All day, Harry continued trying to brew Essence of Murtlap under Vinson's guidance.
As for the results…
They were far from ideal.
Vinson even began to suspect that the problem lay with his own teaching ability. However, when he noticed the Tree of Wisdom's growth progress bar slowly increasing, he reconsidered.
Hmm. I'll teach him a bit longer.
For the next few days, Harry continued learning from Vinson. Although he wasn't particularly interested in Potions, as long as he could stay away from the Dursley family, he was willing to do anything.
Whenever he had free time, Harry also learned about the many strange plants growing in Vinson's plantation. There were dancing cacti, mushrooms that changed size unpredictably, and many other bizarre plant species he had never seen before.
Everything felt fresh, strange, and fascinating to him.
Vinson had deliberately avoided planting dangerous plants inside the greenhouse, so he never stopped Harry from wandering around.
The Devil's Snare was growing along the outer wall of the greenhouse. From time to time, it would extend its vines through the entrance and gently tease Harry, as though it were playing with him.
When it came to the Devil's Snare, Vinson had noticed that it seemed noticeably more intelligent recently.
Type: Devil's Snare
Level: 2
Trait: Wisdom
Status: Growing (96%)
The panel for the Devil's Snare listed only one trait: Wisdom.
That was precisely why it seemed so clever. It could not only understand Vinson's commands, but could also think and act independently.
Looking at the growth bar that had already reached 96%, Vinson nodded to himself.
It shouldn't be long before it advances again.
During a short break, the Devil's Snare stretched its vines toward Vinson and gently tugged at his hand, as if trying to act cute.
Vinson looked at the restless plant in front of him and chuckled softly.
"It seems the time has come."
He took out a bottle of dark red potion from the storage shelf. The glass of the bottle itself emitted a faint, eerie glow.
This was a potion Vinson had personally developed, specifically designed for plants affected by his "mutation" ability.
The potion could dramatically accelerate the growth rate of mutated plants.
Naturally, its ingredients were very special.
The main raw material for the potion was Vinson's own blood.
A wizard's blood was rich with magic, and Vinson's magic was particularly unique, providing tremendous benefits to plant growth.
He pulled out the stopper and poured the entire bottle directly onto the Devil's Snare's vines.
Instantly, the Devil's Snare contracted violently, as if it had been electrocuted. A moment later, it rapidly stretched outward again. Blood-red, flowing patterns—like glowing veins—appeared across its dark green surface and spread quickly along its body.
Vinson narrowed his eyes and quietly observed these changes.
After a short while, the Devil's Snare calmed down. The patterns that had appeared across its body now spread evenly across its surface, giving it an oddly beautiful and enchanting appearance.
Slowly, Vinson extended his hand and lightly touched the surface of one of the vines.
The Devil's Snare immediately coiled around his fingers and wrist.
At the same time, a piece of information surfaced in his mind.
Type: Devil's Snare
Level: 3
Trait: Wisdom, Parasitism
Status: Growing (0%)
It advanced directly to the next stage.
Vinson felt a hint of surprise.
Not only had it leveled up, it had gained a brand-new trait.
"Parasitism?"
Just from the name alone, he couldn't immediately guess what kind of effect this trait would have.
His gaze sharpened slightly as he felt the sensation of the vines wrapping more tightly around his wrist.
The vines, which had been gently coiled before, suddenly seemed to receive some kind of signal. They slowly tightened and climbed up his arm. One vine after another intertwined and spread, wrapping around his forearm, elbow, and eventually his entire upper body.
"It seems that 'Parasitism' isn't literal parasitism," Vinson murmured to himself, "but a higher form of symbiosis."
He did not resist and simply allowed the Devil's Snare to continue transforming.
As the vines wrapped even further, Vinson could clearly feel that they were not merely on the surface of his skin—they seemed to be merging with his body.
This was a much deeper level of connection.
Finally, the vines slowly retracted, pulling back like a receding tide, and disappeared from his body.
Vinson lowered his head, lifted his sleeve, and examined his arm.
A patch of dark, web-like patterns had appeared beneath his skin, resembling a miniature Devil's Snare imprinted into his flesh.
The patterns pulsed faintly in rhythm with his breathing.
Vinson frowned slightly and attempted to channel his magic.
In the next instant, the patterns on his arm lit up, and a slender green vine shot out from his palm.
He controlled the vine and swung it through the air several times. It moved as naturally and obediently as if it were a part of his own body.
"So that's how it works…"
Vinson looked thoughtfully at the vine in his hand.
Then he gently clenched his fist.
The vine instantly retracted, transforming back into flowing patterns hidden beneath his skin.
"Eldera, analyze the Devil's Snare's 'Parasitism' trait."
Soon, the Tree of Wisdom returned its analysis.
Parasitism: The Devil's Snare can fully integrate into the host's body for activity and can absorb magic from the host to perform self-repair.
The effect was simple, but extremely intuitive.
Vinson nodded, feeling very satisfied.
This trait could greatly enhance the Devil's Snare's stealth and survivability.
However, he couldn't help but feel conflicted.
When those vines wriggled out from under his skin and moved freely, he always felt like some kind of strange monster.
…More specifically, some kind of tentacle monster.
Just thinking about it made Vinson shiver.
"Come off me first, Devil's Snare," he ordered calmly.
The vines that were still loosely attached to his arm seemed to tighten slightly, almost as if they were reluctant to leave. However, they ultimately obeyed, slowly loosening and withdrawing from the surface of Vinson's body.
The dark, web-like patterns faded little by little, as if they had never been there at all.
The main body of the Devil's Snare reappeared in front of Vinson.
Its vines trembled faintly, as though it were expressing its unwillingness to part from him.
"Stop acting cute," Vinson said, lightly patting the vines. "Go back outside. If I need you, I'll call you out."
The Devil's Snare hesitated for a brief moment, as if considering his words, before slowly crawling back toward the greenhouse wall and returning to its original position.
…
While Vinson was busy testing the Devil's Snare's new abilities, Harry, who had been completely ignored, was standing frozen in place with his jaw nearly hanging open.
All he had seen was a sky-covering mass of vines wrapping around Vinson, then disappearing into his skin before reappearing again.
To be honest, the scene had looked absolutely terrifying.
"Mr. Vinson…" Harry said, his voice slightly dry. He pointed at Vinson's arm. "Did those vines… drill into your skin?"
"Oh, don't be so nervous," Vinson replied with a faint smile. "That's the Devil's Snare. I introduced it to you before, didn't I?"
"…Can I learn that?"
"No."
Vinson burst into laughter.
This was not something an ordinary person could learn.
He clapped his hands, as if to close the chapter on everything that had just happened.
"Alright, Harry. You've rested enough," he said. "Let's continue with something more interesting — Essence of Murtlap."
Harry's expression froze.
Damn Potions.
He was absolutely certain that once he arrived at Hogwarts, this would be the class he hated the most.