An autumn breeze carried a fallen leaf through the window, swirling until it landed gently on the bridge of Basil's nose.
He opened his large, blue eyes.
His attention shifted away from the sensation of 'Mana.'
A thought drifted into his mind along with the autumn wind.
"If this Mana is like sunlight—a form of energy—can I use it to top up my Gems?"
With a thought, he shoved all his current 'Mana' into the Gem counter in the top right corner.
Clink!
Gems: 2932.441 (+1)
"That's it?! Are you bullying honest people here?!"
"Forget it! I'll just unlock another Wand Skin!"
He opened the [Wand] tab in his mind, and the rows of wands appeared again.
He immediately reached out for the [Time Wand].
For a moment, he forgot his frustration. This was Time—the greatest power in the universe.
[Ding! Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Wand Wood Mismatch. Non-Acacia Wood detected. Spend 2000 Gems to Manifest?]
Basil pulled a face like a grumpy cat.
"Double the price?! You're killing me!"
He resentfully pulled his hand back. Gems were hard currency; he couldn't spend them recklessly.
The reason he had impulsively chosen the [Dragon Knight] earlier was probably because the Blackthorn wood had a natural affinity with it, creating a subconscious attraction.
"I'll wait until I'm stronger, then I'll go rob Ollivanders," Basil thought, rubbing his hands together like a fly plotting over a meal.
"Hmm, actually, maybe a secondhand wand shop would be easier."
"No! Robbing Ollivanders would cause a massive deviation in the timeline! High risk, high reward!"
Time flew by. Soon, it was August 31st.
School started tomorrow.
His Gem count had broken through the 4000 mark as time passed.
Gems: 4624.442 (+0.001/s)
He had also gotten used to sleeping alone, without anyone to warm his bed.
During this time, he hadn't been idle.
The [Echo: Fenrir the Wolf] had been fully cleansed and analyzed.
The eight spell slots were: Killing Curse, Imperius Curse, Cruciatus Curse, Alohomora, Disillusionment Charm, Horn-Growing Hex, Healing Charm, and Presence Concealment Charm.
Basil was disappointed. It didn't include the Death Eaters' signature "Black Smoke Flight" spell.
He discovered that by focusing on a slot in the Echo, he could learn the corresponding spell, just like reading a book.
That was how he learned the Presence Concealment Charm and the Horn-Growing Hex, which weren't in the movies or games.
He learned that Presence Concealment was a Charm. It altered the internal attributes of the target, suppressing breathing sounds, body odor, body temperature, and noise from movement.
The incantation was Absconditus (Vanish Sound, Hide Trace).
Combined with the Disillusionment Charm, it would be incredibly effective.
Basil suspected the reason he hadn't smelled Fenrir's disgusting stench initially was because of this spell.
The Horn-Growing Hex was a Hex—a spell that inflicted a persistent negative state on the target. It bordered on Dark Arts (Curses).
It caused the target to grow horns.
Cow horns, goat horns, deer antlers—it wasn't limited. It depended on the caster's preference.
The incantation was Anteoculatia.
When Basil first realized what this spell did, a chill went down his spine.
What kind of pervert specializes in this spell?
combining Fenrir calling him "little lamb" with the werewolf's horrific reputation, Basil instantly understood the nasty application of having "handlebars" on a victim.
It was worth noting that learning spells this way (or from books) allowed him to craft the corresponding Spell Card for just 100 Gems.
Of course, he could use the spells without making cards.
But without the card, he couldn't cast them silently or wandlessly. He had to rely on the wand, the incantation, and the gesture, and the success rate depended entirely on his own skill.
Over the last few days, he had used the [Echo] to learn Disillusionment, Presence Concealment, Alohomora, and Healing.
From his textbooks, he mastered: Lumos, Stupefy, Expelliarmus, Incendio, Aguamenti, Pack, Scourgify, Nebulus (Mist), Protego, and Petrificus Totalus.
These covered household chores, combat, defense, stealth, survival, and healing.
However, he only spent 1000 Gems to create 10 Spell Cards.
Household spells like Lumos, Pack, Scourgify, and Petrificus Totalus were excluded from card creation.
Others, like Transfiguration, he skipped for self-study because Professor McGonagall had warned it was dangerous.
As for the Dark Arts—whether minor Jinxes, moderate Hexes, or severe Curses—he wasn't planning to touch them yet.
Sure, spamming "Avada Kedavra" in the game was cool.
But every book stated clearly: Dark Magic twists the user's mind.
He decided to wait until he mastered the Patronus Charm—the only explicitly stated "Positive Energy" spell in the movies—before dabbling in the dark stuff.
Besides, with the [Magic Book], his cards leveled up with proficiency.
If he maxed out Expelliarmus, he could probably use it like a Killing Curse anyway.
"Expel Your Life" wasn't just a joke.
In total, he had 11 Cards:
10 Spell Cards, 1 Summon Card.
His Magic Book had leveled up too.
[ID: 000000001]
[Magic Book Level: 2 (1000/300 EXP)]
[Name: Ryan Smith / Basil Granger]
[Race: Wizard]
[Health: 10 + 10 (Echo Bonus: 1000 Temporary Shield: 132/231)]
[Mana: 7 + 6]
[Luck: 3 ~ 7]
[Traits: Red Dragon Blood (Ignitable), Plant Affinity (Awakened), Potions Mastery]
Thanks to the Echo bonuses, his Disillusionment, Presence Concealment, Alohomora, and Healing spells were effectively Level 4.
If he used "Hybrid Casting" (System Mana + Wizard Willpower), they hit like Level 5 spells.
With the wand and the [Wand Skin] bonuses, they would be even stronger, though he lacked the data to quantify it exactly.
The rest of his cards were Level 1.
As for Summon Cards: With [Plant Affinity], any plant Basil summoned gained health regeneration, increased damage, faster attack speed, and reduced attack intervals.
He really needed to find more magical plants to turn into cards.
However, Summon Cards didn't work like Spell Cards; pumping more Mana into them didn't increase their damage.
The Mana cost was fixed. Spending double the Mana just summoned a second unit.
Furthermore, to create a Summon Card, he had to observe the creature first. He couldn't just learn it from a book.
Even useless things like Puffapods or Gnomes cost 500 Gems to record—same as the Devil's Snare.
The redwood tree outside was too expensive.
Dittany overlapped with his Healing Charm.
He planned to raid Professor Sprout's greenhouses after school started.
"Professor Sprout's greenhouses... it's going to be amazing! How deadly would a Mandrake Scream card be?"
Basil fell into a happy daydream.
"Ouch!" He kicked his cauldron.
He remembered he still had work to do.
He had to pack everything into his trunk.
"Pack!" Basil shouted, sweeping his wand across the floor in a wide arc.
Under the power of the spell, books, clothes, telescopes, and scales floated into the air and dive-bombed into the trunk in a chaotic mess.
"Hmm, not very tidy."
"Should I spend 100 Gems to make a card for this?" Basil bit his finger, hesitating.
His eidetic memory allowed him to instantly find the reference in Magical Drafts and Patterns for Home Life.
> "Note: If you want items to organize themselves neatly, and even have socks fold themselves..."
> "After the wide sweep, give the wand a light, sharp flick."
> "Most importantly, the caster must have actual experience doing housework well."
Full of hope, Basil gave his wand a sharp flick.
One sock wiggled limply, then flopped back onto the pile of junk inside the trunk.
"Ugh, forget it," Basil sighed, slamming the trunk lid shut with a bang. "At least everything is inside."
"No wonder Molly Weasley could solo Bellatrix Lestrange."
"Household spells look simple, but mastering them to that level requires finer control than an Avada Kedavra."
"She spent years grinding her magic on housework."
"Bellatrix just sat in prison rotting."
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