Extra's Re-awakening: System Errors Made Me Too OP-Chapter 48: A Second Chance

Ren walked out of the back door of the association, his eyes blank and distant. His mind was a mess of questions he couldn’t answer. Why him? Why now? He had finally thought he could live out the dream he once shared with Rai.

To fight, to grow strong, to live the life he always imagined. But now, all of that was gone. He was even worse off than those who never awakened a Soul-Core at all.

He looked up at the association’s logo carved into the tall walls, and the memories of the old Ren came flooding back.

The dreams he once had, the dreams of becoming a Soul-Hunter, standing side by side with his best friend, and fighting the Soul-Beasts together, all of it now felt meaningless, washed away like water down a drain.

"Tsk." Ren growled in frustration, his teeth clenched as anger surged through him. Without thinking, he swung his fist and slammed it against the tree in front of him.

Then he started punching and kicking the tree again and again, each strike landing with a heavy thud that echoed across the quiet school yard. The bark began to crack and splinter under the force, bits of wood flying as the leaves above rustled softly with every blow.

His Soul-Core might have lost its ability to harness the elemental nature of fire, but it could still channel Soul-Energy.

And he kept it up for at least thirty minutes.

"Damn it..." He growled, each strike hitting harder than the last. His anger flared, and he didn’t even notice the pain anymore. Blood had begun to smear across the bark from his fists, but he kept going, lost in his disappointment and anger, striking the tree again and again.

Finally, he gathered every bit of strength left in him and drove his right fist into the tree with a furious roar. The ground trembled slightly from the impact, and the thick roots cracked under the force. With a loud creak, the tree tilted to the side and then fell, crashing to the ground as dust and leaves filled the air.

"Why?" He muttered under his breath, his voice low and trembling, carrying the weight of the pain and resentment that burned deep within his heart.

"Why me?" Xander had come in earlier after checking the results of his evaluation. He was chosen by the 6th Soul-Squad, which should have been great news, but the moment he learned that Ren could no longer use his elemental Soul-Core, he turned his back on him without a second thought.

Not because Ren was useless, but because he knew there was nothing he could do to help him complete their mission now that he had lost his abilities.

He fell to his knees, his strength giving out as tears streamed down his face, soaking the dirt beneath him.

"Xander was right, I am a failure."

"No, I’d say your a failure who has surpassed a complete failure."

A voice called out to him, making Ren flinch in surprise. He quickly got to his feet and wiped the tears from his eyes, trying to compose himself.

"You’re... One of those captains... Who are you?"

The man stepped forward, with a wide smile stretching across his face. He spun around a few times, then, with an energetic grin, pointed both his thumbs toward himself.

"I am the captain of the 11th Soul-Squad, Hiro Kai." He replied.

"Captain of the 11th Soul-Squad?" Ren’s eyes widened a bit, what the hell was a captain doing here? Talking to him of all people?

"I know you have a lot of questions, a lot of doubt, but that’s not why I’m here. I saw what you did in the combat round, you’re not a failure, rather I’d say you’re a prodigy." Hiro said.

"A prodigy? I think you have me confused with Xander, a Soul-Hunter who couldn’t protect his own Soul-Core and ends up losing all access to his abilities. If that’s not a failure I don’t know what is."

Ren looked down at the ground, his eyes shadowed and heavy with unspoken thoughts. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his shoulders hunched forward, showing the weight of the burden he carried.

Hiro smiled, then raised his thumbs back at himself.

"Failure is not the end of a Soul-Hunter, it is merely the stepping stone to success. Just like me, each talented hunter encounters failure, the more consistent the failure is the more lessons life offers. You’re not a failure, you’re just a prodigy who is yet to rise."

"But I’m not a genius like you captain Hiro, I can never be like you, I can never have your strength. Even without activating a Soul-Core, you’re still strong enough to become a captain." Ren said through clenched teeth, his eyes squeezed shut in frustration.

Hiro stayed quiet for a moment, then he spoke with certainty in his words. "You’re right, you can never be like me, you can never have my strength. But you don’t need to, I can tell even from the final moments of your battle with Theron."

He smiled softly and placed his right hand gently on Ren’s shoulder. "You have the gift of perseverance, and that makes you a genius too."

"At the end of the day, even a failure will surpass a natural born prodigy, what if I told you that there’s a way that you could still join the fourteen Soul-Squads?"

A glimmer of hope reflected in his eyes, though it seemed like his dreams had been dashed. The heavens heard his pleas.

"Really!?"

"That’s right, but following this path will not be easy, it requires self sacrifice and consistency in order to achieve. However there’s a single condition when following this path."

"I don’t care." Ren said bluntly, causing Hiro’s lips to expand gradually. "I’ve already lost my ability to harness the power of the elemental Soul-Core, if this is the only way then so be it. I’ll do whatever it takes to become a Soul-Hunter and join the Soul-Squads!" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

’I was right, with the spark of youth he has now he might just end up becoming one of the strongest Soul-Hunters.’ Hiro thought.

"Alright then, your training starts from today, welcome to the 11th Soul-Squad, Ren."

"Yes Captain!"