Book Eater

Chapter 320: The One who Inherits, the One who Maneuvers Behind the Scenes (3)

One month after Theo’s party arrived in Elvenheim, the thousand strong troop of elf warriors deployed to Meltor returned. Elvenheim had undergone many changes, and the progress was continuing. Once Mitra had introduced herself in spectacular fashion to the ents, the forces that made up the Great Forest had started to move actively.

The four high elves, apart from Ellenoa and Titania, were preparing the summoning ceremony for the divine creature. Theo collaborated with the other two high elves to set up the defenses in the southern part of the forest.

The number one contributor to this task had been decided from the beginning. As always, the small girl with the blossom on her head was the main character. The ents ignored the high elves but followed everything Mitra said. The dryads promised to cooperate like the ents, and the two species made their defenses according to Mitra’s words.

[Woong... You! Go there and sit down, you! Go three more steps and lay down! No, to the left!]

Mitra examined the topographic map that Theo had drawn several times before pointing back and forth. They were clunky instructions, but her orders were delivered through thoughts, not words. She might have seemed like a ten year old, but Mitra was the fragment of a deity who had power over vegetation.

The ents were a plant species, and there was no better species to accommodate her wishes.

Kuuong... Kung.... Kuong…

Rumbling sounds rang out in the peaceful forest. The forest loam was being torn up with every step of the ents. Every tree that was moved was over ten meters tall. The sight of hundreds or thousands of these ents moving wouldn’t be common in any era. The forest itself was changing.

As the landscape itself was reformed, the wild beasts were surprised by the sudden changes and rushed out in all directions. There was a hill that hadn’t existed yesterday, and a clearing was now a sheer cliff. The topography itself was being used to prevent the invasion of external enemies.

Hrmm, it seems to be turning out better than I expected?

Theo watched the progress from the sky and nodded in satisfaction. He had been anxious about leaving everything to Mitra, but she had grown into a little girl who possessed outstanding intellect. Mitra understood Theo’s topographical map and positioned the ents as he had intended. If everything continued in the same fashion, everything would be finished in a fortnight. He examined the southern area before turning his eyes away. This time, it was the habitat of the creatures in the east.

“Well, there is nothing that will be an obstacle for Veronica.”

Veronica would be fine even if she was left alone for a week. The ward on her would last for two weeks, but she had become impatient and asked Theo for something to do. After a long moment of thinking, he asked her to subjugate the eastern forest. It was a forest, but it wasn’t a big problem if she stayed on the outskirts. The beast clan acknowledged Veronica’s power and followed her commands.

I don’t need to worry much about the west and north areas... Things have been going smoothly so far.

It might not be the best, but things were being handled well. Theo had left the rest of the preparations to Elvenheim. The elves who had lived here for centuries were going to experience a great invasion!

A warlock that had contracted with an evil dragon would be coming at them with an undead legion. Theo’s tension increased as the days passed, and he prepared for the invasion in his own way. There was a heavy noise as he pulled out Soul Caliber.

“... I have read all four books.”

This signified that he had read all the books he had taken out from the Zero Library.

Sigh.?

However, Theo’s complexion wasn’t bright. Predation was troubling him as he picked up the four books in turn. He placed his left hand on them to read the information windows.

[Ultima]

[This book describes cryogenic magic that can stop all the phenomena of the physical world. It is no coincidence that Ultima, from the ancient world Ultimate, has become the name of this magic. In the past, it was said that a magician had used Ultima to freeze a dragon, only to cause himself to die. In order to use this perfectly, the 8th Circle is required.

* Your understanding is mediocre (65.4%)]

His understanding hadn’t grown even though he had read the book a few times. Given that the effect of predation depended on his understanding, it was likely that he wouldn’t receive any benefits at this level. Theo looked at the information window again, and the last sentence stabbed at him like thorns.

Eight circles or more... The magic Blundell used seemed to have something to do with Ultima, so it is a pity.

The Time Stop spell had even stopped Invidia for a moment! If Theo could acquire that spell, it would be worth spending a lot of achievement points. Techniques that dealt with time, the ultimate magic, was a domain for the peak of the 9th Circle, which was why Blundell’s life had been consumed.

However, Theo didn’t want to talk about it now. He descended gently and sat on a moderately high branch as he pored over the remaining three books.

“It can’t be helped. I should do the rest quickly."

The mouth on his left hand opened and prompted him.

- Go ahead, User! My stomach is hungry!

“Your appetite seems to have become stronger. Can ordinary books even fill you up anymore? Come, eat.”

Gulp!

The magic book was sucked into his left hand.

[Rotting Hands has been consumed. Your understanding is very high.]

[7th Circle spell Rotting Hands has been acquired.]

[Your earth magic ability has increased slightly.]

[An original copy has been consumed. Due to the many years, the author’s soul has become weathered. There is only a fragment of the soul remaining.]

The knowledge of the 7th Circle spell, Rotting Hands, burrowed into Theo’s mind. It was corruption magic that no substance of the material world could avoid being affected by. Rotting Hands depended on the user’s earth affinity, but that wasn’t a great disadvantage for Theo. He was someone with the power of Mother Earth, an affinity that reached the limits of a mortal.

Okay, this is a pass.

The burden on his mind was small. After Rotting Hands, Theo picked up another book. Gluttony’s tongue emerged without hesitation.

[Reverse Shadow has been consumed. Your understanding is very high.]

[Your proficiency with permanence magic has increased.]

[The Umbra Imprint has reacted. Your sense of dimensions and spiritual dominance will increase greatly.]

[An original copy has been consumed. The synchro rate with object name Lenix Agarta is being checked... Blocked. Lenix Agarta has refused to sync with the user. You can try to force a sync using the permissions of a user, but it is not recommended.]

Theo frowned when he saw the last message. “Rejected? The sync was rejected?”

- It seems that the author doesn’t want to talk. There are no emotions left. What do you want to do?

“... It’s okay. Talking to someone who doesn’t want to won’t get me any good results.”

There was one more remaining. Theo picked up the last book, [Soul Caliber], and cautiously placed his left hand on it. If the author of this book also refused to talk, he would have to force one of them. The last book entered Gluttony’s mouth.

[Soul Caliber has been consumed. Your understanding is very high.]

[The 8th Circle special magic Soul Caliber has been acquired.]

[The astral attribute affinity has reached its limit. In compensation, the level of skill proficiency will rise even further.]

[An original copy has been consumed. The synchro rate with Reynolds Spencer is being checked… You are at an appropriate level. You can absorb some of Reynold’s experience. The duration of the episode is thirty eight minutes and seventeen seconds.]

[Synchro is starting.]

Theo was relieved by the message, and his consciousness was drawn into the unknown space.

Reynolds Spencer....

As Theo’s consciousness faded, he was troubled by the name of the author of Soul Caliber. He had heard that name a long time ago.

***

Kuweeeeeoh!?

A roar exploded in his ears and Theo jerked awake. His blood boiled like a molten furnace, and his brain was filled with excitement and tension. It was a very familiar feeling. His feet instinctively moved when faced with a hideous monster. Theo remembered that this was Synchro, so he stepped back and watched the situation.

This is Reynolds Spencer’s memory?

The scene continued. He didn’t know who the owner of this body was, but he was using a very technical style of battle. He spun in a full circle before accelerating forward. Was it more appropriate to call it acrobatics than a technical battle style?

The three-headed demon was confused by the weird movements, which only ended the fight sooner. The demon had three heads and twelve eyes. Yet it lost sight of its opponent. It was an assault beyond the speed of sound, combined with six secondary spells!

As the owner of the body admired the magic, a dazzling sword emerged from his right arm.

Kiiiing-!

Asurahi’s Resounding Sword was perhaps the perfect sword to use with Soul Caliber. Otherwise, it would be impossible to cut the body of a demon that was outside the laws of physics.

Three heads bounced on the ground as the demon’s headless body turned into dust. In the end, the foreign demon was sent back to its dimension. The astral attack had dealt a heavy blow, but it wasn’t enough to destroy the demon from beyond the dimensional wall. That would require the power of a god. Either way, the owner of this body had won. It was a fact that didn’t change.

“Ha!”

As he erased the sword that protruded from his right arm, the person presumed to be Reynolds shouted in a big voice, “Asura's soldiers are nothing in front of Reynolds! Spencer’s descendant won’t stop until you are all dead!”

The warlocks in the distance were surprised by his voice. The magnitude of the force they felt couldn’t be classified. At this moment, Theo remembered where he had heard the name Reynolds Spencer.

Oh, my god.

Reynolds spoke like he heard Theo’s thoughts, “What is it, person from the future?”

I-I’m sorry. Can I ask you one thing first?

“Okay.”

Theo took a deep breath before opening his mouth. If his memories were true, then the person he had synced with was…

Defeater of the sand dragon, Azi Dahaka, as well as demon slayer and magic swordsman... Are you the great hero, Reynolds Spencer?

Theo knew it was a stupid question, but he couldn’t hold it in any longer. Magic Swordsman Reynolds Spencer was a great hero who had existed a thousand years ago, a legend who had killed a sand dragon that had swallowed up three kingdoms. He was a magician of the 9th Circle and also a grand swordmaster. Numerous writers had written stories about him, and there were more than ten epic poems based on Reynolds Spencer.

To think that Reynolds Spencer had actually written an original book and Theo was now in his body?

“That’s right!” Reynolds declared, “This body is Reynolds Spencer! The last descendant of Spencer who destroyed the sand dragon, Azi Dahaka!”