Book Eater

Chapter 208: Library (2)

- User, before I start, I have a question. In this day and age, how do magicians define the concept of Circles?

“The concept of Circles?”

Theo was silent for a moment as he thought it over. It was one of the first things a magician learned. Unlike ordinary people, a magician was said to have two hearts. However, the Circles which controlled all circulation of magic power were the protagonist.

Theo reviewed what he knew and spoke, “The origin of magic... Magic is generated in the ventricles near a magician’s heart and can only be created by humans. There is a theory that it originated from studying dragon hearts, but there is no confirmation about this. From the 7th Circle onwards, the Circles evolve into a personal form, which is called Sorcery.”

- And?

“That’s it.”

Gluttony scratched its head irritably.

- Hah, I expected it, but this is serious. I don’t know what happened, but more than half of Circle theory has been lost.

“Am I wrong?”

- You’re essentially correct, but as a?7th?Circle, shouldn’t you have felt it? Circles aren’t just responsible for the circulation of magic power.

“Hmm.” Theo focused inward.

He could see it, now that he had reached the 7th Circle. The 6th Circle had only increased the amount and amplitude of his magic power. This was more than applying formulas and theories.

Gluttony continued explaining without waiting for Theo to reply.

- Magicians use Circles to harmonize with the world. Since time immemorial, the number ten has symbolized divine beings. Similarly, a magician of the 10th?Circle represents a person who has ascended to that realm. Do you think this number is a coincidence?

“... It isn’t a coincidence?”

- Of course not. The magic of this world is a science that was born from the process of imitating transcendent beings. The wise elves didn’t try to follow others, while the dwarves sought a method in vain and gave up. The demons didn’t need to follow others in the first place, and the dragons have been transcendent beings in this material system from the very beginning.

- Only humans were born without any power. However, they excelled at imitating others. Even so, their theory of magic was only completed after a few thousand years of research.

Gluttony preached about the greatness of magic with utmost respect in its voice.

- Circle theory was built after studying the heart of a dragon, the songs of the elves, the formulas of knowledge learned from dwarves, and the rituals of the demons. In a sense, it can be called the most comprehensive study of magic in this world.

“It sounds badly patched together.”

- I think it’s brilliant. Man built a road which paved the way to enter the realm of the gods. They truly embodied the phrase ‘imitation is the mother of creation’.

Theo looked at Gluttony in surprise. He couldn’t help noticing the admiration in Gluttony’s tone. Gluttony realized it had drifted from the topic and coughed a few times.

- But to return to the topic at hand.?

Theo was entirely unfamiliar with the theory from this point on.

- There is no difference from what User knows up to the 6th Circle. The application of force is in accordance with the laws of matter, and there is some control over natural phenomena. However, a master, the 7th Circle and Aura Ability, is a step into the framework.

“Framework?”

- Don’t interrupt. Magicians of the?7th?Circle start to interpret the structure of this material world with their own theories. Onmyōdō’s Tai Chi, the Three Kingdom’s Heaven and Earth, the four elements, the five ways of the East, the Kabbalah’s sephiroth... There are many paths that can be chosen.

- Thousands of magicians will give rise to many forked paths. At the beginning, the magicians knew the truth and pursued an interpretation of the material world’s structure in their own way. There was one mentor for ten disciples. The ten disciples taught hundreds of students. A road was made because not everyone could be a pioneer, so people followed the paths made by pioneers. Thus, a magical faction was born.

- There aren’t many left in this era now.?

Gluttony’s voice had turned bitter.

- It is important to make your own way, but it is also effective to follow existing viewpoints. However, User has been influenced by the four elements since childhood.

“It's too late to take an independent route.”

- That’s right. Additionally, User already owns three of the elements, so you don’t have to change your route.

Gluttony was right. Theo looked down at the Aiolos Pouch in his hand.

Other people might be reluctant to walk along the path others had laid down first, but Theo was different. He had always believed magic wasn’t accomplished alone. Instead, it was accomplished by inheriting the will of older magicians over generations. He was proud of the fact that he was continuing their path.

“Okay.” As such, he didn’t take long to make a decision. “I will absorb the Aiolos Pouch.”

He could continue with his world view of four elements by accepting the divine artifact that Gluttony recommended. After all, Theo lacked the foundation to learn Tai Chi, the five ways, or any of the other methods. But above all, he was a member of the Magic Towers. As a magician who had been raised in Meltor, this was the magic system that Theodore Miller had inherited.

The Aiolos Pouch shone brightly at his words.

[You have absorbed the Aiolos Pouch.]

[51,700 points will be deducted from your achievement points. The achievement point balance is now 26,513.]

[The divinity of the wind (small) has been acquired. The flow of air will move in a direction favorable to the user. You can interfere with the wind direction and wind speed as your proficiency increases. Regardless of elemental affinity, you can contract with wind elementals.]

[Your understanding of space has greatly increased. You will be able to grasp space that can’t be seen with your senses. The recoil of space magic will reduce.]

The Aiolos Pouch was literally sucked into the palm of Theo’s hand.

Ack!

The consumption of achievement points meant that there was no extra digestion time. Theo dropped to one knee as a wave of dizziness struck him. An unprecedented power was boiling inside his body. It was the weirdest type of force Theo had ever encountered. It felt gentler than wildly rampaging fire and more delicate than flowing water.

It wasn’t wind, but Aiolos’ divinity. It was soft when calm, but it was scarier than a thunderstorm when it raged. The divine power flowing from the Aiolos Pouch shook like it was rejecting Theo.

“Cough!”

Theo was in a spiritual world, but blood still seeped from his mouth. He had just taken spiritual damage. Divine power was not meant for mortals, and it was hammering at his vessel. It was merely a fragment, but it was still very powerful. As he tried to contain the divinity of the god of wind who surpassed Zephyr, as well as the arrogance of Aiolos, Theo reached his limit.

However, Aiolos’ rebellion was soon suppressed as the three types of forces inside Theo took action. The fires of Muspelheim, the blood of a sea dragon, and the divinity of Mother Earth...

No matter how powerful Aiolos’ divinity was, it would be hard to deal with the three of them. It struggled to the end but was eventually trampled into submission.

“Sigh... Dammit.”

Theo calmed his breathing. It had taken less than five minutes, but the pain was more than he had imagined it would be. It felt like he had unleashed a serpent to wander through his blood vessels. His heart, which was at the epicenter of the incident, was still throbbing.

Theo glared at Gluttony, who should’ve warned him in advance. Then at that moment...

Clink.?

It was more a sound than a sensation, like the right gear was being inserted into an empty spot. In retrospect, it might’ve been a hallucination. However, Theo clearly heard it with his two ears.

... Completed, was it?

The thought just popped into Theo’s head without any context. It was a sense of fulfillment, like the empty space of a puzzle was finally filled.

Despite having already attained the 7th Circle, this was the first time Theo felt complete. This was the moment he stepped beyond the walls of the world and became qualified to explore beyond the mortal borders. He understood it from the perspective of a magician looking at the world. However, he wasn’t satisfied with this achievement and took another step.

Earth, wind, fire, and water. It starts from the ground, flows into water, burns in fire, and returns to wind. Fire flickers, and water fluctuates. Unlike wind, earth doesn’t flow. The world coexists with these conflicting forces.

This was the original four elements theory. Each of the four elements made up the world by reacting to each other. From this perspective, Theo was twice as strong as before. However, magicians were curious animals who couldn’t be satisfied. The imprint of Umbra on his right arm had led him to a new domain with the great magic, Abraxas.

Fire and water don’t mix, while wind and earth can’t invade each other’s territory. Are these absolutely true?

Theo was unaware of it, but this was similar to the theory behind Heaven and Earth Enmity. It was absolutely imperative to restore the balance. When things grew confusing, reaffirm one’s path. Yet Theo rejected the path which countless other people followed. It wasn’t because he had a reason to dispute it. He just thought that it didn’t fit him. And he had a reason right before him.

“... Eh?”

Gluttony’s eyes widened in amazement. Theo had just woken up from his enlightened state, so he didn’t know why Gluttony was so shocked. However, he soon noticed something.

“W-What?”

A small, flickering flame had lit up on his palm. That, in and of itself, wasn’t surprising. The color of the flame was a little unusual, but it wasn’t difficult for magicians to change the color.

The unusual part was the attributes tangled in this flame.

Hot… and cold?

Half of the flame was red and the other half was blue. Much like Hellfire, this was a phenomenon which shouldn’t exist according to the laws of the material world. Theo stared at Gluttony blankly as he tried to remember what he had just done.