Chapter 1

#1

“Hey, isn’t this guy that mage without mana?”

“How can you be a mage without mana, idiot?”

“Ah, you’re right. But who knows—if he had been on the battlefield, maybe we would’ve lost.”

What the hell are they talking about?

Lawrence was suddenly restrained by intruders and forced to listen to nonsense he couldn’t understand.

Lawrence Montemer.
The youngest child of a great family of mages, and a man who had reincarnated.

Back on Earth, he had been a YouTuber with over three million subscribers, uploading videos of 3D pen creations.
His path had once seemed brilliant and full of promise, but now, he had fallen this far.

“What the hell are you bastards saying!?”

“Your mom, dad, family—every last one of them’s dead, dumbass. Took us some effort to track you down.”

He had never once left a comment longer than 5,700 characters anywhere, only ever played online games, and hadn’t even read many novels. He was just an ordinary person.

And yet he had been reborn—into an unknown fantasy world.

At first, he accepted it.

No—he even welcomed it. After all, he had been born into the Montemer family, a clan known as one of the great houses of magic.

But that was where his hell began.

“You’re the last survivor, aren’t you? So cough up any information you’ve got.”

“You crazy bastards… Look at the state I’m in, and you’re asking me that?”

“Heh, maybe a bit of pain will jog your memory.”

He should have been born with the most prestigious magical bloodline.
But Lawrence was born with the body of an Earthling.

A body that lacked mana—the essential foundation of any fantasy world.

Yes. He was a human without a Mana Road.

The YouTuber with three million subscribers, the craftsman with the golden touch—was no more.
All that remained was a defective product who couldn’t even use magic.

An illegitimate child. A failure.

His life was harsher than any hell.

“Arghhhhhh! I told you, I don’t know, you damn bastards!”

“You expect us to believe you don’t know about the heirloom? Maybe you hid it ahead of time?”

“You sons of bitches! If I knew, would I be here suffering like this!?”

And then came the news—his family had been annihilated.

Why? How? He couldn’t say.
For years, Lawrence had lived secluded, focused only on research.

Artifacts.
Mystical objects no one could create anymore—objects countless scholars tried to restore.

Lawrence, skilled in drawing, engraving, and crafting, believed that artifact creation was his only way to live with dignity.

But of course, he had no success.

Already a dead man walking, Lawrence poured out his final grievances.

“Looks like you were still researching artifacts, huh? And yet you claim you don’t know? You expect us to buy that?”

“If I’d succeeded, do you think I’d still be stuck here, you idiots!? Just kill me already!”

“Well, you’ve got a point there.”

His books filled with countless magic circles.
Scraps and junk from failed attempts to forge artifacts.

He had trained himself to the point he could engrave intricate magic circles into gemstones.
And yet, as he shouted—he had never once succeeded.

Born without a Mana Road, scorned as useless, and now even his artifact research was a failure.

He had lived alone to avoid his worthless so-called family—yet in the end, he brought only more trouble.

It was unfair.
Why did he have to die like this?

“Here. A parting gift for the road.”

“…….”

Now his body was nothing but throbbing pain.

After relentless torture in such a short span, his blurred vision caught something foreign piercing into him.

Thud!

A chilling sound echoed through his chest.

Even as all sensation faded, a searing pain burned through him.
Unable to scream, Lawrence clung to the edge of life.

“Let’s go.”

“So that’s the end of the Montemers?”

“Yes. Now we just need to take care of the other ■■■.”

“……”

As his consciousness dimmed, Lawrence heard cryptic words he couldn’t understand.

His heart stopped. His final thoughts sank into darkness.

[Found you.]

A voice spoke—from his heart.

#2

Was he dead?

If reincarnation was real, then maybe an afterlife was, too.

Lawrence thought back to his unfair life and slowly looked around.

At first, it seemed like there was nothing.
But no.

Something was there.

Something vast. Mysterious. Beyond words.

He lifted his head. In the shadows, he sensed it, and saw—

A living being.

[How pitiful.]

“Who… are you?”

The voice rumbled as if the space itself were speaking.

Lawrence asked—Who are you? What will become of me? How do you know of my wretched life?

His voice trembled. Whether from instinctive fear or bottled resentment, he couldn’t tell.

Golden eyes flared brilliantly.

And with that light came the sight of an enormous body covered in scales.

Yes. A truly great being.

The space trembled again, the voice resounding.

[Whether by someone’s meddling or fate’s cruel trick, your destiny was twisted. You were meant to be our heir—one who would carry forward our legacy.]

Such shocking words left Lawrence stunned.

“Are you saying… my life was unjustly ruined?”

[Indeed. We summoned you because you have proven worthy to inherit our power. A craftsman who can create anything with his hands—you were born to inherit the power of the great beings: the authority of Artifact Creation.]

“…Ha.”

So… being born without a Mana Road was all part of it?

His fists clenched.
Thinking that someone’s interference had caused all this, his grief turned to rage.

[Walk the true path and correct what was twisted. I shall give you another chance at life.]

“Truly!? You mean—I can live again!?”

[Yes. We searched long and hard for you. At last, our legacy has reached you. Now you shall begin a new life.]

Memories flashed through him.

To settle his unjust past. To live again.

Lawrence trembled with emotion—both joy and sorrow. His eyes grew wet.

“I… I…”

[You have endured much. Our heir.]

Those words shattered his restraint. Lawrence wept bitterly.

The young man who had never shed tears before others now let out all his pent-up grief.

The great being simply listened in silence, empathizing deeply with the youth forced onto a thorny path.

[Now you are at peace. To release grief through tears is necessary.]

“…Forgive me.”

The voice was gentle, fatherly.
Unlike his own father in the Montemer family, and thus even more comforting.

The dragon’s throat rumbled, like a chuckle.

[Now you are ready. We shall form a contract—bound by soul.]

“I’ll… return to that world?”

[Yes. Do you not wish to fulfill what you left undone? Do you not long to avenge those who killed you? To prove your worth to the family that cast you aside?]

“…I do.”

Lawrence nodded, past memories flashing by.

To return with those memories intact—what greater blessing could there be?

He wanted to show them.
He wanted revenge.
He wanted to build a house greater than Montemer.

The dragon chuckled again, then solemnly proclaimed:

[I, the Dragon Lord, declare and swear upon the Sea of Souls: Your body shall be a vault of arms, and your fingertips shall forge legends. Behold! The true heir of the Great Race has been born!]

ROOOOAR!

Colossal wings spread wide.
The roar of the Great Race shook the world.

[Only you shall become the mage who recreates the legacy of the Great Race!]

A blinding light illuminated the darkness—
as if sweeping away the life he had lived until now.

And Lawrence once again lost consciousness.

#3

A sunlit room.

The chirping of birds woke Lawrence naturally.

He wasn’t lying on the hard bed of his secluded hut, but under soft blankets and atop a plush mattress.

Carefully, he sat up.
Unlike in adulthood, his small hands, feet, and body told the truth.

He whispered to himself:

“…I really came back.”

A shabby room—unworthy of a so-called great house.

He had returned to his younger self, the boy who had been scorned and oppressed.

As he gauged what point in time this was, a voice and a message appeared.

[Good morning, Artifactor.]

“What the—? This is new.”

[I am the Dragon Lord’s Guardian, assigned to assist you. Call me as you wish.]

“So… this was the ability I was supposed to have?”

[Correct. Due to interference, you were forced to live a twisted fate.]

Damn it.

Lawrence longed to see the face of whoever had done this.
And whether by words or fists, he swore to make them pay.

[The contract shall be fulfilled. You shall seek the legacy of the Great Dragons and become this world’s protector.]
[To that end, you are granted the authority to create and implant Artifacts.]
[Even with a body lacking a Mana Road, you can implant Artifacts to wield their power.]

Now, he could finally use magic.

His chest swelled with emotion, and he drew deep breaths to steady himself.

The messages continued.

[From 1st Circle to 9th Circle, and even legendary and mythical artifacts—you can forge them all.]
[You are a craftsman, one who can create miracles with your fingertips.]
[Become the archmage worthy of legend and myth.]

Yes.

That had always been his life.
A life where he created whatever he desired.

Back on Earth, he had lived exactly that way.

A man once called a master craftsman.
A creator who, with only a pen, had gained over three million subscribers.

Recalling that sensation, Lawrence stood up.

[The tutorial shall now begin.]

“First, I need to figure out what day it is.”

He read the message carefully, then looked at his hands.

Though his body showed no changes yet, he was already overjoyed simply to have returned to his brightest years.

He sprang to his feet.

He would take back everything stolen from him.
He would claim what was always meant to be his.
And he would avenge himself against those who killed him.

His twisted fate—
was finally restored.

It was morning in the Montemer household.