Book Eater

Chapter 93: Leap in Sensitivity (3)

“Ah, the kid’s reaction was too extreme,” Veronica sighed in relief as Theo was trembling with giddiness.

They had anticipated some side effects, but Theo’s reaction was much worse than they had expected. There was a chance that he might’ve really suffocated to death. Even the Yellow Tower Master who had created the remedy hadn’t expected the situation to unfold the way it had.

He stared at the empty box and muttered.

[Strange. That much reaction should only happen for someone whose sensitivity was near rock bottom… but a person who climbed to the 5th Circle before the age of twenty shouldn’t be like that... Is it still that unstable? I should review my notes.]

It was the right answer, but the Yellow Tower Master didn’t realize that it was right. The young hero of the Meltor Kingdom, who was already talked about as a candidate for becoming a master magician, truly had rock bottom sensitivity. In the end, the Yellow Tower Master would carry out months of research for no reason.

“Kid, are you okay now?” Veronica reached through the remaining lightning around Theo and grabbed his shoulder.

Theodore flinched for an instant. He could feel the heat even more intensely. Like mana, it wasn’t real, but it was intense enough for him to confuse it as a real tactile sense. He could still feel warmth on his neck.

“Thank you for your help, Tower Master.”

“It isn’t a big deal.”

He still felt like he was walking through mud, but Theo thanked Veronica for her help. Her presence had awoken his senses so that he could endure the crushing mana pressure. In some sense, Veronica was the most appropriate helper.

As Theo’s complexion returned to normal, Veronica advised, “You should be a little cautious with magic for a little bit. Your sensitivity is now greatly increased, so the speed and power of your magic power will increase greatly. However, your ability to control it will be a mess. There may be a catastrophe if you use area of effect spells.”

“... Certainly.”

Theo just needed to glance up to see the truth of her words. He hadn’t expected Lightning Bolt to multiply in power and almost reach the 3rd Circle in power. Veronica had been unaffected, but if it had hit ordinary people, then they’d die.

It felt like he had just been given wings. It would be difficult for Theo to deal with his newfound sensitivity quickly. So, he paid careful attention to Veronica’s next words.

“If your magic so far has been forcing bottled water into a cup, from now on you will have to control the water level by opening and closing a sluice gate. You’ll need a lot of concentration.”

Theo murmured, “I can’t just excel in sensitivity.”

Veronica scoffed, “Of course. Sensitivity or magic power is like a weapon, so it depends on the user’s skills. A fool who is good at sensitivity only appears a few times in one generation.”

Veronica could only laugh at those lazy fools who relied on their talent and didn’t understand the rigors of magic. They would never realize why it took them years or decades to cross a wall in their path. The vast majority of them became frustrated and were stopped by the first wall they encountered, while their moderately talented comrades stepped past them to become greater magicians.

Talent might come from the sky, but the spirit was tempered by hardships. Five years of being shackled by his lack of talent had forged Theodore Miller’s spirit into steel. It had supported his exceptional growth rate once Gluttony had awoken. He had worked hard and expanded his capacity beyond his limits.

Veronica finished, “If you jump over the wall of the 7th Circle and become a master, you will reach the limits of sensitivity. So, don’t indulge in your senses and continue doing what you’ve been doing so far. This concludes Sister Veronica’s advice. How is it, isn’t it helpful?”

“Yes, very much so.” Theo gazed at her with heartfelt gratitude.

Veronica’s advice was worth a thousand gold. In this age, there were only two people who had reached the 8th Circle, so one thousand gold for her advice was really cheap. However, Veronica couldn’t meet Theo’s sincere eyes. If it had been anyone else, they would’ve laughed.

Instead, the mood was ruined by the Yellow Tower Master’s voice coming from the troll’s head,

[Don’t turn your head away, lizard girl. Why are you acting like this toward a much younger child?]

Veronica’s temper rose. “Ugh, I’ll deal with you later.”

She shook her head as she handed the head over to Theo because she wanted the Yellow Tower Master to stop joking. Of course, she would beat him up later, but that unfortunate future was delayed.

The troll’s head looked at Theo.

[Hrmm... a truly interesting guy. Additionally, I can smell an enormous elemental from you. I thought the Red Tower Master was being an alarmist when she said you would be the next great magician.]

Theo didn’t know what to say. “Ah, thank you...?”

[I just judged you objectively. Congratulations for being the first subject... no, beneficiary of my remedy. I will remember your name.]

Then he said a few words that only Theo could hear.

[I won’t see you for a while, but we will meet again someday. Theodore Miller, when that time comes, we will discuss your hidden secrets.]

Theo glanced sharply down.

[Then, it ends here.]

As Theo started to open his mouth, the troll’s head turned into dust. Theodore eyed the dust in his hand, but it didn’t change into something else. In any case, the Yellow Tower Master seemed to have reached a high level.

No, maybe he’s stepped beyond the 7th Circle.

The existence of the Yellow Tower Master was one of Meltor’s biggest secrets. In fact, it was enough to say that he had the abilities of a magician which exceeded the 7th Circle.

Theo dusted his hands. He wouldn’t be able to take any countermeasures to anything the Yellow Tower Master did, so it was ridiculous to grow anxious over it. Indeed, it was a judgment made by an efficient mind.

But the voice he heard then was surprising.

- User, be careful of that person called the Yellow Tower Master.

Gluttony had woken up for a brief moment. Before Theo could ask for the reason, Gluttony continued speaking.

- The remedy that User ingested... the entity that made it is likely the descendant of an ancient species or the owner of another grimoire.

How do you know?

- The alchemy methodologies and techniques used in that remedy were common more than two thousand years ago. Only a few grimoires would be able to not only obtain that information but also adapt it to modern pharmacology. But I can’t confirm which one yet.

A grimoire’s master.

Theodore's face stiffened at the reminder of the devastation Death’s Worship has caused. The grimoire had formed a legion of undead under an Elder Lich in just a few months. However, Theo soon regained his composure.

The owner of a grimoire... Does that mean the Yellow Tower Master isn’t corrupted by the grimoire?

- If he actually is a grimoire owner, that is correct. Rather, he is taking full advantage of its features.

Indeed.

Unlike the time with the Elder Lich, it was unlikely that Theo would be attacked by the Yellow Tower Master. If the Yellow Tower Master had been such a person in the first place, he wouldn’t have contributed to the prosperity of Meltor for hundreds of years. At the same time, there was also no reason for Theo to boast about his secret. He didn’t have enough information to make an accurate judgment.

The magic kingdom, Meltor truly had many secrets hidden at its heart. The masked White Tower Master and the mysterious Yellow Tower Master were only the tip of the iceberg. While Theo may someday uncover them all, today was not that day.

“... I’ll see you again someday,” he repeated the Yellow Tower Master’s words.

There were many things he couldn’t imagine about Meltor. He shouldn’t rashly start digging around. He needed to confront his own challenges.

First, I need to fix this.

Theo’s eyes shone as he felt the mana pressure prickling at his skin. The talent he had been longing for was right in front of his eyes.

***

Theo’s routine changed a bit. He had already learned 5th Circle spells after half a year of effort. They varied in proficiency, but he knew them well enough to cast them. All that was left was to accumulate experience from practice. However, his intended training hit a snag.

Kwarurung!?

The fire spell exploded against the practice room’s barrier with a fearsome rumble. It resembled the 5th Circle attack spell, Fire Blast; a powerful ranged spell that would burn dozens of meters around a single point. Only Superiors of the Red Magic Tower could use it properly.

However, Theo’s face didn’t brighten.

“... This... Blaze Shell.”

The magic formula and timing of the spell were perfect. However, the result was different from what he had intended. A 4th Circle spell turned spontaneously into a 5th Circle spell? It was a mistake a rookie just learning magic would make. Theo sighed as he looked down at his palms and then the messy practice room. He didn’t know how many times he had failed already.

I know why I failed. The reason is…

The mana had flowed too quickly, so he had overdrawn the amount of mana needed for the spell. The mana had also responded more strongly to his emotions to burn faster and more intensely. His newfound sensitivity was battling against the experience he had accumulated thus far in casting.

It was rather difficult to correct habitual errors that he himself had cemented in place through effort. Theo hadn’t been born with abundant sensitivity, so he couldn’t help finding this abundance annoying. More mana than necessary responded to his call, then the spell was overwhelmed by the mana which hadn’t been called.

I need to learn the tricks.

It didn’t take long for Theodore to realize what the solution should be. However, he had limited people to seek advice from. His sensitivity was only rivaled by masters, but the Tower Masters and Magic Society’s president couldn’t become Theo’s tutors. Veronica gave him a few tips occasionally, but the senses of a quarter dragon were very different from that of ordinary humans.

In the end, the candidates were narrowed down to one person. One of Theo’s peers, someone who had been preternaturally sensitive since birth and studied magic in a blessed environment. She was a genius who was only a whit inferior to Theodore but had obtained her own merits to be promoted to a Superior next quarter.

“Please take care of me!” Sylvia Adruncus spoke to him shyly.