"Hogwarts: Why So Nervous? The Little Badger’s Just Planting a Tree."

Three consecutive prompts suddenly appeared on the system panel.

At that moment, Sharl experienced a far more intense sensation than when he had received the previous harvest reward. It was as if he could hear magic coursing through his veins—whispering, beckoning, waiting for him to call upon it.

However, this overwhelming feeling vanished just as quickly as it had arrived.

When Sharl returned to his senses, he noticed a subtle yet distinct change in the system panel's description of the [Magic Perception Enhancement] reward. Although it was still classified as Bronze Level, a faint luster shimmered within the otherwise dull bronze hue—hinting at an impending breakthrough.

A spark of joy lit up in Sharl's eyes.

"[Magic Perception Enhancement] is almost ready to advance from Bronze Level to... Bronze Level?" he murmured with amusement.

"No wonder this harvest reward felt so much stronger than the last one."

As he was about to look away from the system panel, his gaze froze.

In the Abilities column, the Soil Loosening Spell and Pruning Charm, both previously marked as Bronze Level, had undergone visible transformations.

The Pruning Charm now showed a glimmer of silver light behind its bronze glow—evidently on the verge of advancing to Silver Level.

More surprising, however, was the Soil Loosening Spell.

The bronze shimmer had completely vanished. In its place, a brilliant silver radiance now enveloped the spell's name:

[Soil Loosening Spell (Silver Level)]!

Sharl took a deep breath, momentarily questioning whether he had seen it wrong.

For nearly two months, he had used both of these Charms constantly—almost obsessively—yet they had remained stuck at Bronze Level, seemingly resistant to any form of progress.

And now, without recent focused practice, this change?

"Wait a second..." Sharl muttered.

A realization struck him.

"These improvements only appeared after my Magic Perception ability advanced again."

"In other words," he continued, "the breakthrough likely came from that improvement."

Understanding dawned.

No wonder his previous efforts had seemed futile. Even after casting those spells thousands of times—far more than most wizards would in a lifetime—the spells' levels had refused to budge. It wasn't a matter of quantity, but a bottleneck in his fundamental ability to perceive magic itself.

The restriction had not been in his technique, but in his Magic Perception.

Now that this barrier had been lifted, the effects were immediate.

He gazed with admiration at the newly advanced Silver Level Soil Loosening Spell. The system's ratings weren't arbitrary. If a spell had reached Silver Level, that meant it had undergone a qualitative change.

Sharl couldn't wait to see what that looked like in practice.

Soon, he arrived at the Hogwarts Greenhouse and stood before his experimental plot.

Taking out his ash wood wand, he pointed the tip at the ground. With a practiced motion, he drew a spiral outward from the center, ending with a subtle flick of his wrist.

"Terra—Laxus!"

"Earth Spirit Loosening!"

A beam of yellowish-brown light, slightly richer in hue than before, burst from the tip of his wand and sank into the soil.

As the spell settled, Sharl's eyes widened.

Something felt distinctly different.

Was it the flow of magic itself? It seemed more vibrant, more alive.

His eyes dropped to the affected soil, where he saw the loose earth shifting more actively than usual.

"The range has expanded."

"The loosened layer is noticeably deeper."

"Just this alone will greatly increase planting efficiency."

Still, it didn't seem like a true qualitative change.

Driven by curiosity, Sharl knelt down and picked up a handful of soil. He examined it carefully, comparing it to an untouched patch nearby.

His eyes lit up.

He could sense it—the loosened soil now carried a vitality, a faint energetic pulse that hadn't been there before.

Grabbing some soil unaffected by the spell for comparison confirmed his suspicions.

"The Silver Level Soil Loosening Spell stimulates more vitality in the soil," he observed aloud.

"This means the chances of seed germination and survival have improved."

"Even if the increase is slight, it could mean the difference between success and failure when cultivating rare or high-difficulty magical plants."

He took a deep breath, a mix of awe and satisfaction settling over him.

He hadn't expected such a notable effect from what seemed like a minor upgrade.

It was now clear: the planting Charms that Professor Sprout had taught him were far more significant than he had initially thought.

"If I want to advance in Herbology, I must aim to elevate planting Charms like the Soil Loosening Spell and Pruning Charm to Legendary Level," he resolved.

"And Lumos as well."

"Once I get there, growing magical plants will be as easy as breathing."

"Guardian Tree? I'll just grow an entire Guardian Tree Forest!"

He grinned at the image. The thought ignited a fire in his heart.

But it faded just as quickly.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," he reminded himself.

At this stage, his spells were still mostly Bronze Level, and only the Soil Loosening Spell had reached Silver.

He still had a long road ahead.

For now, his focus should remain on cultivating his current batch of Luminous Mushrooms.

"First, another round of soil loosening."

"Then, continue with Lumos illumination."

With that, Sharl returned to his spellcasting, fully absorbed in the task at hand.

One Silver Level Soil Loosening Spell after another flowed from his wand. Each one subtly enhanced the soil's vitality. Though the improvement from a single spell was minimal, their cumulative effect was noticeable.

The Luminous Mushroom mycelium in the plot was visibly more active than before.

Sharl allowed a satisfied smile.

Then, he raised his wand again.

"Lumos!"

The tip glowed, casting gentle light across the soil.

He blinked in surprise.

The Lumos seemed more effective than the last time he'd used it—more concentrated, more nurturing.

"Could this be an effect from the upgraded Soil Loosening Spell?"

He nodded slowly.

"That's right. Spells that are often used together tend to influence each other."

"Transfiguration is a perfect example."

"It draws from multiple magical disciplines. Masters of Transfiguration often possess a well-rounded command of magic overall."

"In fact, Dumbledore became Transfiguration Professor before he was appointed as Headmaster."

"And Professor McGonagall, the current Deputy Headmistress—she's also a Transfiguration master and the top candidate to succeed Dumbledore."

"Planting Charms follow the same principle."

"If you can master planting Charms to the Legendary Level, how could you possibly be poor at using Lumos?"

It all made sense now.

Sharl's eyes grew brighter with conviction.

As his Soil Loosening Spell improved, his Lumos was elevated as well.

This could drastically reduce the time required for the Luminous Mushrooms to mature.

And the faster they matured, the sooner he could reap the rewards.

With that in mind, Sharl's enthusiasm redoubled. His wand moved swiftly and precisely as he cast spell after spell.

The soft light of Lumos bathed the now-vitalized soil, and the mycelium shimmered with healthy energy.

He grinned, sweat beading on his forehead, yet his spirit unwavering.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

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