The Rune Mage Starting at Hogwarts

"At that point, I might have to hide in Hufflepuff's common room for a whole semester."

Gabriel sighed.

Rizz smiled and said, "Don't be so pessimistic, Gabriel. There are still more than five months left. At least it's not time to despair yet."

“Yes, there are still more than five months left…” Gabriel sighed, then looked at Reiz, “I’m afraid among us, only you can act so relaxed.”

Everyone has already brewed a round of wolfsbane medicine, and Rizzi's performance is still the most remarkable.

It's not because Ryze did anything particularly perfect.

On the contrary, when brewing this extremely demanding and difficult potion, where the slightest mistake could ruin the entire batch, Rizz once again displayed the same highly personal and "dangerous" method he used when he first brewed the love potion.

Despite appearing flustered, clumsy in basic operations, and prone to making small mistakes, she always manages to pull the potion back from the brink of failure through various quirky maneuvers.

Of course, Ryze ultimately failed.

After all, no amount of ingenious ideas can make up for a lack of basic skills.

Although he did persist for more than 50 minutes, the chain reaction triggered when the drug finally collapsed due to his strange method of suppressing its effects was extremely violent, and it blew through his crucible on the spot.

Ryze was arguably the one who failed the most thoroughly out of the six.

It was only thanks to Ellie's timely appearance that he was given a shield; otherwise, he probably would have been lying in a hospital bed at the school hospital for weeks.

“To be honest, your remedial methods are indeed very valuable. As it stands, you are definitely the one with the best chance among us,” Gabriel patted Reese on the shoulder, recalling Reese’s incomprehensible yet effective actions, and continued, “However, I will definitely persevere to the end and will not easily give up the opportunity.”

After exchanging a few words, Gabriel said goodbye to Rez.

After the fishy talk ended, and seeing that Nawi was also preparing to leave quickly, Rizz called out to him.

“Wait, Neville, let’s not go back yet. There’s something I want to show you.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, "These are some seeds that I obtained by chance last month, and I gave them to Professor Sprout to help cultivate."

Under Neville's curious gaze, Raz led Neville along the outer wall of the first greenhouse, and after circling around, they arrived at the third greenhouse on the other side.

As soon as Neville entered the third greenhouse, he spotted Professor Sprout, who was wearing a thick hat and busily working among the various vines.

"Professor Sprout... uh, good evening!" Upon seeing the professor, Neville immediately tensed up and quickly greeted him.

“Oh, Mr. Longbottom, good evening,” Professor Sprout stood up and saw Reese behind Neville. “And Mr. White, it seems your work is finished.”

Ritz nodded and briefly reported their work for the evening to Professor Sprout.

“Very good, you are all very careful children. I trust you. I usually keep an eye on things over there as well,” Professor Sprout smiled and nodded, then looked into the distance of the greenhouse.

"By the way, you're here to see that vine, right? I've finally found the right fertilizer for it, and it's growing really fast. Go and take a look for yourselves, but be careful for now and don't touch it. I haven't fully figured out its habits and uses yet."

Chapter 143: The Fruits of Your Labor

Professor Sprout pointed to a corner at the far end of the greenhouse, where the environment was more humid. This was the environment that Professor Sprout had determined to be the most suitable for the plant's growth after studying it for some time.

Rizz said goodbye to Professor Sprout and then led Neville away.

Throughout the journey, Nawi kept an eye on the herbs and plants that were being cared for.

Although he might not be able to name the plants, it was clear that he was carefully observing their growth.

Finally, the two people arrived at a damp, moss-covered, and difficult-to-cure patch of soil.

In the soil beneath the rocks, a strange-looking plant appeared before Neville.

Its stems are thin and juicy, with a semi-transparent appearance. Several thick leaves grow near the soil, while at the tip of the stem is a flower bud no bigger than a fingernail, which will take some time to fully develop.

Nawi carefully observed the plant, confirming that it was indeed being well cared for, before turning to look at Rizz.

What is it?

Ryze shrugged in response.

"Professor Sprout didn't recognize it either. According to her, neither 'A Thousand Wonderful Herbs and Mushrooms,' 'Wonderful Plants,' nor 'The Complete Book of Vines' mentions this plant."

Looking at the tiny flower bud, Ryze continued, "This was found by Ellie on the edge of the Forbidden Forest last month. It was hidden in a pile of dead branches brought by a crow. After some divination, I found that this seed seemed to have a lot of vitality, so I gave it to the professor."

"After listening to my assessment and conducting some research, the professor concluded that it might be a variant of some kind of vine, so he began to try to cultivate it."

Upon hearing the origin of the seed, Neville couldn't help but sigh.

As expected of Ryze, he can find a seed in the Forbidden Forest that even a professor wouldn't recognize.

In fact, it would be normal for Professor Sprout not to recognize him.

After all, this seed is also a species from Runeterra.

Its name is "Honey Fruit".

It's the thing that grows along the riverbanks of canyons, and when you hit it, five fruits will fall, each of which can restore a little bit of life.

This was the special raven mission that Rizz found in the Forbidden Forest before his vacation last month.

【Task Requirements: Seeds have been provided to the host. Please complete the cultivation of the honey fruit.】

Quest Completion Reward: Your Labor Fruit (Silver): Increases the activity of magical plants when cultivating them; you can choose a companion to share this effect. When cultivating with a companion, there is a chance to shorten the plant's growth time.

Task duration: three months

Although the honey fruit hasn't borne fruit yet, with Sprout's help, it's growing very fast, and it's estimated that it will bear fruit and bring the reward in just half a month.

Once it gets used to its habits, we can probably shorten its growth time even further.

Actually, the rune effect of this special raven quest reward is only average. In terms of versatility and bonus effect, it is not as good as the juicer rune, which can trigger a special buff when making milk and can produce a potion effect when making chicken soup.

The only special thing about this rune is that it can share its effects with someone, increasing that person's talent in herb cultivation.

So once he receives the reward, he can transfer that spot to the other five people participating in the fast-acting experiment, allowing them to enhance the medicinal effects of the aconite while caring for it.

In contrast, Rizz was more curious about whether the effects of honey in this world would change.

If its therapeutic effects can be compared to those of dictamnus extract, then conducting research on it might even drive innovation in therapeutic drugs.

Even if the treatment effect is average, this thing is called honey fruit, so the taste can't be too bad. Ritz can also use it to make juice and see what special effects it can trigger.

With that in mind, Rez continued to explain the characteristics of the honey fruit to Neville.

"It needs pure water and some minerals. A small amount of dragon manure can also promote its growth. However, it is very resilient. Even though we didn't find the best cultivation method at the beginning, it still sprouted successfully, just a little slowly."

As he said this, Rez looked at Neville and offered his suggestion: "Neville, would you like to try studying it?"

Neville paused for a moment, then blushed and waved his hands frantically: "How could I do that? Even Professor Sprout doesn't recognize it. I haven't even finished reading the herbalist's book yet. How could I possibly be qualified to study such a rare plant?"

“Precisely because no one has seen it before, there’s no need to memorize the knowledge from books,” Rez said matter-of-factly, looking at Neville. “What it needs is patience, the ability to calmly observe every inch of its growth… Among my friends, I think you are the most patient person with herbs, Neville. Just like when we were mixing fertilizer in greenhouse number one, you were the most diligent one among us. I think that’s your talent.”

Rez paused for a moment, then continued encouragingly, "Think about it, Neville, if this really is a new species that has never been recorded before, and you are its main breeder and researcher... then your name will appear alongside Professor Sprout's paper in Herbs Today."

He patted Neville on the shoulder: "I think your grandmother would be very proud of you if she knew about this."

Neville's expression clearly showed some emotion upon hearing the word "grandmother".

Although he looked a little nervous, his gaze couldn't help but fall on the honey fruit plant.

“Can I really…” Neville asked in a low voice, then, remembering something, he quickly looked at Reese, “What about you, Reese? Even if it does make it into Herbs of the Day, shouldn’t you and Professor Sprout share the honor?”

“You know I’ve been incredibly busy lately with potion testing and the Wizarding Duels, so I’m afraid I won’t have the time to observe its growth,” Ryze shrugged, then quickly added, “However, as the discoverer of the seed, if it truly is a new species, then the right to name it is in my hands. Just for that reason alone, no one can take that honor from me, so you can focus on your research.”

After listening to Reiz's words, Neville hesitated for a while before taking a deep breath and nodding firmly at Reiz: "In that case, I will do my best. Whether it's the color of the leaves or the changes in the hardness of the stem... I promise to record all its growth data!"

Chapter 144: The Ultimate Flash Charm Completed

Ryze found the Weasley twins to work for him on the Witcher Auto Chess project, and also found Neville to help him with Honeyfruit.

In addition, there has been no breakthrough in the wolfsbane medicine for the time being. Everyone is practicing the basics and trying to collect information from various places to study the details. It is estimated that they will not really make a sprint for the wolfsbane medicine until after Easter.

Therefore, Ryze is now focusing his main efforts on the upcoming Wizarding Tournament and the final development of the Ultimate Flash Charm.

Furthermore, the Ultimate Flash Charm, which requires extreme compression and control of magic, can also enhance his control over his own magic under high pressure.

Inside the Duel Club's practice area, Ryze stood on one side of the arena, gripping his wand tightly.

Professor Flitwick stood not far away, intently watching Rez.

Ten meters in front of Ryze stood a target clad in heavy steel armor, the surface of which was covered by a magical barrier personally cast by Professor Flitwick.

"Are you ready, Mr. White?" Professor Flitwick asked sharply, his voice tinged with anticipation. "Under normal circumstances, the armor charm I cast can withstand the attacks of three or four adult wizards at the same time. Your goal is to pierce the armor charm while also effectively damaging the steel armor on the target."

At this time, there were also several senior wizards watching from the dueling club.

They all knew that for the past four months, Professor Flitwick had been taking the time to help Rizzi develop this special light magic, and they had also heard Professor Flitwick's high praise for the magic.

But this was the first time they had witnessed it with their own eyes.

Feeling the stench and the suffocating heat, he nodded.

"Ready, Professor."

Professor Flitwick stepped back a few paces, giving Reiz ample space.

He also took out his wand, so that if anything went wrong when Ryze cast his spell, he could take control immediately.

"Then let's begin. Remember what we discussed: concentrate your will and control your magic."

Rizz slowly raised his wand and pointed it at the target in front of him.

The magic within him gathered at the tip of his staff.

With the rune that read "Light them up!", he could feel how precise his control over this magic was.

After a brief period of accumulation, Ryze's staff tip burst forth with a blinding white light.

"Final Flash..."

Rizz chanted the incantation softly, his voice sounding exceptionally clear in the training area.

Boom!

Instantly, a beam of pure white light, as thick as a bowl and compressed to its limit, pierced through the entire area!

It was extremely fast, hitting its target almost the instant it was launched.

The solid iron armor did not produce the dull metallic clanging sound that usually comes when struck by a spell. Instead, it emitted a sizzling sound, like an ice cube being placed on a red-hot iron plate!

Amidst the hissing sounds, the translucent blue barrier trembled violently under the impact of the beam of light.

Immediately following, at the point where the barrier and the beam of light collided, they quickly succumbed to the extreme heat and impact, bursting apart.

The beam of light, still powerful, struck precisely at the center of the armored target.

Instead of a violent explosion, there was a sound of metal vaporizing.

To Xing Suo's astonishment, the steel armor seemed as fragile as paper in front of the beam of light, instantly burning a large crater in it.

Just as the beam of light was about to completely pierce through the target, Professor Flitwick immediately called for a halt.

"Stop, Mr. White!"

Almost the instant the command was given, the dazzling pure white beam of light came to an abrupt halt, leaving only the peculiar smell of metal vaporized in the air.

Ryze gripped the wand firmly, a wisp of white smoke still lingering at its tip.

His face paled slightly, after all, the spell had drained nearly half of his mana in one go, and his control over his magic allowed him to maintain an unimaginable level of focus in that instant.

"Phew..." He looked around.

The entire training ground fell silent for a moment because of the spell's effect.

Those older students who had initially come with a "let's watch the show" attitude now unconsciously opened their mouths wide.

They already knew that Rizz, this first-year wizard, possessed magical power comparable to a fifth-year student, and had extremely fast reaction speed in battle, allowing him to hold his own against them.

But now, this destructive power has clearly exceeded the scope of normal spells.

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed, clapping enthusiastically.

He strode up to the steel armor that was almost completely penetrated, ignoring the unpleasant smell, and carefully observed the damage the Ultimate Flash Charm had caused to the target.

“Mr. White, your level of compression and control over magic has exceeded my expectations. You precisely pierced the Ironclad Charm, destroyed the steel armor, and stopped just before it reached the bullseye inside the armor... I think we can declare that the Ultimate Flash Charm is now a complete spell!”

“Its effect has indeed met our expectations during development, Professor,” Ryze nodded, then, after catching his breath, added, “The penetrating power and explosive force are sufficient to deal with many powerful defensive spells in the dueling tournament… However, there is still considerable room for improvement. For example, the charging time is still a bit long; that charging time still gives people time to react. Also, the firing method—if it could be detached from the staff tip and fired in other directions, it would likely have a greater effect of surprise…”

“Oh, Mr. White, you are always so demanding of yourself,” Professor Flitwick said to Rhett with a wand, dispelling the broken steel armor and the unpleasant smell.

"The exploration of magic is endless. Of course, we can continue to improve this spell in the future. However, at your current age, being able to control this spell to this extent is an achievement that most adult wizards cannot reach."

Professor Flitwick stated that in a duel, this move would be used at a crucial moment, and the number of adult wizards who could withstand it head-on upon first encountering the spell would probably be quite small.

After all, the effect of this spell is quite different from the attack methods of the current mainstream attack spells.

Seeing Professor Flitwick and Rhett start discussing the effects and improvements of the spell again, the upperclassmen quickly came over and asked the professor and Rhett if they could also learn this powerful spell.