The Book Eating Magician - chapter-21
Outside the Academy #3
Cheolkeok!
Theodore closed the door to Professor Vince’s laboratory and headed
back to his dorm room.
There was no need to rush, but he wanted to feed Gluttony the
‘original’ as soon as possible. Maybe a special phenomenon would
happen, like when he received Alfred’s memories through [Ballistics
Magic].
‘It should be time for Gluttony to wake up.’
He lined up the books on the bed and waited for his sleeping partner to
wake up. How long did he wait until…?
-…H-Hungry. Come, feed me.
The hungry Gluttony finally opened its mouth.
[Gluttony has awoken from its sleep and is complaining about an empty
stomach.]
[The regular meals have reduced his hunger a lot. There is more room to
choose its food. Gluttony will answer one question after eating one book
and will immediately fall asleep after eating two books. The remaining
time is 1 hour.]
Theo’s expression changed subtly as he listened to the guide voice.
After eating ‘Roaring Flames’ and reaching the E rank, Gluttony’s
hunger had reduced. The quota of one or two books a day was much lower
compared to the five books it had required after waking up for the first
time.
Theo might have welcomed the change during his days of secret eating the
library books, but that wasn’t the case anymore.
‘If this is the case, won’t I have to be more selective about the
books…? Once more seals are released, it might wake up every few days
instead of once a day.’
Or it might only want to eat Rare grade magic books as its food…
A magician should always calculate all the possibilities to get the best
results. Theodore worried about how Gluttony’s changes would affect him
and decided to discuss it with Professor Vince next time.
Today, he would focus on [Introduction to Elemental Magic]. Theo shook
his head and spread open his palm.
“Come out, eat.”
At those words, the tongue stretched out towards the two books on the
quilt. As if it wanted to eat the appetizer before the main meal, the
tongue started from [Understanding of Healing Magic] which was next to
[Introduction to Elemental Magic].
[’Understanding of Healing Magic’ has been consumed. Your
understanding is very high.]
[Proficiency with the 2nd Circle magic ‘Cure’ has increased. You can
heal wounds efficiently.]
A cool breeze blew through his head, and a soft sensation seemed to
permeate through him. Theo understood how to use magic on the blood
vessels, muscles, and bones. He knew the tricks and tips which magicians
at healing clinics used. Now, he could attach sliced off fingers back on.
However, Gluttony didn’t end there. Next was today’s main dish;
[Introduction to Elemental Magic] was sucked into Theo’s left hand.
Gulp!
Theo couldn’t help gulping along with Gluttony.
[Introduction to Elemental Magic’ has been consumed. Your understanding
is very high.]
[Your proficiency in elemental magic has increased significantly.]
[An original book has been consumed. Promoting a connection to Myrdal
Herseim… success. Myrdal Herseim has accepted the connection with the
user.]
[Connect is starting.]
That’s it! Theo formed a fist when he heard ‘Connect’. Last time,
he had heard the word ‘Synchro’. This time, a new word had popped
out. Theo wondered what the difference was. However, there was no time to
think about this question.
Kiiiiing-
“Ack!”
Despite his determination, the sharp sound gouged at his head.
There was a feeling of uncertainty, as if his spirit had left his body
and was being lifted into the air. He was aware that it was futile to
resist, but the fear of looking into the abyss aroused his reluctance.
Was this the feeling of taking a carriage to a marriage meeting?
‘D-Damn…’
Theodore’s pointless resistance ended, and his consciousness fell into
the abyss.
Myrdal Herseim was waiting for him.
* * *
Fresh grass, moist air, and a sweet scent…
The warm wind tickled his skin, and he was lying on a bed which felt like
it was made of cobwebs. Theodore, who was enjoying the coziness, suddenly
opened his eyes.
“Ah!” Theo got up with a startled expression.
The hammock, tied between two trees, swung roughly, but it turned out
fine. A moment ago, he had been on the bed of his dormitory, and now, he
was in a place like this. The only possible reason for this was that
Gluttony had eaten the [Introduction to Elemental Magic].
Theo looked down and saw that he was in his own body.
‘This time, my body hasn’t changed. Is it different from last time?’
It wasn’t Synchro but Connect. He didn’t understand the meaning, but
the two words seemed to trigger different phenomenons.
Synchro was assimilation, while Connect was connecting to something. Theo
decided to think about the two words in that sense.
It was at this moment that…
“Ah, you are a noisy child.”
A decrepit voice filled with the weight of years spoke out from behind
him. Theo looked back hurriedly.
There was an old man with a white beard and long hair. The moment he
tried to speak, Theodore realized there was something strange. His eyes
widened, but his body didn’t move.
‘W-What? Why don’t I have a voice?
His body became stiff the moment he met the old man’s gaze. No matter
how hard he tried, he couldn’t move even a finger. How could the eyes
of the old man exert this type of binding force when he didn’t give off
any pressure?
The confused Theo continued staring into the old man’s eyes, and he
soon realized the reason why.
–Your presence is lacking in front of this grandeur.
The white hair of the old man was like an ice-capped mountain peak, while
the shabby body reminded him of the greatest mountain range on the
continent. His eyes were clear as the sea and seemed to see right through
Theo.
‘T-This person, is he a human…?!’
A magnificent mountain in the shape of a man seemed to be before him. The
huge presence was like a weight on Theo’s shoulders.
There was no doubt about the man’s identity. He was the greatest
elementalist of the century, Myrdal Herseim. With a pure lineage, the one
who opened the door to the elemental world…
He was a genius who would’ve reached the ultimate nirvana if he had
lived longer and succeeded in calling an elemental king.
“Hrmm… Let me look at you, ” he said in a low voice as his eyes
became sunken.
Myrdal’s blue eyes pierced through Theodore Miller. It was with the
perception and wisdom that he had acquired as a magician. The eyes of the
old man, who had reached the peak in both fields, gazed into Theo’s
essence.
Elementals wouldn’t open their hearts to the impure or the false. They
only reached out to sincere people. Inevitably, the eyes of an
elementalist looked closely at this essence.
After looking at Theodore for a long time, Myrdal opened his mouth.
“You don’t know how to burn like fire. You avoid burning yourself and
don’t enjoy reckless challenges. A fire elemental would not go well
with you.”
It made a lot of sense. Theo was a magician who moved with a cold head
rather than a hot heart. As Theo grew as a magician, he didn’t have a
fire-like nature as he’d tried to suppress all impulsive behaviour.
“You’re not free like the wind. You are strict on yourself and hate
acting without purpose. The wind spirits won’t feel any interest
towards you.”
Myrdal saw it correctly. Theodore had always condemned his talent and
worked hard to overcome it. Every act which wasted time was a sin, so
relaxing was regarded as laziness.
“You’re not as flexible as water. You have defined your life and will
move along the set course. That rigidity is certainly wonderful, but the
water elementals who always change shape won’t welcome such a person.”
This too made a lot of sense.
Theo had walked the path of a magician until the end, even when he was
mocked and told to give up. Instead of acknowledging his insufficiency,
he added more effort. Despite knowing that it was pointless, he
couldn’t give up on such a life.
‘Are you saying that I’m wrong? Is it wrong to not be as hot as fire,
as free as the wind, or as flexible as water?’
Theo, who was rejected by three types of elementals, bit his lip with a
bitter expression. That bitterness… it was like protesting that he did
have talent.
However, Myrdal wasn’t finished.
“But you know how to persevere. No matter how large a rock is, it will
someday become sand. The rock has to endure hot lava and have its rough
surface smoothed by rain. Fire, wind, and water. Nothing can shake that
perseverance.”
Then Myrdal’s mouth, half-obscured by the white beard, rose upwards in
a smile. He tapped the floor with the staff in his hand, while Theo was
still immobile.
“I will call the elemental that is suitable for your stupid honesty!”
Simultaneously, a bright glow emerged from the end of his staff and
brightened the surroundings. Theo blinked unintentionally because of the
light, then tears started welling up in his eyes.
‘A young child…?’
The shape of a young child was vaguely visible. It was at least the size
of an adult’s palm…?
A small child made of clay floated in the light toward him. Then it hit
its head lightly against Theodore’s forehead.
“Hahaha! That child likes you! The child’s name is Mitra, a forgotten
ancient elemental.”
Myrdal’s voice was getting further away. Was the connection with him
ending? Myrdal’s voice became increasingly faint as Theo’s
consciousness faded. Only the tiny dot of soil on his forehead became
clearer.
The earth elemental, Mitra…
As the strange bond formed with Theo, his consciousness returned to
reality.
[The connection with Myrdal Herseim has been terminated.]
[You have formed a contract with the forgotten earth elemental,
‘Mitra.’]
[Affinity to earth has increased significantly.]
[Gluttony is satisfied with the food it has consumed. Having fed it two
books, it falls back into a deep sleep.]
TL Note: I checked the comments on chapter 20 in the raw and apparently
there was a part that ended up missing when the author posted the chapter
and he couldn’t fix it.
Anyway, it is basically about the how duplicate magic couldn’t be used
on another duplicate. Here is the part that is missing:
“Then wouldn’t the original have to be kept separately?”
“It is enough to make a physical copy of the duplicate and then use
duplication magic on that copy.”
But in that case, it won’t have the abilities of the ‘original’. It
would have the same affect as a copy.
The author also stated that the original and second physical copy can be
distinguished because a mark if left when doing this. If any illegal
copying takes place without the mark being left, those caught will be
severely punished.
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