Spell Test

The Impediment Jinx, also known as the Impedimenta, is described in textbooks as follows: "Rapidly casting the Impediment Jinx can delay an opponent or stop a magical creature in its tracks for a short time; this spell is a vital component of a duelist's repertoire."

However, Anduin discovered during actual practice that this spell essentially manifests an invisible obstacle in the direction of the caster's gaze, much like a wall of magic, lasting anywhere from a dozen seconds to over a minute.

If one adjusts the magic power output, this wall is not even necessarily solid; an opponent can pass through it, though their speed will be correspondingly reduced. The degree of deceleration depends on the density of the manifested obstacle. If a weakened version of the jinx is cast horizontally across the ground, walking on it feels like stepping into a quagmire.

But if the jinx is manifested as a solid entity, it can even be used as a Shield Charm, or utilized to push against an opponent with magical force, turning it into a means of attack.

"Impedimenta," Anduin said, and getting straight to work, he immediately cast the jinx in an open space in his room.

"First, I must understand the nature of this spell." Anduin walked toward the obstacle he had conjured and touched it; what he had manifested was a solid, invisible wall.

"It feels very hard to the touch, less than an inch thick, and impassable from either side." Anduin pressed his hands together until they touched the surface of the wall, roughly measuring its width.

"Let's test its physical defensive strength first."

Anduin picked up a dumbbell from his luggage and struck the invisible wall, producing a series of "thud, thud" sounds.

"The sound doesn't have a metallic texture, nor does it sound like stone; it's more like striking the surface of water." Anduin was amazed, as the spell produced a sound quite different from what he had imagined.

After striking it forcefully several times, Anduin put down the dumbbell and engaged in hand-to-hand combat, using his fists to feel the invisible wall.

"Thud, thud, thud." After landing several consecutive punches, the invisible wall began to change.

"The hardness is comparable to an ordinary stone wall, and the force reflected back to my fist confirms this. But why does it soften after being hit so many times? It didn't shatter like glass, but began to soften. Is it because the magic within the wall is being depleted?" Anduin thought, looking at his slightly reddened knuckles.

After another dozen punches, the now-softened invisible wall was punched through. However, Anduin discovered that even after being breached, the spell still had an effect; while it could no longer block solid objects from passing through, it still provided a cushioning effect.

Anduin simply charged through it, slowly passing through the wall's surface.

"It's just like passing through a non-Newtonian fluid, except without the stickiness. What a magical spell." Anduin felt the jinx, and before long, the spell's duration expired, and the entire wall vanished into thin air.

Anduin took out his notebook, recorded the data and sensations from his experiment, and then cast "Impedimenta" again in the open space.

"Next, let's test its magical defense."

Anduin stood about two meters away from the invisible wall and began casting an offensive spell at it: "Expelliarmus."

The invisible wall blocked the spell as expected; the light of the charm shattered upon hitting the wall, scattering and crawling along the transparent surface until it lost its magic and dissipated.

"Let's try different angles." Anduin then attempted to cast spells at the wall from various directions, even running to the other side to test different angles until the spell expired.

"Hmm, that's a lot of information from the test. Spells that hit head-on will shatter if they lack sufficient intensity, but do they start to ricochet at certain angles? And spells from both sides cannot penetrate it, which means I can't just cast a layer of 'Impedimenta' and then stand safely on the other side to counterattack."

Anduin cast the jinx a few more times to test its effectiveness as an offensive tool.

"Impedimenta feels a lot like an alternative version of Mage Hand from my previous life. It can be fixed in place, or guided directly by magic to strike people. Once blurred, it can even slow down enemies. Calling it an 'impediment' is a bit biased; this is clearly more like Magic Molding." As Anduin summarized the characteristics of the spell, he began to construct a scope of application for it in his mind.

Overall, Anduin was very satisfied with the spell; it had great potential.

"The subsequent training will be divided into several parts: casting speed, positioning, intensity control, shooting—or rather, the speed at which the obstacle is propelled—and then attempting to see if it can be freely shaped. It looks like I'll need to undergo a period of high-intensity special training."

Anduin began to arrange a brand-new training plan, recording his ideas about the spell one by one, preparing to test and practice them specifically.

For the next ten days or so, Anduin spent every morning reading textbooks and learning new spells, while all his afternoons were dedicated to practicing "Impedimenta." He also took time during the day to visit Flourish and Blotts to buy a few books related to spellcasting.

He originally wanted to buy more, but books in the magical world were incredibly expensive. Cheap ones cost a few Galleons, while expensive ones cost ten or twenty—more than many Alchemical Tools or potions. Therefore, Anduin only purchased three: "Barnaby Finkley's 7 Spellcasting Techniques," "The Origin of Spells: An Introduction to Ancient Runes," and "Elegant Footwork in Duelling Competitions." This cost Anduin 22 Galleons, and there were many books he had his eye on that he didn't buy simply because they were too pricey.

Anduin was now like a sponge, rapidly absorbing all kinds of magical knowledge. His soul was inherently stronger than that of normal peers, and combined with years of targeted training, both his magic power intensity and total capacity far exceeded those of his age group, leading to rapid progress.

One evening in early August.

"Bang!" In the small courtyard behind the Leaky Cauldron, a target made of several chairs was smashed into pieces by a transparent "cannonball." Anduin walked over slowly, raised his wand at the fragments, and chanted, "Reparo." The broken wood on the ground flew into the air and restored itself to its state before being shattered.

"The effect seems good. The 'cannonball' shaped by 'Impedimenta' can now be shrunk to the size of a washbasin, and the trajectory speed is gradually increasing. The pre-cast wind-up could be a bit faster. Next, I'll see if I can shape the launched magic projectile even smaller." In Anduin's imagination, if he could shrink the "cannonball" of "Impedimenta" to the size of a fist, that would be ideal; in that case, he could name the move "Air Cannon."

I will add three chapters on the weekend. I hope everyone likes them. If you have any suggestions or opinions about this book, feel free to leave a comment, and I will reply to everyone.