In the year 2147, magic didn't replace technology.
It upgraded it.
Cities no longer slept—they pulsed.
Neon sigils ran across skyscrapers like living circuits, powering everything from transportation grids to defensive barriers. Autonomous drones hovered between glass towers, scanning for anomalies, while trains of condensed mana shot through transparent rails above the streets like streaks of blue lightning.
People didn't ask if you had power.
They asked what rank you were.
And above them all—
Were the Houses.
Ancient bloodlines that had adapted faster than anyone else, fusing arcane inheritance with modern innovation. Their names weren't just respected.
They were feared.
---
Rio never thought he'd end up in a world like that.
---
"Haah… finally caught up to the last chapter."
The faint hum of his laptop filled the quiet of his room as Rio leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms lazily.
"Hopefully the author finally shows us that 'plot twist' he kept talking about…"
His eyes scanned the glowing screen.
"To be honest, the only reason I liked this novel was because it wasn't a harem… and then he just threw one in out of nowhere."
"Tch… whatever. I've already spent too much time on this."
The comment section was already flooding.
> @Yungseo: Finally guys, we have reached the final chapter. Hope you enjoy ;)
@Chicke_LL: Author, this better have been worth it after those 20 random filler chapters.
Rio snorted.
"Sigh… whatever. Let's just finish this."
He leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand.
"Oh… Samuel's finally awakening the Wings of Chaos? Interesting… maybe this won't be so bad."
For the first time in a while, his interest returned.
Maybe the author would actually pull it off.
Maybe the wait would be worth it.
---
…
..
.
---
Samuel faltered before the overwhelming power of the Demon King—
—and died.
---
"…?"
Rio blinked.
Once.
Twice.
"What?"
His eyes darted across the paragraph again, as if it might correct itself.
It didn't.
"What the hell? He was literally winning—how did he just die?"
His grip tightened on the edge of the desk.
"This makes no sense… what????"
The chapter continued like nothing had happened.
> His comrades vanished under a single ability—Shadow Dismantle.
Rio let out a disbelieving laugh.
"Since when did that exist? You introduce a broken skill in the final chapter and just… end it?"
His fingers slammed onto the keyboard.
> @Chicke_LL: Author, what is this garbage chapter? Is this the plot twist you were talking about for the last 400 chapters?
@Yungseo: Yes ;) Hope you enjoyed.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
> @Chicke_LL: You moth—#@£#—
Rio stopped typing and leaned back again, staring at the ceiling.
"I should've dropped this when everyone else did…"
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration clear on his face.
"For 400 chapters you build everything up… just to throw it away at the end."
Silence settled in the room.
"…What a waste."
---
He shut his laptop halfway and stood up, stretching.
"Whatever. I'm done."
The room went dark as he turned off the lights and collapsed onto his bed.
"I'm never reading anything from that author again…"
His eyes closed.
And just like that—
Everything faded.
---
A soft chime echoed in the darkness.
Then another.
Then—
A voice.
Cold.
Mechanical.
---
> [User Identified: Rio]
[Emotional Response: Dissatisfaction Detected]
[Narrative Correction Protocol Available]
---
The laptop screen flickered back to life on its own.
> [Would you like to revise the story?]
No response.
Rio slept on.
---
> [No input detected.]
[Default selection applied.]
---
The screen distorted, pixels bending unnaturally.
> [Accessing World: Arcane Odyssey]
[Timeline Adjustment: -6 Years Before Main Story]
---
A pause.
Then—
---
> [Assigning Role…]
---
> [Hero: Occupied]
[Villain: Occupied]
[Key Characters: Occupied]
---
The system hesitated.
---
> [Searching for Available Entity…]
…
..
.
---
> [Match Found!]
---
> [Name: Rio Valen]
[Lineage: House Valen — Ducal Rank]
[Status: Disowned]
[Magic Circuit Compatibility: 0.02%]
[Narrative Relevance: Negligible]
---
> [Proceed with Assignment?]
---
A flicker.
---
> [Confirmed.]
---
> [Initializing Integration…]
---
Darkness swallowed everything.
---
Rio woke up to light.
---
Not the soft glow of a bedroom.
But a harsh, artificial brightness.
White.
Sterile.
Blinding.
"…What the—"
His voice caught in his throat.
This wasn't his room.
Not even close.
He was sitting upright on a narrow bed inside what looked like a compact medical chamber. Translucent screens floated in the air around him, displaying streams of data he couldn't fully understand.
His heart began to race.
"Where am I…?"
A sharp pain struck his head.
Memories—not his own—flooded in.
A grand estate.
Cold marble floors.
Servants who wouldn't meet his eyes.
A man sitting on a throne-like chair, his voice filled with disappointment.
---
> "You are no son of mine."
---
Rio gasped, clutching his head.
"…No way…"
The memories continued.
Tests.
Failures.
Numbers that never rose.
A name whispered behind his back—
Defective.
---
His breathing grew uneven.
"…This isn't funny."
He stumbled out of the bed, his legs slightly unsteady.
The room responded instantly.
> [Patient awakened.]
A calm, artificial voice echoed around him.
The glass wall in front of him turned transparent.
And beyond it—
The city revealed itself.
---
Rio froze.
---
Skyscrapers stretched endlessly into the sky, their surfaces covered in glowing runes that pulsed like circuitry. Flying vehicles weaved between them in organized streams, leaving trails of shimmering energy behind.
Massive holographic sigils rotated slowly in the air, projecting advertisements and announcements.
The entire world looked alive.
Awake.
Watching.
---
"…What is this…"
His voice was barely a whisper.
---
And then—
It clicked.
---
The world.
The technology.
The magic.
---
"…Arcane Odyssey…"
---
His reflection stared back at him from the glass.
Different.
Sharper.
But familiar.
---
"…Rio Valen."
---
A line surfaced in his mind.
One he barely remembered.
---
> "The Duke of House Valen had a son once… but he was cast out after failing to awaken any proper magic circuits."
---
That was it.
That was all the novel ever said about him.
No redemption.
No return.
No importance.
---
Just—
Gone.
---
Rio stared at the city again.
Then down at his hands.
---
"…So this is my role?"
---
A weak, disowned noble.
Living on the edge of a world that would never acknowledge him.
---
For a moment—
He said nothing.
---
Then—
He laughed.
Quietly.
---
"…Fine."
---
A faint flicker passed through his vision.
So subtle he almost missed it.
---
> [Residual Protocol Detected]
---
"…What?"
---
> [Synchronization at 3%]
---
The air around him felt different.
He couldn't explain it.
But something—
Had followed him.
---
[End of Chapter:1—Error: Role not found]
---