Grimoire(2/2)

Once he lifted the book to look over the first page, Ryuu felt an intense reaction as, according to his knowledge, he was soon transported to another place, his consciousness blurry…

As he regained his senses, the frozen realm stretched out before him, an endless expanse of ice and snow. The jagged peaks of glaciers loomed in the distance, and deep crevasses carved through the icy terrain. The winds were brutal and relentless, howling through the frozen air, whipping up snow and ice in a never-ending blizzard.

The sky above was a dismal grey, casting the entire landscape in a ghostly light. The constant glare of the sun reflecting off the ice caused his eyes to hurt, and the chill in the air was so deep it felt like it was biting into his skin. He could see no signs of life except for the howling winds. This place seemed uninhabitable and hostile, a true land of eternal winter.

Suddenly, a familiar aura flared to life, causing Ryuu's senses to hone in on it. He quickly identified it as the blue flame he knew well, and his previously still heart began to pound with excitement.

The thought of his Celestial Fire growing stronger, potentially to the point of being able to consume a God's divine soul completely, filled him with the idea that it would be a powerful weapon for him to have at his disposal if ever he needed to kill another divine being.

As he looked closer, he noticed the flame was located at the bottom of a deep crater, surrounded by steep walls of ice and snow. The heat emanating from it was so intense it never melted the surrounding ice. Instead, the ice turned into steam, creating an otherworldly mist dancing around it.

The mist seemed to be attracted to the flame, like moths to a light, being absorbed as it got closer. While this process unfolded, the blue light of the flame brightened, and its intensity grew. The cycle seemed to be never-ending, creating an eternal dance between fire and water that was captivating to watch, as if the fire was alive and communicating with the ice to allow this manifestation.

Ryuu felt a sense of overwhelming attraction, drawing him closer and closer with an inexplicable pull. He could not shake the feeling that this was what made him buy this Grimoire, though even he had no clue what this 'place' could possibly be…

His steps were steady as he made his way through the treacherous ice, his eyes fixed on the intense blue light. He could feel the heat warming his skin even from a distance, and he knew he was getting closer.

Approaching the edge of the crater that housed it, his heart pounded with anticipation.

His own wisp of [Celestial Flame appeared], though before he could understand what occurred, he was back in the real world as he stared at the ceiling of his room.

He didn't know what caused this reaction but instinctively summoned his [Celestial Flame]. It didn't seem to have changed much, though Ryuu noticed a faint mist lingering around it, and he was extremely curious to research and experiment more about this phenomenon.

Unfortunately, his plans were derailed as summoning it drained all of his reserves of Magic, and he could not maintain its existence for more than a second before it disappeared.

'Well, that's troubling' he thought to himself.

If he couldn't properly study it, the time it would take for it to be usable would outweigh any benefit it could provide. There were ways for him to study it, such as experimenting by burning someone alive and reversing the process to understand its workings. Still, Ryuu knew he couldn't do something so heinous for the sake of experimentation.

Furthermore, his [Magic] stat was also overworked from his previous efforts to increase his physical potential, leaving Ryuu in a tough spot with no obvious solutions to expedite the process.

Despite these challenges, Ryuu didn't complain or panic. His heart remained steady. He knew his Celestial Flame had grown, which was undoubtedly good. He would find a way to harness its power in time.

———

After Hestia returned home, Luna soon followed, and after they had dinner, Ryuu talked to the Goddess about his experience and expressed his intention to receive another [Status Update]. Hestia accepted his request, though she kept a close eye on him, prepared for any unexpected developments.

This time, there was nothing particularly noteworthy that Hestia noticed other than the fact that a new Magic, [Frozen Land], had appeared under his status. Hestia delivered the updated sheet to Ryuu, who looked at the new Magic with a puzzled expression.

According to what he knew, Magic was supposed to be instilled inside his head when he opened the Grimoire, which meant he should have already known the chant and its abilities.

However, in his case, this didn't happen.

The name of the new Magic reminded him of the place he had explored briefly before he was thrown back into the real world.

This simple thought caused ice to seemingly appear out of thin air, catching Hestia off guard and even surprising Ryuu as he stared at it for a moment. It was the same ice he had seen in that place, though trying to touch it almost froze his hand in the process.

'What could this ice be?' he wondered.

He still had many questions, but now it was impossible for him to experiment further as he needed to rest. If he continued, he risked a [Mind Down], which he wanted to avoid at all costs.

———

The day after, Ryuu chose to drop the issue of the [Celestial Flame] for now as he concentrated on his [Frozen Land] skill. Since there was no chant, Ryuu assumed this Magic could be cast without it. The fact he had to realize it was the case instead of knowing puzzled him, but he wouldn't dare to complain…

Since his magic was filled to the brim, he decided to test it. With a focused determination, he drew back his fist and unleashed a powerful punch towards the block of ice he had created. The impact was loud and solid, and the block shattered into a thousand tiny shards.

However, as he looked down at his hand, Ryuu couldn't help but feel satisfied as he saw his knuckles bleeding. The shards of ice that had broken off upon impact had sliced through his skin, leaving small cuts and lacerations. Despite the pain, he couldn't help but grin in triumph.

'Pretty sturdy.'

He could feel the chill of the ice seeping into the cuts and starting to numb the area, and he knew that it would only be a matter of time before the cold set in and caused a greater injury. He quickly wrapped his hand with a makeshift bandage to contain the cold and blood.

Not only was the ice he created incredibly durable, but it also required little energy expenditure. He felt that creating 15 or 20 such blocks would be manageable for him.

However, he quickly realized that this would not be a practical use for combat. He spent some time pondering and attempting to create a simple sword, but unfortunately, the process was unsuccessful. Even with his genius-level abilities, shaping the ice into the desired form proved challenging.

'If it's too hard, then…'

He tried creating a simple, sharp stick and was pleased with the results. When he threw it against the ground with moderate force, it created a small hole and disappeared deep within it without breaking.

Although the stick was basic and rudimentary, it was still a promising outcome, given his current level of mastery. The idea of returning to the shop where he purchased the Grimoire and giving the old woman millions of Valis for it crossed his mind, as he knew the value of what he had obtained far exceeded the price he paid for it...