Book Eater

Chapter 13 - Here Comes the Mutiny (1)

The two months of winter vacation were coming to an end. The students gradually began to return, while the professors hurried through the last of their class preparation. The cold and empty campus soon regained its usual warmth and bustle. However, the wind was still chilly, so there weren't many people outside.

Still, one student seemed to ignore the weather as he ran laps on the campus grounds.

"Pant...! Pant...!"

Theo huffed as his legs propelled him through his 32nd lap. When he first started exercising, he couldn't even do ten laps and vomited on the first day. But he stuck to it, and used the knowledge he had to exercise properly. His body, which he had trained systematically for two months, was gradually becoming more manly.

With this... Forty!

As soon as he completed his 45th lap, Theo dropped to the ground. Theo had read about a basic strengthening method used by northern knights that involved placing his palm against the floor and pushing up and down. As his arms trembled, Theo started to remember why he had started exercising. The trigger had been Alfred's memories.

- If magic is the arrow, then the magician is the bow. A magician needs to hone both their magic and their body.

In fact, he remembered that Alfred Bellontes had been as fit as a knight. In particular, the arm which shot the Magic Missile had been as thick as a log. It was clear that physical training was necessary to withstand the recoil and release of magic.

So Theodore had added exercise to his routine. He didn't miss a day of running every morning as he steadily conditioned his muscles. Although his body was fatigued and screaming with pain, Theo didn't give in. Rather, he doubled his usual food intake and immersed himself in training.

"One...Ninety, Two...Hundred!"

Theo collapsed after fulfilling his quota. Despite the fact that his forearms had thickened over the last two months of exercise, it was difficult to increase the amount he did everyday. He could only sustain this level of training because a magician's body recovered faster than an average person. A knight who refined mana could recover much faster, but Theo was satisfied if he could just get out of bed the next day without struggling.

Uhh, this is why studying is the easiest part.

It would be hard to find someone who agreed with him, but Theo was sincere in his own way. After all, his memory had always been good. His clothes were sticky with sweat, and his limbs felt like rubber, but he felt the same sense of accomplishment that he felt from studying magic. It was enough to allow him to endure one more day.

The fact that his body seemed to change every day when he looked in the mirror was a big motivation for Theo.

... Get up.

The winter wind was quickly cooling his body, and Theo didn't want to catch a cold. He got up and brushed off the dirt on his hands. Ordinary people would need to go to the bath, but Theo was different.

"Clean."

A simple spell stripped the dirt from his body in moments. Most students didn't use the spell since they were used to a higher standard of living, but Theo appreciated the practicality of the spell. As magic power gently wove across his body, he felt cleaner than before.

Is this the 3rd Circle? I feel cleaner than the last time I used it...

He wasn't mistaken. All spells required magic power to maximize its performance. A 1st Circle spell could be made more efficient by inserting more magic power. Therefore, the difference between a 2nd Circle and 3rd Circle magician was obvious. Theo's 3rd Circle made him a qualitatively different magician than his former 2nd Circle self.