NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17: 17. Magical Memory
"The second-year spells are definitely trickier than the ones from first year," Ivan observed.
In his first year, Ivan had mastered the spells almost instantly. Each time he cast a spell, he only had to focus once, analyzing the magic energy required to cast it. However, the second-year spells—especially the freezing spell—were much more complex.
It took him nearly an hour to figure out the precise level of magic strength needed to consistently cast the freezing spell. If the illumination spell, for example, only needed a "scale" of 1, then the freezing spell required a power level of 3. Not only did this higher level of magic need to be sustained, but he also had to maintain complete concentration.
Ivan's life experience gave him an edge, though. Having lived through two lifetimes, he had a much stronger willpower than most first- or second-year students, who were still very young. He was also using the illumination spell as a baseline to measure his power.
He realized, too, that if he set aside his Sycamore Wand, he would be limited to magic that required a level of 2 or lower. Anything stronger than that, and he risked losing control of the spell's energy, which could lead to unpredictable outcomes.
"Maybe I just need more practice?" he wondered aloud.
Ivan resolved to practice the silent freezing spell repeatedly, without using spoken incantations, until he felt close to mastering it. He only set his wand down when he felt his control was good enough. By then, the sky outside had dimmed to dusk. Checking the time, Ivan realized he had been practicing the freezing spell in silence for over four hours.
"Whew…"
Ivan took a deep breath to unwind. "Luckily, wizards in this world don't worry about running out of 'mana.' As long as I have the energy, I can keep casting spells without any limit," he thought with some relief.
With that, he slipped his wand back into his sleeve, making sure it was within easy reach. He clapped his hands a few times, taking deep breaths to completely relax. "Alright, now let's try casting the freezing spell without a wand."
To get an idea of his chances, Ivan even tried divining his own future. The result was… mixed. He didn't see himself successfully casting the spell, but he did see himself calmly eating breakfast the next morning with Yumi, his ragdoll cat, sitting by his side and happily munching as well.
"That's good enough," Ivan decided.
"Yumi!" he called softly. Catching Ivan's hint, his cat responded, swatting at a worn-out box on the floor. Ivan stood perfectly still, wandless, as the box sailed into the air. He fixed his gaze on it.
"Stop!" he commanded, channeling all his focus into a clear mental image of the freezing spell, reciting the incantation in his mind with absolute precision.
The box slowed dramatically, appearing to stop mid-air. If someone looked closely, though, they'd see it was still moving—just very slowly. It was almost identical to the effect of the wand-cast freezing spell.
"It actually worked!"
Ivan felt an overwhelming sense of triumph. Wandless magic was notoriously difficult, yet he had just done it. "Just as I thought," he mused, "getting familiar with a spell is like building muscle memory. Once I can do it silently, I can eventually cast it without a wand."
But then he noticed something important. So far, he could only perform the freezing spell without a wand. The limitation was likely tied to the "scale" of his magical power, which was currently at level 2. The freezing spell required a level 3 power, making it three times harder than the illumination spell. However, his extensive practice had enabled him to manage it at his current level.
This confirmed that as long as he increased his skill level for a spell, he could eventually cast it without a wand.
"This is one problem solved."
Ivan knew that in the Harry Potter world, wizards relied heavily on their wands. He wanted to be prepared for situations where he might lose his wand or have to cast without it. After dinner, he took time to feed both Yumi and his new owl, then returned to practicing other spells from his spellbook.
This time, he focused specifically on wandless casting skills. Instead of attempting another high-level second-year spell, he chose a simpler one: the levitation spell from his first-year studies.
"Wingardium Leviosa," he murmured. It was perhaps one of the most famous spells in the wizarding world.
He discovered something interesting: the magic scale for this spell wasn't an even number, like 2 or 3, but rather a decimal—around 2.3. This made him realize that the illumination spell, which he had used as a baseline, wasn't the lowest possible scale.
He found it curious that the levitation spell wasn't exactly at 2.5 either, but closer to "two and a third." Technically, it was slightly beyond his wandless limit. Yet, through repeated, diligent practice, he eventually gained the ability to control floating objects without a wand. However, something unexpected happened.
Ivan had planned to work on a few spells with his wand, gradually shifting them into his wandless repertoire. But he soon discovered a limitation: he could only retain a set number of spells for wandless casting. This felt less like a limit on skill and more like a "magic memory," similar to muscle memory. It seemed he could only manage about 10 spells for wandless casting. Any spell requiring more than level 5 magic power was still beyond his capability.
"Is this because my focus, willpower, or mental strength is too low?" Ivan wondered, opening his attribute panel.
[Attributes]
Soul: 4 (Rare)
Magic: 5 (Legendary)
Constitution: 1 (Ordinary)
Thinking: 3 (Outstanding)
Mind: 2 (Excellent)
Will: 2 (Excellent)
Here, 1 point was the average for ordinary people, while anything above 2 was deemed exceptional.
"As far as I can tell, magical strength sets a wizard's potential ceiling," Ivan considered, sitting on his bed with Yumi on his lap. He stroked his cat as he reflected. "Without enough magic power, no amount of practice will let you perform higher-level spells."
For Ivan, the freezing spell required just over 3 levels of magic. Yet, among basic spells from the first four years, the most demanding ones only required about 10 levels. For instance, the Shield Charm wasn't a basic spell but rather an advanced one, typically learned in fifth year. Remembering his knowledge from the original Harry Potter books, Ivan recalled that the Shield Charm, 'Protego,' created an invisible shield when cast, which could block attacks from the front.
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