Chapter 146: Critical Assessment and New Beginnings

Words : 1491 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

Ciel's gaze fell on the text for Sectumsempra. He remembered very clearly that just before entering the Forbidden Forest, Sectumsempra had only advanced to Gold tier a few days ago, and the golden luster had been quite dim. But now, this golden luster had noticeably deepened! It should be noted that the higher a spell's mastery rating, the more difficult it becomes to improve. Especially advancing from the Gold to Platinum tier would be an unprecedented qualitative change. This process would naturally be even more arduous. Plus Sectumsempra wasn't an ordinary spell. He estimated this improvement might have taken him several days of day-and-night practice with Devil's Snare to achieve! He paused slightly, recalling the feeling of fighting the Acromantula in the Forbidden Forest. Though Sectumsempra had broken through the Acromantula's shell at the time, the resistance felt was extremely strong. Could it be because of that? But after a moment, he shook his head. "That doesn't seem right. I've felt strong resistance on Devil's Snare too. The effect wasn't this obvious. Something seems to be missing." He carefully recalled every detail, suddenly discovering something he had overlooked. "At the time, I was determined to kill one Acromantula first to establish dominance and intimidate the others. So my intention to tear through flesh and cause damage was the strongest since I learned Sectumsempra. Perhaps that was the more critical factor?" After pondering for a moment, his eyes lit up. "Sectumsempra was originally created by Snape as Dark Magic for combat and causing harm. Fighting, causing damage... especially harming powerful creatures like Acromantulas... would naturally make Sectumsempra improve faster. Isn't this exactly where Dark Magic's power lies?" After understanding this, he exhaled lightly, his expression showing delight. Originally by his estimation, Devil's Snare's training effect on Sectumsempra would last at most until the Platinum tier. After that, Sectumsempra's improvement speed would probably hit rock bottom. But now, Acromantulas might become the next target for practicing Sectumsempra. Their hard shells and man-eating nature meant he needed no reservations... he could kill freely! If he could reasonably breed Acromantulas to maintain a certain population, perhaps Sectumsempra could even reach Diamond tier through them! Thinking this, he even felt an impulse to return to the Forbidden Forest and launch a counterattack against the Acromantulas. If he could advance Sectumsempra to the Platinum tier, its power would surge tremendously. Probably even Dumbledore and Voldemort in their time couldn't have practiced destructive Dark Magic to this level in their first year! But soon, he suppressed this crazy impulse in his mind. "Calm down, calm down, can't get reckless. Sectumsempra, Legendary Strength... I've used most of my trump cards this time. Given Acromantulas' intelligence, they probably won't let me close in easily next time. My current strength isn't enough to use them as practice targets." He calculated. "At least I need to harvest Devil's Snare and gain the Fire-Resistant Hide ability, strengthening my defense enough to resist Acromantula venom. Preferably also acquire some toxin resistance rewards. Only then can I ensure basic safety. Magical power also needs to continue increasing... I need a fire spell that can burn away Acromantula webs over large areas. Spells like Sectumsempra also need to pose lethal threats to Acromantulas from long range. But these things can't be completed overnight. However, there's one thing I can remedy in the short term." His gaze fell on the [Aquatic Enhancement] ability on the system panel. Previously, when well-prepared, he could prepare a transparent water tank to trigger this ability. But this incident happened suddenly, leaving no time for such preparation. This meant his entire battle was fought without triggering Aquatic Enhancement. If he could trigger Aquatic Enhancement, the Forbidden Forest battle should have been much easier. "This absolutely cannot happen again next time. But this is easy to solve. A Bubble-Head Charm would work." Then, having sorted his thoughts, he exhaled lightly and began walking toward Hagrid's hut. But before he had taken two steps, Hagrid's figure appeared, running frantically toward him. He had never known that Hagrid, this clumsy giant, could run so fast. He called out from a distance. "Hagrid, don't worry, everything's fine..." Before he finished speaking, Hagrid scooped him up. Hagrid seemed frantic, checking whether he was injured. His tearful voice rang out. "Thank heaven, Merlin be praised. You're alright, Ciel, you're safe, not injured." Then he seemed to lose all strength, slumping to the ground and slapping himself twice. "I'm such a fool. I don't know what I was thinking. How could I watch you, a child, run into the Forbidden Forest chasing Umbridge? She's already a desperate madwoman who'd do anything. And the Forbidden Forest at night... even I have to be careful; how could I let you go in alone! I was confused and really scared senseless by Azkaban. But even if I rotted in Azkaban until death, I couldn't let you risk any danger..." Hagrid's face showed intense guilt and self-reproach, almost at a loss. The feeling was like nearly losing his only relative in the world. Ciel could see clearly that Hagrid's rock-like broad shoulders were trembling uncontrollably. He patted Hagrid's shoulder. "It's alright, Hagrid. No need for self-blame. I went after her because I was confident." Hagrid gasped for breath, too emotional to speak for quite a while. After a long pause, he gripped Ciel's hands tightly. "Promise me. Never do this again." After he nodded, Hagrid seemed to have escaped death and finally came to his senses. He gave him another hug, as if saying goodbye. "Don't be afraid, child. The illegal dragon breeding and everything else... I did it all alone from start to finish. The Ministry won't implicate you. It's just that after dawn tomorrow, Ministry people will probably come, and we'll hardly be able to meet again. I'll probably have to go to a prison very, very far away called Azkaban." He shuddered, forcing a smile. "Remember to write me letters... maybe I'll receive them." Then Hagrid began mumbling about where his belongings were. "It's still cold now, but in a month or two it'll warm up. I have a blanket, perfect for then... extremely comfortable. And I got you another pair of dragon-hide gloves. Since you're learning potions with Snape, dragon-hide gloves can protect you from potion harm. Haha, don't look at how shabby my place is... there are plenty of good things, all for you!" Looking at Hagrid in his farewell mode, Ciel felt both amused and warmed. He looked at Hagrid seriously, taking a breath. "Hagrid. No one's coming. No one knows this secret now." Hagrid stared blankly, his expression confused. "But, but Umbridge..." He looked at him deeply. "Umbridge no longer exists in this world." Then, amid Hagrid's incredulous expression, he briefly explained what had happened. When hearing that Umbridge had attacked him, even using the Cruciatus Curse, Hagrid's face instantly turned red with anger. He stood up furiously... if Umbridge were before him, he might have torn her apart! "Scoundrel, that scoundrel!" When hearing that Umbridge had been caught by Acromantulas, even kind-hearted Hagrid showed no sympathy, only satisfaction and relief. "Right, she deserved to die! How dare she use Cruciatus on you... she absolutely deserved death!" As his chest's heaving gradually calmed, Hagrid's gaze turned toward the Forbidden Forest. "No good. I need to go look. Some traces must be dealt with. Also, can't let that toad die too quickly, or it'll trigger Ministry warnings. Aragog and the others have ways." Before leaving, Hagrid turned to him, saying quietly. "Ciel. I won't let you risk even the slightest danger. I'll keep this buried in my heart forever; tell no one. Not even Dumbledore. Go, go back, take one look at Norbert, then hurry back to the castle. You need to show yourself to people." Then Hagrid strode toward the Forbidden Forest. He watched Hagrid's departing figure and took a deep breath, turning back to Hagrid's hut. Here, the newborn Hungarian Horntail named Norbert was already sleeping from exhaustion. His eyes flashed as he waved his wand, conjuring a syringe. He then slowly drew a small vial of blood from Norbert before hurriedly leaving. Acromantula blood, Hungarian Horntail blood... Looking at the two different types of Class 5X magical creature blood in his hands, his eyes were full of anticipation. "After so long. Blood Jade can finally begin." (TL NOTE: Unfortunately, my LOTR: Playing Minecraft in Middle-earth book was mistakenly flagged as spam on Webnovel and removed. I'll re-upload it under a different title by tomorrow at the latest. Thank you for your patience!)

Chapter 146: Critical Assessment and New Beginnings

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