WebNovels

Chapter 160 - Chapter 160

On his system panel, the newly formed words representing Dark Magic Transfiguration shone with a deep, black-iron luster. At that moment, Char finally pulled his thoughts away from the paper that detailed the dangerous knowledge, his expression a mixture of admiration and profound respect.

He had to admit, Dark Magic Transfiguration was indeed a radical and powerful art. All its principles of modifying and transforming flesh and blood were essentially the "biochemical technology" of the magical world. He could hardly imagine how many horrific experiments, how many living samples, must have been accumulated to discover the laws governing magic's effect on living tissue. The path to this knowledge was likely paved with a sea of blood and corpses. No wonder Snape had warned him that anyone discovered dabbling in this field would find themselves on a one-way trip to Azkaban.

Yet, no one could deny that the principles of transformation it contained were unique and potent. If Gamp and Tolman Transfiguration constituted the "traditional" path, then Dark Magic Transfiguration had carved out a new one: the path of flesh and blood.

His gaze fell to his system panel again. He saw that the bronze luster on his Transfiguration skill, which had been stuck, had become richer and more solid. This should have been impossible. His progress in Gamp and Tolman Transfiguration was blocked by the bottleneck of his magical perception. But now, with his Dark Magic Transfiguration reaching the Iron level, the two more traditional branches had seemingly absorbed some essence from it, becoming more complete.

Char's mind flashed back to what Professor McGonagall had said about only three wizards in the last century mastering both Gamp and Tolman Transfiguration. Perhaps that wasn't the full picture. A third path existed: flesh and blood transfiguration. The two most recent Dark Lords, Voldemort and Grindelwald, must have been masters of it. Voldemort's expertise was obvious. And Grindelwald, expelled from the dark-magic-focused Durmstrang... it was almost certain he had delved into it. The days when he and Dumbledore were close must have been filled with research into this very field. "So their strength," Char realized, "most likely comes from a profound understanding of all three branches, allowing them to create magic beyond the imagination of ordinary people."

A wave of emotion washed over Char. The closer he got to the heart of magic, the more profound and vast it seemed. Wizards like Dumbledore and Voldemort, who stood at the very pinnacle, seemed to recede further into the distance the more he chased after them. No wonder even a wizard as powerful and talented as Snape felt a deep, primal fear when facing them. It was as if they existed on a completely different plane of reality.

After a moment of awe, Char took a deep breath, forcing his mind back to the present. Maybe one day he would be able to rival them, but that day was a long way off. He had to take it one step at a time.

His eyes continued to scan the system panel. His new knowledge of Dark Magic Transfiguration hadn't just improved his overall skill; it had also caused an unexpected change in one of his spells. Serpensortia? An extra line of information had appeared behind it: [This spell is affected by the Dark Magic Transformation and gains additional blessings].

A strange light appeared in his eyes. He had always suspected that the spell, a gift from Lucius Malfoy, was stylistically inconsistent with the Malfoy family's magic. It felt more like something bestowed by Voldemort. Now, he was almost certain. A spell created by the Dark Lord would naturally contain elements not just of traditional Transfiguration, but of flesh and blood transfiguration as well. Now that his own skill in that area had reached the Iron level, the spell was revealing more of its mysteries. If his Dark Magic Transfiguration continued to improve, the spell's power would surely continue to rise. No wonder Voldemort had used it to summon countless venomous snakes in his duel with Dumbledore. With his mastery of the art, the spell's potential was almost limitless.

A hint of anticipation appeared in Char's eyes. He wanted to see the specific changes for himself. He swung his wand, thrusting it forward fiercely. "Serpensortia!" A cloud of smoke erupted from the tip of his wand, deforming and twisting into a huge venomous snake. He had performed this spell thousands of times, but now, after learning the principles of Dark Magic Transfiguration, he had a strange, new feeling. As the smoke transformed, he wondered... what if he used his new knowledge to transform the snake's very flesh and blood?

Subconsciously, his wand trembled. The snake, condensed from smoke, began to writhe as its flesh and blood re-formed. It shrank in size, but the vicious aura it exuded was far greater than before. Its fangs flashed coldly, and two streams of venom shot out like crossbow bolts, splattering on the ground nearly fifty meters away and emitting a foul, fishy smell.

Char's face filled with joy. He had used his new knowledge to transform the summoned snake, allowing it to spit venom without needing to bite. At the same time, he had increased the density of its flesh and blood. Though smaller, it was now stronger and faster. Its combat capability had improved by leaps and bounds. Even against an Acromantula, it wouldn't be torn apart so easily.

A surge of excitement coursed through him. Dark magic was undeniably tied to combat; even a small amount could improve his fighting ability in ways no other magic could. No wonder so many wizards were seduced by its power.

But a moment later, his excitement subsided. He knew that if dark magic were the easy path to power, the Ministry of Magic would be located in Knockturn Alley. It was a tool to be studied, its essence extracted for his own benefit, but he could not become immersed in its quick, easy power and forget his true path. That would be missing the forest for the trees. His foundation was planting. All magic, in the end, was for the purpose of planting trees.

His mind calmed, and his gaze fell on the third set of Blood Jade. Compared to before, its condition had worsened. It looked withered and depressed, the reward orb above it dim and flickering, as if it might go out at any moment. Before, Char couldn't see the reason, but now, armed with the knowledge of Dark Magic Transfiguration, he could finally untangle the conflicting magical energies and find the crux of the problem. Voldemort had been right. The Blood Jade, cultivated with two types of 5X-level magical creature blood, was being consumed by an internal conflict between the two magical powers. The plant wasn't just failing to transform; it was actively dying.

To change this, he needed to introduce a third, comparable type of blood. With the right mixture, the three types could balance each other, and a Blood Jade far more powerful than the other two should be born. Char's eyes flashed. According to the theory of Dark Magic Transfiguration, the blood he had used—from a fire dragon of the sky and an Acromantula of the land—needed a third component from the ocean to achieve the best harmony.

The thought of the oppressive power he had felt from Voldemort's parchment returned, and Char's grip tightened. He had to accelerate his growth. Both the Pute fruit and the blood for his new Blood Jade were in the North Sea. It seemed the journey was inevitable. But magical marine animals were generally much larger than their land-based counterparts. The Kraken was said to be over a hundred meters long. It was a far more difficult challenge than facing an Acromantula. The Sectumsempra spell might not even pierce their thick hides. And hand-to-hand combat in the water was out of the question, no matter how much he trusted his legendary abilities. The difference in size was simply too great.

"I need a more effective weapon," he thought. He scanned the abilities on his system panel, but his offensive options were limited. In the end, his gaze settled on the Dark Magic Transfiguration he had just learned. It could transform flesh and blood, amplifying their inherent characteristics. The most notable characteristics of his own blood were its incredible vitality and, now, the potent, controllable toxin it contained. An idea struck him. He would never perform such a transformation on his own body, but what if he used his own blood as a material? What if he used Dark Magic Transfiguration to combine its vitality and its poison, to create a biological weapon capable of taking down a giant sea creature? Conventional physical attacks wouldn't work. Perhaps a chemical approach was the only way.

Immediately, Char cut his wrist and squeezed a stream of blood into a test tube. He waved his wand, and the words "Dark Magic Transfiguration" lit up on his system panel. A magical power, different from any Transfiguration he had used before, acted on the blood. He had the strange illusion that the blood had come alive, that it was wriggling. When the spell ended, he frowned. The good news was that the toxins in the blood had reacted to the magic, and were still under his control. The bad news was that his understanding of the art was still insufficient. The change was not what he had intended. The resulting toxin would, at best, cause a bit of an upset stomach. It was a distorted, useless failure.

Fortunately, he had never expected to succeed on the first try. With his Legendary Life and enhanced hematopoietic ability, he had blood to spare. He squeezed out another tube and continued his experiments. As for the failed batch… Char thought for a moment. "Don't waste it," he decided. "Give it to the two-faced man. It's like feeding the dog. When the poison finally takes hold, it will just be one more symptom for him to enjoy."

He poured the blood onto the parchment. On the other side, Voldemort's joyful voice rang out in Quirrell's mind. "Good! Very good! The boy has already started his blood transformations so quickly! He truly has the potential for darkness!" The failure of the transformation was of no consequence. How could the art be so simple? Voldemort controlled Quirrell's body and greedily drank the blood. Then, he wrote a new message. "Junior. Congratulations on embarking on the path to higher magic. Remember, flesh transfiguration, like normal transfiguration, requires a strong will. But where ordinary Transfiguration requires a firm will to make things change, flesh transfiguration requires a profane, twisted will—"

After sending his guidance, he gave Quirrell new instructions. "From now on, you will drink all the transformed blood Char sends. This way, I can monitor his progress. When he completes his first successful transformation, I will have completely turned him into my pawn."

Quirrell nodded quickly. As Voldemort fell into a deep sleep again, Quirrell felt a dull ache in his stomach. The feeling passed quickly, and he dismissed it as a simple disgust for drinking human blood.

In his greenhouse, Char looked at Voldemort's instructions on the parchment, his eyes moving slightly. "A profane, twisted will?" He felt as if he had grasped something important. He waved his wand again, transfiguring another tube of blood. On his system panel, as he waved his wand again and again, the black-iron sheen of his Dark Magic Transfiguration grew deeper. Tubes of transformed blood continued to drip onto the parchment, feeding his enemy and fueling his own progress.

Time flew. Three days passed. Char waved his wand gently. In the test tube before him, the bright red blood suddenly seemed to come alive, wriggling violently.

__________________________

"Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider donating Power Stones and joining our patreon

[patreon.com /coolperry]

for early access to future chapters.(+30 chapters)

More Chapters