Once I figured out what I needed to do to activate this... Sacred Gear, it became extremely easy to turn it on and off—which was a good thing.
What didn't feel like such a good thing was the very real possibility that this was the world of High School DxD.
"This is fucking bullshit, and it seems I got a pretty normal Sacred Gear like Twice Critical—or at least that's what I think based on the description given in the anime," I said with a resigned tone. But power is power.
"Although... something doesn't add up according to how that weapon is supposed to work. It's said to double power in every way—strength, magic, reflexes, and other attributes fall into that category—but when I look at the energy in my body and my own strength, it's more than just double. That shouldn't be possible if it were the regular version. So is this a variant? If that's the case, at least that's something good," I thought aloud, overanalyzing everything I could remember about the series while pacing around the small rock room.
Unfortunately, I couldn't recall much from an anime I watched so long ago—beyond the general plot of the story. What I did remember, though, were the mechanics of these Sacred Gears. They were created by the Biblical God of Catholicism... I think. Anyway, they're weapons crafted for a specific purpose or with a specific power. For example, the main character's gear had the Red Dragon Emperor sealed inside and allowed continuous power doubling, while Twice Critical was a weaker, more limited version made from the Red Dragon Emperor's flesh and energy. Kind of like a prototype before the Biblical God made the one used to seal Ddraig—or at least that's what I think. One of the possible features of all Sacred Gears could be something like a storage space, or maybe that was exclusive to Boosted Gear? At this point, I don't know. Another thing: it should be possible to obtain a Balance Breaker with time, so that's something else to look forward to.
"Hmm, I shouldn't complain about what I have when this might be the only thing that truly belongs to me in this world," I thought to myself. "It's not the most overpowered gear in the series, but any Sacred Gear can be useful if you have the will to improve... or something like that."
Well, since I already knew how to activate it and was sure I didn't have a Balance Breaker yet, I tried to use the item-storage function. I summoned it again quickly—in less than a millisecond, it was already formed on my arm. I didn't know where to start, but everything had worked on pure luck so far. Maybe it works based on willpower—and if so, that'd work in my favor. I thought this as a brief, malicious smile crept onto my face.
I imagined an inventory or a box—like the item bags in RPGs. The red gem glowed—or rather, the energy inside looked like a vortex. Apparently, the gem was the input and output point. I picked up a small stone from the floor and pressed it against the gem. The stone turned into energy and was quickly absorbed by the vortex.
"So it does work," I thought to myself, though I had no awareness of what was inside. So I imagined pulling everything out of the gem. I wasn't surprised when not only the stone came out—but also two far more interesting items.
"Two books... well, maybe God hasn't completely abandoned me." In silence, I thanked God—whichever god had shown me goodwill—because having a Sacred Gear was one thing, but these books would definitely be useful.
"International Magical Treatises: Latest Edition – Everything a Competent Mage Should Know."
"Draconian Magic by the Black Dragon King, Vritra."
I looked at both books, and a smile spread across my face. The orbs that were my eyes spun with intensity, generating a faint red glow without me noticing.
For now, I decided to start with the Magical Treatise. After all, I'm not a dragon.
Opening the book, I wasn't surprised by its academic tone. The index was clear, though it had few main topics. Plenty of subtopics branched from them like endless limbs. What did make me sweat was discovering that the book had more than ten thousand pages.
May God have mercy on my soul.
In short, the main topics were divided as follows:
Introduction
A look at the fundamental components of human magic
Magical manipulation exercises
Spellcasting
Domestic magic
Alchemical magic
Runic magic
Military magic
Esoteric magic
Ritual magic
Demonology
Spiritism
Spell creation
Recording and publishing knowledge
Compilation of various spells
Mage standards
The graduation spell
Personal space
I skipped the subtopics. There were too many. Though something told me I'd face them sooner or later.
What was truly surprising was that this book was magical—and not in the poetic sense. Literally. It could hide sections, had a magical search function, and even a runic keyboard. The ink moved as if it were alive, rearranging itself like a living screen—though not as fast as a modern one.
At the end of the tome, it even had a personal space where I could write my own spells or use it as a journal.
It was like having a magical computer designed to teach you magic.
If I weren't trapped in hell, I would've jumped for joy.
But even here… I couldn't help but feel like a kid with his first big toy.
I proceeded to read the book without skipping anything—and let me tell you, I was not prepared for the mountain of technical knowledge mixed with esotericism. It's like reading the Bible if it taught you quantum physics applied in such a way that even a monkey with a severe case of mental retardation could learn.
The introduction was just what you'd expect. The section on the fundamental components of human magic was long, but easy to understand.
Magic is the result of a mathematical equation that reproduces a supernatural phenomenon—originally divine or demonic—with mandatory precision.
The user doesn't cast spells because they "believe" in them, but because they understand exactly how the phenomenon they want to imitate, create, change, or destroy works.
Magic was composed of five equally important parts:
The Mage – The processor that executed magical instructions. Not just the executor, but also an essential and active part of the process. They had to not only calculate the magic but also move and control it for a successful cast.
The Laws – The fundamental rules governing reality itself. Even those beyond known reality followed their own laws, which meant they were included under this system. In short, everything is governed by rules that may vary.
Mana – The energy that powers all magic. Without it, spellcasting is impossible.
Formulas – A magical formula is an equation based on one or more laws. It's the mental process by which the mage calculates how to make a law behave as they desire—factoring in the environment, available mana, and their own body. You could say it's the compilation phase of the spell, but not the execution.
The Spell – The ultimate goal of all magic. The opus magnum of every mage. The result of all previous steps applied. The completed process. The answer to everything proposed. It's represented by a magic circle that contains all the steps and results of the process. You could say a spell is humanity's final interference in reality.
"This is basically programming reality. The execution of a new script with the mage as the compiler, the laws as the programming language, magic as energy, formulas as code and compilation, and the spell as the end result," I said as the smile on my face grew wider and the glow in my eyes intensified. This was something I knew very well—so well that it felt like this book had been carefully chosen just for me. But the machinations of the gods aren't important... not yet. I need strength.
And this book is one of the keys they've given me to open that door.