Seeing the incredible changes on his system panel, Char couldn't help but gasp. His [Serpensortia] spell, which had been Bronze level just moments ago, had directly soared to Platinum!
"What on earth just happened?!"
It took him half an hour to fully process it. "Could it be," he finally realized, "because I was trying to understand the underlying secrets of the Snake-Summoning Charm? If I can fully grasp its fundamental mysteries, my proficiency might become comparable to its creator. That would be a legendary achievement. So, even a slight realization on this path can cause a dramatic surge in my skill."
Enlightenment dawned in his eyes. This was a crucial hint. Perhaps he could apply this approach to other spells. "It's not about blindly practicing to improve my attainment. Instead, I should start from the fundamentals of the spell and, by mastering its underlying logic, achieve rapid improvement." The difference in efficiency was immense.
The only drawback was that with his current magical attainment and perception, this was still incredibly difficult to achieve. In the short term, it might not be as stable as simple practice. "But if I give it some time, especially once my magical perception reaches Platinum, I can start experimenting. Then, my speed in learning new spells will also improve significantly!"
Char nodded in satisfaction. Then, an expectant look appeared on his face. "I wonder what changes will happen to the Snake-Summoning Charm now that it's Platinum. It's my only Platinum-level offensive spell at the moment. It shouldn't disappoint me."
He raised his wand and thrust it forward. "Serpensortia!"
The next moment, Char felt a strange sensation. Smoke shot out from the tip of his wand, and the black serpent formed from it felt completely under his control. He held his breath, raising his wand higher. The smoke, about to condense into the outline of a single snake, suddenly bulged. Then, two hissing sounds filled the air, and a massive, eight-meter-long serpent crashed to the ground. The most bizarre thing was that it had two heads!
Char's eyes lit up. Although it was smaller than the usual black viper, the two-headed snake posed a much greater threat. And two heads might not even be the limit. Char looked as if he had discovered a new toy, constantly waving his wand. The serpent in front of him dissolved into smoke and then reformed, gaining an extra head each time.
Finally, when Char felt his control over the Snake-Summoning Charm had reached its current peak, a gigantic five-headed serpent, like a creature of myth, reared its heads before him! Char was quite satisfied. Regardless of its actual lethality, its sheer size and imposing form would terrify many. He knew that a wizard's will was crucial for spellcasting. Many wizards would likely be unable to cast Serpensortia successfully when faced with such a terrifying image.
"Also, there seems to be another change," he murmured. "Beyond changes in size, there are changes in quantity." With a flick of his wand, the five-headed snake dissolved into smoke. Then, he gave his wand a sharp jerk, as if shaking off the smoke. The smoke actually divided into twelve distinct parts. The next second, as Char waved his wand again, twelve black serpents emerged and slithered forward. While smaller and less lethal than the five-headed monster, their sheer numbers would be incredibly effective for distracting enemies. This could also serve as an excellent auxiliary for environmental detection and direction-finding. If he could further refine it, perhaps he could even transform the serpents into ropes or flying knives, enhancing its practicality even more!
After a while, Char finally put away his wand, satisfied. The Platinum-level Snake-Summoning Charm had not disappointed him.
His eyes then fell on his [Transfiguration] skill, which had just been promoted to Bronze. Though only Bronze, Char's joy at this advancement was even greater than for the Snake-Summoning Charm. Transfiguration was the foundation of so much magic. An Iron-level Transfiguration was already equivalent to Platinum attainment in many spells. Bronze-level Transfiguration was incredibly rare. Among all the students at Hogwarts, few would possess this level of mastery, and certainly no other first-years. Hermione was still a long way off.
Char carefully observed the changes that came with the Transfiguration upgrade. After a moment, his face was filled with ecstasy. His gaze swept over the other spells he had mastered. Platinum-level spells like the Lumos Charm and the Scooting Charm, which had been bottlenecked by his magical perception, now shone brighter than ever, their attainments significantly improved! The golden luster of his [Sectumsempra] skill spread rapidly, clearly indicating a major leap in its progress toward Gold level.
A strange glint appeared in Char's eyes. He now had a clearer understanding of the profound importance of Transfiguration. "Even when my magical perception is limited, improving Transfiguration can directly help break through bottlenecks in other spells. If my magical perception had no limits, I might even be able to push some spells close to the Diamond level. And in the future, when I learn new spells, I won't have to start from Black Iron; I'll at least begin at Bronze or even Silver!" This was the true power of Transfiguration as the cornerstone of magic.
Additionally, the Guardian Tree now had an [Occlumency Blessing (Bronze Level)]. Char was ecstatic. This was an incredible haul.
But soon, as his excitement waned, Char's expression grew serious again. A large part of his gains this time had come from information gleaned from Voldemort. Without it, he might have taken another week to figure out the mistakes in his Transfiguration research, possibly even longer, meaning far less progress before the confinement ended.
He had gained, but he had also incurred a debt. He had stolen knowledge from Voldemort, and the two-faced man would likely not give up. But a moment later, Char regained his composure. "Even if I hadn't tricked him, he would still have come after me for the Devil's Snare. Instead of worrying about trivial things, it's better to focus on maximizing my strength."
His gaze fell on the words of [Sectumsempra], now interwoven with silver and gold. Char clenched his fists. "Strike while the iron is hot. I need to upgrade Sectumsempra to Gold level as soon as possible. Until then, no matter what happens, if someone comes for me, they must be prepared to bleed!"
With his [Sectumsempra] skill greatly improved, processing the secondary nodes of the mutated Devil's Snare was now almost guaranteed. He could simultaneously improve his offensive magic and cultivate the Devil's Snare. Char pulled out his wand. He was never one to be content with his rapidly growing power. He plunged back into his work, tirelessly. The looming threat of facing the two-faced man after his confinement ended only fueled his focus. Time became meaningless. He entered a flow state, forgetting himself and the world around him. Even the parchment fragments buried under the Guardian Tree were forgotten.
On the other side of the magical connection, fragmented words continued to appear on the parchment. "Junior? Have you finished your shower? Why does it take so long? Junior???"
Voldemort's eyes burned with rage. "Damn it! We had clearly breached his defenses! We were one step away from finding the weakness of the mutated Devil's Snare! What went wrong? Why didn't he reply?!"
"Master," Quirrell stammered, fear in his voice. "Could it be that the boy was deceiving us from the beginning? That after he got what he wanted, he just… threw the parchment away?"
"Impossible!" Voldemort hissed, his voice flat. "From the moment he writes his first word, he is influenced by me! No first-year wizard can break free of that. Besides, a Hufflepuff wouldn't do such a shameless thing, would he?" Then, his expression darkened. "Unless…" Rage began to boil within him. "Dumbledore did it. That old fool must have sensed something and cut off my conversation with Char. One step! I was only one step away from success! Dumbledore, you old bastard, you deserve to die!"
Voldemort gasped for breath, and Quirrell's face paled further. The feeling of weakness returned. "It consumed too much energy. All the strength I gained from hunting the unicorn is gone. Fortunately, Char's defense is now useless. No matter how strict Dumbledore's defenses are, I'll find a way to get the answer from him once his detention is over. My priority isn't Char anymore. I must continue to hunt unicorns. As many as possible. Next time, I must succeed on the first try!"
With those words, Voldemort sank back into a deep sleep, his presence receding from Quirrell's body. Quirrell, regaining control, completely destroyed the parchment. Then, dragging his frail body, he slowly made his way back toward the Forbidden Forest.
In the blink of an eye, another ten days passed. Without Quirrell's interruptions, Char's daily life became incredibly disciplined and fulfilling. After tending to his plants each day, he devoted almost all his time to magical practice. The results were remarkable. Three days ago, his [Sectumsempra] skill officially upgraded to Gold level. Its sharpness and power were nearly doubled. The Devil's Snare branches that had previously resisted his spell were now cut as easily as tofu. While this meant the branches were less effective for training [Sectumsempra], Char had already processed all the secondary nodes of his Devil's Snare roots. It was only a matter of time before new, stronger branches grew. He estimated that the variant Devil's Snare would remain useful for training until his [Sectumsempra] reached Platinum level.
In addition to the massive improvement to [Sectumsempra], another spell Char had learned from the Half-Blood Prince's textbook showed even greater improvement: [Levicorpus]. Even before [Sectumsempra] reached Gold, [Levicorpus] had already reached Platinum level. This qualitative leap to Platinum caught Char by surprise. Besides increasing the weight and duration of the levitation, its concealment had also been greatly enhanced. The magical fluctuations when casting [Levicorpus] were significantly reduced. While this didn't allow Char to use the spell as artfully as Snape, ordinary opponents, even some Aurors, lacking extensive combat experience, would likely fall victim to it on their first encounter. In a chaotic battlefield, it would be even harder to detect. It could almost be said that whoever he pointed at would fly. The consequences of being hoisted upside down on a battlefield were self-evident.
Char sighed in his heart. Snape truly was a master of practical dueling spells. [Levicorpus] combined with [Sectumsempra] meant instant kills for anyone unwary enough to face him.
His eyes swept across his system panel. He breathed a sigh of relief, a satisfied smile on his face. Compared to three weeks ago, his magical strength was now on a completely different level.
"But tomorrow, the confinement ends," he thought, a little wistfully. "Alas, good times are always so short."
His expression then grew serious. After tomorrow, he might have to face the threat of the two-faced man again. The man he had tricked might greet him with a curse the moment he stepped out of the greenhouse.
Char dared not be careless. In the remaining hours, he didn't immerse himself in magic practice. A day's time, with his magical perception already at its limit, wouldn't bring any qualitative changes. But there was one more thing he could practice: actual combat.
Char's gaze fell on the Devil's Snare and Shadowthorns in the small greenhouse. Under his care for the past three weeks, these dangerous plants had grown significantly. The Devil's Snare was thicker, its nodes processed. The Shadowthorns were even denser, their thorns giving him goosebumps just looking at them. If these current Devil's Snare and Shadowthorns were to attack Porgy Charmain, he likely wouldn't even make it to the door before being beaten to death.
He took a deep breath, his eyes bright. "Shadow," he commanded, hooking his finger. "Attack me with the Devil's Snare and Shadowthorns. Use all your strength. And use your ancient shadow magic as well."
Shadow paused for a moment, then carried out Char's orders without hesitation. Within moments, dense clusters of thorny vines and writhing shadows formed long, spiked whips. On the ground, dark shadows surged like tentacles.
The next second, the air filled with the whistling of whips. Char's eyes lit up. He surrendered his body to the magic, allowing himself to feel and move. He danced, weaving between the thorn whips and shadows. The sheer density of the attacks, however, exceeded the limits of human reaction speed. No matter how much Char dodged, he was repeatedly struck. The thorns, imbued with ancient shadow magic, didn't cause serious trauma, and the wounds healed quickly, but the pain was raw and intense. The single whipping that had made Porgy Charmain scream now drew a tight, pained grimace from Char. His lips were bitten, and drops of blood stained the corners of his mouth.
Shadow's movements paused. Lines of shadow-formed words appeared: "Father, do you need to rest?"
Char slowly pulled the corners of his mouth into a grim smile. "Continue," he rasped. "Use all your strength. Don't hold back."
Receiving the command, Shadow resumed the assault. The Devil's Snare and Shadowthorns whipped at Char, his body accumulating wounds that instantly healed. The pain was constant. He wasn't a masochist, but he knew that despite his significant gains over the past three weeks, his strength still had limits. On paper, he stood little chance against the two-faced man. Of course, if there was any way to avoid a direct confrontation, he would. But not everything in the world was within his control. If he did find himself in that situation, he hoped to at least delay his opponent until Dumbledore arrived. A little more pain now, sharper reactions, faster movements, and greater pain tolerance, was better than being killed or controlled.
So, even as the pain tore through his body, Char maintained his battle rhythm, dodging and counter-attacking. Time, which had flown by during his practice, now seemed to stretch into an eternity. Even for a hardcore individual like Char, he felt himself approaching numbness. But every time the thought of giving up crossed his mind, images flashed before his eyes: the Sprout family, his aunt, and Antonin Dolohov… He's definitely stronger than Quirrell. Even stronger than Snape. And I must kill him in fifth year! We are still far from that level of strength!
Char gritted his teeth and quickened his movements again, evading the onslaught. Finally, the thorn whips and shadows slowed, and Shadow slumped to the ground, exhausted.
Char gasped for breath, his eyes momentarily unfocused. After a moment, he came back to himself and couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
At that moment, dawn broke. The faint morning light filtered into the small greenhouse. Char's laughter died, and he slumped to the ground, utterly ungraceful, still feeling the pain and the thrum of tense nerves.
Outside the small greenhouse, the protective spell shimmered and disappeared. Char's expression became solemn. He was prepared. He knew Quirrell might be waiting. He gripped his wand, took a deep breath, and slowly stepped forward.
The moment the greenhouse door began to open, a wave of noisy sound—cheers, applause, and deafening claps—poured in from outside, drowning him. He had already taken half a step, ready to dodge an incoming curse, but the scene before him made him freeze in stunned silence.
It was the Hufflepuffs. Led by Cedric, the Quidditch team, Hannah, Susan… they were all there, wearing new badges in his honor. At the front of the crowd was Professor Sprout, her eyes red as she dabbed at her tears. The moment she saw Char appear, she couldn't hold back any longer. Sobbing, she rushed forward and gave him a powerful hug.
"Char, welcome home."
Char's nimble, combat-ready posture faltered. He was a little overwhelmed as his aunt hugged him, but a warm current surged through his heart. He wanted to tell her about his progress. "Aunt… the plants… the Devil's Snare, the Shadowthorns… they're all doing excellently. I might even have enough for a top journal publication."
But Professor Sprout didn't care about any of that. She pinched his arm, her voice thick with heartache. "You've lost weight."
Char could only manage a wry smile. After a long moment, she finally composed herself and let him go. Just then, someone else started crying, the sound like a great pipe organ resonating in everyone's chest. It was Hagrid. Wiping his eyes with a handkerchief, he pushed through the crowd and gave Char an equally powerful hug.
"Sorry, Char, I'm late! I should have been waiting here. But there's good news! It's like all of Merlin is celebrating the end of your confinement! This couldn't be better news!"
A strange light appeared in Char's eyes. "Hagrid, could it be…"
Hagrid lowered his voice, speaking in a muffled, excited tone. "Yes. Norbert is about to be born. It should be tonight!"
Char's hand tightened on his wand. Norbert was being born. This meant he could finally obtain the fresh dragon blood he so desperately needed. Then, he could begin cultivating his Blood Jade in large quantities. According to his aunt's research, the key bottleneck was the need for powerful magical blood; once that was supplied, the plant matured very quickly. It would be the fastest-maturing Silver-level plant he had. The enhanced hematopoietic function it provided could be accumulated to an extremely high level in a short period of time.
A surge of anticipation filled him. His eyes fell on the [Legendary Life] and [Legendary Power] abilities on his system panel. Perhaps, with this, he could finally take a real step forward on the path to the Mythical level.
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