Chapter 24: What powerful expert doesn't rely on a cheat? Can talent truly be left to fate?

Sometimes, inspiration is simply unreasonable. When you desperately seek it, you cannot even find a trace, yet once you set your mind at ease, it arrives of its own accord.

Roger was currently in the Room of Requirement, his usual sanctuary for magical experimentation, leafing through a book.

It was a volume borrowed from Professor McGonagall. As a carefully curated piece from the private collection of the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, each book she lent to the "Prophet" was a precious treasure, imbued with her hopes for the future. Every one of them had, to varying degrees, shaped the construction of Roger’s magical worldview.

But this particular volume was special.

"The Connection Between the Soul and the Brain" was one of the few modern works among the collection. The author was not a specific wizard; the signature simply read "Department of Mysteries, British Ministry of Magic."

If Roger recalled correctly, there was a "Department of Brains" within the Department of Mysteries; this must have been a product of their research.

Beyond that, the book had two peculiar features.

First, rather than being a single, cohesive work, it resembled a bound collection of internal journals.

Second, the book contained large swaths of text blacked out into ███ patterns.

This was not done by Professor McGonagall, but had been printed that way—likely due to internal confidentiality protocols within the Department of Mysteries.

Even so, the remaining public content held significant value.

Originally, what Roger had valued most was the research related to wizarding mental power—specifically, the theory extending from the debate on whether thought itself possesses the ability to harm others, and whether a wizard's mental strength, even without the augmentation of magic, possesses the capacity to influence certain aspects of the physical world.

But now, he discovered that the book contained much more of profound importance.

For instance, the editors had clearly incorporated a great deal of modern Muggle medical knowledge, exploring the functions of various regions of the brain.

When it comes to medicine, wizarding healers possess methods far superior to Muggle doctors; the auxiliary effects provided by various potions alone would be enough to keep the Muggle medical world chasing for decades.

Therefore, the progress of these wizards was quite impressive. Though they had yet to unlock all the mysteries of the brain, their depth of knowledge was at least an era ahead of Muggle neuroscience.

If he were to combine the knowledge of the brain from "The Connection Between the Soul and the Brain" with the "Brain Transfiguration Theory" envisioned by an elderly wizard in his twilight years—a man who had extended his life through "Human Segmental Transfiguration"—as detailed in "Blood Magic and Transfiguration: Speculations on a Future Era"...

And then layer on top of that the magical neuron technology he had developed himself...

"This experiment is dangerous... even a tiny mistake could mean death," Roger whispered to himself.

Messing with limbs or organs is one thing—if something goes wrong, St. Mungo's can still save you. But if you mess with the brain and something goes wrong, there is no time to save anyone!

Roger had been at Hogwarts for some time now. During this period, he had not only found his path but had also begun his own practice and growth.

In this process, he had gained a rough sense of where his abilities stood within the magical world.

A person's abilities are diverse, much like the attribute panel of a game character; everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.

Roger’s strength lay in his logical mind and firm worldview, which allowed him to digest and break down the knowledge of others, making it his own.

His mental power was formidable, far exceeding almost all young wizards, and even surpassing some of the professors of less rigorous subjects. However, due to his deficiencies in spellcasting and magical application, his combat power had not yet synchronized with the strength of his mental power.

Already possessing his own theoretical framework, Roger had a certain aptitude for magical research. By his own estimation, he was likely on par with Snape during his "Half-Blood Prince" era—upper-tier in the wizarding world, though not the kind of once-in-a-century prodigy.

His rapid progress in magical research was purely due to his "Prophecy" ability—the premonition of crisis was simply too useful in the field of development.

In terms of casting, he had a high talent for conceptual magic like Transfiguration. His aptitude for emotion-based magic, such as Dark Arts and Defense Against the Dark Arts, was average, and he had poor compatibility with spells and curses that leaned toward fantasy-based execution, like Fiendfyre.

His weakness was memory. He often studied in the library alongside Hermione Granger. Although they never spoke, Roger could tell that once Hermione read a book, she could recite it verbatim shortly after. He, however, had to write down the dense, meticulous notes Harry had once seen, recording the thoughts flashing through his mind just to retain the knowledge he wanted to memorize.

In terms of processing speed, he had no advantage over other wizards. The reason he learned things quickly was entirely because he had developed his own learning logic and had fine control over his mental power, not because his brain actually turned faster than others.

Overall, if one excluded his "Prophecy" power, Roger had the potential to become a wizard on the level of Voldemort. But to go further, to reach the next level, he lacked the potential and would have to rely on destiny.

And even if Roger could be one or even three tiers stronger than Voldemort, immortality was still...

At this thought, Roger overcame his hesitation.

Those who are overly cautious when pursuing great deeds, or those who lose their lives for petty gains, are not worthy of the fruits of immortality!

So what if the experiment is dangerous?

Which path of the strong has not been paved with life-or-death ordeals?

Retreating will not make one stronger.

To achieve extraordinary results, one must perform extraordinary feats!

I’ll do it.

"I need to learn the Undetectable Extension Charm... I recall the Ministry of Magic regulates that, don't they?" With his resolve set, Roger began to act.

In his previous life, Roger had seen a work called "A Certain Magical Index."

In it, there was a power system where the stronger one's brain's computational power, the stronger one's combat effectiveness.

When Roger was modifying Harry to improve his talents, his thoughts had drifted to whether there was anything that could upgrade his own potential, and he had suddenly thought of this work.

In that series, some people connected their minds with others to increase their computational power through collective unity. Others built external brains the size of houses. Roger didn't know how they achieved it or how such technology could be realized.

But with the magical neuron technology in his hands, while he couldn't build an external one or borrow from others, strengthening his own was a possibility!

For example, if he were to place an Undetectable Extension Charm within his own skull and then induce the proliferation of his brain tissue...

Absolute memory, multi-threaded thinking, a tenfold increase in processing speed—perhaps, if the brain grew sufficiently, even his mental power might strengthen along with it; that was also worth researching.

Of course.

Although Roger had made the resolution that "no matter how dangerous an experiment is, if the potential gains are worth it, it must be done," it did not mean he intended to work blindly in isolation.

Roger was not arrogant enough to believe he was the person who understood magic the best.

Moreover, some of his concepts required communication with the Ministry of Magic.

Therefore...

"Professor McGonagall, help me!" Roger knocked on the door of the Deputy Headmistress's office once again.

When in doubt, go find someone to help!

"Yes?" Professor McGonagall, who was currently pondering a problem that gave her a headache, looked up in surprise.