It was the afternoon, half past two.
Allen leaned against the window of the eighth-floor corridor, fiddling with two wands in his hands. One belonged to him, and the other, of course, was Draco Malfoy's.
The borrowed wand would expire in two days, returning to Malfoy, but Allen hadn't eaten his hot pot yet… though that wasn't the point. He shook off the distraction and focused on the two wands, examining them with his analytical eyes.
After Allen's hunting level had risen to 40 the previous night, he had received a special enhancement—an upgrade to his exclusive skill, the Eye of Discrimination. Previously, the Eye could only scan food and living objects, but now it had evolved to detect inanimate items, such as wands.
[Hawthorn Unicorn Hair Wand]
Rarity: 1 (basic wand rarity)
Effect: Assists in guiding the release of magic, slightly enhancing curses and healing spells.
Negative Effects: High likelihood of tempering for unrecognized users.
"Backfire" meant that spells cast with the wand could hit the caster instead, but that was nothing to Allen. He had used this wand multiple times. Though it shivered violently in his hands, it never resisted him, never lost its form.
This was Draco Malfoy's wand. Allen's wand, on the other hand, was extraordinary.
[Elderberry Unicorn Horn (Complete) Wand]
Rarity: 2000
Effect: Guides magic release and increases the potency of all spells by two levels. Exceptional magic guidance; almost impossible to destroy through magical force.
Negative Effects: Cannot be wielded by anyone who fails to subdue it.
Compared to ordinary wands, Allen's was 2,000 times more refined. Its value was astronomical. But the true significance lay in its enhancement effect—it could increase spell levels. For instance, Allen's current D-level transformation spell could reach mid-C-level with this wand. Its indestructibility also highlighted its uniqueness… provided one could handle its negative effects.
Currently, Allen was the only person in the world capable of using it, having subdued it through sheer dominance.
The Eye of Discrimination could even scan other objects. Allen once scanned a Hogwarts wall and discovered the following:
[Historic Wall Tiles]
Effect: None.
Not particularly useful, but interesting nonetheless.
At 2:50, Allen heard footsteps in the corridor. He straightened up and saw Penello approaching quickly.
"Why are you here so early?" Penello asked, surprised. "Weren't we supposed to meet at three?"
"I thought showing up early would highlight my importance," Allen said with a smile. "Besides, it's the first time I've invited my senior sister out."
Penello covered her mouth with a smile. "The little guy is quite glib. So, what have you discovered?"
"Wait, let's go inside and talk," Allen said. He walked to the wall three times, and then the door slowly emerged. This time, the Room of Requirement had transformed into a specialized space.
Rings stretched from the center to the periphery, each with dummies stationed on them.
"What is this room?" Penello asked, eyeing the tall dummy.
"I needed a place to test magic ranges. More importantly, to demonstrate effects," Allen explained. He instructed Penello to stand a little further away. "Senior sister, don't get too close."
After that, he stood in the center and ate a grilled soft-clawed land shrimp.
Immediately, a sensation surged within him. Allen focused, and a terrifying whirlwind of magic erupted around his body. Compared to his previous two experiences, this surge was gentler but no less potent.
The magic spread to the dummies, transforming them instantly. Flowers blossomed all around, turning a five-meter radius into a stunning floral sea.
"So beautiful," Penello murmured, momentarily blinded by the spectacle.
Allen snapped his fingers. "Senior, how do you feel?"
"It's beautiful… but how did you do that?" Penello asked, still mesmerized.
"Didn't you see it just now?" Allen said. "The magic reaction."
Penello's eyes widened as she recalled the display. "Ah… that seemed like runaway magic power."
As a top Ravenclaw student, she understood this natural phenomenon, though she hadn't given it much thought before.
"Yes, but that's not the main point," Allen said. "I made an accidental discovery."
He shared the experiments he had conducted on the Wesley twins. Penello's eyes lit up in disbelief and curiosity.
"Are you serious?" she asked. "It's not that I doubt you, but your discovery is… fascinating."
Penello paused thoughtfully. "Your experiment is meaningful, but what intrigues me more is the possibility it opens."
"What possibility?" Allen asked, genuinely curious. Could there be a discovery even more exciting than one that strengthened wizards?
"I'm not sure," Penello said. "Do you still have what you ate? I want to experience it myself."
"Yes," Allen said, producing another grilled shrimp.
He had prepared extra in his seamless extension satchel—a waist bag with a smaller opening but a surprisingly large internal space, costing him a month's dividends.
Penello took the shrimp and froze. "Soft-clawed land shrimp?"
"Exactly. Don't worry, it's been tested and is safe to eat," Allen said with a thumbs-up.
"Your talent is amazing," Penello said, echoing Elisa's admiration. She stepped into the sea of flowers and ate the shrimp.
"Oh! It's delicious!" she exclaimed. As she ate, magic surged again. The flowers were enveloped in a whirlwind, transforming into candies and cakes scattered across the floor.
Clearly, the delicious food triggered the same magic rampage Allen had experienced during his tenth spell surge.
"Could this be a rampage of magic power? Normal magic cannot create edible food," Penello said, inspecting the treats. "The food is actually real!"
"It's a man-made magic surge," Allen confirmed, amazed himself.
Penello's excitement bubbled over. "Wait… if you combine this with—" she hesitated, then dashed toward Allen, ignoring her usual composed demeanor. "This is an incredible discovery!"
Allen tilted his head, puzzled. "What's so amazing?"
Penello was nearly breathless. "Think about it! You can trigger a magic rampage that produces edible food. Combined with your other discoveries, this could revolutionize magic usage. The possibilities are endless!"
Allen blinked. Penello's enthusiasm was contagious. The implications were enormous—not just in combat, but for magical research, culinary magic, and even everyday life.
He looked at the transformed room. Candies, cakes, flowers—magic had literally reshaped reality around them. And yet, it was all triggered by something as simple as a grilled shrimp.
"This… this changes everything," Allen muttered, awe in his voice.
Penello nodded vigorously. "Exactly. And the fact that it's edible, that the magic responds to your consumption—this is groundbreaking!"
Allen examined his wand again. The Elderberry Unicorn Horn wand pulsed faintly in response to the magical surge. Its power was immense, its potential untapped.
"I need to test more," he said slowly. "If the wand enhances my spells, and the Eye of Discrimination allows me to understand the magic reactions in detail… I might be able to control these rampages, or even direct them with precision."
Penello clapped her hands together in delight. "We should document everything. This could change how wizards approach spellcasting and magical enhancement forever."
Allen nodded, a spark of excitement in his eyes. The room was littered with magical debris and transformed food, but to him, it was a laboratory filled with infinite possibilities.
He held both wands, comparing them once more. Malfoy's wand was fine for ordinary use, but against his own Elderberry Unicorn Horn wand, it was like a candle trying to rival the sun. Its rarity, its enhancements, its sheer magical potential—nothing came close.
"And the Eye of Discrimination," Allen thought, "now sees not just potential, but the true properties of any wand, any object. This changes everything."
Penello, still inspecting the edible flowers and candies, suddenly asked, "Allen, what happens if someone else eats this?"
Allen smiled knowingly. "That's exactly what we're going to test next."
And with that, the two of them began planning, the Room of Requirement filled with the scent of magic, flowers, and possibilities yet to be explored.
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