Book Eater

Chapter 3 - The Greedy Grimoire (3)

What? There was no time for doubts. As soon as the unknown voice cut out, waves of knowledge entered Theodore Miller's brain. The amount of information couldn't be controlled by the human's five senses. A few years of experience filled his head all at once.

Simultaneously, Theo had a hunch that he could now use 'Lightning Bolt' fully. Theo hadn't learned mere knowledge; he had received the wisdom of the author of the book, [Lightning Magic Primer].

"...Lightning Bolt."

He chanted the spell unconsciously. It was a spell which had failed just a few minutes ago, yet the results were quite different this time.

Rumble!

Blue lightning shot out the open window. The image Theo had visualized in his head was a complete success. The leaves struck by the lightning bolt were charred black. If the lightning bolt had hit a living creature, then it absolutely wouldn't have been safe.

Success.

It was a spell he had failed to execute several hundred times. Theo had frequently failed to cast spells of even the basic elements. Lightning attribute magic was considered to have the highest difficulty, so it was bound to be even harder for him.

As he stared at the static electricity flickering between his fingers, Theo couldn't feel anything but happiness. Had he really succeeded in casting Lightning Bolt?

This isn't a hallucination...!

He folded his fingers which were trembling from the shock and felt the sweat on his palms. Theo realized this was the turning point of his life. He was a magician lacking in sensitivity and magic power, but this was his chance to break past the impossible and reach the 3rd Circle!

Okay, let's start over from the beginning.

Theo sobered up. The strange phenomenon had wiped away his depression and provided a ray of hope. At this moment, his thinking abilities returned to normal. His brain, which even first-class magicians had acknowledged, began analyzing the situation at high speed.

Everything had started when he found an unidentified book. He'd felt a creepy sensation on his left hand when he tried to pick up the book, and the book disappeared somewhere. Then, somehow, a strange tongue had sprouted from the palm of his left hand. The tongue had grabbed and swallowed the book, [Lightning Magic Primer] on the floor, and Theo had learned Lightning Bolt.

... No, just before that, he had heard a voice. Theo recalled the words the voice had said.

[Lightning Magic Primer has been consumed. Your comprehension is very high.]

[2nd Circle spell Lightning Bolt has been acquired.]

[After waking up from a long sleep, Gluttony is very hungry. Hurry and relieve Gluttony's hunger. The time limit is 10 minutes from now. (1/5)]

The first two sentences weren't important. Swallowing the book and learning Lightning Bolt was a secondary thing.

As Theo remembered the last sentence, he involuntarily mumbled, "...Gluttony?"

Unexpectedly, there was an immediate reaction.

Schwoop.

A hole appeared in his left hand, and a red tongue emerged. The hole didn't just have teeth, there were lips as well. Theo observed the scene closely instead of being astonished or frightened. He was filled with expectations about whether the tongue could talk or not.

However, the answer came from a place he hadn't expected.

[Severe hunger. If you want to talk to 'Gluttony', relieve its hunger. Feed it four more times to relieve its hunger. The remaining time is six minutes and twenty-four seconds.]