The Book Eating Magician

They knew that the increase in sensitivity was accompanied by some side effects, but Theo’s reaction was much worse than they had anticipated. There was a chance that he might’ve really suffocated. Even the Yellow Tower Master who created the remedy hadn’t expected the situation.

He stared at the empty box and muttered seriously, [Strange. For that much reaction, the sensitivity should be near the bottom... but a person who climbed to the 5th Circle at age 20 wouldn’t be like that... Is the stability still insufficient? I should review it once again.]

It was the right answer, but the Yellow Tower Master didn’t realize that it was right. The young hero of the Meltor Kingdom, who was already mentioned as a candidate for becoming a master magician, truly had bottom-level sensitivity.

In the end, the Yellow Tower Master would carry out months of research without any idea of this.

“Kid, have you regained your mind?” Veronica reached through the remaining lightning around Theo and grabbed his shoulder.

Theodore was startled away from the mana. Despite the fabric, the heat coming from her was considerable. Like mana, it wasn’t real, but it was intense enough for him to confuse it as a real tactile sense.

His neck which had been grabbed a while ago was still hot.

“Thank you for your help, Tower Master.”

“It isn’t a big deal.”

A stuffy feeling still remained, but Theo thanked Veronica for her help. Her furnace-like presence had awoken his senses so that he could endure the crushing mana pressure. In some sense, Veronica was the most appropriate helper.

As Theo’s complexion returned to its original state, Veronica started speaking, “For the moment, you should be cautious when using magic. Your sensitivity is now greatly increased, so the speed and power of your magic power will increase greatly. However, your ability to control it will be a mess. There may be a catastrophe if you use wide area magic.”

“...Certainly.”

Theo just needed to look at the Lightning Bolt from before. The power had been several times larger than the maximum power of his original spell. Even if it didn’t work on Veronica, the spell’s power was more than that of the 3rd Circle. If it hit ordinary people, then they would go to the Underworld.

It felt like wings had suddenly appeared on his legs! However, it was impossible for Theodore, who had just started to fly, to deal with his senses completely. So, he paid careful attention to Veronica’s next words.

“If your magic so far has been forcing bottled water into a cup, from now on you will have to control the water level by opening and closing a reservoir. You’ll need a lot of concentration.”

“I can’t just excel in sensitivity.”

“Of course. Sensitivity or magic power is like a weapon, so it depends on the user’s skills. A fool who is good at sensitivity only appears a few times in one generation.”

Veronica laughed at those faceless fools. They were lazy people who depended on their innate talent and didn’t know the rigors of magic. So, they didn’t realize why it took them years or decades to cross the ‘wall.’

The majority of them became frustrated and stopped in front of the first ‘wall’ they encountered, while a moderately talented person who worked hard was a greater magician than some geniuses.

Talent might come from the sky, but the spirit was tempered by hardships.

The five years of being shackled by a total lack of capabilities had refined Theodore Miller’s spirit into steel. It was the reason why his growth rate was exceptional after receiving the grimoire. He had worked hard and expanded his capacity beyond his limits.

“Additionally, if you jump over the wall of the 7th Circle and become a master, you will reach the limits of sensitivity. So, don’t indulge in your senses and continue doing what you’ve been doing so far. This concludes Sister Veronica’s advice. How is it, isn’t it helpful?”

“Yes, very much so.” Theo gazed at her with heartfelt gratitude.

Veronica’s advice was worth a thousand gold. In this age, there were only two people who had reached the 8th Circle, so one thousand gold for her advice was really cheap. However, Veronica who gave him such kindness couldn’t look in Theo’s eyes. If it had been anyone else, they would’ve laughed.

Instead, the mood was ruined by the Yellow Tower Master’s voice coming from the troll’s head, [Don’t turn your head away, lizard girl. Why are you acting like this toward a much younger child?]

“Ugh, I will deal with you at a later time.” Veronica fell into anger for a moment.

However, she then shook her head and handed the head over to Theo because she wanted the Yellow Tower Master to stop joking. Of course, she would beat him up later, but that unfortunate future was delayed.

The troll’s head looked at Theo and said, [Hrmm... a truly interesting guy. Additionally, I can smell an enormous elemental from you. I thought the Red Tower Master was being an alarmist when she said you would be the next great magician.]

“Ah, thank you...?”

[I just judged you objectively. Congratulations for being the first subject... no, beneficiary of my remedy. I will remember your name.]

Then he said a few words only to Theo, [I won’t see you for a while, but we will meet again someday. Theodore Miller, when that time comes, I will discuss the secrets hidden in you.]

“...?!”

[Then, it ends here.]

While Theo was astonished, the troll’s head turned into dust.

Theodore eyed the dust remaining in his hand, but it didn’t change into something else. In any case, the magic power of the Yellow Tower Master seemed to have reached a high level, regardless of the number of circles.

‘No, maybe he has stepped beyond the 7th Circle.’

The existence of the Yellow Tower Master was a top secret. In fact, it was enough to say that he had the abilities of a magician which exceeded the 7th Circle.

Theo had that thought in mind just before he blew away the dust. He wouldn’t be able to take any countermeasures to anything the Yellow Tower Master did, so it was ridiculous to strain his mind with anxiety. Indeed, it was a judgment made by an efficient mind.

So, the voice he heard then was surprising.

-User, be careful of that person called the Yellow Tower Master.

Gluttony woke up from its sleep and cautioned Theo. Before Theo could ask for the reason, Gluttony continued speaking.

-The remedy that User ingested... the entity that made it is likely the descendant of an ancient species or the owner of another grimoire.

‘What?’

-The alchemy procedures and techniques used in that remedy were performed more than 2,000 years ago.Not only obtaining the knowledge but applying it to pharmacology... I can guess a few grimoires, but I can’t confirm it now.

‘A grimoire’s master.’

Theodore’s face stiffened at the reminder of the past devastation caused by the ‘Death’s Worship’ grimoire. The legion of undead under the elder lich was a terrible disaster. However, Theo soon regained his composure.

‘The owner of a grimoire... Does that mean the Yellow Tower Master isn’t eroded by the grimoire?’

-If he actually is a grimoire owner, that is correct.Rather, he is taking full advantage of its features.

‘Indeed.’

It wasn’t necessary to be afraid of or evade the Yellow Tower Master at this time as it was unlikely Theo would be attacked like that time with the elder lich. If the Yellow Tower Master had been such a person in the first place, he wouldn’t have contributed to the prosperity of Meltor for hundreds of years.

Moreover, there was also no reason for Theo to boast about his secret. Right now, the information that Theo had was too little.

The magic kingdom, Meltor... There truly were many secrets hidden at its heart. Along with the secrets of the Yellow Tower Master and the masked White Tower Master, there were also many mysteries sleeping in the magic towers. Someday Theo might reach those secrets but not today.

“...I’ll see you again someday,” he repeated the Yellow Tower Master’s words.

There were many things he couldn’t imagine about Meltor, and it was overflowing with mysteries. He shouldn’t reach out rashly towards them. It was currently time to confront the challenges and devote himself to training.

‘First, I need to fix this.’ Theo’s eyes shone as he felt the mana pressure again.

The talent he had been longing for was right in front of his eyes.

* * *

From then on, Theodore’s routine changed a bit. After half a year, he had already learned the magic of the 5th Circle. There might be a difference in proficiency for each magic, but he was proud to say that he had learned everything properly.

From then on, Theo had to accumulate experience in practice. He continued his training, despite his falling efficiency. At the same time, a challenge arrived to knock him off that plateau.

Kwarurung! The fire, which exploded with a fearsome rumble, knocked roughly against the barrier of the practice room.

Its power and shape looked like the 5th Circle attack magic, Fire Blast. This was a powerful ranged spell which would burn dozens of meters around a single point. Only Superiors of the Red Magic Tower could use it properly.

However, Theo’s face didn’t brighten at the success of the magic.

“...This... Blaze Shell.”

The magic formula and timing of the spell were perfect. However, the result was different from what he had intended. A 4th Circle magic turned spontaneously into a 5th Circle magic? It was a mistake a rookie just learning magic would make.

Theodore sighed as he looked down at his palms and then the messy practice room. He didn’t know how many times he had failed already.

‘I know why I failed. The reason is...’

The speed of mana flow had been too fast, and the amount of mana he had drawn had been too much. Additionally, the power of the mana had become too strong in response to his emotions. In summary, it was because his sensitivity had increased too rapidly.

The problem was that it was difficult to correct the errors caused by his own effort. Theo hadn’t been born with abundant sensitivity, so he couldn’t help finding this abundance annoying. More mana than necessary responded to his call, then the magic had become unintentionally tangled up with the mana which hadn’t been called.

‘It is necessary to learn the tricks.’ It didn’t take long for Theodore to realize this.

However, he had limited people to seek advice from. Masters exceeded their sensitivity, but the tower masters and Magic Society’s president couldn’t become Theo’s tutors. Veronica gave him a few tips occasionally, but the senses of a quarter dragon were very different from that of ordinary humans.

In the end, the candidates were narrowed down to one person. It was one of Theo’s peers and a person who had acquired the highest level of sensitivity since birth, and then cultivated magic in a blessed environment.

She was a genius who wasn’t as good as Theodore but had built a number of achievements and was going to be promoted to a Superior next quarter.

“Please take care of me!” She, Sylvia Adruncus, spoke to him shyly.

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