On top of a t cliff on the southwest coast of St. Matthew Isnd, two figures stood in a teandoff—a middle-aged man and a young man, just a few meters apart.

  Above, the sky ed with dark clouds and below, waves smmed into jagged rocks, sending icy sprays of seawater shooting high into the air. The wind, sharp and bitter with salt, whipped at their cloaks, carrying the raw, wild st of the sea.

  The younger one gripped his wand tightly, eyes locked on the ure before him.

  "Go ahead—cast whatever spell you want," Edward said, barely finishing before Maverick's magic shed out at him.

  Edward raised an eyebrow, unfazed, as the bolt of magic shot straight at him. He didn't even lift his wand. With just a thought, a shimmering shield appeared in front of him, abs the hit with barely a ripple. The impact sent rocks scattering across the cliffside in the opposite dire as the shield held steady.

  Edward send a calm, almost amused g his student. "Impatient, aren't we?"

  "You told me to treat this as a real duel, teacher..." Without another word, he unched a silent Bombarda and vanished, reappearing above Edward, wand aimed and focused.

  Edward zily swung his hand, defleg the ining spell as if swatting away a fly.

  "Bombarda!" Maverick shouted from above, the spell exploding with force as he shot another one and vanished.

  Maverick kept cirg, lunging spell after spell flying from every dire—some loud, and others silent.

  Edward responded effortlessly, raising a casual shield or simply brushing them aside with his bare hands.

  Boom!

  Boom!

  Boom!

  Rocks and debris flew in every dire with a loud bangs. Though the Arch-Magus deflected them, the raw power of Maverick's magic was undeniable, shaking the very grouh them.

  Edward observed his students every move ily.

  Just as Maverick apparated, Edward vanished from sight, reappearing directly behind him, a fist swung to the right of his face.

  Maverick's Magical Sense screamed. He saw the fist ing at him like a train, but there was no time to Apparate again.

  "Prote—!" he tried, but the shield barely formed before it shattered uhe force. The impact sent him crashing to the ground, dragging the rocky surface as dust and debris flew around him.

  "You're too hasty!" Edward instructed, his voice calm and steady amid the chaos. "Rushing in leaves you open."

  Maverick scrambled to his feet, wiping the blood from the side of his face, his wand gripped tightly in his hand.

  The cliff was now pockmarked with craters, the grass disappeared, leaving only scattered rocks in its pce.

  "Go on…" Edward said, brow raised, urging his student to tinue.

  Maverick didn't bother to reply. Instead, he raised his wand and poi straight ahead with a forceful jerk. The stone floor trembled beh him, shifting and reshaping itself into something massive.

  His magical energy poured as the ground trembled and shifted, slowly f the head of a massive crow.

  He stood behind it, wand raised, watg his will e being.

  More rocks ah lifted until a colossal raven stood teall. Its stone beak stretched over three feet, ominously opening wide.

  Maverianded his creation like a ductor, and it unleashed a powerful fp of its wings. The air surged as it lu Edward with fiertensity.

  The whole thing happened in just a few seds, but was more than enough time for an Arch-Magus to ter a hundred spells. But Edward stood there, eyebrow raised, clearly amused.

  "Impressive…" he ehen dramatically raised his hands to summon his owion.

  With a fierce roar, a lion's head burst from the ground, its stone mahick, majestic, radiating the raw power of the king of the juhe body formed , growing to match the massive bird barreling toward it.

  The two colossal heads crashed together, smashing apart in a cascade of shattered rock, each piece scattering across the cliff as their fierce csh ended in rubble.

  The csh sent a shockwave rippling outward, hurling stone and dust in all dires. The cliff, the size of a football field, trembled ominously as chahreateo colpse at any moment, like it had just about had enough of the madness going on above.

  The two ighe chaos as Maverick quickly jured a shield, brag against the shockwave and flying debris.

  But Edward didn't give him a moment to breathe. With a casual lift of his finger, he silently cast Incarcerous, thick ropes shooting toward Maverick. Instantly, Maverick tered with Indio, fmes r to life and burning away the ropes just before they could ensnare him.

  "Think! Use your movement skills!" Edward urged, ung a series of magic. Taking the advice, Maverick weaved between attacks, shielding himself when needed, and ung his own spells iurn.

  He quickly found his rhythm, dodging, casting, and tering Edward's assault. His blood raced with excitement as he unleashed spells faster, eatation flowing instinctively.

  Before long, he was driven by the o nd a si, his magic radiating off him in waves as he dodged and tered, his wand a blur of motion.

  Edward remained rooted to his spot, effortlessly defleg or dodging Maverick's attacks. When Maverileashed a bsting curse at his feet, Edward simply raised the ground with a transfiguration. Cutting curses and pierg hexes followed, but Edward deflected eae with calm precision, using subtle movements and minimal spells.

  The tremors from below intensified, but they remained oblivious. Rocks and boulders began to break away from the cliff, tumbling down into the rocky sea below.

  Time dragged on as the duel between Edward and Maverick raged on. Farther away, atop another cliff, three figures stood watg, uo pull their eyes from the chaos.

  Simon, Sarah, and Isabel stood close, their gaze fixed otle below. Though they were a safe distance away, the sheer power of the fight sent waves of energy rippling through the air. The southernmost cliff—a thousaall and as big as a football field—was crumbling, ks of rock falling away bit by bit.

  "It's wild to think he's only three years older than me," Isabel murmured, awe and disbelief mixing in her gaze.

  "Yeah, well, the kid's a straight-up prodigy," Sarah replied, shaking her head. "Charms, potions, alchemy, dueling… and that transfiguration? Unbelievable." She trailed off, still stunned by Maverick's skill.

  "Speaking of…" Isabel turo Simon, curiosity glinting in her eyes. "How's your transfiguration pared to Maverick's?"

  Simon cleared his throat, his expression twitg. "Uh… why ask me? Why not her?" He motioo his twin, Sarah, hoping to dodge the question.

  "Because you're always bragging that you're better than her," Isabel teased, grinning.

  "Cough. Well, we all have our own… strengths," he muttered, looking away.

  Sarah just shook her head. She knew Simon well enough to see he was trying to py it cool, even though he was clearly embarrassed.

  "Ha! 't admit it, you?" Isabel ughed, seeing his embarrassment.

  "By the way, did he ever mention how he did on his OWLs as yesterday? The kid never gave us a straight answer," Simon asked, gng over at Isabel.

  "Uh… he just said it... should be fine," Isabel replied, clearly as in the dark as Simon.

  "Hmph. He better score high in Potions," Sarah scoffed, crossing her arms.

  "His alchemy's improved too. I mean, it wasn't bad before, but the way he's improved i five months? It should be enough for a high score on his s," Simon added his tone mixed with certainty.

  The three of them sighed in unison, sharing a mix of awe and disbelief.

  "'t believe he's e this far ihing," Sarah murmured. "Five months… and he's already a different person."

  The three stood in silence for a moment, watg the duel until Isabel spoke again, a little quieter this time. "You know… I actually mao give him a hard time, when he first started his training."

  "Pfft," Simon scoffed, barely holding back a ugh. "You? He was a Magus even then. And you're just a Mage Apprentice."

  "Hey, he was a total noob at dueling back then!" Isabel huffed, crossing her arms. "And I'll have you know I'm about to rank up soon!"

  Sarah chuckled and ruffled Isabel's hair. "Don't let him get to you, Bel. Even we're not sure we could beat him."

  Isabel frowned. "Didn't teacher Simon just say I couldn't fight him because of rank? So shouldn't you two be able to take him down?"

  Sarah chuckled. "Not that simple with Maverick."

  Simon sighed. "His mana trol gives him the edge, even over us."

  Isabel blinked. "How? I mean, why?… so he's better than you?"

  Sarah nodded. "If we don't know what to expect, aakes us one-ohen yeah… probably."

  "But how?" Isabel pressed, her brow furrowed.

  Sarah sighed, resting her hand on her . "It's all about his mana trol. You'll get it more once you're a Magus. Think of it like this: he's got a machete, and we're just holding kit knives."

  "Huh?" Isabel blinked, more fused.

  "Okay, picture this: If Maverid we were non-magical and he had a machete, he'd have a way better shot at taking us out than we would with our little kit knives.. See?"

  Isabel nodded slowly, catg the gist even if it didn't all click. She figured it would make more sense once she leveled up.

  As they chatted, gusts of wind and shockwaves from the battle rolled toward them, but their shield spells held steady. At this distahey felt safe enough… even as the fight ahead raged with growing iy.

  ...

  Over an hour had passed, and Maverick was throwing everything he had into the fight. Spell after spell flew from him—some silent, some without even a wand.

  He poured raw Magical-Energy into every move, using the fast, brutal teiques he had picked up over the past few months of training.

  He was a blur, dodging, striking, spinning, pushing every trick his teacher had drilled into him. But nothing worked.

  With each failed attempt, frustration grew inside Maverick. He was bruised and battered, pain radiating from all over his body.

  He was feeling pain, worn out, but he was determio nd at least o. Pushing his body and magic to the breaking point, his attacks grew increasingly desperate.

  Finally, with a flicker in his eyes, Maverick made a gamble. He flicked the finger of his empty hand, sending invisible ripples through the air.

  His teacher had mentiohat one of the ditions to break free from the illusion was knowing you were u.

  At that same moment, his wand hand too jerked forward, ung a bsting fringo. Edward effortlessly deflected it like it was nothing.

  But then, Edward's eyes widened as his magical senses screamed a warning, tradig what his eyes saw. It hit him: he was under his own spell without realizing it. But when?

  He didn't have time to dwell on it before a bst hit him from behind. The Arch-Magus didn't fall, though. In that split sed, he broke free from the illusion and smmed his foot into the ground, steadying himself as the momentum nearly unched him forward.

  His previously domineering appearahough, was now marred with dirt and rocks.

  Maveriow on his knees, panted heavily. 'All that for just a sprinkle of dirt,' he thought to himself with fists ched in a mix of victory a.

  He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to let the leftover adrenaline from the duel fade away as he heard Edward's footsteps approag.

  Edward stood beside him, stretched out his finger, and cast a spell that enveloped Maverick. "Hmm… Two broken ribs, multiple fractures, and yht shoulder's dislocated," Edward said, his voice steady but ced with .

  Maverick could only sigh. With that injury, he had only mao catch Edward off guard ond all he had done was get his robe dirty.

  At least Edward's healer could fix him up pretty quickly, a bed-ridden for a long.

  Edward then sat dowo him, crossing his legs and remaining quiet, just waiting for Maverick's breathing to even out.

  After a moment, he pulled a bottle of water from his ste ring and ha to him. "That was some clever thinking. When did you cast the illusion?"

  In that instant, Maverick's thoughts shifted to one of the smoothest, overpowered vilins from a certain id a smug grin spread across his face.

  "Teacher, when did you get the impression that you weren't under my illusion from the start?" he replied, uo resist teasing.

  Smack!

  "Ow, ow! That hurt!" Maverick cried, rubbing the bump f on his head.

  Edward shot him a deadpan look, but Maverick chuckled, sav the rare moment of having one up on his teacher.

  "It was the st fringo," he expined, pride creeping into his voice. "I cast the illusion spell simultaneously with my other hand, wandlessly."

  Edward stared bnkly at his student, his thoughts a mix of shod disbelief.

  He had cast two spells at once, ohout a wand and without a t.

  He had mastered his owo an unbelievable degree—enough to catch a wizard two ranks above him off guard.

  It was too much to take in—simply unheard of.

  Maverick gulped dower in deep swigs, notig that his teacher was still in a daze.

  He shifted to sit more fortably, or at least as fortably as one could on a pile of broken rocks. With a weary sigh, he muttered, "You weren't even trying, were you, teacher?"

  Edward came out of his stuper, gave his a long ghen smirked, dodging the question with his usual air of mystery.

  "You know," he said, a hint of admiration in his voice, "it's only been five months, and you've gone from fumbling through spells to… well, to this."

  "But still…" Maverick began, ready to protest.

  Edward raised an eyebrow. "Another 'but'? Are you fetting who I am again?"

  A relut smile crossed Maverick's face. This was a familiar se —every time Edward bested him, every time he felt crushed and frustrated, his teacher would remind him of the vast differen their ranks.

  Edward tinued, his voice a mix of firmness and encement. "Look, you went all out and even mao sneak an attae. Me!" He emphasized by jabbing a fi his ow.

  "Your dueling, when you harness your incredible mana trol, is better than most Marquis I know. Don't fet, dueling isn't just about fshy moves or a ton of spells. It's about making sure your attack hits aing it t.

  Your trol over mana—its perception and manipution—that's ye. And don't fet how good you are with illusions. You even got me! That means you hit anyone under Arch-Magus. As long as they're unaware, you've got that window for a decisive blow.

  So, be more fident. No Great Magus could handle you in a short duel. They'd have t it out to even stand a d soon, even that won't be enough."

  Maverick looked dowing his teacher's words sink in. The frustration slowly faded, repced with a flicker of pride.

  'That's right. I've got too many cards up my sleeves that no one expects. But I won't let it get to my head,' Maverick thought, his determinatioling in.

  Just then, the ground shook violently, cracks splintering through the rocky cliff. Dust rose, and it felt like the whole pce was on the verge of colpsing.

  The teacher and student steadied themselves quickly. Looking around, Edward sighed and took out his wand for the first time that day.

  "I'd better this up," he said dryly. "Or MACUSA and the White House will be breathing down my neck."

  "Uh, teacher, are you sure a Reverte fix all… this…?" Maverick asked, wobbling and wing as the ground shook even more violently.

  "Hah," Edward chuckled. "Piece of cake." He snapped his fingers, and two struagical Energy appeared beh them, f solid circles of pure mana for them to stand on.

  Powerful wizards will pure magito stable physical structs. The size and durability would depend on the wizard's mastery ical Energy Manipution and the amount of magic they have.

  Maverick slumped down, crossing his legs on the jured circle while Edward lifted them both about te in the air.

  "Take it easy, just sit back" Edward said, a quice at his exhausted student. "After this, we'll head bad get you all healed up."

  Edward then gave a flick with his wand thehe intation.

  Reverte!

  The wrecked cliff began to shift, almost like time itself was reversing.

  Rumble.

  Rumble.

  The massive, crumbled edges of the southwest cliff—the size of a stadium and nearly a thousa high—reformed, piece by piece, rumbling as they settled bato pce.

  Rumble.

  Rumble.

  Maverick watched in awe as, within a mihe cliff stood pristine, as if they'd never battled at all.

  With a satisfied nod, Edward guided the structs back down to the cliff, whiow looked as good as new.

  Just then, the only three spectators Apparated onto the cliff, and Isabel luoward Maverick, her eyes filled with as she took in Maverick's state. "Ricky!" she excimed, squatting beside him.

  "Uh... I'm okay, Bel," Maverick said, trying not to wince as he forced a smile, hoping to ease her worry.

  "Dad, did you really have to go this far?" she said, shooting her father a look aing out a huff.

  Edward scratched his head. Words with his wife and daughter were battles even the Arch-Magus knew he had no hope of winning.

  "Let's take him to the base infirmary…" Sarah suggested.

  "No. We go home," Edward replied, already raising his wand. "I had a friend prepared, before we came."

  He tightened his grip, eyes sharp with focus, and swiped his wand across the air. Space seemed to tear open before them, f a pitch-bck lihat widened into a tall, regur gateway.

  "Let's go," Edward said, gng back. "Apparating in his state wouldn't be very fortable."

  Maverick watched, mouth hanging open, mesmerized by the sight. He had never seen or even heard of space magic like this before.

  ...

  Garling Residence.

  It was almost noon. The sun was bright, and a cool breeze drifted in from the nearby coast. The trees swayed gently, their leaves rustling like a quiet song, adding a peaceful vibe around the two-story house.

  Then, the air in front of the house began to ripple, and out of nowhere, a tear spread through space, stretg and widening until it formed a shadowy, dark frame.

  Five people stepped through: two men, a woman, a young boy, and a girl. The boy g to the girl's shoulder, his face pale and his legs unsteady—it was clear he had little choice.

  "This is so much better than Apparition," Maverick muttered, his eyes wide with amazement.

  "Well, don't get used to it," Sarah replied, throwing a half-smile at her student. "Only wizards at the boss's level do thi—" She stopped, realizing she was talking to a total anomaly. "Uh… never mind."

  The others exged knowing smiles, catg her drift and nodding in quiet agreement.

  They headed to the door, with Edward leading the way. Before opening it, he gnced back at his daughter with a sheepish, slightly nervous grin. "Uh, just so you know, if your mother asks… little Rick here had a little... act, during training."

  "Hmph. Like you'd ever fool Mom," Isabel shot back, rolling her eyes.

  Edward opened his mouth to protest but quickly shut it—she was right.

  Finally, Edward opehe door and stepped aside for his daughter and his student.

  Sure enough, it didn't take long before a yelp rang out. Silvia's voice called, "Maverick! What happened?"

  "It was an acci—" Edward started, raising a fio defend himself.

  "Dad beat him up during training," Isabel interrupted smoothly, not missing a beat.

  Silvia shot Edward a look that made it clear he was in trouble.

  "I'm fine, Aunt Silvia. Nothing a little magi't fix," Maverick added quickly, trying to score some points for his teacher—only to get the same stern look from her.

  "Edward…" a man's voice called from the dining area as footsteps approached.

  ", my friend!" Edward said, relief washing over him as he turo see a man in his fifties, with white hair and a well-trimmed beard, walking toward them alongside a woman.

  "Uh… Tina, you're here too!" His tone wavered slightly.

  "You asked my husband to e ready to treat an injured patient… I thought it might be an emergency, so I came along in case I could help," Tina replied, raising a knowing eyebrow while casting a pointed g Silvia.

  Sure enough, Silvia's expression darkened even further.

  "That… wife… I expin… Besides, what kind of help she give in an emergency that I couldn't handle?" Edward stammered, looking guilty.

  "Fasating. You must be young Maverick," said, his gaze fixed on the boy even as he shook hands with Edward. He then stepped closer, examining Maverick's dition with genuine curiosity. "Edward mentiohat someone might need a bit of treatment."

  Maverick stared at the middle-aged man, feeling even more awestruck than when he first saw the cra space. This was his first enter with a signifit character from the wizarding world, a Sder was one of his favorites.

  "Right... little Rick, this is my frie Sder," Edward said, gesturing toward . "He's a magizoologist and a really talented healer and potioneer." He g his student, notig the dazed look on Maverick's face.

  "Little Rick?" Edward repeated, raising an eyebrow, growing as he noticed Maverick's expression.

  "Get him to lie down; he looks like he's in shock," said urgently. Isabel quickly gestured to her friend, who had his arm slung over her shoulder for support, aly tried to guide him toward the sofa.

  "Ricky… you okay?" she asked, notig that Maverick hadn't moved.

  "Uh… yeah, I'm fihanks…" Maverick stammered, finally shaking off the star-struck daze that had him speechless.

  "Teacher, we do the treatment in the room?" Maverick suggested, gng at Edward.

  "Are you sure? Let ake a quick look first…" Edward replied, mixed in his voice.

  "Really, I'm fine. I was just… a little shocked to meet Mr. Sder." He g the man iion. "Mr. Sder, I'm a huge fan! It's such a pleasure to meet you." He spoke with excitement, trying to raise his hand but wing instead.

  Edward raised an eyebrow at him. "Kid, why don't you ever show that kind of excitement around me?" he asked, crossing his arms with a pyful challenge.

  Maverick shot his teacher a look that clearly said, Why would I?

  "Enough," Silvia called out, grabbing everyone's attention. She turo her daughter and added, "Hurry up and take Maverick to his room!"

  "Yes, Mom," Isabel replied, gng at her clearly upset mother. She then helped Maverick up the stairs while the others followed behind.

  ...

  About an hour ter, Maverick y on the bed with his upper body bare, his left hand and chest covered in bandages. He looked more rexed now and was in less pain. Surrounding his bed were , his wife, Edward, Silvia, and Isabel.

  Now that their student's dition was stable, Sarah and Simon had left through the Floo after exging a few reassuring words with Maverick.

  "Nothing serious. His bones are healed; he just o take the potions, and he should be up and about in a day or two," expio the room.

  "Thanks a lot, Mr. Sder. I really feel a lot better now," Maverick said, his gratitude clear and relief washing over him. 's healing skills were impressive—something you'd never fiioned in J.K. Rowling's books.

  "Alright, Edward Garling, you expin why he's in this state?" Silvia asked, arms crossed and a pointed look on her face.

  Edward sighed and decided to e . "The duel was a final test for Maverick..." he expined, watering dowails and keeping it vague.

  "You call this a little hard time?" Silvia excimed, gesturing at Maverick, who watched the drama unfold with amusement. It would be a rare sight to see the Golden Lion being pressed like this.

  "Hmph. I'll tell Ariel and Michael that you beat up their son," Silvia said, crossing her arms as the tip of her right shoe tapped rithemicaly on the floor.

  Edward eechless, unsure of how to respond to his wife.

  "Uh, Aunt, you please not? I really don't want them to worry, and this is no big deal. I'll be healed in no time," Maverick jumped in quickly.

  The st thing he needed was for his parents to freak out—they'd never seen him injured like this before.

  "Hmph… you two are so alike," Silvia muttered, inwardly agreeing with him.

  "Well, now that it's all done," said, looking from Maverick to Edward, "I o have a word with you."

  "Right, let's give little Rie time to rest," Edward replied, starting to head for the door along with everyone else.

  But Maverick spoke up before they could leave. "Mr. Sder, is that the suitcase where you keep all your... animal friends?"

  raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Yes, young man. How did you know?"

  "Uh... I read a lot of books," Maveriswered. It was true; he had e across 's name and his magical suitcase in several history books.

  "I didn't know you were such a fan of magical animals," said, gng at Maverid then at Edward, who looked just as clueless. "I show you the world inside, after you're healed."

  "Uh, sir… I touch it, please?" Maverick asked, his eyes pleading. Everyone in the room gave him strange looks.

  He coughed, brushing off the momentary embarrassment.

  He just wao check out the suitcase's Extraordinary-Characteristid its rating—he didn't care about anything else. If it got an excellent grade her, he could replicate the Characteristic for himself. After all, he still had an unused point just sitting there.

  hesitated at first; he had never received such a... peculiar request. But he trusted Edward, so he brushed off his worries and pced the suitcase o Maverick.

  Maverick's excitement was clear as he eagerly patted the suitcase. The others stared at him, exging puzzled gnces, w if he might be one of those people with a straish.

  "Thank you, sir! I ask for your autographs and Madam Tina's on my copy of your book?" Maverick asked, doing his best trying to mask his unusual behavior.

  nodded, while Tina gave him a curious look.

  "Oh... why me, little guy?" Tina asked, raising an eyebrow, clearly amused by his request.

  "Uh... well, when I read the books, I figured Mr. Sder's success had a lot to do with your support," he added, trying to sweeten the ent with a pliment.

  Tina burst into ughter, her eyes sparkling with delight. "Hahaha... I like this little guy!" she excimed, clearly charmed by his fttery.

  Everyone gradually left the room until only Isabel was left, standiantly at the door.

  Maverick, feeling a bit fused, said, "I'm fine, Bel. Just a bit tired from all the potions."

  Isabel paused for a moment before responding. "I know... Just get some rest, and I'll bring lun a little while."

  "Uh... I go downstairs. It's not like I'm seriously injured—"

  "No! Don't even think about getting out of bed," she replied firmly, then turo leave, cutting off any ce for him tue.

  Maverick couldn't help but think, 'Uh... does she have a weird teenage crush on me or something?' He shook his head and pondered further.

  'She's really beautiful... and an incredible witch. I've known her since we were kids... Crap. Hold up. Calm down, Maverick. She's barely 16...' He quickly reminded himself, trying to push aside the weird, lingering thoughts.

  It wasirely his fault. He was biologically 18, and teenage hormones didn't just skip over him because he was a transmigrator.

  But he wasn't having any inappropriate thoughts; he simply appreciated his longtime friend as potential future wife material. *Cough.* Only time would tell.

  Once Isabel left and the door clicked shut, Maverick finally turned his attention to the system.

  ...

  [ Item: Magical Suitcase ]

  [ Extraordinary Characteristic: Expanded Space. ]

  [ Grade: Excellent. ]

  Sure enough, the grading came back as Excellent, and a wide grin spread aaverick's face.

  He reized that prompt—it reminded him of the times he had touched bags ented with Uable Extension Charms.

  However, all those magical objects, including the ste ring his teacher Edward had given him, only had the Basic grade characteristic.

  [ Do you want to use oraordinary Characteristic Point to replicate it? ]

  Without a sed thought, Maverick hit [YES], but the system popped up another message.

  [ Uo ie Extraordinary Characteristic! ]

  [ vertiraordinary Characteristic to an iable state. ]

  [ version plete. ]

  [ raordinary Characteristidepe Expanded Dimension. ]

  [ Replig Extraordinary Characteristic. ]

  "Wait... Wait... Wait..."

  Maverick was very puzzled by the series of messeges. It seemed the system had somehow altered the Extraordinary Characteristito something different.

  But wheried to learn more aally ahe system to stop the a, it had ignored him pletely.

  A few seds ter, his status panel popped up, now featuring the new detail.

  ---

  [ Name: Maverick Caesar ]

  [ Css: Wizard ]

  [ Rank: Magus ]

  [ Magical Energy: 837+ ]

  [ Points: 1,649 ]

  [ Extraordinary Characteristic Points: 0 ]

  [ Extraordinary Characteristics: Excellent grade spellcasting, Excellent Grade Indepe Expanded Dimension (unfused) ]

  Maverick focused on the "unfused" note, and the expected prompt appeared.

  [ Do you want to fuse the Extraordinary Characteristidepe Expanded Dimension? ]

  Maverick gave it some thought. Now that it had been replicated, and he lost the single unit of replication point, there was no point iting. And the new modified Characteristic seemed better, with the addition of "Indepe.'

  [ YES ] [ NO ]

  Taking a deep breath, he chose [ YES ].

  He waited for the follow-up rea. And sure enough, that tingliiourned, but this time it spread all over him. Maverick was genuinely curious to see how this Extraordinary Characteristic might affect him.

  It didn't st long—barely half a minute. He tried to sense any difference, any new awareness or feeling out of the ordinary, but everythi pletely normal.

  He opened his system pao get a better uanding, and there it was—the "Indepe Expanded Dimension" listed under Extraordinary Characteristiow fully ied. He focused on it, and a message appeared, vely dispying the instrus, usage, and funs.

  [ Extraordinary Characteristidepe Expanded Dimension. ]

  Provides 1,000 cubic meters of space, anchored to the host's Magical-Energy aing in an indepe dimension.

  How to view and use the Indepe Expanded Dimension: Focus oraordinary Characteristiake the space sciously observable. tents be freely anized by will.

  Only noient materials be transferred to the indepe dimension.

  Materials be transferred only through direct physical tact, provided they have no attats or bindings and are in a state of plete rest.

  retrieve anytime, anywhere, given that the retrieving space is free from any physical matter.

  Maverick y on the bed, carefully studying this new Characteristic he had acquired. It reminded him of the typical "System Warehouse" that main characters often received with their systems in the novels and stories he had read in his previous life. Rather than calling it araordinary-Characteristic, he preferred to think of it as a fun of his system.

  This "Expanded Dimension" or space funed much like a ste ring, except it wasn't tained within any object. Instead, it existed in a pletely separate, uricted dimension.

  The downside of the characteristic, after the system modified it for iion, was that it couldn't store living things—unlike 's suitcase.

  But that didn't bother him. He now felt an immense reassurance about his belongings; he no longer had to worry about anyone gaining access to an object he wished to keep secret.

  Any alchemical ste item could be stolen, but his system space was untouchable, as it existed entirely separate from this reality itself.

  In short, Maverick found the iment of oraordinary Characteristic Point immensely worthwhile. He now had access to a spatirely indepe of any physical, magical, or other force, accessible solely through his sciousness—no need for a medium like a ring or a bag.

  ---

  He then focused on the system panel, reviewing the ges that had taken pce over the st five months since he began training with Edward.

  [ Name: Maverick Caesar ]

  [ Css: Wizard ]

  [ Rank: Magus ]

  [ Magical Energy: 837+ ]

  [ Points: 1,649 ]

  [ Extraordinary Characteristic Points: 0 ]

  [ Extraordinary Characteristics: Excellent grade spellcasting, Excellent grade Indepe Expanded Dimension. ]

  [ Talents: ]

  [ Magical Energy Manipution (Advanced +) ]

  [ Magical Sense (Advanced +) ]

  [ Transfiguration (Advanced +) ]

  [ Potions (Intermediate +) ]

  [ Alchemy (Intermediate +) ]

  [ Spells: ]

  [ Aquired Advanced Proficy: ]

  [ Illusio Lunam Le + | Flipendo + | Bombarda + | Expelliarmus + | Protego + | Finite + Intatem + | Petrificus Totalus + | Stupefy + | PatronusCharm + | Episkey (Healing) + | Reparo + | Revelio + | Disillusio + | Wingardium Leviosa + | Occlumency + | Legilimency + | Apparition + | fundus + ]

  [ Aquired Intermediate Proficy: ]

  [ .... ]

  Over the past five months, Maverick hadn't used a single point to upgrade his Magical Energy, talents, or even a spell. It is now July 15, 1989, he had saved up 1,649 points.

  The system reized that his proficy with the Levitation Charm had advanced, dispying it under Advanced Proficy, marking it as the only skill he'd mao master purely through experience.

  His potion-making and alchemy talents remai Intermediate Proficy, though he knew his knowledge and skills in these areas had grown signifitly beyond what they'd been when he first reached the intermediate level. The system just hadn't aowledged an upgrade yet. Advanced proficy, after all, sighat he had reached, or even slightly surpassed, the level of a Hogwarts professor.

  Maveriew he wasn't quite there yet, so he resisted the temptation to use 100 system points to upgrade these talents. Instead, he wao tinue earning his advas the hard way, accumuting real knowledge and experience.

  And his Magical Energy? It had nearly doubled. After some experimentation, he discovered that his own Magical Energy exercises could indeed raise his magical reserves, albeit slowly and with siderable effort. It made seher wizards must also have methods for increasing their magical energy; otherwise, ranks would.

  Edward's training had accelerated his growth. When Maverick learned movement teiques and physical exercises from his mentor, his Magical Energy began growing steadily, much faster than it did with his own limited exercises. While it wasn't enough to let him rank up ht, it was a far more effective method. This was how he had doubled his initial 400+ Magical Energy in just five months.

  He knew, however, that reag the rank—Great Magus—would be challenging. He still o raise his energy by over 2,000 units to reach 3,000, the threshold for breakthrough. And he suspected that an epiphany or some form of enlighte would be necessary as he hat number.

  This was why so many witches and wizards remaiuck as Magus-level practitioners; only a select few mao achieve the breakthrough required to bee Great Magus.

  But Maverick believed he had the talent. In the past months, without the system's assistance, he'd made signifit progress. His teacher had praised his prehension skills, calling him a true genius.

  Still, these were problems ordinary people faced. Maverick, a transmigrator with a system from beyond the fourth wall, had an advantage. He would tio train hard and follow Edward's pns, but whe a bottleneck, he could always "cheat" by using his system points.

  He estimated that he could cross into the Great Magus rank in two years—right on time for the third phase of his pn: joining Hogwarts as a professor.

  Now, you might wonder: what are these phases, and what happeo the first and sed parts?

  This was something Maverick had thought through meticulously—a pn for his future in this universe and his ultimate goal.

  Currently, he was still in the first phase, which had begun when his system awakened and he was introduced to magic. This phase was simple: to ie himself into this world, study, learn, and train. In short, the "getting started" phase.

  The sed phase roag, and it involved traveling the world. Maveriteo visit various magical tries, immersing himself in their unique magid societies. He estimated that two years would be enough to explore most of the majical establishments around the world.

  After that, the plot of the Harry Potter series would begin. Although he khis universe was different—very different—he alss core simirities to the inal story.

  His pn was to join Hogwarts, a goal he already had a solid approach for, and then observe events from the background. His aim was to follow the storyline and leverage any opportuhat presehemselves.

  Meanwhile, during his two-year journey and throughout the seven years at Hogwarts, he inteo make a name for himself by starting a business in both the magical and non-magical worlds, operating under his own name—and, if possible, under an alias as well.

  His goal was to introduce stific thinking to the stagnant British magical society, aiming to elevate their awareness and moderheir perspectives. And he believed that the best pce to begin this transformation was at their most prestigious school.

  This was essential because the fourth phase would involve other realities mingled within this universe, and he he wizarding unity to be unified and prepared. Maverick was fident; ten years was more than enough time for him to position himself as a leader—or even the leader—of the global magical unity.