The Book Eating Magician

The Zero Library was a place that collected the highest risk, as well as the highest valued books.

It couldn’t be entered if permission from the royal palace wasn’t given. In fact, it was impossible for a Superior-grade magician to even apply to access it. In order to enter the Zero Library, it was necessary to have at least the Prime rank. However, Prime magicians couldn’t afford to take out a book from the Zero Library, let alone own it privately.

The four magicians standing at the top of the magic towers couldn’t even abuse it. It was like that from the past to the present, until today.

“Is this the first time since I’ve taken out Hellfire?”

Theodore visited the Zero Library after such a long time and looked at the books kept in glass boxes. To a magician, it was a nicer landscape than a mountain of gold. There were books which contained ancient magics and a theorem on primordial magic that didn’t exist. Then there was also a book where the language system couldn’t be unraveled. A book was like the remains of wisdom.

-In my opinion, it is like a buffet. Isolate valuable knowledge from a person’s hand and grant it to those who are qualified. Books exist for a purpose that is indeed rational.

“This is a little unexpected. For the overall development of magic, isn’t it more advantageous for knowledge to be universal?”

Gluttony’s voice was more upbeat than usual, and Theodore questioned it. It was as he said. In terms of the evolution of general learning, the number of scholars and intellectuals couldn’t be bad. Grimoires were the same. The magic of the Age of Mythology was so wonderful because most of the inhabitants had innate talent as magicians.

However, Gluttony didn’t explain it further.

-I will describe it in my detail later. Right now, User has too much to do.

“...Okay, don’t forget about it later on.” Theodore thought it was a pity, but he didn’t have time.

He put aside Gluttony’s remarks and walked through the library.

‘Should I look at the books I appraised the last time?’

Academic theories were interesting, but he wasn’t going into a laboratory right now. He was going into combat and had to choose magic that could be used against warlocks and the undead. Theodore passed through a few familiar covers and piled up books on a table.

There was the shadow magic, Reverse Shadow, and the ultimate ice magic which created a cryogenic space, Ultima. Then there was also the earth magic that contaminated matter at high speed, Rotting Hands, and the astral magic which interfered with the soul, Soul Calibre.

There were a few more interesting books, but these four were the best when taking into consideration the time it would take to raise his understanding of them. Besides, he didn’t intend to finish eating at these four books. Theodore put two books to the side and appraised the remaining two, “Appraisal.”

Simultaneously, information about the two magic books appeared.

[Rotting Hands]

[This book explains the magic that quickly decomposes the target by accelerating the natural phenomenon of the material world. Decomposition is caused by a variety of factors, including air, light, heat, and bacteria. Depending on the material, the time the magic will take will change. The power of the magic changes according to the earth affinity of the caster.

* This magic book is rated ‘Precious.’

* Acquisition Conditions: 7 circles, affinity for earth magic (high).

* When consumed, ‘Rotting Hands’ will be learned.

* When consumed, your ability in earth magic will increase slightly.

* It is an original book written by the author, but the soul has become weathered after many years. It can’t be a target of Overwrite, and the fragment of the soul can be absorbed without ‘Transmission.’]

[Soul Calibre]

[This book describes the magic that interferes with the astral system of the material world and destroys it. The power of Soul Calibre, the sword of the soul, can cut through the immortality of senior undead. This magic can’t be learned without great inspiration. It may cause interaction with User’s power, Umbra.

* This magic book is rated ‘Treasure.’

* Acquisition Conditions: 8 circles, soul sensitivity (medium).

* When consumed, ‘Soul Calibre’ will be learned.

* When consumed, your ability in astral magic will increase greatly.

* This is the original that was directly written by the author. When consumed, some of the author’s abilities will be handed down according to your fitness level.]

Both spells were useful. The undead might not be alive, but their shells were made of muscles and bones. They couldn’t exert their power once they were rotted. It was useless against those like the banshees. That was why he learned Soul Calibre as well. There was no need to explain the practicality of Soul Calibre, which destroyed the immortality of senior undead.

“Gluttony, please keep them in the inventory.”

-I understand.

The tongue emerged from his left hand and swallowed up all four magic books. He wanted to sit down and read them, but Theodore still had something to do. No, his real reason for visiting the Zero Library was just beginning.

“...Now it is time to unseal the room of prohibited books.”

Prohibited books—this was the reason why Theodore needed full power in the Zero Library. They weren’t grimoires; prohibited books were a mixture of magic, not paper and letters. It wasn’t possible to reach the level of a real grimoire, but it could suppress the souls of humans.

This was why the Magic Society placed prohibited books in a sealed room—to block the spread of damage. It was the heard of that, in the magic kingdom, only the king and chairman of the Magic Society could enter.

‘It isn’t possible to unlock this without a key.’

Theodore stood in front of the sealed room and admired the tight security. He wondered how many cracks would form if he hit it with Keraunos, the magic he had invented. Then Theodore pulled out the key Kurt had given him.

Clink. He inserted the key into the lock without hesitation and turned it clockwise.

The wards surrounding the sealed room in several layers were released, while dozens of mechanical devices activated with an unpleasant noise. It was like something was scraping at his ears. However, Theodore didn’t give up and twisted the key till the end.

Kukukukung...!

The door opened.

“Ah.”

At that moment, intense magic power burst out from inside the sealed room. It was enough pressure to throw a person backward! This was the result of collecting dozens of prohibited books and sealing them in one place. The magic power contained in the room came pouring out. Theodore’s legs stiffened, and he raised his vigilance as he withstood the pressure.

‘This pressure is just a gimmick... The real thing will be from now on!’

They weren’t at the level of grimoires, but the prohibited books in this sealed room were beyond common sense. The books could exercise their abilities without owners, or they could freely manipulate a human. It was common for them to tempt those who came within their sphere of influence. Unsurprisingly, unfamiliar voices began to whisper, flowing from the darkness of the sealed room into Theodore’s mind.

[Desire this body. Enjoy all the richness of the world,] a majestic voice whispered, trying to inspire his ambitions.

[Take me. You can hold any woman you want in your arms,] a bewitching whisper tried to stimulate his sexuality.

[I will give you endless power, an infinite life,] an arrogant whisper attempted to seduce Theodore without any distinction in the direction.

There were many different types of voices. From that of a young child to an old man, from perfectly spoken words to hard to understand pronunciation... Theodore knew better than anyone else that something irrevocable would appear if he answered any of these temptations.

‘Well, this deception doesn’t mean anything to me.’

He wasn’t affected. In order to control Theodore, who was an 8th circle magician and master of Gluttony, strength on the level of a demon or god was required. That wasn’t possible for prohibited books, which were less than grimoires, to have. The prohibited books didn’t stop whispering, even if they knew the truth. After all, it was the only way they could find freedom. The problem was that a terrible existence was attached to Theodore.

-Foolish existences trying to tempt my user! Gluttony, one of the notorious Seven Sins grimoires, raised its voice.

It sent out a mental wave that affected all the whispers at once.

[Kuaaaaack!]

[Kyaaaack?!]

[Kueeeeeoh!]

In a realm unknown to human senses, dozens of prohibited books were plunged into terrible pain. They had intended to touch Theodore’s spirit and were in direct contact with Gluttony’s mental wave, leaving them almost defenseless to it. The prohibited books had never been attacked this way before. Furthermore, the attacker was a grimoire that was above them. The prohibited books shook from the shock.

-Not knowing their place and not maintaining a single mental barrier! They don’t deserve to hold knowledge! I will put every one of them in my stomach...

“Ah, that isn’t possible,” Theodore interrupted Gluttony’s angry words. “You were the one who said the capacity would go over with more than two books. I can’t afford to have you sleep for three months when it is unsure if the function can even be used.”

-But—

“Please bear with it this time. Take out only one or two prohibited books.”

-...It can’t be helped. I will respect User’s judgment.

The meaning of the ‘capacity going over’ was simple. In the meantime, Theodore had fed Gluttony many books and artifacts. Gluttony’s seal was ready for the next phase, with only a few books left until the sixth seal was lifted. However, it wasn’t easy to accept the release of the seal. In order to release the sixth seal, Gluttony needed to sleep for nearly three months.

‘I might’ve tried it if it was one month or two months... but three months isn’t possible. The battle will end before the seal is released.’

Honestly, he felt regretful. Every function unlocked by Gluttony’s seal was powerful and assisted Theodore greatly. There were functions that could be used directly, such as Memorize and Another. How much more powerful was the function of stage 6?

“Sigh, it is hard to miss the opportunity,” Theodore said regretfully as he looked around at the prohibited books that had become gentle thanks to Gluttony. They were covered in gold, made out of cowhide, or even wrapped in chains. There wasn’t a single book that looked ordinary.

Among them, one book caught Theodore’s eyes.

“Ru...by?”

There was a book the size of a little boy’s head with a red gem in the middle of the cover. It was covered in a suspicious haze of magic power, but Theodore couldn’t feel any evil from it. He took a few steps closer and reached out a hand toward the prohibited book. No, the moment he stretched out his left hand...

[Kyaaaaak! Don’t do it! Please don’t eat me! I can’t serve anyone other than my master, but I don’t want to be destroyed!]

Theodore frowned at the scream inside his head. The aggrieved high-pitched tone caused Theodore to shake his head with a big frown. He didn’t hear it with his ears, but his ears hurt. Theodore suppressed his irritation and examined the words of the prohibited book with astonishment.

“...Don’t eat? Do you know Gluttony?”

The source of the scream was naturally the gold-encrusted book with the jewel in the center that he had tried to grab. If the book were a human, it would look very agitated.

[W-W-What are you talking about?]

“Then shall I eat?”

Gluttony’s tongue poked out.

[I’m sorry, I was wrong! My creator knew about you, so a record remained in my memories!]

“Who is your creator?”

[T-That...]

As the book hesitated again, Gluttony quickly stretched out its tongue.

[Kiyaaaaak! S-Solomon! It is Solomon!]

--The king of wisdom? Stop talking nonsense! Why would he make a prohibited book when he can write a grimoire? Gluttony shouted before Theodore could respond.

It was an emotional reaction, with slight anger mixed in. This was evidence that Gluttony was truly outraged by the prohibited book. However, that anger vanished in an instant. Gluttony seemed to read something from the contact as it spoke in a cold voice, -...I see. You... You are a broken fragment of ‘Lemegeton’? (TL: Also known as the lesser key of Solomon).

[Hiik! H-How?!]

-There is no grimoire that can hide before me. This is the power of ‘Gluttony’ that I possess. You are just a fragment of Lemegeton. I don’t know how many pages you have, but it probably isn’t even 5% of its original performance. Isn’t that why you are on the level of a prohibited book?

This was a conversation that couldn’t be understood, so Theodore just watched the two of them. It was clear that this prohibited book had come from a grimoire called Lemegeton and that this made Gluttony feel quite uncomfortable. The silent Gluttony opened its mouth again and suggested eating. -There is no value pursuing it any longer. User, can I get rid of this lesser thing?

[S-Spare me! It will be useless eating a defective product like me. B-Besides, I can function as a sub-ego, making it possible for secondary functions!]

Theodore felt like he was watching a catfight as he came to a decision. He laid his hand on the prohibited book and declared, “Appraisal.” It was time to look at the fragment of the Lemegeton grimoire.