The Book Eating Magician Chapter 161:

Chapter 161 – Delicacy from the East (2)

“It took more time than I thought…” Theodore mumbled before setting down the thought .

This was because the language was unfamiliar, despite having received Lee Yoonsung’s knowledge . It took him three or four times longer than usual to finish reading .

Furthermore, it was common for the magic books to use not only Chinese characters but also special languages such as Sanskrit and Urdu . They were languages which Lee Yoonsung didn’t know .

So, Theo had no choice but to learn from the beginning .

‘Well, it has been a long time since I’ve studied this way . ’

It had been around the time when he entered Bergen Academy .  He remembered his desperate days of spending all night studying over paper .

Theodore recalled the memories as he replaced the worn down pen . Over the past fortnight, he had used more than a dozen ink cartridges . If it wasn’t for recovery magic, he would’ve got a stress fracture in his wrist .

If Theodore had to study like this, what about the warrior’s son?

“B-Brother…” A faint voice called out from the desk next to Theo .   Like Theodore, dozens of books were piled up in front of Baek Dongil, who had a dark stubble .

Baek Dongil was in the same predicament as Theodore . Along with runes, which could be called the basics of a magician, it was necessary to raise his skill in the common language to the level of a local . Additionally, there were the mathematics and geometry skills needed to calculate the magic formulas .

However, Theodore was a cruel figure when it came to studying .

Clack!

There was no chanting . Healing and Refresh, the two spells which were triggered with a single tap of his fingers, wrapped around Baek Dongil’s body . The combined magic which healed physical fatigue and mental fatigue was really effective .

“Are you okay now?”

It was as Theo said . The dark circles under Baek Dongil’s eyes lightened up, and his throbbing fingers, sore from hours of use, felt lighter .  However, the accumulated tiredness was still the same, causing Baek Dongil to look at Theodore with a sullen face .

“Uhh… I still can’t get used to this feeling, despite experiencing it a few times . ”

“It is still just a shortcut . This is already the eighth time, and the gap between recovery spells is getting smaller… It is a little early, but we will end it here for today . ”

Magic was limited when it came to recovering the body . If recovery magic was used repeatedly, the effect would decrease . Additionally, the body which received the excessive magic power in a short period of time would become temporarily resistant to magic .

Of course, people from the magic tower would’ve collapsed from dizziness at least 20 times already . However, their physical bodies couldn’t be compared to Baek Dongil, despite him still being a beginner .

Once Theodore’s permission was given, Baek Dongil got up from the seat he had been stuck in for hours and grumbled, “Urgh! But Brother, do I really need to learn this official language? Can’t Brother teach me instead of reading the books?”

“No, that won’t work,” Theodore firmly rejected the idea .

Theodore had faithfully accumulated his knowledge, so he knew that such a narrow viewpoint wouldn’t work .

A person who used a shortcut for a comfortable path would have their ankle grabbed one day by the insincere attitude . This method might seem insufficient now, but it wouldn’t be easy to forget the words .

For magicians who pursued infinite wisdom, oblivion was the worst enemy . A person who couldn’t find a path through their own will would eventually wander in silence .

“You can’t forget to set up the foundation of a pillar just because you’re in a hurry . As a descendant of a warrior, don’t you know what happens to a person who neglects the foundations?”

“T-That…” Baek Dongil stammered at the sharp words .

This made Theodore pat his shoulder and smile . “I understand that your heart is urgent . Is it because I will leave this country soon?”

“…I have nothing to say . ” The boy dropped his head with a red face, embarrassed because his inner thoughts had been exposed .  It was a situation where he had a time limit regarding his teacher, and his young age meant he couldn’t calm his mind while knowing this .

Theodore knew Baek Dongil’s mindset, but teaching him that would be the worse answer .  So, Theodore stated in a quiet voice, “Dongil . ”

“Yes, Brother . ”

“I am teaching you as asked, but I can’t be a true mentor . ”

Baek Dongil’s eyes shook slightly at the words . He replied in a heavy tone,  “I-I see . It has only been a fortnight, but… starting at my age and expecting great achievements…”

“No, that isn’t the point . ”

“Huh?” Baek Dongil raised his head at Theo’s decisive voice . He stared earnestly into Theodore’s blue eyes and gulped .

“Your skills are quite excellent, but I’m not a good teacher . You have an abundance of power but are still immature . I can only tell you the path that you should take . ”

“……”

“Magic isn’t something that can be learned in just a few months . If you do it that way, you won’t be able to get a glimpse of it, from birth to death . Are you going to walk along that path?”

After listening to him, the cloudiness returned to Baek Dongil’s eyes . It was the so-called heart demon .  Could it be due to the accumulated discipline built up in him since childhood…? Baek Dongil’s eyes eventually cleared up as he continued listening to Theodore speak .

“Obviously, the amount of time during which I can teach you is short . However, there are many magicians, and some of them are suitable to be your teacher . My role is to build up your foundations for when you meet that good mentor . ”

“…B-Brother . ” Baek Dongil lowered his head with shame after hearing the truth from Theodore .

It made a lot of sense . How could he impart great knowledge to Baek Dongil, who hadn’t even reached the threshold of a beginner? It was obvious that Baek Dongil wouldn’t understand even if he was taught . Once he accumulated his basic knowledge, he could learn under another teacher or enter an academy .

Baek Dongil had an enlightened expression on his face .  He was too embarrassed to be overly grateful, but the atmosphere was too heavy to remain silent .

Theodore noticed the atmosphere half a beat later and rose to his feet . “Let’s start again tomorrow at noon . Until then, review what you’ve studied and have a good rest . ”

“Yes, Brother! I’ll finish it thoroughly!” Baek Dongil responded vigorously, before looking at the stack of books on Theodore’s desk .

Baek Dongil hadn’t finished learning the official language, but Theodore was already reading the magic books by himself . Baek Dongil was quite confident in his studying ability, but his pace was much slower .

“By the way, Brother is really awesome . You must’ve received a lot of praise from your elders since you were a child, and you were definitely called a genius right?”

“…No . ” Theodore smiled bitterly as he spoke of his old nickname, “In the academy, I failed three times and was called a dunce . ”

“Y-Yes?!”

“Maybe it is one of the reasons why I am teaching you . You resemble my old self . ”

Baek Dongil couldn’t say anything as the unknown past flashed before Theodore’s eyes . Theodore patted Baek Dongil on the shoulder again before turning away from him .  Then the door closed without a sound, with only the faint echo of footsteps in the corridor .

The memories were like faded watercolors .

 

*     *     *

After finishing the study session with Baek Dongil, Theodore had a quick meal and then returned to his room . The sun was setting in the western sky, turning it a reddish color .  Normally, it would be time to feed Gluttony and spar with Randolph… but not today .

Theodore looked at the book before him and muttered, “…In the end, it is this one . ”

A fortnight wasn’t a long time . In the meantime, Theodore had only gotten a high degree of understanding with three or four books of shamanism .  There was the [Nine Rulers Magic Book] he picked up on the first day, but Theodore was drawn to another shamanism book .

He cheered when he first saw the information window .

 

[Art of Onmyōdō Treatise]

[-This book explains the magic system based on the theory of yin and yang . The author divided the world into yin and yang, as all things maintain balance and harmony when interacting with each other, such as water and fire . The author’s understanding of the laws of nature has reached an advanced state, but the author was murdered by ???? (can’t be determined) .

* Your understanding is very high . (96 . 9%)

* This magic book is rated ‘Precious . ’

* When consumed, you can learn ‘Art of Onmyōdō . ’

* When consumed, understanding of magic attributes will greatly increase .

* This is an original book written by the author . However, since he wrote six books, his power is divided into six . Even so, the fragment of soul inside this book is powerful and maintains an individual ego .

 

‘It is best to eat this book . ’

The prudent Theodore judged that [Art of Onmyōdō Treatise] was the most useful book for him right now .

This idea grew, instead of diminishing, as he slowly read through the ‘Art of Onmyōdō Treatise’ . Art of Onmyōdō was the technique of combining two incompatible powers . Learning this would give Theodore a solution to his unfinished spell .  He could batter at the master’s wall, possibly destroying it .

Theodore made the decision and stretched out his hand, dragging the magic scroll into his hands .  The scroll was worth at least a few gold, but Theodore tore it without any hesitation .

Puhwaak!

Simultaneously, a light burst out . The light wasn’t attack magic or secondary magic . It was a special spell which produced an object with the same shape and weight, as long as certain conditions were met . Theodore had created a copy of the scroll .

As two versions of the same book appeared, Theodore picked up the copy and placed it on his desk . This was done with the consent of Baek Dongil which he had obtained in advance .

‘Well, to most people, there will be no difference between the original and the copy . ’

There might be some financial differences, but it was a penny compared to how much money the Baek Family had . Therefore, Baek Dongil had easily accepted the request .

“Okay, this is finished . ”

His preparations were over .  Theodore then sat on the bed without hesitation and aimed his left hand toward [Art of OnmyōdōTreatise] .  In this situation, only one sentence would emerge . “Eat, Gluttony . ”

The red tongue immediately swallowed the book, as if it had been waiting .

 

[‘Art of Onmyōdō’ has been consumed . Your understanding is very high . ]

[Your perception of magic attributes has greatly increased . ]

[Accepting the proficiency of ‘Art of Onmyōdō’… failed . ]

[An original book has been consumed . The synchro rate with object name ‘Abe no Seimei’ is being checked… Blocked . Abe no Seimei has refused to sync with the user . You can try to force a sync using the permissions of a user, but it is not recommended . ]

 

“W-What?!”

Synchro was refused! Theodore was shocked because he had never experienced this before .  Not only was synchro denied, the task of absorbing the proficiency of ‘Art of Onmyōdō’ had failed . It was like the original book had blown up . Fortunately, the system wasn’t done yet .

Once again, it was the first time Theodore had experienced this type of message .

 

[Object name ‘Abe no Seimei’ is asking for a conversation with the user . Would you like to accept?]

 

“Before that, I want to ask something . ”

Rather than responding to Abe no Seimei’s request, Theodore wanted an answer for this unprecedented situation .  Gluttony was strictly confidential about hidden functions or certain information, but it didn’t care much about the functions which had already been revealed .

Unsurprisingly, it replied in a blunt voice, –Do you want to ask why the synchro was rejected?

“Of course . So far, you’ve never mentioned it . ”

–To be precise, it wasn’t that I hadn’t told you, but more like I couldn’t .

An ordinary person might ask for more, but Theodore stopped and thought about it .

It wasn’t that it hadn’t, but that it hadn’t been able to . In other words, the authors of original books didn’t have the ability to do so . Then how did the author called Abe no Seimei have this ability?

To confirm his guess, Theodore opened his mouth again and asked, “Abe no Seimei . Is he special?”

–Special… that word isn’t wrong .  Simply put, his spirit is high .

“Spirit is high?”

-That’s right .  He wasn’t fully transcendent, but he was close to the end of a mortal existence .  The strength of such an existence can’t be completely subdued .  You could connect with Myrdal because he accepted the connection .

Theodore groaned slightly . It meant that among the authors he had met so far, Abe no Seimei was possibly stronger than a master . This might be an existence comparable to the great elementalist, Myrdal .

In the end, he was encountering such a monster in an original book about shamanism .

Theodore declared to Gluttony with a determined expression, “I will accept Abe no Seimei’s request . ”