"What a tragic sight…"
Late at night, Tom lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, still replaying the battle that had just unfolded inside the learning space. There was a trace of schadenfreude in his thoughts, yes, but far more than that, there was awe.
Andros had followed him for over two years.
Tonight, for the first time, he had unleashed his full strength.
Just watching him fight had made Tom feel suffocated. What Andros wielded was not merely spell after spell, but an overwhelming current of destiny itself. A grand, irresistible momentum. Against that presence, ordinary wizards would not even muster the will to resist.
It was not just a vague aura. It was the embodiment of a wizard's will.
When that level of intent infused even the simplest spell, decay turned to miracle. The impossible became effortless.
Tom finally understood why Andros and Grindelwald had once refused to let him witness their duel. The psychological impact was too great. It took a long time to recover from that kind of shock. The moment Tom sensed something was off, he had quickly transferred Ariana away.
Even so, the battle could only be described in one word.
Overwhelming.
Andros had been like a toy in Rowena Ravenclaw's hands. No matter how many ancient spells he unleashed, no matter how his massive Patronus, over ten meters tall, erupted in radiant fury, he could not threaten her in the slightest.
Every spell, every oppressive field of force, dissolved the instant it neared her.
Assimilated.
That was the only word Tom could find.
"Spells are made of magic. Once you suppress the will embedded within, you can naturally alter the state of that magic."
That had been Ravenclaw's explanation.
Tom, Grindelwald, and Andros had all listened with expressions ranging from confusion to disbelief. They understood the words individually, yet could not fully connect them to practical magic.
Andros, however, was not discouraged by defeat.
He was exhilarated.
He had been undefeated his entire life. What he craved most was loss, because loss meant someone stood above him. It meant there was something to pursue.
And to lose so completely in one stroke rekindled the fire of his youth, the hunger he had once felt while seeking the path of magic. Passion. Drive. The desire to grow stronger.
Ravenclaw herself had sighed.
"Mr. Andros, you did not truly lose. Before I took that final step toward understanding the essence of magic... using Mr. Riddle's terminology, when I was merely at the King of the Century stage, I would not have been your match."
"Even now, my magical power may not exceed yours. I simply use it more efficiently."
That was the acknowledgment of a legend.
Even Grindelwald did not dispute it.
After the duel, Tom had escorted Ravenclaw to Ariana's villa, leaving the two girls to exchange information about the present era. The two old titans retreated to reflect on the fight. Only then did Tom withdraw from the learning space.
His own gains were immense.
Ravenclaw's realm was too high for him to comprehend fully. What struck him most was Andros' opening assault.
Will layered upon spell.
Perhaps that was the final gate before the realm of the King of the Century.
Ordinary wizards influenced magic through emotion and intent.
Kings of the Century turned that influence into tangible augmentation.
That was how they produced power beyond imagination.
Tom's situation, however, was awkward.
His life essence surpassed that of ordinary wizards. With the learning space and guidance from two legendary teachers, his growth had outpaced all expectations.
By the system's standards, he was the most outstanding of his generation. A clear tier above all peers.
Yet he still fell short of the Kings of the Century.
His strength was stacked through numbers.
His rank had not ascended.
But which King of the Century was not also a monster of raw power?
His advantages in magic reserves and innate amplification were diminished once measured against them. He hovered in a strange middle ground.
If Severus Snape were used as a reference, the comparison would look something like this:
Snape
Tom
King of the Century
Above the former by a gulf.
Below the latter by a hair's breadth.
To many, he already seemed to stand at Dumbledore's level.
But Tom knew better.
He was still lacking something.
And that tiny difference might require years to close.
"Do not rush. The more impatient you are, the easier it is to make mistakes."
He calmed his breathing and let go of thoughts about immediate strength. Instead, he opened the system interface.
Ten percent recognition had granted him three hundred achievement points and one mid level draw. Most likely, every additional ten percent would bring the same reward. The full task would yield at least three thousand achievement points and ten mid level draws.
No wonder the requirement was so high.
Even if WhatsApp spread across the entire wizarding world, achieving one hundred percent completion would be nearly impossible.
He casually activated the mid level draw.
He had not expected much.
This time, however, the system surprised him.
[Building Upgrade Voucher (Basic): Allows one upgrade to a system building. Can only be used on an existing building.]
System building?
The Meditation House.
It was the only one he possessed.
Without hesitation, Tom used it and entered the learning space.
The small eighty square meter wooden hut at the center had transformed. It was now a two story villa spanning two hundred square meters.
[Meditation House Lv.1: No usage cost. Increases host's baseline cognitive speed by 30 percent and enhances comprehension. When the host activates Embodiment or Transcendence Mode inside the Meditation House, duration is extended by 100 percent with no increase in academic point consumption.]
[Note: The Meditation House may be opened to private teachers. Maximum of two teachers at a time. The host is not restricted.]
Tom's eyes lit up as he read the updated description.
This was a massive upgrade.
The baseline enhancement had increased by ten percent. That was minor.
But the true value lay elsewhere.
The extended duration now applied to Transcendence Mode.
Previously, it had only strengthened Embodiment.
Now, everything had changed.