Chapter 13: The Infirmary and Training

Ding! Challenge mission activated: Continuously earn more points than Hermione Granger within one academic year to receive the Scholar 2.0 buff. 

Scholar 2.0: Increases learning efficiency by four hours daily. 

"Mission triggered?" 

John was lost in thought when he suddenly caught a glimpse of something gold, followed by a broomstick zooming past him. 

He didn't have time to think as a Bludger came flying his way. 

Instinctively, he reached up and caught the Bludger, only to hear a sickening crack as his arm seemed to dislocate. 

"Oh my gosh, John, are you alright?" Hermione's delayed scream rang out. 

The Gryffindor Quidditch players, still in training, realized something was wrong, and the Weasley twins were the first to fly over. 

The Bludger struggled violently in John's grip, but his seemingly weak arm held on firmly. 

Even Wood couldn't help but exclaim, "You caught a Bludger with your bare hands. You're a natural Beater." 

George chimed in, "John Wick, if only you were in Gryffindor." 

Fred added, "Then we could retire." 

The twins bantered back and forth. 

Angelina Johnson, with her long black hair in a braid, interrupted their teasing. "Shut up, both of you. His arm looks broken." 

Harry quickly got off his broomstick, feeling guilty. The Bludger had been chasing him. He was so focused on the Golden Snitch that he didn't notice John and Hermione, realizing too late when John was already hurt. 

"It's all my fault," Harry said, full of remorse. 

John's face was pale; even he found the dislocation painful. 

"Could you guys stop chatting and get this thing off me first?" 

The Bludger had initially been aimed at Hermione. If John let go, it would have collided with her face. 

Wood fumbled a bit before managing to bind the Bludger, a ball known to break Beater's bats at full speed. 

With the Bludger secured, John breathed a sigh of relief, shifting to a kneeling position. 

Under Hermione's pale and worried gaze, he braced himself and pushed his dislocated arm back into place. 

Snap. 

"Ouch—" 

"Oh my, that must hurt." 

"John, you should go to the hospital wing." 

The Gryffindors were startled, even the Weasley twins looked impressed. 

How was it that a Slytherin like him could be so different from someone like Malfoy, who would wail for hours in the hospital wing over a paper cut? 

Madam Pomfrey had wanted to kick Malfoy out more than once. 

Surrounded by Gryffindors, one might think they had ganged up on a Slytherin. 

Hermione, amidst the group, couldn't hide her concern. "John, are you alright?" 

"Just not enough training." 

John smiled at her, then looked at the equally worried Harry and said, "Harry, this isn't your fault." 

"I think you should still go to the hospital wing," Harry insisted, determined to take John there. 

Unable to argue with them, John was supported to the hospital wing, looking like he had been through something serious. 

He hadn't been lying there long before Madam Pomfrey kicked him out. 

"See, I told you I was fine." 

John shrugged, looking relaxed. 

Harry finally relaxed, apologizing to Hermione, "Sorry, Hermione, it was my fault for flying too low." 

"It's not your fault, Harry. The Golden Snitch's trajectory is unpredictable." 

This incident finally helped ease the cold war between Harry and Hermione. 

Now, among the trio, only Ron remained in the cold war. 

Harry thought Hermione was a great person and not as bad as they initially thought. He decided he should help them reconcile. 

During the day, John studied; at night, he trained. 

Since the collision, John had deeply understood the importance of physical fitness for a wizard. 

After his last night excursion, he became a regular visitor in the Restricted Section. 

With the Disillusionment Charm cast, John took out "Advanced Spellwork" from the Restricted Section and headed to the Room of Requirement via a shortcut on the fifth floor. 

"I need a training room." 

After pacing three times in front of the tapestry, a wooden door appeared on the blank wall. 

Inside was the same training room from last time, but this time John brought a medieval armored greatsword. 

"I've almost gotten used to the weight of this sword." 

Gripping the greatsword, John switched up his training method. 

In the flickering candlelight of the training room, the sword's light seemed like a myriad of stars. 

The greatsword swung, casting a silver glow towards a humanoid target. 

As soon as it made contact, the target was torn to pieces. 

With that target destroyed, John moved on to the next. 

This continued until the last target was shattered, at which point all the pieces magically reformed. 

These targets had been enchanted to restore themselves after being completely destroyed, saving John considerable time. 

Ding! Buff received: Sword Dance 

Sword Dance: Increases the aesthetic appeal and destructiveness of swordsmanship. 

With his hands aching, John set down the greatsword. 

Despite his current physique, he could clearly feel his magical power increase after a series of high-intensity exercises. 

In just one night, he gained 15 magic points. 

With consistent effort, he would level up again in no time. 

After finishing his physical training, John didn't slack off and started a second round of spell training. 

Pushing himself to the limit, his spellcasting improved significantly. 

The most notable improvement was in the Disillusionment Charm he had recently learned. 

Needing to use it every night for his nocturnal activities, the Disillusionment Charm reached level 3 by October. 

Magic: Level 2 (450/500) 

Spells: Alohomora (Level 3), Levitation Charm (Level 4), Transfiguration (Level 2), Disillusionment Charm (Level 3), Lumos (Level 2), Incendio (Level 1), Reducto (Level 1) 

Skills: Short Weapon Mastery (Level 7), Greatsword Mastery (Level 4), Firearm Mastery (Level 1) 

Buffs: Strong Body, Quick Attack, Precision, Scholar, Pilot, Long-distance Runner, Sword Dance 

Thanks to the Restricted Section, John had learned a lot of magic. 

In the Restricted Section, he saw the Fiendfyre Curse but decided against learning it in his first year as it was notoriously difficult to control, even among Dark Magic. He remembered hearing about a fool who used Fiendfyre in the Room of Requirement, resulting in the entire room burning down. 

He didn't want to repeat that mistake. 

With the Scholar buff active, he could learn even more. 

Monday, Transfiguration class. 

"Well done, Wick. Five points to Slytherin." 

Today's lesson was transforming animals into goblets. 

On John's desk was Tom, the big-eyed, adorable cat sticking out its tongue in a friendly manner. John pointed his wand at it. 

"Vera Verto." 

Under his gaze, Tom turned into a goblet. 

Professor McGonagall, seeing this, was impressed and added points to Slytherin's hourglass, which was no longer barren. 

Hermione felt a bit dejected, feeling as though the gap between her and John was widening. 

Only John knew the secret of his cheat-like hard work. 

To have enough time for night excursions and training, he had developed a new achievement from his sleepless nights. 

Insomniac: You only need two hours of sleep daily to maintain full energy. 

With this buff, he finally avoided Snape's gloomy gaze during naps in class. 

It seemed Snape had visited the hospital wing a few times; hopefully, Madam Pomfrey wouldn't keep giving certain students cheering potions as stimulants. 

Well, that student probably wasn't hinting at John. 

In the Room of Requirement, John swung the greatsword, the candlelight reflecting a silver glow as it cleaved through the target. His left hand, holding his wand, aimed at the target in the seven o'clock direction. 

"Reducto." 

A white light shot from the wand's tip, striking the target and reducing it to rubble. 

Compared to the initial minimal damage, it was a qualitative improvement. 

After training, John rested briefly before preparing to leave. 

Tomorrow was the Halloween feast, and he needed to be in good shape. 

The day after, his two-month detention in the trophy room would end. 

The Slytherin common room was in the dungeons, requiring him to walk from the eighth floor to the first. 

Fortunately, Hogwarts was full of shortcuts. Reaching the first-floor corridor, he encountered the Bloody Baron. 

The silent Slytherin ghost seemed to be waiting specifically for him on purpose 

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