Yoo Teo, also known as Theo Ragnar, grit his teeth, his gaze fixed on the rain of arrows blotting out the sky.
'Why do I keep failing?' he wondered.
***
Theo's memories of his past life first surfaced when he was around fifteen.
There was no specific trigger. They simply emerged while he was, as usual, only half-listening to his tutor.
His memories were incomplete, fragmented recollections—like pieces of a dream. However, his past life held uncanny parallels to his present one.
In his previous life, he lost his parents in an accident, forced to drift between relatives. He had no choice but to constantly be wary of how others perceived him.
In his current life, though born into nobility, he faced constant scorn and disdain because his mother was a commoner from the slums.
The limitations of his birth chained him, similar to the circumstances of his past life.
The injustice burned.
And so he vowed, 'In this life, I will break free of these chains—no matter what.'
Fortunately for him, the clan he was born into offered a path to transcend social barriers through dedication and skill.
The Ragnar Clan.
They were a Grand Ducal Clan located in the northernmost region of the Empire, serving as the protectors of the Empire against the monsters on the other side of the wall.
They were known by many names: The Great Northern Wall. The Shield of the Empire. The Dragon Knights. The Lords of the Winter Mountains. The Utopia of Knights and Swordsmen. The Father of Fallen Warriors…
Their millennium-spanning history was woven with countless myths and legends.
On top of that, members of the Ragnar clan were born with such exceptional constitution that legends claimed they were descendants of dragons.
Not only did they have high magic resistance, but they also possessed a remarkable aptitude for swordsmanship and martial arts.
After turning ten, they naturally awakened to mana, and the simple act of holding a sword elevated them to 1-Star master or higher.
Their very existence couldn't be explained except by legends.
Furthermore, their home, Wintera, endured winter for over half the year.
This harsh environment cultivated a ruthless clan culture.
Survival of the Fittest and the Rule of the Strong.
Only the strong survived, and the strong took all.
Therefore, as long as Theo gained enough power, he could rise above regardless of his status.
There was just one problem. Before remembering his past life, Theo, neglected by the clan and convinced of his own inadequacy, had distanced himself from training.
While his perspective had shifted with the return of his memories, he had already lost crucial years.
Even if that weren't the case, the current Ragnar Clan stood at its peak, boasting unparalleled strength. Competing for the throne against his prodigious siblings felt impossible.
So he changed his approach.
Though his memories were fragmented, it appeared that he had an occupation handling information in his past life.
He would join the Ragnar Clan's intelligence agency and seize power from the shadows, a place where he believed he could thrive.
…Or so he thought.
'I was naive, underestimating my siblings' hunger for power.'
A bastard like him must have been no more than a disposable pawn to them.
The people helping him, his butler, his mentor, even the household staff, were murdered by unknown assassins.
Guilt consumed him. Their deaths felt like a direct consequence of his existence.
'If I hadn't hesitated, if I had acted differently… would this have happened?'
Now, only he remained. And even that wouldn't last.
The chains were still restraining his hands and feet tightly.
That was when Theo finally understood, '…These cursed chains weren't something I could slip out of. They were meant to be broken with strength.'
Thud.
With a dull impact, his eyes faded to darkness.
[You have died.]
[Spent ■ ■ coins to ■■ ■■■■■ ■■.]
* * *
'Am I… back here again?'
Theo forced his eyes open to the familiar sensation of floating in midair.
Even after more than twenty years, he couldn't forget it—the unsettling limbo between his first and second life.
He thought it was a transition between reincarnations.
So, he thought his third life was beginning when—
Ding!
An unfamiliar notification chimed, and his vision brightened.
A faint sound drifted from afar.
Then, it abruptly intensified.
"That concludes today's lesson. Further instruction would be futile," a man said.
The words were polite, but the contempt was clear.
"Tsk! Even considering his lowly mother, his idiocy is astounding. The Awakening Ceremony in six months will have an obvious result," grumbled the middle-aged tutor, clicking his tongue and leaving.
Theo struggled to process the situation.
'Isn't that Rendon…? How can Rendon be here? What did he mean by the Awakening Ceremony? What is going on?'
Rendon had been his tutor in his youth, but he had been executed for supporting the losing side in the clan's power struggle.
Theo looked at his hands. Smooth, unblemished, fair skin.
'What the?'
He turned sharply, facing the full-length mirror beside him. Long black hair with a blue undertone, blood-red eyes, and a somewhat slender frame.
The reflection of a youthful face stared back. He looked no older than fifteen.
His mind raced. What was happening?
One thought cut through the confusion.
'Did I… come back to the past?'
Had his desperate plea for another chance, a chance to fight, been answered?
"Regression after reincarnation…? This is absurd."
As Theo chuckled in disbelief…
Ding!
[■■■■■ beta se■vice ■■ ■■■■…]
[■■■ patch ■■ ■.]
[Patch■ ■■ ■■■■ed.]
[Player■ regis■■■■■]
[■■■■has ■■■ed.]
Multiple windows appeared before him.
Theo swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.
'What is this? Patch? Player? There was nothing like this before.'
Static obscured much of the text, but it seemed to be relaying some sort of message to him.
New windows continued to appear.
[Que■■ received.]
[Tutorial Que■■ #1
Open your Aura Hall.
· Difficulty: F
· Reward: ■■■'s ■■
· Penalty: ■■]
This message had a bit more to it, but it still remained largely obscured.
'It's like the games I played in my previous life… but I have no idea what any of this means.'
It seemed connected to his regression, but Theo felt resistant to it.
The unexplained instructions felt like a command.
He had spent a lifetime as a pawn, discarded without a thought. He couldn't help but feel suspicious of the strange occurrence.
'...'
After a long contemplation, Theo smacked himself.
Slap! Slap!
His mind focused.
"I'll ignore this for now. If it's important, it will reveal itself."
'First, I must focus on what I can do.'
Theo grabbed a notebook and began scribbling on the back.
As a former member of the intelligence agency, he knew better than anyone the events that would unfold until he turned thirty-five, including various hidden schemes.
He meticulously documented them in chronological order, making a special note of those he could exploit.
'To break these chains, lurking in the shadows won't be enough. I must rise higher than everyone else. I must sit at the top and look down on them all.'
Now that he was back, Theo intended to take the throne of the Ragnar Clan. To prevent the grief and despair he had witnessed, he needed to be ruthless.
'I also need to uncover my murderer's identity. There is much to do.'
Snap!
Finished with his plans, Theo broke the dry pen and discarded it onto the floor.
Written in a cipher only he could understand, the first page of the notebook held only two words:
Dragon Heart.
'The first step shouldn't be difficult.'
It seemed his objective aligned with this tutorial thing.
A subtle smile graced Theo's lips.
***
If asked about the most inconspicuous child of the Ragnar Clan head, every butler and maid in Wintera would give the same answer.
"Wouldn't it be young master Theo Ragnar?"
He was unremarkable, lacking any discernible traits or talents. It was almost hard to believe he was Cecilia's son, given her envious nature.
However, new rumors began to circulate about Theo.
"Every morning, at precisely 6:00 a.m., young master Theo goes to Training Ground #4."
"Oh, has he finally decided to train?"
"W-well, yes, but…"
"Hmm? Is something wrong?"
"His training methods are… unusual."
"Unusual? How so?"
"He runs."
"And?"
"He runs more."
"...?"
"He does nothing but run around the training ground for six hours, until noon."
"..."
In the Ragnar Clan, even the servants were highly skilled, all being 3-Star or above. So, physical training was hardly noteworthy.
But the other rumors were strange.
"He requests a ton of meat following his daily training."
"Oh my. I recently procured a large quantity of Mueta Flower for him at his request."
"I supplied him with Sabie Grass!"
"Really? I delivered Satan Shrooms to him just this morning… Is there a reason for all this?"
"I wonder. They're all common plants."
"I heard he reserves the kitchen every night."
Rumors of his strange culinary experiments spread.
"He also frequents the library during the day… and the books he borrows are quite peculiar."
"Such as?"
"100 Monster Recipes, Psychology of Imperial Mythology, Talent-Swallowing Magician, Lord of the Basement, The Emperor's Old Clothes, among others."
"…Those last two titles seem particularly strange."
"W-well, they are a bit… raunchy as reading material."
"You idiot! Young master Theo is only fifteen! How can you let him borrow such material?!"
Rumors of his unusual reading habits also spread. Each rumor was too small to attract much attention, yet too peculiar to ignore entirely.
"What do you think brought about this sudden change?"
"I'm not sure. But when his requests are met, the smile he gives is so cute."
"I completely agree."
"Truthfully, young master Theo is quite—no, exceptionally handsome, isn't he?"
Ultimately, the servants and maids reached a shared conclusion.
"He must be bored."
The Ragnar Clan had its share of eccentrics, their personalities shaped by harsh discipline and training.
Therefore, they remained largely unfazed by Theo's unusual behavior. They assumed it was a passing phase.
Thanks to this, Theo could pursue his plans unimpeded.
His plans to build his Aura Hall, the «Dragon Heart».