It had all been a false alarm. The danger had passed.
The students from all four houses breathed a sigh of relief, but they were also curious.
What exactly had happened at school?
At eight o'clock, as students began trickling out of their respective common rooms, some happened to pass by the training grounds. Only then did they understand what had happened.
As a magic school, many people didn't understand why Tom put himself through such intense training. Some mocked him, while others thought he was a bizarre oddball. Either way, the impression had sunk deep.
Tom had chosen such a huge rock for one main reason: visual impact.
["Innate Divine Strength"+3...+1...+5... ["Diligence"+4...+6...
He'd achieved his goal.
Tom and the others were eating breakfast in the Great Hall, surrounded by people talking about them.
After all the commotion Filch had caused, the school alarm had rung throughout the grounds. Once again, Tom had become the focus of discussion among students and professors alike.
["Innate Divine Strength" impression level reached Lv.2, achievement points +1] ["Diligence" impression level reached Lv.3, achievement points +1]
His Persona progress hadn't stopped. It was still increasing.
"I wonder how far I am from Hagrid now," Tom mused.
As a Half-giant, Hagrid's massive frame wasn't just for show. Even if he was hit by several Auror-level Stunning Spells, all they did was make him feel a little pain. It was nothing compared to the damage motion sickness could do to him.
Tom was quite envious of a body like that.
A wizard's magic could be devastating. Some spells even touched on concepts and laws, but most wizards were fragile—pure glass cannons.
They had Apparition and the Shield Charm, but they still needed to react to an enemy's attack in time. If they couldn't, they had no choice but to take the hit with their bodies.
As an ordinary human, Tom was far more agile than Hagrid. If he could acquire a physique comparable to Hagrid's Half-giant bloodline—or even surpass it—then anything he did in the Wizarding World would be much easier.
That was why he kept up his training even after acquiring magic.
From here on, it was a matter of persevering day after day.
As his classmates' glances continued to deepen their impression of his Innate Divine Strength, the summer holidays would eventually arrive. When everyone went home, his feats would become dinner-table conversation and spread even further.
If that led to other rumors about Tom, perhaps he could gain another Persona.
After all, the panel could even turn a negative Persona like Laziness into a positive effect. As far as he was concerned, it didn't matter what kind of Persona he acquired.
As the saying went, bad publicity was still publicity!
Meanwhile, at the table beside him—
"Harry, second brother, do you always train like this?"
Ron was slumped over the table. Even with all that food in front of him, he couldn't summon the slightest appetite. He just felt completely drained.
"That's normal. I was the same at first. You'll get used to it with time." Harry saw a reflection of his former self in Ron.
"My whole body feels like my muscles are tearing. I probably won't be able to train for a week."
"That's all right." Tom suddenly looked over from beside them.
"Harry, take him to the school nurse in a little while. He should recover quickly."
The Wizarding World might lag behind Muggles in technology, but its medicine was miles ahead of theirs.
A dose of Potion could easily take care of fatigue like this. Even a broken arm or leg could be fixed in minutes, without any lasting effects. So no matter how hard they trained, they didn't need to worry about suffering permanent injuries.
"No!!" Ron wailed.
Leaving Ron aside for now, Tom continued to ponder.
How should I establish a 'genius wizard' Persona?
He didn't know any enormous, top-tier spells, so he couldn't make his Persona sink into people's minds as effortlessly as he had with Innate Divine Strength, simply by dragging around a boulder.
After turning it over in his mind, he decided that apart from the yearly exams, another way to show off his magical talent was through "spell duels."
In second year, the school would set up a Dueling Club, where all the students could take part in one-on-one combat training.
If he could put on an impressive performance then, perhaps he could make his magical talent sink deep into people's minds.
With that in mind, Tom looked toward the older students around him.
Beating everyone in his year could show off his magical talent, but if he wanted to make a lasting impression and draw everyone's attention, he would need to defeat older students who had studied magic for years.
Especially the Prefects.
Those chosen as Prefects were among the most outstanding students in the upper years. They were the stars of their respective houses and the future pillars of the magical world.
Defeating them would generate the most buzz.
As a young man from the twenty-first century who had traveled back in time, he knew a thing or two about attracting attention—more than most people in the twentieth century.
"Then my next goal is to raise my spellwork to at least the level of the fifth-year Prefects within a year."
Tom was confident he could do it.
[Diligence (Lv.3): Myriad Jun Diligence Wraps the Body. You are the very definition of diligence; your tireless efforts can bring you far greater rewards than the ordinary.]
With the help of a series of Personas, it was quite possible.
Besides, though it didn't show on the panel, Tom believed he had some talent for offensive spells.
Breakfast wasn't over yet.
Professor McGonagall suddenly appeared at the entrance and called loudly to everyone inside.
"All classes this morning are canceled. You are free to do as you please. If anyone is absent, make sure to let one another know."
After saying that, Professor McGonagall hurried off.
The Great Hall fell silent for a moment, then quickly erupted in cheers.
"Yeah!!"
"Awesome!!!"
Ron was among those cheering.
Children that age were always eager to play, so the thought of not having class naturally thrilled them.
For ordinary students, the news might have been welcome. But for one certain Gryffindor bookworm, it was worse than being killed.
"How could this happen..." Hermione looked utterly dejected.
She'd wanted to learn more magic as soon as possible. Now she'd have to wait another half day. It was heartbreaking.
"Classes canceled?" Tom murmured.
He thought he had already guessed why.
And sure enough.
By noon, all the students had heard the latest news. The excitement and disappointment from that morning had completely flipped, and there were now even more disappointed students.
The announcement had appeared on the noticeboards in the entrance hall and in each house's common room. It was the same everywhere.
[Practical Broomstick Flying Exam to be added to the required O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. examinations — Hogwarts, Ministry of Magic]
In the bottom-right corner of the notice were the joint seals of Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic.
Working at the Ministry of Magic required certain O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. grades. If the school wanted to change the exam requirements, the Ministry naturally had to be involved.
The news wouldn't affect younger students or Quidditch players much, but it was a disaster for fifth- and seventh-years.
The exams were right around the corner. If they wanted to pass, they'd have to cram at the last minute. There was little time and a lot to do.
Of the four houses, Hufflepuff was certainly the most upset.
Many Hufflepuffs complained, "This is discrimination! It's blatant discrimination!!"
After all, the Hufflepuff common room was right next to the Kitchen, and many young Badgers liked sneaking in at night to find something to eat. As a result, their average fitness was a little lower than that of the other houses.
That meant they'd have to work harder than students from the other houses to pass the flying exam.
Before you continue