His name was Shin Ian.
–Shin Ian: Hey, hey, hey!
Upon realizing he had picked up a grimoire, self-proclaimed as ‘The Hand of Recreation,’ he immediately opened the online forum and left a comment on a post by a user with the established ID, ‘SevereMagicAddict.’
SevereMagicAddict.
Abbreviated as ‘SMA,’ they immediately responded to his comment.
–SevereMagicAddict: What’s the matter?
–Shin Ian: A book just appeared in my house. No matter how I look at it, it seems like a grimoire. Can you appraise it?
–SevereMagicAddict: Take a picture of the book and send it to [email protected].
He did as instructed.
A short while later, a reply arrived.
–SevereMagicAddict: Have you read its contents?
–Shin Ian: I only read the introduction.
–SevereMagicAddict: You’re screwed.
The stark reply made Ian’s face contort into a deep frown.
–Shin Ian: Screwed?
–SevereMagicAddict: If you read the introduction, you’d know. This book is a grimoire written by an Outer God. And not just any Outer God, but one of considerable caliber.
It spoke of the ‘Reconfiguration of All Things.’
Overwhelmed by a sudden, irrational fear, Ian hastily sequestered the grimoire he’d casually placed beside him into the bathroom, before diverting his gaze back to his phone.
–SevereMagicAddict: No one knows the contents of this grimoire, as it has never been discovered before. However, records pertaining to its appearance still exist, making it easy enough to identify. Its notoriety is quite high, thanks to Nostradamus, who prophesied it as a dangerous grimoire.
–Shin Ian: Nostradamus was a wizard too?
–SevereMagicAddict: He was a famous wizard. His prophecies are grimoires themselves.
This revelation struck Ian as entirely new information. He let out a low hum of contemplation as his fingers tapped across the keyboard.
–Shin Ian: That’s not what’s important. So, what do I do now?
–SevereMagicAddict: As you’ve become the grimoire’s owner, there’s no other way. Especially when it’s a grimoire penned by an Outer God.
–Shin Ian: No, what am I supposed to do, then?
–SevereMagicAddict: It’s simple. You must become a wizard before the madness takes hold.
It was far from a simple proposition. Ian gulped, staring down at the grimoire that had, at some point, teleported itself right beside him.
–Shin Ian: What’s this madness? I don’t feel anything right now.
–SevereMagicAddict: No madness? Don’t you have headaches, hear strange whispers, or feel as if insects are crawling inside your brain?
–Shin Ian: No.
–SevereMagicAddict: That’s peculiar. But don’t let your guard down. There’s no telling when the madness might manifest.
SMA said this, then paused briefly before continuing their reply.
–SevereMagicAddict: For now, become a proper wizard. Once you can control the grimoire’s power, you’ll be able to manage the madness as well.
–Shin Ian: Understood for now. Is there a separate community for wizards?
–SevereMagicAddict: Leave your email address. I’ll send it to you. However, you’re on your own for getting in. I can’t offer any help.
Ian exhaled slowly, then left his email address in the comments. No further replies followed. Instead, a URL arrived in his inbox.
With trembling hands, he clicked the link.
He was instantly connected to the website. Ian waited patiently for the site to finish loading.
*Ding-a-ling.*
Eventually, the loading completed.
With a rather cheerful sound, a pristine white question window popped up.
[Q. Explain the three constituent elements of magic.]
From the outset, a question he couldn’t possibly answer appeared. Ian immediately tried to reconnect to the forum to leave a comment, but his account had long since been blocked.
[Blocked for 31 days]
[Reason: Fraternization]
[Moderator: Head Admin]
“Damn it.”
Ian cursed, slamming his phone shut.
‘Fraternization… Yes, it was precisely that. Exchanging emails and sharing private contact information definitely counted.’
For a fleeting moment, a wave of frustration heated his mind, but he quickly doused it with a torrent of cold reason. This allowed him to clear away any extraneous thoughts and focus on his predicament.
‘Reaching out through the forum was out of the question. Nor would emailing them for the three elements work; they had explicitly stated they couldn’t offer any assistance.’
Ultimately, he had to figure it out on his own. The method, he presumed, would be inscribed within this grimoire.
“Hoo…”
A grimoire had appeared, and with it, the sudden imperative to become a wizard. Yet, perhaps due to the passage of time, his mind wasn’t as muddled as he might have expected. His heart still pounded, but the initial bewilderment and fear had long since dissipated.
He ran a hand over his face, then gazed at the grimoire that had materialized beside him.
The grimoire radiated an aura of pristine white elegance and opulence.
To perfectly control it and avoid succumbing to madness, losing his sense of self, he had to become a wizard. Only by becoming a wizard and understanding the three elements of magic could he join their community.
In the end, becoming a wizard was his absolute top priority, no matter how he looked at it.
‘f*ck it, let’s give it a try.’
Ian washed his face once more in the bathroom, then sat on his bed and carefully opened the grimoire.
The thick book opened without any resistance. Although it wasn’t written in Korean, Ian could, for some inexplicable reason, understand the text perfectly.
He exhaled slowly and began to read the inscribed words.
[Do not be alarmed if you do not fall into madness. It is not you who are strange, but all others besides you. If your compatibility with this grimoire reaches one hundred percent, this grimoire will cause its master neither madness nor harm.]
The passage seemed to be offering an explanation for some reason. Ian pondered whether he should trust these words or not as he turned the page.
[It is the truth.]
The moment he turned the page, large letters filled both sides. Startled, Ian coughed and turned the page once more.
[All contents written in this grimoire are true, and the grimoire’s master, the great ‘Reconfiguration of All Things,’ holds great benevolence and profound interest in the human who has finally achieved one hundred percent compatibility. Furthermore, she abhors falsehoods and mockery more than anyone, and thus unequivocally asserts that she, too, speaks no lies.]
‘…She?’
It seemed, surprisingly, that even Outer Gods possessed the concept of gender.
And seeing as it produced sentences related to his thoughts in real-time, it appeared the grimoire itself might possess a will.
Perhaps the Outer God, its author and original owner, was using the book as a vessel to communicate with him.
To know for certain, he would have to read further into the book.
Ian cleared his throat, then turned past the pages that served as an introduction, finally arriving at the prologue.
[This grimoire contains a total of three types of magic.]
[First, Alchemy.]
[Second, various utility spells.]
[Third, Recreation.]
[To use these magics, one must first be initiated into magic. The initiation into magic is described on page 785 of this grimoire. If the master of this book is still ‘human,’ it is recommended that they quickly undergo initiation and become a wizard.]
“It recommends becoming a wizard, huh…”
This was another unexpected revelation. Ian hummed thoughtfully as he slowly turned the pages.
According to the information he had gathered so far, he could only be free from the grimoire’s madness if he first became a wizard.
If that were true, it would be advantageous for the grimoire if its master remained an ordinary person forever, rather than becoming a wizard.
In that scenario, it could dominate its master through madness and manipulate them at will. Yet, this grimoire was actively encouraging him to become a wizard.
‘Did SMA provide incorrect information? Or is everything written in this grimoire true?’
Or perhaps, both the wizard and the grimoire were speaking the truth. It might simply be his own fault, his eyes clouded by suspicion, making him unable to trust either party.
“This is difficult…”
Ian let out a deep sigh and turned to page 785.
[0. Initiation into Magic.]
He noted the words inscribed at the very top of the page, then began to read the text below.
[To be initiated into magic and become a wizard, one must first deeply understand the constituent elements of magic.]
[The most crucial aspect involves the four elements that compose this world. One must accumulate physical experience with these elements: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire.]
[The stages are as follows:]
[1. For one week, consume only earth for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. No other food whatsoever should be ingested. This will, over the course of the week, establish the framework for wielding magic.]
[2. For one week, meditate facing the wind every morning and evening. Through this, you will perceive ‘Merlin’s Flesh’ (TL Note: A mythical substance, often depicted as the primordial source of magic or a powerful magical essence, here equated to Aether.), hereinafter referred to as Aether, which is both the principle of all things in the world and the most vital resource for magic.]
[3. For one week, drink only water for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This will cleanse impurities remaining in your body, allow you to master the flow, and directly manipulate Aether.]
[4. For one week, at noon each day, ignite a fire and meditate before it. Doing so will infuse the perfected body with heat, finally shedding the guise of humanity and attaining the physical form of a wizard.]
“Except for the final step… all of these tasks seem arduous.”
A sigh escaped him instinctively, but there was nothing to be done.
From the moment he picked up the grimoire, his peaceful everyday life had ended. To endure this extraordinary existence and survive, becoming a wizard was his only option.
Ian forced a bitter smile, placed the grimoire into his bag, left his house, and bought a large pile of earth from a nearby flower shop.
The moment he returned home, he scooped up a handful and shoveled it into his mouth.
“Ugh!”
A terrible taste spread throughout his mouth, but Ian endured the urge to vomit with extreme mental fortitude. Thoughts of parasites, various bacteria, and microorganisms flashed through his mind, but he quickly pushed them aside and continued to eat the earth.
If he became a wizard, none of these would pose a significant problem.
Surely, the grimoire wouldn’t instruct him to eat earth without considering the microorganisms and various pathogens living within it.
Ian, holding back tears, forced down about a bowl’s worth of earth into his stomach. He dry-heaved, but somehow managed to endure it.
Finishing his meal, Ian rinsed his mouth with water before collapsing onto his bed.
‘I have to do this for an entire week?’
The mere thought made his head spin, but Ian exhaled a breath smelling of earth and slapped his cheeks firmly.
Having made up his mind, there was no turning back. At the very least, he had to see it through to the end.
Thus, Ian brainwashed himself, continuing to shovel earth into his mouth for both lunch and dinner.
Exactly one week later.
“Oh…?”
Ian became aware of the changes occurring within his body.
