At noon, Wayne had a simple lunch and, instead of continuing his magical studies, collapsed onto his bed to sleep.
The excitement from the entire night, coupled with his morning outing, had left him exhausted.
He slept deeply and woke to find the wall clock showing past five in the evening.
Noisy sounds came from downstairs, and curious, Wayne stepped out of his bedroom in his pyjamas.
The two servants and the chef in his household were all highly paid professionals with excellent manners — they had never made such a commotion before.
"Young Master Wayne." One of the servants, Linda, hurried over as soon as she saw him descending the stairs, her face still pale with shock.
"What's wrong, Linda?"
"Just now, several owls suddenly flew in, dropped these things in the living room, circled for a while, and then left."
Linda still seemed unsettled. Owls were nocturnal creatures, rarely seen during the day, let alone behaving like this.
On the drawing-room carpet lay several large, unopened packages.
Wayne knew these were the items he had purchased that morning from Diagon Alley shops. As for why the owls had lingered before leaving, usually, recipients were expected to provide food for the owls to replenish their energy. This was Wayne's first time, and he had forgotten.
Glancing at Linda, the other servant Elena, and the chef Bruce, Wayne considered the situation. He would inevitably make quite a bit of noise while studying magic at home, which might make keeping them around inconvenient.
Once he started attending Hogwarts, he would spend even less time at home than at school.
He wondered if he should let them go.
Not exactly firing them — the Lawrence family had many businesses. If they were willing, Wayne could offer them positions with the same or even higher salaries.
"Alright, it's probably some new technology. These are things I ordered," Wayne said, brushing it off with a casual excuse.
"Linda, Elena, take these to the study. Bruce, what's for dinner tonight?"
"How about steak, Young Master Wayne?"
"Add some grilled ribs too."
"Yes, Young Master."
After dinner, Wayne went to the study and began unpacking.
Setting aside the items he didn't need immediately, he placed the first-year textbooks on the table and picked up The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 to read.
Charms were the foundation of everything. While technically just one branch of magic, the principles behind them underpinned many others — Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and even the Dark Arts.
Mastering Charms would provide significant help in other subjects as well. With a casual wave, the cup on the table shattered instantly.
Wayne took out his wand, focused his mind as the book instructed, slightly raised his wrist, then pressed downward while reciting the incantation in a steady rhythm.
"Reparo."
As if time had reversed, all the fragments flew back to their original positions, and the cracks vanished without a trace.
"Pretty simple," Wayne muttered to himself.
He neglected that his magical talent had reached SS-, a level surpassed by only a handful in history. If learning a simple repair spell had been difficult for him, then other wizards might as well have been Squibs.
At the same time, Wayne also noticed that when holding his wand and casting spells according to the book's guidance, his focus and intent came effortlessly. There was none of the usual struggle or awkwardness that came with spellcasting. No wonder most wizards were practically no different from Squibs without their wands.
Over the next hour, Wayne alternated between reading and practising, quickly mastering several basic spells: the Lighting Charm, the Cleaning Charm, the Levitation Charm, and the Unlocking Charm.
Not only did he learn them, but he could also simplify certain steps. For example, with the Levitation Charm, the rhythm of the incantation was crucial — any misstep in the pauses could lead to failure or an incomplete spell.
What did "incomplete" mean?
Say you wanted a pen to levitate one metre high, but it only rose half a metre and moved erratically. The textbooks explained all this.
But Wayne only needed to recite the incantation clearly and completely, and even his wand movements could be somewhat relaxed for the spell to succeed.
In two words: absolutely terrifying!
"System, are spell proficiency levels graded?" Wayne suddenly asked in his mind.
[Spell proficiency levels are divided into Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Master.]
[The host can improve proficiency through practice and comprehension or by drawing corresponding spells in the gacha to stack proficiency.]
"Is there a panel for my spell proficiency?"
A translucent screen appeared before Wayne's eyes. A glance showed that the spells he'd just learned had already reached the Intermediate stage.
This lifted Wayne's spirits considerably.
The greatest advantage of the panel was that it gave him a clear awareness of his progress and the results of his efforts. Sometimes, people didn't refuse to work hard — they just couldn't see the fruits of their labour. Without consistent positive feedback, persistence was difficult.
Now, Wayne was brimming with motivation.
In just one night, he had mastered all the spells required for first-year students to the Intermediate level.
For the next few days, Wayne didn't leave the house.
Apart from meals, he spent all his time in his bedroom and study, relentlessly learning magic.
His formidable magical talent, combined with his eidetic memory from the Memory Palace, accelerated his progress at an astonishing rate.
Not only did he cover first-year material, but he also devoured The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3 and earlier content, mastering a vast array of common spells.
If Professor McGonagall knew about his progress, she'd be shocked enough to shed fur. Self-studying up to third-year level in just a few days? By the end of the first year, could he take the N.E.W.T.s alongside seventh-years?
...
Time flew, and August arrived.
The weather in London grew even more sweltering, and the incessant cicada chirps frayed tempers — but none of this affected Wayne, who had already cast a Silencing Charm on his room.
Pop!
Closing The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, Wayne stretched and walked to the window. He pulled back the curtains, squinting as the blinding sunlight streamed in.
"I'm tired of reading, might as well visit Diagon Alley again."
Last time, with Professor McGonagall accompanying him, there were many things he couldn't conveniently buy. This time, he could go on a proper shopping spree.