The first vision showed a Chomping Cabbage rooted in the ground. Suddenly, it opened its huge mouth wide, flattened itself against the soil, and its body began to fade from sight. A rough human figure stepped into its maw, only to have a leg bitten off in an instant.
The second vision showed the Chomping Cabbage breaking free from the earth, its vitality amplified. It could now hop and move, chasing after its target.
The third vision depicted potion-making. A brewer added Chomping Cabbage into the cauldron, producing an outstanding potion.
These three visions represented three enhancement paths. The first: disguising itself as a trap. The second: no longer confined to the soil, able to move and attack. The third: boosting potion effects—an ordinary kind of enhancement, much like turning foxtail grass into rice.
The third option was dismissed immediately. That clearly belonged to the Logistics Branch, and though paired with logistics talents it could make Chomping Cabbage's medicinal effects astonishing, what Leonard needed now was Combat.
As for the first and second options, he hesitated. The first was powerful but too dependent on terrain, and being a trap meant it couldn't strike first. The second was ideal, though it didn't look especially strong.
"It's just an enhancement for one Chomping Cabbage. Why am I getting nervous?" Leonard shrugged and chose the second option.
And this enhancement wasn't permanent for every Chomping Cabbage. If he wanted, he could apply different enhancements to different seeds, force them to ripen, and set up fields of Chomping Cabbage landmines—or ones that could chase and bite people.
As always, he wanted everything.
Once the path was chosen, the Chomping Cabbage in the pot began to tremble. Soil churned as its roots coiled back into its body. Then it jumped right out of the pot, moving with ease despite the dim room.
Success.
Leonard grinned, holding the Chomping Cabbage in his hands. The little creature immediately tucked its teeth away, lying in his palm like a harmless cabbage.
[You used the innate skill: Optimize Growth. Target maturity increased, and it gained a beneficial mutation.]
[Chomping Cabbage: Gained Mobility]
[You gained 20 EXP.]
[You completed Beginner's Guide Task 2. Reward: 10 EXP, +1 Enhancement Point.]
[Novice Plant Apprentice (61/100)]
Another enhancement point earned—and he was close to leveling up. That meant yet another point, enough to finally unlock Devour.
Without a doubt, the third Beginner's Guide quest was coming next.
Leonard was eager for the next task.
[Beginner's Guide Quest 3: A Rookie's First Battle]
[Use your plants to engage in a fight against a wizard. Reward: 100 EXP, 3 Enhancement Points]
His excited expression froze.
Wasn't quest difficulty supposed to rise gradually? Why did it spike so sharply on the third one?
He was still an underage boy who hadn't even studied magic yet. Yes, he had mentally prepared for combat—but that was supposed to come slowly, step by step, alongside Harry Potter's journey.
Why was he being pushed into battle now? And against wizards, no less?
Once he calmed down, Leonard realized something serious: there didn't seem to be a safe way to fight.
This wasn't a game. There were no random monsters waiting by the roadside to jump out at the protagonist, nor would a sparring match end harmlessly when someone's health bar hit zero.
Leonard could bleed and die. So could others.
Hurting an innocent person just to complete a quest? That wasn't something he could do.
"So I'll need to find wizards who really deserve it... Dark wizards, maybe?" Leonard's face twitched.
Of course, dark wizards were dangerous. They wouldn't hesitate to kill, whether the victim was an adult or a child. That would make the quest far more difficult—and far more dangerous.
But at least, if he struck at dark wizards, he wouldn't feel guilty.
And he already knew where to look for them.
Knockturn Alley—the sister street of Diagon Alley, the dark underbelly of the wizarding world.
If Diagon Alley was a sunlit thoroughfare of law and order, then Knockturn Alley was a shadowy corner where crime festered like mold.
It was chaotic, gloomy, and the hub of most black-market dealings in the British wizarding world. Many skilled wizards went there to buy materials banned by the Ministry of Magic.
Whether it was people shaping the environment or the environment shaping people, it didn't matter. Not every wizard there was evil, but if you executed half of them, you'd still miss a few guilty ones.
Finding a fight there would be no problem.
The only real issue was Leonard's own safety.
"A sneak attack would be best. Most European wizards lose much of their fighting ability without a wand."
Leonard glanced down at the Chomping Cabbage in his hands—and suddenly, an idea came to him.