The fact that Ash was carrying a Rune fragment surprised him, but it didn't stop his progress at all. It was unexpected, yes, but not something that slowed him down in any way.
Aside from learning from the World Tree, he also needed to raise his stats and prepare for the next rank. So, he brought it up with her. But when he told her that his potential felt low, she gave him a strange look, as if he had said something incredibly foolish without even realizing it.
Without saying much, she took out a potential-checking artifact and used it on him. The moment she saw the result, her calm expression shifted into one of genuine surprise. His potential was clearly marked as A-Rank.
She explained that potential was the limit of how much the human body could grow, both in strength and energy.
