25: Study! The Limits of Magic!

The bookstore owner may have been frail in health, but that did not in the slightest diminish the professionalism he displayed when selecting books. In fact, the mere ability to take over a bookstore in Hogsmeade Village was proof enough that while he might lack business acumen, he possessed a pure and devoted passion for books and knowledge.

The three textbooks he chose for Ian were perfectly suited for a beginner, progressing from simple concepts to more complex ones, allowing a novice to quickly overcome the initial hurdles of learning.

*A Phonetic Table of Magical Characters*: This was a phonetic guide for Ancient Runes, containing the texts, meanings, and standard, correct pronunciations of the ancient script.

*A Simple Introduction to Ancient Runes*: Exactly as the title suggested, once one learned how to read the script, this was the perfect guide for further grasping the fundamental knowledge of Runes.

*Advanced Rune Translation*: This volume delved into the true application of Ancient Runes, enabling the learner to understand how to interpret texts compiled in the ancient script.

These three progressive textbooks were enough to allow Ian to step onto the threshold of studying Ancient Runes. Of course, even with a logical learning path, the barrier to entry for knowledge like Ancient Runes was by no means low; indeed, as the bookstore owner had said, most people found it nearly impossible to master.

"Hiss! This is really hard!"

Ian sat before the window of his small cabin, clutching the *Phonetic Table of Magical Characters* as he read. Golden sunlight pierced through the sheer curtains, spilling into every corner of the room and draping the quiet space in a golden veil, yet it did nothing to lift Ian’s somewhat frustrated mood. He had been studying diligently for quite a while, but he still struggled to master even the simplest rune pronunciations. Consequently, his personal status panel had yet to show a new skill.

How to put it? It was truly difficult.

In truth, it was easy to understand: if Ancient Runes were not so convoluted and hard to learn, why would they have been so quickly replaced as the medium for casting magic by the spells used by modern wizards?

That was right. Ancient Runes, along with modern incantations like "Lumos" or "Obliviate," were merely mediums for channeling magic. The transition from using Ancient Runes as a medium to utilizing simple, accessible incantations was inevitably a process of "survival of the fittest."

To be honest, the potential of Ancient Runes was far higher than that of modern spells, which was why many powerful wizards encountered them during their growth. However, this high ceiling only opened its doors to the exceptionally gifted. For the mediocre, the floor provided by Ancient Runes was shockingly low.

In ancient times, many young wizards perished due to the instability of their magic. Likewise, many others, much like Ian at this moment, remained trapped for long periods in the pre-beginner stage, wasting their time away and reaching a ripe old age without ever being able to cast a single decent spell.

In the early days, many witches and wizards who were sent to the stake by Muggles owed their fate in large part to the fact that the dominant magical medium of that era was still Ancient Runes. The advent of modern spells improved the learning curve for middle- and lower-class wizards; this was the most important reason why spells replaced runes. After all, they made up the majority of the wizarding population. Comparing Ancient Runes to modern spells was essentially like comparing a car with an automatic transmission to one with a manual transmission.

"I hope the magic Professor Mara gives me is something powerful and impressive; otherwise, all this suffering will have been for nothing!" Ian’s tongue was not particularly nimble, and Runes—being among the earliest creations evolved from the characteristics of magical creatures and plants—naturally contained many syllables that were difficult for the human vocal cords to mimic.

This made things quite uncomfortable for Ian. However, he did not give up. And so, heaven did not disappoint the diligent.

[Successfully understood and pronounced a rune; Runes mastery +1.]

Ancient Runes were hard to learn, but fortunately, while Ian’s talent might not have been at the very top tier, he could certainly be called a high achiever, so he wasn't destined to spend his whole life without learning a few characters. After an exhaustive period of study, he saw results. As he learned to pronounce his first rune, a new skill appeared on his personal panel, and the "Epiphany" trait bestowed by the system began to take effect.

[Successfully understood and pronounced a rune; Runes mastery +1.]
[Language Mastery +12.]
[Successfully understood and pronounced a rune; Runes mastery +1.]
[Successfully understood and pronounced a rune; Runes mastery +1.]
[Language Mastery +12.]

There were some things that, once the first step was taken, became much simpler due to the existence of his "cheat." At least for Ian, this held true; every increase in mastery brought him new insights. However, compared to the progress of other skills, the mastery of [Runes] clearly grew much more slowly. Fortunately, learning this ancient script seemed to also raise his [Language Mastery] simultaneously, and by a significant amount.

This was likely because Ancient Runes were indeed a form of language—the most difficult kind—and they appeared as a separate skill status because they were more than just a language.

Ancient Runes were the most common form of these scripts. They were the secrets unearthed by human wizards while first exploring the mysteries of magic, serving as the earliest bridge for humans to contact and control magic. Most ancient magic and alchemy were created on this foundation. In the primitive era of the magical age, runes were the best carriers for containing and releasing magic.

One could view them as a special circuit; as magic flowed along these paths, it formed ancient magic that would seem quite alien to wizards of today. By the same token, when engraved onto ancient alchemical artifacts, those objects were endowed with these properties, allowing ancient wizards to even capture time itself.

As runes evolved, this medium—which was difficult to learn and, if handled carelessly, could trigger deviations and cause unstable disasters—fell into decline due to two developments in the era.

The first was, naturally, the creation of the [Wand], that epoch-making "wheelchair" for wizards, invented to stabilize the casting of magic, reduce the difficulty of learning, and minimize danger. It acted like a magical stabilizer, making spellcasting more steady and simple.

As the era progressed, the appearance of wand cores further increased the importance of the [Wand], adding unique traits and effects to the magic performed by wizards. This situation increased the power of magic, but it also increased its danger. A surge of catastrophic magical accidents followed... and thus, modern spells, simplified from Ancient Runes, were born from the research of wizards in response to the needs of the time.

Modern spells made the magical circuit simpler, which naturally reduced the power of the magic significantly. However, their ease of learning and safer nature made them the darlings of the era. With the Ministry of Magic in existence, most wizards had no need for overwhelmingly powerful magic, so, upon reflection, these spells, which were not so lacking in self-defense capabilities, gradually replaced the role of runes.

Of course, for those wizards pursuing higher magical attainments, the study and application of Runes remained an unavoidable journey. It was just that the pillars of the old magical world had ultimately become a carnival for the exceptionally gifted few.

No one could say for sure if this was good or bad. And no one could say for sure whether, as the era continued to develop, modern spells might eventually follow the same path as Ancient Runes. Perhaps, some history was already in motion, unnoticed by anyone.

After all, change always begins in silence.