Chapter 5

"Cough, cough. I learned it from my mother."

"Hmm, I see. That's a relief. I only thought I had to teach you how to write."

Dodeun was relieved because he knew that teaching and learning to write was not an easy task.

"Let's go. I'll take you to the study."

After parting with the three women, he was able to go to the study.

'What a relief. I'll be able to sleep a bit warmer tonight.'

His situation, which had seemed dire, had improved somewhat.

***

The study of Bandaike, which he was entering for the first time.

Despite Bandaike's apparent lack of interest in books, the study was quite large, with thousands of books densely packed on the shelves.

So, does that mean Bandaike loves books?

No. All of this was collected by raiding the studies of other nobles during his time as a demon's henchman.

Why, if he wasn't going to read them?

Because books are as good as money.

A magic book, for example, could be worth hundreds of gold.

The plundered cash, gold, silver, and precious metals had to be first offered to Duke Shaya, and Bandaike would receive rewards at the duke's discretion.

Everyone has a desire for wealth, and Bandaike, who was on the front lines, was no exception.

However, even if he wanted to pocket some for himself, the adjutant assigned by the duke was a watchdog, so he couldn't do as he pleased.

Because of this, the books that Bandaike managed to collect by working hard were the books.

Of course, he had to put in a lot of effort to get past the adjutant's watchful eye before he could smuggle them out.

In the end, he managed to smuggle out thousands of books.

Selling these alone could fetch him anywhere from several thousand to tens of thousands of gold, so Bandaike regarded the study as a treasure trove.

'The books here... I can't sell any of them.'

Why, when the funds for running the estate are lacking?

Because there are reasons.

First, it's an Easter egg.

Second, and most importantly, my own growth through the books!

Third, the books can attract commanders.

In the game, there are commanders who love books to the point of obsession.

Especially mages.

One of the best ways to recruit them is through a well-stocked study.

However, he had no intention of opening it to Summer, the only mage in the estate.

As mentioned earlier, she lacks talent.

Even if she had potential, it would be a different story, but she doesn't.

'Even if I open it to the mages I want to recruit, I need to grow myself first.'

Growth is survival.

After pulling a book from the shelf, he flipped through the pages.

It didn't matter which book it was.

There was a hidden Easter egg, and the number of books was more important than the content, so he chose the thinnest ones.

He opened the first book, and the characters inside were...

Surprisingly, Korean.

Because this game was a native Korean production.

However, there was an exception: magic books were written in runes.

'But the content of the books and the runes... the developers didn't go into such detail, did they?'

However, the pages weren't filled with random characters.

A brief read revealed that it was a history book.

Not of Earth, but of this world.

He hadn't fully accepted this world as real, so he read the words without much interest.

But!

'What? What is this? Why, why is this happening?'

Shivers ran down his spine, his eyes trembled, and his hands shook.

The reason was the characters that were firmly etched in his mind.

Even though he had only glanced at them, he had a feeling he would never forget them.

It was as if the book had been copied and implanted directly into his brain.

Every single character, without a single one being lost.

'This is the characteristic of a great genius!'

That was it. This was the cause.

It's said that people with good memory can remember a book as if they had taken a photograph of it, and he felt he understood that feeling.

However, the important thing was that it wasn't just about memory.

The content he read was being understood automatically.

Understanding, without any prior knowledge!

Does this make sense?

Even though he was trying to keep his mind blank to avoid chronic headaches and fatigue, it still happened.

Wait!

He was understanding the book without even thinking about it?

You must be kidding!

Some people might say this.

To explain, the understanding was happening subconsciously, like an engine starting automatically when you turn the key in a car, or the wheels rolling when you take your foot off the brake pedal.

Think of it like seeing the equation 1 + 1 = 2.

It's so simple that you naturally understand and accept it without any effort. It was like that.

But 1 + 1 = 2 is too easy, right?

Right. To him, the content of the book was this easy.

That's why he understood it immediately upon reading, without any mental strain, and without any headaches.

Some might say this is unbelievable, but imagine a genius solving a difficult math problem in just a few seconds.

They come up with the correct answer in a time that seems physically impossible, as if they have a scientific calculator in their subconscious.

It might seem unfair, but that's how it is for him now.

Just by looking, he was memorizing and understanding everything.

'Wow! This "great genius" characteristic is no joke!'

It was both absurd and fascinating.

If he had this ability in high school, he could have easily entered SKY University and received scholarships throughout his four years.

He tried another book out of curiosity, and it was the same.

Even flipping through the pages casually, he was memorizing and understanding everything.

'Damn, is there such a thing as a cheat character?'

Even though it was him, he felt like he wasn't himself, as if he were looking at a strange alien.

'But this Easter egg only requires flipping through the pages, so I'll end up learning and accumulating knowledge unintentionally.'

Regardless, he continued flipping through the pages.

Even though he was memorizing and understanding everything, he only chose books written in Korean, as he knew nothing about runes, and continued flipping through them mindlessly.

The pile of books next to him grew rapidly.

10, 20, 30... When he reached 100, the first message appeared.

It said that he could analyze objects with deeper knowledge, and that this ability would consume mental energy when used.

'Huh? This wasn't supposed to be the reward. I thought it was a low-level growth spell scroll, but it changed?'

Even if it was a growth spell scroll, getting just one low-level one after reading 100 books seemed like a poor return on investment.

But he had persevered through the effort, and the result was amazing!

Getting a characteristic in the game was rare, even from the start to the end.

'Is this the difference between the game and reality? Or is it because the "great genius" characteristic allows me to memorize and understand everything I read? But how do I use this analysis characteristic?'

Since he had never seen this characteristic before, he was curious.

As he tilted his head in confusion, his eyes fell on an open magic book and the mysterious runes inside.

'Hmm? What is this?'

Looking at the pages filled with runes, he saw some kind of pattern.

Runes are a language, so they have their own set of rules.

'Ah! This is what analysis means.'

However, a problem arose.

His head started to throb.

While he had been able to flip through the pages without any mental strain earlier, now that he was focusing, the headache came on immediately.

'But if I keep going, I might be able to understand the runes...'

"Ugh!"

The pain intensified to an unbearable level.

He shook his head to break his concentration, closed his eyes, and tried to clear his mind.

While this didn't immediately stop the headache, it did gradually ease.

'Hmm, I was supposed to stop at 100, but maybe I should try a bit more?'

He decided to try, as the original Easter egg had changed.

He picked up another book.

200, 300, 400... When he reached 500, another message appeared.

He wanted to test the intermediate level by looking at a magic book, but his head hurt, so he stopped.

'Phew, should I stop now?'

But there were still books he hadn't read on the shelves.

Moreover, if it could go from '下' to '中', it could also go to '上'.

How could he give up now!

With no more space around him, he put the books he had read back on the shelves and continued flipping through the ones he hadn't.

600, 700, 800... 1,000!

The urge to stop arose again, but there were still books he hadn't read, and the hope that it might go beyond '上' to '特' kept him going.

1,100, 1,200, 1,300... 2,000!

'Advanced analysis?'

The message said that the analysis had been further enhanced.

'Hmm, the analysis has been enhanced from low to intermediate to high, but it can be enhanced even further...'

Glancing around, he estimated that there were about 1,000 more books he hadn't read, excluding the magic books.

He couldn't read the magic books because of the headache, but the others were fine.

'Good. What's the point of leaving them? Let's go all the way.'

2,100, 2,200, 2,300... 3,000!

'What is this?'

The message said that he could analyze even things he couldn't see with his eyes, and that he could modify and improve what he analyzed.

'Modify and improve... I want to know what this means.'

Using his mind caused a headache, so he sighed inwardly and looked up.

Suddenly, he saw a mirror in front of him, and his reflection in it.

Zap!

He didn't realize it, but he had tensed his eyes!

'I can see it!'

What could he see?

Thousands of thin threads above his body.

'Veins?'

But they felt different from veins, and he quickly understood what they were with the power of precise analysis.

'Qi!'

What he called qi was actually mana.

The thousands of threads were the paths through which mana flowed.

Looking closely, some were broken, some were blocked, and some were tangled.

'So this is why I have meridian blockage!'

Especially in his head, there were many broken, blocked, and tangled areas, and he tensed his eyes without realizing it.

Then!

Wriggle, wriggle.

They moved.

As if moved by telekinesis.

At the same time, one of the broken areas connected, and a message appeared.

'Oh, this works?'

Precise analysis not only analyzed but also actively treated.

However, as he tried to connect another one, a headache struck!