Chapter 128 - Grimoire Ranking System
As Amukelo and Pao stepped through the entrance of the magic shop, he felt an immediate shift in the atmosphere. The moment he crossed the threshold, several books perched on nearby shelves flipped open on their own, their pages fluttering as if reacting to his presence. A bottle filled with water sat atop a counter, yet the liquid inside moved in a slow, mesmerizing swirl without any apparent force guiding it. A faint glow pulsed from various objects scattered throughout the shop, creating an almost dreamlike ambiance.
Amukelo's steps slowed as he took in the sight before him. Unlike any other shop he had ever visited, this one seemed alive—responding, shifting, whispering. He reached out cautiously toward one of the floating books, but the moment his fingers neared it, the book snapped shut as if it had a mind of its own. His eyes widened slightly, and he instinctively withdrew his hand.
Pao, who had been watching his reaction with amusement, chuckled softly. "It's your first time in a magic shop, isn't it?"
Amukelo scratched the back of his head, a bit embarrassed. "Yeah... everything here seems so... otherworldly."
Pao beamed, her excitement barely contained. "Right!? Isn't it incredible? With magic, you can do things like this yourself. That's why I love it so much."
Amukelo let his gaze wander over the glowing books, the swirling water, the softly shimmering gemstones embedded in various trinkets. "Yeah... it's definitely something else."
Pao clasped her hands together, suddenly reminded of her purpose for coming here. "So, you remember what I said earlier? I want to buy a grimoire today."
Amukelo turned his attention back to her. "Right, do you know what you're looking for?"
Pao nodded eagerly. "I hope to find at least a sapphire grimoire, but who knows, maybe even a ruby one. Or—though it's a long shot—maybe a growth grimoire."
Amukelo frowned slightly. "Sapphire? Ruby? What do you mean?"
Pao's eyes immediately lit up, her enthusiasm bubbling over as she prepared to explain. "Oh! Okay, so listen. Grimoires have their own ranking system, based on the gemstone embedded in them. The standardized ranking goes like this: Quartz, Topaz, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, and Diamond. The higher the ranking, the more powerful the spells inside the grimoire."
Amukelo nodded, trying to absorb the information. "So, Quartz is the weakest, and Diamond is the strongest?"
"Exactly!" Pao continued, her excitement growing. "But there are also other categories beyond just raw power. For example, there are corrupted grimoires. These grimoires usually contain dark-colored stones like obsidian or shadow opal. They hold immense power, but they can be dangerous to the user. Think of it like summoning a powerful creature that surpasses the summoner's control—it can turn against you."
Amukelo raised an eyebrow. "That... doesn't sound like a good thing to have."
Pao smirked. "Well, some people seek raw power even of it means their own harm."
She moved to another section of the shop, her fingers tracing over the spines of the books before stopping at a glowing grimoire. "Then, we have growth grimoires. You can recognize them by the type of stone they have—usually something luminescent, like moonstone or star sapphire."
"Growth grimoires..." Amukelo repeated, intrigued. "What makes them special?"
Pao turned toward him, her expression filled with admiration for the subject she was explaining. "Most grimoires have fixed spells. They take a set amount of mana and are difficult to manipulate. Even if you try to push more mana into them to make them stronger at the time, the spell's base power remains unchanged. But growth grimoires? They evolve. The spells inside them can be permanently altered and strengthened as the user masters them. They have the potential to become incredibly powerful over time."
Amukelo nodded slowly. "So, they grow alongside the mage?"
"Exactly!" Pao beamed. "Then, we have unstable grimoires. These ones are... weird. Their stones can be anything from amber to even something as strange as sandstone. But they always have one thing in common—they're stones in them are broken broken."
"Broken?" Amukelo frowned. "As in, useless?"
"Not necessarily," Pao corrected. "Some people believe that unstable grimoires are just incomplete—that their true potential is locked behind a mastery no one has reached yet. The theory is that if someone fully understands them, they can stabilize and become something unique. But..." She hesitated, sighing. "There are plenty of stories about people who tried to master unstable grimoires and never succeeded. Some gave up. But some people actually succeeded. So no one knows whether they were just lucky, or you can master every unstable grimoire."
Amukelo shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, that doesn't sound like something worth gambling on."
Pao gave him a knowing look. "That's why most people avoid them. But some are willing to take the risk for the chance of unlocking something truly one-of-a-kind."
She paused, her fingers trailing over a thick tome with golden clasps before continuing. "And then, there's the last category. The one people either believe in or dismiss as pure legend."
Amukelo raised an eyebrow. "Legend?"
Pao nodded, lowering her voice slightly as if sharing a secret. "Ancient grimoires. These are said to have been created by legendary heroes and mages of the past. Some claim they've been lost to time, hidden away or abandoned. No one really knows their true potential, or if they even exist. But people say these grimoires hold celestial stones—things like ethereal pearls or philosopher's stones."
Amukelo took a moment to absorb all of this. The idea that books—grimoires—could hold such immense potential was fascinating. He had never cared much for magic before, but seeing the excitement on Pao's face and hearing the passion in her voice made him appreciate it in a way he never had before.
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He smirked slightly. "So... which one do you think you'll find today?"
Pao grinned. "That's the fun part, isn't it? Let's find out."
With that, she turned toward the towering shelves of ancient knowledge. She was meticulous, pulling a book from the shelf now and then to inspect it before shaking her head and placing it back. Amukelo watched her curiously, noting the way her expression shifted between excitement, curiosity, and deep contemplation.
To his surprise, there weren't many quartz grimoires on display. The shelves were mostly filled with topaz grimoires, followed by a decent number of sapphire ones. That struck him as odd—if quartz was the weakest rank, shouldn't it be the most common?
"Shouldn't there be more quartz grimoires?" he asked, stepping closer as Pao continued her search. "I mean, if they're the weakest, wouldn't there be an overabundance of them?"
Pao paused, tilting her head as if the answer was obvious. "Yeah, but there's also the highest demand for them," she explained. "Quartz grimoires are the cheapest and easiest to use. They're not powerful, but for beginners, or people who don't have much money, they're perfect for expanding their spell repertoire. Most magic users start with them before moving on to better grimoires."
Amukelo nodded, understanding the logic. "So they're basically snapped up the moment they hit the shelves?"
"Pretty much," Pao said. "But I'm not here for quantity today—I want quality."
She continued browsing, her fingers deftly flipping through different options. Every now and then, she'd find something interesting, but nothing quite caught her attention—until her gaze landed on an emerald grimoire tucked between a few sapphire ones. Her eyes lit up for a moment, and she reached for it, but as soon as she had it in her hands, her expression faltered.
"I can't buy this..." she murmured under her breath, her voice barely audible.
Amukelo raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
Pao shook her head, as if trying to snap herself out of a momentary weakness. "No! I'm looking for a strong sapphire or a ruby grimoire. I need something powerful, not something I can't afford." She set the emerald grimoire back in its place, exhaling sharply before turning her attention to the next shelf.
But then, she found a Ruby grimoire. She gasped deeply as she paused.
Her fingers hovered over the spine for a second before she carefully pulled it from the shelf, treating it like a precious artifact. The deep red gemstone embedded in the cover seemed to glow faintly in the dim lighting of the shop, reflecting the flickering candlelight.
She read over the description inside, her expression shifting into awe. "This spell... creates burning chains around the user," she murmured, reading aloud. "They wrap around enemies, draining their mana while also dealing damage over time."
Amukelo peered over her shoulder. "Sounds useful."
"It is," Pao nodded. "But I wonder how strong the chains actually are. If I were to face a truly powerful opponent, would they hold? Or is this spell just a way to deal with groups of weaker enemies while replenishing some of my mana?" She bit her lip, deep in thought. "It could be useful either way, but I need to make sure it's worth the price before deciding."
Amukelo took a few steps down the aisle, his eyes absentmindedly wandering over the books. Something caught his attention—an unusual shimmer from one of the grimoires. It wasn't a deep red like the ruby ones, nor a clear blue like sapphire. The glow had an almost ethereal quality to it.
"Hey, Pao," he called. "Didn't you say growth spells have luminescent stones? I think I found one."
Before he could even finish speaking, Pao had already shot across the shop, her eyes wide with excitement. "A growth spell?" she asked breathlessly.
She looked at the grimoire Amukelo was pointing at, her hands reaching for it with a mix of anticipation and reverence. The stone embedded in its cover was a shifting hue of purple and green—an alexandrite.
She inhaled sharply. "It really is a growth spell," she confirmed, running her fingers over the cover.
Flipping the book open, she scanned the back of the book, searching for the spell description. When she found it, her excitement wavered slightly.
"Teleportation?" she read aloud. That was all it said—just a single word. No detailed explanation, no additional descriptions.
Amukelo frowned. "Isn't that... a good thing? Being able to teleport anywhere you want?"
Pao tilted her head, clearly considering it. "It is, but..." she hesitated. "Teleportation magic is tricky. The way the spell is written is important. Some teleportation spells only let you travel short distances. Others require you to see your destination. If this one doesn't specify, I have no idea what its limitations are. Is it instantaneous travel? Does it require a setup? How much mana does it use? There are too many unknowns."
Amukelo shrugged. "So, take it anyway. It's a growth spell, right? Maybe you can make it work however you want."
Pao smiled at his logic, but she still seemed hesitant. "It's tempting, but... a ruby grimoire would give me an immediate power boost. Growth grimoires require time, effort, and a lot of trial and error to master. I need to make sure it's the right investment."
She sighed, gripping the teleportation grimoire a little tighter before glancing back at the ruby one she had set aside earlier. Both were appealing for different reasons.
Amukelo, sensing her dilemma, asked, "Why not check the prices first? No point stressing over it if you can't afford one, right?"
Pao exhaled a soft laugh. "Yeah... you're right. Let's see what the shopkeeper says."
With the two books in her hands, she turned toward the front counter, her heart pounding slightly as she prepared to make her decision.