Chapter 3:

The Path I Must Take

The Reincarnated Nobody Revolutionizes Magic


It had been nearly a year since that night.
A year since the mysterious voice whispered in my dreams: “Don’t lose hope. Keep learning. You will find your path.”

And yet, despite training diligently in both sword and magic ever since, I still wasn’t sure if I was making any progress—or if I was simply running in circles.

Father seemed impressed by my diligence, though his expression often clouded with worry when it came to my swordsmanship. And truthfully, I couldn’t blame him. I may have said this before, but I was never athletic in my previous life. Swinging a sword felt as foreign to me as dancing on a tightrope. Still, I endured, if only because Father had made one thing clear: strength was not optional.

But if there was one thing that kept me from despairing, it was the town.

Father had begun taking me with him on his rounds, and the sight of the settlement never failed to stir something in me. It was undeniably medieval—mud streets, thatched roofs, and scattered wells—but I couldn’t help imagining ways to improve it. With a little stubbornness, I persuaded Father to implement some of those changes, drawing upon fragments of memory from Earth.

Grid-pattern streets.
Better drainage.
A public bath.

Ideas I had stolen, really, from an ancient civilization once hailed as a marvel of town planning. Their city had stood the test of time with its uniform bricks, private wells, sewage systems, and marketplaces laid out with almost modern precision. If such innovations had worked in my world, why not here?

And so, brick by brick, Redcliffe began to change.

Commutes grew faster. The drains kept streets cleaner than ever before. The public bath—though met with wrinkled noses at first—soon became indispensable, since it drastically reduced household water use and kept reservoirs steady even during dry months.

The people noticed.

Before long, they began calling me something absurdly grand: “The Visionary Virtuoso.”

I wasn’t a genius. I wasn’t even original. But to them, I was a boy who turned whimsical ideas into prosperity.

Father summoned me to his study one evening, a rare smile tugging at his lips. “Alex, you have done more than improve the town. You’ve earned the trust of its people. That trust is worth more than gold, for few lords in this kingdom can claim such loyalty. Be proud.”

I could only bow my head, conflicted. Be proud? For what? I only copied knowledge that wasn’t mine to begin with…

-----X-----X-----X-----

One day, as Father and I made our rounds, townsfolk greeted us warmly.

“Lord Robert, Lord Alex, may the gods bless you,” an old woman said, bowing.

“Lord Alex! Thank you for the new drainage. My produce keeps fresh for longer now—business is booming! Please, take this basket of fruit,” the greengrocer insisted, pressing it into my arms.

Even children ran up. “Lord Alex, will you play with us?” Only to be hushed quickly by their parents.

Their kindness left me flustered. Did I deserve this much gratitude? And yet… it felt nice.

At the farmlands, we spotted a man slumped beneath a tree, his face buried in his hands. At Father’s approach, the farmer scrambled to his feet, shamefaced.

“Forgive me, my lords, I shouldn’t be idling…”

“Never mind that,” Father said gently. “What troubles you?”

The man sighed. “I’ve been ill. Couldn’t sow my seasonal crops until today. But my fields are overrun with weeds. To harvest in time, I must clear them, plough the soil, and sow seeds—all today. But it’s impossible alone.”

“That is… indeed a predicament,” Father murmured.

I, however, felt a spark ignite in my mind. Maybe… maybe there’s something I can try.

“Father, may I?”

He studied me, then nodded. “Do what you will.”

I leapt from the carriage, placed a hand on the soil, and began to channel mana. And cast the spells as i envisioned them:

“The Human Fire Magic: IGNITE
Flames raced across the weeds, devouring them in crackling fire.

“The Beast Water Magic: MIST
A cool fog rose, thick and blinding—useless, unless…

“The Human Wind Magic: ICY WIND
A chilling gust swept across the mist, cooling it instantly, the vapors condensing into moisture. The soil darkened as the flames hissed out, leaving the ground damp and pliable.

“The Beast Earth Magic: CRUMBLE
The earth shuddered. Clods loosened. The hardened soil broke apart as though ploughed by invisible hands.

And then—silence. The weeds were gone, the field damp and freshly tilled, ready for sowing.

I spun on my heel, grinning. “How’s that?”

But instead of praise, I was met with stunned silence. Farmers, laborers, and even Father himself stared at me as though I had just rewritten the laws of reality.

“…Alex,” Father said at last, voice low, “what did you just do? Human and Beast Magic cannot be used together like that. Not without compounding them into one spell. And compounding has never once succeeded.”

“Compounding?” I blinked. “No, no, I just… layered them. One after another, like steps in a process.”

Father shook his head, still dazed. “Impossible.”

But my heart pounded with a realization. Wait… maybe layering is the key? Not mixing magic at once, but weaving effects in tandem…

“Are there other fields I can try this on?” I asked quickly.

Another farmer, equally wide-eyed, led me to his plot. This time, I did not chant four spells.

I closed my eyes, envisioning the fire, the mist, the cooling wind, the crumbling soil—all flowing together as one seamless action.

Mana surged through me, shaped by that image.

“PREPARE FIELD!”

The ground shuddered. Flames burst and died in the same breath. Mist cooled into dew. Soil crumbled as though a hundred ploughs had torn through it.

In an instant, the field was ready—weedless, moist, tilled.

The crowd gasped.

I staggered back, breathless, but exhilarated. It worked. A true compound spell… born from layering effects, not merging them. So this is what the voice meant. This is my path.

“Did you see that, Father?” I laughed, trembling with excitement. “I—I created a new spell!”

Father’s gaze was still fixed on the transformed field, equal parts awe and dread. “…Alex, do you realize what you’ve done? You’ve broken a rule that has bound magic for centuries.”

His words barely registered. My mind whirled.

Is this what that voice wanted me to discover? Did it bring me to this world for this reason? And if so… why me? For what purpose?

Questions with no answers. Not yet.

But one thing was certain.

That night, for the first time since my reincarnation, I felt it: hope burning bright within me.