Hermione couldn't help but open her mouth in surprise.
A book that can turn invisible?
Rock slipped the book into his backpack, then paused and slid a bookmark inside it.
If the book can turn invisible, surely the bookmark won't disappear along with it… right?
"Hermione, I'm heading out."
After tidying up the desk, Rock said goodbye and left the library, making his way back to the Ravenclaw common room.
The moment he stepped inside, he saw Theo and Adam sitting in the corner playing Wizard's Chess.
"You guys have been playing ever since you got back?" Rock asked, glancing at the chessboard, where a knight was swinging its sword.
"Yeah. There's not much else to do anyway," Theo shrugged. First–year homework wasn't exactly heavy—if you focused, you could finish the essays in one night.
Adam pushed a piece on the board, stood up, and said, "Rock, your letter's on your desk upstairs."
"Thanks." Rock nodded and casually took Adam's seat.
Theo, who'd been planning to throw a fit the moment Adam started losing, stared wide-eyed when he saw Rock sit down.
"What are you looking at? Another round?" Rock reset the board and glanced at Theo.
"Huh? Oh—yeah!" Theo snapped back to reality and began arranging his pieces, eyeing Rock suspiciously.
"What's with you?"
"Nothing, just relax." Rock replied as he began giving commands to his pieces.
Theo chuckled and the two fell into a rapid rhythm of moves.
Clack—
Rock's rook lined up with Theo's king, cutting off its last escape route. Game over.
"Good grief—you're cheating, aren't you?" Theo said, astonished.
"Just understand the rules and you're fine. Why would I need to cheat?" Rock said calmly. He had played magic chess with Grandpa Theseus so many times that beating Theo was easy work.
Theo rolled his eyes and waved him off. "Go on, go do your thing. Playing against you is just asking to get crushed."
Rock laughed softly, stood up, and patted Adam on the shoulder before heading to the dorm.
"Heh. Tastes great, doesn't it? Being completely destroyed?" Adam teased as he sat back down.
"Again! You're not leaving until you win at least once!" Theo barked, ignoring the jab. Losing to Rock didn't hurt his pride—beating Adam would fix everything.
Adam's face immediately fell.
Back in the dorm, Rock set down his backpack and went to his desk to grab the letter.
After tearing it open, he skimmed its contents. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Even though Theseus repeatedly warned him not to use the spell for late-night wandering or other troublemaking, he still wrote down the incantation, wand movements, and even a list of things to watch out for.
After reading the spell several times, Rock stored the letter away and pulled out the invisible book again.
The bookmark he placed earlier was still wiggling in the air, and the moment he opened the book, the invisibility lifted.
Marveling at it again, Rock began reading.
[Studying Invisibility Theory — Understanding Greatly Improved]
[Activated: Phantom Form Charm Lv.0 (0/100)]
[Reading Invisibility Principles… Knowledge Increased]
[Comprehended Adaptive Color-Shift Calibration — Phantom Form Theory +1%]
[Analyzed Synchronization of Invisibility with Environmental Magic Waves — Phantom Form Theory +2%]
[Warning: Mental Scale Fatigue Detected. Thinking Efficiency −35%. Skill Comprehension Reduced. Rest Recommended.]
The moment that message appeared, Rock finally put the book down and let out a long breath.
Feeling out his condition, he realized—so this is what hitting my mental limit feels like.
After estimating his current threshold, Rock understood where his limits lay for now.
He set the book on the desk, walked over to his bed, and flopped onto it, letting his mind drift.
He didn't even notice when the dorm door opened. Adam peeked in, saw Rock lying still, assumed he was asleep, and quietly backed out.
"Come on, let's go. We'll bring something back for him later. Looks like he's out cold," Adam whispered.
Theo nodded.
Once they were outside, Adam turned worried. "Do you think something's wrong with him?"
"No clue. But getting proper rest is a good thing," Theo said, though he wasn't completely sure either.
Thinking about how Rock had been waking up around five every morning lately, Adam nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Rock—unaware they were talking about him—lay with his eyes closed, mind empty.
Half an hour later, he sat up.
"Just zoning out… passive recovery is too slow. And I can't control it."
"If skills can be improved through training… then maybe rest can become a skill too. Something efficient. Something controlled."
Deep sleep? Too unpredictable.
Maybe…
He remembered how emotions affect breathing—panic makes breathing quick and uneven, while calming yourself naturally slows it down.
So maybe that could be his anchor point.
With his eyes closed again, Rock focused all his attention on the subtle sensations of air entering and leaving his lungs.
He imagined the kind of breathing he had when he relaxed… when he was genuinely happy.
At first, he couldn't quite lock onto the feeling, so he pulled up memories of joyful moments to help guide him.
Gradually, he slipped into the rhythm.
[Focused Breathing for 10 Minutes — Mental Fatigue Cleared]
It worked!
Rock's eyes opened wide. His theory was right.
But breathing alone wasn't the best method—he had used mental imagery to guide his breathing.
If he chose a more specific visualization—memory guiding breath, not breath forcing memory—it would be far more stable.
He recalled the day he watched Newt cast magic—the sense of wonder, the spark that made him fall in love with magic in the first place.
In a daze, he felt like he was back in that garden, voices echoing faintly around him, and he couldn't help but smile.
[Entered "Meditation" State — Mental Recovery Speed Increased. Maintain Condition.]
[Entered "Meditation" State — Mental Recovery Speed Increased. Maintain Condition.]
[Mental Scale Status: FULL]