Book Eater

“Brother! You should’ve sent a message if you came. Why sneak around so much? I, Baek Dongil, almost made a big mistake because I was clueless.”

Baek Dongil stopped himself as he was about to say something earlier and felt relieved. To him, Theodore was his inseparable benefactor. He was the sky who led Baek Dongil to his current life.

He was born into a martial arts family but he couldn’t master martial arts. He had been nothing more than a useless member of the Baek Family.

But when he met Theodore, his life changed 180 degrees.

Yet he didn’t even recognize his benefactor and was almost rude?

There was almost a dark moment in history that could never occur again in Baek Dongil’s life.

“I’m sorry, but please understand. It isn’t me who is the hero of the day. It is the kids.”

“Ah!”

Baek Dongil blushed as he belatedly grasped the situation. What was the reason for coming all the way here? It was to watch Theodore’s two children in the finals of the Pupil Tournament.

However, if Theodore showed himself, then people were more likely to pay attention to him than this final.

No, that would definitely be the case.

“...I was too short-sighted, Brother.” 𝑏𝑒𝘥𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑒𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Theodore smiled at the words and shook his head.

“Raise your head, I am the foolish one. It isn’t that your attitude is wrong. Don’t you think so, Master?”

“Huh, I’m glad you are aware of it.”

Vince pursed his lips in a teasing manner. He knew everything. Theodore’s love for his family was so extreme that sometimes Vince, who had no relatives, was envious.

Thinking this way, the match today was quite ironic.

Since it was a match between his two children, it seemed it would be difficult to support either side.

He said, “Your feelings must be quite complicated.”

“Yes.”

Theodore didn’t deny it.

“I will be proud of whoever wins and will feel sad for whoever loses. Regardless of the result, I just hope it will be a good experience.”

There was no correct answer.

Vince and Baek Dongil nodded without saying much. They had no experience with parenthood and had nothing more to say.

Soon, the stands were full and the entrances closed.

The finals of the Pupil Tournament were about to begin.

“Hey, Theo.”

Vince, who had been quietly waiting for the start, suddenly spoke.

“You do know which of the two children will prevail, right?”

“Umm...”

Theodore’s brow furrowed at these words. He was a magician before he was a father, so he had to know.

Verus had reached the 4th circle at the age of just 15, but Adellia was two years older and was a magician of the 5th circle. Her achievements were reminiscent of Sylvia when she was younger. Perhaps it was out of admiration for her great father that drove her to improve day by day.

Adellia’s capabilities as a magician were completely superior.

However, Verus possessed the enormous magic power and physical ability of the dragon from his mother’s lineage. He might be able to make up for the gap of one circle somehow.

Theodore thought about it for a few seconds before pursing his lips.

“The one who will prevail is...”

* * *

[Ladies and gentlemen who came here today! It is nice to see you! I am Superior Emily of the White Tower, the magician who will be the MC of the finals of the Pupil Tournament!]

A young magician stood in the middle of the arena and her voice rang out loudly thanks to voice magic.

She seemed to be the perfect person for such a position as Emily’s voice was high but not sharp. It drew the attention of the listeners. Before they knew it, the roars of the audience had long subsided.

Emily spoke skillfully while leading the mood.

[Finally, the competition has only one match left! Let’s meet the main characters of the finals that will mark the end!]

Emily raised her voice as she pointed with one arm toward the left entrance of the arena. The tightly closed door slowly opened and a boy walked in leisurely.

He had red hair and golden eyes. The color scheme was so impressive that it was obvious whose blood relative he was just by looking.

[The only son of our tower master, Theodore! He is also the son of Veronica, the Red Tower Master who is here with us! A noble person whose name is highly regarded by many girls!]

Verus touched his forehead after hearing the last introduction.

[Verus! Miller!]

The moment his surname was called, the audience in the Pentarium erupted in thunderous cheers.

The supreme ruler of the magic empire and the unparalleled hero of this era.

Theodore Miller’s last name was worth it.

Emily followed the momentum and moved onto the next person.

The door to the right entrance of the stadium opened. She pointed to it and cried out even louder.

[It isn’t over yet! Next up, just like Verus, she is the only daughter of Tower Master Theodore! She is also the daughter of Sylvia, the Blue Tower Master! At just 17 years old, she is challenging the Superior level and is the next candidate to be the Blue Tower Master!]

Adellia stepped through the door and her silver hair that was neatly tied up behind her head fluttered.

She was as beautiful and as intelligent as her mother.

In fact, she didn’t make as much of a splash as Verus, but there were quite a few people who followed her. Emily called out her name just as she arrived at the center of the stage.

[Adellia! Milleeeeer!]

Adellia held the staff she inherited from her mother in one hand and faced Verus at the center of the stage.

The usual atmosphere was full of tension and fighting spirit was overflowing from their bodies. They were ready to start a fight at any time.

Emily read the atmosphere and quickly forgot the comments she had thought about in advance. She hurriedly flew off the stage while shouting.

[Let’s start without all the rhetoric! The Pupil Tournament, the final match is between Verus Miller and Adellia Miller!]

At that moment, the countdown began.

Numbers appeared on the board installed on the ceiling of the stadium.

Starting at 10, the countdown decreased by 1 each time. From the number 5, Emily and the audience spontaneously started counting down in unison.

[5! 4! 3! 2!]

At that moment—

[1!]

The moment the final count rang out, the two combatants moved.

Verus shifted his center of gravity to his left foot as he stepped forward at an angle.

Adellia placed her staff in front of her.

The magic power inside their bodies didn’t move, but they were probably picturing a few seconds into the future in their heads. It was only after they clashed that they would know whose imagination would be right.

It was immediately after that.

[—Start!]

The moment that Verus’ body was about to lean forward, a spear rose from the ground of the stadium. It was a weapon made of clear ice.

Its sharpness couldn’t be resisted even by Verus. He quickly stepped back and spun his body a few times in the air.

Verus had done some somersaults that could occasionally be seen among an acrobatic troupe. His body rotated like flowing water and landed lightly. A surprise attack with perfect timing had missed due to movements made without even a single auxiliary spell!

“Che!”

Nevertheless, the expressions on the faces of the two people were complete opposites.

Adellia was calm despite the failure of the surprise attack while Verus gritted his teeth as the gap between them widened.

This was exactly what Adellia intended with her surprise attack. She wanted that movement without magic.

Verus’ physical ability couldn’t be underestimated by Adellia, so in order to prevent risk factors in a melee fight, she took over the space itself.

“Then let’s get started.”

Adellia pointed her staff with a faint smile on her face.

Kiiiiing!

The number of ice arrows that started floating behind her was more than a hundred. The air instantly became chilly. As if to resist it, an opaque haze covered the area around Verus.

He must’ve raised the magic power of heat that came from his bloodline.

“Fire Wall!”

The moment the three meter high wall of flames soared, a rain of ice arrows poured down.

Chiiiik!

The ice arrows that touched the flames melted in an instant, releasing steam. Unfortunately it wasn’t one but one hundred arrows that rained down. The momentum of the flame wall shook precariously. If it wasn’t for Verus, it would’ve collapsed sooner rather than later.

Verus knew he was inferior and threw out a fist in a hurry.

“Burning Fist!”

The transformation magic of Burning Hands. A huge fire fist appeared and smashed the fading barrier of fire. It was only then that all the ice arrows broke and the chill was dispersed.

He had defended twice against one attack. Verus had experienced many magical battles against his sister and knew what this meant.

‘It’s coming!’

Sure enough, Adellia’s voice came from the other side of the steam.

“Gather, Frozen Orb.”

She wasn’t the type of person who would chant just to cast 4th circle ice magic. The spheres of coldness that appeared were one, two…. As many as three blue magic beads floated above Adellia’s staff.

It was enough to be called 5th circle magic!

“Haaaap!”

It couldn’t be blocked using regular methods.

Verus raised the magic power in his body and concentrated it in one place.

It was an overload of magic power, a shortcut that allowed him, who only had four circles, to gain more magic power than that.

The efficiency was much lower, but if he consumed more than five times the magic power, he could produce more than twice as much destructive power. As if to prove it, a dark red fireball floated above Verus’ hand.

“Blaze Shell!”

The surface wriggled like lava due to his unstable control. These flames would eat their own master if he let go of the reins.

Verus broke out sweating and barely finished aiming.

“Go!”

“Launch.”

It was a heated voice versus a calm voice. Before the two voices could meet, the four magic spheres collided with each other.

An explosion occurred and steam burst out.

The steam that hadn’t evaporated yet hindered combustion. It wet the ground and floated in the atmosphere, becoming the material of ice magic.

Even if her attack was offset, Verus would be at a disadvantage in the next defensive battle.

Verus took a step back and desperately squeezed out his magic power.

“Fire Arrow, Double Loading!”

“Icicle Arrow.”

The rain of arrows clashed in the air, creating another explosion and a fog of water vapor.

A struggle was meaningless and he was pushed back one step at a time.

He couldn’t catch up whether it was using his ability to read the overall situation or his ability to use magic. Verus resented himself for neglecting to study magic.

‘...But.’

It wasn’t checkmate.

Verus didn’t give up and continued to use magic.

He had the ability to turn this situation around. He might not know a lot of magic, but he admired his father as much as his sister did. He read the records and tried to recreate the magic and combat techniques written in them.

Most of them failed, but he managed to succeed with one or two.

“Fireball!”

He threw three fireballs in a row and Adellia pierced them with three ice spears.

.

Once again, there was an explosion and a fog.

This pattern, which seemed to be meaningless repetition, was the goal.

‘Gather, my magic power!’

The four circles in Verus’ heart spun violently and released magic power. He felt heat flowing through his veins. A force so great that it made his limbs go numb flowed into his right hand.

It wasn’t just his skin, skeleton, or muscles that made him strong.

His blood vessels were also incomparably stronger than ordinary people.

Thus, he was able to recreate this magic.

‘If I aim at the target with my index finger and support my wrist with my other hand to control the rebound...!’

It was the Alfred-style Magic Missile.

He was more famous for his nickname of Magic Bullet, but Verus had looked up Alfred’s writings and knew its origins. It was the unique magic of Alfred Bellontes, the prince who roamed the battlefield with a single Magic Missile.

Unlike Theodore, who learned how to use it properly, he had gone through a lot of trial and error. Verus’ strong body helped him withstand the recoil resulting from the failure.

In the end, it took two and a half years to successfully fire a single Magic Bullet.

‘Please succeed!’

Finally, the tip of Verus’ index finger turned red.