Charles's gaze fell on the silver-level reward description.
Initially, he believed that the reward for the fully matured piranha algae would be something like silver-level water affinity. That seemed logical.
But the words that appeared in front of him were completely different.
[Increase in Water Holdings (Silver Level)]
Charles was momentarily stunned.
Water holdings? That didn't sound like "affinity" at all.
But just based on the wording of the reward alone, it seemed far more valuable than mere affinity.
Affinity with water would, at most, make it easier for Charles to move underwater—swimming, breathing, navigating currents. Functional, yes, but limited.
In contrast, "increase in water holdings" hinted at something much deeper—an actual boost in power.
Still, without experiencing the effects himself, Charles couldn't draw any definitive conclusions.
So after a brief moment of hesitation, he made a decision.
This mutated piranha algae had probably reached the peak of its current state. Waiting any longer for maximum maturity might not be worth the time.
Better to harvest now.
Even if the reward wouldn't reach the anticipated silver level, and would only give something like bronze, at least it would provide a real test of the ability's function.
Waiting for months only to be disappointed by an underwhelming result? Charles had been down that road before.
He'd learned that lesson the hard way—through failure, frustration, and a few painful sacrifices.
Now, his focus was on clarity and understanding, not perfection.
He turned toward the glowing piranha algae.
Hovering above the plant was a reward light orb, radiating soft luminescence.
Without hesitation, Charles reached out.
The orb merged into his body in an instant.
A line of text appeared on the system panel in front of him:
[You successfully planted the Piranha Algae (after mutation)]
[You received the reward – Slight Increase in Cutting Spells (Black Iron Level)]
[You received the reward – Water Increase (Bronze Level)]
Both abilities immediately appeared in Charles's ability column.
One emitted a dim black iron glow—barely visible.
The other, a faint bronze light—slightly more radiant, but still modest.
Clearly, the harvested rewards were only just scraping their respective levels.
They were a far cry from the silver-level rewards Charles had envisioned.
But for now, that was acceptable. The goal was to test the functionality of these new abilities, not necessarily to gain the maximum benefit yet.
Charles pushed aside all distractions and focused his mind.
"Alright, let's test [Cutting Spell Blessing] first."
He narrowed his eyes, lifted his wand, and performed a practiced series of motions.
The wand traced a triangle in the air, followed by a precise flick of his wrist—like a pair of scissors snapping shut.
"Arbor-Siccus!"
A beam of pruning magic shot toward a dead branch in front of him.
Snap!
The branch was sliced cleanly in two.
Charles's eyes brightened. His expression lit up with mild surprise.
He had already achieved silver-level proficiency in the pruning spell.
Lately, he had been regularly practicing in the abandoned warehouse, trimming old brooms. With consistent repetition, he was nearing gold-level proficiency.
By now, the pruning spell had become second nature to him—an automatic reflex.
That meant Charles was highly attuned to the tiniest variations in spell performance.
And this time, he noticed something.
His magical sensitivity hadn't changed, nor had his muscle memory or casting technique.
But the pruning spell had definitely become more effective.
It was subtle, but noticeable.
That could only mean one thing: [Cutting Spell Blessing] was working.
Even at Black Iron level, it was providing a tangible improvement.
And the best part?
This wasn't just a boost to a single spell—it was an enhancement for an entire category of cutting spells.
From a practical standpoint, the cost-performance ratio was off the charts.
Charles was genuinely pleased.
This ability alone justified all the effort put into cultivating the mutated piranha algae.
Now it was time to examine the second ability: [Water Increase], which glowed with a weak bronze hue.
"This one must be tested in water," Charles murmured.
"But do I have to be completely submerged? Or will partial contact work?"
To find out, he located a large tank—big enough to accommodate his entire body.
He filled it with clean water and slowly lowered himself inside, gripping the edge for balance.
Ankles, calves, knees, thighs, chest—one by one, each part of his body slipped beneath the surface.
But still, nothing happened.
No feedback, no sensation of power.
Then, Charles inhaled deeply and submerged his head completely.
Thanks to his legendary vitality, he could hold his breath for a considerable amount of time—as long as he avoided excessive movement.
The moment his head dipped below the surface, everything changed.
An odd sensation spread through his body.
There was no panic, no struggle for breath.
Instead, Charles felt peaceful—as if the water itself welcomed him.
More than that, there was a blessing.
It wasn't physical or emotional. It felt like a field of support, flowing from the water into him.
The effect was subtle—almost unnoticeable to someone untrained.
But Charles could feel it.
The bronze-level enhancement was modest, especially in the context of his powerful body and magical foundation.
Still, its presence was undeniable.
Even his mind felt more alert.
A thought flashed through his mind.
"Could this ability be boosting not just my body, but my magical power too?"
To test the theory, he concentrated on the flow of magic inside him.
His eyes snapped open—wide with realization.
Yes. His magical perception had definitely improved.
And more surprisingly—so had his magical strength.
In fact, the increase in raw magic power was more pronounced than anything else.
Charles's excitement began to build.
This wasn't just a physical buff.
[Water Increase] directly influenced his magical talent, raising both perception and power when he was immersed.
Which meant—
As long as he was in the water, his magical abilities would be naturally elevated.
And if this ability could one day be evolved to silver or even legendary level, the potential gains would be enormous.
But there was a downside.
The mutated piranha algae, now insatiably dependent on the frequency light spell, had become much harder to mature.
Before mutation, the light spell had already been highly effective in accelerating its growth.
But now?
The plant had transformed into a bottomless black hole, constantly devouring light and still demanding more.
That meant its maturity would now take significantly longer than expected.
Charles briefly pondered this, but quickly shook the thought away.
"Plants that give silver-level rewards are still rare."
"So far, I've only come across guardian trees and blood emeralds that offered that kind of return."
He sighed.
"If it weren't for mastering the Light of Light spell at just the right moment, I wouldn't have even tried this with the piranha algae."
"Given the current situation, I probably won't be able to cultivate plants of this caliber again for at least half a year."
"But even so, this was a big win. No reason to be greedy."
Then something clicked in Charles's mind.
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Wait... the guardian tree?"
He recalled a previous attempt to process the guardian tree seeds—a project he had abandoned midway.
At the time, his magical perception wasn't strong enough to complete the task.
But he had made progress—just barely.
He could sense he was on the verge of success before he gave up.
And now?
His magical perception had improved significantly—thanks to recent progress and the new [Water Increase] ability.
"Maybe it's time to try again…"
Maybe—just maybe—the guardian tree seeds weren't so far out of reach anymore.
End of Chapter 63 – "Increase Holdings in Water,
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