40: Terror Intensifies! A Spectacular Panorama!

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Name: Ian Prince
Occupation: Bloodline Warlock
Magic Power: Level 7 (In explosive transition)
Skills: [Enlightenment of Wisdom (This skill cannot be upgraded)]
[Potions Mastery (Level 2): 23/200]
[Sectumsempra (Level 1): 5/100]
[Cruciatus Curse (Level 1): 18/100]
[Imperius Curse (Level 1): 2/100]
[Runes Mastery (Level 1): 14/100]
[Avada Kedavra (Level 1): 7/100]
[Lumos (Level 2): 3/400]
...
The information presented on the panel was as simple and intuitive as ever.
Aside from the series of spells Ian had learned through self-study or instruction, two changes had occurred on the panel. The first was the most conspicuous: his magic power level.
"My magic level has actually jumped three whole levels!"
Ian fully grasped what it meant to possess legendary power.
The Golden Apple.
As a miraculous fruit mentioned in both ancient Greek mythology and various fairy tales, it actually possessed the potent effect of directly elevating a wizard’s magical capability!
Level seven magic!
A leap of three full levels!
And this was not even the limit of the Golden Apple’s gift.
"In explosive transition..."
No matter how one looked at it, this suffix on the system panel indicated that the Golden Apple's boosting effect was still capable of pushing Ian’s magical level even higher.
As to how much further it could go, that remained unknown for now. Perhaps one level, perhaps two; regardless, this was undeniably an unimaginable benefit.
One must understand:
Most young wizards, after their first burst of magic, only see their magical levels increase incrementally with age. Aside from the Elder Wand—which most dismissed as a fairy tale and only a select few knew who possessed—the wizarding world had almost never heard of anything capable of raising a wizard’s inherent magical power.
Even the powerful and incredible Philosopher’s Stone could not grant an increase in raw magical power to its user. It could be said that a wizard’s innate level of magic largely determined their future.
In such an environment, Ian had truly not expected that the so-called Golden Apple possessed the peculiar power to alter such "destined fate."
"It truly deserves to be the primary ingredient for brewing potions to defy life and death!"
He began to understand why the Golden Apple had gone extinct.
Perhaps even if Professor Mara hadn't chopped down the last Golden Apple tree, such a treasure would have undoubtedly vanished from later ages. Well, perhaps it went extinct, or perhaps something else occurred.
"Pendero has truly sent me an extraordinary gift. The next time I return to the Lost Illusion, I should prepare a return gift he might like."
Ian felt heartfelt gratitude toward his friend from the Lost Illusion. He picked up the wand resting by his bedside, feeling the presence of his own magic more clearly than ever before.

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"Fire..."
Ian had just wanted to test the weight of the magic he now possessed, when he suddenly realized he was inside a wooden cabin.
The bed he slept on was also made of wood.
Wizards in the magical world probably weren't particularly familiar with fireproof lacquer, were they?
"That was close!" Ian’s mind had become exceptionally clear ever since he swallowed the Golden Apple; this was likely the ability granted by the [Enlightenment of Wisdom] skill.
It was the only skill Ian had encountered that could not be upgraded. Like the gift of the Golden Apple, its effect was to impose a constant state of rationality upon him.
Yes.
It did not grant him supernatural wisdom.
It simply allowed Ian to better utilize the wisdom he already possessed, ensuring that in most situations, he would not be swayed by negative emotions, while also significantly improving his efficiency in all forms of learning.
Perhaps it could be considered a low-tier version of [Ravenclaw’s Diadem]. As a passive ability brought by the Golden Apple, this skill was equally breathtaking in its effectiveness.
"Lumos!"
Ian switched to his most commonly used spell.
The next moment, accompanied by a torrent of surging magic, a light source ignited at the tip of his wand. The boundary of the light expanded silently, and the entire quiet wooden cabin was instantly illuminated.
Brilliant and bright.
It was far more expansive than the light that had previously only been able to illuminate a single room.
"No! I have to try a combat spell!"
Ian’s heart was racing from this immense boost. In the middle of the night, wearing nothing but his boxers, he scrambled off the bed, slipped into his homemade flip-flops, and "pitter-pattered" out of the small cabin.
Night had fallen.
Under the starry sky, everything was silent.
Ian gripped his wand and aimed at the open ground.
"Incendio!"
This was the only legal offensive spell Ian currently mastered.
As he connected the magical circuit using the incantation, a crackling sound erupted, and a roaring plume of fire gushed from the tip of his wand like a tidal wave.
"Not enough!"
Ian felt a sense of effortless ease, so he increased the output of magic into the magical circuit. Consequently, tongues of fire danced, raging under the night sky like a surging dragon.
The firelight shone on Ian’s face, his expression excited and fervent.
"The magical circuit limits the output of magic. However, if I change the structure of the circuit slightly and add a few more channels for magic to flow through..."
Following the explosive growth of his magic, Ian could now clearly perceive that the magical circuit of the [Incendio] spell had an upper limit for magical output.
Driven by his current excitement and the clarity of his mind, Ian carefully began to attempt adding magical channels to the [Incendio] circuit.
"I cannot let the framework of the magic be affected in the slightest, otherwise the magic will simply collapse." Ian tried several times in succession, but the tip of his wand only sputtered out bursts of fire that looked like vomiting.
He had a sudden realization.
"If the channels are established, the framework of the magic is bound to be damaged. This seems to be an unsolvable problem..." Ian tried again, but only reaped failure.
The "vomiting" of fire lasted a bit longer, which might have been a decent sight if viewed as fireworks. However, this was clearly not the effect Ian wanted to achieve.

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"Perhaps..."
Ian held his wand, his brain spinning wildly.
"I shouldn't be thinking about adding magical channels to the initial circuit of the spell."
"Perhaps the moment when the magical circuit of Incendio is about to complete is the most stable and fleeting opportunity!"
A flash of insight!
Ian raised his wand again.
"Incendio!"
The magical circuit stabilized with the help of the incantation.
And just as the magic was about to brew.
"Now!"
Ian seized the possibility he had glimpsed.
"Hiss!"
The fire, which had been like a long snake, suddenly erupted as if doused in gasoline once the magical channels were expanded. A surging blaze erupted from the tip of the holly wand.
"Boom!"
It was an explosion!
The sky-high flames illuminated the entire field, sweeping outward in all directions—the scorching heat waves seemed ready to devour everything in the vicinity!
"Oh, no!"
Ian had not expected such terrifying power.
He couldn't help but panic.
The giant wave of fire rolled and crashed; the fence, the trees, and the small cabin Snape had provided for Ian all seemed ready to be reduced to ashes in this blaze.
"I'm doomed!"
Just as Ian searched his little brain and could only think of summoning a group of corpses to carry water to put out the fire.
"Utterly brilliant, immensely pleasing to the eye, this is truly..." A deep, aged voice filled with wonder echoed, and an old man in white robes walked down the pebble path.
"Hall-of-fame level creativity."
He lifted the ancient wand in his hand and gave it a gentle wave.
And so.
As if a stop button had been forcibly pressed on everything happening at that moment.
The scorching heat, the fire, the burning earth and the cabin.
Everything.
Came to a sudden, complete halt.