Book Eater

Chapter 209: Library (3)

Gluttony recovered its voice first.

- ... User, how did you create that?

Gluttony was confident it could determine how Theo had done it if it could study the flame for a bit, but it couldn’t help but ask. It had been adding magic to its library for thousands of years, but it had never come across a flame like this. It was just… unknown.

There were countless spells that tried to unite opposing attributes. The study of melding extremes was a well researched field. Some scholars claimed that the definition of extremes was repudiation, while some philosophers said that extremes were the reverse of each other.

At first glance, it seemed that hot and cold would oppose each other. However, this was essentially a force which belonged to the natural world. But Gluttony was firmly convinced.

- This flame is beyond that

This wasn’t repudiation or the reverse. Hot could become cold, and cold could become hot. Just like how a rock turned into sand would once again compress to become a rock, everything would find their way into a cycle.

However, Theo’s flame deviated from this cycle. The two forces, hot and cold, coexisted simultaneously like two sides of a coin. It was a contradiction. Something impossible in the natural world was occurring before Gluttony. Its black eyes began to shine.

- Answer me, User. Hurry!

“Uh... What do you mean?” Theo scratched his head a few times. “I don’t know.”

Gluttony stared blankly at him as Theo continued speaking, “I remember the process of absorbing the Aiolos Pouch and digesting its divinity, but I don’t know how I made it.”

- A magician doesn’t even know the magic he used?

“Do you know the reason why water and fire can’t mix and why wind and earth can’t cross each other?”

- I don’t know!?

Gluttony finally burst out angrily. If someone else completed a spell which was far superior to other spells, they wouldn’t hesitate to quantify it. Unlike aura which relied on senses and talent, magic had a clear theoretical foundation.

It was also the reason why the speed of magic development was faster than swordsmanship. Magicians handed down their heritage to the next generation, causing more outstanding magicians to appear in each new generation.

However, the words Theo said didn’t sound like those of a magician.

- Why don’t you know? Why aren’t you sure? This is a huge achievement for a human magician, but you don’t know why? Try as hard as possible to remember. Leave no stone unturned! Or User won’t be able to leave here forever!

“What?! What farce is this?”

- This is my stomach, and I can do anything I want!

Theo’s eyelid twitched at the absurd statement. This was Gluttony’s body, so it was obvious he could control who could access it. Although Theo didn’t know how long he might be stuck here, he decided to give in to the request.

It is rare for him to be so emotional.

Wasn’t Gluttony a companion who had been with him for a long time? Sometimes it was fine to give in to his stubbornness.

Pushik.

Theo erased the flame in the palm of his hand. It was easier to understand the principles of magic if he reproduced it, rather than observing what had already been done. Theo ignored Gluttony and closed his eyes.

Let’s start from the beginning.

He looked at the cycle of wind, fire, water, and earth.

Fire and water don’t mix, and wind and earth can’t cross each other.

Why did they refuse each other?

“Ah.”

At that moment, the misaligned teeth locked together again, and the ‘impossible’ became possible. Theo didn’t miss this moment and used his magic power. Burning Hands and Chilling Touch...

The two opposing attributes mixed together again.

Wuuong...!

Suddenly, two hands appeared in the air. It was the contradictory union of heat and cold once again. Once might be a coincidence but not twice. Gluttony felt a thrill at the spectacular sight.

- Eureka!

However, Theo didn’t know what Gluttony meant and cocked his head.

***

Once Gluttony caught a thread, it kept tugging at it. It didn’t even blink as it carefully observed Theo creating the weird flame. It was an unknown principle, but in the end, it was still based on magic, which was the very foundation of the Seven Sins grimoire.

It took Gluttony ten minutes of intense concentration and observation to come up with a working theory. In fairness, it probably would’ve taken the Magic Society at least a hundred years.

- It’s forced harmonization. This is ridiculous.

Despite his words, it had a delighted expression on its face. The process of discovering the answer had been rather difficult, but the reward of an answer was fulfillment enough

Theo listened carefully to his explanation and asked, “So, is this my Sorcery?”

- That’s right.

The answer was forced harmonization. It wasn’t just two opposing forces coexisting; it was the ability to harmonize forces which couldn’t coexist. Since this was the first time this ability had ever appeared since the creation of magic, Gluttony was the one to name it.

- It isn’t just heat and cold. User can mix any desired spells together, regardless of the attributes. The larger the magic, the greater the risk. But such risks exist everywhere in the world.

Gluttony was talking casually, but he was actually really excited. This was almost like fusion. It was Sorcery which covered all attributes, not just two opposing attributes. Gluttony treated magic like a puzzle where spell combinations would only be discovered through trial and error. However, forced harmonization was like a cheat key.

He could insert it at will... and shuffle it at will. This privilege was truly unique for a magician.

“... Why?” Theo couldn’t help questioning, “Why is this my Sorcery? The four elements are gathered in my body, but the other attributes...”

- I think it is probably due to my influence.?

Gluttony responded to his reasonable doubt without hesitation.

- I’m sorry, but User isn’t talented. You aren’t superior in one attribute nor in sensitivity. If you hadn’t met me, you would’ve never been able to surpass the 4th?Circle.

“It is true, but I can’t help feeling bad.”

- I don’t mean to demean you. However, it’s thanks to this that User has grown in a similar manner to me, creating an unprecedented Sorcery. Do you understand what it is?

There was only one way in which Theo could share growth with Gluttony.

“-Predation.”

- That’s correct.?

Gluttony confirmed with a grin.

- Since User wasn’t born with anything, my influence was the strongest. No, you had no choice but to accept it. There was no other way.

“The power to eat anything... Indeed, it is similar.”

- If eating is my role, digesting nutrients is yours. After suffering from indigestion in the form of your vessel, this is the result of your body finally stabilizing.

It could be said that this was the synergy between Gluttony and Theo. Theo was convinced by the explanation, but he thought it was still lacking. This new ability shouldn’t be possible if he had simply built his power around Gluttony’s predation.

Gluttony ate artifacts as well as magic books. Everything he ate was nourishment, and even his host, Theo, grew because of it. The harmonization of magic... If he widened the horizons—

Perhaps I can also…

Any bystander stuck in the 7th Circle would feel like it was unfair, yet Theo crossed another wall without any fear.

Hwaruruk!?

A flame appeared in Gluttony’s stomach. This time, Gluttony was at a loss for words and just stared at it with bemused eyes. The flame wasn’t red and blue. It was just red. This was Burning Hands, a common fire spell. It was useless to Gluttony.

Then Theo’s left hand started burning.

“... I didn’t expect to succeed in one go.”

This was a forced harmonization of body and magic. Theo was amazed at what he had done as he waved his arm which had turned into a red flame. This was different from support magic, which had only affected the body. This was a spell which was wholly integrated with the body, and was more akin to the realm of fantasy.

Could Theo apply magic to solid metals or the moisture in the sky, or even harmonize it with living creatures? It was like picking a star from the sky. Yet he had succeeded in something so ridiculous.

This Sorcery… has quite the breadth when it comes to application?

Theo had succeeded in several achievements today, but he was already thinking about the possible applications of his awakened Sorcery. He could integrate with lightning and roam around, or join with the waves and ride the ocean currents toward the East. Until now, this had only been a fantasy.

Theo felt an unstoppable inspiration and snuffed out the Burning Hands that had blended with his left arm.

.

Gluttony spoke quietly.

- ... User.

“Hmm?”

Theo had expected another joyous reaction, but Gluttony’s voice was actually deeply subdued

- You should return for today. I know that you are excited but using any more magic can be dangerous.

“Dangerous? How come?”

- You haven’t realized. This would’ve been really dangerous if left alone.

Gluttony touched Theo’s body.

Pajik.

Simultaneously, Theo felt a fierce pang in his body.

“Kuk, uhhh, keeok...!” He could barely manage to breathe through the pain. Theo fell to the ground as his limbs shook.

- You absorbed Aiolos’ divinity and established the four elements in your body. Then as soon as you awakened your Sorcery, you hastily tried to use it too many times. If this place wasn’t my body, you would’ve died.

“C-Cou-gh!” Theo tried to answer, but a groan was the only thing that emerged from his mouth.

-You won’t be able to move for a while. Go and sleep.

Theo disappeared from Gluttony’s stomach, returning to reality. He would be suffering in his bed for a while. Gluttony’s lips slightly twisted as it imagined the complaining it would hear later. But there was one more thing that it slowly started to realize.

- ... Kuk

Gluttony doubled over as it started to laugh.

- Kuhahahahaha!

It was a hair raising, insane laugh. It had never expected to see a path that hadn’t been seen for thousands of years before it.

-I can reach it this time! The unprecedented realm! 10th?Circle magic! Kether, where the potential of humankind exists!

Gluttony laughed with mad joy.

- This time, I absolutely won’t fail!