Chapter 27: The Magical World of Learning

【You have fully processed a nettle to the standard of an apprentice, Proficiency +1】

【You have fully processed a nettle to the standard of an apprentice, Proficiency +1】

……

【Herbology Cognition unlocked】

【A new Herbology field title has been unlocked, please check】

【A Wizard Talent has been unlocked, please check】

After spending two days,

Sheen completed the unlocking of his Herbology title.

He couldn't wait to check it

【Title: Herbology Intern】

【Slightly increases perception of plants, slightly improves Herbology talent】

Increase perception of plants?

Sounds not bad.

Sheen continued reading downward

【Wizard Sheen, Herbology Talent: Green (Boosted by Herbology Intern title; original talent was White) Note: Average wizards are Green】

In terms of being disappointing,

His talent never failed to disappoint.

*Well,*

*At least I can change it by grinding proficiency,*

Sheen thought.

Soon, Sheen experienced the benefits brought by the change in talent.

While identifying mature dried nettles, a peculiar intuition led him to choose a batch of nettles that had just reached maturity.

After undergoing the soaking process, he achieved his first "Novice" level in the field of Herbology

【You have fully processed a nettle to the standard of a Novice, Proficiency +3】

As expected, this was a world of talent.

Sheen's stereotype of the magical world deepened once again.

"Excellent processing, Mr. Green. I shall give Ravenclaw two extra points!"

Professor Sprout walked over, looking slightly surprised.

"Everyone, come over! Observe these processed nettles. Their stinging hairs and fine fuzz have disappeared. This is a characteristic that excellent nettle material should possess—"

"Mr. Green, you are progressing very quickly," Professor Sprout encouraged softly while the others observed the nettles.

Herbology class ended quickly. As he left the greenhouse,

Sheen heard the whispers of the young wizards.

"Who is that?"

"Sheen Green. Haven't you heard of him?"

"On the contrary, I've heard quite enough of it. They say he excels in both Charms and Transfiguration—is he from a wizarding family?"

"That's the scariest part. They say he's a Muggle-born wizard..."

When Sheen looked toward the sound, the two whispering young wizards turned red and hurried away.

"Sheen, looks like you've become famous,"

Michael spoke with a teasing tone.

"Shouldn't he be? I've never seen a wizard who is proficient in everything... except Potions."

Michael's teasing came to a helpless end during Astronomy class.

"...Stairs, stairs, more stairs. Terry, can you see the end of this?"

Michael panted, glancing at Sheen while talking to Terry.

The young wizard's face remained deathly pale.

"They say the Astronomy Tower is the highest tower in all of Hogwarts... even higher than the Ravenclaw Tower..."

As Michael shared his gossip, he silently followed half a step behind Sheen.

"...Is that so?"

Anthony replied, then imperceptibly moved closer to Michael.

The two of them flanked the pale young wizard, one on each side.

The witch teaching Astronomy was Professor Aurora Sinistra, a witch with a transcendent aura.

She taught the young wizards to observe the starry sky through telescopes and to learn the names of different stars and the orbital paths of planets.

Her classroom was filled with various instruments such as globes, lunar charts, moon-viewing mirrors, star charts, and telescopes,

Making it look somewhat like a research institute.

The only difference from a research institute was that the night view here was exquisitely beautiful, and various precise magical instruments operated quietly.

Due to his familiarity with the working principles of telescopes, Sheen was quickly noticed by Professor Sinistra,

And was even permitted to use a large metal sphere to predict the orbit of Io, a moon of Jupiter.

This made Terry incredibly envious; the usually taciturn boy asked Sheen more than three times about how it felt to use it.

Sheen gave him a detailed description, and his longing was palpable

"Oh! Merlin's beard! That must be wonderful! That is a very rare magical moon-viewer..."

After Astronomy class ended,

It was almost time for curfew.

Having climbed two high towers in a row, Sheen's complexion wasn't great, but it didn't stop him from organizing his Astronomy notes.

If he remembered correctly, first-year students mainly learned the names of stars and the orbital paths of planets.

This wasn't a difficult task; one just had to memorize them all.

The only difficulty might be drawing the orbital charts, but for Sheen, that was also easy.

One should not underestimate the power of compulsory education!

After finishing his notes, Sheen took out books on Potions and the History of Magic to read.

The preparatory work for brewing potions was already done, and Sheen attempted to find some brewing techniques within these books.

Although they only contained rigorous steps and brief descriptions,

Sheen could still find some vague instructions in the finer details

【When making Scabrous Potion, one must stir twice to the left, then three times to the right; the force must be moderate...】

What exactly was "moderate force"?

Sheen found the answer in *A History of Magic*

【An Self-Stirring Cauldron is a cauldron enchanted to stir potions automatically; the stirring spoon often breaks the bubbles...】

Sheen guessed that breaking the bubbles was what "moderate force" meant.

As expected, history is a great teacher, and that hadn't changed in the magical world either.

The Ravenclaw Common Room.

It was always quiet here, but that didn't mean the wizards were studying all the time.

In fact, young wizards of this age were always playful.

After finishing his History of Magic essay, Michael had already been playing a game of Gobstones for an hour.

Seeing that Sheen was still immersed in studying, he exchanged a look with Terry, who was observing various stones,

Then, taking advantage of the moment Sheen was switching books, he said

"Sheen, I'm not trying to be rude, but I've never seen you doing anything else...

A wizard's life can't just be studying, can it?

You're in Charms, Transfiguration, History of Magic... Merlin, how much advanced studying have you done already?

I'm saying, don't you find it boring?"

Sheen looked up.

Boring?

What... are you talking about?

This is magic!

With such absurdly immediate positive feedback, it basically becomes more interesting and motivating the more one learns.

Moreover, regarding magic, as long as one puts in enough effort, it can be transformed into power that can be used directly.

This is something visible and perceptible.

Not to mention its practicality and versatile nature; it is practically a miracle of willpower.

Soon, Sheen realized he seemed to have overlooked one point

That the magic of young wizards is innate.

Perhaps that was why they didn't cherish it particularly much.

But for Sheen, he had once spent three months lying in a hospital bed in an orphanage.

His heart had gradually become as numb as his body.

It was the owl that braved the wind and snow to burst into the room,

And Professor McGonagall, who paid for his stationery and applied for financial aid and scholarships for him,

Who gave him the ability to feel hope and passion for life again before he could move independently.

Having experienced the ordinary, Sheen always cherished the miracle of magic even more.

He enjoyed the feeling of this miracle, capable of changing the world, being born from his own hands,

Not to mention the proficiency panel, which served as ultimate proof.

"Eh, Sheen, have you had a change of heart? Want to play some Gobstones?"

Seeing Sheen put his book back, Michael invited him enthusiastically.

"Sorry, I only want to study."

Sheen shook his head and took out another book borrowed from the library, *Advanced Potion-Making*.

(End of Chapter)