Balzaha Lightning

On Wednesday evening, in the familiar empty classroom on the Seventh Floor of the castle, Silas was carrying out his "daily training." He had just successfully and steadily cast the new spell on the third tier of the skill tree—Balzaha Lightning. A cyan-green bolt of energy, crackling with explosive pops, accurately blasted the straw dummy before him into charred fragments. Its power was indeed a whole level above LV5 Claws of Denak.

He clapped his hands in satisfaction, but after sensing the magic power drained from his body, he could not help complaining, "The power's great, but the magic consumption is way too brutal, isn't it? Feels like I'll be done for after casting it a dozen times."

[Naturally,] the system's voice rang out, carrying a hint of "so you finally noticed." [Advanced spells naturally require more energy to power them. But haven't you noticed, Host? You mastered this new spell much faster than you did Claws of Denak.]

Silas froze for a moment and thought back. It was true. From unlocking Balzaha Lightning to casting it reliably, he had spent only a few nights practicing. Back when he had trained Claws of Denak from LV1 to LV5, it had taken him quite a while.

"Huh? Now that you mention it... it does seem that way! Why am I learning faster?" Silas found it a little strange as well.

The system explained in a tone that said, "You finally get it." [You need to understand that although Claws of Denak and Ring of the Ragaddor are merely basic skills, their essence is to make you repeatedly practice and master the two core principles of Vishanti Magic—energy burst and energy shaping.]

As the system explained, the skill tree interface before Silas automatically unfolded. The nodes for Claws of Denak and Ring of the Ragaddor lit up, extending countless tiny streams of light that connected to the higher-tier spells.

[Look,] the system continued its analysis. [Although Balzar's Lightning differs in form and attribute, its core is still an extension and enhancement of the "energy burst" principle. Through Claws of Denak, you have already mastered the lesson of "how to release energy efficiently and violently." So when you learn Balzaha Lightning, which is also based on the principle of "burst" but has a more complex form of expression, you naturally get twice the result with half the effort.]

[Likewise,] the system highlighted Ring of the Ragaddor again. [When you begin practicing Seraphim Shield or Vishanti Holy Sword, which are likewise based on the principle of "energy shaping," you will find that the learning process goes much more smoothly because of the solid foundation laid by Ring of the Ragaddor.]

Silas suddenly understood. "So that's how it is! It's like learning math—once you're proficient at addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, you have a foundation for more complex equations and functions! So I'm not just grinding skill proficiency. I'm building foundations and understanding principles!"

[Bingo!] the system affirmed. [That is the meaning of the skill tree. It does not merely give you a list of spells; it is a path that guides you to understand the essence of magic and gradually master greater powers. Your solid foundation training before—though you were a little lazy—has begun to pay off.]

Silas immediately felt full of motivation, and the tedium he had felt while practicing basic skills vanished without a trace. He understood now that every seemingly repetitive practice session was paving the way for greater power in the future.

"Great! Then I need to work harder and learn Seraphim Shield soon!" He rubbed his hands together, ready to continue practicing.

However, just then, he inadvertently glanced at the clock face on the wall that he had conjured with magic, which displayed the actual time.

"My Astronomy class!" Silas let out a wail. "There's only half an hour until class!"

Only then did he remember that he had Astronomy at nine tonight! One of the classes he hated most!

"Why do wizards even need to observe stars?" Silas grumbled indignantly as he hurriedly cleaned up the scene—mainly using Reparo to fix the blasted dummy. "Is it for fortune-telling? Or to navigate flying brooms? Rowling probably just forced it in to fill out the timetable, didn't she? It's completely useless!"

[That does seem suspicious,] the system chimed in with its own complaint. [After all, the wizarding world does not even have GPS—satellite positioning—so using stars to find one's way does sound rather primitive. But speaking of the spells on your third tier...]

"I know, I know! Practicing spells is important, but Professor McGonagall will kill me if I skip class!" Silas cut off the system's sales pitch. With a helpless sigh, he raised his hand and drew a portal leading to Ravenclaw Tower. "Fine, I'll accept my fate and go to Astronomy. Hopefully the clouds will be thick tonight so class can end early..."

Muttering to himself, he stepped through the portal and headed for what he considered the "most boring" class. Meanwhile, the system silently made a note: the host's hatred of Astronomy might become new motivation to urge him to practice portal magic, so he could escape class quickly.

Astronomy was held in the highest tower at Hogwarts. The cold night wind blew in through the arched windows without glass, making quite a few students shiver. Professor Sinistra was guiding the students in using brass telescopes to observe that night's stars, explaining the features of Saturn's rings.

However, in a relatively sheltered corner of the tower, there was a scene utterly out of place with the classroom atmosphere.

Silas Cyril had, at some point, given up operating his expensive telescope. He leaned directly against the cold stone wall and sat on the floor. His head tilted to one side, his eyes were shut tight, and his breathing was even and deep, accompanied by faint snores.

"ZZZ..."

Even more remarkable was that his dark-red Levitating Cloak had spread itself over him like a living blanket, thoughtfully covering him from head to toe. It had even carefully tucked in the collar, leaving only his peaceful—or perhaps utterly dead-to-the-world—sleeping face exposed. Bathed in the cold moonlight and the faint glow from the distant telescopes, he looked... extraordinarily serene, as though he had not come to class at all, but to meditate in the tower.

Hermione Granger beside him was the first to notice something was wrong. She had been diligently recording observation data when she turned and saw Silas like that, startling her. She quickly set down her quill, crouched beside him, gently pushed his shoulder, and called softly:

"Silas? Silas? Wake up! We're in class!"

Silas did not react at all. He merely smacked his lips, seeming to dream of something delicious, while his snores continued unabated.

Harry Potter, who was sitting nearby, also noticed the commotion. He leaned over, looked at Silas's "peaceful" sleeping posture, and asked Hermione with some concern, "Is... is he okay? He hasn't passed out, has he?"

Hermione shot Harry a glare, her tone a little tense. "Don't jinx it! He's just asleep!"

Their commotion caught Professor Sinistra's attention. The gentle Astronomy professor walked over and froze when she saw the scene before her. She looked at Silas, sleeping soundly on the floor, then at the magical cloak that was clearly "taking care" of him. A helplessly amused expression appeared on her face.

She seemed to recall something. With a soft sigh, understanding and resignation in her voice, she waved Hermione and Harry off and said in a lowered voice:

"Uh... forget it. Let him sleep. I think he probably came to hear me explain Saturn's rings and basic celestial navigation... several years ago."

Hermione and Harry both looked at the professor in surprise. Hermione remembered that Silas had indeed lived at Hogwarts for four years, so it was entirely possible that he had studied some classes ahead of time. Harry, on the other hand, was completely confused and did not understand what "several years ago" meant.

Professor Sinistra offered no further explanation. She merely signaled Hermione and Harry to return to their telescopes and not disturb Silas. She continued making her rounds and guiding the other students, though whenever she passed Silas, she would helplessly shake her head, a tolerant smile still lingering at the corners of her lips.

Thus, in Hogwarts' highest Astronomy Tower, while the other students craned their necks to observe the stars and take notes, Silas Cyril slept unbelievably soundly beneath the protection of his magical cloak, becoming a unique and peaceful sight in that Astronomy class.