It's commendable that you took the time to research bitcoin and wanted to learn about it thoroughly before investing, something not many newbies do. But you also need to take advantage of your opportunity instead of hesitating too long because investing early will also have certain benefits. Like you said, like those who invested early in bitcoin and they're enjoying the rewards that they're getting.
Right now, Everything should be carefully calculated because it's not really good if you aren't able to accumulate bitcoins at its lower price considering we already entered the halving year, it would be another run in the crypto market where the price will slowly continue to rise because of it. It's best if you can buy some more bitcoins and continue to add more in the future don't forget to spend just the amount you can afford to lose because it's not a matter of risk taker here but it's a matter of who can give his mind peace whenever he has some bitcoins and waiting for the right moment to sell it.
I wouldn't advise or convince the OP to buy bitcoin right now because he said he wants to understand it well before deciding to invest in it. But I just want to remind him that investing when it is cheap will give him better returns and the opportunity to own more bitcoin when it is more expensive.
The halving event is approaching and even those new to the market understand that it will help bitcoin increase in price even more. So I hope OP doesn't miss a great opportunity like this, which only appears once every 4 years. Furthermore, we can buy bitcoins and continue learning about bitcoins, which is not bad either.