"This book..."
Dylan extracted the reward for the **Magic Stone Owner** achievement.
As he held it in his hands, he felt an old, heavy texture. The cover's material was unknown, appearing weathered by time yet still retaining some resilience.
Dylan placed it in his palm and flipped through a few pages.
The book contained a wealth of knowledge Dylan had never encountered before.
Even though it was merely a handwritten fragment, it recorded many ancient yet fascinating insights.
"Even though I didn't obtain the Magic Stone itself, having a record on how to create one is far more valuable than simply possessing one."
Dylan didn't see much use in simply holding onto a Magic Stone.
For him, the true value lay in studying it—unraveling its secrets to discover new knowledge.
Ultimately, he aimed to craft something even more powerful than the Magic Stone—an alchemical creation without any of its negative effects.
"I'll read it later."
Dylan stored the book in his system's inventory panel.
Then, his gaze shifted to the other achievement reward.
"This achievement chain has already reached its fourth stage, and the reward is a max-level advanced spell… This 'Attack the Professor' series should be at its end, right?"
Dylan stroked his chin and looked at the system panel.
When he opened the reward, an exceptionally brilliant, dazzling star shone brightly at the top of the system's interface.
The moment Dylan focused on it, he felt as though he had stepped into another world.
He found himself in the void of space.
Around him, countless stars shimmered while nebulae swirled.
Looking up, he saw a particularly radiant star. Its dazzling light seemed powerful enough to illuminate the entire cosmos.
"As expected of a max-level advanced spell… It's so bright!"
Compared to his previous spells, this star was clearly different—its radiance was pure and intense.
Excitement surged within him. He couldn't wait to see what kind of spell he would receive!
As soon as the thought crossed his mind—
The brilliant star above him suddenly tore through the vast void, streaking down like a blazing meteor, radiating an overwhelming momentum as it crashed toward him.
**Boom!**
The moment the star struck Dylan, an eerie surge of knowledge forcefully poured into his mind.
"Uh?" Dylan's body stiffened, and an ominous feeling welled up inside him.
Then, a vivid vision unfolded before his eyes.
A large group of men stood before him.
Dylan raised his wand and gave it a gentle flick, sending magic toward them—
**"Aghhh!"**
**"AHHHH—!!!"**
**"WHAT THE HELL?!"**
The men in front of Dylan instantly contorted in agony. Their faces twisted in pain, their features scrunching up as veins bulged on their foreheads. Large beads of sweat rolled down their faces.
Some of them clutched their lower bodies tightly, their knees buckling as they trembled uncontrollably, nearly collapsing.
Others threw their heads back, their mouths wide open, screaming in sheer torment.
A few even frantically reached into their pants, desperately trying to stop whatever was happening.
But no matter what they did, the unbearable pain on their faces was impossible to hide.
**[System Message]: Congratulations! You have learned the max-level spell—Geniknot (Genital Knotting)!**
Dylan gulped and quickly shook his head, waving his hand to dispel the horrifying images from his mind.
"Why does a spell like this even exist?!"
He was utterly baffled.
Why couldn't the system give him a normal max-level advanced spell instead??
Tying knots? Tying what exactly?!
Tell me—**WHAT** are you trying to tie?!
Even though Dylan was still young and only a first-year student, he could practically **feel** the excruciating pain those men had suffered in his vision after casting the spell.
This curse was arguably **worse** than the Unforgivable Curses!
"This is insane… completely insane."
Dylan sifted through the details of the spell now ingrained in his mind. Despite his reluctance to wield such an evil spell, there was nothing he could do—it had been forcefully implanted into his knowledge.
"Fine… Since it's here, I might as well accept it. Every spell must have its own unique brilliance… I just need time to find it."
He took a deep breath.
Regardless, he had now mastered another max-level spell. And through it, he had gained even more knowledge.
"If I ever run into Voldemort's true form… I might give it a try."
Though he wasn't sure if Voldemort still had… anything left to tie.
Dylan didn't dwell on the spell further, nor did he bother reading the Magic Stone book at that moment.
Instead, he resumed flipping through the book beside him.
There were still many aspects of Dark Magic he wanted to study.
Moreover, after acquiring this max-level spell, a flood of realizations surged in his mind. He needed to organize them quickly.
Late into the night—
It was already time for bed, and Neville and Seamus had returned to the dormitory.
However, Harry and Ron were nowhere to be seen.
This struck Dylan as odd.
As a first-year, the only major incident Voldemort had been involved in was related to the Magic Stone. But the stone had already been reclaimed by Dumbledore—
To be honest, Dylan couldn't understand why Dumbledore didn't just keep the Magic Stone himself.
What could possibly be safer than having **him personally** guard it?
"That lunatic, psychopathic Voldemort has already been scared off by old Dumbledore… So where the hell did Harry and Ron go?"
Dylan had no intention of waiting for them to return.
Instead, he cast **Cleanse & Refresh** on himself, followed by **Sleep Well & Dream Deeply**—
And drifted into a peaceful slumber.
It wasn't until early the next morning.
Dylan woke up from his sleep and stretched comfortably.
After tidying up his things briefly, he was about to grab something to eat before continuing his exploration of the treasure trove of books in the library.
However, as soon as he stepped out the door, he ran into Professor McGonagall, who was dressed neatly.
"Professor, what are you doing here?"
This was the Gryffindor common room for young wizards, and Professor McGonagall usually wouldn't come here.
—That would make it impossible for the students to relax properly.
"You sleep quite soundly."
Professor McGonagall held her wand in one hand and smoothed her hair with the other. When she saw Dylan, she stood up from the couch and walked toward the door.
"Uh... I just finished my exams, so I thought I'd rest a little longer today. Normally, I wake up much earlier than this." Dylan chuckled awkwardly.
"Come with me to the hospital wing. Potter has lost consciousness," Professor McGonagall said, gesturing for him to follow.
Dylan froze. "What? How did that happen?"
Though he was momentarily stunned, he quickly followed behind Professor McGonagall.
With a stern expression, she continued, "I heard from Weasley that after they parted ways with you yesterday, they were supposed to go directly to the Headmaster's office."
"But at that time, the Headmaster was discussing something with us."
Professor McGonagall glanced at Dylan before continuing, "So instead, they wandered around the school and ended up running into the Dark Lord, who was trying to escape."
"Potter and his friends actually chased after him, which angered the Dark Lord. While he couldn't touch Harry, he could still attack Weasley and Granger."
"In order to protect them, Harry engaged in a fight with the Dark Lord. Soon after, the other professors and I arrived, the Dark Lord retreated, and Potter passed out."
"This..." Dylan frowned, feeling at a loss for words.
"I also heard from the Headmaster about what you did yesterday," McGonagall suddenly said, her tone sharp. "You really are quite something—venturing alone into forbidden areas, defeating the Dark Lord. Are you trying to take Potter's place as the Chosen One?"
Her sudden change in tone made Dylan stiffen instantly, nearly tripping over his own feet.
He could clearly hear the reprimand in her words.
Dylan quickly forced a smile. "Actually, I knew everything about the situation—Harry and his friends never kept secrets from me."
"So, when I happened to pass by that room and saw someone go in, I didn't have time to notify anyone…"
"Do you have any idea what could have happened if the Headmaster hadn't been there? You would have died!" Professor McGonagall's stern voice came from ahead. "It seems I've been teaching you in vain."
Dylan panicked.
Oh, great. Now she's settling scores after the fact?
But he didn't have time to dwell on it and quickly explained, "Even though I didn't have time to notify anyone, Harry and the others surely told you about it, right? I trusted that the professors would come quickly, so I just wanted to check it out first..."
"Besides, I was wearing the Invisibility Cloak at the time! With that, I felt a little bolder..."
"A little bolder? You were completely reckless!"
Professor McGonagall huffed.
But then she recalled that Harry and the others had indeed rushed to her yesterday, trying to warn her about the Sorcerer's Stone.
She hadn't taken their words seriously at all, assuming that a bunch of first-years couldn't possibly uncover something real.
—After all, how could children have discovered something she hadn't?
Yet, because of that mindset, she had nearly allowed a catastrophe to happen.
Fortunately, Albus had arrived in time...
This realization left Professor McGonagall feeling somewhat guilty.
As a result, she stopped scolding Dylan and fell silent instead.
At that moment, Dylan's mastery of Legilimency had already reached level nine.
He was "almost" on par with Professor Snape—though Snape had likely maxed out his skill, and even a single level's difference meant an overwhelming advantage.
Even though Dylan wasn't actively using the spell, he had reached a mastery level where he could sense emotions from others just like Snape or Dumbledore.
Right now, he could feel the guilt radiating from Professor McGonagall, causing him to pause for a moment.
After two seconds of contemplation, he spoke slowly: "Headmaster Dumbledore probably already suspected Quirrell, so given his level of precaution, there was no way the situation could have turned out worse than it did."
"—In fact, the outcome we have now is the best possible one, isn't it, Professor?"
Professor McGonagall blinked in surprise and looked at Dylan.
This boy…
Did he know what she was thinking?
"Professor Snape taught me Legilimency. I've actually mastered it better than Transfiguration by now."
Dylan clearly noticed her reaction, and his lips curled into a shy smile.
At present, his Transfiguration was only at level eight, while his Legilimency had already reached level nine.
—That alone showed just how complex and difficult Transfiguration was to learn.
Professor McGonagall was momentarily stunned, then shot Dylan a glare. "So, it seems you prefer having Professor Snape teach you, huh?"
Dylan's face immediately fell. "Professor, please don't say that! I truly admire and respect all of you."
—Except for the professors who teach History of Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Professor McGonagall: "(;) Suit yourself. Who you want to learn from is up to you."
Professor McGonagall snorted again, this time with even more emotion than before.
Dylan shrank his neck and didn't dare to speak. He simply followed behind Professor McGonagall in silence as they made their way to the infirmary.
"Dylan!"
At the entrance, Ron and Hermione were sitting to the side.
Madam Pomfrey had forbidden them from entering the infirmary to disturb Harry.
Seeing Dylan, the two immediately stood up and hurried over to him.
Dylan furrowed his brows slightly and scanned them with his eyes. "What exactly happened?"
"Well…"
Ron stammered for a moment.
With Professor McGonagall standing nearby, he didn't dare to say too much.
"Madam Pomfrey said Potter is fine. You just need to wait here for a while, and then you can go have breakfast," Professor McGonagall said, giving the three of them a glance before turning and leaving.
As soon as she was gone, Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Ron immediately interrupted, exclaiming, "It was that Dark Lord! He actually had a backup plan!"
"Huh?" Dylan's eyes widened. "What backup plan?"
Hermione explained, "Yesterday, while we were waiting for Professor Dumbledore to call for us, we wandered around a bit. We never expected to run into Voldemort—who was going after Ron's pet rat!"
"Hey, I was nearly scared to death yesterday! Don't say his name out loud!" Ron protested in a hushed voice.
"Uh…" Dylan blinked. "How did that guy run into Scabbers?"
"I have no idea! Lately, Scabbers hasn't been doing well—he always looks completely drained. I've been taking him to Madam Pomfrey for treatment from time to time, but somehow, he managed to sneak away," Ron explained.
"And then he ended up running into Voldemort!" Hermione added.
"Stop talking about it!" Ron shot Hermione a glare before turning to Dylan. "I never would've thought the Dark Lord would go after my pet rat! Does he want to possess Scabbers or something?"
Dylan paused for a moment. "Maybe he's trying to set a record—to become the first Dark Lord to turn into a rat."
Ron froze. "Huh? Is that really it?"
Somehow, Dylan's comment made Ron's perception of Voldemort crack just a little, if only for a brief moment.
(End of Chapter)