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Two platinum lights flashed one after another.
A surge of joy filled Char's heart.
After all, in the grading system of the planting discipline, each level signified a qualitative transformation compared to the previous one. The higher the level, the more pronounced that transformation became.
The leap from Epic to Legendary, for instance, was dozens of times greater than the gap from Bronze to Iron.
In this system, even a single level's difference marked an immense gulf. The upgrade from Gold to Platinum was widely regarded as a watershed moment. Abilities at this tier didn't just improve—they transformed completely.
Sometimes, a single Platinum-level promotion could exceed the total enhancement of all previous levels combined.
Right now, Char stood ready, wand in hand, eager to experience his first Platinum-level Charm—Lumos.
"Lumos!"
He had cast the spell countless times before.
But today, for the first time, he felt intimately connected to Lumos. It was as if the spell had fused with his bloodline.
He could hear its "breathing" and even sense its "heartbeat."
Under Char's enhanced perception, Lumos appeared as though magnified under a microscope. Every fluctuation, every vibration—he understood them perfectly.
He could now control Lumos with a precision never before possible.
For example—
A thought stirred in his mind.
In an instant, the glowing Lumos shifted into the invisible light spectrum.
Its infrared frequency advanced rapidly, surpassing its previous limit by more than double.
Char directed this advanced version of Lumos toward a tank of Piranha Algae.
The algae went wild.
They responded like starved beasts suddenly offered a feast. The serrated edges of their leaves scraped the tank walls, emitting sharp, grinding sounds.
Meanwhile, the light sphere hovering above the algae—used to measure growth—began accelerating rapidly.
Char's eyes lit up.
This indicated the harvest period for the Piranha Algae could be advanced again.
He'd now be able to harvest these dozen tanks even before the Christmas holidays!
In the long run, this would drastically shorten the entire harvesting cycle.
This single improvement made Lumos's promotion well worth it.
But it was far from the only upgrade.
From the tip of his wand, Char could feel Lumos's magical energy breathing—rhythmic and alive.
He realized Lumos wasn't a singular light source.
Instead, it was composed of countless tiny light particles, each stimulated by magic—like microscopic versions of the spell itself.
Each particle vibrated at its own frequency.
Microscopically, they were distinct. But collectively, they manifested as one cohesive beam of light.
Lumos, then, was the macroscopic result of these integrated magic-light particles.
A bold idea formed in Char's mind:
"Can I control these microscopic particles individually?"
"Can I synchronize them like I do with frequency-based spells?"
"If I make their frequencies identical—what would Lumos become?"
The thought thrilled him.
He immediately began experimenting.
He focused on the particles within Lumos, attempting to bring them into frequency alignment.
But operating at such a fine scale required extremely high Magic Perception.
Luckily, his recent promotion helped compensate for this limitation.
Still, sweat formed on Char's forehead as he struggled.
In the end, he managed to synchronize only a small portion of the particles—and only briefly.
Yet in that fleeting moment—
The light at the tip of his wand condensed drastically.
Its brightness intensified severalfold.
Instead of illuminating an area like before, Lumos focused into a concentrated beam of light, cutting through the air like a thin white spear.
Then, as Char's strength waned, the spell collapsed.
But his heart continued to race.
"Lasers in the Muggle world work by synchronizing light particles to the same frequency," he reflected.
"They carry immense energy and concentrated power."
"I was inspired by this concept when I sensed Lumos's particle structure."
To think—the idea actually worked.
The concentrated beam he had just produced far exceeded any known limits of standard Lumos.
Sure, at the moment, it was merely comparable to a high-powered flashlight.
But what if he could develop this further?
Could Lumos eventually behave like a laser weapon?
After all, it already had some deterrent effect on dark creatures, albeit weak.
But if concentrated?
"There may be surprising effects," Char thought, eyes gleaming.
For now, he stored the idea in his mental archive.
It was a promising path—but far too demanding for his current perception level.
There would be time to explore it in the future.
More immediate tasks awaited him.
Char blinked, realizing that the soreness in his eyes—a lingering aftereffect of recent strain—had finally faded.
This marked the completion of his upgraded night vision ability.
Eagerly, he walked into a pitch-black room in the Greenhouse.
The moment he entered, he froze.
Compared to his former Gold-level night vision, the new vision was on a completely different scale.
He could now see more clearly in the dark than in broad daylight.
Everything was in razor-sharp detail—like an eagle's eyesight magnified a dozen times.
He smiled with satisfaction.
His relationship with Hagrid had improved significantly. That meant the Forbidden Forest, with all its mysterious magical flora, was now open to him.
Rumor had it, some magical plants in the Forbidden Forest were rarer than those in Professor Sprout's personal collection.
With his night vision, dark creatures would find it far more difficult to ambush him.
Just then, Char noticed something strange.
Scattered throughout his field of vision were colored light spots.
He frowned.
"There are no fireflies in the Greenhouse…"
Then what were these shimmering dots?
Could they be a new feature of his Platinum-level night vision?
Curious, Char followed their trails.
He found some originated from the soil.
Others glowed from the walls.
But the majority were emitted by the magical plants growing in the room.
"Could these colored specks represent magical properties?"
He focused on a few specimens.
Sure enough, he could see fine particles of light radiating from them.
Some emitted more.
Others—less.
And some were entirely dark.
Char took a deep breath.
"Areas with dense light spots are healthy."
"Sparse ones indicate poor condition."
"No light at all—dead tissue."
His vision alone could now assess the health of magical plants!
This, in essence, amplified his Magic Perception.
His heart beat faster with excitement.
"So, my Platinum-level night vision…"
"Combined with the enhanced water upgrades…"
"Has elevated my Magic Perception to a level comparable with Gold-tier!"
"Which means—"
He paused, breath catching.
"The Soil Loosening Spell is already Gold-level."
"I've met all the conditions to plant the Guardian Tree!"
His eyes lit up.
Carefully, Char reached into his robes and withdrew a small vial.
Inside, suspended in potion, was the Guardian Tree seed, kept in a semi-germinated state.
For the first time, a sense of absolute confidence surged within him.
"Today is the day!"
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