The Book Eating Magician - Chapter 301

Chapter 301

Chapter 301 - Hall of Fame (1) 

Flash!

Theodore appeared with a flash of light . As soon as he escaped from the teleport blockade, he moved from the halls of the palace to his private room .

He didn’t want to walk around, but neither did he feel so tired that he wanted to lie down in bed right away . If it was as Kurt explained, no one would know that Theodore had already woken up . In that case, there was no need for him to cause a disturbance .

‘I am worried about Sylvia and Master, but . . . His Majesty would’ve told me if something has happened to them . ’

In Meltor, information could no longer be hidden or limited restricted to Theodore . Kurt knew this, so wasn’t it impossible for him to hide news about Theo’s people? It was right to think that nothing had happened in the meantime .

“Gluttony . ”

-I’m listening .

Theodore sat in his chair and requested, “Explain the feature called the Hall of Fame . ”

He had read the message a few times, but all it said was ‘learn the accumulated knowledge of magicians using achievement points . ’ How could he learn it and what was included? He was forced to ask Gluttony directly .

-Okay .  Unsurprisingly, Gluttony replied like it had been waiting . -As implied by the name, the Hall of Fame is a special function that exists to preserve the souls of memorable or worthy magicians .  This feature applies to writers of books eaten by all users, from the Age of Mythology to present day . Only the most brilliant and outstanding ones are eligible for this function .

“ . . . Since the Age of Mythology?”

-That’s right .  There is a magician who pulled an asteroid from outer space, and there’s also a magician who made an underwater city at the bottom of the sea .  Every single one of them has made a mark in the history of magic .

Meteor fall was a catastrophe which had been unintentionally caused by a great magician whilst exploring the sea of stars .  The legendary underwater city known as Atlantis… Records said it was an island which had been sunk by the hands of Atlas during the Age of Mythology .  

Some of the magicians were wicked, and others were good . However, their alignment didn’t matter . Gluttony only cared about the magic .  Thus, he collected the souls of over 100 great magicians . Sometimes, they were the enemies of his user . There were other times when they were disciples or heroes who fought on the battlefield together .

The Hall of Fame was like Gluttony’s history built over thousands of years, maybe longer .  

Theodore asked without hiding his surprise, “I can learn from them directly?”

-If you want .  It is also possible to receive their assistance if you have enough achievement points .

“Assistance? Is it similar to the one question one answer function?”

-The question and answer is the most basic assistance, Gluttony gave a vague answer . Then it made a direct suggestion, -It is quicker to experience it once .  How about it?

“Now?”

-Yes .  You don’t seem to have anything to do . If I am mistaken, I will apologize .

Theodore was a little worried, but his hesitation was brief . This was something he had to experience once, and it was hard for him to leave the room right now .  He got up from the chair and moved to the bed before giving an answer . After all, be it Synchro or the Library, he had lost consciousness every time he used Gluttony’s functions .

“Okay, I will try it once . ”

-A wise decision .  

Gluttony moved at Theodore’s consent .

[At User’s request, the Hall of Fame has opened . ]

[User currently has 157,329 achievement points . ]

[Reconstructing the list of the Hall of Fame . . . Complete . The structure has been fixed in the form of a ‘gallery’, according to the user’s recognition structure . There are three frames registered by User . ]

[Connecting to the Hall of Fame . ]

Theodore felt his consciousness being sucked away as always . Behind his eyelids, his spirit was being drawn into the hole on his left palm . The connection with his five senses faded, and the distinction between reality and his consciousness blurred . He was sucked into the vortex of irresistible attraction―

. . . Or he should have been .

‘Uh, aren’t I enduring well?’

Unlike before, Theodore remained conscious .

‘Is it because I reached the 8th circle? If I go this way, I can enter Gluttony . . . ’

Not long after that, Theodore clenched his teeth and prepared for the dizziness .  Then his consciousness was sucked into Gluttony’s vortex .

Kiiiing-! There was a sharp noise ringing in the mental world, where there was no concept of sound .  Simultaneously, a wave of dizziness came over him . Theodore was stunned, dizzy, and then nauseous .  Even so, he patiently endured it for a few minutes . Finally, the dizziness stopped . Theodore opened his tightly closed eyes and looked around .

[Ah . . . !]

Then he became thrilled .

[Is this the universe inside of Gluttony?]

There was a sea of endless darkness filled with shiny beads of light like the stars in the night sky .  It was a huge and desolate universe .  These were the words of old scholars: The sky, the earth, and the universe were wide and rough . If the study of magic touched the world, then the universe was waiting at the final destination .  

Theodore refuse to imagine the end of the world that was infinitely expanding even now . It was a spectacular universe inside the grimoire, Gluttony of the Seven Sins .

-Hoh, you didn’t lose consciousness .  Gluttony recognized him .  -If you look at it every day, you’ll get no inspiration . But the first impression is the same for any user .  Civilization as well .  Once you observe it, you have no choice but to pursue it . Regardless of whether it is magic or science, there is nothing in history that hasn’t challenged the universe .  User, Theodore Miller, are you the same as the prophets?

[ . . . I am a bit ashamed, but I can’t deny it . ]

Theodore’s heart was beating rapidly . He’d thought that pursuing a dream was purely a privilege of childhood, but now a new fire was burning in Theodore’s heart .  A magician with eight circles could destroy a kingdom . However, even they weren’t qualified to leave this earth and challenge the universe . Only a person who had become a true transcendent by completing nine circles, the circles beyond the frame of life, could qualify .

‘Per ardua ad astra (Through adversity to the stars),’ Theodore recalled an old saying he’d heard somewhere and clenched his fists .

-Here we are .

At that moment, gravity returned to Theodore’s body .

“Wah!” Theodore stumbled a few steps due to the sudden change and opened his eyes after barely regaining his balance .  “ . . . This place . ”

In a simple word, it was a corridor . A gentle light shone from the lamps on the wall, and the passage was a straight path . There was a red carpet at his feet as he took careful steps . It was a landscape that could be present in a royal palace, but Theodore found a strange point .

Countless portraits hung along the corridor at regular intervals .

“Simon Magus . . . Georg Faust . . . Aleister Crowley . . . ?”

There were nameplates at the bottom of the portraits lined up on the left and right . Even if he knew the history of the Age of Mythology, the great people who played active roles in that era were unknown . Theodore only knew about Surtr, the owner of Laevateinn and Paracelsus .

-You can touch it if you want .

Theodore reached out a finger according to Gluttony’s words .

[Would you like to open Aleister Crowley? 48,316 points will be consumed to awaken this soul . ]

“4-48,000?” Theodore panicked at the absurd number and let go, causing the message to disappear without a trace . If he thought about a grimoire that was worth 70,000 points, this was a truly ridiculous cost .

Then Gluttony chuckled and said, -I’m sorry, but this is just at an ordinary level, User .  Simon Magus next to him requires 150,000 points to wake up .

“What? What type of magician is he?”

-He was the peak of gnosticism .  He died in the challenge of the 10th circle, but his capabilities are considered within the top three inside this Hall of Fame .

Theodore gulped involuntarily . He didn’t know who Simon Magus was, but Gluttony placed him within the top three despite having collected magicians for thousands of years? A monster that had reached the peak even during the Age of Mythology, where there were 100 grandmasters . . .  He wasn’t something that could be easily awakened with achievement points .

“Eh?” At that moment, there were some portraits that caught Theodore’s eyes . “ . . . Why are these portraits shining?”

The portrait before him wasn’t reflecting the light . Rather, the frame itself was actually emitting light . Moreover, it wasn't just one . Theodore looked carefully at the contents of the portraits and staggered back . It wasn’t because he discovered an unfamiliar face . On the contrary, it was because familiar faces welcomed him .

Gluttony confirmed Theodore’s thoughts, -It is as you are thinking .  These portraits are the souls personally collected by User .  

From left to right, they were Heathcliff, Abe no Seimei, and Paracelsus . They were magicians worthy of being in the Hall of Fame .

“The authors of the books I ate are here . . . ” Theodore looked at the three portraits with a strange sentiment .

Meanwhile, Gluttony continued, -They don’t need to be opened up separately, and it doesn’t cost a big price to talk to them .  It is also possible to get their help easier than other souls if you use achievement points .

“Their help . . . For example?”

-The lingering attachments left by great magicians like them are usually hard to solve .  Furthermore, in the case of a unique ability, it is often impossible to learn even after completing Transmission .  It is like Paracelsus’ Discerning Eye, that is innate to him, or Heathcliff’s Prophecy .

Theodore nodded . Their unique abilities were extraordinary and powerful . If he could borrow these abilities at will, it would be worth spending the achievement points .

‘Ah, that reminds me . ’ Theodore looked at the portraits and remembered the past . ‘When you have reached the boundary of a mortal, go once again to the world tree . . . Should I ask Paracelsus about that?’

Having gone from the 7th circle to the 8th circle, there was only one wall left to transcend . So, Theodore probably met the criteria now . He looked at Paracelsus’ portrait .  Paracelsus was a dignified and elegant magician with a white beard .  However, there was an unquenchable curiosity and playfulness in his eyes .

‘ . . . No, it would be hard to hear a proper answer . ’ Theodore’s intuition spoke to him .  The hint that the old man gave Theodore previously was the only thing he would hear, so it wasn’t worth wasting achievement points .  Thus, Theodore stood in front of a different portrait and reached out a hand .

-User, will you receive his help?

“Yes, please . ”

- . . . I don’t understand your intentions, but okay .  I will approve the request and call the soul .

At the same time, several notification messages popped up .

[Heathcliff’s soul has been called . ]

[It is a soul directly collected by the user . A conversation with the soul won’t consume any achievement points . ]

The left hanging portrait shone, and the shadow of a man walked out .  He was a middle-aged bearded man in white robes . It was the former master of the white tower and writer of the Book of Clouds, Heathcliff .

“Ah, you called me . ” He saw Theodore in front of him and his eyes widened . “ . . . What? You’ve already reached the 8th circle? It isn’t uncommon to be surpassed by juniors, but I never had that experience . I didn’t know I would fall behind first . ”

“I-I’m sorry?”

“Don’t worry . My stomach is just slightly sick,” Heathcliff started the conversation with a silly joke before nodding calmly . “So? Why have you called me, Junior? You hardly need my help now with your skills . ”

“If only that was the case . ” Theodore had a purpose for calling Heathcliff . “I would like to request for Senior’s specialty . ”

“Hrmm, my specialty?”

“Yes . ” Theodore took a deep breath and confronted Heathcliff’s hazy eyes . “Please read the mysteries known only to heaven for me . ”