Hogwarts Raven

The bookstore owner might be physically weak, but that didn't affect his professionalism when it came to selecting books. In fact, being able to run a bookstore in Hogsmeade Village was proof enough that while he might not have much business acumen, he certainly had a pure love for books and knowledge.

The three textbooks he chose for Ian were all highly suitable for beginners, progressing from simple to slightly more complex, allowing newcomers to quickly grasp the fundamentals of ancient magical script.

1. The Phonetic Table of Magical Script: This book contained a phonetic table of ancient runes, detailing the text, meanings, and correct pronunciations of various ancient runes.

2. Beginner's Guide to Ancient Magic Script: As the name suggests, this book was perfect for further understanding the basics of runes after learning how to read them.

3. Advanced Magical Script Translation: This book likely compiled knowledge that truly involved the application of ancient magical script in rune studies, helping learners understand how to interpret texts written in runes.

These three step-by-step textbooks were enough to help Ian gradually step into the world of ancient magical script.

Of course, even with a reasonable learning process, knowledge like ancient magical script had a high barrier to entry. As the bookstore owner had said, most people found it difficult to master.

"Ugh! It's really hard!" Ian exclaimed, sitting by the window of his cabin, holding The Phonetic Table of Magical Script and trying to read it.

Golden sunlight filtered through the thin curtains, bathing every corner of the room in a warm glow, but it couldn't lift Ian's somewhat gloomy mood.

He had been diligently studying for a while, yet he still struggled to learn even the simplest pronunciations of magical script. This meant his personal panel still hadn't gained a new skill.

How to put it? It was really difficult.

Thinking about it, it made sense. If ancient magical script weren't so complex and hard to learn, how could it have been so quickly replaced by modern spells as the medium for casting magic?

That's right. Ancient magical script and modern spells like "Lumos" and "Obliviate" were all just mediums for casting magic.

Wizards transitioned from using ancient magical script to using easily understandable spells. This process must have involved a sort of "survival of the fittest."

To be honest, the ceiling of ancient magical script was much higher than that of spells. This is why many powerful wizards eventually delve into it as they grow.

However, this ceiling only opens its doors to the truly exceptional. For the average person, the floor it provides is shockingly low.

In ancient times, many young wizards died due to unstable magic. Similarly, many wizards, like Ian now, remained stuck at the beginner stage for a long time, struggling to cast even a few decent spells by the time they were older.

In earlier times, many witches and wizards were burned at the stake by ordinary people, largely because ancient magical script was still the dominant medium for magic during that period.

The emergence of spells improved the learning difficulty for mid- and lower-tier wizards. This was the most important reason why spells replaced ancient magical script.

After all, they represented the largest group among wizards. Comparing ancient magical scripts to modern spells was like comparing manual transmission cars to automatic ones.

"I hope the magic Professor Mara gave me is a powerful one, or else all this suffering will be for nothing!" Ian thought, feeling frustrated. 

His tongue wasn't particularly flexible, and runes were among the earliest creations derived from the characteristics of magical creatures and plants, naturally containing many syllables that were difficult for human vocal cords to mimic.

This made Ian very uncomfortable.

However, he didn't give up on learning.

And in the end, his efforts were rewarded.

[Successfully understood and pronounced a rune, gained +1 proficiency in Rune Mastery.]

The ancient magical script is hard to learn. But fortunately, while Ian's talent might not be top-tier, he was certainly among the best. He wouldn't waste his life struggling to learn just a few runic characters.

After putting in a lot of effort, he made progress.

As Ian learned to pronounce his first runic character, a new skill appeared on his personal panel. The "epiphany" feature granted by the panel began to take effect.

[Successfully understood and pronounced a rune, gained +1 proficiency in Rune Mastery.]

[Language Proficiency +12.]

[Successfully understood and pronounced a rune, gained +1 proficiency in Rune Mastery.]

[Successfully understood and pronounced a rune, gained +1 proficiency in Rune Mastery.]

[Language Proficiency +12.]

Some things, once you take the first step, become easier thanks to the cheat. At least for Ian, this principle held true. Every increase in proficiency gave him new insights.

However, compared to the progress of other skills, the proficiency gain for [Rune Mastery] was noticeably slower. Fortunately, learning ancient magical scripts seemed to also boost [Language Proficiency] significantly.

This was likely because the ancient magical script was also a language and one of the hardest to learn at that. The fact that it was listed as a separate skill probably meant it was more than just a language.

The ancient magical script, most commonly seen as ancient runes, was the secret human wizards uncovered from various magical creatures and plants during their earliest explorations of magic. It served as the bridge for human wizards to first contact and control magic.

Most ancient spells and alchemy were created based on this. In the wild era of magic, magical script was the best medium for carrying and releasing magic.

You could think of it as a special circuit. Magic power flows through this circuit, forming ancient spells that are quite unfamiliar to modern wizards.

Similarly, when inscribed on ancient alchemical artifacts, these artifacts naturally gained such properties, allowing ancient wizards to even capture time using them.

As the magical script evolved, this difficult-to-learn medium, which could easily cause deviations and unstable disasters, gradually fell out of favor due to two creations born from the development of the era.

The first was the creation of the wand, a groundbreaking invention designed to stabilize magic casting, reduce learning difficulty, and minimize danger. It's like a stabilizer for magic, making spellcasting more stable and simpler.

As the era progressed further, the emergence of cores further elevated the importance of wands, adding unique characteristics and effects to the magic used by wizards.

This situation increased the power of magic but also heightened its danger. Disastrous magical accidents surged as a result. Thus, modern spells, simplified from ancient magical script, emerged from the needs of the era.

They simplified the circuit of magic power, which naturally greatly reduced the power of magic. However, their ease of learning and safety made them the darlings of the era.

With the existence of the Ministry of Magic, most wizards didn't need powerful magic for self-defense. So, when you think about it, it's not that spells lack self-defense capabilities; they've gradually replaced the role of magical script.

Of course, for wizards pursuing higher magical achievements, learning and applying runes remains an unavoidable journey. It's just that what was once the pillar of the magical world has become a playground for the exceptionally talented few.

No one can say whether this is good or bad. Nor can anyone say whether, as the era progresses, spells will eventually follow the same path as ancient magical script. Perhaps some historical changes are already underway, unnoticed.

After all, revolution always begins in silence.

(End of Chapter)

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