Char soon found himself back in the greenhouse. As soon as he stepped inside, he noticed something different—something extraordinary. He could sense the magical herbs in the greenhouse more clearly than ever before. For the simpler plants, like the glow mushrooms, he could even feel the flow of magic through their mycelium.
For example, when he noticed that the magic in a cluster of glow mushroom mycelium was unusually weak, he simply cast a pruning spell and removed those strands. Immediately, the remaining mycelium became stronger and more vibrant. Compared to his previous efforts, this was far more efficient.
Char took a deep breath, marveling at the change. "No wonder magical perception is so important for herbologists, potionists, and alchemists," he thought. "With high perception, you can read the magic of plants, potions, and circuits as easily as reading the lines on your palm. If anything goes wrong, you can spot it right away. But if your perception is low, everything is just a blur—you have to work ten times as hard just to get half the results."
He sighed, remembering his own initial limitations. "With my original talent, I'd never have been able to achieve much in herbology. But thanks to the planting system, one day I'll be able to raise my perception to a level even the masters can't match."
With that in mind, Char crossed the experimental field and entered the aquatic plant cultivation shed. His previous experiment with the piranha algae had been cut short by his lack of magical perception. But now, not only had his perception undergone a qualitative leap, but his mastery of the Frequency Light Spell had also soared to gold level.
"That should be enough," Char murmured, focusing his mind and body on the spell he was about to cast. The magic power within him flowed clearly through his awareness, gathering toward the ash wand in his hand. Insights and techniques from the Frequency Light Spell flashed through his mind.
He raised his wand and drew a perfect circle in the air. As the circle closed, Char followed the flow of magic and flicked his wrist sharply, intoning the incantation: "Lumos—Frequens!"
The wand responded, the spell succeeding—but strangely, no light appeared at its tip. Char let out a long breath, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "It worked! The dual breakthroughs in my magical perception and spell mastery have let me push the Frequency Light Spell beyond the visible spectrum—even further than I expected."
If his guess about the piranha algae was right, this was exactly the kind of light they needed. "This time, they should react differently."
He took out another handful of piranha algae seeds and sorted them into groups based on the frequency of the light spell. With all distractions set aside, Char waved his wand and began the experiment.
The first group was exposed to the Frequency Light Spell just beyond the visible spectrum. Under this light, the mortality rate of the piranha algae dropped significantly compared to before. More than half survived—though their performance still wasn't as good as in complete darkness.
Char's gaze shifted to the groups exposed to different frequencies. As the light moved further from the visible spectrum, the mortality rate continued to drop. The algae leaves grew healthier, and at a certain frequency, their growth matched that of the control group kept in total darkness.
"This frequency is the critical point for piranha algae cultivation," Char realized. "If I keep moving away from this frequency…"
His heart pounded with anticipation as he adjusted the spell. The current frequency hadn't reached the limit of his ability. He wanted to see what would happen if the piranha algae got all the light they craved.
He continued shifting the frequency, group by group. At first, there was little visible change. But with his heightened perception, Char could sense the magical aura of the algae shifting subtly. The system also began to display new messages:
[Piranha algae is undergoing unknown mutations]
Finally, when the frequency reached a certain point, the piranha algae in that group suddenly transformed. They seemed to awaken from a long slumber, their magical aura radiating hunger. The algae leaves expanded rapidly, soon surpassing the size of those in the control group. The tiny serrated spines along the edges grew longer and sharper, truly resembling the teeth of a piranha.
A new message appeared on the system panel:
[Unknown mutation of Piranha algae completed]
[The rewards provided by Piranha Algae have changed...]
A wave of joy surged through Char. His guess had been right—the piranha algae was a special kind of light-loving plant, activated only when exposed to the right frequency of light.
But before he could examine the system message in detail, the mutated piranha algae took another surprising step. Unhappy about sharing the light, each plant began to fight for dominance. The algae leaves tangled and clashed, and within minutes, only one remained in the test tube. Its size had multiplied, and it occupied every inch of space that could catch the light.
Char stared, stunned. He hadn't expected such a drastic change in behavior—from clustering together in darkness to a ruthless, winner-takes-all battle in the light. Magical herbs truly were incredible. No Muggle botanist could have imagined such a plant.
This new habit made Char uneasy. If this was how the piranha algae behaved, then in each tank, only one would survive—and only one reward orb would be produced. Compared to the densely packed orbs from before, this seemed like a loss.
"I'll have to see what kind of rewards the mutated piranha algae can provide," Char murmured, turning his attention back to the system panel.
The first thing he saw was a bronze-colored message:
[Cultivate the mutated piranha algae to maturity and you will get a reward - a small bonus to cutting spells (Bronze Level)]
Char's eyes widened. The cutting spell bonus had jumped from Black Iron to Bronze level! That alone made the experiment worthwhile. A bronze-level reward was worth many black iron-level ones, and if he wanted to stack a particular ability to a high level, the effect of bronze rewards would be much stronger.
He was still weighing the pros and cons when a flash of silver light caught his eye. Char's body tensed. "This is… a silver-level reward?!" he exclaimed, his excitement rising even higher. The possibilities were suddenly far greater than he had imagined.
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