CHAPTER 18 – Second Stage Core

Once inside the RoR, I started to train as many spells from the world of Harry Potter I could. After all, learning new spells and training them until they made it into my spellbook was one of the fastest ways I had to increase my ML, which was my objective for today's training, as I was only one level to do it. Of course, I had other things in mind, but for the moments, getting my second stage core was my top priority.

I needed to know how much a new stage can increase my power. So, I started to train. Alohomora, Incendio, Reducto, Lumos Maxima, whatever spell I remembered, I tried to ask for a book from the RoR to learn it.

And after completely mastering Alohomora, Incendio, and Lumos Maxima, which was basically a more powerful version of the Lumos, I finally got my ML to increase the last level it needed, as well as acquiring 70 extra points, 15 from Alohomora, 25 from Incendio and 30 from Lumos Maxima.

What happened after that got me certainly confused. My chest turned hot, not warmly hot, but as if someone was pouring hot water over it constantly. It wasn't all that painful, but it still hurt and surely wasn't a pleasant sensation.

"Urgh… Fuck! It was never mentioned that wizards went through this!"-I shout at the system.

[Well, they also don't have a system that would let them increase their power as if they were taking magic steroids 24/7 for 24 hours straight. It's a little price to pay, don't you think?]-The system retorted to me.

"I… I can't argue against that…"-I just surrendered and sat cross-legged to watch what was happening inside my body.

In my heart, the once basketball-sized core was now reducing its size, while the gas it contained before started to condense along with it, turning into liquid. It was slowly turning into a blue liquid that seemed to have the same color as the mana bar on the game interface.

Even if it was getting smaller in size, I could feel that my magic power was considerably stronger, which would be probably be represented by the change from gas to a liquid, which isn't actually that bad if what I've read in fanfics is true.

After a few minutes, the heat in my chest was slowly calming itself, while the size of the magic core was now the same as a golf ball, but with a liquid that looks even denser than oil, but a little less dense than lava. It filled the core to the brim, making it impossible to differentiate any blank space on the little golf-ball-sized core.

"At first sight… It just seems like it's even less mana than what I had before…"-I said after studying the core for a little bit. "But… People say that with magic it's usually quality against quantity… Right?"

With that last comment, I stood up, since there was no mana indicator in my user's interface, it won't be possible to actually look at it in a quantitative way… So, that said, I'll have to test my spells to actually see the real difference.

{I guess the best way is to try with fire wave and the energy beam skills…}-I thought to myself, but before I get to even take out my wand, a message appeared in front of me.

[Congratulations! You've successfully upgraded your core to stage 2! Even if it took you more time than what was expected, you still made it before completing the first year in Hogwarts!]

[200pts have been earned! Keep the good work and maybe you'll someday acquire an advanced vocation!]

"Was that last comment really necessary?"-I ask.

[With you? Yes.]-It said.

"Why!!?? It's not even like I-"-I stopped. "Wait. Do you mean…"

After a little thought on the wording, I got to the store, and just as I thought. Some new things happened.

[Store! / 760pts

Spell Books (NEW!)

Wands/Rods (NEW!)

Runes

Vocations (NEW!)

General Items (NEW!)

Equipment (NEW!)

Spells (Sealed)]

"Holy… I thought it was just about getting available vocations… But even the equipment store is now open… Well, let's first check the General Items. I haven't even opened it yet…"

[General Items (New!) / 760pts

- Small health potion (60pts)

- Small mana potion (60pts)

- Medium mana potion (150pts) NEW!

- Bread (30pts) NEW!

- Ham (40pts) NEW!

- Chicken (40pts) NEW!

- ???]

"It's good that I didn't actually look into it before… Not something over-necessary for the moments… Though, I'm curious, what does the food here do? System?"

[You should have an idea if you know what that does in the game.]-He said.

"Mm? Eating is what lets you regenerate both mana and health in the game… But isn't that the same as in eating anything from the magic world?"-I ask, really confused this time.

[If it's in the store, it's obviously because it's not the same. While you can eat normal food here, it would only keep you healthy, the food of the store is special in that it actually increases your mana regeneration for the next 10 minutes, making it at least twice as fast, and helping you recover faster from some wounds, while as you should probably know, but I'll explain it either way just in case, a potion would automatically regenerate your mana and health, proportionally, with small magic potions recovering 10% of it, medium a 30%, great ones a 50% and ultimate magic potions recovering 70% of your health. Forget about anything over a small health potion, you very well know that's only for knights.]

"… I guess buying something from this would be good sometime…"-I murmured while thinking.

While the potions look interesting. For the moments I'm in no need to actually use potions, having just one would be more than enough, but even now that's an expensive thing if I want to have a second vocation fast. Bread should probably be enough for the moments.

"Well… Let's check the vocations next."

[Vocations / 760pts

- Druid (1000pts)

- Arcanist (1000pts)

- Summoner (1000pts)

- Tactician (1000pts)

- Master Sorcerer (7500pts) NEW!

- ???]

"Holy God… I forgot that I didn't saw my own normal promotion before! So, it was because I didn't have my stage 2 core… And 7500pts? That's a lot… I guess nothing to do for the moment. Though… Hey, System, if I promote to an advanced vocation, I will be able to choose another advanced vocation? And… What do I get if I advance to Master Sorcerer? They had the same skills as a Sorcerer in the game."

[In the case of your first question. It will be possible, but the cost will be slightly higher and you may only have two advanced vocations, so chose carefully. To answer your second question, Master Sorcerer is an advanced vocation that increases the power of your spells in a qualitative way, so even something like a normal strike spell would be slightly different from the current one. You'll also have access to new spells only available to a Master Sorcerer, and your power will be upgraded, making it easier for you to use magic.]

"Ho… So… What about other advanced vocations? What can I do with them?"

[I can't answer that. I can only explain to you those vocations that are shown on the list currently.]

"Mm… Shit… Oh well, I still have time to think. Next is… Spellbooks."

[Spell Books (New!) / 760pts

- Magic Spell Book (150pts) BOUGHT

- Spellbook of Enlightenment (500pts) NEW!

- Crude Umbral Spellbook (1000pts) NEW!

- Spellbook of Dark Mysteries (1500pts) NEW!

- Scorching Spellbook (1500pts) NEW!

- Electrified Spellbook (1500pts) NEW!

- Spellbook of Souls (1500pts) NEW!

- ???]

"Uhm… This is more than I thought… And heck… 1500pts for a spellbook? Isn't that like… A lot?"

[Each spellbook is special in a way. Their cost depends on the tier of the said spellbook.]

"Mm… I somehow can see what the last three are made for… They probably increase the power of death, fire, and lightning attributes for sorcerers… But… What about the others? Can you explain me? First with the cheapest one."

[Spellbook of Enlightenment is a low-tier spellbook, that only increases your ML by three, hence its low cost. It also helps you to master spells slightly faster, but nothing too noticeable, if you currently need one hour to master a spell and write it in your spellbook, now you'll need fifty-five minutes.]

"Okay… Pass. Waste of points for the moments. What about the Spell Books of Dark Mysteries?"

[That one gives you 8 additional ML, and slightly increases your mana and health regeneration, making it 1.5 times faster. And this works in a passive way, so if you eat food from the store, you recover twice or more like that. For the record, the other three that costs the same only give you five extra ML and no regeneration, and instead upgrade each elemental damage by 10%]

"Ho… That's good to have… And the other one?"

[The last one is pretty special. The Crude Umbral Spellbook is a semi-sentient spellbook that will grow with you. It's the weakest, but also most powerful spellbook you could have when it evolves to its third form. Though, right now, it only helps you increase your ML by two and adds a 3% extra power to all your elemental spells.]

"Ho… Now that's interesting… Well, I'll leave it for the moment. No necessary use for them. Now to the wands and rods!"

[Wands/Rods (New!) / 760pts

- Wand of Vortex (500pts)

- Snakebite Rod (500pts)

- Wand of Dragonbreath (1000pts) NEW!

- Wand of Decay (1000pts) NEW!

- Wand of Draconia (1500pts) NEW!

- Wand of Cosmic Energy (1500pts) NEW!

- Wand of Inferno (2000pts) NEW!

- Wand of Dimensions (2000pts) NEW!

- Wand of Starstorm (2000pts) NEW!

- ???]

"Oh… I guess this is just like the game, they only increase their attack power with different elements. Nothing that bad, I'll later think about which one to choose, I have time. Then… I guess next is Equipment."

[Equipment (New!) / 760pts

- Boots NEW!

- Armor NEW!

- Legs NEW!

- Helmet NEW!

- Accessories NEW!

- Weapons (Sealed)]

"Ha… So… Just to be sure, this just gives me access to equipment from the game?"

[Precisely, as well as some specialized equipment for your vocations if needed. But there won't be much for the moments. And you probably won't have enough points to afford them. In a way, most of these items are a waste of points. For the moments, at least.]

"Oh well, I'll have time later. I'll just keep training for today so I can check my new power increase."

With that said, I closed the system interface and stood up. With my wand in hand, I asked the RoR to provide some practicing dummies for me, which it did create. The same as usual, three targets on each side of the room.

{Let's start with a fire wave.}

"Exevo Flam Hur"-I incanted, and immediately, my wand turned into a flamethrower, a thing to notice was that the fire output was faster than before, helping the spell burn the dummies faster.

But, as if that wasn't enough, the width and length of the spell increased, while it still kept its cone-shaped form, it traveled farther, while also having a greater width, I almost didn't have to move the wand to touch the other dummies.

What's best, was the fact that I already have been using the spell for ten seconds and I still could go on. At least until the fifteen-second mark… Which made me retract the spell and sit down to rest almost immediately.

"Huff… Huff… Huff… Now… This is amazing… Huff… Huff…"-I murmured while looking at the place in front of me… It now looked like a sea of fire thanks to the amount of fire I could use with the spell.

"If it's like this… I want to start practicing with the other spells…"-I said before standing up again, getting ready to train with my other spells. "Also… With this power… Maybe I'll be able to go to the forbidden forest this same year… Hehe… Wait for me… Points in the form of monsters… I'll get to you sooner than you think…"-I then laughed like a maniac while thinking about all the points I would be able to reap inside that forest.