25: Learning! The Limits of Magic!

The bookstore owner might have been physically frail.

But that did not affect his professionalism when it came to choosing books.

After all, being able to take over a bookstore in Hogsmeade Village was enough to prove that while the owner might not have had much business sense, he certainly possessed a pure love for books and knowledge.

The three textbooks he chose for Ian were all exceptionally suitable for beginners. Progressing from simple to less simple, they allowed newcomers to quickly cross the threshold of learning.

"Magic Phonetic Table": This was a phonetic chart for Ancient Runes, containing Ancient Runes texts, their meanings, and their standard, correct pronunciations.

"Simple Introduction to Ancient Runes": As its name suggested, after learning how to read Ancient Runes, this was the right book for taking the next step and understanding the fundamentals of Runes.

"Advanced Runes Translation": This was likely a compilation of knowledge that truly involved the practical application of Ancient Runes. It could genuinely teach learners how to understand texts written in Runes.

Three progressively structured textbooks.

They were enough to guide Ian step by step across the threshold of studying Ancient Runes.

Of course.

Even with a sensible learning process, knowledge like Ancient Runes still had an extremely high barrier to entry. As the bookstore owner had said, most people found it difficult to learn.

"Hiss! This is really hard!"

Ian sat by the window of the Small Wooden House, holding the "Magic Phonetic Table" as he read.

Golden sunlight filtered through the gauzy curtains.

It spilled into every corner of the room, draping the quiet space in a golden veil, yet it did nothing to improve Ian's rather gloomy mood.

He had studied diligently for quite some time, but he still found it difficult to master even the simplest Rune pronunciations. As a result, his Personal Panel had yet to gain a new skill.

How should he put it?

It really was difficult.

Thinking about it, it made sense. If Ancient Runes had not been so complicated and difficult to learn, how could they, as a medium for casting magic, have been replaced so quickly by the spells used by modern wizards?

That was right.

Ancient Runes.

And modern spells such as "Lumos" and "Obliviate."

They were all merely mediums for casting magic.

Wizards had chosen Ancient Runes as a medium for magic before transitioning to plain, easy-to-understand spells. There must have been a process of survival of the fittest in between.

To be honest, the upper limit of Ancient Runes was far higher than that of spells. That was why many powerful wizards encountered them during their growth.

However.

The potential of Ancient Runes only opened its doors to the truly outstanding. For mediocre people, the lower limit they offered was equally astonishingly low.

In ancient times.

Many Young Wizards died because of the instability of magic.

Likewise.

Many wizards, just like Ian now, remained trapped at the stage of failing to even get started for years. Their time slipped away, and even at an advanced age, they might still be unable to cast more than a few decent spells.

In the early days.

The fact that many Witches and wizards could be sent to the stake by ordinary people was likely closely related to how Ancient Runes still dominated as the mainstream medium for magic in that era.

The emergence of spells.

Improved the difficulty of learning for middle- and lower-tier wizards.

That was the most important reason spells replaced Ancient Runes.

After all.

They were the largest group among wizards. Comparing Ancient Runes with modern spells was much like comparing manual cars with automatic ones.

"I hope the magic Teacher Mara gave me is powerful, or all this suffering will have been for nothing!" Ian's tongue was not particularly nimble.

Runes happened to be among the earliest creations, evolved according to the traits of Magical Creatures and plants. Naturally, they contained many syllables that human vocal cords found difficult to imitate.

That made Ian miserable.

Still.

He did not give up learning.

And so, heaven did not disappoint the determined.

Successfully understood how to spell a Rune. Rune Mastery proficiency +1

Ancient Runes were difficult to learn.

Fortunately, while Ian's talent might not have ranked among the very best, he could still be considered outstanding. He would not waste his entire life only to fail to learn a few Rune characters.

After throwing himself into his studies.

He gained something.

And as Ian learned how to spell his first Rune character, a new skill appeared on his Personal Panel. The "Epiphany" trait granted by the panel began to take effect.

Successfully understood how to spell a Rune. Rune Mastery proficiency +1

Language Mastery proficiency +12

Successfully understood how to spell a Rune. Rune Mastery proficiency +1

Successfully understood how to spell a Rune. Rune Mastery proficiency +1

Language Mastery proficiency +12

Some things.

Once the first step had been taken.

Everything that followed became much easier because of the cheat. At least, that was certainly true for Ian. Every increase in proficiency brought him new insight.

However.

Compared with the progress of his other skills, Rune Mastery proficiency clearly increased much more slowly. Fortunately, studying these Ancient Runes also seemed to raise his Language Mastery proficiency.

And the increase was not small.

It was probably because Ancient Runes were also a language—perhaps the most difficult kind to learn. The reason they appeared as a separate skill was likely because they were more than merely a language.

Ancient Runes.

The most common form was Ancient Runes.

They were secrets excavated by human wizards from various Magical Creatures and plants when they first explored the mysteries of magic. They were the bridge through which human wizards first encountered and mastered magic.

Most Ancient Magic and ancient alchemy were created on that foundation. During the primitive era of magic, Runes were the best vessels for carrying and releasing magic.

They could be viewed as a special kind of circuit. When magical power flowed through that circuit, it formed Ancient Magic that was quite unfamiliar to modern wizards.

Similarly.

When engraved upon an Alchemical Creation, the creation would naturally be endowed with that same property, allowing ancient wizards to even capture time through Alchemical Creations.

And as Runes evolved.

This magical medium, which was extremely difficult to learn and could easily cause deviations and unstable disasters with even the slightest mistake, declined because of two creations born from the development of the age.

The first.

Was naturally the revolutionary invention of the wand, the wizard's "wheelchair," created to stabilize the release of magic, reduce the difficulty of learning magic, and lessen danger.

It was like a stabilizer for magic.

It made spellcasting more stable and simpler.

As the era advanced once more.

The emergence of wand cores further increased the importance of wands, adding something else to the magic used by wizards. Every wand core possessed unique traits and effects.

This.

Increased the power of magic.

Likewise.

It also increased the danger of magic.

All kinds of catastrophic magical accidents surged as a result... Thus, modern spells, simplified from Ancient Runes, emerged from wizarding research in response to the needs of the age.

They simplified the circuits of magical power, which naturally greatly reduced the power of magic. However, their ease of learning and greater safety made them the favorites of the era.

With the Ministry of Magic in existence.

Most wizards had no real need for especially powerful magic. So, when one thought about it, spells that were not so lacking in self-defense capabilities gradually replaced the role of Runes.

Of course.

For wizards pursuing higher magical attainment, learning and applying Runes remained an unavoidable path. Yet what had once been the pillar of the magical world had ultimately become the playground of a small number of exceptionally gifted people.

No one could say whether that was good or bad.

Nor could anyone say whether, as the times advanced, spells would gradually follow the same old path as Ancient Runes. Perhaps some history had already begun moving forward without anyone noticing.

After all.

Change always began in silence.