Chapter 48: A Diamond Draw

Time gradually approached the final exams, and all the young wizards nervously prepared for their tests.

Hermione had been in a strained relationship with Erwin lately.

She believed he didn't trust what she said about Snape being the villain.

She claimed to have overheard a conversation where Snape threatened Quirrell.

This made her absolutely certain that the one coveting the Philosopher's Stone was Snape.

Erwin didn't refute her, merely stating that the truth was far from as simple as it appeared.

This made Hermione unhappy with his evasive behavior, pouting and ignoring him for a while until she could catch Snape in the act.

Erwin didn't particularly care.

Hermione was a stubborn girl.

Only when she discovered the truth herself would she realize her mistake.

He also wanted to use this incident to make Hermione think more carefully before judging someone.

Under such circumstances, Erwin's first final exams arrived.

There wasn't much to say about the entire examination period.

He passed all his exams smoothly.

Especially in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Quirrell shuddered when he saw Erwin take out his wand.

Speaking of Quirrell, Erwin had to admit that Voldemort's methods were extraordinary.

Under the circumstances from last time, Quirrell had been nearly broken.

Yet Quirrell showed up at Hogwarts after only a week of leave, though his voice remained very weak.

He also deliberately avoided Erwin every time.

Erwin didn't expose Quirrell either, since he still needed to obtain the Philosopher's Stone after all.

And just like that, Erwin's first-year life came to an end.

After completing all his exams, he returned to his bedroom, ready to draw cards to improve his strength.

Since the last Nicolas Flamel card, Erwin had saved another 20,000 gold coins.

In order to draw a diamond card, he had been resisting the urge to draw.

Today, he decided to give it a try and see what he could obtain with 20,000 gold coins.

When ten o'clock in the evening arrived, Erwin chose to draw cards.

This supposedly most unfortunate time point he'd gotten via divination was regarded as his golden hour.

His talent a divination was at ‘troll’ after all.

"System, use all 20,000 gold coins. I hope I can get something good."

After speaking, Erwin stopped talking and stared at the card pool interface.

The system didn't waste time, and light constantly flew out from the center of the pool.

Finally, near the end, a colorful light covered the brilliance of the other cards.

Erwin's heart relaxed slightly.

At least one diamond card appeared.

When the card draw finished, five gold cards and one diamond card remained.

The other cards Erwin integrated immediately, placing materials and items into the system space.

Quelling the excitement in his heart, instead of looking at the diamond card first, Erwin examined the five golden cards.

Two Professor McGonagall cards, one Snape card, and one Nicolas Flamel card.

There was nothing to debate.

From Professor McGonagall's cards, he chose [Transfiguration] to improve his talent.

From Snape's card, he chose [Potions].

From Nicolas Flamel's card, he chose [Alchemy].

The last card took Erwin by surprise.

**

[Heritage Awakening Draught (Gold)]: A rare alchemical concoction said to stir ancient family magic lying dormant within the drinker’s blood. For those whose inherited magic has already manifested, it strengthens that connection, greatly enhancing their innate power.

**

Wasn’t this similar to the potion he’d received in the novice pack?

Erwin had long suspected that his family’s magic ran deeper than ordinary wizarding lineage.

The old records hinted that one of his ancestors had been among the earliest wand-bearers, witches, and wizards whose raw connection to magic predated structured spellcraft.

Their descendants often displayed unusual growth in magical strength, though such traits had thinned with the generations.

Even without any enhancement, Erwin’s progress had already outpaced most of his peers.

But the prospect of awakening that ancestral magic fully was too tempting to ignore.

Without hesitation, he uncorked the vial and downed the shimmering golden draught.

A surge of power raced through him, flooding every nerve with warmth and light.

His magic swelled wildly, straining against the limits of his control until he could hardly breathe.

It took several minutes before the storm within him settled.

He exhaled shakily.

“It seems I’ll need some time to get used to this,” he muttered, feeling the hum of newfound strength thrumming through his veins.

The increase in magical power this time was too substantial, and he had no way to control it perfectly.

If he were asked to take the Charms exam now, he feared his own spells would blow up the classroom.

This made him feel fortunate.

Thankfully, he'd chosen to draw cards after the final exams ended.

Finally, Erwin looked at the last diamond card.

The surface of the card shattered.

A gorgeous scabbard formed and floated before him.

The main body was blue, with the sides and tip wrapped in gold, and intricate patterns engraved across it. The overall appearance was grand and magnificent.

And then Erwin saw the introduction of this scabbard.

**

[The Ever-Distant Utopia]

Alias: Avalon

Introduction: A world-shaking Noble Phantasm transformed from the fairies' homeland, the legendary land of eternal spring.

Effect 1: After the holder reaches 18 years old, they will remain youthful and become immortal.

Effect 2: Grants the holder powerful healing abilities and accelerated mana recovery speed.

Effect 3: Upon encountering a crisis or actively releasing it, an absolute space is formed, Avalon. Any attack that cannot travel through space cannot touch the host, which can be called absolute defense.

**

'I've struck gold. This wave is definitely striking gold.'

At this moment, Erwin's brain went blank.

He never expected to draw something of this level in his first diamond-level card draw.

This was the most famous defensive Noble Phantasm from another anime world.

With this, Erwin dared to take on any challenge.

Moreover, the system had thoughtfully modified it, so he didn't have to worry that after fusion, he'd stop growing like a certain foolish king.

He could grow up to 18 years old, then stay young forever.

Wiping away the tears of joy from the corners of his mouth, Erwin integrated Avalon into his body.

A warm sensation rose from within.

His magic became more active, approaching the level of control he'd had while holding his wand before.

Erwin carefully sensed the changes and found that Avalon was still improving his body.

He felt the cells in his body brimming with vitality.

If he maintained this constantly, his body would definitely exceed the limits of ordinary humans.