I Was a Dropout Who Couldn’t Use Magic for 16 Years, but Then I Remembered My Past Life as a Scientist and Became OP in Another World - Chapter 1

Ronnie F. Narazario.

I was a defective product from the moment I was born.

Even though I was born as the eldest son of the Narazario Count family, I was slow, had no stamina, couldn’t swing a sword, and wasn’t good at studying. Every time I was taught something, the result was always the same: “No talent.” My parents were constantly disappointed and disheartened.

But what sealed my fate was the fact that I had absolutely no talent for magic.

It wasn’t just that I wasn’t good at controlling my magic power or that I was born with less of it than others. No, it was worse than that. I had no sense for magic at all—not an ounce.

A person’s magical aptitude is determined the moment they are born. A newborn baby emits a faint glow, and the strength of that glow indicates how much latent magic power they possess. By the time they’re two years old, it’s normal for them to show signs of using magic.

But in my case, even at five, even at ten, no matter how much I practiced, I couldn’t manifest even the smallest trace of magic.

The renowned magicians of the royal capital themselves declared me hopeless.

My parents suspected I might have some kind of illness, but the answer they were given was that magic should be flowing through my body, and there was no other abnormality to be found.

If only they had said I was sick, at least then I could’ve accepted my situation.

Today is my sixteenth birthday—

Yet not even a single word of congratulations from my parents.

They were completely absorbed in my twelve-year-old brother’s lessons.

Fortunately, my brother grew up to be more than enough to make up for my lack of talent.

He was exceptional in every way: athletic, smart, and gifted in magic. A true prodigy in every sense of the word.

From the courtyard, I could hear the sounds of my brother crossing swords with his tutor, accompanied by the cheers of my parents.

“Congratulations.”

“Good for you.”

If he weren’t that brilliant, I would’ve been crushed under the weight of expectations a long time ago. It was unfortunate that all the hopes once directed at me had now shifted onto him, but with a talent like his, he’d surely handle the pressure with ease.

There’s only one thing I regret: why wasn’t he born first?

If only I weren’t the eldest. If the order had been reversed, maybe this suffocating feeling would’ve been a little less unbearable.

—

I passed by a male servant.

He didn’t even nod in my direction and walked right past me.

Before my brother started showing signs of his talent, they at least used to greet me, but that was a long time ago. Now, it seemed like I didn’t exist to them anymore.

“…Sigh.”

I let out a small sigh.

I had no particular plans for today, so at the very least, I decided to escape to my room where I wouldn’t have to hear the sounds from the courtyard.

Sunlight streamed through the skylight, reminding me that the day had only just begun. The thought of another long day weighed heavily on me.

I often wondered where I’d gone wrong.

What could I have done to avoid ending up like this?

But the answer was always the same, cruel and simple:

I was wrong from the moment I was born.

I had good lineage, but nothing else. No luck, no talent. That’s who I was.

I likely had decades of life ahead of me.

But what meaning is there in spending those years being treated like I don’t even exist, with nothing but time on my hands?

That’s the thought that keeps creeping into my mind.

I just want to escape, far away, to a place where I’m free from all these ties.

My parents probably wouldn’t even bother looking for me. If anything, they’d breathe a sigh of relief once I was gone.

Yeah.

Maybe it’s better to just—

—

Suddenly, my vision tilted sharply.

No matter how long I waited, my foot didn’t find the next step, and the skylight that had been above my head was now nowhere in sight.

It took a few moments for me to realize that I was falling.

But even then, I lacked the reflexes to correct my posture. Time seemed to slow down as I fully understood that death was approaching.

—

Ah, but maybe… this is fine.

—

That thought flickered through my mind, and in the next instant, there was a loud sound as my head hit something hard, and everything went black.

—

I woke up.

I hadn’t died.

And at the same time,

I remembered my past life as a scientist.