The Dueling Club's first session thus came to a satisfying end.
Kate returned to the dormitory, gave herself a quick wash-up, and only after clearing her head did she open the System.
Barring surprises, this Spell Extension would likely be her main means of attack going forward, so she absolutely had to think it over carefully.
[The Bluebell Flames Charm has risen to Level 9. Now opening Spell Extension...]
[Spell One: Fire Shield Protection — one of the dark magics in which the Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald excelled]
[Spell Two: Fire God Clears the Way — one of the magics in which the White Dark Lord Albus Dumbledore excelled]
[Spell Three: Chongli Divine Fire — the flame of a deity]
Her uneasy, fretful mood scattered the instant she read the first line. The Dark Lord's fire, the White Dark Lord's fire—learn even one of these at random, and protecting herself would be no problem at all!
Kate had originally even wanted to poke a little fun at Voldemort—a Dark Lord, supposedly, yet he didn't have any signature flames the System could copy over.
But the moment she saw that last spell, she was utterly dumbfounded.
"System, what is this Chongli Fire?"
[Chongli is the name of the Fire God Zhurong; the Chongli Divine Fire is the flame of the Fire God Zhurong.]
Kate was stunned.
She asked tremblingly: "Does this world really have gods?"
[The Deathly Hallows are items left behind by Death. If the world has a Death, why wouldn't it have a Fire God?]
You make an excellent point, and I find I can't refute it.
"So what can this deity's flame do? And don't give me any nonsense like 'it can burn things.'"
[Offense and defense in one, its power stronger than the previous two spells combined; the drawback, however, is that it consumes Mana to an extreme degree and is difficult to control.]
[Friendly reminder: at the Host's current Mana, in a full state you can unleash the Chongli Divine Fire for 1 minute and 6 seconds.]
It's gotten precise down to the second now?
Kate glanced at her own Mana and instantly got a headache.
Mana 66, so only 66 seconds of release—so it turns out 1 year of Mana only buys 1 second, which means an ordinary adult wizard could only manage under 10 seconds.
Add to that its hard-to-control nature, and should she truly run into some danger, she'd probably exhaust her Mana and be left waiting to die before she ever got the fire thrown in an enemy's face.
What a headache.
If it weren't for this third option, she'd probably still be agonizing over the first two spells.
Say what you will, the scene in the films of Grindelwald unleashing his "blue gas stove" and Dumbledore wiping out all those Inferi with a single spell really was unforgettable.
[Friendly reminder: possessing the Chongli Divine Fire can raise the proficiency of all the Host's current Spell Extensions by 1 level.]
Kate's eyes lit up, and she made the call on the spot: "Then I'll take Three!"
The instant the words left her mouth, she felt as though she'd arrived at the crater of an erupting volcano; the suddenly surging, scorching temperature around her had her drenched in sweat in an instant, and even the Lover's Chain on her wrist dropped to the floor.
Kate strained to keep her eyes wide open—she could barely even stand steady—and the heat all around seemed to warp the entire space; wherever her gaze fell was nothing but a blur.
She didn't know how much time had passed—so long she thought her skin was about to be scalded clean through—before she heard the System's notification chime sound once again.
[The Host has acquired the Chongli Divine Fire. Current level: 1]
As the System's voice faded, only then did she feel the temperature around her gradually drop back to normal; instinctively she backed up a few steps and dropped down onto the bed in a sitting slump, her eyes gazing blankly up at the ceiling.
Pain—the pain of burns all over her body, pain so bad she couldn't even make a sound.
Yet the moment she stirred a little, she knew she didn't have a single trace of a burn on her; all of it was merely an illusion her consciousness had produced while the System was loading the Chongli Divine Fire.
So that means… this kind of flame can also carry out mental attacks?
Bracing herself up from the bed with effort and barely managing to sit, Kate shook her head hard, trying to clear it a bit.
The bandages on her hand had long since come loose earlier, and now they slipped straight off.
"This is…" Kate looked in astonishment at her now perfectly unharmed left hand, and curiously clenched it into a fist.
[Chongli Divine Fire successfully acquired. Host Spirit +10]
[Host has gained the passive ability: Fire Resistance (Level: 1, can increase along with the Chongli Divine Fire's level)]
As the searing, roasted pain all over her body gradually receded, Kate picked up the Lover's Chain and put it back on, then opened up the System's Spell Extension column again.
[Phantom Clone: Level 3]
[Grand Summoning Spell: Level 3]
[Chongli Divine Fire: Level 1 (passive Fire Resistance: Level 1)]
The Phantom Clone could in theory now summon three clones, and the Grand Summoning Spell could finally summon humans too—thanks to the Chongli Divine Fire, she'd been spared quite a bit of effort.
But right now, she was completely out of strength to go experimenting with these spells any further.
Although the pain of being scorched by the flames had subsided, her mind had yet to recover; from here on, forget casting spells—even the slightest movement left her head buzzing with pain.
"In this state of mine right now, just how long will it take to recover?"
[Estimated within 24 hours. It is recommended that the Host not move about casually during this period.]
You still going to go buy oranges?
Kate held back the urge to snark and gently rubbed her little head.
Good thing tomorrow was Sunday—she might as well just lie in bed all day.
Cradling her head ever so carefully, she returned to bed, switched off the light, and amid the faint, throbbing ache shut her eyes, forcing herself to sleep.
And just as Kate closed her eyes to sleep, in the Headmaster's office—far, far removed from the Slytherin Common Room—an argument had erupted.
"You really mean to have her do as she said?" Anger showed, rare as it was, on Snape's rigid face. "She's just a child!"
Dumbledore turned around, blocking out the whole array of former-Headmaster portraits on the wall.
He looked calmly at Snape, that same earnestness in his deep-blue eyes: "Severus, you and I will one day grow old and die. The magical world needs young people to guard it."
Snape drew a deep breath, struggling to suppress his tone: "So, you've chosen her? A child of only thirteen?"
"It's not merely that her learning and mind far surpass mine at the same age—most importantly, she will not become a second Tom."
"Even so——" Snape ground his back molars hard, "Dumbledore, the one I trust is you, not her."
There had already been one Voldemort, and that girl… she was even harder to see through than the thirteen-year-old Tom Riddle.
"You will come to trust her, Severus." Dumbledore said calmly. "She has the ability."
"Even if her mother..."
"Severus," Dumbledore cut him off, gentle yet no less decisive, "Grace passed away when she was not yet two years old."
Snape's expression shifted slightly—who knew whether he was recalling his own childhood sweetheart who had died so young.
"For the Christmas study tour, I'll lead the team and keep the students safe." With that said, he left straightaway.
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