Since the opening of the dwarven blacksmith shop in Diagon Alley, nothing particularly unusual had happened.
The shop wasn't bustling with business, nor was it filled with the constant clang of hammer on metal as one might expect. After all, this was a magical world, where soundproofing spells were common. Of course, there was also the possibility that business simply wasn't great.
Ted took advantage of the quiet, diligently gathering experience over the next ten days. With the 100 experience points he had earned from his previous quest, [Working Wizard (Green)], he finally accumulated a total of 400 experience points—enough to unlock knowledge from another world!
For the past twenty days, he had been juggling four part-time jobs a day, grinding for experience points. It was exhausting work, and if not for the [Restore Energy (Green)] card, which he used five or six times daily, he wouldn't have lasted more than a few days.
"I'm still just an 11-year-old kid, you know…" Ted muttered to himself as he checked his experience pool.
Finally reaching his goal at noon, he endured through the rest of the workday before retreating to his small, cramped utility room at night. So far, everything had seemed normal.
Leveling up was still a long way off, and honestly, gaining a single skill point and a free attribute point didn't feel all that rewarding. What truly excited him was the other world knowledge he could exchange for with his hard-earned experience. If it turned out to be what he imagined… it would be invaluable.
"System," he whispered, heart pounding. "Exchange my experience for the knowledge of another world: [Several Pages of a Psionic Power Manual (Blue).]!"
As the experience in his pool drained to single digits, an overwhelming surge of knowledge flooded his mind. A small ember of awareness ignited in his consciousness, and an indescribable power swelled within him.
This was psychic power.
The strength of a warrior's fists, the gleaming arc of a master swordsman's blade—compared to this, they all seemed insignificant.
Psions wielded vast and untapped mental energies, unlocking their potential through sheer will and self-discipline. Unlike magic, which required external forces such as wands, runes, or incantations, psychic powers were drawn purely from within, fueled by the user's own life force and spirit.
But this power came at a cost.
The strain of using psychic abilities placed a heavy burden on both body and mind. Overuse could lead to exhaustion, an inability to concentrate, or even a complete mental shutdown. Without sufficient rest, a psion would find themselves powerless, unable to recover their spent energy.
After all, each use of a psychic ability was akin to burning one's own life force. Excessive use was nothing short of self-destruction.
Psychic power branched into different disciplines, each focusing on unique aspects of mental prowess:
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Clairsentience : Those who specialized in this were called Seers. Their abilities allowed them to uncover lost knowledge, foresee future events, detect hidden objects, and access information beyond normal comprehension. It sounded eerily similar to magical divination…
Metacreativity: Practitioners of this discipline, known as Shapers, could form objects, creatures, or matter purely from psychic energy.
Psychokinesis: These Psions, called Kineticist, mastered the manipulation of energy and matter, shaping reality to their will. Their abilities included telekinesis, molecular manipulation, and even the transformation of psychic energy into powerful attacks like lightning, fire, and force fields.
Psychometabolism : Egoist, as they were called, could alter their own physical and mental properties, strengthening themselves or modifying their physiological attributes. This felt a lot like magical transfiguration.
Psychoportation: Psions specializing in this field were known as Nomads. They could manipulate time and space, moving themselves, objects, or others instantaneously.
Telepathy: Telepaths, the masters of this domain, could make direct mental connections with others, controlling thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. They could read minds, implant suggestions, and even override a person's free will—eerily reminiscent of the Imperius Curse.
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Ted took a deep breath. Psychic power was clearly an ability that rivaled magic in its own right. Unfortunately, the knowledge he had obtained was incomplete—just a few scattered pages from the Handbook of Psionic Powers.
As a result, he only gained three limited abilities:
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Identification: A divination-based ability that allowed him to analyze objects, people, or situations, providing detailed information about them.
Memory Palace: A general psionic ability that enabled him to create a vast, organized memory space in his mind. He could store everything he had ever seen, read, or experienced and recall it instantly. It functioned much like a portable Pensieve. With this, Ted could 'photocopy' entire books at a glance, storing their contents indefinitely for later study.
Psicrystal: A unique ability belonging to psionic warlocks. By imbuing a shard of his own consciousness into a crystal, Ted could create a sentient, telepathic companion. The psicrystal was a palm-sized construct of pure thought, capable of speech, heightened perception, and acting as an extension of its master's mind. Each psicrystal had a distinct personality that reflected its creator.
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Psionic crystal servants could sprout insect-like crystalline legs, allowing them to move independently. They could share some of their master's abilities, perceive their surroundings without eyes, and establish a mental link with their creator—enabling seamless communication and assisting with complex mental calculations.
It was, without a doubt, an incredible asset.
However, Ted lacked a high-quality, fist-sized crystal to create one.
The type of crystal used would determine the psicrystal's abilities and potential, so he couldn't afford to be careless. For now, it would have to wait. He needed to focus on growing stronger and securing the necessary funds before attempting to craft one.
Even with only three psionic abilities, the synergy between the Memory Palace and the Psicrystal promised great potential.
The Memory Palace would allow him to store and recall all the information he had ever read, and the Psicrystal, once created, would help him process and analyze that knowledge.
If the Memory Palace was like an external hard drive, then the Psicrystal would be his extra CPU and RAM.
Although his psionic abilities were limited for now, mastering them would open the door to new possibilities. With time and effort, he would learn to harness them in ways he hadn't even imagined yet.
Just then, the system sent Ted a notification—his character interface had updated.
Curious, he opened it:
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Ted Epifani
Level: Level 1 Wizard / Level 1 Psion
Experience Pool: 8
Attributes (An ordinary adult Muggle averages around 5 in each stat)
Strength: 3
Constitution: 3
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 6
Perception: 7
Spirit: 9
Charm: 7
Luck: ?? (Ordinary people have 0; varies depending on status)
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Ted's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Activating psionic powers had officially made him a Psion!
His attributes had increased—he gained +1 to Perception, +2 to Spirit, and +1 to Charm.
His skills had also improved: Mental Resistance was now level 2, and he had unlocked level 1 Prophecy.
Since psionic energy was fueled by willpower and mental strength, his Spirit attribute had increased the most. His heightened Perception and natural mental clarity had also granted him a slight boost in Charisma.
Mental Resistance was a natural bonus—Psions were masters of mind manipulation, which meant they were also well-versed in mental defense. It was the same reason why expert Legilimens were often accomplished Occlumens as well.
The extra level in Prophecy likely stemmed from his Identification ability, which belonged to the Insight branch of psionics.
Looking at his magical skills, he noted that his spells were still basic, all sitting at level 1. Meanwhile, his psionic abilities had no level restrictions—probably because psionics didn't function like magic. Unlike spellcasting, which relied on experience and refined technique, the effectiveness of psionics depended solely on the strength of his own mind and spirit.
Ted clenched his fists, a quiet, confident laugh escaping his lips.
That oppressive feeling he had carried since entering the wizarding world—the weight of uncertainty that had only grown heavier after learning about the Confluence of the Stars and Neville's role as the so-called savior—was finally lifting.
"Bring it on," he whispered to himself. "I don't care what changes are coming. If I'm strong enough, I don't need to be afraid of anything."
True strength didn't come from relying on others.
He refused to be just another character in someone else's story. He wouldn't grovel for a place by the protagonist's side, hoping to scrape by on their victories.
He would carve out his own destiny.
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