A grimoire capable of forcing the user to learn a magic spell and increasing the total number of magic slots—this was precisely the gift Riveria had been preparing for Leon all along.
She placed immense value on Leon's potential and held his magical talent in exceptionally high regard. Therefore, upon learning that Leon possessed only a single magic slot and could normally acquire just one spell, she had already set her heart on preparing a grimoire for him to help expand the number of magic spells at his disposal.
To achieve this, Riveria utilized her personal connections as a member of the Elven royal family and as the city's strongest mage, commissioning someone to track down this grimoire.
At this moment, she had appeared here with the sole intention of presenting this grimoire to Leon.
"I can't," Leon replied, shaking his head as he declined. "This is far too valuable. I cannot accept it."
This was a grimoire whose value was comparable to a first-class piece of equipment—or perhaps even scarcer, carrying an astronomical price tag!
Although it was a single-use consumable item, its market price would at the very least be calculated in units of hundreds of millions. Furthermore, it was a rare commodity that money alone might not necessarily secure; supply simply could not keep up with demand.
The number of individuals capable of creating grimoires was far too limited, rendering these items extraordinarily precious. Many people could not find a purchasing channel even if they possessed the funds.
On the market, whenever a trace of a grimoire surfaced, it would invariably spark a frenzy of bidding among countless parties. Ultimately, it would usually be traded through an auction where the highest bidder won. Consequently, a single grimoire could sometimes fetch an astronomical sum that left countless people dumbfounded.
Faced with an object of such immense value, even if Riveria had the boldness to offer it, Leon did not have the nerve to accept it.
"Take it," Riveria urged, entirely unfazed, as though she had long anticipated this exact reaction from him. "Given your conditions, having only one magic spell at your disposal is truly a bit of a waste. The more magic spells you can employ, the better you can materialize your true potential."
Not only could he raise his "Magic" stat parameter to SSS at every single level, but he also possessed a highly unique skill tailored to amplify magic, alongside a total of three developmental abilities that assisted in the casting of spells. With such superior conditions, allowing only a single spell to reap these benefits—if that wasn't a waste, what was?
The greater the variety of spells, the better Leon's unique traits could be brought to bear, driving his strength to greater heights.
Riveria simply could not bear to see such stellar magical talent squandered, which was why she went to such lengths without hesitation.
"But this really is far too precious."
It wasn't that Leon remained completely unmoved, but a grimoire was by no means a cheap, ordinary item. He found himself unable to accept it with a clear conscience.
This scenario differed from when he accepted the Giant Battle Suit from Loki. That suit at the very least incorporated the dropped items he had personally retrieved after subjugating Goliath as materials, and it had been gifted to him by Loki in her capacity as his patron deity and guardian. Even if he accepted it, he could repay the favor through his future performance and contributions to the Familia.
But this grimoire was entirely different. It was a personal gift from Riveria, likely acquired through her individual assets and connections. Leon truly found it difficult to accept directly.
The primary issue remained its sheer value. If it were like before, when senior members of the Familia like Raul casually gifted him retired weapons or low-value elixirs, he could have accepted them readily.
But a grimoire—the sheer pressure of accepting such an item was immense.
Nevertheless, Riveria's resolve remained unyielding.
"You are, for all intents and purposes, my disciple. A teacher presenting a gift to a disciple can hardly be considered excessive, can it?" Riveria stood up, speaking in an unquestionable tone. "It is settled then. If you truly have no wish to use it, you may simply sell it off."
Leaving behind these words, Riveria exited the archive, giving Leon absolutely no opportunity to refuse a second time.
"This—"
Leon didn't even manage to react in time. He could only stare blankly at Riveria's departing figure, falling into silence.
The archive instantly grew exceptionally quiet.
Leon gazed at the grimoire before him, letting out a long sigh only after a significant silence.
"This time, I've racked up quite a massive debt of gratitude."
With a wry smile, Leon ultimately reached out his hand, flipping open the pure white book before him.
Upon the pages, rows of text began to enter Leon's field of vision, being absorbed by him as he read.
The writing was not profound; in fact, it could be described as simple and easy to comprehend, written in the common tongue of this world. The content broadly introduced the nature of magic, alongside some elementary knowledge related to spellcraft.
However, interspersed between these passages written in the common tongue, rows of alternative, minuscule text covered the pages.
These tiny characters were rather baffling. They belonged neither to the common tongue nor to the sacred script utilized by the deities, and they weren't even the language of any mortal race on this world. At first glance, they resembled a sequence of complex, bizarre symbols.
Yet the moment he laid eyes on these characters, a strange sense of intrigue washed over Leon, and his focus naturally gravitated toward them.
As Leon concentrated his attention onto these symbols, his mind suddenly drifted into a daze.
The sensation felt exactly as though he were being pulled into a wondrous mental plane. Even the contents of the book before his eyes seemed to shift and change, gradually coalescing into a face.
That human face, woven and outlined with entirely pitch-black ink, was undeniably Leon's own face.
The three-dimensional face, completely hollow above the forehead, suddenly snapped its eyes open, locking its gaze directly with Leon's.
"If there is a request, ask; if there is a request, solve. If you seek, open your eyes and observe. The mirror of clarity that brooks no deceitful ugliness stands prepared here."
The face did not open its mouth to speak, yet Leon could clearly hear its voice.
Eyes composed of interwoven text stared at him, as though capable of piercing through his very essence, delivering its words.
"To 'me,' what is magic?"
This was a interrogation, and at the same time, a self-reflection.
In his dazed state of mind, Leon replied almost subconsciously.
"The so-called magic is the manifestation of supernatural power, a miracle that can be exercised by living beings walking the mortal realm."
This was a highly textbook answer, and likewise the exact understanding Leon had formulated over these past days of studying magical knowledge.
"To 'me,' what is magic?"
The face did not inform Leon whether his answer was correct or incorrect, but simply proceeded to ask another question that seemed practically identical on the surface.
Though it appeared virtually identical, this time, Leon's answer was entirely different.
"Magic is knowledge; it is a method of perceiving the world, sensing the world, and analyzing the world."
This was also a highly textbook answer, though it wasn't learned from books, but rather the most direct insight Leon had generated after thoroughly absorbing various types of magical knowledge.
"To 'me,' what kind of entity is magic?"
The face still gave no indication as to whether the response was right or wrong, continuing to pose the next question without any expression.
Within Leon's mind, scenes of him utilizing magic immediately flashed into view.
A brilliant starlight dancing through the air.
A radiant meteor charting its course across the heavens.
No matter what kind of plight, predicament, or death trap he found himself in, that beam of starlight would invariably accompany him, helping him breach obstacles, forge a path, and triumph over formidable enemies he could not resolve at his current level.
Thus, Leon answered without any hesitation.
"It is the stars."
Just like being suspended high within the night sky, as though floating amidst the boundless universe; seemingly minuscule, yet inherently grand.
"To 'me,' what is desired from magic?"
The face asked the fourth question.
Regarding this query, Leon likewise answered without a shred of hesitation.
"I hope it can make me stronger."
"I hope it can keep me safer."
"And I also hope it can lead me to break through all adversity, flying out from beneath the earth, straight into the clouds."
This was the greatest expectation Leon harbored toward magic.
Upon hearing this answer, a slight shift finally manifested in the face's expression.
"How pragmatic."
Indeed, this answer was incredibly pragmatic.
If it were Riveria, she would certainly have answered with far greater profoundness.
If it were Lefiya, she would undoubtedly have answered with a much more dreamlike quality.
Some individuals studied magic to build up their reservoir of knowledge, to enhance their scholarship, and to deepen their foundations, rather than utilizing it purely as a weapon; Riveria was one such case.
Others studied magic to realize their dreams, to fulfill their ambitions, and to allow themselves to mature as quickly as possible so they would no longer need to depend on others; Lefiya was one such case.
Compared to them, no matter which one answered this question, they would appear far grander than Leon.
But it couldn't be helped; Leon was simply that kind of person.
He studied magic solely to become strong, enabling him to secure a foothold in this unfamiliar yet familiar world as quickly as possible, rather than shivering like a small animal as he did when he first arrived here, unable to guarantee even his own personal safety.
To become strong.
To become safe.
To reach a point where he no longer needed to fear any danger, capable of shattering all obstacles.
Leon's demand for magic was just that pragmatic, just that direct.
He could not deceive himself.
And this face upon the pages was, without a shadow of a doubt, his very self.
Therefore, his answer was destined to be the most authentic, the most pragmatic.
In response, the expression on the face seemed to carry both disdain and contempt.
However—
"This is 'me (you),' after all."
Ultimately, it broke into a smile.
At this exact moment, all the text upon the pure white grimoire dissolved away.
The magic power residing within the book dispersed like mist, enveloping Leon's consciousness.
Leon only felt his already dazed mind completely unravel all at once, causing him to lose consciousness on the spot.
By the time Leon regained consciousness, he discovered that he had somehow slumped over the table, falling into a deep slumber.
"What happened to me—?"
Leon propped up his upper body and raised his head. After a brief period of grogginess, he finally recalled what he had been doing prior to this.
"Right, I was reading the grimoire."
Leon hurriedly looked toward the pure white book on the desk.
The book lay open on the tabletop just as it had before he lost consciousness, but as Leon looked at it again, he could no longer perceive that mysterious magic power.
Evidently, this grimoire had already lost its efficacy.
It had been used by Leon, and now it no longer possessed the effect of allowing someone to learn magic, turning instead into a bizarre book filled with nonsensical contents.
"Did I succeed? Or did I fail?"
Leon closed the grimoire, muttering to himself in doubt.
Indeed, utilizing a grimoire did not guarantee that one would successfully learn a magic spell.
Sometimes, even after using it, there was a chance that absolutely nothing would happen, completely wasting such a precious magical tome.
As for whether one could successfully acquire a new magic spell after using it, it wasn't a matter of probability, but rather depended on a variety of factors.
For instance, an individual who possessed magic slots but had not learned any spells would have the highest success rate when using a grimoire to learn their first spell, near one hundred percent. However, the difficulty of learning a second spell would double, and the difficulty of a third spell would only climb higher. This was true not only when using a grimoire; under normal circumstances, an individual's third spell was also exceedingly difficult to manifest.
Consequently, individuals who managed to possess spells in all three of their magic slots were exceptionally rare within Orario. Even among the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia, there were only a handful of mages who had successfully acquired all three spells.
Furthermore, magic that manifested through the medium of a god's Falna was essentially the realization of the self, heavily influenced by one's personal interests, experiences, individual uniqueness, and various other factors—meaning it was subject to the influence of "experience points."
What objects one held an interest in, and what things sparked emotions such as acceptance, hatred, longing, sorrow, worship, vows, desires, and so forth—all of these would become factors that triggered magic. Once a god's Falna was obtained, it would immediately become crystal clear.
If one lacked unique experiences, special encounters, or unique shifts in mentality, then neither magic nor skills would manifest.
This scenario was particularly prone to occurring among adventurers who hunted powerful monsters alongside a team, accumulating high-grade experience points in that manner to accomplish great deeds and achieve a level up.
Because they defeated powerful enemies as part of a team, they lacked a certain degree of crisis and stimulation. The mentality of such adventurers found it difficult to generate relatively large shifts, failing to possess the unique experiences necessary to act as incentives for magic or skills.
The most classic example was Raul. Having followed his Familia seniors and fought on the battlefield alongside a team all this time, he had received a considerable degree of protection. Because of this, it was difficult for a relatively large shift in his state of mind to occur. To this day, he still did not possess a single magic spell or skill, remaining purely a blank-slate fighter who could only rely on his level and basic attribute parameters to do battle.
He was already Lv.4, yet he still didn't have a single magic spell or skill. Even if one scanned through all the story characters appearing in the original work, Raul was likely the only one to receive such treatment—though unfortunately, it was hardly a desirable form of treatment.
In contrast, when Leon was fighting the floor boss, Goliath, he had once intensely craved firepower, yearning for a more powerful output. Consequently, this yearning transformed into the incentive for a skill. Ultimately, under the presumed interference of his "Outworlder" trait, it coalesced into a sprouting possibility, successfully appearing on Leon's status sheet in the form of the skill "The Eternal Star Soul."
Of course, this also involved factors such as personal potential and one's personal growth environment, so it couldn't be generalized across the board. But overall, for someone lacking unique experiences and special experience points, even if they utilized a grimoire, they would still find it difficult to acquire magic; this much was certain.
To sum up, Leon had no idea whether he had successfully acquired a second magic spell after using the grimoire.
"Let's go find Loki."
Closing the grimoire, Leon stood up directly. After placing the book back into the surrounding shelves, he walked straight out of the archive.
His destination: the top floor of the Central Tower, Loki's divine chambers.