Bab 138: Chapter 138: Practice in the Forbidden Forest
Hogwarts' Christmas holiday is a standard two weeks long.
From December 21st to January 5th, if the first day back falls on a weekend, the 15-day holiday is extended to 17 days.
In his second-floor room, Ino glanced at the brand-new 1993 calendar on the desk, realizing that it was already time to return to school.
Unlike the mandatory train ride at the start of each term, Hogwarts had no strict requirements for returning from holidays. This allowed many pure-blood wizards to travel to Hogsmeade via their home fireplaces and then walk back to the castle.
After watering the magical beans on the windowsill, Ino packed his belongings and prepared to return to the castle.
Although the holiday seemed to have flown by, he had no complaints. The short 15-day Christmas break had been incredibly productive, equating to the gains of an entire year.
Not only could he now use Apparition proficiently, but he could also successfully cast other spells, including the Shield Charm.
Of course, it was just casting, and the quality and proficiency still needed improvement. Especially with the Undetectable Extension Charm, his most successful attempt only expanded a coffee cup's volume by twice.
But that's the nature of magic; as long as one can cast a spell successfully, the rest is just a matter of time and practice.
---
On January 5th, nearing noon at Hogwarts.
Probably due to the train's arrival in the evening, the castle was rather quiet.
On the lawn outside the castle.
Ino looked around to ensure no one was nearby before drawing his wand and pointing it at himself.
"Disillusionment!"
A cooling sensation rose from the top of his head, like someone pouring a basin of thick, cold liquid over him from a stool.
Even with the White Witch's bloodline, making him immune to any cold, the feeling still made him shiver involuntarily.
As the cool sensation spread, he saw his body gradually become transparent.
Transparent, not invisible—that's the effect of the Disillusionment Charm.
It could be considered a form of optical invisibility; as long as the distance was sufficient or the surrounding environment was dark, it would be hard to detect him.
At the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
After securely placing his suitcase in a tree fork, he waved his wand again.
"Protego!"
An invisible shield rose, serving as the pinnacle of single-target defense. The Shield Charm could effectively block all physical damage and deflect spells to some extent.
It was extremely practical, which is why it was a basic requirement for Auror recruitment by the Ministry of Magic.
However, it's certain that the upper limit of a spell depends on the wizard's upper limit. For example, even Mad-Eye Moody's Shield Charm couldn't block a casual attack from Voldemort.
With this in mind, he planned to test the Shield Charm in the Forbidden Forest and verify a hypothesis related to the sanctuary.
Holding a sharp one-handed sword in his right hand and his wand in his left, he slowly walked into the depths of the Forbidden Forest.
---
The Forbidden Forest in winter was quite bleak.
It lacked its usual vitality and instead felt somber.
Ino frowned as he surveyed the surroundings. He was in a cave filled with spider webs.
This wasn't surprising, as many spiders would seek out burrows to hibernate and lay eggs, typically lining the cave with thick webs.
The problem was, he found the right place but not the main attraction—an Acromantula, a 5X-rated giant spider.
The enormous cave, spanning dozens of square meters, had no sign of a spider. Of course, the cave also had a deep tunnel, its entrance covered in webs.
But regarding the tunnel, he had no interest in exploring it. This trip was for practice, not thrill-seeking.
Just as he was about to leave the cave and continue his search, he sensed a weak danger from behind.
"Hmm?"
Before he could react, it felt like being hit by a speeding motorcycle, sending him tumbling forward.
This was followed by a piercing "screeeee!" sound.
During this pause, he saw the creature behind him.
A spider the size of an adult horse, covered in thick black hair, with eight stone-sized eyes gleaming with fierce malice.
This was a young Acromantula. Seeing its size, Ino instantly understood.
A fully grown Acromantula could reach up to 15 feet in width, comparable to a large bus.
Despite its terrifying appearance, he wasn't afraid. The earlier attack proved that this Acromantula couldn't break through his Shield Charm.
With no more worries, he picked up his fallen sword and charged at the Acromantula.
---
Inside the large cave.
Ino, holding his one-handed sword, looked helplessly at the Acromantula moving around.
Despite its large size, it was incredibly agile, especially in the web-filled cave where climbing walls was just basic movement.
After about seven or eight minutes of fighting, he had been knocked down three times and hadn't hurt the spider at all, except for a lucky strike that slightly injured one of its legs.
Seeing the still-energetic Acromantula, he slowly lowered his sword.
"Diffindo!"
Without any flashy effects, the Acromantula suddenly froze, then its massive body and the webs behind it split in half.
As a sentient species, even in death, the Acromantula's stone-sized eyes were filled with confusion and disbelief.
"Hey! Don't blame me. I wanted to play a bit longer, but you were just too agile..." He muttered, squatting down to take out a pre-prepared glass bottle.
After assisting Snape with harvesting materials many times, he knew some basics of the trade. For instance, the venom of an Acromantula was expensive mainly due to its scarcity.
The venom from this horse-sized spider only filled a small bottle, about a few dozen milliliters.
After finishing the task, he cleaned up the site and prepared to verify his second objective.
After a meticulous search for over ten minutes, he finally found what he was looking for in a hidden corner of the cave.
A silk cocoon the size of a basin, containing a dozen quail-sized eggs and several translucent spiderlings.
Carefully picking up the cocoon, he disappeared from the cave with a thought.
---
In the sanctuary.
A four-foot-wide icy path, with a basin-sized cocoon in the middle.
Ino squatted beside the cocoon, lost in thought.
The items were brought in, but all the translucent spiderlings had died. However, that wasn't the main issue.
The main point was that he now seemed to have some faint connections in his mind, all originating from the cocoon.
The spiderlings were dead, but the eggs were miraculously alive and had established a connection with him.
Submission, obedience, trust... the information in his mind gave him a different feeling, as if his own miracle had once again worked its magic.
"It's getting more interesting: adulthood, embryo, birth..." Ino murmured as he looked at the dozen or so spider eggs in the cocoon, feeling a sense of absolute control.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone