A Reader's Grimoire In A Novel World

Julius began to open the book as he saw that and then frowned at what he saw on the pages.

"These are..."

He kept flipping the pages over and over, and it was then that he finally came to a realization.

'This is the story itself, containing the important details and conflicts of this world... How? Who?' He frowned and looked outside his window to see flashes of red lightning in the dark clouds.

"Thrifter, huh?" Julius closed the book and placed it by his side.

'I wonder if he'll be like those Gods,' he thought.

He snapped out of his thoughts soon enough, and another line of black words began to appear in front of a mist which gathered before him.

[You have awakened the Eye of Providence]

He was surprised to see the words in front of him, but then he couldn't help but close his left eye as he felt a slight sting in it.

'What is this?' he thought as he looked at the mirror.

He was quite surprised to see that his iris, which was normal before, had become a cross shape with the points going in various directions, seemingly going around his entire eyeball.

'No way. Is this... a God eye?' he thought with a lot of doubt in his mind.

God eyes in this world were only given to highly revered incarnations of Gods. Only those who stood at the peak, with the support of their God, were able to wield such power.

'I have never heard about a God eye in only one side. Is this from Thrifter too?' he wondered.

He couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised. He didn't even know the God in question, but he was being showered with blessings.

He could have a good life if he wasn't fated to interfere with the story.

[The Eye of Providence

Abilities:

Environmental Awareness:

Description: Extends the skill to analyze the surroundings for strategic advantages or hidden dangers.

Usage: Drains Essence continuously while active, limiting duration.

Enhanced Analysis:

Description: Allows deeper insight into magical or technological objects, revealing hidden properties or functions.

Usage: Requires intense concentration and mana.

Temporal Manipulation: The eye can create a space between realms where time flows differently, allowing the user to train at an accelerated rate. However, spending too much time in this space could cause disorientation or a sense of detachment from the real world as the space exists between time.

??? (User lacks sufficient essence to reveal)

??? (User lacks...)

Caution: Overuse of the eye can cause mental fatigue, migraines, hallucinations, or incorrect foresight.]

Julius glanced at the screen, his lips slightly parted as he looked at the mirror. The cross on his left eye had a red glow, and all of a sudden, he was seeing something similar to an outline of the entire castle.

The world was black and white in this view, and he could see hundreds of maids and knights through the walls, even his half-brothers on the lower floors.

Hidden pathways, essence in the air—he could see every detail of the world in this perspective.

'Amazing,' was the only word that came out of his mouth as he observed the surroundings.

'This would help a lot. I guess, since I have essence now, I should get to training,' he thought with a sigh, walking out of his room.

...

'The first arc of the novel hasn't even begun. It's still freaky that I'm the direct younger brother of the female lead,' Julius thought as he walked between two tall shelves.

Currently, he was in the royal library. Although not the best information is kept here, it's still a good place to learn.

'He seriously lacked when it came to knowledge. I just need to know all I need to start activating my chakra paths.'

Soon, Julius took all the books he could find on essences and began to study them.

...

Julius couldn't even tell the time because it was always dark in this world. He had eventually studied only two books, and the procedures seemed easy.

He stood up and sat next to the table on the cold marble tiles. Closing his eyes, he focused on his breath.

'Calm the mind, and see the paths.'

It was as if something lit up in him. He was able to feel something cold, like water, flowing within him. He recognized the intangible energy as Essence.

Julius opened his eyes to find himself in a dark space. He looked around; it was eerily silent in this place.

"This must be the Essence World, the first and most important part of wielding essence in the body: Core formation." He nodded, squinting his eyes.

The blue energy suddenly began appearing around him, moving forward. It began to swirl around, forming a transparent blue ball in front of him.

Julius had nothing to do other than continue this for the meantime.

Outside, in the library, there were a few people who seemed to be Julius' age or older. The group of three boys walked around the library, gifted as they were.

"Hm? Isn't that Prince Julius?" one of the boys asked as he pointed to Julius, who sat beside the study table.

"That sounded a bit weird. Although he's a prince in name, he isn't even recognized by the king as an heir, so he has no authority," one of the kids said with a shrug.

"Hm... I wonder what he is doing?" the third boy said, and they all began to approach him.

They all stopped in their tracks as they saw a bright light shining from Julius' body, and they all seemed shocked.

"This... This is essence. He's undergoing an essence awakening!" one of the boys shouted, and they stepped back.

The light suddenly dimmed, and a pulse wave of energy was released from his body, slightly causing the books on the table to shift and the kids' hair to flutter.

They were all confused at the situation happening in front of them. The talentless prince, who was a disgrace to the royal family, had gone through an essence awakening.