The Retired Hero is an Extra

Jash's expression darkened once more; the mental agony weighing heavily on him.

'No! It can't be this easy! I am missing something!'

He wanted to scream the words at the top of his lungs but his mouth stayed clamped shut.

Jash knew it required a deep connection to the element, an innate sense of the mana's rhythm, and the ability to guide and shape it with precision.

However, he lacked that ability and just by some random guesses under pressure, he was on the verge of comprehending it?

That sounded too unbelievable, even to him!

It was simply absurd for even someone with crazy good affinity with an element to be able to do that, let alone him, who merely wanted to use it as an auxiliary element.

At the impossible notion, Jash's mind whirred to possibilities, but his survival instincts reacted before he could settle down on one possibility.

The mana essence responded to his almost dying control, swirling around his body in strange yet intricate patterns.

Though he couldn't feel it or didn't have the leisure to notice it, his control over the element had unexpectedly surged, reaching an unprecedented level.

It was as if he was wielding the mana running through his veins instead of water elemental mana in a hard-to-please environment.

Within moments, his expression shifted into a mixture of understanding, shock, realization, and grim acceptance as he survived the storm.

The mana around him coiled in a protective manner, acting as if he was just any other water elemental mana instead of an intruder.

The water currents didn't have a mind of their own and could only go their way, trying to kick the

intruder

away, but they didn't find any intruder anymore...

Ultimately, it only shifted Jash's body's flowing direction which went along with the current as it was indeed too strong to fight against.

Not to mention Jash's spur of the moment control of the water elemental mana, it was a death wish to fight against the water current that could probably level mountains.

'Do I have a trait for Water?'

That was the first thought rising in his mind as he struggled to accept it, not wanting to be left with only the water element for the rest of his life.

For his mana circulation technique to work, he needed balanced control and understanding of the five elements as a prerequisite before they could be used within his nodes.

But, if his water elemental talent was leaps and bounds ahead of others, he could only abandon everything and only focus on one element.

However, he wasn't one to lose hope, given the grim situation.

Even if the possibility of a multi-affinity trait or talent being next to none. But didn't he have multiple affinities already?

Compared to his first life where he had no choice but to forcefully use the elements to get stronger despite having no affinity, his current situation was still better.

Getting back to traits or talents, one could call them inherent talents that bloomed after some unsaid conditions were fulfilled.

Yet it was common knowledge that one couldn't even guess one's own traits, let alone others'.

Some people only awakened their traits at their dying breath, and some could never do it.

Despite it being a good thing for others, Jash had another reason except the imbalance in his elements to worry about at the moment.

Traits like space-control or specific elemental affinities gave Hunters a natural edge in controlling mana, but it had its downsides.

If one learned from scratch, it would be a very challenging but rewarding journey.

And no one knew better than Jash why it was better to have no elemental traits as it could be detrimental to all his plans for the near future.

He didn't even want it for some rare element excluding the five he absolutely needed.

'I need to re-learn mana control in this world, and get even better at it,' he thought regretfully.

He already had a solid command over his mana, except situations similar to his current one.

It was somewhat of a hindrance to him as he was forced to learn mana control crudely in his past life and he couldn't fix it, even until his demise.

Not wanting to delve into those colde memories, he quickly shook his head, focusing on absorbing the knowledge to control the water elemental mana.

According to his requirement, he did gain something, but he was yet to have his elemental awakening and he really wanted to curse himself.

At least he felt the relief of fresh air as he manipulated the water elemental mana to allow some air to flow around his nostrils.

His mind grew complex over the seconds as he felt more and more that he had gained some sort of trait, and his expressions darkened, a frown creasing his brow.

"Not every trait is a blessing."

That was a famous saying in this world, and Jash also believed it somewhat.

There were certain times when developing a trait was a lot harder than simply controlling mana, but that wasn't something he was bothered with.

It was the other possibility, something worse than he could imagine until now.

There were certain traits that made people unable to comprehend and use other types of mana at all!

'Surely, I wouldn't hit the roadblock so early on, right?'

Jash could only try to cheer himself up in this hopeless situation, knowing it wasn't the time to lose his focus on the water elemental mana.

What use would it be if he failed in one task and got pulled out for safety concerns?

So, in order to awaken his element, he could only try the crudest method.

A faint, aura-like bluish projection appeared on his palm—a beginner's manifestation, lacking the refined control he usually displayed.

What he was trying to do with the water elemental mana was how others learned to use mana when they first awakened to it.

He had seen and heard about it a lot, and finally had the chance to do it himself, so he confidently seized the chance.

All his earlier helplessness, grief, regret, lamentations were wiped away as he felt the exhilarating feeling of being able to control the mana freshly, from a new perspective.

Usually, only newly awakened hunters tried this with unattributed pure mana, the foundation of all magical energy, the canvas before the painting.

And there was a very good reason why no one tried it for elemental mana.

Elemental mana was usually more volatile and denser than pure mana, making it extremely hard to be able to fully control it.

Slowly, the shimmering-faint blue mana around his body began to gather and concentrate, condensing to form a denser, more tangible form.

'With practice, I can probably shape and direct this mana just like any other,' he mused with slightly upturned lips.

After being successful in his little rendezvous, he was unable to hide the joy in his eyes.

And the only observing duo at the moment were stunned speechless for the first time in countless years at this unbelievable sight.

However, their tempers were very well restrained, and they didn't even let out the smallest of voice from their mouths as they continued observing Jash.

As no one else had entered the Elemental Manifestations, it was easier for them to observe Jash freely.

Unaware of the observers, his own mind remained focused on the shifting energy in his palm.

As he could see the faint contours of his palm, he had an easier time trying to manipulate the water elemental mana.