacks."

"They hide."

"They wait."

"They ambush."

"They attack when you are distracted."

I became quiet.

Because she was right.

During training, Astrid and Amy fought fairly.

They gave me chances.

They allowed me to learn.

But monsters wouldn’t do that.

A single mistake inside a dungeon could mean death.

Mother continued.

"Without a proper Perception Skill, you are simply a powerful target waiting to be attacked."

Those words immediately made me serious.

I lowered my gaze and thought about it.

She wasn’t underestimating me.

She was protecting me.

After a moment, I nodded.

"...I understand."

Mother smiled slightly.

"Good."

I looked up again.

"But now that I can safely use Space Affinity..."

"I think I can create a Perception Skill."

Mother raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

I nodded.

"I already have some ideas."

"And I think Space Affinity would be perfect for it."

"If I can sense the surrounding space..."

"It could help me understand everything around me."

I paused.

"I also have an idea for a movement skill."

"But I’m still too weak to create it."

Mother silently looked at me.

For a moment, she didn’t say anything.

She knew me well.

I wasn’t someone who made empty promises.

Whenever I said I wanted to create something...

It was because I had already thought about it.

Finally, she nodded.

"Very well."

"If you create a proper Perception Skill, I will allow you to enter a dungeon."

My eyes widened.

"Really?"

Mother nodded.

"Really."

"But only a G-rank dungeon."

"Nothing higher."

I immediately clenched my fist.

"That’s fine!"

"I’ll create the best Perception Skill!"

Amy, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke.

"Then I’m going too."

Mother looked toward her.

"Amy."

Amy smiled confidently.

"If Gray enters a dungeon, I’ll accompany him."

"If something happens, Astrid won’t always be able to protect him."

She paused.

"And my rank is not too far above a G-rank dungeon."

"So I can fight alongside him."

Her expression softened.

"I’ll protect Gray."

Mother looked at her daughter silently.

She knew how much Amy cared about her younger brother.

Not just as a responsibility.

But because Gray was truly precious to her.

Finally, Mother smiled.

"Very well."

"But don’t underestimate dungeons."

"Even weak monsters can become dangerous if you become careless."

Then she looked directly into Amy’s eyes.

"I’m entrusting Gray’s safety to you."

"You have never disappointed me."

"So I’m trusting you once again."

Amy’s smile became brighter.

"Leave it to me!"

"Even if something happens to me, I won’t let anything happen to Gray."

Then she quickly added,

"But honestly, I doubt I’ll need to interfere much."

She looked at me proudly.

"Gray is strong too."

I immediately protested.

"Hey, don’t make it sound like I’m a child who needs protection!"

Amy laughed.

"You are my little brother."

"That means you’re always someone I have to protect."

"That’s not how it works!"

Mother watched us argue and smiled softly.

The conversation that had started seriously slowly returned to our usual atmosphere.

Warm.

Peaceful.

Just like always.

Mother watched Amy and me argue for a moment before letting out a soft laugh.

"Both of you..."

She shook her head slightly.

"You really are siblings."

I puffed out my cheeks.

"Mom, she’s the one who started it."

Amy immediately pointed at me.

"See? He’s already blaming me."

"Because it is your fault!"

"Hmph. A true little brother should accept his sister’s kindness."

"That isn’t kindness!"

Mother covered her mouth, trying to hide her laughter.

Seeing her expression made both Amy and me stop for a moment.

Because Mother’s laughter was something precious.

Rare.

Even though she was always kind toward us, she carried many responsibilities as the Matriarch of the Starlight Family.

There were always problems to solve.

Decisions to make.

People depending on her.

But during moments like this...

She wasn’t the powerful Matriarch.

She wasn’t one of the strongest people in the world.

She was simply our mother.

And that was the version of her I loved most.

After calming down, Mother looked at me.

"Gray."

"Yes, Mom?"

"Remember something."

Her expression became gentle.

"Becoming stronger is important."

"But don’t forget why you want that strength."

I looked at her quietly.

Mother continued.

"Power itself has no meaning."

"A sword can protect someone."

"But it can also hurt someone."

"Magic can save lives."

"But it can also destroy them."

"What matters is the person holding that power."

Her eyes softened.

"I believe you understand that."

I nodded.

"I do."

I knew exactly what she meant.

I didn’t want strength because I wanted to stand above everyone.

I didn’t want people to fear me.

I didn’t want to become some legendary hero.

I simply wanted to protect the people important to me.

Mother smiled.

"Good."

"Then I have nothing to worry about."

Amy leaned forward slightly.

"Mom, are you saying you weren’t worried before?"

Mother glanced at her.

"Of course I was."

Amy froze.

"Eh?"

Mother calmly continued.

"Gray is talented."

"Extremely talented."

"But talented people often make mistakes because they believe they can overcome everything."

Her gaze moved toward me.

"I was worried you would become too confident."

I immediately shook my head.

"I won’t."

Mother smiled.

"I know."

"That’s why I trust you."

Those words made my chest feel warm.

After that, dinner continued normally.

Amy started complaining about my new skill again.

"It’s unfair."

She crossed her arms.

"I spent years training my lightning control, and Gray just creates a skill that eats attacks."

I looked at her proudly.

"That’s because I’m a genius."

Amy narrowed her eyes.

"Don’t get arrogant."

"You were crying when Astrid corrected your sword stance."

"I was not crying!"

"You looked like you were about to."

"I was just concentrating!"

Mother listened to us while eating quietly.

Then she suddenly said,

"Maybe Amy should use Ice Magic on you every morning."

Both Amy and I froze.

"Mom!"

Mother smiled innocently.

"What?"

"It would improve your resistance."

I stared at her.

"You’re joining her bullying now?"

Amy immediately laughed.

"See? Even Mom agrees with me."

"Unbelievable..."

The three of us continued laughing together.

The dining room was filled with warmth.

No pressure.

No expectations.

No responsibilities.

Just family.

After finishing dinner, Amy and I said goodnight to Mother before returning to our rooms.

As I walked through the hallway, I couldn’t help but smile.

Today had been a good day.

I had created Devour.

I had improved my swordsmanship.

I had reached F-rank.

And now...

I had permission to enter a dungeon once I created my Perception Skill.

There were so many things waiting for me.

Space Magic.

Movement Skills.

Dungeon exploration.

Stronger enemies.

The thought alone made my heart beat faster.

When I entered my room, I changed into my sleeping clothes and lay on the bed.

Looking up at the ceiling, I started planning.

First...

I needed to create my Perception Skill.

Then I could finally experience a real battle.

Not training.

Not practice.

A true fight.

Against monsters.

A smile slowly appeared on my face.

"I can’t wait."

But before I could think any further...

Sleep slowly took over.

Tomorrow...

I would continue becoming stronger.

And one day...

I would have enough power to protect everything precious to me.

With that thought...

I closed my eyes.

And peacefully fell asleep.