Ever since the dwarven blacksmith shop in Diagon Alley opened, nothing particularly strange had happened.
The forge itself didn't seem very busy most of the time. Nor was there the constant clanging of hammer and anvil one might expect from a smithy.
But this was the magical world, after all—soundproofing charms were everywhere.
Of course… it was also possible the shop simply didn't have much business.
And so, Ted peacefully continued grinding experience points for more than ten days. Counting the 100 experience he had received from completing the quest [Working Wizard (Green)], he finally gathered 400 experience points.
That meant he could finally exchange for the Otherworld Knowledge.
Over the past twenty days or so, Ted had worked four part-time jobs every single day, squeezing out experience wherever he could. In total he had earned about 300 experience points this way.
If it hadn't been for the [Restore Energy (Green)] card—used five or six times a day—there was no way he could have endured it for more than a few days.
Ted sighed internally.
I'm still just an eleven-year-old kid…
He had reached the required experience around noon, but by sheer willpower he forced himself to wait until the evening. Only after finishing work and returning to his small storage room did he finally prepare to exchange it.
Leveling up was still far away anyway. Even after leveling, he would only gain one skill point and one free attribute point, which wouldn't help him much immediately.
On the other hand, this Otherworld Knowledge had a time limit for exchange.
And if it turned out to be the power he suspected…
It would be extremely useful.
Ted lowered his voice and whispered,
"System… exchange for the Otherworld Knowledge: [Psionic Handbook – Fragment (Blue)]."
As the experience points in his pool dropped to single digits, a flood of information suddenly poured into his mind.
A spark of illumination ignited within his consciousness.
An indescribable force filled his mind.
Psionic power.
Compared to it, even powerful fists and dazzling sword strikes seemed dull and insignificant before the mere thought of a psion.
Psions continuously study their own minds and consciousness in order to unlock broader and more powerful mental abilities.
Psionic power originates from long-term self-examination and mental discipline.
It is an ability similar to magic—but born directly from the psion's own consciousness.
It is an internal energy, drawn from one's life force and spirit.
A power of pure will.
Because psionic abilities draw from the wielder's life and mind, they require no external casting materials, nor spoken incantations, nor wand gestures.
In terms of convenience, psionics even surpassed magic.
However, such power placed an immense burden on the user's body and mind.
If too much psionic energy was consumed, the psion would become mentally and physically exhausted. They might even lose the ability to concentrate until they rested sufficiently to recover their mental energy.
After all, psionic power came from one's life force and willpower.
Every use was essentially like burning one's own vitality.
Overdrawing that vitality was no different from committing suicide.
Psionic abilities were divided into several disciplines, each focusing on different strengths and characteristics.
There were six major disciplines:
Clairsentience (Psionic Divination)
Metacreativity (Psionic Creation)
Psychokinesis (Psionic Transformation)
Psychometabolism (Self-Alteration)
Psychoportation (Teleportation)
Telepathy (Psionic Enchantment)
Clairsentience – The Seers
Psions specializing in this discipline were called Seers.
Clairsentience allowed a psion to uncover forgotten secrets, glimpse the immediate future, foresee distant possibilities, discover hidden objects, and obtain information that normally could not be known.
It sounded suspiciously close to Divination magic.
Metacreativity – The Shapers
Psions specializing in Metacreativity were called Shapers.
These psions used mental power to create objects, creatures, or forms of matter.
Psychokinesis – The Energy Manipulators
Those specializing in Psychokinesis were known as Kineticists.
They were masters of manipulating energy and transforming matter and energy.
Many abilities in this discipline produced spectacular effects far beyond ordinary psionics.
Targets could be moved, melted, transformed, or exploded.
Psionic energy could even be converted directly into forms such as mental lightning, psychic flames, or force fields.
Psychometabolism – The Shapeshifters
Psions specializing in this discipline were called Egoists.
Their abilities could alter the physical or biological characteristics of creatures, objects, or environments.
It was somewhat similar to Transfiguration magic in the wizarding world.
Psychoportation – The Nomads
Psions using this discipline were known as Nomads.
They could move themselves, objects, or other creatures across space or time.
Telepathy – The Mindbenders
Psions specializing in Telepathy were called Telepaths.
They were experts in mental contact and controlling conscious beings.
Telepaths could easily detect and influence minds, manipulate behavior, deceive enemies, or destroy an opponent's will.
This was one of the core abilities of psionic power—the manipulation of intelligent minds.
Abilities similar to Legilimency, which probed another's thoughts and memories, fell into this category.
So did spells like the Confundus Charm.
And even the Imperius Curse.
Psionics were an extraordinary power that rivaled magic itself.
Unfortunately, Ted had only obtained a blue-grade fragment—just a few pages from the Psionic Handbook.
So he only gained three abilities.
Appraisal, Memory Palace, and Crystal Servitor.
Appraisal
This ability allowed him to obtain information about people or objects—their properties, functions, and other data.
It belonged to the Clairsentience discipline.
Memory Palace
A universal psionic ability.
A psion could construct a mental storage space inside their mind using psionic energy.
Everything they saw, heard, or experienced could be stored there.
Whenever needed, they could retrieve memories instantly by searching for keywords and replaying fragments of memory.
Essentially…
A portable Pensieve.
For Ted, the most useful feature was that he could now read books at incredible speed, memorizing entire texts instantly.
Later, he could revisit them in detail whenever he had time.
Crystal Servitor
This was a unique ability belonging to psions.
Using psionic power, the psion could copy a fragment of their own consciousness and infuse it into a crystal, creating a sentient crystal servant.
A Crystal Servitor appeared as a crystal structure roughly the size of a human hand.
It possessed intelligence comparable to a human.
In fact, it was an extension of its creator's personality—essentially another part of them.
A Crystal Servitor could:
Speak any language its master knew
Enhance the master's perception when nearby
Develop its own unique personality
Grow insect-like crystalline legs and move independently
Share some of the master's psionic abilities
Perceive the world through a form of extrasensory awareness despite lacking eyes
Communicate with its master through a telepathic link
Assist with mental calculations and thinking tasks
In short, it was an extremely powerful helper.
Unfortunately, Ted lacked the one thing required to create it.
A high-quality crystal roughly the size of a fist.
The crystal's quality would affect the servitor's potential and capabilities.
So Ted decided not to rush it.
Once he became stronger and had more money, he would find a suitable crystal.
Even though he had only gained three psionic abilities, Memory Palace and Crystal Servitor complemented each other perfectly.
Memory Palace could store all the information Ted encountered.
Crystal Servitor could assist with thinking and calculations.
If Memory Palace was a hard drive, then the Crystal Servitor would act as an external CPU and RAM.
Even with only three abilities, the fact that he had mastered psionics meant he could slowly explore and develop new applications in the future.
At that moment, the system notified him that his character panel had changed.
Ted opened it.
Ted Epiphany
Level: Level 1 Wizard / Level 1 PsionExperience Pool: 8
Attributes (Average adult Muggle value: 5)
Strength: 3
Constitution: 3
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 6
Perception: 7
Spirit: 9
Charisma: 7
Luck: ??? (Normal people average 0, fluctuates depending on circumstances)
Talent:
[Otherworld Knowledge (Gold)]
Skills:
Magic Power Lv.1
Magic Resistance Lv.1
Spellcasting Lv.1
Psionic Power Lv.1
Mental Resistance Lv.2
Divination Lv.1
Spells:
Lumos Lv.1
Scourgify Lv.1
Severing Charm Lv.1
Repair Charm Lv.1
Psionic Abilities:
Appraisal
Memory Palace
Crystal Servitor (inactive)
Card:
[Restore Energy (Green)]
Quests:
[The Magical World! (Green)]
[Once Is Not Enough, Pet Her Again! (Green)]
[Explore Diagon Alley (Green)]
Because Ted had awakened psionic power, he had officially become a Psion.
As a result, his attributes increased:
+1 Perception
+2 Spirit
+1 Charisma
He also gained new skills:
Mental Resistance Lv.2
Divination Lv.1
Since psionic power came from the mind and will, his Spirit attribute increased the most.
The natural awareness and subtle mental aura of a psion also boosted his Perception and Charisma.
As for Mental Resistance, that was obvious.
A psion who specialized in manipulating minds would naturally excel at defending their own.
Just like masters of Legilimency almost always possessed powerful Occlumency.
The extra Divination Lv.1 likely came from his Appraisal ability, which belonged to the Clairsentience discipline.
Ted had self-taught four spells, all currently at Level 1.
Psionic abilities, however, didn't seem to have levels.
Unlike magic, which depended on mastery and skill, psionics appeared to depend entirely on the strength of one's mental power.
After reviewing his stats, Ted clenched his fist and let out a quiet laugh.
Since entering the magical world, an invisible pressure had always hung over him.
Especially after learning about the Celestial Convergences and Neville the Chosen One.
But now—
That pressure was finally gone.
Come on then.
Let the world change however it likes.
As long as I become strong enough, it won't matter.
True strength comes from oneself.
Anyone can win by clinging to the protagonist's thigh.
But from now on—
I'll be the thigh others cling to.
Call me Boss Thigh.