On Sprout Island, the scene was one of raw, elemental chaos.
The Kraken, the great leviathan of the North Sea, had used its ancient magic to summon a monstrous whirlpool from the seabed. On the coast, the waves swelled to an immense height, a clear testament to the incredible power churning at the bottom of the sea.
Even the troll shaman Sirius, who firmly believed that Char was the being from the prophecy, could not help but feel a knot of worry tighten in his gut. He could feel the potent magical energy radiating from the depths.
"Ancient magic," he murmured, his voice a low rumble. "That Kraken… it actually possesses a trace of Titan blood."
"Indeed," another voice seemed to whisper from his own inherited memories. "The former Sea God was an exceptionally prolific being among the Titans. His bloodline is scattered throughout the oceans; this is quite normal. For a creature as massive as the Kraken, it would be more surprising if it didn't carry the Sea God's blood."
"But this power—"
Sirius took a deep, shuddering breath, feeling a powerful sense of oppression wash over him. The deep seabed was the perfect domain for the Sea God's blood to manifest its full potential. Furthermore, the ancient magic passed down to the Kraken seemed far more complete than the fragmented memories he had inherited. The force of this single spell was vastly greater than his own ancient fire magic.
Can Char truly survive such a magical assault?
The thought had barely flashed through his mind when, in the next second, Sirius's entire body went rigid. His gaze was locked intently on the churning chaos at the seabed.
"What is that?!"
At that very moment, the same startled exclamation was emitted by the Kraken itself at the bottom of the sea.
It had clearly sensed that Char had reached his absolute limit and was already planning to disperse the ancient magic. After all, despite their battle, the Kraken had come to see Char as a distant relative after discovering the likelihood of his Titan blood. Besides, Char would occasionally feed it some of his blood, which tasted remarkably good, so the Kraken quite enjoyed staying near Sprout Island. It certainly had no desire for Char to perish here during a training session.
But just then, it felt a trembling sense of profound crisis emanating from within the vortex itself. The feeling was chillingly similar to what it had felt when facing the great Helga Hufflepuff herself.
In the next instant, a bony arm emerged from the swirling vortex.
With a gentle tear, the maelstrom created by the ancient magic was ripped apart directly.
If it weren't for the shaky, yet recognizable, figure of Char emerging from the dissipating whirlpool, the Kraken would have suspected something truly foul had just been born from it. It was about to flee in a puff of smoke and ink.
Now, it stared at Char, unable to hold back a disbelieving scream.
"You little fiend! What on earth did you just do?!"
Char's gaze, however, was fixed on his system panel. He was looking at the new characteristic that the sublimation of his legendary power had granted him—the Unyielding Force.
[Legendary Power Sublimation Feature - Unyielding Force]
[The more desperate the situation, the stronger the power. The power can be increased and sublimated once, at most.]
A strange light surged in his eyes. Just like the sublimated characteristics of his legendary life, this new power was simple, brutal, and incredibly potent. For a combat-oriented ability like legendary power, the characteristics granted by this sublimation were a massive, welcome surprise.
Just moments ago, injured within the whirlpool, Char had truly reached his limit. But at that critical moment, the sublimated characteristic of Unyielding Force was triggered to its absolute extreme. Char saw it all happen; on the system panel, the legendary power shone with a blinding light as it briefly soared to the point of a second sublimation.
Every upgrade to the legendary level was a step closer to the mythical. The further one progressed, the greater the improvement brought by each sublimation—sometimes exceeding the total of all previous promotions combined. Char was now realizing this firsthand. With a casual wave of his hand, the power he released had effortlessly torn apart the Kraken's ancient magic.
The only pity was that this power came and went in a flash. As Char's body was rapidly repaired by his legendary life ability, the incredible boost from the Unyielding Force declined just as drastically. Soon, it was close to nothing, causing Char's power to fall back to the level of a single sublimation. While still much stronger than before, it was absolutely nothing compared to the phenomenal power he had wielded just moments ago.
After taking a deep breath, Char finally pulled himself out of the huge sense of disappointment. When he focused, he saw the extremely serious expression on the Kraken's face.
"Greetings, young wizard," the Kraken said, its tone uncharacteristically grave. "Do you have a family tree? Why don't you check to see if one of your ancestors was a major god from the Olympian era? How else could such a rich Titan bloodline exist in this age, allowing you to unleash such power? Although you're still not as mighty as the four Hogwarts founders, at your age, you might just surpass them in a decade or two."
Hearing the Kraken's words, a strange look appeared in Char's eyes. The true strength of the Hogwarts Four has always been a mystery. Even in his past life, readers had debated the point endlessly. Some argued they were far inferior to modern wizards like Dumbledore, while others believed they were on par. A few even insisted that the Four would be on a completely different level from any wizard today. But no one could ever provide conclusive evidence. After all, the era of the Four was a thousand years ago, and very few records remain.
But now, the Kraken—a being that had actually fought against Helga Hufflepuff—was offering its perspective. Its words held significant weight. The power Char had just unleashed had reached the second level of legendary sublimation, yet the Kraken still believed there was a clear gap between that and Hufflepuff's power. It even suggested it might take ten or twenty years to surpass her.
Based on this estimate, Hufflepuff's magical abilities, when evaluated by the system's levels, were likely at the legendary level, having been sublimated three times. The other three founders should be at a similar level, though their progress would vary. Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin, being the two strongest of the Four, had probably pushed even further in the realm of tertiary sublimation, perhaps possessing multiple abilities at that level. They may have been only a single step away from the mythical level.
However, the gap between legend and myth is a chasm that is incredibly difficult to cross. It was almost certain that none of the Four had achieved mythical status.
Based on this inference, Voldemort and Dumbledore should also be in the realm of the third level of sublimation. But Dumbledore wielded the Elder Wand, which was undeniably a mythical item. In terms of pure strength, Dumbledore was likely superior to the founders, and even closer to the mythical level than they were.
After experiencing the vast difference in legendary abilities firsthand, Char finally had a clear assessment of the gap between himself and the top-tier combatants of the wizarding world. It was still a very long way off. He currently had only two legendary abilities that had been upgraded for the first time, and it was unknown how many such abilities those top-tier beings possessed.
Yet, there was no frustration in Char's eyes. Instead, he was filled with passion and anticipation. It was far better to see the gap than to be ignorant of it. Besides, judging from the original stories, the strength of Dumbledore and Voldemort hadn't changed much over the years, which suggested that the leap from three sublimations to the mythical level was a barrier that even geniuses like them found nearly impossible to surpass.
But for him, he just had to keep planting. Maybe one day, he would enter that mythical realm. After this first school year, he would have several years of stable development. And as for whatever Quirrell had arranged in the Forbidden Forest, after experiencing the sublimation of legendary power, Char had absolute confidence he could handle it. After all, who could possibly imagine that a first-year Hufflepuff, whose magic was still so weak, could, in terms of physical power, already see the backs of Voldemort and Dumbledore?
Thinking of this, the slight unease Char had felt about the plot changes in The Philosopher's Stone completely vanished.
"Truly," he thought, "strength is the ultimate source of confidence."
With all distracting thoughts dissipated from his mind, Char floated towards the surface of the sea. When his figure appeared in the sight of the trolls and house-elves, there was a moment of stunned silence, followed by a cheer like a landslide and a tsunami. Nearly a hundred giant monsters roared in unison, a sound like rolling thunder. Even the troll shaman Sirius couldn't help but wave his war staff high, roaring with his blood boiling.
"Groonk! Groonk!"
There was no longer any doubt in his mind. All he felt was pure, fanatical devotion.
In the midst of this fanatical atmosphere, the spiritual pupil between Char's eyebrows, which had appeared due to his greatly enhanced sixth sense, suddenly tingled and opened on its own. Char immediately saw it: among the countless chaotic lines and colors of the world, strands of extremely pure, thread-like energy were spreading towards him.
Char's heart skipped a beat. He took out Demeter's silver cup and, sure enough, he saw those lines of energy sinking into the ancient artifact. Looking at this scene he had never witnessed before, a look of utter surprise filled his eyes.
"Could this be what I suspected? The power of faith that Demeter's silver cup needs to absorb?" he wondered. "I never expected that after my sixth sense was enhanced and my spiritual eye opened, there would be such a change. No wonder legend says that in the Olympian era, the priests of the gods had to be individuals with exceptionally keen perceptions."
At this time, Char looked at the Pute fruits planted across Sprout Island again, his expression unable to hide the burning excitement. It had been worth all the effort to travel to Delia Island to get these fruits, even facing the pollution of that strange temple and leaving behind an enemy suspected to be a "god." The harvest from this one crop alone had already made it all worthwhile.
And now, after harvesting these Pute fruits, he could divide the tubers to plant an even larger area. On Sprout Island, although most of the flat land had been cultivated, the conditions of the other lands were not as good. But with the trolls' giant strength, filling in a ravine was not a problem. By a conservative estimate, the output of the next batch of Pute fruit could at least double.
Furthermore, the ability of Demeter's silver cup to bless seeds and improve their levels had cooled down. With the huge influx of faith power just now, Char had a feeling that this time, the blessing ability would be able to affect a much larger number of seeds than when he had blessed the Chalaati grass. This meant that the next batch of Pute fruits would yield a large number of bronze-level reward light balls, a benefit whose value was self-evident.
Immediately, after the cheers of the trolls gradually subsided, Char spoke.
"Today is the day of the Pute fruit harvest!" he announced. "This batch, apart from the portion reserved for the next planting, is enough to fill the stomachs of every single monster here. On Sprout Island, you will no longer have to scavenge for food, nor endure the cold and hunger of winter. Although Pute fruit isn't delicious, I promise you this: I can fill your stomachs today, and it won't be long before I can give you more delicious food. There will be bread, and there will be milk too!"
The plain and simple words seemed to speak directly to the hearts of the trolls. These past days, free from danger and hunger, no longer having to worry about poachers, and even being able to play in the water and eat fish and shrimp—this was already a heaven-like existence for them. How beautiful must the future that Char described be? For a moment, the trolls' eyes filled with happiness and longing.
Shaman Sirius looked on, dazed, with tears welling in his eyes. Before this, he had truly believed that the troll race would be reduced to a state no different from wild beasts and livestock. The dream of restoring the glory of their noble bloodline had seemed like nothing more than an empty wish. But now, it seemed that hope was real once more.
At that moment, Char gave an order. The trolls carefully began to harvest the ripe Pute fruits in the fields, placing them into huge bags woven from twine. Every time a bag was filled, the trolls would hum with delight, for these were all blessings bestowed upon them by their King.
At this time, Char waved his wand, holding the silver cup of Demeter. In the celebratory atmosphere, he began to chant the incantations of Demeter's ritual magic.
"Cantate ovantes, seges alta viret!"
"Cantate ovantes, seges alta viret!"
"..."
"Blessings of abundance. Singing and thriving in the fertile soil, the crops will thrive!"
Immediately, a bright silver light shone from Demeter's silver cup, falling upon the exceptionally fine Pute fruits that had been selected and placed before Char. This was the blessing effect of Demeter's silver cup, capable of upgrading the level of crops.
As the silver light fell, a large number of prompt messages suddenly appeared before Char's eyes.
[You have obtained the Pute Fruit blessed by Demeter's ritual magic. Its level has been improved.]
[After cultivation, you will receive a reward of enhanced endurance (Bronze Level)]
[—]
A strange glint appeared in Char's eyes. It was just as he had expected. With the blessing, the rewards the Pute fruit could provide had been upgraded from the Black Iron level to the Bronze level. The only pity was that no new reward types were created, but this was not surprising. Very few bronze-level crops offered multiple rewards.
What's more, Char discovered that the Pute fruit, now promoted to the bronze level, had given him a huge surprise. The number of magic nodes within these fruits had increased dramatically compared to their Black Iron level counterparts. This meant that these blessed fruits could be divided into many more tubers, which could then be used to grow even more bronze-level Pute fruits. If he kept this up, it was possible that within a year, all the Pute fruits on Sprout Island could reach the bronze level! In Char's opinion, this kind of improvement was far better than adding a new reward that barely reached the Black Iron level.
Char handed this batch of blessed Pute fruits to the troll shaman Sirius, instructing him to lead the trolls in carefully planting and cultivating them.
Sirius nodded with grave seriousness. Then, his eyes fell on the silver cup of Demeter in Char's hand. After a moment of hesitation, Sirius asked cautiously, "My king, could this be the silver cup of Demeter, the goddess of fertility from the Olympian era?"
Char was slightly stunned to hear this. He hadn't expected such a question from Sirius. As far as he knew, Sirius's magical knowledge came almost entirely from his shattered bloodline memories; even the ancient magic passed down to him consisted of only a single rune. How could he possibly know about Demeter's silver cup?
After Char asked him this, Sirius looked surprised. "My king, didn't you give me an alchemy book before? The Demeter Silver Cup is often mentioned in it, serving as a model for many alchemists to emulate. Though I didn't expect Demeter's silver cup to be this large, judging by its effect, only it could have such miraculous power."
Sirius's reply made Char even more astonished. He had indeed given Sirius an alchemy book, one he had borrowed from the restricted section of the library. It was Introduction to Alchemy, a book that had made countless talented wizards wail in despair and that even Snape had failed. When he brought it to Sirius, he never expected the troll shaman to actually learn anything from it. After all, the difficulty of the introductory book was ridiculously high. Char himself had looked at it as if he were reading a text from heaven, and he had only given it to Sirius to kill time at his request.
Why did Sirius sound so different now? In such a short period, it seemed he had gained considerable experience in alchemy. Char couldn't help but ask, "Sirius, how much of that book have you read?"
Sirius sighed in shame. "My king gave me such a precious opportunity to learn alchemy, and I truly feel I have shamed you." Then he held up three thick fingers. "The time has been too short. I have only read it three times. I've barely understood everything mentioned within."
Sirius then asked cautiously, "My king, I wonder if I might have the opportunity to learn more advanced alchemy? Is my talent... too dull?"
Char's expression froze. He had also tried to read that book. He couldn't even say he had finished it; from the very first page, he couldn't understand a single word. Yet, Sirius had read it three times over in such a short period and claimed to have understood it thoroughly? What kind of monstrous alchemical talent was this?!
Then, his heart moved. He thought of a possibility. According to Sirius, the trolls' bloodline originated from Hephaestus, the Olympian god of fire, who was also the famous god of blacksmiths and sculpture. In ancient alchemy, Hephaestus was the undisputed pinnacle; most of the artifacts in the hands of the gods were made by him. He had even used alchemy to create a mythical seed, which showed how advanced his skills were.
Could it be that Sirius's talent for alchemy came from the blood of the God of Fire in his body? Was this what allowed him to surpass so many talented students at Hogwarts in the field of alchemy?
However, Char was not jealous of Sirius's talent. On the contrary, he was quite excited. Alchemy was a vast and profound subject, and he already had to spend a great deal of time on herbology alone. It was impossible for him to conduct in-depth research on alchemy as well. If Sirius could make progress in this area, it would be wonderful news for Char. A force with an alchemist was a rare find in the magical world. The profession was practically a source of endless wealth and resources.
And... Char's gaze turned to the silver cup of Demeter in his hand. The cup was immensely helpful to his planting, but its damage was just too severe. Char had often wondered if he could find a reliable alchemist to repair it. But the risk of the silver cup being exposed was too great. Until he found an alchemist he could absolutely trust, he would rather keep the thought buried deep in his heart.
But now... was Sirius a possibility?
Char handed the silver cup to Sirius. "Take a look at this. Is it possible to restore it to its original state? Or, even if it's just to regain some of its strength, that would be fine."
When Sirius saw the silver cup, his eyes began to sparkle. He took it carefully, his rough fingers gently stroking the intricate lines on its surface. It was as if some deep memory was emerging frm his blood, making his eyes grow dazed.
"Ah, yes," he breathed. "The unparalleled skill of our ancestors forged this incredible silver cup. I can almost see the figure of our ancestors on Mount Olympus... a huge furnace, a massive hammer, shining mithril—it took years of forging, the pinnacle of ancient alchemy, to create this nearly indestructible cup. To think that with the passage of time, it has been damaged to this extent..."
Sirius's face was filled with regret.
Char's eyes flashed as he asked, "Is it possible to repair it?"
Sirius nodded, and then shook his head. "Let me continue my research on alchemy. Based on what I just saw in my bloodline's memory, there is a slight possibility of repairing a section of its pattern. But... I'm afraid many of the materials needed to repair the silver cup no longer exist in this world."
This made Char feel as if he'd been doused with a bucket of cold water, and he felt quite disappointed. But then, Sirius's next words gave him a glimmer of hope.
"But there are alternatives," the shaman continued. "There is something that can replace many precious, long-disappeared materials. Give me time, and if I can acquire it, I believe I can make some repairs to the silver cup."
Char's eyes lit up instantly. "What is that thing?"
The next moment, Sirius spoke with solemn reverence.
"A product of incredible alchemy."
"The Philosopher's Stone."