[Story is magic, is the miracle itself]
One day, while I was digging through the tras- I mean, important grimoire in the Hall of Knowledge, per my Master's order, I found a certain book lying haphazardly among the piles.
It was written in an ancient language that was impossible to decipher, but thanks to my Personality Skill, I can unlock its secret in a jiffy.
My Personality Skill, [Reader of all Book], allow me to read and understand any type of book.
It looks pretty unassuming, guess because the system decided that my most noticeable trait is that I’m an avid book reader, but it is secretly OP.
That is because it even allows me to understand grimoire, a book that contains knowledge about magic.
And upon reading and understanding them, it allow me to gain magic and skill from them as well.
Thanks to that, I obtained a ton of skills for myself, and ended up becoming quite overpowered among my peers, thanks to my diligent effort and passion for reading all the books in the world. I even managed to make a name for myself, obtaining a lot of titles, ended up earning myself land and a castle, and so far have been living a comfortable life of the rich and famous.
I even became the personal disciple of the Great Sage Merlis, and even gained access to the Great Library, from which I got the chance to learn even more magic skills for myself, and steadily become more and more powerful.
I'm so powerful, I almost think I am the very best!
...But, the reality is not like that, and reality kick me squarely in the butt for quite a while now.
I try to prove myself in the arena, only to get my butt kicked over and over, no matter how many skills and magic spell I have.
I try to prove myself in the last war to improve my image, but then it ends so fast by a pair of BUG-level characters, I don't even have a chance.
I even have the chance to go into the Hall of Knowledge, but instead of diving deep into the High Mind Palace where all the good forbidden spells are, I end up having to sort through garbage and miscellaneous knowledge for some reason.
‘We need you to look through all the rest and cataloging them, and leave the dangerous stuff to us.’ My butt. They just don’t want me to have the good stuff.
Well, suck to be them, since I manage to find the secret of primordial magic first! Imagine that you spend all of your efforts learning all the good stuff, only to find out that what they’re looking for is among the “trash” left behind for me to take it all.
And to think that I even gained a quest along with it as well!
[Uncover the Primordial Miracle
Rank: EX
Description: You have discovered the truth of magic and the root behind the miracle of the ancient. You’re now on the precipice of the Renaissance, and all you have to do is to take the first step.
The tale once silent, now echo again.
Condition: Recreate the Primordial Magic (0/1)
Reward: Obtain the title [Primordial Teller], Job change into [Storyteller]
]
Generally, you only get Rank EX Quest on two occasions: Whether it's a quest of insurmountable odds, or if it's of epic proportions.
In other words, it's whether the task at hand is of unprecedented difficulty, or that it's an event pivotal to the history of the world. Usually, those two facts are pretty intertwined, so quite a lot of the time it ends up being the same anyway.
Anyway, what that means, is that the quest I have received is both ultra-hard, and ultra-important! After all, I doubt recreating the ancient art once lost to time is easy, nor is potentially changing the course of magic forever in any sense trivial.
This means, the reward for performing it needs to be just as great, and it sure does deliver! Getting both a Rank EX title and a Rank EX Job as well? That's not just a steal, that a fucking heist!
Still, no matter how great the reward is, it doesn't matter if it can't be done. Even more so when I could get hounded by all the "researcher" mages researching this stuff straight out of my hand the moment I slip up.
Obviously, this must be something I need to do alone, hidden away from the privy of all those jerky nerds, and especially my Master, who is the worst of the lot.
As such, I put it away in my Inventory and carefully stowed it away out of the library and back into my house, where I then studied it secretly. For the past month, I meticulously studied the ritual, carefully carved out the magic pattern and set up the magic crystal perfectly, and carefully collected the material precisely as the grimoire was written out.
The better the result, the better the reward at the end will be, so I have never been so careful and painstakingly thorough before in my entire life. Making sure that absolutely nothing could interrupt me, I even secretly studied the sleep schedule of the insomniac research freak of a Master.
And in a rare opportunity, my Master suddenly decided to take a meditative deep sleep, even sealing herself up in her chamber to prevent herself from being disturbed.
Perhaps she is connecting her mind to the astral plane or something, or perhaps she retreated back into her mind palace to resolve and test out a sudden enlightenment… either way, with the greatest threat gone, here is my chance at last!
“...Okay, I’m ready. Hifrit, do your thing."
"Ooo."
With a flap of his silent wing, he lit up the magic circle, illuminating the room with a cool moonlit flame.
[Moonlight of the Sun’s Flame] is such a weird and specific requirement, that I don't think anyone else would have gotten it, had they haven't obtained the legendary Moon Owl Phoenix like I am.
Had I didn’t know better, I would have said that this was one lucky coincidence… But knowing how this game works, as flimsy as it always is, this would be considered fate, or perhaps destiny itself.
If so, this would be the fate made for me, destined for me to complete it.
Renewing my drive to complete the quest, I pat him on the head, before began chanting the ancient hymn…
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“[Story is magic, is the miracle itself]. This line right here, is the crux behind the foundation of Primordial Magic itself.” (Marigold)
Donning an elegant teaching glasses, Marigold enthusiastically started the class in front of the board, as she tapped her pen onto the sentences written in stunning cursives. Before they know it, Marigold ends up on a stepping stage in a beautiful teaching garment made out of silk, with a poofy robe made out of a giant leaf cut to size.
She doesn't understand where the outfits comes from, but a certain fairy said that she should look the part.
“Before I can explain all of that stuff though, do you want the short version, or the long version? The long version would need a loooot of explaining, even if I tried to stick it to the main point.” (Marigold)
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“Ooo, long version, please! As long as possible!” (Merlis)
Also before anyone knew it, Merlis was found sitting among the students, with her right hand raised and her left hand holding a thick notebook, filled with scribbles.
To be honest, it’s actually kinda scary just how quick she fit right into her spot among the peanuts, even before they had the chance to find out and gasped.
“Eh… the long version would have taken like 12 hours to explain it all, Are you sure you have the time available?” (Marigold)
“Only 12 hours? You better give out a darn good lesson to only need that long, but sure, I’m all ears!” (Merlis)
“Erm, wouldn’t that be very inconvenient for everyone else who can't be as studious as you having to stick around for that long?" Finally having a chance to talk for a long while, the Headmaster spoke up “I think it’s what she was implying, Great Sage.”
“...So what? This is the secret of the universe we’re talking about here! They can sleep through this one-in-a-lifetime chance for all I care, I can just hoggle it all for myself!” Said Merlis, her eyes ablaze with thirst and hunger for knowledge.
“(Crud, when she becomes like this, it's impossible to pry her out of it…) Now now, let be reasonable and understanding, dear Great Sage. I’m sure it’s reasonable to think that everyone should learn in their own time…” (Headmaster)
“...In the first place, where did you learn all of this, again? I understand you have a completely different view of the world than we are, but I presumed that has to come from somewhere.”
As the Headmaster tries to think of a way to convince Merlis to maybe have them attend different classes (probably defeating the point), it's also now finally the chance for No.1 to speak up, giving out a legitimate question. Not that coincidentally, it’s also the question the peanuts wanted to ask for themselves as well.
After all, if they learn where she get all of this mythical information, it would lead them to some sort of secret cave full of treasure and knowledge or something.
As expected of Isekai Online's lowest common denominators, they learn how to adapt quickly, despite only meeting them for one week in realtime.
“Hm… same as Big Sis, I would say. Listening to the voice of the world, intuition, and learning extensively from this book I bought.” (Marigold)
[Primordial Magic for Dummies]
Marigold showed the book for everyone to see, and then, something sorta clicked among the peanuts, when looking at the familiar yellow cover and doodle art.
Not that the explanation makes any sort of sense, mind you, but the title of the book in general. It bears a realllly familiar word, righttt just the tip of their tongues…
“Wellll, I said “bought”, but really I just get it for free. The Dummy Shop’s VVIP program is really generous, allowing me to get the first ten items for free without charge...Thanks to that, I got early learning material!”
(((Ah…. Of course it is from there. Just what the hell is the Dummy Shop anyway…)))
“...You said it’s early learning material, but wouldn’t that book should cover all of the deepest hidden secrets of the magic world, or so I have heard? We're not as well-versed in the history of the Central Continent, but even we learn about it's important." (No.1)
“Important is putting it lightly, but I already spew out all of my pieces on that… Said Marigold, if you already have that stuff, why do you even need me for? Wouldn't you be able to learn everything you need at this point and more, and also show it off for everyone to marvel like how your player like to brag?" Merlis said sarcastically
“Yeah, you would think so...And I was so excited about learning all the new magic beforehand as well, muuu~.” Marigold pouted.
“?You said as if this book...isn’t helpful?” (Merlis)
“Well, not exactly, but… would you like to read it?” (Marigold)
“Would I!” (Merlis)
Immediately, Merlis jumped at her and snatched the book out of her hand, eagerly wanting to read it from the prologue to the epilogue.
Then, she became confused.
And after that, she became bewildered.
And then after that, she became quite befuddled.
Curious, the peanuts crowded over her shoulders, dragging over each other for a peek, wondering what sort of secret within that made even the Great Sage spawn out a Great Question Marks at the top of her poofy hat. Soon enough, countless more question marks spawned out of their skull as well.
[Dummy Dummi Dum-i, Dummi Dumy (In the year Dummy 10000, the first Prime Magic was witnessed by the Great Old Straw, as they witness the Story of Fire and Burn)]
[Dummy Dum-y, Dummies Du Dumy (To begin using the Prime Dummy Magic, first you must grovel at your feet, and praise the gentle embrace of the Dummy God. It’s from Their Grace that we are Seen…)]
[Dummy Dummy Dummy Dummy Dummy….]
Reading to the end with an incongruable expression, she closed the book, handed it back to Marigold, and looked her dead in the eyes, demanding an explanation.
Well, to start with, this is the tutorial book that is made by the legendary Dummy Trainer, hoping to spread his lesson and teaching to all the dummies around the world after his retirement. Complied through his experience and pouring through the Great Dummy Library, he-
“...No, on second thought, I don’t want to know. Stuff about the Dummy Culture famously made people go insane with exasperation.” (Merlis)
“Yeah, I get it. Talking about the book as well would take another hour or so.” (Marigold)
“Only an hour, are you a genius or something-wait, that’s too rhetorical, never mind.” (Merlis)
...Disappointingly, rather than bothering with this headache-inducing topic, she retreated back into her seat, and let the whole thing slide, lest she get exhausted reacting to it.
The translation dummy at the corner of her eyes also looks disappointed for some reason, so she proceed to ignore them as well.
“Anyway, I want to ask...How?” (Merlis)
“Um...with efforts, I guess? Even after parsing through all the… bias in the work, I’m only getting half of what I need in here, since the author cares very little to anything not dummy-related." (Marigold)
“Seeing that Marigold is having difficulty gathering pre-learning resources, I decided to look at all the available books about magic in this capital… But it's somehow even less helpful, to say the least.” (Rose)
“Kyu (Even observing the practical example like magic tool and active casting doesn't help to make sense of what we're seeing. Only then do we have a sneaking suspicion…)" (Dragon)
“”” That the magic used by the people in here is much worse than we thought it would be (Kyu)"""
“Guh!” (Merlis)
Stabbed by the bluntness of disappointment, Merlis involuntarily leaks out a pained sound from the heart. She donated a lot of her work to this capital, so this especially hurt deep inside.
Still, you wouldn’t be a respected and tenured researcher without a really thick skull, so she swiftly recovered herself with a question.
“Okay, if the magic was this bad in your eyes, why do you even ask me to teach you…" (Merlis)
“I mean, we were hoping that was the case, but it turned out your magic was even messier, so…” (Marigold)
“Kyu (Basically, thanks to your talent, we ended up didn't learn jack (lmao))" (Dragon)
“Gah!!" (Merlis)
Immediately after, another blow of disappointment stabbed her through the back, knocking her prone to the ground. She can’t immediately raise up now, after being hit in such a quick succession…
“Honestly, if it weren’t for what you have shown us, we would have seriously considered just remaking it from scratch, and creating a new cleaner system. It honestly would be easier than cleaning up this world's mess.” (Rose)
“Eh, don't say that, Big Sis. Not like it should be that simple to do so-" (Marigold)
“Be honest, Marigold. How long would that take you?” (Rose)
“...Um, about a week or so? Depending on what tier of magic you’re asking me…” (Marigold)
“Kyu~ (How about just what Merlis has shown so far? Come on, don’t be shy~)” (Dragon)
“Erm….” (Marigold)
Fidgeting around, Marigold sheepishly looked toward Merlis with guilt, only to be met with her fierce glare, still lying dead on the ground.
“...Come on, show me your fucking best (worst), I can fucking take it!” (Merlis)
“Uuu...”(Marigold)
Met with her unwavering (?) resolve, Marigold had no choice but to comply, and snapped her finger. Immediately after, a flame of cosmic color shines bright at the top of her fingertip, spraying the wonder of the universe onto the space above, showering them with the star’s wonder.
[You have received Marigold's Cosmic Light. Your INT stat has increased by π times]
Cosmic Magic, a unique system of magic that she has developed for centuries, and is her most proud work…
Not only was it copied so easily, but it's also of a much higher tier of mastery. From her casting times to the principle behind it, the overall structure is so advanced she barely understood it all…
Seeing the absolute stark differences in talent, was the absolute last straw. Being thwomped on by a mysterious block-shaped creature of spike and spite, she ends up crushed under the weight of talents, sprawling her limb and face to the dirt.
Soon enough, a puddle also appeared under her head, filled with salt and sadness.
“...So the substitution dummy can even shed tears to express frustration… fascinating." (Rose)
“Big Sis, you’re not helping…Uh, cheer up Mer-sis, it's just a cheap trick I can do anyway, nothing compares to your mastery…" (Marigold)
“Uoaaaa!! (Don’t give me your fucking pity condolence, leave me crying in peace!!!!)” (Merlis)
“Kyu~ (Not helping, Mari-sis~)” (Dragon)
“Shut up...!” (Marigold)
"Kyukyukyu~~!" (Dragon)
Dragon earn another pinching of the cheek, once again, for making fun of this situation, to the chargin of Marigold.
Going up to the podium again, Marigold decided to restart the lesson, as if nothing happened. It’s pretty hard to do so with the Great Sage still making a mess, but the peanuts tried their best for her sake.
“Anyway, back on track, sorry for the disruption.” Tapping on the words again, Marigold continued. “To understand what this means, first we need to elaborate on a few things, step by step.”
“[Story is magic, is the miracle itself], is because [The World Love Story],”
Dragging the words down magically, as if this was on a large touchscreen, she wrote these sentences above, and pointed it down toward the previous, making a connection.
"The World at large likes to listen, to see, and to partake in stories, and as such, they give them strength and importance."
“For, in the viewpoint of the universe, story is the very miracles of the sapient. That which convert itself to more of itself.”
(...that which leads to more of itself?)
Curious as to what entered her ears, the drooped-down hat splaying on the ground perked up, and leaned closer. Silently removing the brick creature off herself, Merlis took on proper seating again, quickly jumpstarting her note.
‘It’s a good thing she's quick on her feet.' Marigold felt relieved to see, as she dragged the sentences down again, and wrote something new.
“What do I mean by all of that? In the first place, why does the world love stories? Why would the universe place so much attention to it, and why do the elements love to resonate with them?”
“To explain briefly, it is because of this…”
[The World Remember, But The World Can’t Tell]
Tapping onto the board again, she beckoned them to pay attention to this simple phrase.
So simple, that it seems to be obvious. Yet, so obvious, that it becomes strange.