When Tom woke up the next morning, he casually opened the system panel—and was surprised to find that not only had his Credits not decreased, they had increased by eighteen, along with three Achievement Points.
After checking the system log, he understood why:
— Fully mastering the Levitation Charm, Lumos Charm, and Flickering Charm: +30 Credits
— Learning three spells: +3 Achievement Points
Tom fell into deep thought.
This learning space felt almost like a perpetual-motion machine. Casually learning a few things already covered the cost of using the space—and even generated profit. In the future, he might not need to worry about the consumption at all.
Of course, he knew the real Credit sink would likely be the "Transcendent" buff.
With his current credits, he could only maintain it for ten minutes. He didn't even dare try it, afraid he'd waste it and feel heartache afterward.
What would it feel like, anyway?
Would it let him fly or something?
While imagining the effects of the Transcendent state, Tom got up and washed up—but didn't immediately enter the learning space.
Yesterday, he and Andros ran some tests. After Tom exited the learning space, Andros could either enter dormancy or move freely. If Tom continued paying the Credit cost, Andros could even communicate with him—and observe the outside world through Tom's eyes.
What was this, some kind of jinchūriki setup?
Still, it gave Tom an idea.
He could first buy all the textbooks and manifest them inside the learning space. Let Andros study them first, then enter the space himself afterward. That would save both time and Credits.
So early that morning, Tom headed out. He took public transport to the city center, entered Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron, and went straight to the bookstore.
Tom didn't know which textbooks the higher years used—but the staff did.
He found a free clerk and explained what he wanted.
The clerk stared at him in shock.
"All the textbooks? Are you sure, kid? You look like a first- or second-year at most. There's no need to buy everything at once."
"Take Defense Against the Dark Arts, for example—the professor changes every year. You never know which book they'll use. Buying now would just be a waste."
Someone this kind-hearted—Tom was certain he had to be a Hufflepuff.
"Knowledge becomes your own once you learn it," Tom replied calmly.
"Even if the textbook changes, I don't lose anything. Instead of spending money on toys and snacks, I'd rather turn it into books. If I don't need them later, I can always sell them second-hand."
The clerk looked at Tom in surprise. He hadn't expected to hear such a practical argument from a child.
Since the customer insisted, there was no reason not to sell. He'd already done his duty by warning him once.
The clerk pushed a trolley to gather the books. After learning Tom was a soon-to-be first-year, he confidently said,
"You'll definitely be sorted into Ravenclaw—though personally, I think Hufflepuff is the best House."
Tom nodded in agreement.
"I think Ravenclaw's pretty good too. It suits me."
After all, he was aiming to become a top student—no, a god-tier scholar. Among the four Houses, Ravenclaw fit him best.
Ten minutes later, the trolley was piled high with thick books. There were not only required textbooks, but also several Tom had personally chosen.
At the counter, after everything was tallied up, Tom realized his money wasn't enough.
Yesterday, he'd only spent fifteen Galleons on books—about two Galleons per volume. But upper-year textbooks were far more expensive. One copy of Advanced Magical Power: A Self-Defense Guide alone cost seven Galleons.
Just like the Muggle UK—textbooks were absurdly expensive.
He remembered Ms. Arman complaining that her son's university textbooks cost dozens of pounds per book, with some exceeding a hundred. Faster than robbing a bank.
Left with no choice, Tom went to Gringotts again and withdrew another two hundred Galleons, finally settling the bill. He paid an additional ten Sickles to have the books delivered by owl.
After buying the books, Tom didn't linger around Diagon Alley. He stopped by a nearby Waitrose supermarket, picked up some fruit and snacks, and returned home.
Waitrose was a high-end British supermarket—everything sold there was top quality and fresh.
He might be poor in the wizarding world, but in the Muggle world he could still afford a comfortable lifestyle. Tom never shortchanged himself when it came to that.
His appetite was larger than most kids his age, though not excessively so—mainly because of how much he trained.
Even without magic, relying on fists alone was enough to protect himself. And, incidentally… collect "protection fees" from certain bad students.
At three in the afternoon, three owls dragged the books through his window. Tom manifested them all into the learning space—but didn't enter himself.
He wanted to test just how big the efficiency gap was between studying outside and inside the space.
"Whew… this is exhausting."
At ten in the evening, Tom lay down on his bed and closed his tired eyes.
Normally, a person's peak concentration lasted no more than fifteen minutes. Beyond that, focus declined and the mind began to wander.
After two hours of continuous work, irritation set in, efficiency plummeted further—until eventually, nothing could be absorbed at all.
Aside from dinner, Tom had studied from three in the afternoon until ten at night. The only truly efficient period was the two-plus hours before dinner. In the evening, he was just reading textbooks like novels—not truly learning.
He'd only gained thirty Learning Credits for the entire day—no better than the three hours he'd spent in the learning space the night before.
The Transcendent state could wait until he had more Credits.
Right now, saving wasn't an option—the learning space had to be used efficiently.
With his plan set, Tom quickly fell asleep.
Over the next month, he didn't visit Diagon Alley again. Every day was spent studying magic.
Five hours a day inside the learning space with Andros. The remaining time was spent practicing freely in the real world.
Before he knew it, the day before school started had arrived.