"By the way, Severus, thank you for the Felix Felicis. As a token of my gratitude, let me give you a gift." Victor Wick turned around and rummaged through a desk cluttered with various manuscripts for a long while before pulling out a crumpled piece of parchment.
Snape took the parchment. "What is this?"
"It's a new spell I created," Victor explained. "I recompiled it based on the effects of Felix Felicis. Although it's only about half as effective and only lasts for twenty minutes at a time, it's sufficient for now."
Snape held the parchment, staring at Victor as if he were looking at a monster, his face etched with shock.
"Are you serious?" Snape's voice was dry, his throat feeling parched as he spoke.
"Of course. I've already tested it and translated the incantation into a form suitable for your use, based on the code's prompts. I call this magic 'The Blessing of the Goddess of Luck.' Of course, if that's too long, you can just call it the Felix Felicis Charm. Unfortunately, I originally intended to perfectly replicate the potion's effects and make the duration permanent, but... it proved to be unexpectedly difficult."
Seeing Snape standing there in a daze, Victor drew his wand and gave him a light tap on the shoulder.
In an instant, a faint azure glow shimmered over Snape before vanishing.
Snape immediately felt a familiar sensation! It was exactly how he felt after taking Felix Felicis!
Even if the feeling wasn't as intense as the actual potion, achieving such an effect through a mere spell was a staggering accomplishment!
After all, casting a spell didn't require expensive potion ingredients or six to seven months of labor over a cauldron.
Yet, Victor looked dissatisfied with the results.
"Is this what you've been researching lately?" Snape asked, scanning Victor's office.
Victor's office was sparse; he hadn't even had time to arrange the books on the shelves, but the room was filled with blackboards.
Every inch of the boards was covered in dense clusters of runes and their corresponding annotations.
"Of course not!" Victor perked up immediately at the question. "Are you familiar with Muggle computers?"
"What is that?" Snape frowned.
Victor didn't explain but continued excitedly, "As long as the operating system is efficient enough, when a program runs, all the underlying work is handled by the system. The program only needs to say 'Run,' and the OS handles the rest."
"Severus, can you cast more than three spells simultaneously?"
Snape shook his head. "Two at most. Any more and the spells might conflict, leading to unpredictable consequences."
"Current magic is like a computer without an operating system. Every spell requires an individual incantation. Even with non-verbal spells, the caster has to manually handle mana distribution, spell priority, and defensive range. That's why multi-casting is so difficult," Victor said. "What I want to do is build a 'Magic Operating System'—a runic framework where all spells can run, allowing for unified scheduling, automatic resource allocation, and conflict resolution! With just a thought, one could release more than three spells at once without needing complex combined magic!"
Although Snape didn't understand the technical jargon, he grasped the general concept. "But... even if you create this 'system,' where exactly would you put it?"
Victor pointed to his head. "I've placed the operating system right here. I've installed an underlying platform for all my magic."
"Aren't you afraid of blowing your head off?" Snape muttered, scowling.
He might not understand Victor's methods, but he knew one thing: any magic affecting the mind was extremely risky.
"It won't happen. I installed this system deep within my soul. As long as my soul remains intact, the system will keep running." As Victor spoke, he traced an arc in the air with his wand.
Instantly, a massive runic array materialized in mid-air.
This wasn't the linear runic sequence Victor used to create; it was a three-dimensional, layered structure as complex as a honeycomb.
"This is the kernel, responsible for distributing magic and mental energy," Victor said, pointing to the innermost ring of runes.
"This is the service layer, responsible for spell scheduling," Victor continued, pointing to the middle section.
Then, he pointed to the outer ring. "This is the interface layer, responsible for interacting with the caster... the part that links to my soul."
"Now, as long as I integrate all the spells I know into this system, they can work together seamlessly. For example, the Shield Charm, Apparition, and the Disarming Charm could all be triggered simultaneously. I can create unique little combos during combat..."
Snape stared at the runic array, his pupils constricting as he momentarily forgot to breathe.
A problem the wizarding world hadn't solved in millennia had been cracked by this guy in just ten days!
Perhaps... he really could pioneer an entirely new school of magic and truly defeat the Dark Lord.
At that thought, Snape's fingers tightened around the parchment.
Victor snapped his fingers. The massive runic sequence shrank instantly into a small circular emblem that settled onto his forehead.
The emblem flashed a few times before vanishing into his skin.
This operating system was Victor's greatest stroke of fortune over the past few days.
Since the operating system could handle multiple spells at once, it was also powerful enough to deconstruct more advanced magical effects.
This was the primary reason the Felix Felicis Charm had been successfully developed.
Of course, all of this was built upon the massive boost to his mental energy provided by the Elixir of Life.
Otherwise, with Victor's previous mental capacity, the idea would have remained impossible to realize.
Even so, he had drained every last drop of his Invigoration Draughts over the last few days.
"So, you've grown stronger... but why tell me all this?" Snape couldn't help but ask.
He was certain Victor wouldn't show him so much without a reason.
"I just want to give you some confidence and help you see hope again. Severus... I was weak before, which is why we struggled. But now—the tables have turned. It's the Dark Lord who is weak now!"
Victor locked eyes with Snape, his gaze unwavering and his voice ringing with unprecedented certainty.
Snape took a deep breath, his hand tightening at his side, the rough texture of the Felix Felicis Charm parchment still lingering against his fingertips.
"I see..."
His voice was low, carrying a heavy weight that even he hadn't fully realized was there.
Victor's door closed, and the sound of Snape's footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Victor turned to tidy his desk, only to find several large, freshly brewed bottles of Invigoration Draught that hadn't been there before.
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