Chapter 5. Mind Blowers

Nagi Springfield was a legendary wizard who lived 700 years ago during the Great War of Three Biblical Factions. Everything about him—his power, personality, and accomplishments—deserved to be made into a movie... or at least a proper biography, not the "War and Peace" that was lying in the library.

"Sagitta Magica" was a magic of the 2nd Circle, with which Nagi managed not only to fight on equal terms with the Church of those times, but also to make the Three Biblical Factions take him more seriously than some dragons.

From what I know, he was clearly not stronger than the Archangels or the 4 Demon Lords of those times, so it confuses me when his level of threat is equated to that of a dragon. Especially since those two nuclear reactors existed back then...

Pondering the truth in the legend of the Thousand Master, I carefully dusted off the book.

"Knowing that this is an original... I have a couple of greedy old men in mind who are willing to buy any original magic book for any price."

And indeed, I could use some money right now. From magical reagents to magical artifacts, everything could be bought in the magical society. But would that be more useful than devouring this book?

Although, first I have to make something clear—I'm not a thief! Not at all. Of course, I fully understood that all the books I devoured belonged to the Academy, and even in this case, Gluttony filled her stomach with two or three books every day. But in my defense, I intend to compensate for all the losses incurred from such barbaric treatment of knowledge.

Furthermore, I am a hostage in this situation, as Gluttony threatened my life from the very beginning. In a sense, my actions can be seen as the real Hunger Games... no matter how shitty that movie turned out to be.

However, taking the original "Sagitta Magica" for sale to collector-capitalists, I was simply stealing. In this case, I was not seeking knowledge like all magicians, nor was I trying to save my life. Of course, like any orphan, I believe that the end justifies the means, but even then, I still have dignity that I will not cross, especially because of the plague called capitalism.

"Am I mentioning the rotten capital accumulation system too often?"

And so, I prefer to feed "Sagitta Magica" to Gluttony rather than fill my own pockets.

"Eat, Gluttony."

Upon hearing the command, her tongue eagerly jumped out.

*Smack*

Gluttony grabbed [The Difference between Ignition and Inflammation] and quickly pulled it into her palm.

[You have absorbed "The Difference between Ignition and Inflammation".]

[Your understanding of the book is very high.]

[You have studied First Circle Ignition.]

A familiar wave flowed into my body. It was knowledge of ignition magic. At that moment, I realized I could summon a small flame in the air. Because it was only First Circle magic, there wasn't much new information, and soon the wave subsided.

"If we compare it to food, the book was like plain bread."

But Gluttony's dinner wasn't over yet. Still unsatisfied tongue grabbed its next prey... an original [Sagitta Magica], written by Nagi Springfield. It was a solemn moment when a book, as valuable as a gold bar, was meant to disappear forever.

*Slurp*

And then silence...

I waited for changes with a much more nervous expression than usual. This was the first "rare" book I had fed Gluttony. It was like playing Russian roulette. Moreover, it was an original written by a famous war hero. In other words, this food was definitely more caloric than normal books.

Remembering what happened to me when I absorbed four books at once, I prepared myself for a mind-blowing experience.

"Well, let's do this!"

And soon after that...

[You have absorbed "Sagitta Magica".]

[Your understanding of the book is very high.]

[Your proficiency with the Second Circle spell "Magic Arrows" has significantly increased.]

[An original copy was absorbed.]

[Synchronization with Nagi Springfield is being checked... you are at an appropriate level.]

[You can absorb Nagi's experience.]

[The episode will be played for 21 minutes and 35 seconds.]

[Synchronization has begun.]

...Synchronization?

Real mind blowers? I'm all ears!

*Fdznnn*

A sharp sound rang out! The sound pierced my eardrums and caused a slight dizziness. It seemed like I was being forcibly pulled out of my own home - my head. And in the face of this irresistible sucking force, the human mind was no stronger than the green grass in a meadow.

In the end, my mind was drawn into the palm of my left hand.

As I plunged into darkness, I saw a faint glow of stars in the distance. And before I lost control of my consciousness, the only thought that came to my mind was that these were the remnants of Nagi Springfield's memories, or more precisely, his [Sagitta Magica].

***

Around 700 years ago, on the front line of a bloody siege...

Darkness. And then a colorful flash of light.

The battlefield. Black smoke rose up into the sky like tar. I saw blood, iron, light, and magic. I heard cries of pain, desperation, and hatred. The sharp smell of blood and burnt flesh hit my nose. And the taste...that foul taste of iron mixed with ash. There was so much information that I could barely think.

Only a few seconds later was I able to adapt to such an "elevated" state in some way. And the first thing I saw was the sun glowing red. But instead of warming up in its rays, I felt cold. I felt like I was shivering. And most of all, I felt alone.

"What a terrible aura of death, as if..."

But before I could finish my thought, in the next moment, I lunged forward. There was a persistent feeling that it wasn't me moving, but rather the earth beneath me. Without even having time to take a breath, I found myself facing my opponent - a middle-aged man with a golden cross hanging from his neck, dressed all in black with an obvious church style. A sharp lunge forward, and my fist, covered in strange white energy, punched through the man's chest.

"How many of you, inquisitors and exorcists, will make it to heaven?" The voice that came from me was deeper and more solemn than my original voice.

The man who was already lying on the ground, choking on his own blood, could only mumble something incomprehensible.

"You don't have to answer, it was a rhetorical question," I replied in a much more mundane tone.

"This level of physical strength, a different voice, and body proportions... I really ended up in Nagi Springfield's body!"

"I don't understand your optimistic attitude, young mage," Nagi's voice rolled around the surroundings, clearly addressing me. "In the end, I'm just a hero born out of war."

"I...I don't even know how to respond to that."

It's good that one idiot broke the awkward situation, appearing from behind a mountain of corpses about twenty meters away from Nagi.

"My name is Richard, the senior inquisitor of the Holy Church. And today, for my Lord's sake, I will cleanse this world of the filth called the Thousand Master." his voice was permeated with unmistakable hatred.

As soon as the inquisitor's last words left his lips, he raced towards Nagi. At any other moment, I wouldn't have even seen this man move, but now... now he was only slightly better than ordinary exorcists for me and for Nagi.

"This man is dangerous... madness in his eyes and a deadly intent overflowing."

In any era, exorcists and inquisitors were sworn enemies of every mage. They were true masters of weaponry, unmatched in close combat. An experienced inquisitor could decapitate a mage before he finished his incantation, and a strong exorcist could easily deal with a mid-level demon.

All inquisitors and exorcists were "created" by the Church through the most severe trials and rigorous training. Thanks to this, physical strength and mastery of almost any weapon were far beyond human level.

But now I was watching these killing machines with boredom.

"I'll give you credit for your blind faith... and for how insane it makes you," Nagi smirked, pointing his index finger at Richard.

*Swish*

The inquisitor never reached his target, falling halfway there. Senior inquisitor Richard, who had intended to kill the Master of a Thousand just a moment ago, suddenly died. His death was inevitable, as there was an impressive hole in the middle of his forehead.

"Are these Nagi Springfield's magic arrows? How!?"

All I saw was a fleeting blue flash. Nothing resembling an arrow. If I wasn't in Nagi's body, I wouldn't have even had time to detect when the spell was activated.

"Even if these are only second circle magic arrows, the effectiveness of this magic is staggering... Probably even weaker than the sixth circle spell, 'Lightning Bolt'."

*Whoosh*

And once again, a blue flash flew out from Nagi's side. And in the next moment, another inquisitor, who had only just appeared halfway out from behind a pile of junk, breathed his last. And then another, and another... The Master of a Thousand dashed across the battlefield as if he were wound up.

Every time Nagi used magical arrows, their properties changed from situation to situation: the color of the flash changed, its size, speed, and even movement upon activation of the spell, but the result remained unchanged - the death of the opponent. The speed of the magical arrows left no chance even for the most agile of the inquisitors, and their power penetrated any defense, causing desperation and fear.

After firing off several hundred magical arrows.

...The way Nagi uses magical arrows is simply insane. Even if another mage knows the spell formula, they will still fail.

Unexpectedly, even to myself, I was able to understand the principle of the magical arrows of the legendary Thousand Master. What great mages couldn't do for 700 years, I was able to do in just over twenty minutes.

Of course, it's not at all because I'm more talented than others. It's just that I share my body and my feelings with Nagy Springfield through synchronicity.