A heavy silence filled the learning space, the awkward tension between them growing by the second.
Tom gave Andros a half-lidded look.
And the towering, muscular man—the so-called mighty wizard—was suddenly avoiding his eyes like a guilty schoolboy, his face flushed red with embarrassment.
Yeah. It was exactly what it looked like.
Andros wasn’t messing with him. He genuinely had no idea what a Wand-Lighting Charm (Lumos) or a Levitation Charm (Wingardium Leviosa) was.
The mystery unraveled quickly enough.
Turns out, magical knowledge had evolved quite a bit since Andros’s time.
Sure, the wizarding world might seem old-fashioned and slow to change, but it wasn’t static. It had progressed—especially in terms of utility, convenience, and standardized spellcasting—even if that progress didn’t always translate into more powerful wizards or a bigger population.
Take Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk, for example. The book Tom had just conjured.
Before her, nobody had ever tried to categorize and compile spells in such an orderly, systematic way.
According to her, both charms were developed around the 14th or 15th century.
Which meant there was no way Andros would’ve ever even heard of them.
Tom couldn’t help asking, "Then how did you light things up or move objects around back in your day?"
Instead of replying, Andros conjured a wooden post, tossed a fireball at it, and instantly turned it into a blazing torch.
"For light, fire works just fine. As for moving objects, you just wrap them with your magical energy. Nothing complicated about it."
Then he muttered, almost to himself, "Creating whole new spells just for trivial stuff ... and even teaching them to others so casually..."
Back in Andros’s day, magic was raw, dangerous, and closely guarded. People treated it like a weapon—one you didn’t just hand over to others lightly.
Life was risky. No one had time to think about using magic for convenience or comfort. It was all about power, survival, and raw magical strength.
Things only started changing during the Middle Ages, when Muggles rose in power and the Church began their infamous witch hunts.
That’s when wizards were forced to band together, founding magical academies and gradually developing the diverse, modern system of magic we see today.
Andros stared curiously at the book in Tom’s hands. "Tom... mind if I borrow that book? Maybe I’ll recognize some of the spells. If not, I can start from the Patronus Charm—I’m pretty good at that one."
Was this really a private tutor? Or had he just found himself a study buddy?
The guy didn’t know a single modern spell and wanted to start with the Patronus Charm? The famous Expecto Patronum?
Sure, Tom had a cheat-like system—but it wasn’t that
He sighed. "Forget it, Mr. Andros."
Tom handed over the book and conjured another one for himself. "Let’s just study together. I think you’ll be impressed with how much magic has evolved."
"Thanks, Tom," Andros said, scratching his head a bit sheepishly. He had just promised to guide the kid... and now he was the one asking for help.
[System Notification: Teacher ’Andros’ approval rating has reached 20%.]
[Host has received the natural magical trait: Andros’s Magic Talent.]
Tom suddenly felt a rush of energy surge through him, a wide smile tugging at his lips.
That was another perk of the system: whenever a teacher’s approval rating hit 20%, 50%, and eventually 100%, Tom would receive a reward—either a unique ability or a magical trait inherited from the teacher.
Sure, learning was great. But in the magical world, talent was king. No amount of effort or resources could make up for a lack of born potential.
With this system, though, Tom could surpass even the greatest teachers. Bit by bit, he was collecting their strengths, walking the path to becoming an unprecedented, unbeatable wizard.
Tom took a moment to tidy up the learning space, conjuring a proper set of tables, chairs, a couch, and a coffee table. Then he and Andros sat down with their matching Standard Spellbooks, Grade 1 and officially began their beginner-level magical studies.
Thankfully, the space had already equipped Andros with the ability to read modern English—otherwise, he wouldn’t have understood a single word.
To Tom’s surprise, Andros was taking this more seriously than he was. Even though the material was basic, it completely reshaped how Andros saw magic.
Back in his day, magic was for dueling. Fighting. Killing. That was it.
But now? Magic had style.
Andros was no slouch, either. His mastery of the fundamentals was so deep that even basic theory came easily to him—like a university student revisiting first-grade math.
It wasn’t long before he started trying spells himself. And of course, he went straight to wandless casting.
Tom, watching his progress, realized he needed to hurry up and buy the next few years’ textbooks. Otherwise, Andros was going to hit a ceiling real fast.
Meanwhile, Tom began practicing the Levitation Charm.
He carefully followed the pronunciation and wand movement described in the book.
On his very first try, the feather floated gently into the air.
But when he tried to guide its movement more precisely, he failed.
That’s when Andros finally got to step in as an actual teacher.
"Try it again," he said calmly.
Tom cast the spell once more.
Andros nodded. "Alright. So, the book gives you a solid foundation—but remember: magic is never truly ’standardized.’ Everyone’s different."
"You’ll learn the spell this way, sure. But it won’t be the best way for you. You’ll need to tweak the method a bit to really make it yours."
Then, Andros conjured his own wand and demonstrated the Levitation Charm, flowing through the entire process smoothly.
"See that? My wrist barely moves—fifteen degrees less than what the book says. That’s because I’m built like a brick wall. If I followed the book to the letter, I’d overdo it and the spell would fizzle."
"For you, though, you’re still growing. Your motion should be a little wider. You’ll have to test things out for yourself. No one—not even me—can tell you exactly what works best for you."
Tom nodded slowly, a look of realization dawning on his face. "Got it."
He adjusted his technique several times, and before long, he was casting the Levitation Charm like a pro.
Finally, he said his goodbyes to Andros and exited the learning space.
Even though all the physical fatigue vanished the moment he returned to the real world, Tom was still used to his sleeping time after years of routine.
Plus, he only had 100 credits for now—which meant just 15 hours total in the learning space.
Better to use them wisely.