The Book Eating Magician

Chapter 1

The Greedy Grimoire #1

“Theodore Miller.”

A man with dark circles under his eyes called Theodore’s name. The man’s thin cheeks pushed his cheekbones higher, giving off a bonier impression. He would’ve been considered a resident of the slums if he had been dressed poorly.

However, this man was actually a third-grade professor and a 5th Circle master, making him one of the best within Bergen Academy.

The skinny man, Professor Vince, spoke in a businesslike tone, “You should know why I called you.”

Theodore Miller, shortened to Theo, nodded with a shadowed face. This was because he couldn’t bear to open his mouth and answer the question. He had been prepared for a while, but it felt like his heart was falling apart now that it was actually happening.

“Your written grades are brilliant. You were only deducted three points among all your subjects. Even then, they were just minor mistakes. There was no one else who could answer it except for you, so you can think of it as a perfect score.”

Although it couldn’t be confirmed publicly, some test questions had been ‘designed to be wrong’. It was a tacit rule in the academy so that a full score wouldn’t be granted easily. Nevertheless, Theo only had points deducted for three questions. Perhaps it was a better performance than some professors.

Vince admired the talent of this young man while feeling sad at the very same time. It was because Theodore Miller lacked the talent to become a magician.

“However, you can’t graduate because your practical results were a failure.”

The decisive voice pressed firmly on Theo’s back.

The academy had two graduation requirements: one was to have a written score above 70 points; and the other was to become a 3rd Circle master. The former wasn’t difficult, but the latter condition was the problem.

For Theo, who had been born with a low amount of magic power and sensitivity, the wall of the 3rd Circle was too high for him. Even though he had reduced his amount of sleep just so he could practice, he couldn’t even reach the level of his classmates’ feet. Despite his practice, his magic would pour out wildly.

As a result, Theo hadn’t been able to graduate for three years.

“Hu… Theodore, what circle are you now?” Professor Vince asked with frustration.

He had asked the same question last year and the year before that. However, the answer had never changed. Theo once again repeated the same answer, “…2nd Circle.”

It was a terrible number.

Most of the academy’s students usually reached the 2nd Circle by the end of the first grade and the 3rd Circle when they entered the third grade. It wasn’t uncommon for excellent students to reach the 4th Circle by graduation.

However, Theo had stayed at the academy for five years and still couldn’t cross the wall of the 3rd Circle. Additionally, that wasn’t the only problem.

“Have you mastered 2nd Circle magic?”

“…I failed.” Theo’s voice died down even further.

If the only thing that was lacking was just the amount of magic power, then he could supply it from outside sources. This was a bit expensive to do, but if he took reagents made of magic power, he could gain enough power needed for the 3rd Circle.

However, Theo’s sensitivity was close to the bottom, and this was indispensable for using magic. The lack of magic power could be overcome, but there was no method to increase mana sensitivity.