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    Chapter 110: That Year, Hands in Pockets, Unsure What an Opponent Was

    Hogwarts castle was vast, but only a fraction of it was actually utilized.

    Andy and Cedric found an empty classroom and snuck in using an unlocking charm.

    “Andy, do you know the Protean Charm?” Cedric asked.

    Andy nodded, “Hmm, I’ve mastered it, but I’m not very proficient yet.”

    Cedric said nothing in response.

    They stood facing each other, five meters apart.

    Wizards, while considered ranged combatants, have a significantly shorter attack range than even ancient crossbows, let alone modern weapons.

    Honestly, if a wizard’s power didn’t stem from humanity itself, and if magic weren’t so incredibly amazing, Andy would have already started a business in the Muggle world and become a capitalist.

    The wizarding world is closed-off, conservative, and backward. Many of its concepts are stuck in the past few centuries. They lack ambition, and Andy couldn’t fathom how the pure-blood families had the nerve to look down on Muggles.

    “Let’s begin!”

    Andy, holding his wand, saw that Cedric didn’t intend to make the first move, so he cast the Protean Charm on himself.

    “Protego!”

    With a magical shield in place, Andy pointed his wand at Cedric.

    “Stupefy!”

    Cedric reacted incredibly fast. The instant Andy launched his attack, Cedric also cast the Protean Charm on himself.

    “Protego!”

    The Protean Charm creates an invisible barrier around the caster, deflecting most spells.

    Except for the Killing Curse.

    In combat, the Protean Charm is a highly practical spell, but it’s very difficult to learn. Many adult wizards haven’t even mastered it.

    This speaks volumes about Hogwarts’ teaching quality.

    Andy also spent a long time practicing before he learned the Protean Charm.

    Cedric was only in his third year. His mastery of the Protean Charm showed his dedication.

    However, for dueling novices, the Protean Charm is relatively easy to break.

    Bang!

    The magical beam hit the invisible shield, and Andy immediately felt a strong repulsive force.

    Gripping his wand tighter, Andy increased his magical output.

    That’s right, the simplest way to break a novice’s Protean Charm is to “clash” with them.

    Andy could continuously use the Stunning Spell, but Cedric couldn’t continuously maintain the Protean Charm. It requires sustained magical output, making it easily broken.

    This was a little trick Helena taught Andy during the Christmas holidays.

    Cedric clearly didn’t expect Andy to use this tactic, but he only panicked for a moment before figuring out a counter.

    That was to attack with an attack.

    But it was too late.

    Just as Cedric raised his wand to target Andy, his Protean Charm was broken, and he was sent flying backward.

    Bang!

    A soft thud.

    Andy winced; it really hurt!

    “Finite Incantatem!”

    Dispeling the magic, Cedric slowly opened his eyes, shaking his head to clear his mind.

    “Are you alright?” Andy asked.

    “I’m fine!”

    Cedric said somewhat embarrassedly, “I was careless.”

    “Want to go again?” Andy asked.

    “Of course!” Cedric didn’t hesitate.

    Besides his pride, Cedric found this practice incredibly useful. Without today’s practice, he wouldn’t have realized his shortcomings.

    Actually, if Cedric hadn’t underestimated Andy and allowed him to use two spells first, Andy wouldn’t have clashed with him.

    If Andy hadn’t had the Protean Charm, Cedric only needed to counterattack before his own Protean Charm broke, and Andy would have been the one on the defensive.

    Therefore, this tactic only works against dueling novices.

    “Again!”

    After they resumed their positions, Cedric became much more serious.

    Being defeated by a younger classmate once was enough; if he lost again, Cedric felt he might as well give up.

    Then…

    When Cedric was defeated again by Andy’s Petrificus Totalus, he started to question everything.

    “Finite Incantatem!”

    Andy dispelled the magic, “Let’s take a break.”

    Cedric sat on the ground, looking at Andy in disbelief, “Andy, have you practiced dueling before?”

    “No!” Andy said without batting an eye.

    My achievements are all thanks to my natural talent, not hard work.

    “You’re very skilled too.”

    Andy spoke honestly, “Your reaction speed is very fast. I only won because of some small tricks.”

    Although he had won against Cedric, Andy didn’t become arrogant.

    If Andy was a magic-type player, then Cedric was a sports-type player.

    He was the Seeker for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team; his eyesight and reflexes far surpassed Andy’s. If Andy hadn’t practiced dueling with Helena, Andy would have been the loser today.

    Even now, once Cedric got used to Andy’s tactics, Andy didn’t think he could win.

    “Your spells are more powerful than mine.”

    Cedric praised, “It’s hard to believe you’re a first-year wizard.”

    Andy shrugged, “There’s more to dueling than just magic.”

    Andy’s magical prowess certainly exceeded Cedric’s. Though Cedric was two years older, he didn’t practice magic for several hours every day like Andy.

    However, dueling involves more than just magical skill.

    Andy suddenly envied Cedric and Harry, the sports-type players.

    They only needed to master a few combat spells and could rely on their superior eyesight and reflexes to defeat most people.

    “Even if my reflexes are faster than yours, it’s still hard to break your Protean Charm,” Cedric also admired Andy.

    Cedric had heard some gossip about Andy. When not in class, Andy was either in the library reading or practicing magic in a classroom.

    For almost a year, Andy hadn’t changed his routine.

    That’s not something everyone can do.

    In his third year, Cedric was among the top students, but he could only master spells proficiently; he never practiced as intensely as Andy.

    “Andy, after graduation, do you want to be an Auror?” Cedric suddenly asked.

    “No! Why do you ask?” Andy asked back.

    “I see you practicing magic so hard, studying dueling techniques, I thought you wanted to be an Auror,” Cedric said.

    In his mind, only Aurors needed such training.

    “I just really like magic.”

    Andy decided to subtly influence Cedric, trying to change his worldview.

    “I don’t want to waste my life in the Ministry of Magic after graduation, and I don’t plan on getting a job.”

    “I think wizards should do things that are befitting a wizard.”

    Andy put on a look of longing, “I want to explore the mysteries of magic, find the origins of magical power, and push magic to greater heights.”

    (End of Chapter)

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