As Shire cast Lumos, now advanced to Bronze Level, the spell's light spread gently over the field. The Luminous Mushroom mycelia immediately responded with an excited stir—almost as if a gourmet had encountered a rare delicacy.
Shire had spent considerable time tending to these mushrooms, making him familiar with their growth behavior. But now, he could clearly observe a significant difference. Their growth rate had increased by at least 20%.
This improvement alone was noteworthy.
After all, the Luminous Mushrooms were cultivated in the Hogwarts Greenhouse, where all other environmental conditions were already near-perfect. To achieve a 20% boost under such optimized circumstances was truly remarkable.
Yet, this was only the beginning.
Beneath the illumination of the Bronze Level Lumos, even the mycelia that had not yet developed mushroom caps began showing signs of doing so. Shire's eyes lit up with delight.
This was a critical developmental stage—one where Luminous Mushrooms transitioned from simple mycelia into full mushroom caps. Normally, it would take two to three days for caps to form once this stage had been reached. But under the light of the upgraded Lumos, this transformation seemed significantly accelerated.
Could the Bronze Level Lumos have a catalytic effect on cap formation?
If so, Shire's entire batch of Luminous Mushrooms might mature five days earlier than expected!
And this was only the impact of a Bronze Level spell. If Lumos advanced to Silver Level or beyond, the effects might become even more profound.
A thrill of excitement surged through Shire.
"Epic or even Legendary Level Lumos... it doesn't seem out of reach anymore."
"Maybe even Mythical Level isn't impossible."
Mythical Level—a tier beyond Legendary—was considered almost unattainable.
Since transmigrating into this world, Shire had cultivated for many years. He had pushed several of his abilities to the Legendary tier, yet Mythical Level still felt distant.
Even if he were to continue growing ordinary trees for another hundred years, abilities like Life Force Enhancement, Strength Enhancement, and Anti-Lodging would still remain far from reaching Mythical. The gap wasn't just numerical—it was a qualitative leap.
But now, through Luminous Mushrooms, Lumos seemed to offer him a path to the impossible.
Still, a moment later, Shire steadied his thoughts.
"Calm down," he told himself. "Instead of dreaming, better to just cast more Lumos and help these mushrooms grow well."
With that, he resumed his work. He carefully illuminated every corner of the mushroom field until the mycelia emitted a soft, glowing light—a sign they had absorbed enough Lumos for the day. Only then did Shire stop, albeit reluctantly.
By now, the first light of dawn was appearing.
On normal weekdays, Shire would have to start preparing for class at this hour. But since the next two days were the weekend, he had time to spare.
"The Luminous Mushrooms don't need Lumos anymore today," he thought. "So, what should I do next?"
His gaze fell on his wand, still glowing faintly.
After a night of use, the Bronze Level Lumos now emitted an even deeper bronze shimmer. A couple more days of practice might result in noticeable progress.
But then Shire recalled something—the way the Lumos spell had encouraged Luminous Mushrooms to form caps. Could this effect extend to other magical plants that liked Lumos illumination?
Could it help them reach their final stages of maturity?
That thought sparked an idea in his mind.
He remembered the Goldfish Vines—another type of magical plant he had been growing. These vines also thrived under Lumos. While magical prodigies like Neville and Hannah were exceptional growers, even the less talented Hufflepuff students had managed to raise vines close to maturity after many days.
Now, many of these Goldfish Vines were just a few leaves away from turning completely orange-red—signifying maturity. However, the last stage of their growth was always the most difficult. Sometimes, a single stubborn green leaf could take an entire day to transition.
But what if the Bronze Level Lumos could catalyze this transformation?
Shire's heart began to race.
He might be able to harvest fully mature Goldfish Vines this very weekend—and with them, valuable magical rewards!
Without delay, he returned to the Hufflepuff dormitory.
It was still early, and his roommates were sound asleep. Only one groggily opened an eye as Shire entered.
"Morning, Shire," the roommate mumbled. "Is breakfast from the kitchen ready?"
Shire smiled.
"It's still early. No classes today, so you all can sleep in."
He held up a food box from the Hufflepuff kitchenette.
"I brought breakfast for everyone."
Upon hearing the word breakfast, the half-awake roommate immediately shot up like a spring-loaded toy. The rest of the dorm stirred as well.
"Breakfast?"
"Where's the food?"
One roommate hadn't even fully opened his eyes, yet stumbled barefoot, sniffing his way toward the meal like a sleepwalker.
During breakfast, he never once opened his eyes, even as he devoured everything in front of him.
Once full, the roommates collapsed back into bed, their faces glowing with bliss.
Shire couldn't help but feel a little envious.
Life in Hufflepuff really wasn't bad.
But he quickly shook the thought away and sighed softly.
"Forget it. Planting trees makes me happier."
He brought out the few pots of Goldfish Vines he kept in his dorm room.
Most of the leaves had already turned orange-red, with just a few stubborn green patches remaining. Shire's eyes lit up with hope.
To avoid disturbing his sleeping roommates, he moved the pots into the Hufflepuff common room.
Then he drew his wand and cast:
"Lumos!"
A beam of radiant light washed over the plants.
And then—something incredible happened.
The leaves that had been slow to change color suddenly reacted, as if energized by a magical supplement. The orange-red hue began to spread rapidly from the edges inward, at a rate several times faster than usual.
Shire stared in disbelief.
Lumos continued to glow.
Two full hours passed.
Finally, the last traces of green on the three pots of Goldfish Vines faded, replaced by a brilliant orange-red.
A glowing system message appeared:[You have cultivated three Goldfish Vines to maturity]
[You can receive rewards: Magic Perception Enhancement (Bronze Level) x3]Three shining reward orbs floated before him.
Shire touched them without hesitation.
His eyes sparkled with anticipation.
After previously harvesting Goldfish Vine rewards twice, his Magic Perception Enhancement ability had nearly reached Bronze Level.
Now, perhaps, the breakthrough would finally happen.
As the three orbs merged into his body, a new sensation surged through him—
An unprecedented intensity coursed through his blood.
A powerful wave of energy resonated from deep within.
His entire magical perception shifted.
The transformation had begun.
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