As three consecutive reward prompts appeared on his system panel, Char felt a rush of sensation stronger than ever before. It was as if he could hear the gentle hum of magic flowing through his veins, the energy whispering at the edge of his senses—waiting for his command.
The feeling was fleeting, but when Char blinked and refocused on his system panel, he noticed something new. The description for [Magic Perception Improvement] had subtly shifted. The rating was still Iron, but now, within the dark iron luster, there shimmered a faint trace of bronze.
Char's heart leapt with joy. "I'm almost at Bronze level for Magic Perception!" he realized. "No wonder the reward felt so much stronger this time."
He was about to close the panel when he noticed something else that made him freeze. In the ability column, his Soil Loosening Spell and Pruning Spell—both previously bronze—had changed. The Pruning Spell's bronze shimmer now had a hint of silver, and the Soil Loosening Spell had transformed entirely: the bronze was gone, replaced by a gleaming silver light.
[Soil Loosening Spell (Silver Level)]!
Char took a deep breath, hardly believing his eyes. For nearly two months, he'd practiced these two spells relentlessly, but they'd stubbornly remained at bronze. He hadn't even practiced them much lately—so why the sudden leap?
Then it clicked. "It's the improvement in my magical perception!" he realized. "That's what finally broke the barrier."
He remembered his frustration, wondering why endless practice hadn't been enough. Now he understood: it wasn't a lack of effort, but a limit in his perception. With this new breakthrough, his spells had finally advanced.
Char's excitement grew as he considered what this meant. The system's ratings weren't arbitrary; a new level meant a true qualitative change. He couldn't wait to see the difference.
He hurried to the Hogwarts greenhouse, eager to test his new abilities. At his experimental plot, he drew his wand and pointed it at the soil, tracing a spiral outward. With a practiced flick, he called out, "Terra—Laxus! The earth spirit is released!"
A rich ochre light burst from his wand, sinking into the earth. Char watched in awe as the soil responded—loosening more quickly and deeply than before. The area affected was larger, the effect more profound.
He scooped up a handful of the freshly loosened soil, then compared it to untreated earth. The difference was subtle but unmistakable: the silver-level spell seemed to infuse the soil with a vibrant energy. Seeds planted here would have a better chance of sprouting and thriving—even the most difficult magical plants.
Char's heart raced. "Even a small increase in vitality could mean the difference between success and failure for rare plants," he thought. "If I can upgrade all my planting spells to legendary level—Soil Loosening, Pruning, Lumos—I'll be unstoppable as a Herbologist."
He smiled, imagining a future where he could grow a whole forest of guardian trees with ease.
But he quickly reined in his excitement. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," he reminded himself. "I'm still at iron, bronze, and now silver. Legendary level is a long way off."
For now, he focused on the task at hand: growing his glow mushrooms. He cast the new silver-level Soil Loosening Spell, then followed with Lumos, flooding the plot with magical light.
He noticed something else: the improvement in his Soil Loosening Spell seemed to enhance the effectiveness of his Lumos charm as well. "It's all connected," Char mused. "Just like Transfiguration—masters of that field are often skilled in many areas of magic. The same must be true for planting spells. If I can master these, I'll be able to master others, too."
His confidence soared. With each cast, the mycelium of the glow mushrooms became more active, the soil more vibrant. The mushrooms would mature even faster than he'd hoped, bringing him closer to his next magical breakthrough.
For the next three days, Char worked tirelessly—casting, tending, and watching his magical garden thrive.
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