The Book Eating Magician - Chapter 200

Chapter 200

Chapter 200 – Traces from the Age of Mythology (3)

Despite being prepared, Theodore’s reading of the Fairy’s Book was never smooth .

Of course, the act of imprinting knowledge directly into his brain was familiar due to Gluttony . The ‘Primordial characters’ helped with comprehension while ‘predation’ increased proficiency, so the process of reaching the result wasn’t much different .

The simple problem was the amount of information .

Crack .

Theodore throbbed with pain . His head had become cluttered and fuzzy several times, but he gritted his teeth and accepted the knowledge .  There were 36 characters, for a total of 1,800 pages .

This was a treasure written by an alchemist of the Age of Mythology, so the difficulty of the contents was a given .  In addition to that, there was another variable which Theodore hadn’t expected .

‘The more difficult the contents, the worse the headache is…?’

Gluttony realized what Theodore meant and replied, –Of course .  The more difficult the knowledge, the more burden is placed on User’s brain .  It is possible that you wouldn’t be able to read half of this book if you didn’t have Myrdal’s knowledge .

‘Myrdal? Ah, since the elemental techniques is a common denominator?’

–No, because that guy is □□□□□ □□□… Gluttony’s voice became broken . –Hrmm, it still isn’t possible? It seems I can’t reveal the information at stage 4 .

‘Does another lock need to be released?’

-That’s right .  I thought it would be possible after you became a master, but it seems another seal needs to be released .

Theodore recalled some old memories . The first time he met Pride, it was Gluttony’s choice which had saved him . Theodore wasn’t qualified to argue with its choice .  He would be able to find out about Myrdal once he unlocked the next seal .

Then Theodore focused on the next character .  If he counted correctly, he had 15 characters remaining .  Shortly after that, Theodore realized what that meant and couldn’t help letting out an admiring sound .

“I have already read 1,050 pages…”

It was common to take a few days to read theories properly, even if it wasn’t a different magic . Additionally, it was common for alchemy to require knowledge from various fields .  When thinking about the difficulty of the book written by Paracelsus, it would’ve taken at least two months to read 1,800 pages . It might take a year for a complete understanding .

Yet Theodore had read more than half of the Fairy’s Book in just two hours .  This absurd efficiency was due to the ‘primitive characters . ’

Theodore once again started reading the Fairy’s Book .  At this time, he didn’t know that Gluttony was watching his greed for magic .

It observed Theodore and spoke to itself, –Yes, this is a quality suitable for my user .

This was the reason why Gluttony had chosen Theodore as its master .

With cold eyes, Gluttony continued to talk, –Your brain will continue developing in the long run .  Repeatedly doing the same task and learning difficult information will cause you to develop .  This luck that keeps on bringing adversity… Theodore Miller, you are the right user to be responsible for my last…

I hope that you will be consistent like this until the end .

*     *     *

By the time that the moon and stars started to tilt toward the horizon, Theodore achieved the goal he desired .

[* Your understanding is very high . (99 . 9%)]

Theodore lay down and could barely confirm the information window . Apart from the headache piercing his skull, his body was burning up .  It was the price for reading Paracelsus’ Fairy’s Book overnight .

‘I-I feel like I’m dying…’

It wasn’t physical fatigue but mental fatigue . Wasn’t this a common expression in books? He didn’t have the strength to even lift a finger . Theodore was a protagonist, so he didn’t have time to relax .

He barely stretched out his left hand toward the slab which was on the bed .  If he didn’t have something to do right now, he would be falling asleep .

“E-Eat . ”

–I understand, Gluttony replied calmly and stretched out its tongue .

[‘Fairy’s Book’ has been consumed . Your understanding is very high . ]

[Your proficiency with ‘elementals’ will increase greatly . ]

[Your understanding of the ‘four elementals’ will increase greatly . ]

[An original book has been consumed . Checking synchro rate with object name Paracelsus… Blocked . Paracelsus has refused to sync with the user . User can’t force synchronization with the target without permission . The other side holds a divinity . ]

It was impossible to force synchronization! However, it wasn’t surprising that Paracelsus was a divinity holder . The creature he had created, Mercurius, possessed a divinity . This meant that Paracelsus, the creator, wasn’t a normal human being .

Theodore had known it would happen like this . He waited with a strained expression for the next message .

[Object name Paracelsus is interested in User . Would you like to accept the request for conversation?]

“…I accept . ”

As always, the system asked for his permission .

[After confirming the user’s intention, object name ‘Paracelsus’ will be called . Checking the communication connection… Success, object name ‘Paracelsus’ has approved the two-way communication . ]

[He will temporarily be synchronized with the user’s consciousness . ]

Simultaneously, the whole area became covered with a familiar darkness . It was the same as that incident with Abe no Seimei . This was a place where only Theodore and the author were allowed .

The familiar light particles gathered before him .  Then the brilliant yet contradictory mass of light soon turned into a human figure .

‘The physique is similar to mine . ’

The human figure’s height was around 180 centimeters, and the body’s build was quite good . There were no bulging masses of muscle like Blundell had, but functional muscles could be seen through the robe .

The man had a white beard and white hair . His robe was made of an unknown material, and the hanging ornaments were gorgeous . Magic power was clearly moving around him, but Theodore couldn’t figure out its meaning .

The figure of the peak alchemist, Paracelsus, was revealed .

“Hrmm . ”

As an elderly man, he had taut skin covered in wrinkles and was weathered like a tree . The specimen of a wonderfully aged magician stood before Theodore .  Theodore tried to speak but felt his mouth being blocked by an unknown pressure .

Paracelsus’ golden brown eyes were looking at him .  His eyes seemed to reach into Theodore’s bones and organs underneath the skin . No, it wouldn’t be hard for an alchemist from the Age of Mythology to know everything about the human body .

After a few minutes, Paracelsus shook his head and muttered, “I don’t know who you are, but you have good skills . ”

“T-Thank you . ”

“For your age . You should keep applying yourself . ”

If Theodore’s peers had heard this advice, they would be foaming at the mouth . Theodore Miller had become a master in his mid-20s, and those with his growth rate could be counted on three fingers in the history of Meltor, regardless of his original talent .

Yet Theodore was just good ‘for his age?’ His peers would bite their tongues and die .

However, Paracelsus’ rant had only just begun . “You aren’t yet qualified to receive teachings from me . ”

Theodore was resolute, so he tried hard to listen to Paracelsus’ words .

“You haven’t developed your own magic, and you don’t have a great interest in alchemy despite coming to my lab . No, based on the Azoth Sword, you must’ve accompanied Paragranum . You are the owner of Gluttony . I thought they were cockily designed, but they are more advanced than I expected . ”

“……”

“The Fairy’s Book is used as a medium . If it isn’t for alchemy, then it must be because it is related to elementals? I can feel a connection with the elemental world… Is it an ancient elemental? The attribute is a land or forest . ”

Theodore listened to Paracelsus’ words and felt an eerie feeling .

Unlike Synchro, which allowed the other person to look at his memories and thoughts, this was a meeting space . In other words, Paracelsus had determined these things by observing Theodore for several minutes .

Theodore felt like he was stripped naked in the middle of a snowy winter .  He barely suppressed the tiny spasms he felt and conceded to the mysterious reasoning, “…It is as Paracelsus says . ”

“Call it out . ”

After Paracelsus spoke, Theodore whispered a name, “Mitra . ”

There was no need to talk loudly or use magic . This wasn’t the material world but a spiritual world . Mitra was connected to his soul, so he could bring her here whenever he wanted .  There was a flash of light and a little girl appeared on Theodore’s palm .

[Huuuuong… Deo?] The cute little girl with the flower bud on her head looked at Theodore .

However, Paracelsus reacted violently, “Demeter?!”

It was another name for Dmitra, the prototype of Mitra .

“Do you know her?” Theodore asked .

“It is impossible for me to not know! A god of Olympus and related to Hermes! The great and magnificent Mother Earth, to think I would see you again like this…” Paracelsus spoke with excitement before his voice sank, then he was looking at Mitra with a sad expression .

Theodore heard she had been an ancient god in the past . As such, Paracelsus remembered and mourned her .  After waiting quietly until Paracelsus calmed down, Theodore then asked his question about Mitra .  It was about the bud that was sprouting on her head .

“The seed of the world tree?”

“Yes, that’s right . ”

“That seed germinated and made a bud…”

Be it because he had overcome his sorrow or if it was because of his curiosity as a researcher, Paracelsus observed Mitra from various angles .  The fragment of Mother Earth, the seed of the world tree, and the ecology of an ancient elemental…

These three things were hard to determine, even for the best magicians . Nevertheless, Paracelsus opened his mouth after a ridiculously short period of time .  He calmly came up with an answer about Mitra’s condition, “The divinity is differentiating . ”

“Differentiating?”

“The reason why she is Mother Earth is simple . She possesses the divinity of the earth . The god of the forest, the god of rocks, and so on… They are all just subordinate gods of Mother Earth . The only god beyond Mother Earth would be the god of the sea or the sky,” Paracelsus explained . Then he tapped the bud on Mitra’s head and continued, “In other words, the material world is divided into three upper gods . Can this small body endure such a divinity? An ancient elemental that isn’t a complete god but just a fragment?”

“… Impossible . ”

“Excessive power can destroy the owner . It is the same for this ancient elemental . A more powerful divinity will destroy the body of the ancient elemental and her ego . Therefore, the ancient elemental found a way to differentiate the divinity . ”

In order to remain as Mitra, instead of Mother Earth Dmitra, the seed of the world tree sprouted the divinity in different directions .  At the end of Paracelsus’ explanation, Theodore looked at MItra .

She was gazing at him with clear and innocent eyes, without being aware of what Theodore and Paracelsus were talking about .

Subsequently, Paracelsus put an end to this topic . “An ancient elemental can change their appearance in response to the contractor’s growth . Since you have reached the 7th Circle, she will break away from the divinity of the earth and grow another divinity . ”

“Then what will happen to Mitra?” Theodore asked .

Paracelsus replied, “The answer to that isn’t something you can get from me . ”

Then the great alchemist, Paracelsus, declared, “When you have reached the boundary of a mortal, go once again to the world tree . At that time, there will be an answer waiting!”