As Theodore whispered the command, new boons popped one after another on the System pane.
Bones and sinew thrummed like surf on rock—power washing through him in slow, surging waves. He clenched a fist; the air itself gave a dull pop.
He drew a long breath. A vast strength steamed in his core—as if he could part seas or shoulder mountains. He knew part of that was the high of a sudden stat spike, but still—
Copper Skin & Iron Bones had already pushed his physique beyond ordinary sense, though that gift leaned toward defence with only incidental offence. Now Innate Divine Strength—claimed via Harry—was detonating his raw might. Conservatively? Triple his baseline. Tigers and bears were yesterday's benchmark; today, even a dragon would think twice about eating his punch.
Copper Skin & Iron Bones plus Innate Divine Strength: offence and defence in tandem. A real step-change.
His spirit kept pace with his flesh. Lotus Body Protection—the shield that let Nezha ignore soul and mind arts in the old mythos—settled over his psyche like a silk dome. He wasn't Nezha reborn, so it wouldn't be that broken, but it was still outrageous.
If Copper Skin & Iron Bones had given bodily safety—almost nothing can break me—then Lotus Body Protection whispered a second promise: nothing peers into or puppets my mind. If he'd had this during the Sorting, the Hat would've stared into void. Legilimency, Imperius, even Stunners' dazing bite—gone. Horcrux miasma? Null. On defence alone, he now sat above the rest of the British wizarding world; his margin for error just grew huge.
From Ron's Lei Zhenzi track, Sky-Dance on the Wind and Winged Thunder slotted in: the first preserves full combat sharpness aloft; the second supercharges flight speed and deepens grasp of wind and lightning. He couldn't test flight in the dorm, but wind he could. A flick of his hand, and hard gusts stacked around him—far past his earlier Windriding.
Shame only Ravenclaw lives in the high tower; otherwise, I'd be on a windowsill right now playing "storm, heel." With Five-Colour Stone Method plus wind-boost, he reckoned he could skim a pebble from the castle clear to the far Black Lake shore.
Malfoy and Pettigrew's tracks held their own surprises. Veil the Breath was ridiculous. He'd made noise testing muscle and wind, but his roommates snored on as if nothing happened. He slipped out, ghosted through the common room—Weasley twins plotting a first-night caper—and down the corridor. Portraits barely blinked as he passed.
He grinned. "Night-stroll S-tier. Also perfect for tactical retreats—or tactical ambushes." He entertained, briefly, the image of both Voldemort and Dumbledore eating a quiet pratfall.
The biggest surprise, though, came from Malfoy's line. Twin-Axe Chain was the tiniest of crumbs—two-hand coordination, an absolute side dish. But Flying-Tiger Drill wasn't just drill; it bundled recipes: Tiger-Leopard Pills, Flying-Tiger Mail, Flying-Tiger Spear. In the great mythic world, these were bottom-rung issue gear. Here? In wizard Britain?
A Tiger-Leopard Pill to fatten qi and flesh—if a Potions Master could brew that, who'd cross them?
Flying-Tiger Mail to blunt qi strikes (think constant Protego over mail), and a Flying-Tiger Spear that magnifies qi and throws cutting lances (perma-Sectumsempra vibes).
Even a first-year in that kit could run circles around most Aurors.
Better yet, the materials lists weren't exotic. He might actually prototype them. Useful for him, sure—but the true treasure hid deeper: the manual included a simple cultivation regimen for troops.
A regimen that attracts qi.
That—that—was his rarest resource. Dining on Wind & Drinking Dew was passive and thin; with even a crude qi-drawing method, throughput jumps orders of magnitude. Flesh and magic power both would swell faster under steady qi irrigation. Until a true high art arrived, this would lay bedrock.
Satisfied, Theodore eyed the crowded reward list. A few talents were already redundant or beneath his floor. His finger hovered over the Talent Fusion furnace.
"Strip the vines; keep the fruit."
"System—refine, now."
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