The moment the Scholar's Moonstone was pressed into the hollow, it burst into a radiant silver-blue glow.
From the Moonstone at the center, ancient patterns etched into the stone—silent for thousands of years—awakened, lighting up in the same shimmering hue and rapidly spreading across the entire monolith.
Then the inner ring of stones surrounding it began to glow.
And then the outer rings…
In less than five seconds, the entire stone circle was illuminated, humming with a deep, resonant vibration.
The sudden surge of power drew the attention of the entire centaur tribe.
"That wizard—what has he done to our sacred relic?!" Bane roared, charging toward the circle, only to be blocked by an invisible barrier.
Ronan paced anxiously, torn between hope and fear—hoping this was a sign of destiny, yet dreading what consequences it might bring.
Most of the centaurs felt the same—curious, uneasy, and afraid.
Only Firenze and Lurue remained calm.
The little unicorn stared at the glowing circle, eyes shining.
"As expected of the Druid! To awaken such powerful natural energy—he really is chosen by nature!" she said excitedly.
Firenze quietly reassured the others.
"Do not fear. This is no accident. This is what the stars foretold—the moment our fate changes. The one of destiny is revealing the future to us."
"Firenze is right."
A deep, steady voice cut through the tension.
Magris had arrived.
The chieftain gazed at Lewis within the circle, his voice calm and distant.
"The stars reveal the path of the future, and we have chosen to embrace it. This is the oath of the centaurs. We invited the child of destiny into our tribe—so we must also accept the change he brings."
His words calmed the tribe completely.
Even Bane fell silent.
Inside the stone circle—
Lewis could clearly feel it.
The moment the Moonstone connected with the monolith, it fused with the entire structure.
A grand ritual had begun.
Yet the energy felt vast and intricate—not destructive.
So he did not resist.
As the ritual fully activated, its power reached into the heavens.
Then—
a beam of silver-blue moonlight descended from above, enveloping Lewis completely.
In that instant—
it felt like soaking in a warm spring.
Every pore in his body opened.
And then—
knowledge flooded his mind.
"You have received the ancient legacy of the Druidic order. By referencing an alternate-world Druid system, you have awakened Druidic power."
"You have obtained the Druid class. Your Druid level has increased by 5. You have gained the specializations 'Circle of the Land' and 'Circle of the Moon.' You have acquired corresponding spells."
"You have obtained the ability: Wild Shape."
Lewis blinked slowly.
"…Wow."
As he processed the flood of knowledge, everything finally made sense.
Looking at the now-dim stone circle—and the Moonstone still faintly glowing—he couldn't help but sigh.
"So that's why it's called the Scholar's Moonstone… not symbolic at all. It's literally the key to unlocking Druidic knowledge. The natural energy inside it was just a bonus."
He shook his head slightly.
"How desperate were those ancient druids? To go this far—embedding their entire legacy into the power of the stars…"
Then he smirked faintly.
"Still… it's effective. Unless someone blows up the moon, this legacy isn't disappearing anytime soon."
Of course, it had its flaws.
Without the Moonstone, the entire inheritance would remain forever sealed.
Recalling the knowledge he had just received, Lewis began piecing things together.
The druids of this world weren't quite what he expected.
At their core, they were still wizards—
just ones who had taken a completely different path.
Instead of focusing on pure magical talent, they pursued nature.
And that divergence led to their downfall.
Compared to conventional wizards, they had been outmatched—eventually erased.
Yet their research hadn't vanished entirely.
Much of it had been absorbed into modern wizardry.
Animagus transformation, for instance—
was originally a druidic ritual.
Potions, herbology, even divination—
all carried traces of druidic knowledge.
But compared to true druids from other worlds…
this world's druids had been weak.
Others could awaken forests, summon vines at will, call down lunar fire—
while these druids could only nurture Bowtruckles or throw enchanted plants in battle.
Others could freely shapeshift into beasts—
while these druids required complex rituals for a single form.
Others could command the stars—
while these druids relied on elaborate ceremonies just to borrow that power.
Without exceptional talent, this legacy would have been mediocre at best.
But for Lewis—
it was completely different.
Because his Druid class wasn't from this world.
It was a true Druid system.
And more importantly—
his permanent attribute potions had evolved.
Now, the main ingredient could be substituted with materials of similar symbolic meaning.
For example—
a potion requiring magical ox blood could be replaced with ordinary buffalo blood.
Of course, Lewis had no intention of doing that.
Because now, these potions had a second purpose—
they could be used in Wild Shape rituals.
Every four levels, a druid could perform such a ritual, gaining the ability to transform into a creature tied to the ingredients used.
Which meant—
every four levels, Lewis could gain another transformation.
And not just ordinary animals—
magical creatures.
Six potions.
Six transformations.
Each one tied to a powerful being.
This was far beyond what Animagus magic could achieve.
But that also meant—
he had to choose carefully.
Because the stronger the creature…
the greater the potential.
Lewis exhaled slowly.
This required serious planning.
But not now.
He turned his head.
Outside the stone circle, Magris and Lurue had stepped forward.
Beyond them stood the rest of the centaur tribe—
watching him with intense curiosity.
All of them were waiting.
Waiting to know—
what, exactly, had just happened.
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