As the reward orbs surged into his body, Char felt a familiar surge of warmth and energy.
Before his eyes, lines of notifications rapidly updated on the system panel:
[You have successfully cultivated a Goldfish Vine]
[You have received a reward—Magic Perception Enhancement (Bronze Tier)]
[…]
Strands of Magic flowed through his veins, resonating with his call. This familiar sensation welled up once again—but this time, its intensity was notably weaker.
That wasn't surprising.
Char's Magic Perception had already improved significantly. It was like pouring water: adding a cup of water to a basin made a difference; pouring the same into a massive water tank barely made a ripple.
Moreover, a large portion of the Goldfish Vine had been devoured by the Troll. Naturally, the number of reward orbs he harvested was much lower than last time. The enhancement to Magic Perception, therefore, was modest at best.
The sensation faded quickly. Though he had anticipated this, Char couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment as he glanced at the system panel.
The words Magic Perception Enhancement still gleamed in a brilliant silver luster—brighter than before. Yet, not even a trace of gold shimmered within.
That confirmed it: the ability was still a fair distance away from reaching the Gold Tier.
"Looks like I overestimated the effect of Bronze Tier rewards," Char muttered to himself.
"If I extrapolate from this trend… even if a third of the Goldfish Vine on the first floor hadn't been destroyed by the Troll, the harvest still wouldn't have been enough to push my Magic Perception Enhancement to Gold Tier."
He shook his head.
"No need to be impatient. One more full harvest should be enough. But… as my Magic Perception continues to grow stronger, the same number of orbs might yield diminishing returns."
He furrowed his brow.
"The current number of Goldfish Vines is too limited. I need to increase production."
In his mind's eye, Char recalled how quickly the Goldfish Vine had matured after coming into contact with the Troll.
He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. That might be a lead worth investigating.
Still, it was too soon to act again. The aftermath of the Troll incident hadn't yet subsided. Dumbledore, that suspicious old fox, might grow wary if Char did anything unusual so soon.
So for now, he'd wait.
But just because Char had nothing urgent to do didn't mean he would waste this rare, peaceful night in the Medical Ward.
"Maybe I should read something interesting?"
Char pulled out a book with a rather provocative title: Succubus Queen and Dragon Maid.
But appearances were deceiving. The title was merely a cover—beneath it lay Advanced Potion Making, annotated by none other than the Half-Blood Prince.
Carefully, Char began turning its pages.
The first time he got his hands on this textbook, all his attention had gone to two things: Levicorpus and Sectumsempra. Yet this thick volume was filled to the brim with handwritten notes from Snape, the Half-Blood Prince. The two spells he'd been fascinated by occupied only a fraction of it.
Back then, Char had merely skimmed the rest.
Now, with time on his hands, he could afford to explore every inch of the book.
As he flipped through page after page of fine handwriting, he was quickly overwhelmed.
"Verum, sine mendacio, certum et verissimum…"
"Quod est inferius est sicut quod est superius…"
Latin. Ancient Egyptian. Runes. Char felt as though he were staring at the scribbles of an alien civilization.
Head throbbing, he was about to close the book when—finally—he spotted some familiar English.
"The harmony of a Potion's Magic has much in common with what is stated in the Emerald Tablet…"
"That which is below is as that which is above…"
"As all things are from One, so all things have their birth from this One Thing…"
"In this regard, the Hermetic school's Corpus Hermeticum offers a differently formed but equally brilliant interpretation…"
Char let out a low hiss.
Classical references, historical esoterica… even in English, it wasn't much easier to understand.
If not for the reputation of the Half-Blood Prince's notes, anyone else might have dismissed this section as the scribbles of a pretentious teenage wizard with delusions of grandeur.
But this was Snape—someone who, according to legend, had Magic skills rivaling seventh-year students right after his admission to Hogwarts.
Char figured Snape must have written these notes in his fifth or sixth year, by which time he already had deep expertise in both spells and Potions.
These annotations weren't just random musings. They were fragments of a complete, mature Magic system.
That system was the true treasure. Levicorpus and Sectumsempra were merely its byproducts.
If Char could grasp this system, he might one day be able to create similar spells—or even better ones.
Still, he quickly sobered.
With his current knowledge, truly understanding Snape's theoretical framework was far beyond him.
Maybe he should shelf this project for now. Or... find Hermione and ask her to study it together?
As that thought passed through his mind, his fingers flipped to another page—one that made him freeze.
Starting from this section, Snape had documented the entire process of creating his first spell: Levicorpus.
Compared to the one-page spell summary—an incantation and a wand gesture—what Char saw now was exponentially more intricate.
Dozens of pages recorded Snape's step-by-step methodology:
Concept development.
Spell dissection.
Cross-spell analysis.
Magical logic.
He examined spells like Lumos, the Soil Loosening Charm, the Pruning Charm, and even the Levitation Charm, which Char was currently learning.
Snape had broken them all down, stripped them to their core components, and studied how their effects were achieved.
He extracted their essence and transformed it into building blocks for his own spell creation.
Char was stunned.
Each note felt like gold.
Previously, he had thought his current progress—Gold Tier Lumos and Pruning Charm, Silver Tier Soil Loosening Spell—was excellent, perhaps even ahead of most first-years. Even Hermione might not match his precision.
But now, reading Snape's deep analysis of those very same spells, he truly understood what genius meant.
Every line was soaked in insight. Every comment brimmed with substance. He reread them again and again, enthralled.
The night passed in a blur.
Before he knew it, dawn had broken.
A soft cough snapped him out of his trance.
Madam Pomfrey was standing nearby, her expression unreadable. Her gaze drifted to the book in Char's hands—its cover title still Succubus Queen and Dragon Maid.
"Ahem. Char," she said gently.
"It's understandable for young people to be full of energy…"
"But staying up all night reading this kind of book isn't good for your health."
Char froze for a split second—then hastily closed the book and hid it away.
"Th-thank you, Madam Pomfrey. I'll be going now."
He rushed out of the ward, red-faced.
Behind him, Madam Pomfrey chuckled softly.
"Such a prim and proper child. If Pomona Sprout ever finds out, she'd be thrilled. She'd probably start matchmaking before he even graduates."
She sighed.
"Romance, huh? Young people have all the luck…"
Then, her mood shifted. A shadow crossed her face.
"And what about me? What was I thinking, choosing to study medicine back then?"
Meanwhile, Char was already speeding down the corridor.
His heart pounded furiously.
He brought up the system panel—and what he saw made his breath catch.
Silver light shimmered like waves. Gold light fell like rain.
And at the very bottom...
There it was.
A faint shimmer of platinum.
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