Chapter 5: price of knowledge

{OK user, I hope you are ready to take in the knowledge. The history of magecraft is long; you will get an info dump and also see a lot of vivid history and use of dark spells too,} Karma warns MC before beginning the integration of magical knowledge.

"Of course, System! I want to do this in one go as I will need to prepare to summon a servant too. I have no clue what it takes to do so other than needing a catalyst to summon specific servants, so I am sure this will help. Also, I have seen the Human Centipede movie; I am sure I can handle it," I say proudly, lightly hitting my chest.

{...ok, if you say so. Don't say I didn't warn ya. Also, I have no clue what a human's breaking point is, so I may not be able to put a proper limit,} Karma says with a cute voice, but the meaning of the sentence is the last thing from being cute.

"Wait, I think I heard something that should be taken into account before doing thi-" Before I could finish saying it, Karma started to glow, and words, books, and images started to come out of her and then into my head. Then, I lost all control of my body.

I hadn't lost control due to anything special; it was simply due to all the info that I started to receive. My mind didn't have the time to send signals to my body. I did twitch here and there, but it was most likely due to random signals being sent by my brain.

Narrator's POV:

As he made his choice, his body's immediate reaction was a testament to the gravity of his decision. The influx of foreign knowledge triggered a surge of stress hormones, visibly affecting him. His heart raced, sweat formed, and his pupils dilated under the strange realm's ethereal light, enhancing his perception of this alien environment.

Internally, a hormonal cascade was set off. The hypothalamus signaled the pituitary gland, which in turn released ACTH, prompting a rush of adrenaline and cortisol from his adrenal glands. This hormonal flood accelerated his breathing and redirected blood flow to his muscles, priming him for either confrontation or escape.

Overwhelmed, his brain struggled to process the barrage of information, surrendering to instinctual survival responses. The boy stood, tensed and alert, on the brink of an adventure that would challenge every aspect of his being.

However, the relentless information assault began to undermine his physiological defenses, notably the blood-ocular barrier, leading to an autoimmune response. Misguided white blood cells attacked his eye tissues, causing inflammation and damage. Crimson tears marked the physical toll of his journey into magecraft, a stark reminder of the harsh path he'd chosen. His body fought against itself, a reflection of the internal and external battles he faced in this new, unforgiving world.

Karma's POV:

{I wonder what I should make for him after this. He would likely be tired, so he will probably go to sleep after the integration of knowledge about magecraft. Maybe I should go make his bed so he can quickly sleep, hmm~~,} I mumble to myself, humming as I observe the user's body starting to show reactions to the process.

{So this is an adrenaline rush, huh? This is the point where a human's fight-or-flight response kicks in. I see, I guess it makes sense why it activated, as he would be under a lot of stress,} I muse, figuring out how it works.

{The human body is interesting. They live so long compared to other animals of the same weight class and use brains and tools to solve problems rather than relying on knowledge given through genes. They are interesting, hu-} Just as I was pondering the uniqueness of human beings, I saw something horrifying.

{USER, ARE YOU OK?!} I shout frantically after seeing blood gushing out of his eyes. It feels like his own body is destroying his eyes!

{USER! USER! USER!} I attempt to shake him and heal him, but I just pass through his body. The limits placed on me during the quest won't let me help him.

{What can I do?! What can I do?!} Just as I was getting confused about what to do, he suddenly fell to the ground, breathing heavily.

{User, are you ok? hOST?} I move next to him, desperately trying to do anything I can to help him.

MC's Mind:

When I opened my eyes, I was standing on water, surrounded by symbols I had never seen before, yet I understood everything about them. "I see, so I am going through the entirety of magecraft or whatever the system is giving me," I realized.

Suddenly, my surroundings changed, and I could see the history of this world play out with a hint of mystery. "I get it. Since in the Fate universe, magecraft works due to mystery, I am only getting the information needed to activate the said magecraft with no extra details, so the mystery about it continues to exist," I said, understanding all the gaps in my knowledge about magecraft as I kept on absorbing information from various fields.

The scenario shifted again. I was in a classroom, and my body felt different. The body was using magecraft, and I wasn't in control of it. It was moving on its own, like something that happened in the past, and I was reliving it in someone else's body. I could feel the magecraft they were using, how they were using reinforcement magic to strengthen their body. It was almost like I was doing it myself.

_Crack!_ "Ehh, what?" Another shift. This time, it wasn't just one, two, or three; I was changing views between millions of bodies, all using magecraft, and I was retaining every drop of information about it. It was suffocating to the point where I couldn't tell if I was having a headache or if I was completely fine.

I could feel what every body I entered was experiencing—their diseases, their happy moments, their sadness, and not just magecraft. One body made me feel pleasure, while another was a withering body trying to use one last magic to try to live longer, just to fail. One was crying, trying to heal their comrade in battle, while another was mutilating a body to learn more about true magic.

I could see the darkest parts of magecraft and the happiness it brought. Some scenarios broke me, while others gave me hope in humanity, just for another to crush it. This cycle continued until I reached the last part of my learning journey. Ironically, it was about how to summon a servant and participate in the Holy Grail War. It was quick, like many others, and I could see how mages in the first Grail War made the ritual and summoned their servants. And then, I was done.

I could finally rest at this moment, either from experiencing all these scenarios or the burden of all the information I had gained, or maybe both. I was too tired and wanted nothing more than to just sleep.

_Thump._ Huh? Is this the real me, or maybe the learning hasn't ended? I can't see. Maybe I'm just too tired to open my eyes, or maybe this is just another body, and I'm going to learn new magecraft. Maybe I just want to sleep. {Hos-} I felt I heard something, but I am too sleepy...

After Story:

Junior: Wow that was horrifying but something you would expect like you have to pay price for power and he bascilyl got free magic or magecraft whatever its called i guess temporary hardship inst much of a problem but i fo hope he can later heal his eyes

[Forgoteen looks worried and keep looking at the corner she hid before at]

Forgotten: Ya its sad to see him in this much pain even if its a book and not visually showing it cuts my heart 

Junior: what are you talking about we are clearly watching it in the tv like an action show what do you mean by book

Forgotten: ..... its nothing even if i say it you will probably just forget me again.....

Junior: ah [she shouts as she grabs her head] what were we talking about again

[that's all lets meet in the next chap]