Allergic to Words

"Professor, I didn't mean to disrespect you or this course. I really do have a problem...maybe it really is me who has a problem..." Sean explained with a headache.

Professor Babbling glanced at him, and perhaps Sean's distress didn't seem feigned. She narrowed her eyes slightly and said in a lecturing tone, "Mr. Wallop, do you understand what you're saying?"

"Uh, Professor? I really don't understand what you mean."

Professor Babbling glanced at his watch and quickened his pace. "I told you in class that a major emphasis of Ancient Runes was rules. Do you understand the specific meaning of these rules?"

"Not understand..."

"The rules are not only reflected in the Ancient Runes, Runes themselves are a script that follows rules."

"These are magical symbols that work according to the rules. In other words, Runes have no barriers to entry. As long as you master the correct usage of Runes and use the correct arrangement when using them, the effects you can create with these symbols will definitely take effect. The instability we mentioned before comes from the instability of the effect brought about by the magic output. How to master this 'degree' of magic output is the difficulty of Ancient Magic."

Still suffering from a headache, Sean was a little confused. He stammered, "Then, does this have anything to do with what I said?"

"Then let me ask you, Mr. Wallop, do you speak any other foreign languages?"

"I know some Chinese, Latin, and Spanish."

Are there any barriers to learning these languages? Or, in other words, will you encounter the situation you just described during your normal learning process?

"No..." Sean frowned.

Professor Babbling pulled out a piece of parchment, glanced at it, then closed his book and stood up.

"Runes are equal for everyone, at least at the basic level. To put it simply, if everyone has a talent value in various magical subjects, ranging from one to ten, then a normal wizard might have a talent Charms Talent, but his talent value in Runes would never be lower than five. Everyone has enough talent to support them in learning basic Runes, as long as they are studying diligently—and you, Mr. Wallop, I just saw your grades from last semester."

She pushed up her glasses. "All subjects are O's, which proves that your IQ is normal or even above average. I can't think of any other reason besides being sick or not working hard enough."

Sean was dumbfounded. According to Professor Babbling, no one's Runes Talent could be lower than five points, so what was going on with him?

He clearly remembered that at the very beginning, his Runes Talent was practically zero! His current two points were only made up for by winning the Lottery Draw ...

Seeing the professor already getting up and heading towards the classroom door, Sean quickly called out to him, "Professor, do you mean that normal wizards are all above average in terms of Runes?"

"That's not called the average, it's called the norm. This is the consensus in academia, including Professor Dumbledore's opinion. I once taught a student with a brain injury who learned very slowly and consistently failed other subjects, despite his great effort. However, he learned Ancient Runes faster than other students, not because he was different, but simply because he put in more effort. In other words—"

As Professor Babbling walked out of the classroom, he gave Sean one last look. "Runes never refuses anyone."

After saying that, she left the classroom without looking back.

The empty classroom was now empty except for a grim-faced Sean and a worried Hermione.

Even after dinner was over, Sean was still pondering Professor Babbling's words.

Runes, he never refused anyone, yet he knew his own situation well. He was healthy, energetic, and never slacked off in his studies.

However, dizziness and headaches always seem to come knocking.

In other words, Runes, who never refuses anyone, refused him... and this happened even after he had already replenished Runes Talent!

"Damn it..." Sean rubbed his hair in frustration, holding "Introduction to Ancient Runes" in his hand.

Perhaps it was because I had already studied it today, or perhaps it was because of my mindset, but this time I couldn't even last twenty minutes before I experienced a severe headache and dizziness.

He had originally thought that Ancient Runes were a very difficult script to learn, but what he learned today made him realize that Runes was indeed very difficult and getting started was not easy either, there was one thing: it had no barriers to entry. Yes, in this idealistic magical system, it was just like learning a foreign language in the Muggle world—there were no barriers to entry.

This left Sean feeling extremely frustrated.

Similarly, he only has a talent level of 2 in Potions, and his learning speed is also very slow. However, as long as he is willing to put in more effort and pay full attention when brewing Potions, he will always see some progress in his studies.

Only this damned Ancient Runes...

Just then, Daisy tiptoed over from the side.

She and Hermione exchanged a glance, pursed their lips, and shook their heads.

Because of her beautiful and cute appearance and good personality, Daisy is very popular. She just went to ask a lot of senior students who had taken Ancient Runes to inquire about the situation.

No one was in a similar situation to Sean; everyone gave the same message: although difficult, as long as one studies diligently, one can master the basic Runes as usual.

Sean noticed the two girls' subtle actions and understood what they meant.

He sighed inwardly and smiled at the two of them, "It's nothing serious, please, don't look at me like that, girls."

Hermione pursed her lips, then raised an eyebrow. "Of course it's not a big deal, and with me here, it's only a matter of time before you catch up."

"Yes, yes," Daisy nodded her head like a chick pecking at rice.

This is probably not a problem that can be solved by tutoring... However, Sean didn't show it and accepted the girl's kindness with a smile.

If Professor Dumbledore agrees with Professor Babbling's theory, then it can only prove that he himself has a problem.

The biggest difference between myself and others is that I have [Sin] living inside me, and that's probably why.

But what Sean didn't quite understand was why the "Sin" caused his Runes Talent to be so abnormal. It wasn't a matter of being low; it was a complete disconnect from everyone else.

He suddenly missed Grindelwald terribly. Dumbledore had been avoiding him, and perhaps only Grindelwald could tell him the answer to this question.

However, I should probably try the items I won in the draw before.

Ancient One's Sigh (Gold): Within two hours of use, the user's comprehension of Ancient Runes will be greatly enhanced, and they will also gain inspiration for Ancient Spell modifications (the direction and effect of the modification are random). Cooldown time: 720 hours.

Because of the long cooldown, Sean hadn't used it in the regular introductory course, but now he had to use it to see how much this so-called 'significant boost' could help him.

With no classes the following afternoon, Sean approached Selma Murphy, a fifth-year student from Ravenclaw and a member of the Golden Dawn.

Having understood Sean's purpose, Selma's melancholy and beautiful eyes showed obvious confusion. "Professor Babbling is right. Even if you have no talent in other magic, only Runes will open its doors to you."

"The reality is, I'm in real trouble..." Sean said with a wry smile.

The two had become quite familiar with each other after several gatherings at Golden Dawn. Selma knew the third-year student council president's character quite well; she knew he wasn't the kind of person who didn't work hard and liked to complain.

She habitually touched the linen scarf she wore all year round and said slowly, "Professor Babbling's teaching speed is indeed very fast... If it's just the basics of Runes, I can teach you in the most detailed and slowest way."

"Thank you so much!" Sean was overjoyed.

Although the archaeologist's daughter appeared to move slowly and gracefully, she was very decisive. Since she also had no classes in the afternoon, she took Sean directly to an empty study room.

In the empty study room, Selma handed over a notebook. "These are my notes from when I was in third grade. They should be helpful when used with the textbook."

"Thank you so much!" Sean took the notebook as if it were a treasure, and he didn't forget to take a look at the system.

Selma Murphy's notebook (purple).

No wonder Professor Babbling highly praised this Runes genius...

Sean sighed, then chose to use the Ancient One's Sigh.

A strange, inexplicable coolness slowly welled up in my mind.

Selma said softly, "Shall we start with the very basics?"

"Yes." Sean nodded emphatically.

"Let's start with the first character..."

Two hours later.

Selma's eyes showed doubt. "You haven't experienced what you described. Your mastery of the eighteen letters is quite good."

The Ancient One's Sigh really worked, Sean's eyes lit up with joy.

Selma's teaching method was more detailed and considerate. This time, he did not experience headaches or dizziness, and he understood the meaning of the characters much faster.

The smooth feeling of learning magic finally reached the Ancient Runes. Sean compared it with himself and found that although his speed of absorbing knowledge could not match the ten-point talent of Transfiguration, it was not much different from the eight-point Charms Talent.

In other words, the Ancient One's Sigh granted him at least five points of talent.

He even began to have vague ideas for modifying Ancient Spell.

Hearing the question, Sean smiled awkwardly, thinking he couldn't very well admit that he had cheated.

Just as he was hesitating about how to answer, a sudden, intense headache and dizziness surged back.

"Damn it..." Sean gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

Selma was even more confused. "Is this the situation you're describing?"

"Yes..." Sean answered with difficulty.

"If I didn't know your character, I would definitely think you were playing me," Selma said softly.

It seemed that the pain and dizziness that should have come slowly had all accumulated up now, and Sean even felt like the world was spinning.

The Ancient One's Sigh has come to an end...

Sean cursed a lot of swear words that would be censored, and only looked up when the discomfort subsided a little.

Selma's eyes were filled with doubt and worry. "Are you feeling better?"

"It's much better than before... Well... that's my situation. I'm probably in a better state today. Usually, I can study normally for half an hour to an hour, and at a very slow pace. Today, I guess I just hit the jackpot... Obviously, the negative effects are just as intense." Sean forced a smile.

"This is very unusual," Selma said softly. "There has never been such a situation in history. To be precise, there has never been any record of how difficult it is to learn Runes. The practice of later generations has also proven this point."

She rested her chin on her hand and gazed at Sean: "It's strange... like you're allergic to Runes... Hmm, I have an idea, do you want to give it a try?"

"What?"

"Let's test it out. I know an Ancient Spell, a very weak one, I can use it on you to see."

"Hmm, let's give it a try."

Selma pulled out her wand, which was over fifteen inches long and had a curved side at the handle, making it look more like an archaeological cane.

She took out another box, dipped her finger in some gold powder, and drew a Runes symbol in mid-air.

After easily reciting the incantation, she pointed at Sean.

"This is a very weak Healing Spell, and the amount of magic I used was also very small," she explained.

However, Sean immediately felt his stomach churning, and a feeling of nausea S.P.E.W. rose up.

Sensing something amiss, Selma immediately stopped the spell. "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing..." Sean shook his head. As soon as the spell ended, the uncomfortable feeling disappeared immediately. Even more strangely, his headache also lessened a bit.

In other words, he received the healing effect of the spell, but also the negative effects derived from Runes...

He told Selma how he felt, and she became completely curious, staring at Sean with excited eyes.

"You might really be allergic to Runes ... I can't find any other explanation, this is probably the most accurate one... It's amazing, my God."

"An allergy to words and symbols, what kind of thing is that...?" Sean gave a wry smile. "Selma, is there any way to improve this?"

"At least I don't know," Selma shook her head. "Perhaps you should go to Professor Dumbledore. He is a master of Ancient Runes and knows a lot of ancient information that is unknown to the academic community."

The problem is that it can't be found...

Sean sighed. The Ancient One's Sigh had a cooldown period of 720 hours, or a month. Relying on it, he was completely unable to study normally.

"Sigh... I'll try to find out what the problem is. Thank you for today, Selma. If you need any help, just let me know."

"Is it okay?" Selma blinked her melancholy eyes.

"Of course."

"Well, once your headache is better, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure."