53: Difficult Mode and Changes to the Training Ground

One of the five dummies lunged forward, wielding a wooden sword and aiming a strike directly at John.

John raised his sword to block, then sidestepped to deflect the force, drawing his sword back to slice through the dummy's waist.

"Faster and more powerful," he observed, turning to the now bisected dummy. He reflected on the boon he had acquired at the end of the previous school year.

[Knight: Significantly enhances power when wielding a sword with both hands; power is further amplified when used in conjunction with a mount.]

With the enhancement described using "significantly" twice, John silently acknowledged the worth of the boon he had risked his life to obtain.

Last term, he could barely keep from being overwhelmed by the dummies. The wooden swords they wielded were extraordinarily sturdy and heavy, capable of creating craters with each swing.

"Today, I'm clearing the difficult mode," John declared confidently.

The second dummy stepped forward, moving swiftly towards him.

John remained calm, then cast the spell...

"Reducto!"

A flash of white light struck the dummy, shattering it into pieces.

John, holding his wand in his left hand, observed the result with a nod of satisfaction.

"As my magical experience grows, the power of my spells has also increased."

Testing his spell's strength unethically seemed to have angered the remaining dummies.

In the next moment, three dummies charged at him simultaneously.

One possessed immense strength, another had incredible speed, and the third was agile and frequently shot spells at him.

John's expression changed dramatically as he tried to fend off their attacks with his sword while also guarding against surprise assaults.

Under such fatigue, he quickly showed signs of defeat.

A red light spell from the wizard dummy hit him, sending him flying out of the training area.

The three attacking dummies halted, and John felt a wave of nausea and retched.

"Ugh—"

He vomited, and a slimy nosebleed slug slid out of his mouth.

"Ugh, gross!"

The visual impact was intense, and John couldn't help but vomit again.

This time, more slugs appeared, and he quickly grabbed his wand to break the curse.

Because of the training, he had removed his amulet and thus did not trigger the Shield Charm.

He didn't expect the dummy to use a minor jinx, which was low on damage but high on insult.

At least John felt disgusted enough to want to tear the three dummies apart.

"One mage, one assassin, one warrior."

After breaking the curse, John cleaned up all the slugs on the ground.

His expression turned serious. These three roles were seamlessly coordinated.

One handled the frontal assault, another disrupted from the sides, and the last one delivered the main attacks.

This combination made John feel like a wild boss being ganged up on by a party.

He tried a few more times, and after the third time of dispelling the spell that caused his teeth to grow uncontrollably, John had no choice.

"Fighting three against one is tough; maybe leveling up will make it easier."

John's pupils dilated as he summoned the panel.

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[Magic Power: Level 3 (1085/1500)]

[Spells: Levitation Charm (Level 4), Transfiguration Charm (Level 2, Dragon Form available), Disillusionment Charm (Level 4), Incendio (Level 4), Reducto (Level 3), Fiendfyre (Level 3), Occlumency (Level 4)...]

[Skills: Short Weapon Mastery (Level 7), Greatsword Mastery (Level 4), Firearm Proficiency (Level 1), Rune Mastery (Level 2), Alchemy Mastery (Level 2)]

[Blessings: Physical Fitness, Swift Attack, Precision, Academic Scholar 2.0, Pilot, Long-distance Runner, Sword Dance, Night Stalker, Troll Nemesis, Knight, Fire Swallower, Intimidation, Hardening, Dragon Tongue]

===========

The Greatsword Mastery had always been at level 4. While sufficient, it still seemed inadequate against this particular combination.

John pondered whether to upgrade. He had only one point left, and using it now meant waiting until the next task completion to earn more.

"Oh well, there aren't likely to be any immediate dangers at Hogwarts," he reasoned.

Fueled by a spirit of resilience and still feeling nauseated, John was determined to dismantle those three dummies to vent his frustration.

He lightly tapped on Greatsword Mastery, and instantly, his familiarity with the greatsword grew stronger.

Not only that, as he recalled the previous battle, John realized how foolish it was to think his defense had been perfect.

It was as if he had practiced thousands of times. Re-gripping his sword, John found his control over the weapon as natural as moving his own limbs.

"A weapon is an extension of one's limbs."

He focused intently on the three dummies.

As he stepped forward again, the three dummies simultaneously turned their heads to John.

"Come on, ''I am the dragon,,"

After the incantation, the rune glowed with a soft whisper, and the Ironwick Sword reignited in flames.

John took the initiative, charging forward like a wild stallion.

The warrior dummy met him head-on, swinging its sword downward.

John refused to back down. He held his sword with both hands and advanced instead of retreating, narrowly avoiding the wooden sword as his greatsword sliced through the air towards the warrior dummy.

At that moment, a red light flew towards John. He planted his right foot firmly, causing the red light to graze the blade.

Immediately, the sound of breaking wind came from behind—an attack from the assassin dummy.

John adjusted his sword, blocking the strike with the back of his blade.

The warrior dummy recovered and attacked again. John used both hands to powerfully deflect the assassin, then swung his greatsword downwards, severing the warrior dummy's sword-wielding arm.

The mage dummy launched another attack. Seizing the opportunity, John drew his wand and cast a Shield Charm to block the spell. Using his left foot as a pivot, he spun and swung his sword with his right hand.

The sword hilt slid through his palm and, just before it left his grip, he caught it by the pommel. This added an extra reach to the sword, allowing him to pierce the assassin dummy approaching from behind.

With one dummy incapacitated and another impaled, only the mage dummy remained, continuously casting spells.

John deflected the spells with the Shield Charm, using the opportunity to send a spell back, striking the one-armed warrior dummy and taking it out as well.

With each attack and block, John steadily closed the distance to the mage dummy. Although the mage could move, it was much slower compared to the assassin.

John deflected another spell, countering with a white ball of light that struck the mage, sending it flying.

Capitalizing on this, John thrust the Ironwick Sword into the mage dummy, igniting it with searing flames.

Finally, he had cleared the stage.

John felt a wave of relief wash over him as he released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

John sat down, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

"It took a level 5 to get through that. What level would I need for the master level?"

John was increasingly curious about the master level. If the difficulty was already this high for the hard level, did the master level involve battling Voldemort?

That seemed unlikely.

As John sat on the ground, the wooden sword he had placed in the corner began to change. The large, roughly shaped wooden sword gradually shrank, with excess parts falling away like skin to form a humanoid shape.

Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office.

Dumbledore returned after finishing his tasks. As he entered, he noticed the Sword of Gryffindor trembling slightly.

Seeing this, Dumbledore walked towards the sword, a look of astonishment on his face.

"Albus."

The Sorting Hat, sitting nearby, suddenly spoke. Dumbledore turned to look at it, a realization dawning on him.

"Has he returned?"

"It's not him; it's his chamber that has been opened."

When it came to knowledge of Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat undoubtedly knew the most.

Dumbledore quickened his steps to the Sorting Hat's side and asked, "Who?"

"I don't know. You know the founders—always secretive."

This statement made Dumbledore ponder deeply.

He knew that each of the four founders had left their own legacy at Hogwarts. Just as the Chamber of Secrets was Slytherin's, the other three also had their own legacies.

And the "he" the Sorting Hat referred to was Gryffindor.

"Gryffindor's chamber... Is it you, Harry?"

Dumbledore's first thought was of Harry. In his view, the chamber would only open to a recognized successor.

And Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, was the most likely candidate.

The Sword of Gryffindor ceased its trembling, and Dumbledore fell into deep thought.

"Could it be that you also sense the looming danger?"

....

John had rested enough and was ready to go back.

After getting up, John turned around and picked up the sword he had inserted into the puppet.

The flame had gone out, and the red light on the spell dimmed.

He turned around and took a step and then stopped.

In front of him, the young man wearing a wizard hat was staring at him.

At that moment, John felt like he was being stared at by a lion.

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