The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 26: Extraordinary Characteristics! Fear Descends!

Time flies.

Time flies.

When a person's life is fulfilling enough, they will feel that time flies by. This is the case for Ian. He feels that he is quite different from a few days ago.

Rune Proficiency (Level 1): 3/100

As the saying goes, working yourself to the bone can lead to miracles.

When Ian temporarily stopped improving and training other skills and focused on mastering Runeven, his talents and the system panel complemented each other, resulting in a chaotic and devastating effect.

of course.

The ability to quickly elevate a skill with a slow learning curve to level one is also related to the skill [Language Proficiency] that improves alongside the learning of runes.

[Language Proficiency (Level 5): 4/1600]

When this skill, which Ian had high hopes for, reached the watershed of level five, its extraordinary characteristics naturally began to emerge.

[The extraordinary characteristic of language proficiency—literary and spoken language comprehension: You will find it easier to learn unfamiliar words and languages.]

A very simple statement.

However, the effects of extraordinary characteristics are by no means weak.

As an extraordinary trait born from an ordinary skill, although it did not grant Ian the extraordinary communication ability he desired, it did give him a brand new talent.

His learning speed of runes increased significantly as a result, and this extraordinary trait also gave him the unique ability to learn the languages ​​of animals, as well as magical creatures.

Leisure time.

Ian tried to learn the language of the sparrows outside the house. It was a feeling that you had to have to have it to understand. Through listening and trying to distinguish, he quickly summarized the different tones and subtle syllable changes that the sparrows used to express joy, anger, sorrow and happiness. This was a talent that Ian did not have at all before he acquired his extraordinary ability.

"Perhaps if I train it to level 10 and awaken its legendary ability, I'll really have a chance to gain the ability to communicate with all things." Ian had endless expectations for the legendary ability that he had never encountered before.

but.

He knew it too.

The most urgent task is to finish the homework left by the witch.

after all.

In two days, he will enter the dreamlike realm again. Heaven knows what kind of medieval punishment he will be subjected to if the witch is not satisfied with his homework.

"Fortunately, I'm learning runes faster now, so when I return to the Enchanted Realm next time, I should be able to decipher the runes and learn the magic."

Ian secretly planned to make a name for himself.

[Runic Proficiency] Successfully entered the field.

Ian has already acquired the most basic ability to decipher simple runes—the reason it's only simple is because the structure of runes is completely different from most languages.

It is completely different from the vocabulary connections in English and the combination of characters in Chinese. After all, it is a medium of communication magic while also being a language.

Simply being able to recognize and pronounce all runes does not mean one can decipher the magic carried by runes; the reason it is exceptionally difficult to learn is largely due to this characteristic.

Even with the same runic characters, spelled in the same order, different connections between each character can represent completely different meanings.

If a wizard fails to fully understand the connections between each character and rashly interprets the runes to unleash magic based on what they believe to be the correct method, then the most likely outcome for that wizard is to become a member of the illusionary realm.

Ok.

It could also result in lifelong disability, such as missing limbs.

Regardless.

Ian didn't want to experience that feeling either... That's why he was extremely careful when interpreting the "homework" left by Teacher Mara.

This naturally led to a slowdown in progress.

now.

He had only deciphered most of the text on the fragments of the dress.

Fear descends.

It is said that ancient wizards were most skilled at weaving curses with runes. Based on the rune information that Ian has now deciphered, the magic recorded on the fragment of the dress is clearly a curse-type magic.

Its principles even involve some methods of mental implantation, and the general effect should be to implant a hallucination into the target that makes the target fall into fear?

Perhaps it can implant other illusions... What Ian finds interesting is that this magic is not unknown; it was once involved in creating the Boggart, a well-known magical creature in the wizarding world.

It is a magical creature that can freely shapeshift, taking the form of what a person fears most.

Through Ian's research at the nameless bookstore in the village, it was discovered that the Boggart's birth originated from bioalchemy, and one of the runes used in it was this [Fear Charm].

This is a very interesting little-known fact.

This also made Ian realize that with the improvement of laws in the wizarding world, it seemed that the development of bio-alchemy had stagnated, much like the situation of biological gene editing research in the Muggle world.

"After all, it involves ethics and morality."

Ian wasn't particularly interested in bioalchemy; he mainly felt sorry for the magic that disappeared along with bioalchemy, such as the Fear Curse.

of course.

With the guidance of Mara, an ancient witch, Ian might be able to revive many lost spells. It remains to be seen whether such an "archaeological excavation" will yield any incentive bonuses.

Ok.

Reputation is secondary.

Money is what Ian needs most.

"I wonder if the little money I have left will be enough to buy potion books for Teacher Mara." Ian was naturally worried about money; he hadn't forgotten what Teacher Mara had mentioned before.

Whether for his own sake or for something else, Ian would definitely have to take buying books seriously.

however.

In the wizarding world.

Knowledge is extremely expensive.

Snape does have some Galleons left over, but it's definitely not enough to buy all the books related to potions. Perhaps buying some second-hand textbooks would be a compromise.

"Although the books are secondhand, the knowledge is the same."

Thinking about this...

Ian pocketed the money bag.

Clutching the three magic script books that were no longer of any use to him, he hurried along the cobblestone street and once again headed to the nameless bookstore behind the quill pen shop in the Literati Residence.

The unassuming storefront remains unchanged.

Inside the bookstore, shaded by curtains to block out the sunlight, not a single customer could be seen buying books. Ian stepped inside and searched around, but couldn't find the old bookstore owner anywhere.

"What are you looking for?"

suddenly.

A childish yet curious voice suddenly rang out.

It startled Ian.

He quickly looked in the direction of the sound.

All I saw was...

Behind the counter where registration and payment are handled.

A girl with a three-dimensional and delicate face was sitting there, a book on her lap, and a pair of eyes of a completely different color were staring at Ian from beneath her platinum blonde hair.

"I've seen you before."

This is not Ian's voice.

Instead, the girl spoke first, her tone full of surprise.

The sunshade curtain was half-drawn.

Sunlight dappled the girl's hair, making the already dazzling platinum gold shine even brighter. But even more captivating than her golden hair were her eyes.

One side is blue, and the other side is white.

Their unique heterochromatic eyes are unforgettable once seen. At this moment, the white side seems to be slowly rotating, perhaps due to the refraction of sunlight.