"This sword feels quite handy."
Basil, turning his round head, seemed to be pondering where John got such a sword.
With a flap of his wings, he shooed away Tom's drooling mouth and flew to a place just out of Tom's reach.
John grasped the large sword with both hands. This was a weapon of medieval knightly armor, almost as tall as his shoulder.
Perhaps when he grows up, this sword will be just the right size.
Gripping the hilt tightly, John exerted his strength to lift the large sword.
This was a typical knight's sword, with a blade as wide as a palm, made of steel.
It was very heavy, at least for John at his current age, and the sword served as a great weight for training.
Using the large sword as a weight, he began his workout by lifting the sword.
After finding a rope to tie the sword securely on his back, he started doing push-ups.
Hard work yields results. When John woke up the next day, his magic power had increased by 10 points.
Magic Power: Level 2 (20/500)
Spells: Alohomora (Level 3), Levitation Charm (Level 1), Transfiguration Charm (Level 1)
Skills: Short Weapon Mastery (Level 7), Greatsword Mastery (Level 3), Firearms Mastery (Level 1)
Enhancements: Physical Fitness, Speed Attack, Precision, Scholar, Pilot, Long-distance Running
His skills had changed; heavy weapon mastery and polearm mastery had disappeared, replaced by greatsword mastery.
"This weapon meets the requirements for both polearm and heavy weapons," John realized after scrutinizing the greatsword.
The combination of the two weapon masteries into greatsword mastery gave him a sense of familiarity right away.
He practiced a basic set of slashes and thrusts with the greatsword.
Like a knight who had been training for many years, his current skill level would astonish even a seasoned knight.
The skill levels were similar to those of spells.
Level 1: Just starting out, able to perform a basic set of moves.
Level 2: Basic proficiency, able to apply what has been learned.
Level 3: Intermediate, capable of taking on several opponents of the same size.
Level 4: Professional, akin to a skilled assassin, not just handling a few opponents, but a true weapon expert.
Level 5: Instructor level, able to teach effectively and with unique insights.
Mastery Levels
Level 6 (Master): Develop your own style, reaching the pinnacle of skill.
Level 7 (Grandmaster): Completely free from formality, returning to simplicity; even a small pencil can have the lethality of a dagger.
With John's Short Weapon Mastery reaching Level 7, he could be called a grandmaster, capable of using a pencil to stab three flies in a second.
Although the two weapon mastery skills disappeared, John didn't feel like he had forgotten anything. On the contrary, his understanding of weapon use deepened.
Greatsword Mastery seemed to be a fusion of the two weapon branches, which is why he didn't feel unfamiliar with it.
However, he couldn't help but complain, "As a wizard, this isn't very useful to me."
For John, enhancements were the top priority, followed by magic power, spells, and finally weapon mastery.
After practicing the Transfiguration Charm for a while, John headed to class.
With the Scholar enhancement activated, he was always able to quickly absorb knowledge.
After observing the library layout again with Hermione, he began his plan that night.
...
Nighttime at the fifth-floor corridor of Hogwarts.
Portraits on the walls were dozing off, and medieval armor without weapons somehow got hold of a stick.
"Lumos."
"Hey."
"Turn off that damned light."
"Oh, ugh."
The sudden brightness made the portraits grumble in discontent.
John walked down the corridor to the fifth-floor library.
The library closed at 8 PM, and besides night owls, no one would be there.
Thousands of books filled hundreds of shelves, creating a sea of books and narrow passages.
Deep within lay the Forbidden Section, John's destination.
Turning off the light on his wand, John approached the door to the Forbidden Section.
A simple latch was more for show than for security.
Unluckily for it, tonight, Mr. John Wick was going to be a little scoundrel.
Click.
With a gentle pull, the door to the Forbidden Section opened easily.
John had to be very careful, as he didn't have Harry's Invisibility Cloak and could only rely on vigilance.
Fortunately, his regular physical training paid off, and he moved silently into the Forbidden Section, seeing many sealed books.
These forbidden books weren't banned from learning but were sealed due to their danger.
Some dark magic books not suitable for students were also here.
However, forbidden books could be accessed legally with a professor's note.
John thought of his stern headmaster, who seemed capable of killing flies with a glance, and decided to rely on himself.
After ensuring no one was around, John lit his wand.
He searched the Forbidden Section for the book he needed.
He was here to find a book on the Disillusionment Charm.
But in this sea of books, it would take some time.
"Powerful Potions?"
Curious, John pulled out a book.
It was a book on potions, detailing many kinds of potions, including Veritaserum and Polyjuice Potion.
After glancing through it, John put it back.
Although the Polyjuice Potion could transform someone into another person, the thought of needing to add someone's hair was nauseating.
Continuing his search, he spotted a black and silver book.
After touching it, John decided not to open it.
These books might have dark magic curses, so he continued his search.
Finally, he found a record on the Disillusionment Charm.
After passing through "Secrets of Advanced Dark Arts," he found "Advanced Spellcasting," which not only had the Disillusionment Charm but also Apparition and other advanced spells.
Closing the book, John prepared to leave.
As he was about to exit the Forbidden Section, he stopped.
Turning back to the strange book, his curiosity got the better of him.
He tentatively took it out and opened it with curiosity...
"Ah—!!"
John covered his ears and quickly shut the book, but it was too late.
The sound echoed out, alerting Filch.
Filch, patrolling outside and catching little wizards, sprinted towards the library.
Despite being a Squib, he had a robust physique from years of cleaning.
"I've found you!"
Filch, holding a lantern, sniffed like a hunting dog.
A cat's meow came from a distant shelf, and Filch's face lit up with excitement.
He and Mrs. Norris had a mutual understanding, and he ran towards the shelf.
As Filch left the library entrance, John emerged from a shelf and nonchalantly walked out.
Leaving, he gave a thumbs-up to Mrs. Norris, who was elegantly grooming herself on a shelf.
No cat food was wasted; this perfect diversion was flawless.
...
Back in the dormitory, John couldn't wait to start practicing.
By the next morning, his eyes looked like panda eyes.
After three days of practice, he finally saw the Level 1 icon for the Disillusionment Charm.
Hard work pays off.
The next day in the Great Hall, John saw six long-eared owls carrying a long package to Harry Potter, causing Harry's uneaten bacon to hit the floor.
Ding, Minerva McGonagall didn't want to talk to you and threw a Nimbus 2000 at you.
The Savior was about to start his Quidditch career.
Along with the Nimbus 2000, a letter from the older cat lady arrived, asking him to attend Quidditch practice.
Harry, though a bit clueless, had an innate talent for flying.
Unable to hide his joy, he shared the letter with Ron.
Ron was envious, as the best broom he had ever touched was his brother Charlie Weasley's Quidditch broom.
Compared to that, it was garbage.
Harry and Ron quickly left the Great Hall, eager to unwrap the package before the first class.
Turn a corner, and encounter love.
The Savior met the evil Slytherin.
Malfoy, as usual, taunted his lifelong enemy.
John, eating a bacon pie, casually glanced over.
More interested in the pie's tough texture than the Gryffindor-Slytherin feud, he suspected it was filled with uncooked stones.
"Okay, how much longer will you stay mad at them?"
Regretfully setting down the pie, John spoke to Hermione, who had sneaked glances at Harry and Ron three times.
Hermione replied angrily, "Not until they apologize."
"That might take a while." John thought Harry and Ron probably had already forgotten about Hermione.
Neville was again struggling with his Remembrall, and John reminded him it was better to change pants for Charms class; after all, this wasn't a pajama party.
...