A week has passed since then.
"If you place the ingredients in a triangle drawn in the center of this magical circle and pour magical power there..."
I sat in an absolutely empty auditorium and took my second exam of the day. Seven days, fourteen subjects, twelve theoretical exams, and two practical ones. All to graduate from the academy for a student who failed the first year three times... A completely exceptional situation.
And if any other student were in my place, firstly, they would have long given up the idea of becoming a mage, and secondly, they would hardly have been able to pass exams that encompassed all magical theory, military strategy, and combat training for four years of study.
Although, to be honest, I also encountered difficulties on one of the practical exams. I barely passed the threshold for the "Magic Activation Speed" discipline.
Well, in everything else, I simply shone! It's not for nothing that I had to spend all four years of study in the library. Thus, instead of spending energy on long, meticulous contemplation of each question, I again scrolled through in my memory the list of books that I could devour.
Zelretch and I had established a relationship of trust, but there had been no significant changes in my daily routine yet. As a student, I still lived in the academy and satisfied my hunger for knowledge with library books. But now I didn't have to worry about the consequences.
However, I still faced the problem of transitioning to the 4th Circle. I needed to absorb a large amount of magical artifacts or reagents. Of course, I could wait and ascend to the 4th Circle through passive accumulation of magical power... but it's a shame that the rate of accumulation depends on the Mage's Sensitivity, which is still below average for me. So yes, magical artifacts and reagents are everything to me!
Besides, passively growing the maximum amount of magical power on one's own Circle is much easier than breaking through to the next level in the same way.
This was the so-called wall - a barrier between the Circles that could only be overcome through one's own research, enlightenment, or simply by consuming a huge amount of magical power. The consumption method is used in lower Circles, up to about the fourth, and beyond that, it becomes increasingly difficult to overcome the "wall". To the point where magi devote their lives to research, experimentation, or the search for enlightenment. Some even go insane on this path, which can last a lifetime. At such times, one has to rely equally on talent and luck.
And that's why only a handful of magi have reached the 6th Circle. And those who have broken the shackles of that Circle can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
However, these were not all of the urgent news. I looked again at the visualized information in my head.
[The Grimoire of Gluttony.]
[Rank: E]
[Effects:
Proximity to the elements increases by 15
Magical sensitivity increases by 50
Increases magical power]
[One of the seals that restrains the power of Gluttony has been removed]
[From this point on, Gluttony can store spells for future use. Depending on the amount of magical power, this ability can be expanded.]
[The previous owner called this function "Memorize". As the current owner of the grimoire, you can rename it.]
[*The grimoire is in an incomplete state. Most of its functions are sealed]
[*Once a day, it will awaken to satiate its hunger]
[*Immediately after being satiated, it will answer one of your questions]
[*The abilities it absorbs will be passed on to its owner]
[*The grimoire extracts essence from consumed books or objects. The higher the owner's understanding of the book or object, the more effective it will be]
[*It absorbs the magical power of the object in which it is contained]
[*The Memorize function has been activated]
These changes occurred a week ago when Gluttony ate the "The Blue Light of the Great Flame". Thanks to this, the amount of magical power also increased, from about 80% of the 3rd Circle to the possible limit.
One of Gluttony's seals was also lifted, unlocking a new function of the grimoire: the ability to save spells for later use. Similar effects are rarely encountered even in artifacts with higher ratings! My surprise was quite natural because in addition to the rarity of such an "effect," the explanation also states that although only three spells can currently be saved at once, there may be more in the future.
Simple logic suggests that the function is limited to one magical spell per Circle. However, despite this, my current fire power has already increased fourfold, and in the future, I can expect even greater growth.
A magical artifact with only the Memory function would be classified as a Magical Treasure. Let alone the possible Memory potential of Gluttony.
The "The Blue Light of the Great Flame" of the Tyuze family may have earned its reputation among a narrow Circle of combat mages, but it was still a very average artifact. When an artifact reached a higher rank, it usually became something that did not belong to just one person or even a particular family. It was a well-known fact that such an artifact would go straight to the Association of Mages and be classified as a Magical Treasure.
Nevertheless, I acquired this ability simply by feeding Gluttony. And yet, only one seal was removed from her, and I am incredibly curious about what other functions will be unlocked in the future.
Although it turned out that certain interactions with the grimoire have very obvious consequences. Which, in principle, always happens when you choose a shortcut. I thought, remembering the conversation with Gluttony from a week ago.
◊◊◊
This happened right after I returned to the dormitory. After visiting the White Tower and meeting with Zelretch, I began to ponder what was happening to me at all. Having gained power that I never dreamed of throughout my entire life, I changed. Of course, Ryan Romano is still the same determined guy who dreams of becoming an "Archmage," but at the same time, I really began to resemble Emmanuel Lazare Touze.
My situation was described very well by Nietzsche: "It was," Memory said. "It couldn't have been," Pride said. And Memory gave up.
Therefore, in order not to turn into a young master of some sect, I made two decisions: first, to follow Zelretch's advice and broaden my horizons, and second, to ask something to Gluttony.
I need a much more specific advice than what Zelretch gave me. And at this point in my life, the only person who can give it to me is Gluttony. So I eagerly awaited the moment of awakening of my hungry friend.
"...F-food. Feed me," the hungry Gluttony finally opened its mouth.
[The grimoire awakened from its slumber and complains of an empty stomach]
[Regular meals reduced its hunger]
[There are more opportunities for choosing dishes]
[Glattony will answer one question after consuming one book, or will fall asleep immediately after eating two books.]
[Remaining time: 1 hour]
After listening to the instructions, my face changed slightly. After eating the "The Blue Light of the Great Flame" and achieving E rank, Gluttony's hunger had decreased even more. Perhaps this change in the secret ration mode was positive, but overall it didn't change much.
Although if this continues, when the next seal is removed, Gluttony may start waking up every few days, or even declare that it will only feed on rare class books from now on.
A mage must always calculate all probabilities to achieve the best results. That's why I was already planning which books to give Gluttony to eat.
But today I need to focus on solving more urgent problems.
"Get out. Food is served."
After these words, my tongue reached for the book lying on the blanket.
[You devoured "Basics of Racial Magic"]
[There are different schools and systems of magic that differ in both capabilities and methods of use. However, there is a general division of magic that consists of endowing each race with its own magical system.]
[In this book, you will learn about the Magic of different races, their connection to the culture of the people, the elemental basis, and the basics of creating "spells".]
[Your understanding of this book is very high]
[Book class: ordinary]
[Your understanding of the peculiarities of Magic of different races and your ability to sense the use of Non-Human Magic has increased]
"Ryan Romano, what do you want to know?" - This time Gluttony's voice was much clearer and more coherent.
"You've changed. It's such an influence of the removed seal! How interesting," I muttered, staring at the tongue sticking out of my palm.
"Is this a question the user wants to ask?" - Somehow, I understood that Gluttony was grinning at that moment.
"Don't even think about it," I smiled back. Communicating with such Gluttony was much more interesting. "Although it's nice to realize that you've become much more... alive."
"...I haven't been called alive in a long time," the tongue answered, swaying smoothly from side to side. "However, I still need to sleep, user. So please don't waste such precious time."
"I thought we had become closer to each other," I continued, looking at the tongue sticking out of my palm. "Although we can't get any closer..."
"...," Gluttony decided to ignore such remarks.
"Okay. Here's my question: what are the consequences of consuming original books?"
"...," Gluttony paused for a moment.
I was already used to her behavior, so I just waited.
From my observations and scraps of information provided by Gluttony herself, I concluded that at such moments she 'translates' the information she has into a language understandable to humans... Sometimes I completely forget that I have an absolutely unknown grotesque creature living in my hand.
"First, I will give the user a simple example. If you pour paint into a bowl of water, what will happen?"
"They will mix," I felt like a grade-schooler.
Damn it! I'm a magician and I can explain things in a more complex language, but it's more informative!
"Essentially the same thing happens during Synchronization. The author's soul merges with the user's soul," Gluttony continued after a short pause. "This can be called unfortunate. Being a 1st Circle mage, the user absorbed the original book of a 7th Circle mage."
"How could I pour a can of paint into my water glass?" I stared at my palm questioningly.
"The original books contain only a residue of the author's soul. Although, as it turned out, even that was enough," Gluttony hissed sarcastically.
"In that case, doesn't this function become largely useless?" I said, frowning. "I've already managed to insult a fairly strong demon because of this... I don't want to become an even bigger jerk."
"The user will change in any case. That's the essence of Synchronization - to live through the experience and absorb the wisdom of the author. Thanks to this, the user becomes stronger in a short period of time and naturally changes as a result. In its essence, it's the same as living through twenty minutes as two years, five years, or ten," Gluttony continued, making a small pause. "For example, thanks to this, you've become more level-headed, pragmatic, and ruthless than many of your peers. And with all the knowledge and experience that the user has absorbed, they have transformed from a regular academy student into an experienced combat mage."
"So, stop, I'm not against such changes at all. As long as I remain true to myself in my essence, I am ready to change in order to survive in this world, but I was asking about something else. About how in moments of great stress, I behave damn stupid and arrogant."
"What about my impulsiveness?" I asked Gluttony.
"That's a different question, user," Gluttony replied, sounding somewhat sleepy. "Listen to old vampire... It will save your life... And don't behave like a child..."
Immediately after that, mouth on my palm closed, and a large amount of information flowed into my head. There was so much of it that my vision darkened... And yet, I am already a 3rd Circle mage.
The soul... I never seriously thought about its importance. But as it turned out, this is the most important thing that any mage should pay attention to. It is a higher-dimensional energy body that serves as a means of transmitting, analyzing, and structuring information. That is why the presence of Gluttony, the use of Synchronization, or, for example, the Sacred Gear will "strain" the soul, as all this is a large volume of external information that affects it in various ways.
So that's what Zelretch was talking about! I have to challenge myself. Not just to grow as a mage, but as a person, exploring the world around me. And all for the "expansion" of my soul.
In this case, I will have to forget about the daily routine of a mage and instead explore the wide world, encountering new people and events. I need, so to speak, to return to the state of life that I had throughout my training at the academy - the struggle for survival.
"Ad paradisum via inferni - The road to paradise begins in hell... How painful it will be to break myself spiritually too!"
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A bit of post-chapter coddling:
More than five chapters are available here: https://www.patreon.com/watson_