A young man named Kurtz pledges unwavering loyalty to Artesia, the fallen head of a ducal family. Upon discovering that Artesia’s death was orchestrated by the six great ducal houses that secretly rule the world, Kurtz spends ten years preparing before returning to the past. Now a 10-year-old orphan, Kurtz uses his knowledge of the future to recruit individuals destined to die into his ranks, turning them into invaluable allies. With their help, he begins his covert operation to save Artesia and surpass even the six great ducal houses to become the true mastermind!
“This is the ultimate solution I devised to kill you.”
A dark fantasy epic of unstoppable scheming and rewriting the very fabric of the world for the sake of his one true love!
What It Takes to Become the Mastermind : The Optimal Path It is also Known as: やがて黒幕へと至る最適解, The Optimal Solution Leading to Becoming the Mastermind
Genres: Fantasy , Time Travel , Drama , Mystery
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Top 5 Light Novel Like What It Takes to Become the Mastermind : The Optimal Path (Yagate Kuromaku e to Itaru Saitekikai) [2026 List]
5. The Dragon Slayer Academy's Hotshot
In the last battle with the king of the dragon race that killed countless humans, Rudd Denatos loses his comrades and biological elder brother, Aesir Denatos. The moment he slays an unidentified dragon that appears before him, he returns to his days as an academy cadet. However, his brother, Aesir, a genius warrior doesn’t exist in the past world Rudd has regressed into. Trying to fill in the empty spot of Aesir, Rudd tries to prepare as much as possible before the strongest dragon king, the Seventh Dragon, appears. Will Rudd be able to find his older brother and avenge his parents?
The Dragon Slayer Academy's Hotshot is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: The Hero's Younger Brother Is a Deceased Person in the Academy, My Little Brother Is The Academy’s Hotshot
4. Kouritsuchuu Madoushi, Daini no Jinsei de Madou wo Kiwameru
Zeff Einstein spent his whole life mastering red magic and was finally recognized for it, yet a new spell that was soon created revealed that his talent for red magic was his lowest. Bitter at the thought of all his wasted effort, he creates a spell to send his old self back in time to his younger body and together with the determined "genius" mage Milly and the handsome swordswoman Claude, he intends to master magic more efficiently this time.
The Mage Will Master Magic Efficiently In His Second Life has finished publishing and it has 60 Chapters. It is also Known as: 効率厨魔導師、第二の人生で魔導を極める, Kouritsu Kuriya Madoushi, Daini no Jinsei de Madou wo Kiwameru, The Mage Will Master Magic Efficiently in his Second Life, Kouritsu Kuriya Madoushi, Daini no Jinsei de Madou wo Kiwameru
3. Hiraheishi wa Kako wo Yumemiru
It details the life of a mid-rank soldier who died at the very end of the war against the Demon Race. Fortunately for him, he wakes up to find that he's a baby again, in the embrace of his real mother, years in the past. Determined to avoid the chain of tragedies that took his beloved ones away from him, he takes advantage of the advancements in swordsmanship and magic that developed during the war (as we all know, wars are when many scientific breakthroughs tend to happen), and tries his best to prepare for the demon invasion as well as strengthen himself with maximum efficiency.
Hiraheishi wa Kako wo Yumemiru has finished publishing and it has 62 Chapters. It is also Known as: 平兵士は過去を夢見る, Hiraheishi wa Kako o Yumemiru
2. Lady Baby
Calliope has suffered through nature's law and many accidents. Her family was murdered and an ongoing war ended her life, but she traveled back in time to when she was born?! While Calliope slowly grows, will she be able to figure out who killed her family and stop them in time?
Lady Baby has finished publishing and it has 240 Chapters. It is also Known as: Leidi Beibi
1. Boku dake ga Inai Machi
Struggling manga author Satoru Fujinuma is beset by his fear to express himself. However, he has a supernatural ability of being forced to prevent deaths and catastrophes by being sent back in time before the incident occurred, repeating time until the accident is prevented. One day, he gets involved in an accident that has him framed as a murderer. Desperate to save the victim, he sends himself back in time only to find himself as a grade-schooler one month before fellow classmate Kayo Hinazuki went missing. Satoru now embarks on a new quest: to save Kayo and solve the mystery behind her disappearance.
ERASED has finished publishing and it has 49 Chapters. It is also Known as: 僕だけがいない街, The Town Where Only I am Missing, BokuMachi
