Reborn as an Extra Chapter 659: You are bizarre... Part-2.

Disregarding the two fools badmouthing him behind his back, Rio headed toward the cluster of young ones who hesitated to approach him.

"Y-you!? What are you!? This strange sensation... are you really human!?"

The instant Rio approached, Nova instantly became guarded and interrogated him with utter confusion, as though she'd never encountered a being like him before.

"Y-your body... it’s giving me nearly the same vibe as the legendary artifacts of our fairy race!"

"But the ’Fountain of Elemental Life’ and the Grand World Atlas... they’re completely inanimate objects!"

"S-so... how can... you are utterly bizarre!!"

Even though Nova and the other two tiny fairies reacted so strangely upon seeing him, Rio felt no surprise whatsoever.

’Err... I sort of anticipated this would occur...’

Ashtel Rex had highlighted the oddity within him; Raji had done the same. Even that elderly dwarf blacksmith had doubted if Rio was truly human.

And Raika had outright urged him to admit he wasn’t human at all.

Having heard from numerous people and witnessed countless shocked, puzzled faces, Rio had grown accustomed to such responses.

Fortunately, Rio wasn’t someone who took offense to such minor remarks; otherwise, he might have sensed discrimination from everyone pointing it out.

Rio understood that fairies stood closest to nature, blessed with the ’favor’ of the ’world,’ so their sensitivity to worldly phenomena was far from feeble.

As one of the oldest fairies in the city and a peak S-ranker, Nova had instantly discerned Lia’s real identity upon first meeting, so naturally, she detected something peculiar about Rio as well.

"Wind, water, thunder... even miasma!? H-how do you possess traces of all elementals in your body!? And why are your soul fluctuations so strange!!"

Before Rio had a chance to reply, the tiny golem that Bela carried leaped from her arms and clung to Rio’s leg!

It darted with such speed that Bela and the rest couldn’t react in time, and in a flash, it was right up against Rio.

"Rio! You are here! Hehe! I missed you!"

Watching the little golem act all adorable and nuzzling his leg, Rio sighed helplessly, picked it up, and set it on his shoulder.

"I nearly forgot about this little guy... where have you been ’RJ’? How has Lia been doing lately?"

The small creature began fiddling with Rio’s hair while chattering away.

"Lia is amazing! She battled those powerful foes! She defeated all the villains! Hehe!"

"She shielded us all from the bad guys!"

Stars practically sparkled in the little golem’s eyes as it recounted Lia’s heroic exploits in battle.

"I see, so Lia befriended the fairies?"

The little golem bobbed its head while glancing at Lyria and Miria.

"They were saved by Lia from that massive hammer demon!"

Upon hearing that, Rio stroked the golem and extended his hand to Bela.

"I am Rio Flash. I might appear daunting, but I’m Lia’s boyfriend. Lia and I are together as a couple, and since Lia trusts you all, I’m willing to trust you too..."

"You find the soul fluctuations odd? Fine, I can adjust that..."

Before Nova could respond, Rio swiftly altered how his soul fluctuations emanated outward.

He effortlessly restrained his soul and physical aura, even engaging a touch of his stealth abilities to prevent Nova and the others from peering too deeply into his mysteries.

This ensured they wouldn’t feel uneasy from probing the depths of his being.

The second Rio modified his soul fluctuations, his overwhelming aura vanished entirely, making his presence akin to that of a typical 18-year-old human!

"This is!? Soul Manipulation!? Is that even possible!?"

Witnessing Rio perform such a staggering feat, Nova nearly collapsed like the other two fairies from pure astonishment!

Kai and James gazed at the distressed fairy with sympathy.

’Err... who’s going to inform her that Soul Manipulation is merely one of many abilities this guy possesses...’

While Nova stood dumbfounded, Bela wasted no time and grasped Rio’s offered hand to rise.

She pressed her tiny hand to her chest, as if summoning courage by steadying her racing heartbeat.

Then she eyed RJ and said,

"I-if little RJ trusts you... then I can too..."

Hearing the young girl’s words, Rio gently patted her head and nodded.

"You’re a courageous little one..."

Rio sensed that Bela was truly exceptional; not yet fifteen, yet she exuded thick mana and was evidently a fully awakened being.

Kids who awaken before age 15 are invariably either prodigious talents or absolute monsters!

Link exemplified such genius; born as an E-ranker!

By fifteen, Link had reached peak C-rank and mastered various combat techniques.

Back then, even Rio, the ’anomaly,’ struggled to land solid hits on Link during their New Year’s clash.

Bela was clearly another such prodigy, likely hiding potent talents; Rio refrained from prying, lest he shatter the fragile trust she’d placed in him.

In this world, every awakener possesses a personal status panel visible only to themselves; others cannot view it.

The details on these panels hold vital importance, and no one wishes to expose them.

It transcends mere trust or bonds; such data is so intimate that most withhold it even from parents, much less outsiders.

This privacy spurred the creation of talent assessment devices.

Everyone has unique situations; not all feel at ease sharing bodily secrets, so Rio naturally avoided quizzing Bela.

"These two... let’s place them near Lia; it’s unwise to leave them lying on the floor..."

At Rio’s suggestion, Bela gathered the two fainted fairies from the ground and followed him to Lia’s side.