[Demon King System upgrade complete. Current version: 2.1]
[All functions have resumed normal operation. Please check the update log for details.]
Huh?
He'd expected a major version upgrade, but it turned out to be just a patch?
"Seriously? You took this long just for a patch?"
Wayne was so furious, his nose twisted. His anticipated major version update, complete with a complimentary upgrade gift pack – all gone?
"System, are you deliberately screwing with me? The last major version upgrade finished in the time it took to say one sentence. How did this minor update take so long?"
A whole month has passed since the system upgrade started, and it's only a 0.1 update?
[Version 2.0 was a pre-downloaded update. This temporary patch is the result of the host's efforts, serving as a later-stage optimisation.]
[We look forward to the host spreading chaos and creating more world-shaking events to improve system updates further.]
Resigned, Wayne accepted the system's explanation and opened the update log to see what changes this minor version brought.
The upgrade contents were sparse, and Wayne finished reading them quickly.
Just two main aspects.
First, the card tier system had become more detailed.
Lower tiers remained unchanged, while gold rewards were subdivided into Epic and Legendary tiers – Epic being gold, and Legendary being diamond with shimmering rainbow hues.
Above these, a crimson Demigod tier and a chaotic Divine tier were added.
Meanwhile, some changes appeared in his personal attribute panel's skills and talents.
Thunderlord's Decree and Final Spark were Legendary tier, while Gathering Storm reached Demigod tier.
The Supreme Heaven Robe was also Legendary, which surprised Wayne somewhat.
Legendary.
That corresponded to SSS-tier talents.
The remaining rewards were merely standard Epic tier.
Beyond this, the most significant change was to the gacha mechanics.
Still 100 points per pull, with a guaranteed purple every ten pulls and gold or above every hundred.
But two new features were added.
First, for 5,000 points, purple rewards could have their type specified, increasing the drop rate for that type fivefold. Changing the specified type would require another 5,000-point payment.
The system showed some mercy by giving him one free type specification after the update.
Otherwise, Wayne would have really cursed.
Second came the high-tier card acquisition mechanics.
Every three gold rewards would guarantee one Legendary diamond reward, while every ten gold rewards would guarantee one Demigod-tier reward.
As for divine-tier items, they currently cannot be obtained through card draws at all. They can only be acquired through major event reward packages with a certain probability.
Based on Wayne's understanding of his own luck and the system, he'd basically only obtain high-tier rewards by hitting the pity threshold.
But that was fine.
At least there were concrete rules now, unlike before, when rewards depended entirely on luck.
Wayne glanced at his points panel.
[Points: 30,503]
These days of selling Flying Potions had finally pushed his points past the thirty thousand mark.
Actually, excluding the tuition fees from the Greengrass sisters, Wayne had earned fewer points this academic year compared to his first year.
Mainly because most young wizards who would buy protective items had already done so in the first year, so very few were sold this year. The business relied entirely on Celia Store's support.
Then there was Beauxbatons, where Fleur had helped sell quite a few stationery items.
As for prank items, given Madame Maxime's strictness, hardly any young wizards dared buy them for mischief.
Instead of immediately opening the reward package, Wayne first set the purple card's designated reward to rune talents and began drawing.
Streaks of white, blue and purple light flashed by in rapid succession.
Wayne didn't examine them closely, only stopping when the first golden light appeared.
Twelve purple cards and one gold card in total.
Among them were three rune talents:
[Taste of Blood: When damaging enemies, recover your own injuries and magical power based on the severity of the enemy's wounds.]
[Zombie Ward: Leave marks on objects or living beings. When activated, share their perspective and control them, bringing along partial power.]
[Scorch: Your spells cause lingering damage. This effect can be toggled off.]
Hmm...
Looking at these three runes, Wayne frowned again.
They weren't exactly useless, but all felt relatively niche...
At his current power level, how many in the magical world could actually injure him or drag him into prolonged battles?
Even if injured, there was always Ho-Oh.
A single burst of Sacred Flame would outperform "Taste of Blood" by far.
Zombie Ward might have some use - he could place marks on the girls as precautionary measures.
As for Scorch... well, its greatest merit was helping Gathering Storm upgrade its quality through sheer numbers.
Wayne then tapped open the final golden reward.
[Pyromania (Epic): A legacy from the Dark Child of Runeterra. Greatly enhances the host's fire spell potency and flame manipulation while reducing related spell costs.]
'The Dark Child... that little Annie?'
With a single finger gesture, a mass of black Fiendfyre suddenly appeared over the vast lake, morphing at Wayne's will into the flaming raptor form Grindelwald had once conjured.
It then transformed successively into a Phoenix, a giant serpent, and a dragon, before finally shrinking into a tiny flame that landed on Wayne's palm, which he snuffed out.
The young man smiled.
"Not bad. Both control and flame temperature have improved significantly."
"Next time, I can play fireball tag with Grindelwald."
During their last duel, Wayne had relied on Glacial Augment and Waterwalking to counter Grindelwald's Fiendfyre.
He'd avoided direct fire magic confrontations precisely to spare himself the humiliation.
Compared to a pyromaniac specialist like Grindelwald, his untalented fire magic had been noticeably inferior. Wayne's Fiendfyre Curse had remained at Advanced level—oh, not anymore.
After acquiring 'Pyromaniac,' it had just ascended to Master level.
With the talent's effects, some more practice might make it rival old Grindelwald's.
"Lucky break. Let's keep going." Seizing the momentum, Wayne began frantically drawing cards again.
[Nullifying Orb: Generates a potent magical shield that nullifies all magical attacks until the host's magical power is depleted.]
[Overheal: Shield effectiveness increases when the host's magical power exceeds 50%.]
Wayne's expression darkened. Eighty draws in, and only two talents—even with targeting, the odds were abysmal...
But the good news was that on the ninetieth draw, he struck gold—technically an early pity.
And it was another talent.
[Mantle of Brilliance: Increases movement speed after casting a spell. The body can actively enter an ethereal state for two seconds, with a thirty-second cooldown.]
Now this was a gem.
Wayne immediately perked up, eager to test it out.
He casually cast a Disarming Charm, then felt a shift in his body's aura. With a thought, he entered the ethereal state.
Outwardly, he appeared unchanged, but in reality, Wayne had slipped into a pocket dimension—what the outside world saw was merely a projection.
Two seconds later, he returned to the physical plane.
"Gardevoir, attack the moment I give the order."
"Gardevoir!"
Gardevoir nodded solemnly.
The moment the cooldown ended, Wayne phased again. On command, Gardevoir unleashed a beam of blue light without hesitation.
The powerful spell passed straight through Wayne's body, striking the lake and sending up a massive splash.
A simplified Kamui.
That was how Wayne defined Mantle of Brilliance.
It meant that every thirty seconds, he had one guaranteed invincibility window.
Whether for survival or ambush, its utility was immense.
Should he keep going?
Wayne hesitated. His luck wasn't great, but it wasn't poor either.
In the end, he gritted his teeth and decided to press on.
A Legendary-tier reward was right there—if he could resist now, he wouldn't be a man.
Purple lights shattered one after another. This time was even more dismal—just a single rune talent, 'Aery.' But Wayne barely glanced at it, his gaze locked onto the final, prismatic glow.
The diamond-like card fractured, revealing its contents.
A witch, clad in black, with raven hair and dark eyes, exuded unparalleled allure as she lounged lazily against a bed.
Wayne only had time for a brief look before the card dissolved into a streak of light, piercing his forehead.
[Congratulations, Host. Obtained SSS-tier template: The Last Princess of Britain—'The Dark Witch' Morgana!]
A long-absent dizziness, absent since acquiring the Meditation Technique, resurfaced, leaving Wayne unsteady on his feet.
Gardevoir swiftly conjured a lounge chair, supporting her master as he lay down, watching him with concern.
"I'm fine, Gardevoir." Wayne managed a weak smile, reassuring her before closing his eyes to wait for the disorientation to pass.
Fifteen minutes later, he reopened them, clarity restored.
[Character: Morgana]
Magical Power: SSS
Spells: SSS-
Defence Against the Dark Arts: SS
Dark Magic: SSS+
Transfiguration: SSS
Potion-making: SSS-
Alchemy: SS
Special Talents: Witch's Heart (increased charm, accelerated Dark Magic learning, enhanced potency), Herbology Master (pharmacology expertise, accelerated learning in related fields, exceptional comprehension)
Overall Evaluation: SSS
"So it's her..."
Wayne massaged his temples, steadying his emotions.
His connection with Morgana ran deep.
The curse afflicting the white-haired girl was linked to Morgana, now mostly eradicated by him.
He'd also acquired two of Merlin's spells, and Merlin happened to be Morgana's greatest enemy.
Neither good nor bad, really.
At any rate, it was an SSS-tier legendary mage template—a massive win regardless of who it was.
Instantly, Wayne's Dark Magic aptitude shifted from the weakest among his talents to the strongest, nearly reaching the ceiling of this world.
Glancing at his proficiency panel, he saw his Unforgivable Curses and other Dark Magic spells, previously stuck at Advanced, had now skyrocketed to Master level. Even his magical power had improved.
"If I were sorted now, would I end up straight in Nurmengard?"
He turned to Gardevoir with genuine curiosity.
"Gardevoir?" She tilted her head, puzzled.
Sorting... into a prison?
"Just joking." Wayne suddenly laughed, ruffling her hair.
"Come on, let's cook up a feast. We're celebrating."
"Gardevoir!" she cheered.
Though she didn't understand his joy, her master's happiness was hers too.
Watching his little maid bustle in the kitchen, Wayne stretched and sank into the sofa.
I laugh at the first Dark Lord's sentimentality and Voldemort's lack of wit. If I, Wayne Lawrence, chose to become the Dark Lord, the world would drown in utter darkness.
SSS+ tier Dark Magic talent...
At full strength, even if he denied being the Dark Lord, no one would believe him.
...
"Why do you keep sneaking glances at me?" Wayne set down his fork with a sigh.
The dining table was laden with Gardevoir's exquisite French spread.
Yet throughout the meal, both Gardevoir and Nagini kept stealing looks his way.
"Gardevoir." She blushed, communicating telepathically.
"Master has grown even more handsome."
"Young Master... are you using some new cosmetics?" Nagini ventured uncertainly.
His features hadn't changed, yet his presence now felt like a magnet, pulling at her focus and heartbeat.
The more she looked, the faster her pulse raced—dangerous thoughts creeping in.
Nagini quickly lowered her head, stamping out the impulse.
After all, magical society had underage wizard protection laws...
"Really?" Wayne examined himself, even conjuring a mirror, but found nothing unusual.
Then he remembered Morgana's Witch's Heart talent—+ charm.
Initially, he'd dismissed it. His previous Lily template had granted him a "Crowd Pleaser" trait, too.
Beyond making elders and professors favour him more, it hadn't caused major ripples. Who would have thought Morgana's charm enhancement would be so potent?
Is this the true worth of an SSS-tier character's innate talent?
Even Gardevoir couldn't resist it.
Wayne flashed a smile at the little maid, causing Gardevoir to immediately lower her head, not daring to meet his gaze.
His grin widened.
This talent was rather amusing—perhaps he could moonlight as having Veela ancestry in the future.
...
After dinner, under the pretext of aiding digestion, Wayne summoned both Gardevoir and Nagini for a sparring session.
He remained rooted in place, allowing them to unleash spell after spell while a deep blue magical shield effortlessly deflected every attack. With a mere flick of his finger, a blazing dragon roared forth, forcing the two women to scatter.
Gardevoir hastily entered her Mega form.
The fire dragon split into two, pursuing them relentlessly.
Eventually, Gardevoir reverted from her Mega state, and Nagini's magical power was completely drained.
Only then did Wayne wave his hand, dispersing the fiery beasts.
"Ugh... never... never fighting you again," Nagini panted, collapsing in a sweaty heap, her wand nearly slipping from her grasp.
"Gardevoir!" Gardevoir chimed in unhappily—they hadn't even managed to make Wayne budge an inch today.
Seeing Nagini's dejected expression, Wayne offered consolation: "You've only been studying magic for a short while. This is already impressive."
"Most adult wizards wouldn't stand a chance against you. In your serpent form, you could swallow Snape whole in one bite."
"I'd rather not," Nagini retorted with an eye roll. "Why do you always use that Potions professor as your benchmark?"
"Force of habit," Wayne chuckled awkwardly.
Having placated them, Wayne wandered into the forest for a while, playing with the Mooncalves before preparing to leave.
He needed to digest today's rewards properly.
At the very last step before exiting the suitcase, Wayne suddenly called out:
"System, open the Grand Event Package!"
Bet you didn't see that coming. You thought today's draws were over, but I'm breaking the script.
Nothing like a good ambush!
The system's processing speed was top-tier—the moment Wayne spoke, the Grand Event reward package was opened.
A chaotic light flooded his vision, followed by an overwhelming torrent of information.
The young man's eyes rolled back as he passed out.
Boundless cosmos, infinite stars.
A colossal figure lay dormant amidst the sea of stars, breathing in nebulae with each slumbering exhale.
Suddenly—it opened its eyes.
The entire universe brightened.