"Could it be... that Grimoires can expire?"
A bizarre thought popped into Kael's mind, and he reflexively checked for manufacturing and expiration dates. Only after the second book crumbled to dust did he realize the gravity of the situation.
This emergency storage had been sealed for hundreds of years, with several generations of guardians coming and going. Ordinary books had long since succumbed to the erosion of time, turning to historical dust.
"Holy crap! Did I arrive several hundred years too late?"
The skeptical Kael quickly noticed something unusual. Not all the magical tools around were antiques — there were quite a few new additions, indicating that Fels would occasionally store unused items here and even consign them to the shop owner for sale!
In the story, this place was mentioned multiple times as having an invaluable Grimoire for sale, though few could afford it.
"Given how Fels had the nerve to feed thirteen Grimoires worth 6.5 billion to that perverted fox (Loki), they clearly don't lack resources in this department!" Kael flipped through the books one by one, hoping to find one written in recent years that hadn't yet been corroded by time.
In other words... something basic!
As the number of books in the cardboard box decreased, near the bottom, a book titled "A Beginner's Guide to Magical Construction" caught his attention in a completely different way.
"Magic is divided into innate magic and acquired magic. Innate magic comes from one's race, while acquired magic comes from divine blessing..."
Turn the page...
"Acquired magic is interest, it is personal reality. Maintaining interest in something, generating recognition, hatred, admiration, lamentation, worship, vows, desire. The trigger lies within oneself, revealed under divine blessing."
Turn the page...
As he absorbed the straightforward magical theory, drowsiness gradually crept into his mind.
"Finally... it worked!" Kael's lips curved slightly upward as he collapsed to the ground, sinking into an ocean of text.
❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈
In a pale world, a picture materialized — a face drawn in ink.
Turn the page.
"That's me... my ordinary past self who once dominated the industry, my present self struggling to survive... another version of me."
Turn the page.
The face transformed into chaos, merging past and present lives into a single, brand new individual.
"Well then, let's begin."
"My" voice echoed in his ears.
"What is Magic to me?"
Magic is miracle, the unknown — an anomaly that even Gods cannot fathom.
"What is Magic for me?"
It's the cornerstone of all ambitions! The power beyond human means. A cheat code, a miracle to help me survive, live freely, and change my fate.
Turn the page.
"What kind of thing is magic to me?"
Thing? Magic has no concrete form.
If anything, magic is miracle. And if miracle had a color, it would definitely be orange!
"What do you seek from magic?"
"The unknown of the lower realm!"
A miracle is truly miraculous because it defies prediction and understanding. It is pure chaos — the birth of worlds, the branching of parallel universes, the manifestation of souls, the deepest secrets, the twisting of time itself.
"Aren't you being too greedy?"
Can't help it, this is who (you) I am. Tell me — shouldn't those who cross between worlds be a little arrogant?
The blurry face broke into a haughty smile:
"Indeed! Human dreams never end!"
Then, Kael lost consciousness.
❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈
In endless chaos, Kael merged the memories of his past and present lives completely. After what seemed like an eternity, he slowly came to.
"This is bad — what time is it?"
In the sealed chamber, he had no way to track time, but based on typical magical awakening procedures, he must have slept through the night!
"I need to leave before Fels notices something's wrong!"
Unsure of any connection between Leona and that skeleton, he had to retreat quickly. His original plan to take the Grimoire and test items in a safe place would have to change.
With no time to waste, Kael grabbed the most notable artifact from the shelves — the Reverse Veil.
It was the most commonly used item across all plot lines, with effects matching the "Hades Head" made by Asfi that rendered its wearer transparent. Unlike the helmet's forced invisibility, this garment could be activated by wearing it either normally or in reverse.
Of course, taking a few items wouldn't slow his retreat, so he snatched several "unknown" magical artifacts that might prove useful before pushing open the chamber door.
Leona still sat at the counter, but compared to last night's gloom, the bright sunlight streaming into the somber witch's house had cleared away some of its mustiness.
Seeing Kael emerge, she asked kindly, "Well, did you find your answer?"
"Mm... I have some ideas."
Leona approached the chamber entrance and surveyed the items inside. She noted that while the ancient Grimoires had vanished, few other items were missing.
She locked the door.
"Is this enough?"
"Yes."
"That's good. If you need any other help, just let me know. I still have some influence in Orario." She clasped her hands behind her back, her smile beneath her hooked nose appearing both strange and kindly.
Kael hesitated for a moment, "Actually, there is one small matter — do you have any 'Status Snitch'?"
{T/N: Works like a remote update of the Falna.}
"Status Snitch? Have you awakened some Magic? For that kind of thing, you just need to find a deity..."
"Deities can't be trusted." Kael interrupted.
Understanding crept across the old woman's face, "True enough. I do have that sort of thing, though it's considered contraband and normally isn't for sale."
Just as expected.
Kael's eyes flickered. In Orario, any artifacts worth mentioning were mostly the work of Fels, the "Sage", and right now Asfi Al Andromeda, "Perseus", had just emerged — not yet time to split this territory.
Shortly after, Kael clutched a piece of parchment, donned the Reverse Veil, and vanished from the entrance of the Witch's House.
The parchment was covered in transcribed holy text.
╔══════════════════════════╗
║ Kael Kane
║ Level: 1
╠══════════════════════════╣
║ Strength: I 78 → H 129
║ Endurance: H 157 → F 377
║ Dexterity: I 97 → H 101
║ Agility: I 66 → I 84
║ Magic: I 0 → I 0
╠══════════════════════════╣
║ Magic:
║ [Miracles Ring]
║ • Summoning magic
║ • Can use all types of magic
║ • Usage conditions randomly generated
║ • Consumes mental energy based on spell
║ • Adds fixed development attribute "Luck E"
║
║ Incantation: None (Any)
╠══════════════════════════╣
║ Skills:
║ [Working Like a Dog]
║ [Goes Where He Pleases]
║
║ [Second Dimension Pandora]
╚══════════════════════════╝