"Secret Realm!?"
Devero couldn't help but freeze when he saw the prompt.
But before he could explore this new feature,
he heard a remark that chilled him to the bone.
"Can you still remember Magical Drafts and Potions, the book I told you to read? Or has your incompetence already erased it from your memory?"
The two of them had now entered Diagon Alley.
Devero was still looking around curiously.
Usually,
when Snape asked a question like that,
it meant he was about to continue quizzing Devero.
Normally,
if Devero said he hadn't memorized it,
(after all, who could memorize an entire book of hundreds of pages? Not everyone was Hermione!)
then Snape would use his trademark tone
to mock Devero.
If Devero said he had memorized it,
then Snape would ask a few exceptionally tricky questions,
leaving Devero speechless,
before continuing to mock him even more harshly.
To be honest,
he'd originally thought Snape was a complete bastard only when dealing with Gryffindors.
It turned out he was just a complete bastard!
But this time, he wouldn't get the chance to mock him.
"I remember it, sir."
Devero answered with confidence.
Now that he had the Potion Prodigy trait,
he could immediately recall all the potion books he'd read before!
Beneath his black hair, Snape raised an eyebrow.
He seemed a little surprised that this usually timid boy
was so confident today.
But then he gave a cold laugh.
The kid had some talent, but Snape knew exactly how much he could do at this point.
One question would be all it took to expose him.
"Tell me, Mr. Alexander, what is the main difference between aconite and wolfsbane?"
"Aconite and wolfsbane are actually two different names for the same plant. They both refer to plants in the genus Aconitum, especially Aconitum napellus. In Potions, this plant is commonly used to brew a potion that counteracts a werewolf's transformation."
The instant Devero heard the question,
he gave the standard answer without hesitation.
Snape narrowed his eyes.
It wasn't an especially difficult or obscure question,
but the boy had answered with such confidence and fluency.
That was truly unexpected.
But he was Snape, after all. How could he stop after asking just one question?
"Getting one question right by luck doesn't prove anything. Now tell me, if you were brewing a Draught of Peace, which ingredient would you add first, and why?"
"When making a Draught of Peace, the first ingredient to add is Valerian Root. This is because Valerian Root is one of the base ingredients. It helps calm the emotions and lays the groundwork for the ingredients that follow."
"Continue. Explain why it's important to stir a basic healing potion clockwise seven times."
"Stirring clockwise seven times is to ensure..."
"..."
After seven or eight basic questions about Potions,
Devero answered every one of them with ease.
Snape's expression gradually shifted from impatience to astonishment.
His lips moved, as if he wanted to ask something else,
but in the end, he shut his mouth
and continued walking with Devero toward Diagon Alley.
As they walked, he said,
"It seems you've mastered this textbook. So, should you continue on to the next book, or do you think this is enough?"
There was Snape's trademark mockery again.
Devero had endured it for a whole year. He was immune by now.
"Of course not, sir. It would be wonderful if we could buy another textbook at Flourish and Blotts later."
Devero was delighted.
For one thing, seeing Snape's perpetually sour face
look as if he'd just swallowed a fly was incredibly satisfying.
For another, he was genuinely looking forward to buying a new book.
This Potion Prodigy trait was just too useful!
He'd nearly forgotten some of the Potions knowledge he'd learned before.
Now it had suddenly resurfaced in his mind, perfectly intact.
Was this what true talent in Potions felt like?
He couldn't wait to learn more about Potions.
For the rest of the journey, Snape didn't quiz him again.
Instead, he listlessly led Devero around to all the shops new students had to visit in Diagon Alley,
buying the things he needed for school.
But Devero wasn't in the mood to use his new trait to tease Snape anymore.
He took the opportunity to open the system
and inspect what this so-called Secret Realm Exploration feature did.
He couldn't make heads or tails of it himself,
so he simply asked the system to explain it.
[Ding!] [When the host enters a special location with a long history, the Secret Realm Exploration feature will be activated] [This feature will grant rewards based on the host's exploration progress at the location] [Upon reaching 30% exploration, the host will receive 1 Spell Proficiency Card] [Upon reaching 60% exploration, the host will receive 1 Trait Upgrade Card] [Upon reaching 100% exploration, the host will receive Wisdom of the Sages] [Spell Proficiency Card: Upon use, greatly increases the host's proficiency in a spell!] [Trait Upgrade Card: Raises any trait by one level, except for Unique and red traits!] [Wisdom of the Sages: An extremely mysterious power. Unless you obtain it, you'll never know what it is!]
Wow!
The system had brought him plenty of surprises before,
so he'd already built up some resistance to them.
An item like the Spell Proficiency Card was something he'd expected.
Any ordinary system would have something like that.
Nothing special.
But he'd never expected a god-tier item that could upgrade any trait!
His heart could barely take it.
Just think about it.
The Potion Prodigy trait was already this powerful!
It allowed Devero to instantly absorb all the Potions knowledge he'd ever studied.
If it leveled up again,
wouldn't he be able to skip studying altogether?
Of course, he knew he'd still have to study.
But he'd certainly learn at an incredible speed!
As for Wisdom of the Sages, Devero read its description
and twitched the corner of his mouth.
Wasn't this just a mystery box?
Probably some Parseltongue from Slytherin, Ancient Magic, or something like that.
Thinking about it, those would be pretty powerful too.
But there was too much uncertainty, so Devero decided that in every Secret Realm from then on,
he'd make sure to explore at least 60% first, so he could secure both the Spell Proficiency Card and the Trait Upgrade Card!
Before you continue