As for the second way to level up, it was just like a mage—learning and developing more spells while digging deeper into one's own magical potential.
After all, this wasn't a game. Where would you even find monsters to grind for experience?
Even his so-called status panel was nothing more than a data-based summary of his current condition.
A mage's strength came from the growth of knowledge and exploration of the Weave. Naturally, the more knowledge one had, the more powerful they became.
Learning new spells was easier for leveling up than mastering a single spell in depth, and creating new spells was even easier than learning them.
In this regard, Lewis had an advantage.
His knowledge and insights were not limited to the Harry Potter world.
This meant that with a bit of enlightenment, he could create entirely new spells.
Even if those spells already existed across countless worlds, to him—and to the Harry Potter world—they were still newly created magic.
By his estimation, as long as he learned twenty more 1st-circle spells, or created ten 1st-circle spells, or five 2nd-circle spells, he would be able to advance to Wizard Level 5.
In short, the more he learned, the more he understood, and the more he innovated, the faster he would grow stronger.
Before the Halloween Eve feast began, Lewis still had one Charms class to attend.
Today's lesson was the Levitation Charm, something Lewis was already familiar with.
But that didn't stop him from gaining something new during the class.
"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" Professor Flitwick squeaked as usual, standing atop his stack of books.
"Swish and flick, remember—swish and flick."
"And enunciating your incantation properly is very important too—never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself lying on the floor with a buffalo standing on his chest."
The classroom burst into laughter, the air filled with cheer.
Bang!
Before the laughter could die down, a loud crash echoed from the center of the classroom.
A massive bison suddenly appeared out of thin air, completely blocking the central aisle.
The young wizards, stunned but excited, crowded around to take a closer look.
"Oh my, who did this?" Professor Flitwick called out loudly, though there was no anger in his tone.
"It was me, Professor."
From within the crowd, Lewis raised his hand.
"I thought it was just a joke… I didn't expect…" He pointed at the bison. "I didn't expect it to actually be real."
With a wave of his wand, he dismissed the summoned bison, then used a Repair Charm to restore the scattered desks and chairs to their original state.
"A splendid charm," Professor Flitwick said, nodding appreciatively. "I daresay you've just invented a Bison Spell. But now is not the time to discuss that."
He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back to the Levitation Charm.
But clearly, the impact of the "Bison Spell" had not faded.
The young wizards all felt that Lewis's display was incredibly cool.
Many of them looked at him eagerly, hoping to find a chance to learn that trick from him.
What they didn't know was that Lewis had done far more than simply invent a "Bison Spell."
At the moment he summoned the bison, a realization struck him.
You have learned [Bison Summoning Spell]. Through your understanding of arcane magic, you have grasped the core concept of summoning and achieved an upgrade.
Your [Bison Summoning Spell] has evolved into [Summon Monster]. Your Conjuration School has reached specialization level.
Summon Monster: You can summon creatures from other planes to fight for you (these planes typically refer to subsidiary dimensions such as Heaven or Hell, not truly across all worlds).
Conjuration School Specialization: You are proficient in Conjuration magic. As your wizard level increases, you will gradually comprehend all core Conjuration spells.
The Conjuration School focused on summoning and creating matter, and [Summon Monster] was its most fundamental spell.
Summon Monster could call forth all kinds of creatures, with the bison being just one example.
Although the spell itself was only 1st-circle, as the caster's level increased, it could be cast using higher circles.
The higher the circle, the stronger the summoned creature.
Additionally, the spell had many variations.
For example, [Summon Undead] could call forth undead from the underworld, [Celestial Pact] could summon angels and other celestial beings, while [Draconic Pact] could bring forth draconic beasts and even true dragons.
In short, thanks to an unexpected accident, he had unlocked the path of the Conjuration School, and Lewis was quite pleased.
The rest of the lesson proceeded smoothly.
Aside from Lewis, only Hermione successfully cast the Levitation Charm, while Gryffindor's Seamus once again caused an explosion.
Unfortunately, when the girl tried to guide Ron, the two got into an argument, and she ran off crying as soon as class ended.
Lewis shook his head. Was this the convergence of fate?
It seemed he would need to be careful when practicing later—especially to protect others.
As soon as Charms class ended, the young wizards found the Great Hall transformed by colorful Halloween decorations, making it both eerie and dazzling.
A large swarm of bats fluttered along the ceiling, occasionally colliding with the walls and vanishing. They were all conjured by magic.
Piles of pumpkins carved into grotesque faces were stacked against the walls, while others were turned into lanterns, floating in the air alongside the bats.
Delicious dishes appeared suddenly on golden plates, just like during the start-of-term feast.
"Lewis, you look really hungry today?"
At the dining table, Steve looked at Lewis, who was devouring his food, and asked in surprise.
Aside from the opening feast, he had never seen Lewis eat like this. He was used to Lewis's slow, refined manner of eating—why was he wolfing down food like this today?
Lewis glanced at him and said while chewing, "Got a bad feeling… something's gonna go wrong today."
Then he lowered his head and continued attacking the meat pie in front of him.
"That doesn't mean you should eat this fast," Steve said, watching him stuff another mouthful of salad into his mouth, shaking his head. "You're even worse than me."
In less than twenty minutes, Lewis had completely filled his stomach.
He wiped his mouth and looked toward the Gryffindor table. Harry and his best friend Ron were eating heartily, but Hermione was nowhere to be seen.
Then he glanced at the teachers' table. Professor Quirrell was also absent.
So he stood up and whispered to Steve, "I'm going to the bathroom."
Steve froze. "You're digesting that fast too?"
Ignoring him, Lewis left his seat and headed straight toward the lower classrooms.
When he reached the staircase, he didn't go down immediately. Instead, he hid behind a statue, cast Invisibility on himself, and silently concealed his presence.
Soon, he saw Professor Quirinus Quirrell running up from below. The man passed right in front of him and hurried toward the Great Hall.
Only after confirming Quirrell had disappeared from sight did Lewis calmly step out from behind the statue, walk down the stairs, and begin searching for the troll.
At that moment, in the Great Hall—
Under the watchful eyes of students and teachers alike, Professor Quirrell suddenly burst into the hall.
His large turban was crooked, and his face was filled with terror.
Everyone stared at him.
He staggered to Dumbledore's chair, leaned against the table, and gasped, "Troll—in the dungeons—I thought you ought to know."
With that, he collapsed onto the floor and fainted.
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