The Boy They Tried to Sacrifice

Was it not enough magic?

Matthew gradually increased the amount of magic he channeled into the structure until he finally stopped holding back entirely, removing all restrictions.

Yet the newly constructed model still produced no response. No movement. Nothing.

Watching the two spell models within his mind—similar in structure, but fundamentally different—Matthew sank into deep thought.

He directed a small flow of magic into the Lighting Charm's model, and immediately, the upright pyramid-shaped structure lit up.

More and more magic continued to gather at his fingertip, and Matthew quickly stopped the input, deactivating the spell.

This confirmed it: activating a spell model required magic, and maintaining the spell effect required continued magical input.

If the initial model itself couldn't activate, then naturally, the spell wouldn't manifest at all.

But what determined whether a spell model could activate?

Could it be that only those spell models he had truly comprehended were capable of functioning?

Matthew found no clear answer for now, and the lack of progress left him feeling more and more agitated.

Closing his eyes, he inhaled a few deep breaths of the room's slightly chilly air.

He forced himself to calm down and approach the problem with a more neutral mindset.

Once the agitation in his heart subsided, Matthew refocused his attention on the two models, carefully comparing their differences.

It was like playing a game of "Spot the Difference," trying to identify every detail that set the two structures apart.

Same line thickness, same node sizes—the only clear distinction was that one was upright, and the other inverted.

Time passed. He didn't know how long.

Suddenly, a chill seemed to rise from the data panel in his mind, making him shiver instinctively.

It felt like surfacing from deep underwater. Then, a realization struck him.

No—what was missing were the inscriptions bestowed upon the spell model by the Light Law!

Those inscriptions were the embodiment of the Light Law within the spell, and they were the key to the Lighting Charm's enhanced power.

Matthew stood frozen. How had he overlooked such a crucial element?

He had already theorized that the Light Law was the source of the Lighting Charm's unusual amplification. The inscriptions etched across the model glowed faintly, flowing slowly like light itself.

But why hadn't he noticed this before?

An inexplicable panic rose in his chest. He strained to recall the entire process and was struck by a strange sensation—like observing his thoughts from a distance, as if in a lucid dream.

This feeling of detachment made him uneasy, as though he had become disconnected from reality, an out-of-place element in an otherwise harmonious world.

Forcing himself to set the unease aside, Matthew looked at the data panel and noticed new information had appeared in the status bar:

Status:

Gaze of the Evil God

(When you leave the world's crystal wall and enter the void, you will immediately attract the attention of the Evil God "Scarlet Dominator." The Scarlet Dominator will instantly obtain your spatial coordinates.)

World Rejection 0.8%

(Your invasion has been detected by the world. Your plot has been temporarily blocked by the world's origin. The world is mildly repelling you.

Note: When world rejection reaches 10%, you will be expelled from this world's crystal wall; at 30%, you will be erased by the primordial gray mist.)

Rule Maze

(Your comprehension of Laws is too low. When performing actions related to Law domains, you will fall into a Rule Maze constructed by the world's will.

The Rule Maze will gradually erode your perception. If you cannot awaken in time, your existence will eventually be devoured by the corresponding Law.)

...

After reading everything, Matthew's back was drenched in cold sweat.

If it hadn't been for that sudden chill snapping him awake, he might truly have perished inside this terrifying Rule Maze.

So reconstructing spells carried this kind of risk. But then, by all known accounts, several people in the Harry Potter world had successfully invented new spells.

Leaving aside ancient examples, even Severus Snape, the Head of Slytherin House, had created powerful new magic in his youth—like the brutally effective Sectumsempra, which Harry had later used.

Then why had Snape been fine?

Did he also comprehend the world's Laws, and his comprehension level wasn't low?

Or were his spells simply unrelated to the world's Laws?

Wait a minute—are there spells that don't involve the world's Laws at all?

The more Matthew thought about it, the more confused he became, so he chose to stop dwelling on the matter.

Once he had mastered more knowledge, everything would become clear and self-explanatory.

At that moment, he noticed that the color of the Rule Maze entry on the panel was gradually fading.

Soon, the entire entry turned light gray.

This should mean he had fully escaped the maze state.

Now that he was completely awake, the reason for the new spell model's failure had also become clear.

Matthew stared at the words gradual erosion in the Rule Maze description and suddenly had a thought:

The color of entries on the panel seemed to reflect his real-time state of being affected by the maze.

When he escaped the maze state, the entire entry turned fully gray—so when he was inside the maze, the color should have been darker.

There appeared to be a linear relationship between the degree of erosion and the color intensity.

So... if I stop constructing the spell model before my perception is eroded, then resume after I recover—can I avoid falling into the maze altogether?:

Can I exploit this bug?

No sooner said than done.

He took advantage of this brief interval to inscribe the parts of the Light Law he had comprehended onto the spell model that had consistently failed to activate.

His movements were swift and precise, his strategy being: as long as I materialize fast enough, the maze won't catch up to me.

When he had materialized about half of the inscriptions, Matthew saw the Rule Maze entry begin to brighten and clarify once more.

He immediately halted, not daring to make another move.

After waiting a long while and seeing the Rule Maze entry fade again, he resumed inscribing the Law.

This operation perfectly captured the essence of guerrilla warfare.

At that moment, the new spell model became increasingly complete. More and more Light Law inscriptions appeared, arranged like overlapping fish scales, radiating an aura of deep mystery.

Once all the inscriptions he had comprehended were inscribed, the entire spell model seemed to come alive.

Just like the Lighting Charm's spell model beside it, countless mysterious inscriptions now flowed slowly across its structure.

Matthew tried injecting a wisp of magic into it.

Instantly, the model fully activated. The spell took effect, and all the magic in his body surged as if eager to flood into this newly formed structure.

Learning from the Lighting Charm's lesson, Matthew didn't dare let his magic be recklessly absorbed again.

Leaving aside what this new spell might ultimately manifest, just the magic consumption alone could drain him dry.

He carefully regulated the flow of magic, maintaining a steady, minimal input at all times.

At that moment, a fist-sized black sphere began to form above his palm, continuously drawing in the surrounding light, which adhered to its surface.

Matthew leaned in for a closer look—wasn't this just an image of his room? The angle was a bit strange.

He experimented with it and discovered he could adjust the perspective freely.

Matthew then tried increasing the magical input slightly, and the image displayed by the sphere expanded accordingly.

Getting a bit playful, he continued to increase the input.

As expected, the magic needed to maintain the spell model rose, and the magic required for the spell's effect increased as well.

Soon, he realized he could switch viewpoints and see through walls to observe every visible area inside the Bar.

It was like having surveillance cameras.

As long as there was light to reflect, the sphere could capture it.

Very logical. Very scientific.

Matthew even managed to rationalize this magic with a perfect scientific explanation.