Chapter 193: Mastering the Three Non-Beings!
Dylan didn't quite dare to use an Unforgivable Curse like the Killing Curse directly on the Boggart, lest he extinguish it entirely.
However, that didn't stop him from unleashing other spells upon it. A torrent of Holy Light descended, weakening the Boggart's very ability to transform in Dylan's presence.
At that moment, a system prompt suddenly chimed. Dylan glanced up.
[Achievement]: Mastering the Non-Beings
[Description]: Congratulations on successfully taming the three chaos-aligned "working stiff" entities of the wizarding world.
Dementors – Your personal office AC unit, specializing in depressing vibes to cure all defiance.
Boggart – Transforms into your ex-girlfriend as a cockroach, a master of psychological manipulation specializing in hitting your deepest fears!
Peeves – Hogwarts' thousand-year-old old-timer, skilled in using chalk to precisely strike the Head of House! Henceforth, you shall acquire the Reverse Non-Being CPU Achievement! Others' fear is your KPI; others' joy is your year-end bonus!
[Completion Requirement]: Torment the three Non-Beings.
[Achievement Reward]: Max-Level Spell – Xixiorwawa (Hehe-Wawa)!
"Huh?" Dylan blinked, slightly taken aback. Another achievement had suddenly lit up. And unlike the previous boosts to attributes and talents, this one had given him a max-level spell. But the name… Hehe-Wawa?
Dylan looked at the incantation: Xixiorwawa? It didn't sound very serious.
"Why not something like Xixiandwuwu?" Dylan wondered aloud, extracting the achievement reward.
Just then, Dylan suddenly found himself in a vast, silent square. His surroundings blurred. The next moment, amidst flashing light and shadows, a group of people appeared beside him without warning.
Dylan drew his wand and raised it, swinging his arm with force.
"Xixiorwawa!" Dylan found himself shouting, his voice echoing uncontrollably.
Simultaneously, a burst of light shot from the tip of his wand. The spell carried mysterious magic. Those struck by the incantation trembled violently. Their previously fierce, aggressive movements towards him instantly froze, replaced by distorted yet comical faces.
"Hehehe!"
"Wawawa!"
Dylan watched these people, first rocking back and forth with raucous laughter, their cackles sharp and piercing. Then, just as suddenly, they stopped laughing and sobbed uncontrollably, holding their heads, tears gushing from their eyes like a bursting dam.
But the next moment, they would be laughing while still crying. Their emotions shifted rapidly between laughter and tears, looking as if they were suffering from severe schizophrenia.
Dylan's mouth twitched. At the same instant, the illusion shattered, and knowledge of this spell flooded into his mind.
[Message]: Congratulations, you have acquired the Max-Level Spell – Xixiorwawa (Hehe-Wawa)!
Dylan closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, his expression was rather complex.
"This spell… is there no more dignified way to utter it?" He smacked his lips, then temporarily pushed the spell to the back of his mind. "The effect of this spell is quite similar to the Grin-and-Giggle Charm."
—Especially the names. Both were oddly unserious. One was the Grin-and-Giggle, the other was Hehe-Wawa… One made people laugh hysterically. The other made people weep uncontrollably while laughing hysterically.
"Truly one of a kind." Dylan compared the two spells. Since he had mastered both to max level, he easily noticed their similarities and differences.
The Grin-and-Giggle Charm required relatively low magical intensity and a steadier frequency. It primarily influenced the target's emotional centers through gentler energy fluctuations.
Hehe-Wawa, however, demanded more powerful and complex energy fluctuations. When casting it, one needed more precise magical control, releasing the magic at different frequencies during different stages.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be able to induce both laughter and weeping in the target simultaneously. Compared to the Grin-and-Giggle Charm, the energy pathway of Hehe-Wawa was more intricate.
It didn't just affect the target's emotional centers; it delved deeper into multiple areas of the brain, disrupting the normal secretion and transmission of neurotransmitters.
"Magic is subjective, but the effects are realistic," Dylan mused, stroking his chin, realizing this spell seemed more complex than it appeared on the surface.
Upon closer inspection, Dylan discovered that while Hehe-Wawa seemed like an upgraded version of the Grin-and-Giggle Charm, in reality, Hehe-Wawa was more about the ability to perceive the target's emotions.
"But… if I'm already making them laugh and cry, what's the point of perceiving their emotions? Haven't I already got their emotions in the palm of my hand?" He could make them cry if he wanted them to cry, and laugh if he wanted them to laugh. So merely perceiving their emotions seemed rather useless.
"Also, I didn't expect that time Peeves tried to prank me, and I kept turning the tables on him, would count as 'tormenting' him?" If he hadn't taken the opportunity to mess with Peeves, this achievement might never have been unlocked.
"In that case… if I make all three Non-Beings submit to me, will it unlock another achievement?" The thought brightened Dylan's eyes. This 'Mastering the Non-Beings' achievement was just about 'mastering,' a mere bit of torment.
It wasn't about truly making the three Non-Beings submit. So, if tormenting them earned an achievement, Dylan felt there was a strong possibility of unlocking a new one if he could make all three submit to him. And given that this one granted a max-level spell, unlocking a higher-tier achievement would surely yield a very different reward, wouldn't it?
Dylan continued to rub his chin. It had been a while since he'd received a truly useful reward from the achievement system. It was always just Galleons or Sickles, or perhaps some attribute points and talents. Nothing particularly substantial.
"I've pretty much studied the Boggart enough. I can't really dissect it alive." Dylan's wand tip still emitted wisps of ethereal smoke. He lowered his gaze, staring at the Boggart cowering before him.
Sensing the terrifying human's gaze, the black, gelatinous creature trembled violently, smoke rising from its body. This shapeshifter, meant to embody others' deepest fears, now twisted and reformed in a panic.
—First, it became a fluffy Persian cat, opening its large, watery eyes, meowing constantly, looking up at Dylan cautiously. Seeing no reaction from Dylan, it then transformed into a gleaming golden Chocolate Frog, hopping about, spitting out sugar-frosted greeting cards.
Dylan continued to stare silently. —Despite being a Chocolate Frog, one could discern expressions of grievance and terror on its face. The Chocolate Frog then transformed into a fuzzy rag doll wearing a comical clown hat, wildly flailing its limbs and performing a spinning dance, doing its utmost to appease Dylan.
Dylan cut it off. "Enough."
The rag doll immediately stumbled, kneeling on the ground. Its hands on the floor, it lifted its fuzzy head, its button eyes gazing piteously at Dylan. Dylan rolled his eyes. "Don't try to look pathetic for me. I'll ask you a question now, and if you answer correctly, I'll let you off this time."
At this, the rag doll's button eyes seemed to light up like human eyes. It quickly scrambled to its feet, tilting its head, craning its neck, and looking intently at Dylan.
Dylan chuckled softly. "Tell me, are you willing to submit to me?" The moment he spoke, Dylan had already unhurriedly raised his wand, dangerous holy light flickering at its tip.
The rag doll's face stiffened. Dylan even perceived a sense of its face cracking within its expression. After a stiff moment, the rag doll seemed to want to shake its head.
Whoosh!
The dazzling golden light from Dylan's wand tip shot out with the force of thunder, slamming into the ground to the rag doll's left.
Boom!
Dust billowed. The ground was like thin ice shattered by a giant hammer. In an instant, a charred crater exploded open. Hot air blasted outwards, sending pebbles scattering.
A few even struck the rag doll. Its head, which had been trying to shake no, instantly froze, its button eyes almost popping out. Then, its head suddenly swung in a half-circle before nodding emphatically.
"That's right." Dylan lowered his wand, a smile touching his lips. "I said I'd let you off, and I will. Now go on, run along and play."
—Of course, just this once.
Dylan's figure rapidly dissipated from the clearing. Though he couldn't Apparate yet, his body twisted like mist, instantly becoming a blur. His form swept low across the ground, moving like a shooting star, skimming the shimmering surface of the sea.
The night was as dark as ink. Waves surged. Yet, they couldn't even touch the hem of his robe, leaving only a wake of disturbed water behind him.
Dylan soon arrived at a secluded island, silently landing on the jagged rocks. The sea wind caught his black robes, merging with the howling winds of the island. The sea air was salty, carrying a scent of decay that swirled over the isolated land.
Seven Dementors, like flowing black-robed specters, drifted aimlessly, their skeletal hands grasping at the air, their hoods emitting chilling, bone-rattling screeches. They hovered freely, seemingly at ease.
Just then, the Dementor closest to the rocks turned and spotted the figure on the reef. Its form instantly froze. The already vacant "face" beneath its hood seemed to tremble slightly. Its previously hunched body straightened in a flash, snapping to attention.
The other six Dementors sensed the anomaly and slowly turned their bodies, their hollow hoods gazing towards the rocks. When they clearly saw the figure, their previously listless movements abruptly halted.
The six Dementors watched their first comrade, who was already standing at attention, then quickly floated over like startled crows, gathering behind the first Dementor, forming a ragged line.
Dylan smiled slightly at the sight. Then, a dense black mist suddenly enveloped his form, clinging to him as he swept over the sandy beach. In the blink of an eye, he stood steadily before the seven Dementors.
These terrifying creatures, meant to feed on others' happiness, now stood like fresh recruits. They were rooted before Dylan, daring not to move.
He was merely a human, yet they felt an invisible pressure, like the tides relentlessly beating against the island's rocks, engulfing them.
"Don't be scared. Am I more frightening than you?" Dylan chuckled, looking at the Dementors from 'A' to 'G'.
The seven Dementors lowered their heads, the hollows of their hoods seeming to glance at each other. Then they quickly bowed their heads again, not daring to make a sound.
They couldn't make a sound, anyway.
"I'm not here to torment you this time. I simply have a question I need a clear answer to." Dylan's voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it made the seven Dementors shiver again.
Dylan saw their cowardly demeanor and a flicker of displeasure crossed his face. "I told you, I'm not here to torment you this time. But if you give me that look again, as if I'm robbing a decent woman, I'll eat you alive!"
As Dylan's words fell, the seven Dementors seemed to be injected with courage. Their heads shot up instantly. On their seemingly vacant faces, a forced, strained smile was discernible.
Dylan was pleased with the Dementors' performance and nodded. "Now, first, count off." Dylan watched them, arms crossed over his chest, nonchalantly surveying the seven Dementors, stiff as wooden posts, as he gave his command. "Starting with A, perform a backflip, one by one."
As his words hung in the air, it grew so still that only the echo of waves crashing against the shore could be heard. The Dementors' vacant "faces" beneath their hoods seemed bewildered, their bony claws twitching unconsciously.
"Hm? Are you unwilling?" Dylan narrowed his eyes, a low, oppressive growl escaping his throat, radiating a suffocating pressure.
Dementor A was the first to tremble, a clattering sound like dislocating joints coming from beneath its black robes. It clumsily arched backward, its form swelling violently, its black robes puffing out like a burst balloon towards the sky.
Dementor A's unseen body twisted into a spiral, pulling its entire black robe with it, tracing a stunning arc in the air. Upon landing, the black fabric settled on the ground, and then from deep within its hood, a fragmented sound, like a hiss, yet also like a number being called out, squeezed forth: "One."
Seeing its comrade tamed like an obedient dog, the remaining Dementors fell silent. Then, Dementor B's black robes suddenly lifted from the ground, their edges boiling with surging black tar as it twisted and flipped through the air.
Dementor C's movements were noticeably sluggish, but the moment Dylan's wand subtly flicked, its black robes were suddenly yanked by an unseen force, spinning wildly into a backflip.
The remaining Dementors rolled across the sandy ground in succession, putrid black mist rising with their movements, hoarse numerical sounds echoing one after another. When Dementor G's black robes finally crashed to the ground, its hood squeezed out a final "Seven."
Dylan finally curled his lips into a smile. "Very good, you're all very obedient. Now tell me, are you willing to submit to me, or else…"
Dylan's gaze held a faint smile, but not a speck of warmth. The seven Dementors had already been made to jump through hoops like dogs. They had no intention of refusing to submit. Hearing his words, they immediately nodded repeatedly at Dylan.
"Excellent." Dylan looked satisfied.
And now, only the last one remained…
....
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