Chapter 1
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: The Great Extra
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The Great Extra.
That was my nickname back when I was in the Hero's party.
I had plenty of other nicknames besides that one.
My insane talent led me to do all sorts of things, leaving a trail of incredible achievements during the Age of Ruin.
Saint of the Mire, Excavator of Light, Lantern in the Darkness, and so on.
‘Truth be told, I did it all for the money. But all I got was a reputation that didn't pay.’
I coughed up blood, recalling my wretched past.
When I was twenty years old.
Back when I'd escaped my miserable family and was kicking around in the back alleys, dreaming of success.
The Magitech Empire's 'Demon King of Bloodletting' invaded the Light Faction.
The Great War had begun.
Back then, I thought to myself.
‘This is the chance of a lifetime. I'll perform some great service, and after the war, I'll enjoy a life of unbelievable wealth and glory!’
With that in mind, I went through all kinds of hell, accomplished countless feats, and even joined the Hero's party in the end, but it was all for nothing.
The Hero's party lost, and the Light Faction was destroyed at the hands of the Magitech Empire, led by the Demon King.
‘Ha, my life. If I'd known it would end like this, I never would have gone through all that crap.’
At the very least, I wouldn't have even associated with the Hero's party.
But it was a regret that came too late.
In my final moments, I heard various voices.
“So, this is how it ends.”
The sight of that bastard made me grind my teeth.
…No, it was the Hero, Evan.
“It shouldn't have been me. Chris, you should have been the Hero.”
Beside him, the Archmage Ranya nodded bitterly in agreement.
“That's right. If only Chris had properly learned the sword and magic instead of all those miscellaneous skills, we wouldn't have been defeated like this.”
It was a lament the Hero's party had often repeated.
The reason I was able to leave behind so many achievements during the Age of Ruin was because of my insane genius.
An unparalleled talent that allowed me to master anything instantly and exceptionally.
Based on that talent, I was able to accomplish all sorts of things, sometimes becoming a Divine Doctor, sometimes a guide who could see a thousand leagues ahead, and sometimes a great craftsman.
But unfortunately, I never learned the sword or magic.
‘Though I did reach a fairly high level just by watching the Hero's party out of the corner of my eye.’
4-Star.
That was the level I belatedly achieved while traveling with the Hero's party.
To give you an idea of how ridiculous that is, the 4-Star Prime Class was a level that the untalented could never hope to reach in their lifetime.
And I reached that level without ever being properly taught, without any separate training, just by observing.
In both sword and magic, no less.
I had joined the Hero's party in the latter half of the Age of Ruin, for less than three years, so it was truly an insane accomplishment.
That was why.
Why people felt it was such a shame.
-Chris should have learned the sword and magic, not all those miscellaneous skills.
They said that if I had learned sword and magic, the outcome of the war would have been completely different.
That I might have even surpassed the 9-Star level of the Hero and the Demon King and reached 10-Star.
The Hero's party even went so far as to make this absurd claim.
“If we could turn back time, we would have acclaimed you as the Hero, Chris.”
My face crumpled into a frown.
‘As if. Me, a Hero? Like hell.’
I'd had enough hardship for one lifetime.
If I really got a chance to live again.
‘I hope I can become the son of a rich family and just enjoy a life of luxury...’
But I couldn't continue that thought.
'Ragnarok' was complete.
The Demon King of Bloodletting's goal wasn't simply to rule the world, but to bring about its true end, to cause Ragnarok.
A black light stained the entire world, and the world met its doom.
But why?
Why did I have this thought in my final moment?
‘Please, let my next life be as a rich man's son...’
Was it because of that wish?
I regressed.
Roughly 15 years into the past.
In other words, I'd returned to a time five years before the 'Age of Ruin' truly began.
And not in my original body, but as the son of an incredibly wealthy family, just as I had wished.
However, there was a problem.
It was a rich family, all right, but its name was the 'Dark Magic House.'
As the ominous name suggests, it was a prestigious family of the Magitech Empire.
I, who had been the hope of the Light Faction, had become a young master in the empire of darkness, the nation of the Demon King who destroyed the world.
On top of that, this body...
...is a complete scoundrel.
* * *
‘Damn it all, this is absurd.’
I, Chris, gazed out the window with melancholic eyes.
The view was of a mansion's grounds, lavish beyond compare.
And yet.
There were goblins in the garden. They were tending to it with delicate hands.
That wasn't all.
On the mountain behind the mansion, a troll was felling trees with an axe, letting out valiant cries, while a wyvern swooped down from the sky with a squawk, delivered a letter, and vanished.
“……”
Chris was silent.
To think that monsters one would only expect to see in the Demon Realm were peacefully going about their duties at the mansion.
There was a reason.
This was the Magitech Empire.
The empire of darkness where Majin, warlocks, dark elves, and demonic beasts roamed free, and Demon Kings reigned supreme.
The very one that would one day destroy the Light Faction.
‘Why, of all the people I could have been reborn as, did it have to be someone from the Magitech Empire! Aaargh!’
He tore at his hair.
‘All I wanted was to be the son of a normal rich family!!’
But tearing at his hair changed nothing.
It had been three days since he'd come to his senses, and he had accepted reality.
‘I have to decide. What am I going to do from now on?’
Chris quietly considered.
‘...Should I just ignore what's going to happen and enjoy a life of wealth and glory?’
His circumstances certainly allowed for it.
The Dark Magic House was one of the most prestigious families on the continent. In other words, they were an incredibly wealthy family.
But.
‘Aaargh! There's no way I can do that! If I just stand by and let the Light Faction be destroyed, this body won't be safe either!’
There was a reason for that.
‘I never knew the Demon King of Bloodletting was such a lunatic.’
At first, when the Magitech Empire invaded the Light Faction, no one was overly alarmed.
After all, clashes between the 'Magitech Empire' of the dark faction and the 'Crusade Alliance' of the light faction were commonplace.
However, as the Great War drew to a close.
The true intentions of the Demon King of Bloodletting, who led the Magitech Empire's forces, were revealed.
The Demon King of Bloodletting wasn't just trying to conquer the Light Faction.
‘Ragnarok. The destruction of the entire world was her goal.’
By the time anyone realized that fact, there was no one left who could stop the Demon King of Bloodletting.
The Demon King of Bloodletting slaughtered every human in the occupied territories, using them as sacrifices to bring about Ragnarok.
Destroying not only the Light Faction, but the entire world.
In other words, if I just let things be, I'll get swept up in the world's destruction and this body will die too.
‘Damn it, I have to stop her.’
Chris bit his lip hard.
‘The problem is that I've regressed into the Magitech Empire. I have to find a way to save the world as a Majin. As a Majin... Aaargh!’
It would have been better if I'd regressed as someone from the Light Faction.
But of all things, to be in the body of a Majin.
It couldn't get any more wretched than this.
‘Things being what they are, there's only one way.’
Chris gritted his teeth.
‘I have to rise to the pinnacle of the Magitech Empire.’
Simply stopping the Demon King of Bloodletting, the main culprit, wouldn't be enough.
Because she wasn't the only one trying to bring about destruction.
Countless people in the Magitech Empire followed the Demon King of Bloodletting.
‘So, I have to climb to the top of the Magitech Empire and become someone who can stop them. In other words, I have to become a top-ranking Demon King.’
Chris thought in more detail.
‘First, I'll take control of this body's family, the Dark Magic House. Then, I'll become a top-ranking Demon King and rule the Magitech Empire.’
Plus, doing so had a huge advantage for him.
‘The Magitech Empire is the strongest nation on the continent. So if I rise to its pinnacle, I'll be able to enjoy an incredible life of wealth and glory.’
Even in this situation, he hadn't given up on his dream of wealth and glory.
The Magitech Empire, the nation of Majin, was universally acknowledged as the world's most powerful country.
Becoming a Demon King there would let him enjoy a level of splendor incomparable to that of an ordinary golden spoon.
Chris resolved firmly.
‘First, I'll become a Demon King and stop the destruction. And after that, I'm going to laze around without lifting a finger and enjoy the greatest wealth and glory imaginable!’
But, there was a problem.
The identity of the body Chris now inhabited.
The status itself was fine.
He was, after all, of the bloodline of a prestigious magical family, the 'Dark Magic House.'
A status close to the core of the Magitech Empire.
The problem was that this body belonged to a scoundrel.
‘Not just any scoundrel, but the worst scoundrel in the world.’
The body Chris inhabited belonged to a scoundrel so infamous that he was known even in the Light Faction.
One who would eventually meet a gruesome death.
- That piece of trash isn't even fit for dog food. If it weren't for his family's protection, I would have torn him to shreds.
- It won't be long now. I hear the main house is considering disowning him.
In short, this body belonged to the worst of the worst trash.
The worst possible situation, where he could be disposed of at any moment.
The conditions were extreme—having to climb from being such a worthless scoundrel to the pinnacle of the Magitech Empire.
‘I can do it. It's definitely possible.’
Chris briefly thought about the reason for his confidence.
‘Because I'm a genius.’
The driving force that had allowed him to leave behind all sorts of great achievements during the Age of Ruin.
A once-in-a-generation talent.
In fact, even the word 'genius' was insufficient to describe his talent.
So, he could do it.
‘Let's begin.’