Blue, Precious Card

What kind of abstract nonsense was this?

The freshmen were all stunned. They looked at one another, at a loss.

Ethan mused:

Where there was light, there had to be shadows.

Even when the midday sun made shadows hide beneath one's feet, they had not disappeared completely.

Unless one brought in an all-around, blind-spot-free ten-thousand-watt lightbulb and illuminated every inch of space until it was bright as day.

But Ethan thought this definitely wasn't meant to be answered through physics.

It was a dialectical philosophical question.

Prefect Robert wasn't troubled by the difficult question. Instead, he grew more and more excited.

"Unfortunately, tonight's Door Knocker question is extremely difficult. I'm afraid we'll need to discuss it for several hours before we can arrive at an answer."

"Bear in mind, a made-up answer won't get you past the Door Knocker."

As he spoke, Robert began discussing the matter enthusiastically with his companions.

That left the group of freshmen staring blankly at one another.

"Merlin's fat underpants! What kind of blasted question is this?"

Michael plopped down on the floor and said angrily:

"I've been sitting on a train all day! I climbed stairs for dozens of minutes, and now all I want is to sleep in a warm bed, not lie on a cold, hard floor!"

Ethan glanced at him and consoled him. "How about I knock you unconscious? Then you can go straight to sleep."

Then you won't have to worry about the cold, hard floor anymore.

Michael: "...I'll politely decline."

Time passed second by second. Some young wizards, like Michael, could no longer hold up physically or mentally. They sprawled on the floor, yawning nonstop.

Besides, if the sky fell, someone taller would hold it up.

The upper-year students were all here. Surely they weren't going to make newly enrolled freshmen solve the riddle?

Some people eventually joined the upper-year students' discussion. Some listened attentively, while others offered their own immature ideas.

As time passed, one person after another stepped forward, but the Door Knocker still did not open.

Robert chatted with his companions while scanning the freshmen from the corners of his eyes.

He gave Michael and the others, who had given up entirely, a cold glance, then nodded approvingly at the freshmen actively participating in the discussion.

Next, his gaze fell on a slender, handsome freshman—Ethan Vincent.

He had witnessed the incident on the train. Combined with the Sorting Hat's shocking declaration...

Robert was now filled with curiosity about this freshman.

Before the school year had even begun, this fellow had single-handedly made himself as much of a topic of conversation as The Chosen One.

When faced with a difficult problem, what would he do?

Meanwhile.

Michael asked Ethan, who was silently deep in thought, "Ethan, what do you think?"

"Hmm..."

Ethan didn't show any weakness either. After thinking carefully for a moment, he said:

"I believe it exists."

"Even if only light remained in the world, or only darkness remained, the seed of the other would surely be gathering strength in the cracks between them."

"All it needs is for the time to be right, and it will show the world that it exists!"

"Like weeds. They can be cut down endlessly and burned without ever being eradicated."

Ethan's tone grew heavy. A fleeting sharpness flashed in his cobalt-blue eyes.

He was clearly answering the question, yet it sounded as though he was referring to something else.

His voice was firm and forceful.

The young wizards around him were all stunned.

However.

The Door Knocker showed no reaction.

It remained standing there quietly, utterly motionless.

"Not a bad answer."

Prefect Robert nodded.

"For a young wizard your age, that idea is relatively advanced."

"But unfortunately, it still lacks some depth. Think about it again."

More precisely, it was stuck at the level of an angry youth.

Not worth mentioning.

At those words, Ethan's brows rose high.

He looked at the Prefect, who had judged him from a lofty, condescending stance.

...The thing Ethan hated most in his life was using a set standard to divide people into different ranks.

If they failed to meet someone's requirements, they were deemed inadequate.

Ethan Vincent loved saying no to those in power!

His answers had never needed anyone else's approval.

"Is that so?" Ethan said slowly as he stepped forward. "I don't think so."

"Oh? What do you plan to do?"

Robert curled his lips with interest as he watched Ethan walk toward the gate.

Was Ethan going to give a new answer? What was he going to do?

Regardless.

For a freshman, it was still a pretty good attempt.

It was worth encouraging.

Robert watched leisurely, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

Under the eyes of the entire crowd.

Ethan raised his wand, pointed it at the Door Knocker, and chanted:

"Alohomora."

A streak of white light flashed and struck the Door Knocker.

Nothing happened.

"..."

After several seconds of silence.

A few faint snickers rose from among the students.

They had thought he was going to do something impressive.

So he had merely tried to open the door with the Opening Charm.

Didn't Ethan know that this Door Knocker had been personally left behind by Lady Ravenclaw, one of the Four Founders?

How could it possibly be opened by an Opening Charm?

Prefect Robert shook his head as well and exchanged a glance with the others.

It was a decent attempt.

When faced with a knotted rope, some people chose to go around it, while others tried to untie it.

There were also those who went against convention and cut it apart with a single stroke.

But the prerequisite for cutting it apart was that your sword had to be sharp enough.

Robert believed that, besides answering the question, there had to be spells that could open the door directly. Otherwise, people would be helpless in an emergency.

But a spell of that difficulty wasn't something they could master.

And it certainly wasn't "Alohomora."

It seemed that Ethan, who had become so famous, was nothing more than a pretty face after all.

Just as Robert withdrew his gaze and decided to stop paying attention.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ethan move again.

"As expected, it doesn't work..."

Ethan looked at the utterly motionless Bronze Door Knocker before him and nodded without surprise.

If a simple "Alohomora" could open the door, then this lousy gate wouldn't be able to keep anyone out.

He had cast the spell only to conduct a "control experiment."

With a thought.

A brand-new card, different from Broom Rash, appeared in Ethan's hand.

The image was simple.

Against a pitch-black background stood an open door.

Behind the door was a twisted, hazy white light, as though some indescribable creature were crawling out, radiating an eerie feeling.

On closer inspection, one would find that the crooked patterns on the door were actually spells and magical circuits linked together!

The border of this card wasn't white. It was blue.

It represented the next higher tier: "Blue, Precious"!

[Name: Gate of Opening]

[Type: Item]

[Grade: First-Order · Blue, Precious]

[Description: What lies on the other side of the door?]

[Effect: One-time item. When placed on another object, it creates a passage that pierces through that object. The penetration effect is determined by the user's magical power.]

[Evaluation: Although its effect is simple and limited, it can produce miraculous results at certain times. Has room for upgrades.]

[Novice Gift Pack Unlock Progress: 3/5]

This was the first Blue, Precious card Ethan had created by fusing spells!

It was a presence capable of affecting reality, far more powerful than Broom Rash!

Go, Blue, Precious!

Let me see what you're capable of!