— — — — — —
"Man… that was brutal."
Late at night, Tom lay in bed, replaying the battle that had just erupted in the study space. He was still a little gleeful, but more than anything, he was stunned.
Andros had been with him for over two years. Today, for the first time, he finally fought seriously.
Just watching him was suffocating. Andros didn't cast spells like other wizards. He unleashed an overwhelming presence, a force like a king ordained by destiny. Facing him, ordinary people simply could not raise the will to resist.
It wasn't just intimidation. It was will. Pure, absolute will. Even the simplest spell, fueled by that level of conviction, transformed into something miraculous.
Tom finally understood why Andros and Grindelwald hadn't let him watch their duel before. The mental impact was too great. It took time to recover. That was why, the moment Tom sensed the atmosphere shift, he quickly teleported Ariana out.
But even with that precaution, today's fight could only be described as one-sided. Andros was like a toy being played with. No matter how many ancient spells he unleashed, no matter how massive the Patronus he summoned, none of it came close to threatening Ravenclaw.
Every violent spell and every crushing aura that reached her simply… dissolved. Turned into a breeze.
Yes. Dissolved.
That was the only word Tom could think of.
"Magic is just magic power. If you suppress the will behind it, you can reshape its form."
That was Ravenclaw's explanation. Tom, Grindelwald, and Andros heard the words clearly, yet none of them truly understood what they were supposed to mean in practice.
But instead of frustration, Andros was thrilled.
He'd spent a lifetime invincible. He had longed for the chance to lose. Losing meant there was someone stronger. Losing meant there was still a road ahead to chase.
And this time, he lost completely. No doubt, no excuses. Andros looked almost young again, full of passion and hunger to improve.
Ravenclaw had sighed with equal sincerity. "Mr. Andros, in truth, you did not lose. Before I took the final step and grasped the essence of magic itself, I wouldn't have been your opponent. In Mr. Riddle's terms, this is what it means to be at the level of a 'King of Century'."
After the duel, Tom took Ravenclaw to Ariana's villa so she could fill her in on how things worked here. Ravenclaw would also be staying there from now on.
As for the two old men, they went off to quietly relish the aftermath of the fight. Only after that did Tom finally leave the study space.
---
Tom benefited greatly from this duel. He couldn't understand Ravenclaw's level yet, but what moved him most was Andros's relentless opening assault.
Will overwhelming spellcraft. That might be the last threshold before reaching the SS level.
Ordinary wizards use emotion and will to influence magic.
But a King of Century, an SS wizard, allows will to become part of magic, taking solid form, producing results far beyond conventional limits.
Tom's situation was awkward. With his unique talents, the study space, and the guidance of two masters, he had grown beyond every expectation. System-wise, he was a once-in-a-generation prodigy, leagues above other wizards — yet still just short of the King of Century.
His numbers were stacked, but his level hadn't crossed the line.
And the Century King was also a numbers monster, which made things even trickier. His absurd magic reserves and talent-based spell amplification were now less impactful, leaving him stuck between tiers.
To use Snape as a scale, it looked something like this:
Snape ——————————————— Tom — Century King.
Too strong for the bottom. Not enough for the top.
To most wizards, he might even look like a Dumbledore-level force. But Tom knew the truth. That last step was huge. And he had no idea how long it would take to cross it.
"Don't rush. The more you rush, the more mistakes you'll make."
He steadied his breathing and stopped thinking about power. Instead, he opened the system panel.
Reaching 10% in the 'A New World' mission gave him 300 achievement points and a Gacha. Judging by the pattern, every 10% likely formed a milestone. This quest would probably give at least 3,000 points and ten Gachas. No wonder the completion requirement was so extreme. Even spread worldwide, what he was attempting couldn't reach full completion.
He casually tapped the Intermediate Gacha.
He hadn't expected much.
But this time, the system surprised him.
[Building Upgrade Coupon (Basic): Upgrades one system building once. Only usable on original structures.]
System building… the Meditation Room?
He only had the Meditation Room so far. So of course he used it immediately.
His consciousness shifted into the study space.
The tiny cabin at the center had transformed into a two-story cottage, expanding from eighty square meters to over two hundred.
[Meditation Room Lv. 1]
[Use: Free]
[Effects: Increases host's thought processing speed by 30%, improves comprehension. Entering Turbo Mode or Claircognition Mode inside the room doubles the duration at no extra cost.]
[Note: Meditation Room may be opened to two private instructors simultaneously. No limit applies to the host.]
After reading the updated description, Tom couldn't stop grinning.
This was a real upgrade.
The basic boost was now ten percent stronger. That part wasn't huge, but the crucial improvement was that the duration bonus now applied to Claircognition Mode too. Before, it only worked for Turbo Mode.
And the room capacity limit was eased. Before, everyone had to take turns, and Andros and Grindelwald used to argue about it constantly. Now they could finally stop bickering.
When good things happen, people want to spend a little. Tom was no exception. He walked directly into the Meditation Room and, without hesitation, luxuriously activated Claircognition Mode to digest everything he had gained.
---
The next morning
Even though he went to sleep very late, Tom still woke early and started reorganizing the layout of the study space.
Now that the place was much larger, he couldn't just throw buildings around anymore. It needed proper planning.
And the one doing the planning wasn't Tom. It was Ravenclaw.
After learning more details from Ariana, Ravenclaw had quickly taken charge. First, she separated the living villas into male and female housing at the north and south ends. The Meditation Room was placed at the center, becoming the hub of all shared areas.
The library, the dueling arena, gardens and viewing lake, recreational spaces…
Under Ravenclaw's arrangement, everything became orderly and purposeful, far more structured than before.
"Didn't expect you to be an architect," Tom said as he casually followed instructions and manifested buildings on her command.
Ravenclaw smiled lightly. "I designed Hogwarts. You didn't think Godric or Salazar were doing this kind of delicate work, did you?"
"Well, wasn't Helga there too?" Tom asked, shaping a movie theater to her specifications.
"Helga…" Ravenclaw's expression softened with warmth. "Back then, Hogwarts was built on marshland. It wasn't suitable for people to live in. That was part of why we chose it, to hide from Muggles."
"Helga's plant magic and earth magic were extraordinary. She spent enormous power reshaping the land and even moved mountains to shield the castle. I couldn't trouble her to handle the architecture too."
"So the other two founders basically did nothing?"
"Oh, they did plenty."
Ravenclaw waved her hand, and a lawn bloomed into colorful flowers surrounding her small cottage.
"Godric protected the castle. Salazar had the highest prestige among wizards and was responsible for recruiting teachers and admitting students. Though… admissions were only for pure-bloods back then."
"The four founders were all indispensable."
Once the space was in order, Tom left the dormitory.
"Come on, I'll show you what Hogwarts looks like now. I'm curious how much it's changed since your time."
...
The moment they entered the Slytherin common room area, Ravenclaw began complaining.
"I still don't understand Salazar's obsession with snakes. Even if he liked them, he shouldn't have made students suffer for it. I left a place for him in the South Tower, yet he insisted on building this place in a damp dungeon."
Tom nodded hard. "Exactly. If I had summoned Salazar instead of you, I'd have lectured him first thing."
The damp chill was long gone, and Tom had replaced the silver-green décor with warmer tones, completely removing the Slytherin gloom. But even so, he still felt uncomfortable in the common room. No sane person would enjoy living in a dank green cave.
Which was why Tom rarely stayed there, instead choosing to spend his time elsewhere.
They started their tour from the Great Hall. Since time was limited, Tom only gave Ravenclaw a general walk-through of the entire castle.
Everywhere they went, Ravenclaw remembered clearly what each room used to be. She compared past and present with genuine fascination, never once running out of things to say.
In a thousand years, Hogwarts had changed almost completely, except for a handful of important locations.
When the school was founded, there were only a few dozen students across all seven grades, and the curriculum was simple. Professors taught based on personal experience.
Now, Hogwarts had nearly a thousand students and over ten subjects, so naturally many new classrooms had been built.
"That room used to be Godric's weapon display. It was full of armor and swords he won from dueling Muggle knights. What is it now?"
"The Transfiguration classroom."
"Reasonable enough. Godric was good at transfiguration."
"And that over there? That was Helga's tea room."
"That's the Trophy Room now. Full of school awards and student honors."
Ravenclaw burst out laughing when she saw the girls' bathroom on the second floor. "That used to be Salazar's tutoring room. How did it become a bathroom?"
"That was his descendant's doing," Tom replied, explaining the Chamber of Secrets and the basilisk.
Ravenclaw didn't react much. She simply nodded.
"Back then, I didn't participate in their conflict. But honestly, I agreed with Salazar. Not from blood prejudice, but because Muggle-born students do increase the risk of exposing the magical world."
"And if war broke out… who would they side with? Even if some chose the wizards' side, could we truly trust them? These were real concerns."
Tom asked something that had bothered him for a long time. "Ravenclaw, forget ordinary wizards. Just you four founders alone were strong enough to crush any Muggle army in your era. Why did you hide instead of ruling openly?"
"I understand how you feel, Tom."
Ravenclaw sighed softly.
"But killing is a weight the soul cannot bear. A Muggle's soul and a wizard's soul are no different. Every life you take leaves a mark on your own spirit. Sin stain"
"We were powerful, yes. But we were still human. We still aged, still feared the laws of the world. We were not exempt from consequence."
.
.
.