Capítulo 556: Chapter 556: System Change (Edited)
Tom didn't pay much attention to the system, mainly because the daily messages that appeared weren't very helpful. They were mostly random achievements or unlocks of locations in the magical world, and the rewards were quite common. Over time, Tom stopped paying attention to the system messages.
As for the gachas, he wasn't very interested in the third-year card set. Apart from pulling a few for Hermione, Tom restrained himself and saved the magical stones.
But now, when checking the system, he noticed that the main missions had been updated.
[Main Mission (1): The Return of the Dark Lord]
[Mission Description: The ancient Dark Lord has returned. In the tide of times, your cards provide you with more flexibility to maneuver.]
[Mission Option 1: Kill Lord Voldemort (You can find Dumbledore in his office; talking to him about the Triwizard Tournament might be a good choice.)]
[Mission Option 2: Join Lord Voldemort (Draco Malfoy's recent actions are suspicious. Talking to him could bring unexpected surprises.)]
[Mission Reward: Lord Voldemort's Upgrade Pool + Dumbledore's Rework Pool + Mysterious Reward]
[Main Mission (2): The Giants of the Past]
[Mission Description: Discover the whereabouts of the four founders of Hogwarts (0/4)]
[Mission Reward: Unknown]
These two main missions were quite familiar, and they had been there for a long time, but Tom had ignored them due to his lack of power. However, he now noticed that the mission related to Voldemort had undergone some changes.
Could there be an open ending?
His decisions could change the course of the mission and lead to different outcomes.
Of course, Tom didn't even consider option two. Choosing that path would only bring him trouble. Moreover, Voldemort couldn't be trusted. If it were joining Grindelwald, Tom would be genuinely interested, but not Voldemort.
It's troublesome to mingle with someone so volatile.
He decided to talk to Dumbledore; hopefully, he would have bought some new sweets. Tom decided he would go talk to Dumbledore another day, taking the opportunity to sample his desserts.
And the rewards for defeating Voldemort excited him a lot: the upgrade pool for Dumbledore and Voldemort. Although there were suspicions that it might deplete his magical stones, Tom couldn't deny that both were high-level characters. Dumbledore, of course, needless to say, and Voldemort was a real treasure. He was an expert in dark magic and the most knowledgeable about it in the current magical world. Having someone like that in his pool, he didn't know what kind of "gift" it would bring. When the pools for both arrived, Tom could have a good round of cards.
After viewing the mission interface, Tom scrolled to the character panel screen and found Hermione's adorable image.
[Hermione Jane Granger]
[Date of Birth: September 19, 1979 (Only 18 days left!)
Magical Items: Wand (Vine wood, 10 inches, dragon heartstring); Ravenclaw Diadem; White Rose Anklet; Bracelet; Anklet.]
Measurements: Unlockable
Foot Length: 23.58 cm
Foot Arch Height: 16 mm
[...]
[Talents]
[Charms: 7 (Gifted)]
[Potions: 6 (Advanced Talent)]
[Divination: 0 (No Talent)]
[Transfiguration: 7 (Gifted)]
[Herbology: 4 (Intermediate Talent)]
...
[Dark Magic: 1 (Champion of Justice)
Wait, was there something different compared to last time?
After the body measurement activity during the holidays, Tom had obtained information about Hermione's physical values, and those values had been added very graphically to the character panel.
"What does 'Unlockable' mean?" Tom chuckled at the term and then focused on the phrase "only 18 days left."
There were only eighteen days left until Hermione's birthday, but he hadn't decided what to give her as a birthday present.
How about we enhance her potential a bit...? Tom looked at Hermione's abilities and her magical stone balance. Now that Tom had more ways to obtain magical stones, thanks to his Dementors producing hundreds of them every day, in addition to daily missions, he could almost do one summon per day.
So, maybe he could be a bit more generous... How about summoning a golden card for Hermione, just once?
Tom's hand slid towards the "Summon" button, and without hesitation, he made a ten-times summon.
Magical Stones: -1600
And then he saw nine blue meteors and one purple one, ten meteors in total.
Even though it was a guaranteed minimum, Tom felt inexplicably happy. Finally, he didn't have to deplete all his reserves to get something good, and he obtained a valuable card for Hermione on his secondary account.
He quickly jumped over the blue-level cards and finally saw the purple item.
[Birthday Gift Idea x1]
Tom: ...
System, you're really something! Tom commented sarcastically. But having gift ideas provided by the system didn't seem like a bad thing.
He clicked on that idea and then opened his mouth wide slowly. The suggestions the system gave him seemed really good. He just hoped he would have enough time.
Tom lay down on the bed, thinking about how to make Hermione's birthday gift, and slowly drifted into sleep. Things like five-star golden cards would have to wait for next time...
The next morning, the storm from the previous night had finally subsided, although the weather outside was still overcast. The morning class schedule was quite regular: there was no class in the first hour, and then they had Herbology class with the Slytherin students.
The afternoon schedule was quite satisfactory: they had two Divination classes, where he could learn new divination methods.
Hermione wasn't very happy with the Divination class; she had always thought it was a waste of time and that the time could be better spent on more meaningful courses like Arithmancy.
The deep, resonant toll of a bell echoed from the castle's heights, signaling to the students to make their way to the morning class. The other students quickly finished their breakfast dishes and hurried off, while Tom leisurely savored his English sausage and spread a thick layer of butter on the crispy toast.
After breakfast and some chatting with a few fellow students, it was time for the second class. Tom walked through the damp garden and arrived at Greenhouse Three, which was the classroom for this year's Herbology class.
Professor Sprout, who taught Herbology, had already arranged the remaining elements from the previous class and was ready for the next one.
Today's topic was the Bubotuber, which was a highly valuable potion ingredient. Its liquid was the best choice for treating stubborn acne and was an invaluable treasure for girls who wanted beautiful skin.
However, it was a pity that this treasure was stored inside a bulb that resembled a giant slug. To obtain it, one had to use dragonhide gloves and squeeze the bulb with their hands.
Clearly, it was not a pleasant job.
"All right, you can form groups freely, remember to use gloves, as undiluted Bubotuber pus can damage the skin," Professor Sprout said cheerfully.
Tom naturally joined Hermione's group, but surprisingly, Malfoy also approached him. He had separated his two lackeys and had come alone to Tom's workstation.
"I think we can squeeze this pus together..." Malfoy frowned as he looked at the black, viscous bulb in front of them, covered in bulbous growths filled with liquid.
"Where are your two lackeys?" Hermione felt no sympathy for Malfoy and asked straightforwardly.
Malfoy nodded his head toward a not-so-distant spot. Crabbe and Goyle stood awkwardly next to Pansy Parkinson, watching as she gave them a demonstration.
"Ha, they seem to be more receptive than you. Why don't you go join your friends?" Hermione didn't want to take classes with Malfoy.
Malfoy took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He had already decided to take the risk. He shrugged and said somewhat sadly that everyone else already had a group, so he had to go with Tom and Hermione.
According to Malfoy's plan, as long as they were in the same group, they could quickly ease the tension. However, he underestimated how much Hermione despised him. The way she looked at him at that moment was as if she were looking at a slug.
"So, what is it that you want? Just say it directly, so we can both be more straightforward." Tom no longer wanted to beat around the bush with Malfoy; he looked at him decisively and decided to clear things up.
Now it was Malfoy's turn to stay silent. He wasn't sure if he should directly tell Tom about the return of the Dark Lord. In theory, by doing so, it would increase the chances of Tom joining them. That's what Malfoy thought. However, Tom's tone and Hermione's gaze made him extremely uncomfortable. He felt like he was being misunderstood even though he was trying to do something good.
In Malfoy's view, the invitation he extended to Tom was undoubtedly a great opportunity for him to join the Death Eaters, and Tom was so pleased that he couldn't contain himself, and this was his attitude?
Growing increasingly angry, Malfoy no longer wanted to invite Tom to join the Death Eaters, even if his father had given him the order.
At that moment, Malfoy's thoughts took a complete turn.
Someday, you'll regret this! Malfoy stared at Tom with fury.
"Why haven't you started yet? Is there a problem?" Professor Sprout noticed the anomaly in that group and quickly approached, asking with concern.
"No, Professor," all three of them shook their heads in unison and continued to squeeze the pus.
The process of squeezing the pus was disgusting but also strangely satisfying. Every time a growth burst, a gush of greenish-yellow liquid with a gasoline-like smell would come out, quite liberating.
Although Tom, Hermione, and Malfoy weren't talking, their hands were moving faster and faster. By the end of the class, they had collected three large bottles full.
"So, what does Malfoy really want?" After class, as they were walking back to the castle for lunch, Hermione said angrily, "This is the second time, right? He's deliberately mingling with us."
Tom nodded, "He must have something to tell us."
"Confess that his parents were involved in that demonstration?" Hermione said sarcastically as she forcefully speared a potato on her plate.
The afternoon Divination class was held in the North Tower. Tom arrived at that familiar classroom, and Professor Trelawney made a rather pessimistic prediction for Harry, as usual. While Trelawney was making her predictions, Tom was almost completely distracted; it was just too boring. Fortunately, the class wasn't entirely useless; at least Professor Trelawney shared some knowledge about astrology.
If Professor Sprout's class was gross with a touch of liberation, and Professor Trelawney's class was boring with a bit of amusement, Hagrid's class was pure and simple terror.
When the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students arrived together at Hagrid's cabin, they all had a somber premonition: outside of Hagrid's cabin were several wooden crates, from which faint sounds of explosions and strange metallic noises could be heard.
"Blast-Ended Skrewt! I bet you a unicorn tail you won't want to miss this."
When Tom heard the words "Blast-Ended Skrewt," he felt that the teachings Newt had imparted to Hagrid last semester had been in vain.
"Alright, where do we get unicorn tails from?" Hermione, after taking a look at the Blast-Ended Skrewt's display, conclusively decided that she couldn't have any expectations for that creature.
The Blast-Ended Skrewt looked like a mix between a shell-less lobster and some kind of reptile. It was approximately six inches long, with whitish-gray skin that reflected a sticky sheen. It had many legs, but its head couldn't be found. Newly hatched Blast-Ended Skrewts crawled chaotically in the crate, and occasionally, their tails would emit sparks.
Tom couldn't find any sense in raising this magical creature: it was ugly, dumb, and aggressive...
Even Hermione thought the most sensible thing to do with Blast-Ended Skrewts was to suffocate them in their cribs.
Today's class topic was simple: finding suitable food for the Blast-Ended Skrewts. Tom held a container of frog livers, standing in front of a crate, absentmindedly looking at the Blast-Ended Skrewts.
Observing the appearance of the Blast-Ended Skrewts, Tom had a bold guess: although they seemed useless, would they be delicious? After all, they somewhat resembled lobsters...
This thought seemed a bit crazy, but once it arose in Tom's mind, he couldn't contain its growth.
Sneakily eating Hagrid's teaching materials right in front of him seemed a bit excessive, but soon, an opportunity presented itself.
Five minutes after the class started, Hannah Abbott let out a piercing scream, and Hagrid, with a panicked expression, rushed to check on her condition.
It turned out that Hannah had been accidentally hit by the tail of a Blast-Ended Skrewt, and she had a small burn mark on her hand.
While Hagrid tended to the injury caused by the Blast-Ended Skrewt, Tom quickly put on the dragonhide gloves, grabbed one of the creatures from the crate, and cleanly cut it open, making quick movements that left everyone amazed.
Hermione: ???
"What are you doing?"
"Finding a purpose for the existence of Blast-Ended Skrewts," Tom replied as he cleaned the Blast-Ended Skrewt's mucus and skillfully removed the protruding spines from its abdomen.
Soon, the Blast-Ended Skrewt Tom had grabbed turned into something resembling a lobster. After getting rid of the mucus and odd parts, the Blast-Ended Skrewt looked much more appetizing.
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