Thoughts flickered through Sharl's mind as his gaze returned to the Devil's Snare root before him.
His Christmas holiday was rapidly drawing to a close. Once he returned to Hogwarts, most of his time would be consumed by classes, Quidditch training, and helping Professor Snape process potions. On top of that, there was always the possibility of unforeseen troubles knocking on his door. If he wanted to experiment freely, this short window of time was his best—and perhaps only—chance.
He needed to work through every detail of cultivating the Devil's Snare.
If he could finish his preparations now, then once he returned to Hogwarts and received a new experimental plot, he would be able to plant it immediately. That would allow him to begin research on Devil's Snare cultivation—and even the more advanced Whomping Willow topics—as early as possible.
Even if repeated failed attempts slightly damaged the future quality of this Devil's Snare root, Sharl's eyes still held a resolute light.
Next, he took a deep breath.
He submerged his head directly into the water, entering the enhanced state brought about by Water Enhancement.
On the system panel, both his Magic Perception and magical output surged dramatically. The recently promoted Platinum-level Pruning Charm became even more refined under this heightened perception. At the same time, the magical nodes within the Devil's Snare root grew clearer and more distinct in his senses.
Without hesitation, Sharl raised his wand and aimed it at a visible magic node.
"Arbor-Siccus!"
The most powerful Pruning Charm he had ever cast struck the node precisely.
This time, the sensation was completely different from before. Rather than cutting through something tough like leather, it felt as though he were slicing a sheet of paper with sharp scissors. After a brief moment of resistance, a smooth, effortless sensation followed.
Chirp!
The epidermis of the Devil's Snare split open at the targeted magic node. Even more remarkably, the magical currents beneath the skin converged like branching rivers, with part of the flow gathering at the wound.
Sharl's eyes lit up.
He immediately retrieved the potion prepared to replenish the Devil's Snare's nutrients and carefully dripped a single drop onto the wound.
Moments later, the incision healed. Yet Sharl could clearly sense new magic continuously emerging from that spot. It would not be long before fresh shoots sprouted there, giving rise to a new branch.
A smile of genuine joy appeared on his face.
Looking above the Devil's Snare, he noticed an extremely faint reward light sphere beginning to form. This meant that his cultivation process had officially begun—and successfully at that.
"Generally speaking," Sharl murmured to himself, "once the Devil's Snare develops more than ten first-level branches, and the combined number of second- and third-level branches exceeds two hundred, it can advance to the next stage."
His eyes flickered thoughtfully.
He wasn't certain he could attempt second- or third-level branches just yet. The first-level magic node he had just pruned was the most obvious one. Nodes corresponding to higher-level branches would be far subtler, and he wasn't confident his current Magic Perception could identify them accurately.
But perhaps he could at least meet the requirements for first-level branches.
With renewed determination, Sharl cast several more Pruning Charms in succession.
The results, however, were mixed.
In some locations, the wounds reacted just as before—magic gathered, and new shoots were clearly forming. But in nearly half of the pruned spots, the magic nodes dissipated completely. These were outright failures; no new branches would ever grow from those locations.
Sharl frowned.
"About a fifty percent success rate," he concluded.
He stopped immediately.
The quality of this Devil's Snare root was exceptional. If cultivated to full maturity, it could yield extremely valuable rewards. But forcing further pruning at this success rate would destroy nearly half of its magic nodes, drastically reducing the number of branches it could ultimately grow.
In that case, the final reward might barely reach Bronze level.
The difference was enormous.
Sharl shook his head.
"It's still an issue of magical output," he muttered. "Even with Water Enhancement boosting my power, it's still a bit weak against the Devil's Snare's epidermis. If the Pruning Charm is even slightly too slow breaking through, the magic node is destroyed instead of guided."
"However, if I wait two more days—until this batch of margaret is harvested—that problem should disappear."
With that decision made, Sharl halted his experiment and resolved to return to the Devil's Snare root in two days.
As he relaxed, his gaze drifted to the system panel—and he suddenly noticed something unusual.
He let out a soft sound of surprise.
Under the effect of [Cutting Charm Enhancement (Bronze Level)], his Sectumsempra had long been hovering at the boundary between Bronze and Silver. Silver light already threaded through it.
Yet over the past few days, he had not practiced Sectumsempra at all.
And still, the silver luster had expanded, now occupying more than half of the progress bar. It was on the verge of a true breakthrough.
A realization dawned on him.
"I already suspected that when Snape created Sectumsempra, he drew inspiration from the Pruning Charm," Sharl mused. "That's why practicing Sectumsempra also improves pruning techniques."
"Then logically… the reverse should also be true."
"It just wasn't obvious before. But now that the Pruning Charm has leapt from Gold to Platinum, Sectumsempra has improved alongside it."
A look of delight crossed his face.
Sectumsempra was currently his strongest offensive spell. Any increase in its mastery directly translated into a significant boost in combat strength. If it advanced to Bronze level, his overall power would rise by another tier.
With that thought, Sharl prepared to put the Devil's Snare root away.
Then another idea surfaced.
Since there was a connection between the Pruning Charm and Sectumsempra, could Sectumsempra replace the Pruning Charm entirely?
What would happen if he used it to cut the Devil's Snare's magic nodes?
Sectumsempra's cutting power far surpassed that of the Pruning Charm. It might slice through the epidermis effortlessly, dramatically increasing his success rate.
Once the thought appeared, it refused to leave.
Sharl clenched his teeth.
"Since Aunt used so much Devil's Snare to guard the Philosopher's Stone," he reasoned, "there should still be plenty of roots left. I can afford to experiment with this one."
He raised his wand again.
"Sectumsempra!"
A sharp, whistling arc shot forth.
Instantly, the Devil's Snare's epidermis was split open with overwhelming force. There was no resistance at all—only smooth, absolute severance.
What made Sharl's eyes shine even brighter was what he saw on the system panel.
The silver glow of Sectumsempra brightened slightly.
The increase was small, but compared to ordinary practice, the improvement was astonishing.
"So the Devil's Snare itself accelerates Sectumsempra training?" he exclaimed softly. "This is practically a natural teaching aid!"
"It looks like I'll need to cultivate a lot more Devil's Snare in the future."
"Otherwise, once the Pruning Charm and Sectumsempra reach higher levels, I won't have enough plants to practice on."
The discovery filled him with excitement.
But when his attention returned to the fresh wound, his expression shifted.
Sectumsempra had indeed cut open the epidermis—and even the magic node beneath it. However, unlike with the Pruning Charm, the wound was wrapped in residual Sectumsempra magic.
It felt like a barrier.
A seal.
The Devil's Snare's magic was trapped inside, unable to flow outward.
Sharl frowned deeply.
"If this continues, the plant's magic won't be able to escape through the wound," he realized. "That means no new branches can form."
He sighed inwardly.
If that was the case, then his idea had failed.
Which was only natural.
Each plant's cultivation method was the product of countless trials by Herbology experts. It wasn't something that could be casually altered on a whim.
"It seems I'll have to wait for my magic output to increase and stick to the Pruning Charm," Sharl thought. "After putting it through all this, I just hope I haven't ruined the root."
His gaze shifted to the reward light sphere floating above the Devil's Snare.
He had already prepared himself mentally.
Even if the light dimmed or shrank slightly, he could accept it—as long as it didn't disappear entirely.
But what he saw instead made him freeze.
The reward light sphere hadn't shrunk.
It had expanded—ever so slightly.
And it was pulsing.
Like an eggshell nurturing life within.
Sharl had never seen anything like this.
Filled with shock and confusion, he focused his perception on the wound left by Sectumsempra. The Devil's Snare's own magic was surging desperately, slamming against the barrier again and again.
Each impact matched the rhythm of the pulsing light sphere.
A bold hypothesis formed in his mind.
"What if… breaking through this barrier triggers a transformation?"
It reminded him of a saying from his previous life—breaking out of a cocoon to become a butterfly.
Had his reckless experiment created a cocoon for the Devil's Snare?
If a new branch could break free, would it undergo a qualitative leap?
Yet despite the relentless impacts, the Devil's Snare's magic still couldn't pierce the barrier. Instead, its internal magic and nutrients were being rapidly consumed.
The reward light sphere began to flicker, as if it might extinguish at any moment.
Sharl reacted instantly.
He took out the nutrient potion and dripped a drop onto the wound.
The reward light sphere stabilized immediately, its pulse quickening.
A stronger surge of magic crashed into the Sectumsempra barrier.
Still, it wasn't enough.
Gritting his teeth, Sharl poured another dozen drops onto the wound.
Bolstered by abundant nutrients, the Devil's Snare's magic battered the barrier countless times.
Finally—
Crack.
A faint sound reached Sharl's ears.
A hairline fracture appeared in the cocoon.
Without hesitation, he poured half a bottle of potion onto it.
That final push shattered the balance.
The cocoon broke.
The Devil's Snare's magic surged outward, finally free.
At the same moment, the reward light sphere abruptly expanded by a full circle.
System notifications flashed before Sharl's eyes.
[The Devil's Snare you cultivated has undergone a mutation and acquired superior traits]
[The rewards upon its maturity will be increased]
He stared in disbelief as the reward list changed.
The original [Binding Control Charm Chain +1 (Bronze Level)] was now saturated with silver light, with faint traces of gold glimmering within.
A Bronze-level reward approaching Gold.
At the same time, the original [Fire-Fearing Epidermis (Bronze Level)] was also wrapped in a layer of silver light.
Two enhanced Bronze-level rewards.
When the mutation finally settled, Sharl's eyes widened.
"Double Bronze-level rewards?!"
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