Book Eater

Chapter 207: Library (1)

Those were bold words; however, Theo agreed with him. Gluttony had collected all sorts of magic curios since the Age of Mythology. It was fair to call this the realm of the 9th Circle. It was different from the days when transcendents would wander freely and dragons were a more common sight.

The Dark Ages had succeeded the Age of Mythology. After the gods disappeared, the demons lost their positions. The subsequent war between various species and the dragons had destroyed the material world. Historians estimated that over five thousand years of history had vanished after the Age of Mythology.

But not in this library!

Theo could read the texts which hadn’t been recorded anywhere else. Not just that, he was in the unique position of being able to inherit the legacies left behind by magicians of the Age of Mythology. In that sense, it was literally the domain of the gods.

Still, Theo wasn’t completely happy.

“Gluttony.”

- What is it?

“I understand that I can learn magic from the Library. But what is the equivalent price I have to pay?”

- Hrmm, I was about to tell you.

Gluttony looked exactly the same as Theo as it touched its jaw, except for the black eyes.

- I will first explain the restrictions of the Library. It is impossible to learn from a book that is beyond User’s level, just like predation. There’s no difference between learning something here or outside.

“I expected as much. And...?”

- As User mentioned, the knowledge in the Library isn’t free. In order to maintain causality, it is bound by the law of equivalent exchange. Thus, my system has established the concept of achievement points to circumvent causality.

Achievement points?

However, before Theo could ask, Gluttony continued speaking.

- To summarize briefly, it is a value based on everything User has provided me. You can acquire the knowledge in this library by consuming achievement points.

“... Are you talking about all the books and artifacts I fed you?”

- That’s right.

This was a system bound by the law of equivalent exchange. Theo closed his eyes for a moment and recalled all the books and artifacts he had collected so far. Perhaps common magic books were worthless, while the rare-rated ones were the real thing. Still, if he counted from Ballistics Magic, there were quite a number of them. However, he didn’t know what Gluttony’s standards were.

Theo opened his eyes again.

“What are the standards for achievement points conversion? Also, tell me how many achievement points I currently have. It started from stage zero, not stage five, right?

- Of course. I will answer in the order that you asked.

Fortunately, Gluttony was pleased to hear the request.

-Basically, the achievement points depend on the rating. Normal rating is worth anywhere from one to ten points, Rare rating is worth anything from ten to a hundred points, Precious rating is worth anything from a hundred to a thousand points, and Treasure rating is worth a thousand points at minimum up to ten thousand points. Artifacts are worth half the points.

“Huh? Then what about Legend or Myth ratings?”

Theo noticed that these two ratings were missing, and Gluttony responded like he had been waiting.

- There are no standards from legendary rating onward. For example, Laevateinn gained you sixty seven thousand three hundred and eighty points.

“... What is the sum of my achievement points?”

- Seventy eight thousand two hundred and thirteen points.

In the end, close to 90% of Theo’s achievement points came from Laevateinn. Wasn’t this distribution too biased, even if it was a Legend-rated grimoire? However, Theo didn’t object to the calculation.

He didn’t dare argue against Gluttony’s eyes. After all, there was no one better in assessing the value of a book.

Ah, that reminds me…

Theo belatedly recalled something that was in his inventory. If this artifact was converted to achievement points, how much would it be worth? Theo was filled with anticipation as it appeared in his hand.

At first glance, the topaz looked like a large jewel, but it was actually the heart of the sand dragon, Desertio. The ancient dragon’s heart was an inexhaustible source of power which could fuel a magic circle for thousands of years.

“What is the value of this dragon heart?”

However, Gluttony’s answer was unexpected.

- Zero points.

“... What?”

- I’m sorry, but duplicates aren’t allowed. I collected the heart of a sand dragon a long time ago.

“Wow,” Theo was completely bewildered.

The heart of an ancient dragon was a duplicate?

It was unlikely that someone would’ve been gifted it like Theo, which meant the person had slain a dragon to carve out its heart. But even a 9th Circle magician would find it hard to win against a dragon. Theo put the dragon heart away. He hadn’t been planning to change the dragon heart to achievement points, but he hadn’t expected this answer either.

In any case, the depths of the book eating grimoire Gluttony were really unknown.

- Then I will continue to explain. Do you have any more questions?

“No...”

- Let’s move on to the search function.

As Gluttony spoke, it pointed to the overflowing books in the Library. It was likely that there were more than ten million titles in this ocean of books. Selecting a book was like picking a single grain of sand from a beach.

- The Library’s search can be divided into two categories. The magic you want and the ability you want.

“Ability?”

- Just like what User experienced with Introduction to Elemental Magic, sometimes the contents have an additional ability. An artifact’s skills also falls into that category.

“Ability, abilities...”

It was like Theo consuming Laevateinn and obtaining the Ring of Muspelheim. Theo thought about it carefully. There was an old saying about not jumping into the fire. It was only recently that he had overcome the limit of his vessel. He already had three types of power in him, so adding another force would break the balance.

At that moment, Theo felt a strange discomfort again.

What? I feel like I’m missing something...

But he was sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. However, the feeling of something missing didn’t disappear. He’d gotten that feeling just before entering the Library, like he needed just one more piece to complete the puzzle.

As Theo was trying to identify it, Gluttony suddenly spoke.

- User, if you don’t mind, there is something I want to recommend.

“Eh? You?”

- From stage 5 onward, it is possible for me to directly advise User. There were many things that I couldn’t say, but it will be different from now onward.

“Then please go ahead.”

The relationship between Theo and Gluttony was that of adviser and student. At the very least, Gluttony couldn’t force Theo to make a choice. Gluttony held out its hand.

- Come out, Aiolos Pouch.

As Gluttony’s gentle voice rang out, a strange leather pouch appeared in Gluttony’s palm. The surface of the pouch didn’t have a pattern, but it emitted an unknown energy. Theo was convinced that he couldn’t catch it even if it was only a few meters away.

However, Gluttony casually handed the Aiolos Pouch to Theo.

- Appraise it.

“... Appraisal.”

As always, details of the artifact popped up.

[+21 Aiolos Pouch (Divine Artifact)]

[This is a pouch given to a hero as a gift from the god of wind, Aiolos. The owner can trap any wind into this pouch, and it can also seal or distort a specific space. As something made by a god, it contains some of his divinity.

* The rating of this magic tool is Legend

* When used, wind can be sealed selectively.

* When used, space can be controlled selectively.

* When consumed, a small amount of divinity will be absorbed.

* When consumed, your understanding of space will increase greatly.

* Required achievement points: 51,700 points.

* If you want to extract the artifact, it will immediately be returned to this library when it escapes the user’s possession.]

“D-Divine artifact? Furthermore, the artifact can leave?”

.

Theo’s eyes widened at the unexpected information. The fact that this shabby pouch was a divine object with a Legend rating was shocking. It wasn’t surprising that knowledge could be exchanged, but he hadn’t known it was possible to materialize something which was swallowed.

- It is possible. But in the case of artifacts, there is a limit, as stated at the bottom. It isn’t possible to transfer ownership to another person, and if you lose the artifact, you must spend points to obtain it again.

“... How cruel.”

Fifty one thousand seven hundred points... If he blew away his achievement points because he lost the artifact for a moment, he would shed tears of blood. It was much safer and more beneficial to absorb it than to extract it.

Anyway, it is a divine artifact. I’ve never heard the name of the god, but I have to search the list.

Perhaps all treasures of the gods remaining in this age belonged in Gluttony’s stomach. Theo thought of how Mitra was a prototype of Dmitra. He suppressed his excitement and turned to Gluttony.

“So?”

- Um?

“Why did you recommend this artifact?”

Theo honestly didn’t know why. The Aiolos Pouch was very good, but he didn’t know why Gluttony recommended it. It was a recommendation which required Theo to spend over fifty thousand points. He didn’t know if he could consume another legendary grimoire, so he couldn’t invest all his points into this pouch.

Gluttony stared at him.

- ... You truly don’t know. Magicians in this age seem to have forgotten the essence of Circles.

“The essence of Circles?”

- Keep calm, User. Think about how the Aiolos Pouch can fill up your shortcomings.

“My shortcomings...”

It was like a lightning bolt of enlightenment.

The fragment of Mother Earth...

The fires of Muspelheim...

The blood of the sea dragon, Aquilo...

As soon as he matched them to the four basic elements, the answer was clear.

“... Wind?”

Gluttony nodded.

- Yes, the last piece needed is wind. When considering the fragment of Mother Earth, the fire of Musphelheim, and the blood of a sea dragon, the Aiolos Pouch is most suitable for you.

“But that alone isn’t an answer. What meaning is there in having all four elements?”

It was an obvious question for magicians of this age but not for Gluttony. Gluttony sighed sadly as it pulled out a book from somewhere.

- I didn’t think I would be teaching Circle theory.

It was the moment when the ancient grimoire began to lecture on a subject that had been lost to history.