31 Chapter 31 - Learning Magic! (2)

Rustling through the pages, Theo began to nod from time to time as he began to understood that.. he understood almost nothing at all!

"Damn! What the hell is wrong with all these spell books? Why can't I seem to understand them?!"

Theo refused to believe that he couldn't understand even a tiny lil bit. He badly wanted to know why people from the modern world couldn't use magic. There were all sorts of theories and hypothesis on magic, yet no one was able to harness let alone demonstrate it back in his old world.

"What is with this concept? Air through water and water through fire theorem??!"

"Grass embodies the element of light?"

"Wood carries the flow of time?! Understanding the rudiments of rebirth?"

Theo creased his brows together as he finally closed the third spell book that he skimmed through slowly. He closed his eyes, a shadow of vicissitude gloomed over him, seemingly to be contemplating the knowledge he just received from his readings.

In his heart, he was bleeding!

Could it be that humans in the modern world had a different concept regarding the physical laws? The theory of relativity and all that which limits our line of thinking that we couldn't seem to grasp things beyond logic?

At this moment, He was truly feeling down for the first time ever since coming into this new world.

Its not that Theo hadn't been able to duplicate the spell book in his shop system. In fact, the system had duplicated all three the first time he touched their cover. Furthermore, he could even purchase it now and learn it immediately to be able to use it in an instant.

However, he wasn't satisfied that way, he needed to know how does magic and spells work! This is the ultimate question he had in his mind right now that needed to be solved.

It wouldn't even be an exageration to say that all humanity gnaws at this crucial question and begged for an answer!

"Haiss.." he sighed while shaking his head gently. He then stood up and walked forward to the window looking outside with his hands clasped behind his back. It was almost evening now and people began to gather at the square to enjoy delicious food being cooked with the rabbit meat.

"I see now.." Theo spoke out, seeming to finally come into a realization.

"What is it my Lord?" replied Sebastian. He was curious as to what this Lord of his had understood from reading the three spell books for almost two hours.

In his opinion, his Lord's reading speed is considered to be quite average. Even enrolled students at the academy could read these three simple spell books in under one hour. However, he made a conjecture that it is because his Lord was thinking multiple things at once while trying to understood the magics of the world. Thus, he didn't feel it to be out of place.

"It seems that this world's magic.. could only be described as... Third class.." Theo said slowly while observing kids laughing and chasing each other around the fireplace down the square.

If you could not understand a thing, then bullsh*t everything else!

This was how Theo rolls.

Hearing this, the butler was quite shocked! And couldn't help but to inquire more inquisitively.

"Third class? What do you mean my Lord? Is our way of practicing magic wrong?" he said while making wild imaginations as to where the fault lies.

Theo shook his head and a smile could be seen reflected on the window as the moonlight refracts through it.

"No.. its not that this world's magic is wrong.. its just that our concept of comprehending metaphysical laws, the tangible and intangible matter... Is way too different."

He sighed, before continuing slowly.

"We each have our own different terms to describe a process. Although the basic term remains the same, but the way how the process described to activate these magic... Is way too vague!"

Hearing this, The butler began to fall into a state of comprehension, as he tried to contemplate what his Lord had just said. After a few seconds, it didn't take long for him to nod in agreement. Although he didn't understood which part was vague.

"Well, what my Lord had just said is indeed correct.. although we had spell books to learn magic as per say... But it actually depended on the readers comprehension on what was said in the book."

"However, Magicians or some people like to call them as sorcerers, needed to learn the very basic rules of magic first before advancing to comprehending spell books. Otherwise the terms will be truly vague indeed. Maybe this is what my Lord had been experiencing."

Explained the butler. He understood the fact that his Lord was someone from another world and had different terms for processes, thus this might be the reason why his Lord was having such difficulties.

"Oho? Do you have such reference materials that I could use for this?" replied Theo with renewed hope.

"As a matter of fact, I do my Lord. Back then, I taught children the basic rules of magic application, thus I have some copies with me."

The butler went to another corner of his study room and went up the ladder to reach the left most corner of the bookshelves and retrieved a total of four books. Each labelled as volume 1 through 4. He then gave the four books to Theo.

Reaching the four books, he quickly put them inside his inventory.

"Thank you for this. For now, I will return to my residence and contemplate for the night. Let us return." gestured Theo with a calm manner.

In his heart, he was actually quite eager to read the four volumes of books he just received. They then exitted Sebastian's house and after some few small talks with the village folks, they went straight back to Theo's residence.

The butler then gestured for his Lord to rest well as he bid away and Theo went to his room.

....

Reaching his study table, Theo turned on the modern study lamp with a finger touch. This seems to be the trend with study lamps in his old world back then. There were no more buttons.

Opening the first volume, Theo read the title:

[Introduction - What is Magic?]

Theo spent around two hours to finish the 50 pages book as he made numerous small notes. With this mind map he did, he began to slowly understood something of what is magic all about.

"So.. magic is essence of life.. as people mature and becomes stronger, their magic capacity increases.. this is due to the mana channel capacity being reinforced and lets mana to be more readily absorbed by the body.."

"However, the older people gets, the more the body deteriorates due to the passage of time, thus the mana channel slowly becomes blocked.. a person's magic capacity will then started to decrease until it hits the plateau, where the minimum life essence a body could absorb.."

"When the body started to decay more, the magic in the body will be continuously absorbed by the organs instinctively to strengthen itself as means of life preservation... When the output of magic absorbed is higher than the magic input received, a person will be devoid of magic and their body will started to rot.."

"When the heart ceases to function properly due to the damaged connective organs, it will stop... Of which then the person will die.."

Contemplating up to here, Theo began to understood the reason why people die. This is knowledge that he previously didn't know about back in his old world due to magic being regarded as unscientific and unproven. Thus, it is a field of mystery that had yet to be researched upon.

Perhaps the cause of death is indeed as this book had said. Or maybe perhaps on Earth the cause was totally something else. He had no way to know for sure.

However, from the summaries he made about magic, it is made up of mana particles that exists everywhere in the world. The origin of discoveries was unknown, it cannot be seen normally, but through constant practices of imagining the absorption of these invisible mana particles into the body, one would eventually be able to feel it.

By then, the person would be able to distinguish this energy inside their own body as well. In such a state, the feeling would eventually becomes a normality, by then, one can gauge their own mana level.

...

Spending another two hours reading the second volume titled:

[Six Elements and Two Opposites]

...

Tidying up his thoughts, Theo opened up his notebook again to write up the summary from what he had understood.

"In total there are six fundamental elements.."

"Fire, a series of mana particles being emitted from atoms vibrating at extremely high speeds causing spontaneous combustion.."

"Wood, the embodiments of carbon that signifies strength and hardness, useful for defense.."

"Earth, where the mana particles are being refreshed with vigor after usage, a cycle between heaven and earth.."

"Thunder, the negative charges of mana particles aligned together, set ablazed by wills of thought.."

"Water, symbols of life where mana particles nourished its purity that can heal wounds.."

"Air, the lungs of the world where mana particles reign absolute, a source for mana absorption.."

And finally, there is the 'Two Opposites'.

"Light, a manifestation of mana particles into being due to the intense release of energy.."

"Dark, the demanifestation of mana particles due to the absences of a cycle.."

Writing up to his last sentence, Theo nodded to himself. He finally had some clues of understanding regarding the basics of magic.

He was about to flip the third book when he suddenly realized that it was already past midnight.

"Well, I've already learnt quite a bit.. guess I'll just continue reading tomorrow then!"

Theo then stood up straight and stretched his back lazily. Climbing onto the chair, he did a backflip to land on his bed, after which he slept soundly through the night..