New Magic

"This is... me...?"

Charlie exclaimed in surprise as he saw a picture of himself on the page of the book as if looking in a mirror.

"Calm down, Charlie, the Grimoire is starting to work."

"Huft..."

Reminded by Aishia, Charlie took a deep breath and exhaled. Regaining his composure, he tried not to show any more shocked reactions to whatever happened next.

[Magic is interest. It is an important factor for all acquired magic. What interests you, what do you receive, hate, desire, mourn, worship, swear, long for? The trigger is already within you. Your Falna will carve your soul into a blazing sun]

[Now, let's begin]

The image spoke in Charlie's voice. This situation was as terrifying as a horror movie.

[What is magic to you?]

"A miracle that transcends the laws of physics."

Responding to his own reflection on the page of the book, Charlie expressed his personal opinion about magic.

As a modern person who lived believing in science and knowledge, magic was merely a concept that appeared in stories. However, after he was reincarnated into a fantasy world of magic and swords, he regarded magic as a miracle. After all, there were many things that could be done with magic that defied the laws of physics.

[What is magic to you?]

The image repeated the same question.

"Death." Charlie answered without hesitation.

Magic is not just a tool to assist in life. It also has the power to end lives. In fact, Mages are more specialized in using magic for killing their opponents than utilizing magic to ease daily life.

After all, not everyone is like Dea Saint, Airmid Teasanare, who is dedicated to using her unique magic to help others.

It is not wrong for Charlie to consider magic to bring more death, given that magic is used as a weapon in battles.

Try asking the strongest Mage in Orario, Riveria Ljos Alf aka Nine Hell, how many living beings she has killed using her magic instead of using it to help others?

The answer is clear.

[What magic do you desire?]

The image finally changed its question.

"..."

Charlie fell silent for a moment. In that silence, although it had not been a month since he reincarnated into the Danmachi World, he had seen the dark side of the world that was not shown in the anime.

A life filled with injustice.

It is natural that there is a significant difference between anime and reality.

During this time, Charlie had seen the rich exploiting their power, strong adventurers oppressing the weak, and monsters destroying anyone indiscriminately. However, amidst all that, there was one thing that never favored anyone, something fair for all beings: death.

Without hesitation, he answered with a steady voice.

"Death."

"Death is the only equality in this world. It does not regard wealth, power, or strength. Death comes to everyone, sooner or later. It is true justice—something that cannot be bought or avoided."

"..."

Aishia did not feel disturbed at all hearing Charlie's very dark statement. She would always be by his side. His weaknesses, strengths, everything about him... she accepted it all.

Because of that, Charlie held a special place in his heart for Aishia. After all, not all women could accept his twisted mindset after he lost everything due to his naive idealism.

It is true that he had taken revenge, and he also felt the satisfaction of his successful revenge. Even so, he could not return to who he once was. On the surface, Charlie appeared to be a friendly man who easily got along with anyone, but his kindness only applied to those he acknowledged. Conversely, he would show his brutal and cruel side when facing those he deemed unworthy.

In short, Charlie was an extremist who would not tolerate evil.

[If death is your justice, then you will be blessed with magic that reflects your soul and beliefs]

After the image spoke, the Grimoire emitted a dim light.

"...!!!"

Charlie's body felt as if it was burning from within, but the pain felt like part of a larger process. When the light faded, the Grimoire had become an ordinary book.

"Is that it?"

"Did you succeed, Charlie?"

"Hmm... I—"

Before Charlie could finish his words, there were some very strange memories in his mind.

"Let me check my status."

Removing his shirt, Charlie took a glass bottle containing Hera's blood from his Space-Time Cache. Then, he dripped the blood onto his forehead while simultaneously activating one of his skills, The Chosen Savior.

"Aishia, please get the parchment from the room."

"Mm."

Aishia got up, went to the room for a moment, then handed him a blank parchment.

Feeling the Sacred Text had finished updating the status, Charlie asked Aishia to stick the parchment to his back. After his status was copied to the parchment, they both looked at the contents together.

———

Charlie Avalon

Level 3

Strength: I (0)→ I (52)

Endurance: I (0)→I (39)

Dexterity: I (0)→I (34)

Agility: I (0)→I (43)

Magic Power: I (0)→ERROR→???→∞

Magic:

[Spirit Art]

-High affinity for Spirits

-Manipulates Odo to cause world-altering phenomena without magic circles and rituals

[Spirit Contractor]

-Forms contracts with Spirits

[Aithra Athanatos]

-Leaves a curse wound that cannot be healed

-The closer the user is to the target, the user can reopen the target's existing wounds if they are close enough

-The effect disappears if either the target or user dies

Skill:

[The Chosen Savior]

-Growth rate increases rapidly

-Highest rank Instant Death Resistance

-Highest rank poison and curse resistance

-Highest rank charm and mind control resistance

-Status can be updated independently just by using the blood of a god

[Prodigy Swordsman]

-100% comprehension of swordsmanship

[Infinite Essence]

-An endless source of energy that allows for limitless fighting

[Triptolemus Arc]

-Increases speed and luck when being pursued

Development Abilities:

Luck: I

Mystery: I

———

Charlie had suspected that his stats had only increased slightly. 168 points was quite a lot, considering he gained that much Excelia only from his daily training routine.

In contrast, other Level 3 adventurers had to work hard fighting monsters in the Dungeon for weeks to achieve the same results. The higher the level, the harder it was to gather Excelia from low-level monsters.

"What the heck is my Magic Power stat?! It actually says ERROR... No, it shows the symbol ∞, which means my Magic Power is infinity."

Even for someone calm like him, Charlie couldn't contain his surprise upon seeing his status.

"That's because Charlie has the skill Infinite Essence. So Falna cannot measure your Magic Power." Aishia provided a logical explanation.

"That makes sense. No matter what, this is a good thing. More importantly, I managed to obtain magic from the Grimoire."

"So... Aithra Athanatos... That is the magic that reflects my soul..."

"Its effects are so powerful! I love this; my enemies will suffer greatly because they can't heal their wounds even with healing magic or Elixirs."

Understanding the capabilities of Aithra Athanatos, Charlie was very satisfied.

"Congratulations, Charlie."

"You are my lucky star, Aishia."

"Hoam~... Let's sleep."

"Alright, let's go to sleep."

Seeing Aishia looking sleepy, Charlie calmed his emotions again. Then, he carried her to the room, and they slept in the same bed.

Of course, nothing inappropriate happened. They just slept together.