Back at the Leaky Cauldron, Londo didn't hold back and booked two rooms. That suited Leonard perfectly—he was eager to experiment with his newly acquired Chomping Cabbage.
Before heading into his own room, however, Londo grabbed Leonard's textbooks, as if refusing to accept his fate as a Squib and determined to study magic himself. He even took Leonard's owl along with him.
Leonard figured his grandfather was dreaming, but he didn't say anything. Crushing his confidence would have been pointless.
Back in his room, Leonard set the black-cloth-covered pot on the table and pulled up the System to check on his Talent Skill Enhancement.
[Talent Skill Enhancement successful. Please select your enhancement path.]
With the System prompt, three Skill Trees appeared before his eyes: Growth, Logistics, and Combat. The first slot of each tree was now available.
The options were Root Enhancement (Growth), Harvest Enhancement (Logistics), and Rapid Growth (Combat).
[Root Enhancement: While optimizing plants, additionally strengthens root growth, extending lifespan by 50% and increasing yield by 70%]
[Harvest Enhancement: While optimizing plants, additionally enhances fruit effects, shortening lifespan by 30% and doubling yield effects]
[Rapid Growth: Can be applied to seeds, drastically shortens lifespan, but forces the plant to reach maturity in a short time]
These were the starting skills, the prerequisites of their respective branches. Each enhancement opportunity allowed him to pick one to reinforce.
Enhanced talents wouldn't replace the original ability; rather, he could choose whether to add the new effect on top of it. Later, if he gained multiple enhancements, he could apply one or several to plants.
And Enhancement Points weren't scarce. Aside from Beginner's Guide quests, each level up granted one point. The System even made it clear—there was no level cap.
That meant he didn't need to commit to a single branch. If he wanted, he could eventually unlock them all. Still, in the early stages, it was wiser to specialize in one for maximum effect.
Normally, Leonard would have chosen Growth or Logistics. Boosting raw materials would let him build capital quickly and become a wealthy landowner in the wizarding world.
But this was 1991—the year Harry Potter enrolled at Hogwarts. From the moment he set foot there, the so-called safest place in Britain would no longer be so safe.
"Combat first. Better to stay alive," Leonard muttered, shifting his focus to the Combat Skill Tree.
The first enhancement there: Rapid Growth.
That meant he could carry the seeds of dangerous magical plants and grow them instantly when needed—turning any battlefield into a round of Plants vs. Wizards.
It was a prerequisite, really. Without it, he couldn't carry many plants, and future enhancements would be wasted. After all, he couldn't just hole up in one place forever.
Take the Whomping Willow, for example. With Rapid Growth, he could pluck a branch from it, plant it in the ground, and force it to full maturity in moments. Its lifespan would be short, but in that span, it would be a powerful ally.
Leonard didn't hesitate. He lit up the first enhancement.
A surge of raw life force flooded through him. When the vibrant energy finally ebbed away, Leonard could clearly feel the new ability pulsing within him.
Unfortunately, without seeds, there was no way to test it out.
As soon as the first Combat Branch enhancement lit up, two new branches appeared beneath it, each tied to a different ability.
[Damage Boost: Your plants gain additional offensive power]
[Basic Resistance: Your plants gain a degree of magic resistance]
One strengthened defense, the other offense—both basic but useful.
What caught Leonard's eye, however, was the enhancement on the third tier. Both the defensive and offensive paths extended to the one sitting squarely in the middle.
[Devour: Gain different abilities by consuming biological materials]
Leonard's pulse quickened at the sight of it. He knew there were plenty of powerful magical creatures living around Hogwarts.
Unfortunately, unlocking it would require two more enhancement points.
Just then, the System chimed again.
[Beginner's Guide Quest 2: Optimize a Magical Plant]
[Task Reward: 10 EXP, 1 Enhancement Point]
So the Beginner's Guide was really a gift phase, turning things he already planned to do into tasks with rewards.
No complaints there.
Leonard wasted no time and began preparing. He shut the doors and windows, pulled the curtains tight to plunge the room into darkness, then lifted the black cloth. In the pitch black, he carefully approached the Chomping Cabbage.
He hadn't forgotten Jiggers' warning. Even if his talent supposedly made him immune to harm from magical plants, he wasn't about to gamble on whether it was active. Losing a finger and making a trip to St. Mungo's wasn't on his to-do list.
Sure enough, in the dark, the Chomping Cabbage was as quiet as Jiggers had described. Even when Leonard touched it, it only shifted slightly, like someone mumbling in their sleep.
Sensing the warmth of his hand, it rubbed gently against his palm—like a drowsy dog recognizing its owner's touch.
The texture was unmistakably plantlike, yet the liveliness behind it thrilled Leonard. Still, he hadn't forgotten why he was here.
He let the life force within him flow outward, seeping slowly into the Chomping Cabbage before him.
Unlike with ordinary plants, this time three distinct visions unfurled before his eyes as the enhancement began.