Chapter 5: The First Step Into The Curse

After ordering a steak and a glass of mead to fill his stomach, Eisen began studying. By seven o'clock in the evening, he had finished reading *The Theory of Magic* and let out a long sigh of relief.

After reading the book, Eisen gained a general understanding of the magic in this world. Drawing from both his memories of his past life and the book's content, he realized that for wizards to successfully cast spells, several factors were involved. Aside from the magic power in the body and the wand movements, an important requirement was strong emotions.

This explained why many adult wizards struggled with advanced spells. In Eisen's opinion, magic in this world was not easy to master.

Take, for example, when Professor Flitwick taught the levitation spell at Hogwarts. The pronunciation of *Wingardium Leviosa* required that the "Leviosa" part be drawn out and emphasized. Not only did the incantation need to be perfect, but wand movements had to be precise—"swish and flick." Moreover, the wizard had to channel their emotions to release the magic.

The importance of emotions was most apparent in spells like the Unforgivable Curses and the Patronus Charm.

To cast an Unforgivable Curse, the wizard had to summon deep malice, with a clear intent to harm or kill the target. This malice determined the spell's effectiveness.

For the Patronus Charm, positive emotions were crucial. Little wizards were taught to think of their happiest memories when learning the spell, as this was the best way to channel the needed positive emotions.

Eisen suspected, however, that emotions were just one way of expressing an inner will. This will was activated through emotions, combined with the wand and magic power, to release the spell.

He based this idea on incidents of magical outbursts. For example, Harry Potter, before attending Hogwarts, unknowingly made the glass disappear at the zoo. Clearly, Harry's magic responded to his will, manifesting itself without formal training or conscious effort.

In Eisen's view, the formal spell-learning process at Hogwarts was a structured method to help young wizards gradually control their magic. By the time they graduated, spell-casting became second nature, to the point where advanced techniques like silent and wandless magic were possible.

However, these advanced techniques were notoriously difficult, and few adult wizards ever mastered them. Eisen believed this was because they hadn't delved deeply enough into their magical studies.

Wizards like Dumbledore and Voldemort were the exceptions, demonstrating just how powerful magic could be when honed correctly.

After reflecting on magic in this world, Eisen noticed some peculiarities. Many spells were passed down through generations, but others, like Professor Snape's *Sectumsempra* curse, were invented by individual wizards.

Eisen wondered how Snape had created such a spell. He suspected it involved a deep understanding of Charms, Potions, and the Dark Arts, along with an emotional catalyst.

Despite his speculations, Eisen knew that until he learned more magic himself, his theories remained just that.

Setting aside *The Theory of Magic*, Eisen picked up *The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1* to begin his practical study. As a complete novice, starting with basic spells was essential.

After calming himself, Eisen tore a page from his notebook and raised his wand.

"Wingardium Leviosa," he intoned, waving the wand and pointing at the torn page. To his delight, the page floated into the air with ease.

Then, he tried again without the wand, using only his finger to direct the page. It floated just as before. Eisen couldn't help but feel a surge of joy—he was truly a wizard now.

Glancing at his character panel, Eisen saw no skills reflected there, despite successfully casting the levitation charm. This puzzled him, but he decided to let it go for now.

What did catch his attention was his magic power. Even after casting the levitation spell twice, his magic points remained at 10. There had been no decrease at all.

Eisen recalled that in this world, wizards didn't seem to experience mana depletion when casting spells. Whether during the first or second wizarding wars, no wizard had ever been defeated due to exhausting their magic power.

He remembered reading about Harry Potter practicing the Summoning Charm for hours on end before the Triwizard Tournament, yet still being able to cast spells afterwards. This suggested that wizards didn't deplete magic power but rather tired themselves out physically.

In other words, magic didn't seem to drain mana but required energy, much like how anyone focusing intensely on a task for hours would eventually feel tired. But no matter how exhausted they were, wizards didn't lose the magic within their bodies.

This realization left Eisen with an odd feeling. If casting spells didn't consume mana, what determined the strength of a wizard's magic? Why did *Gold Finger* quantify magic power?

After a moment of contemplation, it all made sense. Eisen remembered *Mad-Eye* Moody explaining to students that the Killing Curse required strong magical power to be effective. A weak wizard wouldn't be able to cause more than a nosebleed with the curse.

From this, Eisen concluded that the amount of magical power a wizard had directly influenced the strength of the spell. This was why adult wizards were usually more powerful than young ones—they had greater magic reserves.

The magic value quantified by *Gold Finger* was not just a measure of the amount of magic but an indicator of the strength of the magic itself.

With this realization, many of Eisen's previous questions were answered.

Feeling a sense of relief, Eisen couldn't help but smile. Since his magic power increased by 10 points daily, his magical strength would soon grow exponentially.