Prologue

"Dr. Kisaragi, the pressure in the fluid actuator's spiking—"

"I know," Yuuto replied calmly, eyes locked onto the interface. "Run subroutine Sigma-Four and switch the flow control to manual override. I'm adjusting the torque ratio."

"Manual? That's suicide! You'll fry the core!"

Yuuto didn't answer.

His fingers flew across the keyboard like they had a mind of their own. The lab's massive display lit up with cascading streams of code, parameters changing in real time.

Inside the reinforced chamber beyond the glass, a humanoid robot began to move.

Not a clunky industrial unit.

Not a half-baked prototype.

A perfect bipedal android, powered not by battery or AI, but by precision engineering. A culmination of 17 years of sleepless nights, heartbreaks, and calculations.

My masterpiece.

A soft clack echoed as the android took its first step. Balanced. Fluid. Beautiful.

"...He did it," whispered someone behind him.

But Yuuto didn't smile. He only stared, heart pounding. I could've done better.

A few more tweaks. A few more days.

And maybe he would've gotten the funding—maybe he could've pushed robotics to the next frontier.

Maybe—

A high-pitched whine interrupted the thought. Louder. Shrill. Wrong.

Yuuto turned just in time to see the coolant pipes rupture.

"No—!"

A blinding white explosion tore through the lab.

Then—darkness.

At first, there was only nothing.

No body. No sound. Just the sensation of falling through a weightless void.

I'm dead.

...Figures.

That's how it ends, huh? Years of being ignored, pushing past limits, chasing a dream the world wasn't ready for... and I die surrounded by wires and a failure protocol.

Silence again.

Then—

[Initializing...]

[Linking soul signature...]

[Synchronization complete.]

[Welcome, User: Yuuto Kisaragi]

[Rebirth successful. New Identity: Alaric Valtair]

Wait. WHAT?!

His eyes flew open.

Light stabbed into his vision. A warm breeze tickled his face. Birds chirped outside a nearby window.

And everything was… stone? Wooden? Hand-crafted?

He sat up with a jolt, breathing hard.

Gone was the sterile lab. No monitors. No tech. No ambient hum of machines. Just a small rustic room, a creaky bed, and sunlight filtering through linen curtains.

He looked down.

Smaller hands. Pale skin. A child's body. But his mind—his mind was still Yuuto.

"What the hell…"

The voice returned, louder this time.

[System Active]

[Identity: Alaric Valtair (Age: 10)]

[Race: Human]

[Class: None]

[Level: 1]

[Mana: 20/20]

[Strength: 6]

[Intelligence: 22]

[Dexterity: 9]

[Constitution: 5]

[Luck: 3]

Mana?

What the hell is mana? That's… that's not real.

And yet, something in him could feel it now. A faint pulse in the chest. A pressure in the air. Like invisible energy flowing through everything around him.

This… isn't Earth.

This is a different world.

I've been reincarnated.

[Unique System Granted: Engineer's Codex]

[Custom Functions Unlocked:]

[Status Screen]

[Blueprint Shop]

[Crafting Terminal]

[Inventory]

[Workshop Management Interface]

[New Feature Unlocked: Blueprint Shop]

He blinked. A transparent window opened in midair.

[Blueprint Shop – Tier 1]

[Portable Heater] – 5 MP

[Water Purifier] – 8 MP

[Self-Cooking Rice Cooker] – 7 MP

[Mechanical Door Lock] – 3 MP

[Mini Golem Frame (Manual) – 25 MP]

[Mana Battery (Primitive)] – 15 MP

[Basic Tools Set] – 1 MP

…This has to be a dream.

But it wasn't. The cold air brushing his face. The solid wooden floor beneath his feet. The smell of soil and wildflowers beyond the window.

It was all too real.

A name surfaced from his memory—or maybe it wasn't his. Maybe it belonged to the body he now inhabited.

Alaric Valtair.

Right. That's me now.

A knock came at the door, followed by a soft voice.

"Alaric? Are you awake?" A woman. Gentle. Kind.

"...Yeah," he said, voice still hoarse.

"I'll bring you something to eat. Don't move around too much—your fever just broke."

As the footsteps faded, Alaric slumped back down on the bed.

No tech. No circuits. No machines. Just… magic. Mana.

They don't even know what electricity is, do they?

He exhaled, slow and long.

Then I'm the only one who does.

His eyes narrowed.

This world is running on ancient systems. Rituals. Spells. Superstition.

What happens when someone introduces logic, code, and engineering?

A low smile tugged at his lips.

"Let's find out."

[New Mission Added – "Foundation of Progress"]

> Objective: Build your first invention using mana-powered components.

Reward: 25 MP, 1 Free Blueprint Unlock

I may have died in a world that didn't need my genius…

But here—?

Here, I'll build a future they can't even imagine.