A diamond-level comprehension of Defense Against the Dark Arts!
Char's eyes sparkled with surprise. Although it had been estimated that dozens of reward light balls between platinum and diamond could make this reward directly reach the diamond level, witnessing it with his own eyes still made him feel a little relieved. After all, he was well aware of the huge gap between the diamond and platinum levels. But looking at the words "Defense Against the Dark Arts," he still felt confused. He hadn't felt any changes that this reward brought to him. On the system panel, the glossiness of each ability had not changed. So how was this diamond-level reward to be fulfilled?
At this moment, a message appeared on the system panel.
[Do you want to start receiving Defense Against the Dark Arts (Diamond Level)?]
Char frowned. It wasn't as if he hadn't gained some insights into magic before. Even with ancient weather magic, he had never seen such a prompt appear. Why was it that when it came to Defense Against the Dark Arts, things became different? But after hesitating for a moment, he chose to accept it. After all, it was a diamond-level reward. He couldn't just give up on it because of a slight difference.
The moment he chose to accept, the world in front of his eyes started spinning. By the time he came to his senses, he found himself in a forest.
Char's pupils shrank slightly. He almost thought he was being transported away by a Portkey or some similar means of Apparition. But soon, he sensed something was wrong. The scene in the woods was vivid, but the time corresponding to the sky was obviously wrong. What's more, this strange change had only appeared after he chose to accept the insights of Defense Against the Dark Arts. So far, there had been no bug in the system. And now, he couldn't even see the system panel, which had never happened before. That left only one explanation.
"This is... a virtual reality-like hallucination?"
Then, from the surrounding woods, a malicious magical power came. Eyes lit up in the darkness, staring at him. When Char saw what was hidden in the darkness, his expression became even stranger. It was actually a group of Acromantulas. Now, he was completely sure that he was in a virtual reality-like scene created by the system. After all, there were at least twenty or thirty of these eight-eyed giant spiders. In the wizarding world, a group of this size should only appear in the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts. But he had already subdued them, so how could they dare to look at him like that?
"Is this how the system gives me insights into Defense Against the Dark Arts?" After a moment of surprise, he gradually came to understand. Defense Against the Dark Arts was not some special spell, but a general term for skills that defended against dark wizards, dark creatures, and various dark magics. It covered a variety of targeted knowledge, but more importantly, it required rich practical experience. But practical experience was different from magical knowledge. It was ever-changing, with no standard answer. If direct transmission was used, it might lead to disadvantageous situations in actual combat because it would be too rigid. Instead, one should summarize their experiences, and the accumulated experience would be more flexible and applicable. Could it be that this was the case? Was this the way the system instilled the knowledge of Defense Against the Dark Arts into him?
At this time, Char also noticed something. His own physical body seemed to have been greatly weakened here. It was like falling from the clouds; his life and strength were completely different from their previous majestic level. They were probably equivalent to having just reached the diamond level.
Char's brow furrowed slightly. "Except that my power and life force have been suppressed to the diamond level, everything else has been preserved. Even the cursed jewel's temporary upgrade to the diamond-level Bat-Bogey Hex remains at this level. It seems this is the limitation of the diamond-level Defense Against the Dark Arts comprehension. Can we only use the highest diamond-level abilities in actual combat?"
A moment later, his frown relaxed, replaced by a hint of eagerness in his eyes. This kind of actual combat with physical limitations was a first for him. He had possessed the abilities of legendary life and legendary power for a long time. These two abilities were undoubtedly his strongest trump cards and had played a huge role in all aspects of his life. But at the same time, it couldn't be said that there were no disadvantages. He was indeed too dependent on these two abilities. Many times, he subconsciously used his strong body to solve problems. And it was like wearing extremely safe armor. No matter how hard he practiced combat, he could never experience the tension of being on the line between life and death. The danger that would make ordinary people's scalps tingle did not cause any waves in his heart. Normally, there might not be anything, but if he really faced a life-or-death situation, this might actually make his reaction even slower.
At this time, his physical body was limited to the diamond level. His strong vitality and strength were greatly weakened. It felt to him like he had taken off a thick, solid layer of armor, his skin exposed to the dangerous air for the first time in a long time. Such a physical body was indeed far superior to that of ordinary people, but it was absolutely impossible to easily defeat the Acromantulas like before. Even if he let them get close, the risk would increase dramatically.
Looking at the bloodthirsty eyes of the Acromantulas in the darkness, even though he knew this was an illusion arranged by the system, Char's breathing became rapid. The smell of death churned in his nostrils. Even his scalp was tingling, and goose bumps appeared on the skin of his arms. He took a deep breath and tightened his grip on his wand.
"Is this how ordinary wizards feel when faced with danger?" he thought. "A fragile body that can be seriously injured if touched. If you're not careful, react a little too slowly, or misjudge the perception of magic power for a moment, your life could be taken away. Without that strong body, I still have the vitality that seems to be able to pull me back from the brink of death in any situation. The body's fear of death seems to have become even stronger."
However, the reaction of his magic power also intensified the glitter in his eyes. It seemed as if he could hear the magic power in his body crying out in the face of a life-and-death crisis. Don't want to die! Because you don't want to die, you need to make sharper judgments and react faster!
Now, the magic power in his body had become more active than ever before.
The next second, the magic power reacted spontaneously. He moved his body and instinctively jumped to the side. A moment later, a ball of spider web passed by from behind where he was originally standing. A giant eight-eyed spider had quietly circled behind and shot a web at him. He felt an instinctive chill in his heart. If he still maintained his sublimated power, even the strongest spider web would be fragile in front of him. But now that his power had been suppressed to the diamond level, if he got stuck in a web, he would be in big trouble. Even if it was an illusion, he didn't want to die in such a cowardly way.
Standing still for a moment, he didn't even look back, wielding his wand like a sword. "Sectumsempra!"
The Sectumsempra spell, which had reached the platinum level, came out in response. The invisible sharp edge fell on the Acromantula that was attacking from behind. Its flesh and blood seemed to be split open by an invisible sword, leaving a huge crack. The Acromantula writhed in agony on the ground, but its ferocious eyes were fixed on him. It seemed that if it was given a little chance to breathe, it would stand up again regardless of the pain and launch a relentless attack. The rest of the Acromantulas did not retreat at all because of his powerful spell. There was only murderous intent in their eyes.
He took a deep breath, his mind tense. This was not a practice. It was a life-and-death battle. These spiders would fight until the moment they were all killed. And unlike usual, he had no tolerance for mistakes. One mistake, and he would lose everything.
Tightening his grip on his wand, he forgot everything and devoted his body and mind to this life-and-death battle. Spells poured out one after another.
Until a few minutes later, the scene of the small greenhouse appeared before his eyes again. But he looked pale. He groaned, half-knelt on the ground, and subconsciously covered his chest with his hands. In the previous battle, he had accidentally been pierced through the chest by the poisonous claws of an Acromantula. The excruciating pain, numbness, and the feeling that his internal organs were about to melt still seemed to echo in his mind. He could even recall the fear of death when the remaining spiders surrounded him, about to devour his flesh and blood.
After a full half a moment, he finally came back to his senses from this extremely real death experience. He let out a long breath, a sense of frustration inevitably arising in his heart. In the past, it had been easy to deal with the Acromantulas. Subduing a group of them was like taming a group of stray dogs. He had been able to subdue so many trolls and a troll shaman, and even confront the Kraken head-on. This had made him think that his combat ability was actually quite good. But this time, with his legendary life and power only suppressed to the diamond level, the swarm of Acromantulas had made him experience the extremely real feeling of death in a life-and-death struggle. Ordinary wizards didn't even have diamond-level life and power.
He gave a wry smile, muttering to himself, "That's true. I went to school for so long in my previous life, but I never even got into a fight. I haven't experienced many battles in this life. With my legendary life and power, those battles can't even be called life-or-death crises. I could leave if I wanted. At most, I received some practical training with Snape. In his words, it was the beginning of practical combat. That's all. How can I think that my combat capabilities are really sufficient? It's still too smooth. I feel like I'm floating."
A sense of alertness grew in his heart. He took a deep breath. In other words, he had not yet encountered an opponent who could restrain his legendary life and power. Otherwise, there would be no warning this time. He was afraid he would suffer a great loss. The Kraken's physical strength was so strong, but he had previously prepared the giant killer toxin, which had caused it to suffer a great loss. Who could guarantee that his enemies couldn't create something similar that would work on him? Often relying on physical strength in combat... no matter how hard you try to cover it up, once it enters the enemy's field of vision, the information will definitely be analyzed. Then the trump card is no longer a trump card, but an open card. Such an end... Voldemort in the original work had interpreted it very clearly. Before the creation of his multiple Horcruxes was exposed, even Dumbledore could not do anything to him. But once this information was confirmed, even though he was dying, Dumbledore was able to make arrangements for Harry and his two companions. And these three, who hadn't even graduated, could destroy most of Voldemort's Horcruxes.
His legendary life was indeed strong, but he would still die. If he had not been vigilant in this regard, perhaps, just like Voldemort, he would capsize in a ditch that he could never have imagined.
The thoughts in his mind became clearer and clearer. "Legendary life and legendary power are indeed useful. Of course, I won't let these powerful methods go unused and ruin my own martial arts. I just have to reduce my reliance on them and not always rely on them to fight. Only the cards that are not exposed are considered cards. More often than not, I have to learn to fight in the wizard's way."
At this time, his gaze fell on the system panel again. The words "Defense Against the Dark Arts" were a little blurrier than before. His eyes lit up. He had originally thought that the experience of death just now was the entire reward for this diamond-level comprehension. Unexpectedly, it looked like he could enter multiple times. That was true. After all, it was a diamond-level reward. He had only stayed in the hallucination for a few minutes. If it ended now, it would be too hasty.
He could feel it. The previous life-and-death struggle experience had brought some inexplicable effects to the magic power in his body. Even after leaving the illusion, the magic power still became more sharp and active. This would be of great benefit to his own battle, making him react faster in actual combat. If he entered a few more times, his reaction should be faster, even close to those truly battle-hardened wizards like Moody, Snape, and others.
Just as he was about to receive the insights of Defense Against the Dark Arts again and enter that illusion to fight for life and death, the extremely real feeling of being pierced by the poisonous claws, having his internal organs melted, and his flesh and blood sucked, along with the fear of death, inevitably flooded his mind. Some thoughts of retreat echoed quietly in his mind. Why ask for trouble? His legendary power and life would not be taken away in reality. What's wrong with relying more on his physical body? Why should he feel the fear brought by this fragility and weakness? Such thoughts were stirring in his mind, growing louder and louder.
A moment later, he breathed a sigh of relief. He shook his head, his eyes flickering. "It seems that the will I once thought was strong is not as indestructible as I thought. The strength of one's will often comes from the strength of one's body. When this strength is stripped away, and fragility and weakness envelop us, the weakness of our will is exposed."
In his mind, the image of Voldemort's ugly face when facing death in the original Harry Potter novel emerged. Voldemort, who possessed Horcruxes and extremely powerful magic, was also shrouded in this power. He seemed cold and resolute on weekdays, but in fact, when his Horcruxes were destroyed one by one, his fragility and madness became more and more apparent. Even the Death Eaters around him could sense his subtle uneasiness and anger. And the real strong one, Dumbledore, was able to face his own death with peace of mind and even use it to make plans. Although he was not impressed by Dumbledore's actions, he had to admit it. The gap between the two was indeed huge. As long as Dumbledore survived, Voldemort would never have the courage to face him. He didn't want to leave himself with such a weakness. After all, he had taken on a lot without realizing it: the responsibility of the Sprout family, the fate of Snape, and the trust and following of his classmates. He could not afford to let down the kindness and cultivation of Ms. Hufflepuff, the founder of his house.
"System. Comprehension of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Keep receiving!"
The next moment, the hallucinations he had experienced before came back again. He appeared in the jungle again. In the darkness around, eyes filled with murderous intent looked at him again. This time, he had almost no time to adapt. Almost at the moment of standing still, flying spider webs and opening and closing poisonous claws all came into his sight. The shadow of death loomed.
His response was to pull away and leap away, dancing on the edge of death, looking death in the face. Then, at the tip of his wand, streaks of lightning surged. "Fehu. Thurisaz. Dagaz."
The silver-level ancient weather magic transformed into surging lightning at the tip of his wand. In the sky, a bolt of lightning struck down with a loud bang, tearing apart the shadow of death.
Just a few minutes later, he returned to the small greenhouse again. He shook his head violently, trying to recover from the feeling of death. "Hide under your companion's body and pretend to be dead to launch a sneak attack? I had just finished performing ancient weather magic, and my mind was a little relaxed when they succeeded... A bloody lesson. Be mindful of corpses on the battlefield. And the most important thing is, you can't relax after releasing the magic. The more powerful the magic, the more important this is."
After calming down a little, his eyes lit up with eagerness to try again. Only two death experiences, and he felt as if his magic power had received a baptism. His magical perception and intensity had not changed, but he had become more active, his reactions quicker, closer to himself, more second nature.
"Life-and-death combat is indeed of great help to a wizard's strength." He remembered that in the original work, Harry and his two companions' strength had increased rapidly during their escape. Especially Harry, who already had outstanding fighting talent. As long as he was not facing the most core Death Eaters, he could win against most opponents in one-on-one situations. During this period, Harry had not mastered any more spells. Now it seemed that it must have been an experience similar to his current one that had greatly increased the strength of Harry and his three companions. And during the First Wizarding War, there were also some wizards who had demonstrated extremely strong strength, even taking Voldemort himself to kill them. This was a far cry from the Second Wizarding War, when the Death Eaters almost overwhelmingly dominated the wizarding world. Perhaps this was because the First Wizarding War had lasted for more than ten years, protracted, which had enabled many wizards to improve their strength through repeated life-and-death crises.
But if there was a choice, he was afraid no one would want to experience life-and-death crises again and again. After all, this way of gaining strength would grow very fast, but if you were not careful, you might become a corpse. "But I'm different. Thanks to the system's Defense Against the Dark Arts comprehension bonus, I can experience this kind of actual combat many times without risk. Two life-and-death battles have already made me feel a little refreshed. Judging from the blurriness of the comprehension script, I can still perform at least a dozen more life-and-death combat scenarios."
His eyes showed anticipation. He had a premonition that if he fully digested this reward, his actual combat ability would definitely be improved like a complete transformation.
But now, he took a deep breath. He temporarily gave up the idea of continuing to enter the illusion for actual combat. On the one hand, it was because he had experienced it twice in a row, and there were actually many insights that he hadn't digested yet. After all, such opportunities were quite precious. Once he digested these practical insights into life and death, he would definitely gain more when he entered again. Otherwise, it would be like swallowing a fruit for nothing, which was a waste of the hard-earned reward. Secondly, it was because of the current time. A hint of strangeness appeared in his eyes. If he remembered correctly, he had previously condensed the World Tree Patronus with the help of a Hufflepuff lady. Nearly five or six days had passed. Counting it down, the day when the Defense Against the Dark Arts class entered the Forbidden Forest exam was today.
At this time, he listened attentively. He could alredy hear an extremely loud commotion coming from the direction of the Forbidden Forest. "Already about to start?" He took a deep breath, quickly left the small greenhouse, and headed towards the outside of the Forbidden Forest.
At this time, outside the Forbidden Forest, students from the four houses had gathered in the assembly area anxiously. Just facing the dark Forbidden Forest before their eyes, even the lion cubs who were known as the bravest could not help but tremble in their legs and turn pale, as if there was some ferocious beast waiting for them inside.
In another direction, Harry and his two companions were waiting in front of the entrance to the Forbidden Forest. Because they had previously "falsely accused" Char, they were punished by patrolling the Forbidden Forest. This meant that they had to stay away from the main group and enter from here during this exam. Looking at the Forbidden Forest, Harry and Hermione couldn't help but shudder. As for the rest of the people, they had many companions around them. There were only so many of them, and they felt like they were about to be swallowed up by the darkness before they even entered.
Instead, it was Ron. Looking at the Forbidden Forest at this moment, there was a bit of fear in his eyes, but more than that, there was a flash of excitement and impatience, as if he really wanted to give it a try. Ron's confidence was naturally not groundless. During this period, he was getting closer and closer to the temple in his dreams. Every time he woke up, his magical attainments improved significantly. And just yesterday, he had even obtained a powerful spell from the temple. This gave him great confidence, and he was determined to show his prowess in this Forbidden Forest trial. He had heard that if you performed well in this trial, you could get a lot of House Cup points, possibly making up for all the points he had previously deducted from Gryffindor. Moreover, it was said that the Daily Prophet was also paying attention to the events here. If he performed well, he might make the headlines. This was undoubtedly a huge attraction for him. Besides, this time he had to go in with Char. This made him even more excited. All he could think about were the times Char had humiliated him. Before he knew it, his fists were clenched. This time, he wanted to completely crush Char under his feet.
And thinking of Char, looking at the figure that had not yet appeared, Ron couldn't help but complain, "He must be scared. Doesn't he dare to come? I knew that the Hufflepuffs were all cowards. Did you see how they gathered? I bet that as soon as they entered the Forbidden Forest, most of them would cry. Look at Char, isn't he the same—"
At this moment, Hermione suddenly said to him, "Ron, stop talking now."
Ron's face was full of dissatisfaction. "Why? Did I say anything wrong? Hmm? Hermione, what are you looking at me for?"
The next moment, Ron felt something. He suddenly turned around. The figure that came into view was none other than Char. And the way he looked at him... was cold, like a sword.