The Book Eating Magician Chapter 13:

Here comes the Mutiny #1

The two months winter vacation was coming to an end .

The students, who had gone home, gradually began to return, while the professors were already preparing the class materials . The campus, which had been empty and cold, soon regained its usual warmth .

However, the wind was still chilly, so there weren’t many people outside .  In the midst of that, one student was running around the campus grounds .

“Pant…! Pant…!”

Theo heaved as he moved around the grounds .  This would be his 32nd lap . When he first started exercising, he couldn’t even do 10 laps . At least he hadn’t vomited up what he ate after the first day .  He used the knowledge he had to exercise properly .  His body, which he had trained systematically for two months, was gradually becoming more manly .

‘With this… 40!’

As soon as he completed his 45th lap, Theo fell to the ground instantly . It was the basic strengthening method of placing his palm against the floor and pushing up and down . He’d read in a book that it was a method the northern knights used .

As his arms trembled, Theo thought about why he was doing this .  It started from when he accepted Alfred’s memories .

-From [Ballistics magic], the magic is an arrow and the magician is the bow .  The magician not only needs to hone the magic but also to train the body .

In fact, he remembered that Alfred Bellontes’ body had been as conditioned as a knight’s . In particular, the arm which shot the Magic Missile had been like a log .  It was clear that physical training was necessary to withstand the recoil and release of magic .

Since then, Theodore had added working out to his routine .  He didn’t miss a day of running every morning, and he conditioned his muscles steadily . Although his body was fatigued and screaming with pain, Theo didn’t give in .  Rather, he doubled his usual food intake and immersed himself in the training .

“1…90, 2…00!”

Theo fell down after fulfilling his quota .

Despite the fact that his forearms had thickened compared to two months ago, it was difficult to increase the amount he did everyday . This much training was possible because a magician’s body recovered faster than an average person .  It couldn’t be compared to the knights who refined mana, but it was enough to allow him to not struggle to get out of bed the next day .

‘Uhh, this is why studying is the easiest part . ’

It would be hard to find someone who agreed with him, but Theo was sincere in his own way .  Since he’d been born, his memory had been good .

His active wear was sticky with sweat and his limbs were rubbery to the point where it was hard to stand up .  Still, there was a sense of accomplishment like when he was studying magic, so he was able to endure for another day .

Every time he looked in the mirror, his appearance which was different from yesterday was a big motivation for Theo .

‘…Get up . ’

Despite the sweat, his body was cold due to the chilly wind .  It would be bad if he caught a cold . He got up and brushed away the dirt on his hands .  Ordinary people would need to go to the bath, but Theo was different .

“Clean . ”

With a simple spell, the dirt on his body was stripped away .  Other students often ignored this method since they lived well, but Theodore understood the practicality .  As the magic power wrapped around his body gently, he became cleaner than before .

‘Is this the 3rd Circle? It feels cleaner than when I used it before…’

It wasn’t a simple feeling but the truth .

Any magic required magic power to maximize its performance . 1st Circle magic could be made more efficient by inserting more magic power . Therefore, the difference between a 2nd Circle and 3rd Circle magician was obvious .

There was a difference between the 2nd Circle Theo and the 3rd Circle Theo .

Wuuong-

The third circle around his heart was still strange . He touched his chest unconsciously . However, the number of circles didn’t change .  This was a state he had accomplished after visiting the black market trader three times and feeding on 40 artifacts .

3rd Circle magician…

Theo was now at the same starting point as the other students .

 

*     *     *

“Oh, cold . It is finally worth living . ”

Unlike the outside where the cold wind blew, the air inside was nice and warm .

The heating had been turned off during the vacation . Theo was more sensitive and realized that artificially created heat was seeping from the walls and corridor tiles . He raised his cold hands and let the warmth penetrate his skin .

‘Applying Heat magic, simple but efficient . ’

He admired the person who designed this heating system .  It was at this moment that…

Tak… tadak… tak…

Theo, who was warming his hands on the wall, opened his eyes he heard the sound of footsteps . He unconsciously counted the number of steps which could be heard .

‘Someone is nearing… roughly three people?’

This ability was closer to an ability of an assassin or tracker than a magician .  It was a type of sensory perception in which he could sense the movement of magic power .  Theo had gained the ability after experiencing Alfred’s memories from [Ballistics Magic] .  As a war hero, Alfred Bellontes had conditioned his senses to the level of tracking magic . Theo, who had obtained a little bit of the hero’s memories, awakened a similar sense of perception .

Unsurprisingly, three students wearing uniforms appeared in the corridor leading to the dormitory .  The four pairs of eyes met in the middle .

‘These guys…?’

He glanced at his opponents reflexively .  They had loose ties and rolled up sleeves… .  Accessories and shoes with heels which were technically going against the school rules .  Theo could tell what type of people they were just by the way they were dressed .

This led to the next development .

“Hey, isn’t he that bastard?”

“It seems like it? It is obvious just by the face . ”

“Whoa, we are now in the same dormitory . Now I can finally feel like I’m in the third grade . ”

Indeed, they spoke loudly to make sure he heard it .  Theo moved his feet as he suddenly felt like laughing .  This much wasn’t enough to be called harassment . Last year, there had been someone who had shot at the back of his head with shock magic . There had also been someone who created a hole in his bag with a magic arrow .

It was a very good level if they were just talking .

Trudge .  Trudge .

Theo passed by the three people calmly .  Was it because they didn’t like this response? It was at an angle where the three people couldn’t see his eyes .

The long-time dunce of the academy, the one who was the symbol of a loser since they entered school… Why was he so confident? He didn’t even ask them to move out of the way with a subservient expression .  The three people’s sense of superiority boiled over .

Kiiing-

Theodore stopped moving as he sensed the movement of magic power .  Magic… The magic was only 1st Circle at most, but the epicentre was right under Theo’s feet .  If he took one more step, then he would’ve fallen .

‘This magic… ‘Grease’? What a trivial trick . ’

It was a trick he was familiar with .  Everyone who attacked from behind was the same .  They wanted to laugh while watching him fall .  It was to ridicule the loser who was older than them but considered inferior .  If it was last year, then Theo would’ve been numb to it, but…

‘The suffering ends here . ’

As a 3rd Circle magician and the owner of Gluttony, Theodore Miller was a completely different person from before .  Theodore identified the position of Grease using Alfred’s detection ability and immediately counterattacked . At the very least, he should return what they were trying to do .

He didn’t hesitate to point his fingers behind him and cast ‘Grease’ .  The three idiots didn’t know what was happening at the soles of their shoes .

“Idiots,” Theo said softly before moving again . As he stepped over the area where Grease was, he heard a loud sound from behind him .

The three people shouted loudly from the ground . but Theo didn’t turn back .  He would see countless of these idiots in the future .

“The opening ceremony… is in a week,” a cold voice emerged from Theo’s mouth .

A new semester had begun again .  It was time to pay back the three years of scorn from the professors and taunts from the students . He knew it was simple, but he couldn’t stop his mouth from curling upwards .

Then a week later, Theodore Miller’s final year in the third grade began .