The next morning, when Tom woke up and glanced at his system panel, he was surprised to find that not only had his credits not decreased, but he'd actually gained eighteen more—along with three achievement points.
A quick check of the system log told him why: mastering the Levitation Charm, Lumos, and Flickering Spell had earned him 30 credits.
Learning three spells had also granted him three achievement points.
Tom sank into deep thought.
This learning space... might just be a perpetual motion machine. As long as he kept learning things, the credits he earned would more than make up for what he spent—maybe even earn him a surplus. That meant he didn't really need to stress over consumption anymore.
But he wasn't naive. He knew the biggest credit drain was likely that "Transcendence" buff.
His current points could only sustain it for ten minutes—not even enough to try it out. He didn't dare waste even a second. The idea of it made his heart ache.
What would it feel like?
Would he actually start flying?
Picturing the effects of the Transcendence state, Tom got up and washed without entering the learning space right away.
Yesterday, he and Andros had run some tests. When Tom exited the learning space, Andros had two options—either remain dormant or move around freely. And when credits were being used to maintain the state, Andros could even communicate with Tom and observe the outside world through Tom's eyes.
…Was this what it felt like to be a Jinchūriki?
Still, this sparked an idea.
Tom could buy and materialize all the textbooks inside the learning space. Let Andros study them first—and once Andros had mastered them, Tom could go in and learn directly from him. It would save tons of time and credits.
So, early that morning, Tom set off.
He rode the bus to the city center, entered the Leaky Cauldron, and passed through to Diagon Alley, heading straight to the bookstore.
While Tom didn't know what books upper years used for their classes, the shop assistants certainly did.
He went straight up to one who wasn't busy and explained what he needed.
When the assistant heard him out, he looked at Tom in disbelief.
"All the textbooks? Kid, are you sure? You look like a first- or second-year. There's no need to buy them all in one go."
"Take Defense Against the Dark Arts, for example. The professor changes every year. You never know which book they'll assign—you'll probably end up wasting your money."
What a kind soul. Tom was convinced this man must be a Hufflepuff.
"Knowledge learned is never wasted," Tom replied. "Even if the textbooks change, I don't lose anything. Better to spend money on books than on toys and candy. If I ever don't need them, I can always resell them second-hand."
The assistant blinked, clearly stunned that such practical wisdom came out of a child's mouth.
Still, the customer was always right. He'd already tried persuading him once—that was good enough. So, he grabbed a trolley and went off to fetch Tom's books. When he learned Tom was a soon-to-be first-year, he smiled knowingly and said, "You're definitely going to end up in Ravenclaw. Though, personally, I still think Hufflepuff is the best house."
Tom nodded sincerely.
"I agree. Ravenclaw's perfect for me."
After all, he was aiming to become not just a top student—but a legendary one. Of the four houses, Ravenclaw was clearly the one that fit his temperament the best.
Ten minutes later, the trolley was piled high with thick, heavy books. Not only the required textbooks, but also several extra books Tom had picked himself.
Only when he reached the counter and the total was calculated did he realize—he didn't have enough money.
Yesterday, he'd only spent fifteen Galleons on books. On average, two Galleons per book. But the upper-year textbooks were ridiculously expensive. One book—Advanced Magical Forces: A Guide to Self-Defense—cost seven Galleons alone.
Just like the Muggle world in Britain—textbooks were absurdly overpriced.
He remembered Arman complaining once: her son was in university, and some books cost dozens of pounds, even over a hundred. More expensive than robbing a bank.
So Tom had no choice but to make a trip to Gringotts, where he withdrew another 200 Galleons to settle the bill. He also paid ten Sickles for owl delivery.
With the books handled, Tom didn't linger in Diagon Alley. Instead, he stopped by a Waitrose supermarket nearby to grab some fruit and snacks before heading home.
Waitrose was a premium British supermarket known for selling only the freshest, highest-quality food.
Though Tom might be broke in the wizarding world, his wealth in the Muggle world was more than enough to afford a comfortable life. He'd never been the type to shortchange himself when it came to quality.
He had a larger appetite than most kids his age, but not unreasonably so. He simply burned more energy due to all his physical training.
Who needed magic when fists worked just fine? He could protect himself—and, while he was at it, maybe earn a bit of "protection money" from those schoolyard bullies.
At three in the afternoon, three owls flew through his window, each carrying stacks of books. Tom placed them all inside the learning space, one by one, but didn't enter it himself.
He wanted to test how his learning efficiency outside compared to that inside.
…
"Whew... exhausting."
By ten that night, Tom lay in bed and closed his tired eyes.
Normally, a person could only concentrate intensely for about fifteen minutes at a time. After that, focus would wane and the mind would start drifting.
If you stayed buried in something for more than two hours, agitation and mental fatigue would creep in, dragging your efficiency down to the point where nothing stuck at all.
Tom had studied from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., minus breaks for meals. The most productive time was clearly the two hours before dinner. By evening, he was just flipping through pages like it was casual reading—not real study.
In total, he'd only earned thirty learning points, same as the three hours he'd spent last night.
He'd only consider using the Transcendence state once he had a larger credit pool. For now, it was too precious to waste. The learning space needed to be used as efficiently as possible.
With everything planned out, Tom soon drifted off to sleep.
Over the next month, he didn't visit Diagon Alley again. Every day was spent immersed in magic study.
Five hours a day inside the learning space with Andros, the rest of the time practicing freely in the real world.
In the blink of an eye, it was already the day before term started.