The Book Eating Magician Chapter 2:

The Greedy Grimoire #2

The library wasn’t far from the dormitory .

When he was a few steps away the library’s shabby door, the scent of old paper and bookshelves tickled his nose .  It was a pleasant smell he was now familiar with .

After pushing the door half-open, the empty library was revealed .

‘Well, I thought it would be like this . ’

The sight was always the same .  It could be said that no student other than Theodore Miller would be found in the library after class .

Most of the books collected here talked about difficult concepts which the professors only explained the simplest parts of in class . There was no reason for adolescents to feel excited when they were busy playing .

Thanks to that, Theo was able to secure a peaceful space .

“Today… I should look up lightning magic one more time . ”

Theo walked between the bookshelves in a familiar manner .  Having spent five years in this library, he was able to find any book with his eyes closed .  Even professors who occasionally came to find books would come to Theo before the librarians, so there was no doubts about his accuracy .

Theo pulled out the books he wanted .

‘[Lightning Magic Primer]… I’ve memorized everything, but I might have missed something . Additionally, [Why is Lightning Difficult to Control?] could be helpful . [Principles Behind Lightning Strikes]?  It is closer to meteorology than magic, but let’s take this as well . ’

Three thick books were instantly piled up .

Each book was very thick . Even a person with a fast reading spend would have to spend a day and a half to finish them . One book might be memorized, but that didn’t apply to the other two books .

There would be a loud spectacle if other students needed to read this for homework .  However, to Theo, this thickness was only a day’s worth of reading . The professors were aware of this but ignored it because it was no use .

If they knew the amount of knowledge Theo had read, they wouldn’t be able to hide their regret like Professor Vince .

Rustle… rustle…

There was only the sound of pages being turned in the library .

Theo liked this silent time .  It was because he coveted knowledge which could help him shake off this suffocating situation . Here, there were no professors who dismissed Theo or students making jokes .

Theo channeled all his stress into studying everyday .  Theo’s superior brain was used to this stress, and it absorbed the knowledge which had been accumulated in the library like fleece sucking up water .

It had been five years .  Was he imagining it?

As Theo looked at the books carefully, it was like the letters on the paper were sparkling .

 

*     *     *

Tak .

Theo’s fingers closed the last book . This was the third book . The clock in the library was pointing to 10 o’clock . He had arrived in the library at 6 o’clock, so he had read three books in only four hours .  This was a pace truly worthy of being called speed reading .

‘Um, that was quite interesting . ’

They were interesting books .  In particular, [Why is Lightning Difficult to Control?] systematically summarized why lightning magic was so difficult .

The most difficult spell in the 2nd Circle was ‘Lightning Bolt’ as creating lightning and keeping it flowing in a straight line was difficult .  It wasn’t uncommon for even 3rd or 4th Circle magicians to be inexperienced with lightning magic .

Theo laid aside the book before aiming his palm at the window and muttering .

“Lightning Bolt . ”

Just maybe… He hoped it would work .

Pajik .

However, the result was as expected . There was faint electrostatic discharge before the spell was broken . The formula of the magic spell was perfect, but his ability to control it was too weak .  A person who lacked control couldn’t be a magician .

It was something he had heard time and time again, but it was still a sad sight .

“Damn! What the **** is wrong with me…!”

Sensitivity was also known as affinity, and it was considered a talent .  It referred to one’s ability to control magic power . Magicians with high sensitivity were more powerful than other magicians, even if the same spell was used .  It was the same for the rate of magic power accumulation .

Therefore, sensitivity was an indispensable part of being a magician . Since there was no method to raise it, the trait became more prominent .  For Theo, it was like reaching for a pie in the sky .

“Haaaah…”

He couldn’t help sighing .

After five years, Theo’s hope had been worn thin . Theo thought of his parents who were waiting for him and the people who thought of him as their master .  He would be shamed if he couldn’t get his degree .  

A magician who graduated from the academy would be able to waste time for several years just by relying on the academy’s name .

‘But can I graduate next year?’

Despite having reduced his amount of sleep, he had only reached the 2nd Circle .  It was almost impossible for him to master the 3rd Circle, which was a Bergen Academy graduation requirement, without dying .  Next year would be meaningless .

The boy, who had been so confident when he left home, became a young man afraid of failure .

Ding!

It was the bell which signaled lights out .  This was also the sound which indicated Theo’s time was over . He had to hurry or the door of the dormitory would be locked .

First, he needed to put away the three books .  Theo embraced the three books, like he had done in the beginning .  However, the moment he tried to raise his body…

“Eh?”

A book on the desk caught his attention .

‘Didn’t I clearly only bring three books? Did I accidentally carry another book among the three?’

It was strange, but he should put it away anyway .  Theo stood up and stretched out his left hand . It was a fairly thin book, so he was going to pick it up with one hand .  However, the sensation at his fingertips was strange .  It felt like he had stuck his hand in a sticky barrel of syrup, or like a slimy flesh was tickling the palm of his hand .

…It was like he had put his hand in the mouth of something alive .

Slurp .

“Uwaack!”

Theo hurriedly pulled back his left hand at the creepy feeling .  He fell to the ground hastily, letting go of the books in the process . However, that didn’t matter .  Theo needed to identify the thing which had touched his palm .

After he scrambled back up, Theo gazed toward the unidentified book .  However, there was nothing on the desk .

“Eh?”

Theo’s eyes widened as he couldn’t understand the phenomenon .  Had he seen a hallucination? He could still feel that creepy, sticky feeling that tickled his palm .  

Theo touched his left hand carefully .  He wanted to check if it was damp . It would prove that what had happened just before hadn’t been a hallucination .  However, the palm of his left hand was dry without any signs of wetness .

“Hallucination…? Didn’t it feel slippery? There was clearly a shabby book on the desk…”

Theo muttered and sank weakly to the floor .  He sat on the edge of a book, so his **** was sore . However, the pain was nothing compared to the psychological impact .

Didn’t a magician always need to be cool-headed? Had his mental state fallen to the bottom due to his sense of insecurity?

‘Should I drop out this year?’

It was better than being expelled .  Theo knew that, but he had held onto the hope of becoming a magician for five years . It wasn’t a dream he could just throw away .  Without making a decision, Theo sighed, then he put his hand on the cold floor to raise himself up .

It was at this moment that…

Slurp…

All of a sudden, his left hand felt a strange texture .  It was slippery and sticky… The hallucination which had tickled Theo’s palm had appeared again!

Theo looked down reflexively at his left hand touching the floor…

And he saw something shocking .

“…T-Tongue?!”

A tongue was sticking out of Theo’s palm .  It had a smooth pink surface and was a long piece of flesh which looked like it came from a reptile .  The tongue sprang from a hole in the middle of his palm and shook like a snake in front of food .

The tongue swayed slowly from side to side .

Slurp!

Like a frog grabbing a fly, it snatched a book from the floor .  Its speed was so fast that Theo couldn’t even see the afterimage . The tongue wrapped itself completely around the book .

No one could’ve predicted what happened next .  The tongue which held its prey was then sucked back into the hole in Theo’s palm .

Gulp .

There was the sound of something being swallowed .  A book on the ground had suddenly disappeared into his left hand .

Theo looked down at his left hand with an absurd expression .  However, the book his palm had swallowed didn’t emerge .

Instead, Theo heard a voice .  It was a voice with a strange tone he had never heard before .

 

[‘Lightning Magic Primer’ has been consumed . Your understanding is very high . ]

[2nd Circle magic ‘Lightning Bolt’ has been acquired . ]

[After waking up from a long sleep, Gluttony is very hungry . Hurry and relieve Gluttony’s hunger . The time limit is 10 minutes from now . (1/5)]