Facing the vast sea of reward orbs before him, like a boundless tide, Char—who had remained composed even during the hearing—felt a rare wave of emotion stir within him.
The issue of his magic strength had troubled him for far too long. Due to insufficient magic power, Char's charms had long been weakened. It wasn't until he obtained the Water Enhancement ability that his immediate crisis was temporarily resolved. However, the activation conditions for Water Enhancement were demanding; it required prior preparation. In the event of a sudden emergency, it would be too late to react. Temporary boosts could never rival the convenience of a permanent increase in one's own magic reserves. The latter brought consistent, reliable strength. If both were combined, Char's magic potential could rise even further.
He let out a light breath. The lingering unease in his heart began to settle.
Though Char had broken through the deadlock at the hearing—bringing down Umbridge, a prominent Ministry of Magic official, and even causing Fudge to suffer—he wasn't particularly proud. He would likely receive significant compensation from the Ministry and perhaps even garner some fame. But if given a choice, Char would have preferred none of it to have happened.
Merit and misfortune often came hand-in-hand. He did not seek recognition—he only wanted to avoid calamity. With the planting system and Professor Sprout backing him, Char simply needed to progress steadily to reach the pinnacle of the magical world. There was no need to get involved in political conflicts just because of a single impulse. The risks were too great, and the consequences were endless.
However, this matter had involved Professor Sprout. As much as Char wished to stay out of it, he could not allow her to be falsely accused. That was what had driven his performance at the hearing. Yet the aftereffects were undeniable. Umbridge would undoubtedly seek revenge, and that hatred would fester until she found her chance. Fudge, a seasoned politician, was no benevolent figure either. Offending him would not end quietly.
But now, with margaret having matured and the reward orbs gathered densely before him, all those concerns melted away. What was done was done. All that remained was to forge ahead—unceasing, unyielding. Until, even amidst the storm, he remained unmoved.
Then Char asked Lis to take the exhausted Professor Sprout to rest. Once they had left, he inhaled deeply and stepped into the greenhouse.
Reaching out, he touched a reward orb.
Immediately, the orbs surged like a tide, roaring into his body.
"You have cultivated margaret to maturity."
"You have received a reward: Magic Strength Enhancement (Bronze Level)."
As waterfall-like system prompts flooded in, Char's eyes widened. He could hear the sound of crashing waves—not imagined, but real. Within his bloodline, an ocean surged.
If his prior magic strength was like a fragile stream—weak, prone to running dry—then now, it felt as though countless tributaries were pouring into a mighty river. A hundred rivers converging into the sea.
Char had never experienced such euphoria. It was like a chronically ill person suddenly receiving a miraculous cure, his blood and energy revitalized, soaring to the heavens. A sense of omnipotence surged in his chest—stronger even than Water Enhancement.
On the system panel, the once faintly glowing Bronze Level Magic Strength Enhancement suddenly burst into brilliance. The bronze glow intensified, becoming ancient and profound—until a radiant silver light emerged.
Magic Strength Enhancement (Silver Level)—achieved!
And this was just the beginning. Only a portion of the reward orbs had been absorbed. More continued to flow into him. Char's entire body resonated with the exhilarating sensation of surpassing limitations. His eyes shone with anticipation.
Judging by the quantity, could Platinum Level even be within reach?
He spread his arms, letting the orbs rush in.
But soon, his expression shifted to surprise—and then to doubt.
Though the silver glow continued to grow, its pace had slowed dramatically. The effectiveness of the Bronze Level orbs had decayed far more than expected—by several times, perhaps tenfold.
Char suddenly understood.
He had encountered this situation before with Magic Perception Enhancement. At that time, his Magic Perception had reached the natural limit trainable through acquired effort. No matter how hard he worked, improvements were negligible. Even the powerful Goldfish Vine reward orbs had been greatly diminished in effect.
Now, he realized: his magic strength had also reached the theoretical limit of this body.
No matter how precious the potion or how powerful the enhancement, unless he underwent Dark Arts modifications, no further natural improvement was possible—except through miraculous means, like system rewards. But even those had diminishing returns at this stage.
Looking at the Magic Strength Enhancement, its glow advancing slower and slower, Char let out a wry smile.
Reaching Platinum Level, as he had initially hoped, now seemed unlikely. Even hitting Gold Level would be uncertain.
Under his gaze, the silver aura continued to develop—yet only minutely. Even as the last reward orb surged into him, only specks of gold light began to shimmer—barely scratching the threshold of Gold Level.
A trace of frustration surfaced in Char's heart. He had reached the limit of what he was born with. To break free would be difficult. Very difficult.
But after a few deep breaths, he exhaled fully, letting go of disappointment.
"This is already a solid improvement," he thought.
"Combined with Water Enhancement, my Magic Strength Enhancement has effectively reached Gold Level.
Not what I had dreamed of—but much stronger than before. That's enough."
As for the increasing difficulty of progressing further—he had faced harder trials.
Memories from his previous life surfaced.
He wasn't a genius. Just ordinary. What he had was resilience. In high school, math had been a nightmare. But he didn't give up. He studied every theorem in the textbook, drilled each problem type repeatedly. He never managed to solve the hardest questions, but he mastered the basics and moved forward.
In graduate school, he worked in a lab. At first, it was overwhelming. He was mocked, scolded, even driven to tears. But he read late into the night, studied research papers, learned from seniors, asked questions—even when it was humiliating. Slowly, the scoldings stopped. He had grown.
Then came the worst blow: an entire experimental field was ruined. His graduation was delayed. At that moment, he felt hopeless. Thoughts of suicide crossed his mind. But half a year later, he replanted the field. Time passed. The hate remained—but the obstacle had been overcome.
Had he not transmigrated, he would've graduated smoothly and continued climbing the next mountain in life.
Remembering all this, Char felt peace. He looked again at the enhancement stuck at Silver Level, just short of Gold. His heart was steady.
"It's just another mountain to climb. Another river to cross. As long as I keep going—I'll get there."
His expression sharpened. He contemplated next steps.
"Increasing my magic strength will only become harder. If I can't change my innate talent… then I'll have to focus on margaret."
He considered expanding the planting area—but Professor Sprout's greenhouse was already at full capacity. Even if he gained new plots at Hogwarts, the land would be limited.
"Then I must improve the margaret variety," he concluded.
If the reward orb quality increased from Bronze to Silver, the effect would multiply nearly tenfold. Even enhancing the current Bronze level slightly would yield significant results over time.
There were two approaches:
Conventional agronomy: Select better-performing plants, perform artificial selection, and breed new generations. Slow, but reliable.
Levitation Charm cultivation: Simulate zero-gravity using levitation to induce unique traits. High risk, but potentially groundbreaking.
Char decided to pursue both in parallel. Conventional breeding would be his foundation, while levitation-assisted cultivation could offer breakthroughs. With luck, a new variety could emerge in six months. Without luck, two to three years might yield a margaret that boosted rewards by 20–30%.
The ideas crystallized. Now, it was time to act.
"There are just over two days left until the Christmas holiday ends. I need to finish organizing the greenhouse before returning to school."
But first—there was someone he had to deal with.
A cold light flashed in Char's eyes.
Rita Skeeter.
She had twisted the facts, slandered Professor Sprout, and interfered with his planting. In Char's eyes, she had asked for death.
He walked to the Sprout Family's collection room, which housed rare plants gathered across generations. He remembered an amber plant being among them.
Amber plants had a strange magic. Sealed in special containers, their life was frozen. Once exposed, they would wither in two to three days. But during that short period, they emitted a magical aura that irresistibly attracted insects—especially beetles. Those that landed on it would be encased in amber-like sap, which would eventually give birth to new amber plants.
He retrieved the amber plant, exhaled, and planted it outside.
"There shouldn't be any insects in this weather," Char muttered.
"Unless… one harbors ill intent."
His eyes glinted coldly.
Then, he returned to the greenhouse to resume work on margaret.
At that moment, Rita Skeeter was furious. Her "scandalous" article had been buried by the hearing news. No one cared about her so-called exclusive. Instead, gossip raged about whether Umbridge had an affair with Fudge.
Frustrated, Rita turned her attention to Char. How could a child perform so shockingly well? Perhaps he had Giant blood? A new angle. Another exclusive!
She transformed into her unregistered Animagus form—a beetle—and flew toward the Sprout Family. Their defenses couldn't stop her in insect form.
"Let's see what secrets this boy hides," she thought.
But as she approached, a strange scent overwhelmed her.
The beetle—Rita—lost all higher thought. All that remained was instinct. She fluttered straight to the amber plant.
The moment she landed, a drop of glowing sap fell, sealing her into amber. In beetle form, she could no longer think, or transform back. Her mind was frozen.
The next day, Shaar returned.
He brushed off the snow and found the amber, beetle sealed inside.
No emotion crossed his face.
To ensure she would never escape, he carried the amber into a deep underground cave. He dug a pit and tossed it in.
"You'll have a long life," he whispered.
"Voldemort would envy you."
"Consider this… mercy."
He sealed the cave with soil and stone. Only once he was sure it was permanent did he turn to leave.
A breath escaped him. Relief washed over him.
"In cultivation novels… I guess this is what they call a clear mind."
Just then, he paused.
On his system panel:
Levitation Charm (Platinum Level)!
Incarcerous (Gold Level)!
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