The learning space fell into silence.
An awkward atmosphere spread between the two of them.
Tom narrowed his eyes and looked at Andros.
The towering, heroic man avoided Tom's gaze guiltily, his face flushing red with embarrassment.
By now, everything was clear.
Andros wasn't teasing Tom—he genuinely didn't know the Lumos Charm or the Levitation Charm at all.
The wizarding world might appear conservative, but it was far from stagnant. Magic had continued to evolve.
Although this development hadn't produced more top-tier powerhouses, nor significantly increased the wizarding population, it had made tremendous progress in practicality, convenience, and standardized casting procedures.
For example, the book Tom had just manifested—Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk. Before her, no one had ever systematized and categorized spells in such a structured way.
As for the Lumos Charm and the Levitation Charm, according to the book, they had only appeared around the 14th and 15th centuries.
There was no way Andros could have known them.
"How did you people light things and control objects back then?" Tom couldn't help asking.
Andros didn't answer verbally. Instead, he silently manifested a wooden stake, then hurled a fireball at it. In an instant, it turned into a blazing torch.
"For lighting, fire was enough," he said calmly.
"As for controlling objects, wrapping them with magic and willpower worked just fine."
"To actually develop specialized spells for such trivial matters—and then freely teach them to others…"
Andros lived in an era when magic was still in its barbaric age. Magic was regarded as a means of survival, not something to be casually shared.
On top of that, people lived in dangerous environments. No one cared about daily convenience or quality of life—every day was spent thinking about how to make spells stronger and deadlier.
It wasn't until the rise of Muggles in the Middle Ages, coupled with the Church's witch hunts, that wizards were forced to unite. Magic academies were established, and magic gradually diversified, eventually forming the modern magical system of today.
Andros stared at Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 in Tom's hands with great curiosity and cautiously asked,
"Tom, how about letting me take a look at that book? Maybe there's magic in it that I know. If not… we could just start with the Patronus Charm. That's my specialty."
Tom: "..."
This wasn't hiring a teacher—this was finding himself a study buddy.
Not knowing a single spell, and he wanted to start straight with the Patronus Charm?
Sure, Tom had a cheat—but the cheat hadn't kicked in that hard yet!
"Forget it, Mr. Andros."
Tom sighed and handed the book over, then manifested another copy for himself.
"Let's learn together and improve together. The development of later magic should surprise you."
"Thank you, Tom."
Andros scratched his head awkwardly. He'd just sworn he'd satisfy Tom as a teacher, and now he was the one asking for help first.
[Teacher 'Andros' recognition of the host has reached 20%.
Host has obtained Andros's Magic Talent.]
Tom instantly felt more refreshed, a smile unconsciously spreading across his face.
This was another system function—or rather, a perk.
When a teacher's recognition reached 20%, 50%, and 100%, Tom would receive a reward each time. The reward would be either a skill or a talent mastered by that teacher.
Teaching was important—but the magical world didn't run on reason.
And talent was even more unreasonable.
A person's ultimate achievements didn't depend solely on learning conditions or effort; they also depended on their innate ceiling.
The recognition system gave Tom the possibility of surpassing even his teachers—allowing him to combine the strengths of many and become a wizard unlike any before.
Tom lightly furnished the learning space, manifesting desks, chairs, a sofa, and a coffee table. Then he and Andros each took a copy of Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 and began their beginner-level magical studies.
Thankfully, the space granted Andros language comprehension—otherwise, he wouldn't even have been able to read the book.
Andros, the "teacher," read more seriously than Tom, the student.
Though the spells were basic, they were enough to open Andros's eyes. He never imagined magic could be applied in such refined and clever ways.
Back in his day, magic was only used for dueling—and killing.
Once you understood the essence, everything followed.
Andros's understanding of magic had already reached a very high level. Learning beginner spells was as easy as a high schooler reviewing first-grade material.
Before long, he began experimenting—and immediately started with wandless casting.
Seeing this, Tom realized he needed to buy the next few years' textbooks as soon as possible, or Andros would quickly bottleneck their progress.
He began practicing the Levitation Charm and the Lumos Charm himself.
This was different from his previous method of controlling objects directly with raw magic and willpower. Now, he was guiding magic through structured incantations.
Tom strictly followed the standard pronunciation and wand movements. On his first try, he successfully lifted a feather—but failed to control its movement freely.
Seeing this, Andros knew it was finally time for the teacher to step in.
He carefully had Tom cast the spell again, then pointed out the issue:
"Tom, the casting steps in the book are standardized, but magic is the least standardized thing in existence. Everyone is different."
"Following the book will let you master the spell quickly—but it will never be the method best suited for you. You need to make adjustments on top of that foundation."
As he spoke, Andros manifested his own wand and cast the Levitation Charm step by step.
"Look—my forearm movement is about fifteen degrees smaller than what the book specifies. That's because of my build. If I followed the book exactly, I'd overexert and cause the spell to fail."
"For you, the angle needs to be larger, since your body hasn't fully developed yet. What's optimal can only be discovered through constant practice—even I can't determine that for you."
Tom's eyes lit up.
"I understand."
After several adjustments, Tom gradually grasped the trick, and the Levitation Charm became increasingly smooth and natural.
Only after three full hours did he bid Andros farewell and exit the learning space.
Though all fatigue accumulated inside would disappear upon leaving, decades of living habits made it impossible for Tom to give up sleep entirely.
Besides, he only had 100 Credits—just enough for 15 hours of learning space time.
Better to use them sparingly.