"As for thinking while practicing, I just do it along the way," Rock said casually.
Hermione stared at him like he was some kind of alien.
"I knew it. You're even worse than I am." She shook her head. Maybe this was how Harry and Ron felt about her?
Rock only shrugged. It's not like he could tell Hermione that his mysterious panel crossed out wrong approaches for him.
"Actually, your plan could work as long as your energy holds up," Hermione said, pointing at his notes. "But people have limits. You can't keep that pace forever."
She tapped the page again.
"So here's my suggestion: after you've practiced for a while, try emptying your mind."
"Then replay everything you just learned in your head—like watching a movie."
She stopped mid-sentence and turned to him. "You do know what movies are, right?"
"Yes," Rock nodded, motioning for her to continue.
"Great. It's that kind of feeling. Doing this works better than simply repeating the exercises over and over."
"Your brain needs breaks. If you keep yourself constantly tense, your efficiency drops. Even if you eventually master the material, it'll take much longer, and you'll feel your absorption rate slow down."
Hermione had fully switched into strict-teacher mode. "I learned that myself recently."
Her tone softened afterward. It was clear she needed someone to talk through all the knowledge she'd been absorbing—someone to help her process it.
Rock touched his nose thoughtfully. He understood. She wanted to reinforce what she learned through discussion.
It was just like the way he gained progress by correcting classmates in class.
"So you're planning to go over everything with me using the method you just described? Not a bad idea."
"Exactly!" Hermione brightened. "So you'll need to leave some gaps in your schedule."
"And I don't mean the time between meals and classes. I mean actual downtime—time you use just to relax. Also, if you want, we can have a weekly study discussion. Once a week."
"Every weekend, we bring up our questions from the week."
Rock listened and glanced at the daily inscription on his panel.
It was glowing once again.
[Discussing optimization of study method—high feasibility. Recommended.]
[Foundation Chapter—new status added]
This was the first time the system had pushed something like this.
Rock immediately opened the Foundation Chapter.
[Foundation Chapter]
· Magic Reservoir Lv.2 (470/599) — Status: Wavering
· Mind Gauge Lv.2 (545/599) — Status: Exhausted
· Physical Toughness Lv.1 (150/299) — Status: Average
Exhausted?
Suddenly he understood why the panel told him to wait until he was in peak condition before absorbing the Philosopher's Stone again.
The panel could show him how to grind efficiently, but it didn't optimize his human limits.
So… even a skill-grinding addict needed proper rest.
He suddenly wanted a meditation skill or something for health preservation.
"Excellent suggestion, Miss Granger."
Rock snapped back to the moment and thanked Hermione more formally.
"Really—your thoughts are helpful."
"You're welcome!" Hermione smiled brightly and opened her notebook. "Shall we start now? Some chapters are incredibly unclear."
"Sure." Rock nodded.
——
Time passed quietly.
Hermione looked at her now-filled notebook, her face lighting up.
"So that's how it works! Rock, your foundation and methods are amazing—I could really learn from them!"
Rock only nodded lightly. Those techniques were sorted out by his panel, after all.
What mattered to him more was the panel's daily inscription.
[Through effective discussion and applied knowledge, Mind Gauge +1]
[Through effective discussion and applied knowledge, Mind Gauge +1]
So this was what Hermione meant by output and digestion—relaxing the mind instead of grinding nonstop.
His Mind Gauge had skyrocketed during the Philosopher's Stone event, but afterward it never moved. Now, just like that, the issue resolved itself.
Hermione began organizing her notes. Rock glanced around the library.
Since he was here, he might as well look for information on Disillusionment and related spells.
Hermione's advice changed his strategy—he'd gather resources first, then train. Knowing the spell theory thoroughly would let him grind more efficiently later.
Thinking that, Rock walked over to Madam Pince.
"Looking for a book, dear?" she asked, glancing at him while shelving.
"Yes, madam. I'd like to borrow books on invisibility. Any recommendations?"
"Invisibility? The Disillusionment Charm? Isn't that taught in third year?"
Madam Pince squinted at him suspiciously. Clearly, she knew he wasn't a third-year.
"I just want to learn more about it," Rock said calmly.
She stared for a moment longer, then turned and gestured for him to follow. "Come."
She had seen plenty of overconfident young wizards. Most gave up after a while.
Rock followed her to a shelving area—and froze.
Several sections looked completely empty.
"This is the Invisible Book section," Madam Pince explained. "Many books about invisibility are kept here. Some of them are invisible themselves."
She reached toward an empty-looking space and pulled down a book.
Only when she placed it into Rock's hands did he feel the solid weight—an invisible book, currently in "invisible mode."
"This one is The Invisible Book of Invisibility. When you're done reading, be careful where you put it. Students often forget where they left it."
Rock's mouth twitched.
A book that could turn invisible… that could get annoying fast.
He couldn't help admiring Madam Pince. She handled invisible books like it was nothing.
"Come register it, and return it on time."
"Yes, thank you, madam."
After registering, Rock returned to the table with the transparent book in hand.
"What's that?" Hermione asked—then froze a second later.
The invisible book materialized in Rock's hands.
"The Invisible Book of Invisibility. Madam Pince said it goes invisible." Rock sighed. "Obviously."