Tom, You're Overconfident!

The ink began to change again, perhaps because Ivan's questions frightened it.

[Are you a student at Hogwarts? Let me guess, you're at Slytherin? Then I should be your senior. If you have any homework questions, feel free to ask me, no matter what!]

No, actually, I'm in Gryffindor, Ivan grumbled to himself.

Between the lines, Yvonne could feel Tom Riddle bursting with confidence.

However, it made sense. In Tom's fifth year, he was able to command a top-of-the-line magical creature, a basilisk, split its soul to create its first Horcrux, and achieved his first small goal of immortality.

Yvonne thought for a moment, then began to write in her diary about a problem that she had been wondering about for a long time.

[What is the nature of magic?]

For a long moment, the ink Ivan left in his notebook did not move.

Perhaps finding the question a little too difficult, Ivan paused again before continuing.

[What about the recipe for Felix Felicis?]

Felix Felicis could make anyone who drank it extremely lucky for twelve hours, and was a potion that Ivan had always wanted to brew, but even those in the Restricted Section could not find a recipe for it.

Therefore, he was looking forward to the diary's answer.

However, to Ivan's disappointment, Tom Riddle did not give him an answer.

What happened to knowing everything? Liar!

In fact, the Horcrux was completely baffled by Ivan's questions. It was only in its fifth year, so how could it possibly know the nature of magic?

The recipe for Felix Felicis was known only to a select few potioneers, and even an erudite man would not have been able to produce it out of thin air for Ivan.

When neither answer was answered, Ivan realised that the Dark Lord in his youth was not as heaven-defying as he thought.

So the next questions were easy, just basic charm questions.

The Horcrux finally reacted, reforming Ivan's writings into an answer.

Perhaps because he was embarrassed by the first two questions, or perhaps because he wanted to gain some trust, Tom Riddle's answers were very detailed, even including some of the techniques he had learned.

After a short conversation, a series of system prompts sounded in Ivan's mind.

[Ding, after a period of study, your proficiency in the Armor Charm has increased greatly…]

[Ding, after a period of study, your proficiency in the Disarming Charm has increased greatly…]

[Ding, after some learning…]

…

Ivan's heart was filled with joy, and his gaze on the Horcrux softened.

This is another useful learning accelerator!

Ivan temporarily dismissed the idea of destroying it with a blast of fire before squeezing it dry.

Ivan suddenly thought of the difficulty he was now facing and wrote in his diary with a quill.

[Do you make magical objects?]

Tom Riddle was silent for a moment before replying in his diary.

[I won't…]

Ivan was slightly disappointed, and was about to close the diary when the ink began to change.

[But I have some knowledge of ancient magical texts!]

Ivan finally smiled when he saw the words on the diary.

He guessed that Tom Riddle must have had some knowledge of ancient magical texts or the making of magical objects.

After all, when the Dark Lord graduated, he chose to work at Borgin and Burkes instead of elsewhere. This proved that he was interested in ancient texts, most likely because he had access to them in the Restricted Section of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Perhaps this had something to do with the other Horcruxes…

Many of the other Horcruxes that Ivan wanted to create were made directly from powerful magical objects, something that could not be done without some knowledge of the subject.

[You're amazing. You know everything… Can you teach me?]

Yvonne wrote enthusiastically in her diary, complimenting the man, and within moments the Horcrux responded.

[Okay!]

…

With Tom Riddle's knowledge of the magical language, Ivan's research into the anti-curse gloves finally made a major breakthrough!

This was because one of the new runes could be used as the core of the anti-curse formula!

After another week of study, Ivan was finally able to produce the finished product after many unsuccessful attempts.

[Magical Item: Anti-Curse Gloves

Magic: medium

Effect: Repelling Curse

Description: This is a qualified magical item. When used against you, stare into the eyes of the target and the curse will bounce back.

Remarks: It has limited effects, and may be damaged if used too often, and you can't expect to use it to ward off some advanced Dark Magic.]

"It's finally done…" Ivan turned the gloves over and over, liking them more and more.

Ivan didn't think much of the system's flaws, as they were intended to be sold, and cost only five Sickles.

It was already very good to have such an effect!

As for the damage to items, the Ministry could always buy another batch after one…

With this in mind, Ivan quickly tracked down Alicia, who was conducting research, and showed her a pair of protective gloves.

"You've already deciphered the text?" asked a shocked Alicia.

A week ago, Ivan had told her that he had seen several ancient runes at Hogwarts and was going to study them, but Alicia didn't seem to mind, as deciphering them was a lengthy task.

"It's not all that hard, you know." Ivan shrugged, shamelessly ignoring the instructions of the Horcrux diary.

Due to Ivan's apparent talent for self-improvement, Isiah was not surprised to learn that Ivan made anti-curse gloves.

Yvonne had read the system's introduction, but it certainly wasn't as clear as trying it yourself.

They soon arrived at the training ground in the basement…

"So… why me?" Yvonne asked, standing on the training ground and slipping on a pair of protective gloves.

"Isn't it normal for a researcher to experiment with their product?" Alicia explained, but whether she meant it as she said, or simply wanted to vent the frustration she had been feeling over the past few days…

(PS: There will be one more chapter tonight. Also, thank you for your tips, monthly votes, and subscriptions.