The faint morning light struggled through the narrow window, spilling into the cramped basement room.
Dylan Hawkwood stared blankly at the envelope on the table.
Just moments ago, he had pushed open the window frame as usual, hoping the fresh air would sweep away the stuffiness of the night.
Who could have guessed that an owl would suddenly swoop in with a loud whoosh, riding the rushing wind as it flapped straight through the window.
The thing was unbelievably reckless, its wings beating wildly, almost knocking over the candlestick on the table before it finally landed crookedly on the old wooden desk.
There was an envelope tightly tied to its leg, the very same one Dylan was looking at now.
At first, Dylan had not paid it much attention.
But just as he was about to shoo the owl back out, he caught a glimpse of a unique emblem on the envelope by accident—
A shield-shaped coat of arms, formed by a majestic lion, a soaring eagle, a sturdy badger, and a sly snake, all circling around the letter "H."
Above and below the emblem, two delicate ribbons were embroidered with the words "Hogwarts" and "Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon."
In an instant, his expression froze, as if struck by a bolt of lightning from the depths of his memory.
"Hogwarts??"
Familiar yet foreign elements surged up like a tidal wave, smashing through the floodgates of his memories in an instant.
Hermione and the two idiots beside her?
"So I'm actually in the world of Harry Potter?"
Dylan had always thought he had transmigrated into historical England.
But he never got his System, no matter how long he waited.
His parents were just nameless office workers in some ordinary company, and his family was poor as well.
Over the past ten years, Dylan had finally stopped fantasizing about ever getting a System.
He only wanted to rely on his foreknowledge of future technological trends to hoard some stocks, live a comfortable life without worries about food and clothing—that was his ultimate life goal.
Yet this letter in front of him now mercilessly tore that beautiful dream to shreds!
This world was far from as simple as he had imagined. Even if he amassed wealth in the future, it could vanish into thin air at any moment!
After all, those damned wizards only needed to flick their wands and mutter a few spells.
Legilimency, the Imperius Curse—
One cast, and they could toy with his thoughts at will.
And even then he would have to pray they did not feel like taking his life.
If he ran into some vicious wizard, a flash of "Avada Kedavra," and he would be dead on the spot!
At this thought, Dylan's lazy spine suddenly straightened, a sharp sense of crisis washing over him.
He took the envelope off the owl's leg, and the owl flew back out the window.
"At least this means I now have the chance to learn magic."
Since he had received a Hogwarts acceptance letter, it meant he could study magic too and gain the ability to protect himself.
He at least needed to learn some escape and defensive spells before buying any stocks!
Dylan made up his mind to first focus on studying magic diligently at Hogwarts.
He would prioritize all kinds of protective spells and max out his defenses first!
Once his wings were fully grown, he would slip back into the Muggle world and spend the rest of his days in carefree comfort. Wonderful, wonderful.
Dylan gazed at the envelope for a long time.
He finally reached out, his fingertips trembling slightly as he opened it and pulled out the parchment inside.
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To Mr. Dylan Hawkwood,
Basement, 44 Ansheng Road
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Order of Merlin, First Class)
Dear Mr. Hawkwood:
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
The term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
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Just as Dylan finished reading the last line, a strange interface suddenly appeared before his eyes.
"Huh?"
Dylan froze.
Could this… be the System he was ten years late in getting?!
Excitement surged in his chest as he hurriedly started examining the contents.
"An Achievement System?"
The system interface was divided into four parts—wizard hat, magic scroll, wand, and spellbook.
The wizard hat icon represented his personal information.
——————————
[Name]: Dylan Hawkwood
[Magic]: None
[Items]: Freshman Starter Pack
——————————
After opening it, aside from the lonely name, the spell slot was completely empty—after all, he was basically a magical idiot right now.
There was at least a little gift box in the items column, though he had no idea what it contained.
The magic scroll icon was tied to quests and achievements.
After opening it, the quest tab was still blank.
But there was one achievement already lit up in the achievements tab—
[Achievement]: First Encounter
[Description]: You have received the blessing of magic! Experience this world of wizards and Muggles!
[Requirement]: First contact with a magical event.
[Reward]: Hogwarts Freshman Starter Pack.
He tapped the wand icon.
Another page popped up.
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[Name]: Dylan Hawkwood
[Spells Eligible for Specialization]: None
——————————
Dylan glanced over it and realized this was a tool that would help him refine and specialize in spells.
As for the spellbook icon, no matter how he tapped it, it would not open. It remained mysteriously locked with no hints whatsoever, leaving him completely puzzled.
"So it really is my System!" Dylan rubbed his hands together, his gaze burning as it fell on the little starter pack in the items tab.
He clicked it open.
A new system prompt appeared.
[Freshman Starter Pack]: Upon opening, you will receive one magical creature and three max-level spells!
"What? Three max-level spells??"
Dylan's eyes lit up.
This starter pack…
Max-level spells, just for logging in?
Holy crap!
The thought alone was enough to make his blood race!
"It's just that there are so many spells, and I can only draw three. The odds of getting something like the Patronus Charm are probably pretty low."
With three maxed-out spells as his foundation, Dylan suddenly did not care so much about the magical creature anymore.
Whatever he got, he got. At least it would save him the trouble of buying one.
With a mix of nervousness and excitement, Dylan opened the pack.
In an instant, four golden lights shot upward, piercing the clouds at the top of the interface like falling stars reborn!
Dylan's heart began to pound wildly!
Three of the golden stars kept shifting in form, then suddenly collapsed, transforming into black mist that churned and spiraled above like three black holes!
The next second, three streams of magical information poured straight into his mind.
Dylan saw countless figures, not just humans, but all kinds of strange creatures.
He stood before them, wand in hand.
The first flick.
"Ahhh—!"
The people in the front row collapsed to the ground, writhing and rolling in agony, their screams and wails endless.
The second flick.
A soft thud.
The group in the middle was struck by green light, frozen in place, then went limp and silent.
The third flick.
The people at the back turned glassy-eyed and hollow, like lifeless puppets.
[Message]: Congratulations, you have mastered the max-level spell—Crucio (Cruciatus Curse)!
[Message]: Congratulations, you have mastered the max-level spell—Avada Kedavra (Killing Curse)!
[Message]: Congratulations, you have mastered the max-level spell—Imperio (Imperius Curse)!
Countless whispers echoed in Dylan's ears.
Chants of incantations overlapped and twisted together, branding themselves deep into his soul.
At this moment, Dylan even felt that he did not need a wand to cast these three spells; he could summon them as easily as flexing a finger.
Yet when he looked at the three max-level spells listed in his spell tab, his vision suddenly went dark.
"Did… did I read that wrong?"
He squeezed his eyes shut, almost afraid to open them again.
But he did not even need to look at the spell tab.
The three Unforgivable Curses, now under his complete control, were vividly demonstrating in his mind exactly how to torture others…
"This is freaking ridiculous. System, what are you trying to do? Are you planning to get me arrested the moment I set foot in school so I can rot in Azkaban for the rest of my life?!"