Chapter 22 - 22: Spirituality Plus Magic

Words : 1770 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

Chapter 22 of "HPxLOTM: A Wizard's Path to Divinity" opens introducing the plot: Audrey quickly shifted the topic with news that the "open exam selection process for administrative... Continue exploring!

Audrey quickly shifted the topic with news that the "open exam selection process for administrative officers" had been approved, before moving on to discuss Mr. A, learning that he was likely a member of the Aurora Order. Before long, the Tarot gathering reached its most crucial phase. Alger's gaze swept between Audrey and Edward. "I would like to hire both of you for a task, with a suitable reward. Tower, the 100 pounds you owe me can be deducted from the payment, but if the task is worth more, I will compensate you accordingly." "What kind of task?" Audrey asked in confusion. Alger thought for a few seconds before answering, "I received intelligence that the notorious pirate vice-admiral, 'Hurricane' Qilangos, has secretly come ashore and infiltrated Backlund. His intentions are unknown. I need your help in locating him. As for what happens afterwards, you won't need to take any further risks." "'Hurricane' Qilangos? One of the seven pirate admirals?" "Yes. He is a Sequence 6 Beyonder of the Sailor pathway, a 'Wind-blessed.' He also possesses a mystical item, which could be considered a sealed artefact. Those who are aware of it refer to it as 'Creeping Hunger.'" Alger introduced him with a serious tone. Edward's eyes lit up. Creeping Hunger had finally made its appearance! This was one of the most powerful sealed artefacts that The Fool would use for a long time. His fondness for the Secret Suppliant pathway stemmed precisely from the Shepherd's ability to graze and absorb multiple abilities. Alger went on to detail the extraordinary powers Qilangos had displayed after obtaining Creeping Hunger. This successfully piqued Derrick's interest, prompting him to explain the terrifying nature of the Shepherd, a Sequence 5 of the Secret Suppliant pathway. However, Audrey remained resolute. "I am willing to accept this commission, Mr. Hanged Man." Edward nodded as well. "I have no objections." "…If you succeed, I may be able to directly provide you with the main ingredient for Telepathist." Alger added with a rare generosity. "Deal." Edward then raised his hand. "Mr. Fool, I have an idea." Klein rested his chin on his hand and responded calmly, "Speak." "As members of the Tarot Club, we engage in frequent trades, yet we are far apart and do not know each other in person. While knowledge such as formulas can be directly manifested, things like Beyonder materials and artefacts are inconvenient to exchange privately." "I was wondering if there might be a way to make our transactions more convenient?" Edward proposed this primarily to accelerate the development of the Tarot Club. If The Fool's delivery service could be established early, it would resolve many logistical issues. Moreover, it would allow Klein to explore the capabilities of The Fool (Sefirah Castle) sooner, which would also benefit Edward. Klein remained silent for a moment. The mist concealed his expression as he lightly tapped his fingers on the bronze table before speaking. "I understand. This meeting is adjourned." The members bowed in unison. "Understood, Mr. Fool." With that, Edward's first Tarot gathering concluded smoothly. The crimson dissipated before his eyes, and Edward found himself back in the villa. He let out a deep breath and reviewed his words and actions during the meeting, falling into contemplation. "Klein didn't question the fabricated background I made up. Did he refrain from divining it afterwards, or did he simply not care much?" The reason he had constructed a nonexistent noble family was to provide himself with a credible foundation for revealing more hidden knowledge in the future. This information would not only serve as valuable trading assets but also help him integrate further into the Tarot Club. Otherwise, what would be the point of joining? "And then there's Audrey…How should I explain things to her?" To be fair, Audrey had placed immense trust in him. Yet, he had withheld so much from her, making him feel like a deceitful scoundrel. After some time, he sighed and shook his head. "I should test whether spirituality can be used to cast magic first." Edward retrieved his wand and first used magic power to cast an Ironclad Charm on himself. Then, he attempted to mobilize his spirituality and cast a Levitation Charm on the table in front of him. The table successfully floated. But the energy consumed was still magic power. "Is it defaulting to using magic power?" Edward cast over a dozen more spells in succession, but without exception, they all consumed magic power. "Even though I successfully channelled spirituality every time, the spells still ended up using magic power. Was my hypothesis incorrect?" He paced back and forth in the room. "Thinking back, when I usually cast magic, I never consciously think about what is being consumed. I just recite the incantation, wave the wand, and release the spell—it's a seamless process." "It's like driving a car. You press the gas pedal and the car moves. You don't need to worry about the inner workings of the engine." "Then what about Beyonder abilities?" The only Beyonder ability he had was Door Opening, and he hadn't used it yet. "Open." With a shift of his foot, Edward's figure turned translucent, phasing effortlessly through the wall and into the adjacent room. "Hm, much more convenient than the Unlocking Charm." "The default energy consumption is spirituality, and there's no need for a conscious effort to 'expend' it—it feels just like casting a spell." "But when I actively try to use spirituality for magic, forcefully channelling it doesn't work. What other methods could I try?" Edward suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Hermes!" In the world of Lord of the Mysteries, most Beyonder abilities required the use of special languages, with Hermes being the most commonly employed. What would happen if he used Hermes to cast spells? "Stupefy!" A beam of light shot from his wand with a whoosh, knocking over the chairs and tables in its path before leaving a small crater in the wall. "Success!" Feeling the spiritual energy drained from within him, Edward was overjoyed. "The power is slightly greater than when using magic power." "Reparo." Before his eyes, everything rewound as if time itself had reversed, restoring the room to its original state. Edward grinned. "I just need to switch languages before casting magic—like tapping a tooth to activate Spirit Vision—and the magic will handle the rest." "I love magic!" He continued waving his wand, casting spell after spell using spirituality. "The spiritual energy consumption isn't too significant. With my current spirituality, I could sustain a small-scale battle. But these are just inanimate objects—I still don't know how effective it will be against a Beyonder. Hmm, I need to find one to test it on." A polite yet ominous smile spread across his face. "Hehehehe…Susie~ I'm coming for you." Just then, a voice rang out from the living room. "Damn it, I'm lost again!!" ——— Emlyn White felt that his luck had been especially bad lately. As a Noble Sanguine, had he not simply taken a few vials of blood from the hospital? Yet the Church of Evernight's Night Watchers had laid an ambush specifically for him! If he hadn't spent all his gold pounds on dolls recently, he could have just bought fresh blood from those pure young women. That taste was far superior to the chaotic mix found in blood vials. "Good thing I picked up this key last time. Otherwise, I'd really be in trouble." Emlyn looked around warily. "Where am I? Damn it, I got lost again!" ——— When Edward arrived in the living room, he saw a man in his late twenties grumbling to himself. The man had black hair and red eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips—handsome, though lacking in masculinity. "Black hair and red eyes? If I remember correctly, that's a characteristic of vampires…A lost vampire? What a coincidence. Just when I needed a Beyonder to test my magic on." "Who's there?" Emlyn flared his nostrils and turned toward Edward's direction. "I can smell you. Come out!" "Dude, you broke into my house, and yet you act so self-righteous?" Edward lifted the Disillusionment Charm. Emlyn immediately realized that Edward was also a Beyonder. He quickly said, "Apologies, I just got lost. I'll leave now." Without hesitation, he turned and tried to activate the power of his key to phase through the wall and escape. "Accio key." With a wave of Edward's hand, an antique brass key flew into his grasp. Losing the Master Key mid-escape, Emlyn nearly slammed headfirst into the wall. Annoyed, he turned to Edward. "Give that back!" Emlyn took a step forward, his fingernails extending into claws inscribed with mysterious symbols and patterns. "Tarantallegra." Emlyn's body stiffened as his legs began moving uncontrollably in a frantic tap dance. He struggled to stop but found himself utterly powerless. Fear crept into his heart. "What did you do to me?! Stop this at once!" "Levicorpus." Emlyn flipped upside down and dangled in midair. Reacting swiftly, he manifested a pair of translucent bat wings behind him, using their brief flight capability to pull away from Edward. Without a second thought, he turned and bolted for the window. "Impedimenta." "Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!" Emlyn's body jerked to a stop in mid-air before crashing to the ground, as if he had been smacked by three heavy bricks in succession. Unconscious. ——— After confirming that Emlyn had fainted, Edward immediately analyzed his findings. "As expected, he's a vampire—a natural Beyonder of Sequence 7. Even he got knocked out by three Stunning Spells? This 'spiritual magic' is even more powerful than I expected!" "In actual combat, spirituality consumption is several times higher than regular magic, but if I use spells well and my accuracy is high, even mid-sequence Beyonders shouldn't be too difficult to handle…Maybe even…" He paused. "No, I don't have enough data yet. I shouldn't jump to conclusions." With a flick of his wand, he cast a few more spells. "The most important thing is that I can enhance magic by increasing the amount of spirituality used. The greater the expenditure, the stronger the effect." "Doesn't this mean that as long as I have enough spirituality…anything is possible?" Spirituality + Magic seemed to yield results far greater than just 1 + 1 = 2! Indeed— His greatest asset in the world of Lord of the Mysteries was still magic! ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.

Chapter 22 - 22: Spirituality Plus Magic

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