Promotion

A few days later, in the Room of Requirement.

After "forming" a "Runic Model" in his Sea of Consciousness, a hint of delight flashed in Matthew's eyes.

At that moment, 128 "Runic Models" were already floating in his Sea of Consciousness.

Thanks to his efforts over the past few days and the help of some Potions, he had reached the threshold for a breakthrough. He could now advance to a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice at any time.

Matthew took out some Blue Water Flower Juice from his Undetectable Extension Charm bag and spread it evenly across his forehead. This time, he used three times the amount he normally applied during training.

Then he drank the better part of the remaining cup.

Soon, a violent chill and stinging sensation swept across his tongue. Before long, it went numb, as if frozen solid. The chill, along with the potent medicinal effects, surged straight to the crown of his head, making his scalp tingle.

Matthew's brows drew tightly together. He felt as if he'd drunk a whole barrel of Fengyoujing, with an entire box of Camphor Pills thrown in for good measure.

He struggled to calm his mind and began to practice the Meditation Method.

A few breaths later, the flower juice he'd applied to his forehead began to seep into his skin.

Matthew felt as if he were standing aboard a small boat drifting on the sea. A violent storm battered it, and towering waves crashed against the boat one after another, threatening to capsize it at any moment.

He felt wave after unending wave crash over him. Each impact drained his Sea of Consciousness, and with every wave, it grew a little denser.

After several minutes, Matthew was drenched in sweat. His face was ghastly pale, and barely any Mental Power remained in his Sea of Consciousness. It was on the verge of running dry.

Just as his last sliver of Mental Power was spent, his Sea of Consciousness shuddered violently. Matthew heard a sound beside his ear, like a pane of glass shattering.

He felt as if he'd broken through some kind of shackle. His Sea of Consciousness rapidly expanded, stopping only when it had grown to one and a half times its original size.

Next, the magic within his body began to boil. The objects in the Room of Requirement were all affected by some unseen force and rose into the air.

A moment later, the magic inside him gradually settled, and the objects hovering around him fell to the floor.

He took stock of his magic. Its total amount had increased by twenty percent.

His reserves of magic now exceeded those of an adult wizard.

Matthew felt better than ever. It was as if he'd just experienced a small-scale Magic Outburst.

Wizards in this world awakened to their magical powers once during childhood. This process was known as a Magic Outburst. During this period, a young wizard's magic grew at an exceptionally rapid rate. Once the outburst ended, their magic grew slowly with age.

As a result, a Magic Outburst largely determined the upper limit of a wizard's Magic Talent Cap.

Matthew was overjoyed. If every breakthrough came with a small-scale Magic Outburst, then by the time he became a Formal Wizard, his magic would surpass even that of a Senior Auror.

Magic had always been his weak point. After all, he was only fourteen, and he hadn't had enough time to build up his reserves. His current strength relied entirely on his extraordinary Casting Skill and extensive combat experience.

Once he made up for this weakness, his ability to fight for extended periods would improve tremendously.

After his excitement over the breakthrough subsided, he tidied up the things that had been scattered during the Magic Outburst. He came here every day now. There was space to brew Potions, as well as a bed where he could practice the Meditation Method, so it was quite convenient.

It was nearly midnight by the time he left the Room of Requirement. The castle corridors were silent. Even students sneaking around after hours rarely stayed out this late.

He took out his wand.

"Call Companion!" X2

This was the signal he and Preserved Egg had agreed on. If he cast "Call Companion" twice in a row inside the castle, Preserved Egg would wait for him outside the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. Preserved Egg couldn't pass through the door to the Slytherin Common Room alone.

When he reached the entrance to the common room, he saw a black cat come running from the other end of the corridor.

"Meow~" Preserved Egg leaped into Matthew's arms and rubbed its head against his hand over and over.

Preserved Egg was an affectionate cat. In Matthew's experience across two lifetimes, pets could have wildly different personalities. Affectionate pets naturally won more of their owners' favor.

Matthew carried Preserved Egg back to the common room. No one was there, so he picked a sofa and sat down.

He scratched Preserved Egg under the chin with a finger. The cat narrowed its eyes, looking thoroughly pleased, and began to purr contentedly.

The Magic Cat's Spirit Cat Bloodline had another advantage: it didn't shed!

If it were an ordinary cat from the Muggle World, Matthew's arms would already be covered in fur by now.

Matthew mentally reviewed the information he'd looked up over the past few days.

He'd researched a great deal about Slytherin and Merlin's era, but those records said very little about "meditation." None of them mentioned a Meditation Method.

He was increasingly puzzled. Why did this world have Runes but no corresponding Casting System? It was as if Runes had appeared out of nowhere during the Middle Ages.

A sudden thought struck Matthew. Why not ask Merlin directly? Merlin had left behind a portrait at Hogwarts Castle.

There was a room in the Slytherin Common Room that housed portraits of famous people.

Holding Preserved Egg, he got up and entered a room on the right side of the common room.

In the portrait, Merlin's gray-white hair was tangled together with his thick beard. He was leaning back on a bench in the painting, as if dozing.

Matthew approached Merlin's portrait and said softly, "Lord Merlin."

Merlin opened his eyes in the painting and stood up to stretch.

"It's so late, and you're still awake. You came to chat with an old man like me," he said. Then he added, "You can call me Professor. When Hogwarts was first founded, we were short on teachers, so I taught here for a few years after I graduated."

Matthew readily followed his suggestion. "Professor Merlin, I'd like to ask you something."

"I came across a line in a manuscript by your teacher, Salazar Slytherin: 'Meditation is the key to Runes.'" Seeing Merlin nod, he continued, "But I could find almost no mention of meditation in other records from the same period. I'd like to know what 'meditation' refers to here."

Merlin gazed at Matthew with deep-set eyes, seeming to see right through him in an instant.

A glint flashed in his eyes, and a layer of mist shrouded the surfaces of the other portraits in the room.

He spoke slowly. "Don't you already know the answer? I can see traces of the Meditation Method on you."