It was a long, dimly lit room.
Many towering stone columns, carved with entwining serpents, supported a ceiling that melted into the darkness above, casting long, eerie black shadows across the room, which was filled with a mysterious, glowing green mist.
A statue, as tall as the room itself, stood against the dark wall at the far end.
However, this statue had an ancient, monkey-like face and a sparse beard that dragged all the way down to the hem of its stone wizard robes.
This made the man standing between the statue's legs, surrounded by the debris of broken chairs, look slightly less dignified, despite his handsome appearance.
The man was well-built and imposing, with black hair, pale skin, and a handsome face that could charm countless girls.
His gentle, clear voice produced hollow, loud echoes within the ghostly walls, sounding exceptionally pleasant.
Suddenly, a column of scorching hot air struck from the upper right, behind his head.
Accompanying it was a clear male voice: "Does this count as a Level 2 spell?"
The wand in the man's hand automatically flicked backward, and a green light flashed.
Crack! A harsh explosion sounded where the green light met the air column.
The man lowered his head and smiled. "Very good, My Lord. A pseudo-Level 4 Unlocking Charm, infused with your Mental Power. This has already surpassed a Level 2 spell."
Obviously, the one who fired the air column was Basil.
Among the spells from the [Fenrir Wolf] Echo turned into Spell Cards, the only one remotely related to "attack" was the Unlocking Charm (Alohomora).
Unless he planned to suck blood with a Healing Charm?
The predecessor to this spell—the Unlocking Charm that fired a beam of light to blast locks apart—already had a tendency to develop into an offensive spell.
Using [Dragon Knight] and the [Magic Book], Basil infused Mental Power into this +3 Unlocking Charm.
Viewing Riddle as the lock on a door, his intense desire to "open" him filled the spell with power that seemed capable of bursting through anything.
The man was Riddle.
Youth Version Voldemort.
As the first intelligent summon in the [Magic Book], he held a unique position.
Born from a [Magic Book] card, besides being subconsciously loyal to Basil, he also understood the power of the [Magic Book] exceptionally well.
He even 'remembered' some game mechanics perfectly.
Rather than a summon, he was more like a System Spirit.
"My Killing Curse, converted to card levels, is Level 2."
"At this time, I had just mastered this spell, so it was still raw."
Basil raised a question: "Even if my spell is pseudo-Level 4, the corresponding damage is still at the level of a true Level 4 spell. It just lacks the three stages of transformation traits. So what?"
Riddle answered, "The gap between spells is vast. Level isn't the only standard for judging strength."
"And you are underestimating 'Characteristics' (Traits)."
"Do you remember the four buffs for Aguamenti in the 'Golden Forbidden Forest: Fatal Hunt' mode of the game?"
"[Water Column]: Increases water column width by 50%; [Water Cascade]: Increases the number of water columns by 100% and damage by 20%; [Water Lance]: Increases damage scaling by an additional 20% when hitting the same enemy unit; [Water Barrier]: Increases damage by 30 and knocks back target units."
Hearing these familiar terms, Basil felt nostalgic at first, then frowned. "Wait, you mean Characteristics are equivalent to those buffs in limited-time dungeons? Don't tell me Characteristics are also divided into White, Blue, Purple, and Gold qualities? No, maybe there's no Purple."
Riddle nodded. "Actually, Aguamenti has another name: the Water-Making Spell. But its incantation is so catchy that it replaced the name. Just like its name suggests, the main purpose of this spell is just to create water. It has almost no damage."
"But with the same spell, if you maintain excitement in your heart and change the final flick of the wand movement into a straight jab... you will find that what comes out of your wand is no longer a clear spring, but a jet of water capable of shattering a porcelain cup from 5 feet away."
"This is one of the characteristics of the Water-Making Spell advancing."
"Depending on personal potential, willpower, and magic power, the characteristics born are varied. Even with the same characteristic, the power differs."
"Perhaps when your cards reach Level 2 and birth a characteristic, the card data really will distinguish between White, Blue, Purple, and Gold qualities."
Basil laughed dumbly at this.
Then he thought of another possibility.
"Reality isn't a game. I can't pay money to upgrade characteristic quality. My spell transformation chances are relatively limited. If the first characteristic born is only White quality... will the transformation power from subsequent upgrades be wasted on upgrading that White characteristic?"
"Should I act like a Xianxia protagonist and build a solid foundation before leveling up?"
"Meaning, rely on learning more spells to exercise magic, crafting cards, and upgrading the [Magic Book] level for bonuses in the early stage. Only level up the cards when I can't suppress it anymore, so the born characteristic is directly top quality?"
"You just said reality isn't a game," Riddle said with a smile. "Although I don't have memories of my main body after adulthood, I can vaguely sense that after creating Horcruxes, the characteristics of my Killing Curse transformed along with me."
"Characteristics are a manifestation of the wizard's self. If you are strong, they become strong."
"A collapse or corruption of the self will also change the characteristics."
"Spells, or magic, come from our beliefs."
"Adalbert Waffling's Magical Theory is accurate. Magic is indeed a phenomenon produced by the interaction of the Magic Field and the Reality Field, or independent operation."
"But the Magic Field comes from the wizard, and its operation comes from our heart—or as Muggles say, the fluctuations of brain electrical signals."
"In short, you don't need to suppress the instinct for spell growth at all."
"Wait," Basil noticed a blind spot. "Spells are alive? Then what is the difference between a spell and its corresponding Spell Card?"
"I remember saying this before." Riddle rubbed his forehead in distress.
"The two are separate. Unless every time you cast a spell in the future, you simultaneously activate the card in the [Magic Book]."
"When casting, the wand and the [Magic Book] are like your two legs when walking."
"But unlike walking, you don't need to use both left and right legs simultaneously to cast. You can 'hop' on one leg."
"Depending on your habits, the leg you don't exercise often will become weaker."
"Moreover, the essence of the two is different."
"Spell Cards, or your cards... think of them as Magic Artifacts (Fa Bao) in Xianxia novels. Just using them will make them grow based on mechanics, but the growth is negligible. That's why you don't have a single Level 2 card yet. But when you use them and inject Mental Power to modify the released spell... it's like refining the artifact with your spirit. It grows naturally faster this way."
"Spells (learned naturally) are like runes inscribed on the soul. That's why they are also called Charms (Fu Zhou). After you polish the Intent and Form to perfection, it will be engraved in your heart and gradually come 'alive,' absorbing your overflowing mental energy to grow. In turn, it influences you. Or rather, makes you fit it better. This is why advanced spells—or Black and White Magic—affect the mind."
"Upgrading a Spell Card to have characteristics simply allows you to use a spell with characteristics without expending mental effort."
"But the spell corresponding to that Spell Card (in your mind) doesn't automatically become a Level 2 spell."
"It's like the less exercised right leg compared to the more exercised left leg."
"It will indeed grow quickly because your card reached true Level 2. But it won't immediately reach the corresponding level."
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