Seven days later, the rocks beneath Char's feet had been shattered into powder. The few remaining stones were covered with black and red bloodstains, traces of his relentless training. It was no exaggeration to say that over the past seven days, his body had been destroyed and rebuilt dozens of times. Every inch of his flesh was newly grown. The pain he had experienced was indescribable. Even for Char, who had suffered countless hardships, these last seven days had been like a nightmare. If he hadn't repeatedly thought of the passivity he had felt when facing the two-faced man, he might not have been able to hold on.
But after these seven days, the fruitful results made him take a deep breath. The suffering… it was all worth it.
He looked at his system panel. His two legendary abilities, Legendary Life and Legendary Strength, now had a significantly more solid and rich luster. Although still a long way from the mythical level, they had undergone an earth-shaking change. Flowing through his body now was a force strong enough to tear a dragon apart with his bare hands. Even a Cerberus, more powerful than a dragon, would be no match for him; he could probably tear its heads off. And while he was still no match for the Kraken in terms of absolute strength, he could now withstand the bombardment of its tentacles with much more ease.
But a moment later, he shook his head regretfully. "A pity. Even when battling the Kraken, the progress of these two abilities has stagnated." It wasn't that the external training had lost its effect, but that his blood-making ability had become the bottleneck. His hematopoietic capacity was insufficient to support the continued growth of his life and strength.
"It seems my previous guess was correct," he murmured. "Going from Legendary to Mythical is a complete qualitative change. It's not possible to transform directly with just one ability. The improvement of strength requires the support of various abilities such as life, physical fitness, and hematopoiesis. It takes countless pieces of the puzzle to piece together the picture of advancement. This road is still so long that I can't see the end."
While Char was sighing, the Kraken was shocked to its core. In just seven days, Char's power had increased by leaps and bounds. At first, a single strike would cause his skin and flesh to burst, a blood mist exploding from his body. Now, he could withstand several consecutive attacks and barely compete with it. Is this really a human little wizard? it thought in horror. "Are you the descendant of a pure-blooded giant?"
Char raised an eyebrow, a dissenting tone in his voice. "You know about giants too?"
The Kraken corrected him. "Oh, sorry. I'm too old. In our time, 'pure-blooded giants' didn't mean what you're talking about. To be more precise, the pure-blooded giants I'm talking about should be called Titans. The ones you're talking about should be the hybrid offspring of the Titans. They're not the same thing."
This was beyond Char's knowledge. The giants he knew from the Harry Potter world, like Hagrid's mother and brother, all lived in the mountains of France. But this was a different concept. The Kraken, like an old man telling mythological stories, began to talk incessantly. "Do you know the Age of Olympus? I heard it from my grandfather. He had the good fortune to catch the tail end of it. According to him, that was a truly remarkable era. Wizards back then were revered as gods and were much more powerful than they are now. Similarly, there were all kinds of powerful magical animals. Even our Kraken clan was much stronger. But the most powerful creatures on land were undoubtedly the race known as the Titans. They possessed strong bodies, could use magic, and possessed extraordinary knowledge. They once became the protagonists of the Olympian era. Many beings revered as gods at that time were actually Titans."
As the Kraken told its ancient tale, Char was suddenly startled. If that was the case, then he seemed to have figured out one thing: why the Demeter Silver Cup, the alchemical item he suspected was from the Olympus era, looked like a barrel. Perhaps it was because the goddess of fertility, Demeter, was actually a Titan. For her body type, the small silver bucket was just an exquisite "silver cup."
The Kraken continued, "Little wizard, at your age, you have such power. Even among the legendary Titans, you would be a natural-born warrior." It was no longer ashamed of being subdued by Char, but rather proud of it. "I never thought that after so many years since the Age of Olympus, the noble bloodline of the Titans would still circulate in the world. But you have to be careful. If people knew about this, they would probably be envious. The power within this bloodline is enough to make even the most powerful wizard greedy." It added, "Even Salazar Slytherin, back then, came to the North Sea, trying to find out if there were any Titan bloodlines left on the isolated islands overseas."
A hint of deepness flashed across Char's eyes. Salazar Slytherin also searched for the bloodline of the Titans? Could it be for some method similar to today's Dark Magic Transfiguration? To use the powerful blood of the Titans to transform himself? Yes, with Slytherin's pursuit of power, it made perfect sense.
But after the shock, Char shook his head. He knew, of course, that he was not the descendant of a Titan. His power came from his planting system. Besides, even the mythical heroes of the Olympian era, like Hercules, who had the blood of the god Zeus—a Titan, perhaps—flowing in his veins, had died from poison and black magic. Even the blood of the Titans was not invincible. They could be defeated in various strange ways. And Char was still far from having the true bloodline of a Titan. Perhaps only his vitality and strength could be compared. His defense and various resistances were simply incomparable. It would be easy for him to capsize in the ditch. The [Giant Killer] toxin he had mixed… if someone used a similar tactic against him, he couldn't guarantee he would escape unscathed. Not to mention all the weirder magic out there.
He took a deep breath, his mind calming from the joy of his surge in power. He narrowed his eyes. He hadn't forgotten that Horcruxes were not created by Voldemort; he had learned the art from his predecessors. This kind of magic was not unique. There were probably other strange magics in the wizarding world that could grant long life. God knew if there were other mysterious wizards still alive, besides Nicolas Flamel. These wizards would know the rumors of the Olympian era. If they suspected he was a Titan, that would be a big trouble.
He was not sure about these speculations, but he never took unnecessary risks. Calm, he reminded himself. Keep a low profile. Knowing how to hide yourself is the best protection. This power, comparable to the blood of a Titan, must not be easily exposed unless absolutely necessary. Planting is my foundation. I'm still lacking a lot of resistances. Once I build up resistance to dark magic, mental magic, and so on, I'll be able to be a little bolder. Once the Whomping Willow and even the World Tree can be planted, then there will be almost no taboos. But before that, keeping a low profile is the best way to go.
He checked the time. "Seven days have passed. On Sprout Island, the protective spells and the Floo Network should be nearly complete." He mounted his Nimbus 2000 and flew toward the island.
As he got closer, he frowned slightly. On the originally desolate island, employees of the Ministry of Magic were busy working everywhere. A protective magic, like a soap bubble, was taking shape, covering the entire island. But besides the Ministry workers, there were also some well-dressed wizards, looking at the island with scorching eyes.
When Char's broomstick landed, the group immediately surrounded him, rushing to show their business cards. "Mr. Sprout, young man? I'm a representative of Mason Wizard Real Estate Co., Ltd. Are you interested in selling the land on this island? It would be a great place to build a wizard resort." "I am—"
The incessant chatter made Char frown even more. He understood what these people were here for. They must have found out about his project through some "inside channels" at the Ministry. They saw the potential for development, and thought they could take advantage of the Ministry's protective magic and Floo Network. And he was just a first-year wizard; in their eyes, being young meant being easy to deceive. If they could trick him into signing a contract, they could get a piece of the pie.
Char didn't even give them a good look. "Not for sale," he said coldly. "If you want to talk, don't talk to me. Go to Hogwarts. Go find my guardian, Professor Sprout. Or, I have a good relationship with Professor Severus Snape. Do you want me to ask him to come and talk to you?"
The wizards' expressions changed slightly. This Hufflepuff wasn't so stupid. He even knew how to refuse them. When they were in school, it had been so easy to gain benefits from their fellow Hufflepuffs. How was this first-year so different? Some showed a look of reluctance, forcing a smile and trying to get close to him. But before anyone could speak, Char looked over at them with a cold gaze, and their bodies suddenly stiffened. The look in his eyes made them feel a strong sense of oppression, as if they were facing a dragon, or something even more ferocious. For wizards like them, who spent all their time in offices and at social balls, raising their glasses more often than their wands, the remaining momentum from Char's battle with the Kraken was already irresistible. The crowd involuntarily made way for him.
He stepped onto Sprout Island. He gave them a cold, warning look. "This is my island. Until the protective magic is built, if any of you stay here, I'll treat you as trespassing. You can consider my relationship with the Ministry of Magic."
These words completely stopped their attempts to deceive him. Minister Fudge had given him such favorable policy conditions; their relationship must be unusual. Most of the wizards shook their heads and chose to leave. But some still gritted their teeth, and instead of leaving, quickly caught up.
Between Char's eyebrows, a surge of anger rose. He looked at a middle-aged wizard with a fierce face and a burly figure who was walking toward him. He managed a smile. "Mr. Sprout, young man. I'm Bacon Flint of the Flint family. You must have seen our child, Marcus Flint." Bacon Flint showed a hint of pride, as if proud of the Flint family's reputation as one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. "I totally understand that you don't want to associate with those people. They are just speculators. How can they be qualified to negotiate business with the heir of the Sprout family? But our Flint family is one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. We're different from those guys. And our family is very good at real estate management." He told a joke at an inappropriate time, flexing his muscles. "Look at this strong and powerful figure that has been passed down in our family. Leave it to us to develop real estate, and we will handle it with ease. Whoever doesn't want to give us a favor, my fist will make him agree. Sometimes it's much more useful than a wand. Even the Priori Incantatem spell can't detect it!"
While Bacon Flint was still talking, Char took a deep breath. He looked at him with a cold expression. He still had a lot of land to cultivate; he had no time to talk nonsense with Bacon Flint. "Have you said enough? Don't you understand what I just said? Then I'll say it again now. Get lost."
Bacon Flint's expression suddenly froze. He subconsciously clenched his fists. But he looked at the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic on the island and still didn't dare to take action. He just glared at Char fiercely. "We'll see," he said. "You'll regret this."