Chapter 56: Wizards Do Not Need Systems, Just As Dreams Need No Shackles

One of them had just officially started learning the path of magic from Roger.

The other had obtained a "cheat device" crafted by Roger and was still in the adaptation phase.

Plus, Neville would occasionally squeeze out a spell of his own.

For a moment, the three of them were locked in a fiercely contested match.

However, as time went on, Hermione increasingly gained the upper hand.

Until...

Thud, thud!

Two heavy sounds of bodies hitting the ground echoed as Harry and Neville were knocked down by Hermione's Knockback Jinx.

"So that's how it is. Is this the world through your eyes?" After the magical duel had gone on for quite a while, Hermione finally adapted to the [Tactical Analysis] capability of the Second Brain during combat.

Although it was called combat analysis, Hermione felt that this thing was almost akin to precognition.

By observing muscle contractions, pupil tremors, and micro-expressions, it inferred the angle of the opponent's wand-waving motion and the emotions being mobilized, thereby predicting what magic the opponent was about to cast and from what angle they would attack.

The imagery of the "future" overlapping with the present initially caused quite a bit of confusion in Hermione's mind when the fight first began.

Right now, she had just managed to adapt.

"No, it's just somewhat similar. There's still quite a gap between this and the true appearance of the world in my eyes," Roger denied.

Hearing Roger's denial, Hermione pressed her lips together: "That's too unfair."

If Roger could see even more than what she had just experienced, she could hardly imagine how anyone could ever defeat Roger.

At that moment, Hermione truly felt how absurd a prophet was.

"Actually, it's not as exaggerated as you think, just like when you were fighting Harry a moment ago."

"Magic is a miracle of the heart and belief. In his subconscious, Harry doesn't treat you as an enemy, nor does he want to hurt you, so the power of the magic he releases is greatly discounted."

"Harry is best at the Disarming Charm, but he doesn't believe the magic you cast is truly a 'fatal weapon' that could cause him serious harm; at most, it's categorized at the level of 'it's going to sting'."

"With these two layers of weakening, the effect of his spell is only twenty percent of its peak state, while you, assisted by the Second Brain, can unleash eighty percent of your strength."

With that, Roger looked at Harry, who was climbing up from the ground: "If he were to burst out with his full power, even if you could predict his moves, he could simply overpower you with sheer force and flip you over during the fight."

The prediction of the Second Brain was calculated based on continuously observed data, not true future sight, and was completely on a different tier from Roger's own ability.

"Absolute strength can bridge the gap in technique."

"For me, the same principle applies."

"If someone's power is an order of magnitude greater than mine, I would still find it troublesome to fight them."

Having said that, Roger flashed a gentle smile at Hermione: "By the way, would you like to spar with me and test the limits of the Second Brain?"

Upon hearing this, Hermione didn't hesitate for even a second, answering with absolute firmness: "No!"

Just moments ago, while she was locked in combat with Harry and the others in this room, spells were flying around wildly from time to time, yet none of these spells harmed the surrounding objects in the slightest.

All of the "stray bullets" required no wand-drawing or spell-chanting from Roger; a simple wave of his hand caused them to vanish into thin air.

Their magical strengths were simply not on the same order of magnitude!

She had no interest in torturing herself.

"Since you're not coming, then let's uninstall the Second Brain first," Roger said as he raised his wand, preparing to sever the connection between the Second Brain and Hermione.

Roger had merely lent this item to Hermione for fun; he wasn't giving it to her.

"Wait, isn't there also a learning planning function? Can you let me experience that?" Hermione had always been extremely interested in anything related to learning.

"Learning planning..." Roger hesitated for the first time in a while.

It was precisely after he developed the learning planning function back then that he realized there was a flaw in his development philosophy, causing him to scrap that entire version of the Second Brain.

Yet, upon second thought, Roger felt that as a negative example, letting Hermione experience this failed path might actually be a good thing.

It would save her from potentially taking detours in the future.

"Then go ahead and give it a try." A flash of magical fluctuation swept past, and Roger unlocked the permissions related to learning planning.

The next second, a virtual panel appeared in Hermione's field of vision.

[Name: Hermione Granger]

[Gender: Female]

Following that was a massive amount of data including height, weight, blood pressure, organ function status, and expected natural lifespan.

Her consciousness concentrated on the panel.

The data above shifted slightly.

[Life Realm: First Boundary]

[Physical Strength: 3]

[Soul/Mental Strength: 10~13]

[Mastered Magic: Knockback Jinx lv5, Levitation Charm lv3, Petrifying Charm lv3, Transfiguration...]

[Mastered Skills: Potion Making lv2, Broomstick Flying lv2, Herbology...]

"Is this... a gaming attribute panel?!" Coming from a Muggle family, Hermione found this sort of thing extremely familiar.

"You could say that. My original idea was to organize the things I've learned, constantly keep track of my progress in various abilities, and study in a targeted manner." As a transmigrator, Roger certainly had a bit of an obsession with things like "systems."

And so, he had hammered out a crude version of a "Wizard Growth System."

However, after it was truly created, Roger realized he was wrong.

If he were an arcane mage, it could have brought him quite a bit of help.

But the magic he learned was at Hogwarts!

"My attempt failed, though. You can just look at this attribute panel for fun; you don't have to take it seriously," Roger said with a serious expression.

"A wizard's magic is a miracle of the heart and belief, not some specific technique."

"The human heart has infinite possibilities, and therefore magic also has infinite possibilities."

"Do not indulge in the so-called levels deduced from your mastery of spell techniques, nor should you believe that the attributes on the panel represent your true limit."

"Data will shackle your heart. Once you develop the mindset of 'my mental strength is only 13, so I shouldn't be able to exert a force of 14 strength,' or 'my Levitation Charm is lv3, its power cannot exceed lv4,' you are placing shackles upon yourself and abandoning true magic."

With that, Roger gently flicked his wand in the air, severing the connection between the Second Brain and Hermione, and it floated back into his hand.

Wizards do not need systems, just as a child's dream needs no shackles of reality.

The miracle of magic will only ever appear in the hands of those who believe in miracles.

***

Roger was not someone who favored one over the other; after Hermione had her turn playing with it, he lent it to Harry and Neville to try out as well.

Like Hermione, Harry marveled at the power of "predicting the future."

Neville, however, had different thoughts. Having a poor memory and always struggling to learn spells well, he believed that the so-called assisted spellcasting was the most terrifying thing of all.

"If enough of these are manufactured, wouldn't that mean all young wizards could master a vast amount of spells without even going to school?"

Regarding Neville's question, Roger stated that it wasn't that simple: "It merely allows you to cast a spell; that is entirely different from fully mastering and deeply developing a piece of magic."

Just like an ordinary person throwing a punch, Mike Tyson throwing a punch, and Ultraman Taro throwing a punch—they are all punching, but it's not the same thing at all.

The spellcasting auxiliary function only allows a person to "throw a punch." If one truly wants to become stronger, they still have to rely on their own hard work.

"Oh..." Neville nodded, understanding half of it.

The group's efficiency was fairly high, and they quickly sorted out the alchemical items suitable to be used as gifts.

After Roger thanked them, Hermione and Neville left one after another, while Harry stayed behind.

"Roger, there's something I need your help with." This time, Harry had chosen to stay behind of his own accord.

"What is it?" Roger had noticed Harry's distracted state from time to time earlier, so he wasn't surprised by Harry staying behind.

"Can you lend me that Second Brain from earlier? I'll return it to you next week." As Harry spoke, it was as if a cold fire was burning quietly in the depths of his pupils.

Roger had already explained the flaws of that failed product moments ago; why would Harry still want to borrow it?

Roger met Harry's gaze, staring deep into his eyes, and instantly understood what he intended to do.

"Harry, you should understand that now is not the time for you to face him."

"I know, but if I know he's right there and yet do nothing about it, I'll never forgive myself for the rest of my life!" Harry said without a moment's hesitation, already knowing where Voldemort was lurking.