The Book Eating Magician Chapter 75:
Chapter 75 – A Traditional Hero (1)
Ellenoa was surprised by the monster’s sudden stop, but as Theodore shared senses with Gluttony, he could hear the conversation between Gluttony and Pride . The voices which spoke in the low-frequency range were not at all gentle . The disgust they had toward each other was clear and out in the open .
In particular, Pride (Superbia) spoke with outright disdain, –You are still obsessed with inferior monkeys . It is shameful to classify you as one of the Seven Sins . What is the value of those who rely on time and luck?
–Beauty and intellect is a concept that a mass of flesh like you won’t understand .
Gluttony didn’t back down and gave as good as it got .
–No matter how you collect and combine genetic factors, you are still limited to living creatures . You are nothing but a loser who has given up on surpassing the limits of a species . Gathering the best parts of creatures, isn’t that nothing more than a chimera?
–Nonsense! Pride dismissed Gluttony, speaking with the arrogance it was named after .
Now, the vocal range was lowered even further . The sound caused Theo and Ellenoa to feel discomfort as they sat down . The unheard shout broke the spirits of the two people . It was a terrifying threat associated with Dragon Fear, something which appeared in forgotten legends .
“Cough!” Theo coughed up some blood . Following the series of shock waves, his circles were strongly shaken by Pride’s shouts . If a human didn’t know magic or aura, their heart would’ve stopped .
The enemy’s very existence was different, allowing Theo to feel the gap directly with his body .
‘Damn it . What the **** is this monster? Why is it attacking us?!’ Theo’s hysterical question was thrown out without him expecting an answer .
-The autonomous maneuver type grimoire, Superbia . Like me, it belongs in the Seven Sins set . If the attribute I symbolize is [Gluttony], then it is [Pride] . It is a ‘species usurper specialist’ and is made up of the species it eats .
Gluttony returned with a clear answer as always .
Theo quickly picked out some keywords and asked another question . He had a feeling that this information would determine the life and death of the two of them . ‘Usurping species? Is that Pride’s power?’
–That’s right .
Theodore listened without missing a single word .
-Just like I am a grimoire that collects magic books, it is a grimoire that collects creatures . It has the ability to store the genetic information of a species, regardless of the individual performance of the organism . Once it eats a sample of a species, it can reproduce the innate traits of that species .
‘The innate traits?’
–For example, a troll’s regeneration or an ogre’s muscular strength .
That was enough . Theo’s expression turned into one of fright as he understood Pride’s power .
Pride had the ability to eat a species and gain its best traits! It wasn’t inferior to Gluttony’s ability to extract essences from magic books or magic power from artifacts . No, it might even be superior when it came to fighting .
Moreover, based on the horrible creature, the traits which could be reproduced didn’t stop at just one or two .
‘How many traits can it use at the same time?’
–Hmm . Gluttony looked at Pride for a moment before replying . –It has already unlocked four seals . Right now, it can use five combined… User, do you mean to fight Pride?
‘What choice do I have?’
–There is no need . He didn’t come to eat us .
‘What?’
The one who answered Theo’s question wasn’t Gluttony, but Superbia who had been thinking about something .
–Well, it is good . It is a waste of time to chat like this .
The eight legs started advancing . As the ugly form leapt forward, Theo naturally stepped out in front of Ellenoa and raised his magic power . Theo’s sensory perception was telling him to run away, but his human instincts made him act . He couldn’t seem to run away after thinking of the sacrifices the senior magicians had made .
Then Superbia asked in a strange voice, –What are you doing, Gluttony? I came to eat a high elf . I have no interest in a monkey .
“…Don’t make me laugh . ” Theo ignored his spasm of fear, and while staring at Superbia, he declared firmly, “I won’t give anything to you . ”
It was a courageous action which deserved a standing ovation .
-Then die . The predator sentenced him to death without any hesitation .
Pride changed in an instant . Its eight spider legs turned into four horse legs, while the upper body became a weird mixture of a locust and grasshopper . It quickly shifted to three traits which would produce results: a centaur’s lower body; a storm locust’s wings; and a spriggan’s acceleration ability .
–Swaeeeeek!
It moved beyond the barrier of sound as the hooves, containing enough destructive power to crush steel, slammed toward Theodore’s body .
‘Ah, I’m doomed . ’ Theo was sure he would die from the blow .
His body couldn’t even grasp the timing of the acceleration of the huge body, let alone respond to the attack . So, it wasn’t Theodore who responded to the death blow, but the instincts of Lee Yoonsung who was sleeping inside him .
Kwaduduk…!
The skill, Protection Bangle, was activated . Three shields unfolded around Theo’s body in a reflexive manner, then Theo used his magic power .
‘Battle Song .
‘Last Requiem .
‘Presto . ’
Battle Song revolved all five circles and improved his reaction speed to the maximum for a moment .
The monster’s horse hooves were crazy fast, and Theo sank deep into his consciousness in order to use a secret technique to survive . It was one of the most advanced techniques in the eastern martial arts, Force Dispersion . (TL: literal meaning is using 4 taels of force to win against 1000 jin, or using a little amount of force to win over a greater force)
Theo’s two arms moved at a dizzying speed .
Paaaang!
Despite alleviating a lot of the damage, Theo was thrown back like his arms were broken . The shock wave, which threw Theo, shattered seven trees and the rocks behind him . If the shock wave had hit him directly, it would’ve wreaked havoc on his body!
“Cough!”
Although the the attack hadn’t even hit Theo, it snapped several of his ribs . While sitting down, Theo used healing magic . He was pushed to Ellenoa’s side due to the shock wave, but he was too shocked to be aware of it .
It was commendable that Theodore had managed to defend himself, but he couldn’t do it again . He couldn’t afford to be hit by Superbia even once .
‘If I get hit one more time… I will die . ’
Putting aside winning or losing, Theo would just die . Superbia’s resistance was at least of the master level . Considering Theo’s luck, winning wasn’t even an option . He would just struggle desperately until he died like a bug . There was a terrible gap in strength between Superbia and Theodore .
However, Superbia laughed at Theo on the ground before giving one last ridiculing remark .
–You are quite good for a monkey . I will forgive this once .
It didn’t say anything else as its eyes stared at Theodore . There were six pairs of compound eyes which could observe 360 degrees . The red light coming from the eyes induced a horror which humans couldn’t face . Their minds would likely be broken by the sight .
As for Theo, he could stay as he was . Then he could survive . It might be cowardly, but survival was his first priority . Gluttony had advised Theo that he could survive if he just stayed still . Gluttony whispered like a snake for Theo to turn away from the high elf shivering by his side . It wasn’t a bad thing to run away .
‘…I’m crazy . ’ Theodore smiled and slapped his cheeks hard .
Jjak! Blood filled his mouth, but that was good .
Theo didn’t have to listen to this voice . The magic, which had subsided due to fear and powerlessness, began to boil again . Still, there was no chance of winning, so Theo asked his companion for advice, ‘Gluttony . ’
–What?
‘Tell me how to defeat it . No, it is okay if I can’t win . Teach me how to beat up that son of a **** . ’
Despite being a grimoire like Gluttony, the opponent was an independent monster which didn’t need a user . If so, Theo wouldn’t be able to catch it unless Gluttony cooperated .
Feeling Theo’s strong intentions, Gluttony asked in an uncomfortable voice, –Why User? Why try so hard? This high elf isn’t that precious to you .
‘I’m not fighting for that reason . ’
If Theo compromised once, it was easy to do so a second time . The third time would be even easier . Theodore Miller would become someone who was alive due to his cowardice . He would rather die of his own will than become a cowardly bystander .
Theo’s voice, filled with a determination to die, was transmitted strongly to Gluttony, whom Theo was connected to .
This was a foolish, irrational judgment . However, Gluttony drawn to the unknown choice . -…Okay . I will pay the price in advance . This is the first time I’ve had a user like you .
Gluttony’s previous users had always been cold, and their goal in life had always been to become a master of magic . There had been many magicians who filled these pages to the end and died without leaving a name behind . However, none of them had tried to fight to the end for their own beliefs . Perhaps this strange user might show Gluttony what it hadn’t found in the meantime .
The original sin, which collected wisdom, made a gamble for the first time .
[Error! Error! Unauthorized request . The 4th Seal has been released through an unusual means . ]
[Gluttony’s function has been opened forcibly . The user should check the information window of the corresponding function immediately . However, this function was unlocked via an abnormal path . ]
[Grimoire “Gluttony” / C Rank]
[Gluttony’s 4th Seal was released through unusual means . From now onward, the user can borrow the power of an author which Gluttony has extracted . However, once the author has been overwritten, the author can’t be loaded twice . ]
[The C Rank ‘Overwrite’ has been triggered!]
[The object ‘Alfred Bellontes’ has been loaded into the user’s body . ]
Alfred Bellontes was the war hero who had murdered thousands of soldiers during the Bellontes Empire’s Revolutionary War half a century ago, and his reputation had become widespread .
Even master level opponents had avoided fighting him, and he had been called a genius of battle . As Alfred’s ego, who had been sleeping deeply, overwhelmed Theodore’s body and soul, a blue light appeared at Theo’s fingers .
This was the fourth function of Gluttony, the greedy grimoire .
At that moment, a hero from the history books returned to the present age .