Thursday. Day four. Harry lay still in the cupboard, his mind immediately snapping to the blue numbers lurking just beneath the surface of his awareness. Yesterday, 99 EXP. So close. Had anything changed overnight?
He focused.
📊 [STATS]
Name: Harry Potter
Level: 1
HP: 50/50
MP: 10/10
STR: 3
DEX: 4
INT: 8
WIS: 6
LUK: 15
CHA: 9
Experience: 99/100
No. Still Level 1. Still 99 EXP. Just one point needed. It was almost painful, the anticipation mixed with the mundane discomfort of his cold, hard bed. What would give him just one single point? Making his bedroll neater? Getting out of the cupboard exactly when Aunt Petunia wanted?
He didn't have long to wait for instruction.
"Potter! Up! Make the tea for your uncle! And hurry!" Aunt Petunia shrieked from the kitchen door, followed by a sharp double-rap of her knuckles.
Harry scrambled out. Tea. Fetch the kettle, fill it, turn it on, get the cups, the teabags, the milk, sugar. A simple routine task he did every morning. It always gave him a little EXP. He focused on moving efficiently, quietly. As he padded into the kitchen, he deliberately kept his movements silent, avoiding scuffing his feet.
He reached for the kettle, hands fumbling slightly with the cold metal.
🔔 [Action Completed: Preparing Uncle Vernon's Tea - Step 1: Fetch Kettle]
[+1 EXP]
One EXP. Just picking up the kettle had done it. A tiny, automatic task. The feeling wasn't instantaneous. It was like a building tension released in a silent burst of energy inside his mind. The faint blue edge of his internal display flared slightly brighter, then subsided.
A series of windows cascaded into existence, shimmering brightly despite the gloomy morning light outside.
🎉 [LEVEL UP!] 🎉
User Harry James Potter has reached Level 2!
Current Level: 1 --> 2
Your base stats have increased!
STR: 3 --> 4 (+1)
DEX: 4 --> 5 (+1)
INT: 8 --> 9 (+1)
WIS: 6 --> 7 (+1)
LUK: 15 --> 16 (+1)
CHA: 9 --> 10 (+1)
All Primary STATs have gained +1 Point!
New Maximum HP: 50 --> 60 (+10)
New Maximum MP: 10 --> 12 (+2)
All stats felt... subtly different. Not physically larger, not instantly stronger or smarter, but the number had gone up. An objective increase, recorded by the System. His max HP and MP had increased too. That meant he could take a little more 'damage' or use [Observe] a couple more times before resting. Every stat going up by one felt incredibly significant. Luck and Charm increased too? Maybe being a higher Level made him generally... more?
Another notification followed the stat changes.
[Level Up Perk!]
User's internal data processing speed has slightly increased.
Passive Skill [Gamer's Mind] Lv. 1 effect slightly improved due to increased INT/WIS. (New Effect: Emotional dampening ~22%, Focus enhancement increased).
Passive Skill [Observe] Lv. 1 efficiency slightly improved due to increased INT/WIS. (Scanning speed improved).
He could think a tiny bit faster? Gamer's Mind was a little stronger? Observe worked better? These were exactly the kinds of internal boosts he needed. He tested the [Observe] thought. Yes, the concept felt lighter, easier to access. Like switching to a faster setting.
He didn't have long to process the changes. Aunt Petunia's eyes were fixed on him, suspicious of his pause, even if she couldn't see the blue windows that filled his vision.
"The tea, boy! What are you waiting for? An invitation?"
He quickly turned back to the kettle. It was full. He pressed the button to turn it on, noticing his fingers felt… perhaps a fraction less clumsy? He wasn't sure. It was subtle. He deliberately made sure he picked up the tea bags and the milk carton quietly, his bare feet silent on the floor.
[Action Noted: Continued use of Subtle Movement protocol.]
[User demonstrating persistent effort. Potential Skill [Subtle Movement/Stealth] progress updated. (Progress update Pending Confirmation/Further Demonstration).]
Good. Keep practicing the Stealth skill.
He delivered the finished tea to the kitchen table, putting it down silently. Vernon barely grunted, but Aunt Petunia's hawk-like eyes darted over him, looking for a fault.
He forced himself not to use [Observe] on her yet, despite the increased MP cap. Save it for when he really needed information or for the daily quest check-ins later. He turned to gather ingredients for Dudley's breakfast. Preparing and serving the breakfast earned him another small batch of points.
[Task Completed: Prepare Dursley Breakfast]
[+5 EXP]
Current EXP: 5/200
The day's routine unfolded. Breakfast, followed by chores. Cleaning the garage felt like a bigger task, just like the day before, rewarding more EXP (+15 EXP), pushing him significantly towards Level 3 (need 200 EXP for Level 3). Leveling up clearly increased the requirement for the next level, which now needed 200 points instead of 100. But getting +1 to all his stats felt worth it.
[Action Completed: Detailed Garage Cleaning]
[Significant Effort Detected]
[+15 EXP]
Current EXP: 5 + 15 = 20/200
He moved around the house, doing mundane tasks, experimenting subtly. He found Uncle Vernon's glasses on the hall table and placed them conspicuously near his coat (Avoiding risky retrieval near Vernon again earned points).
[Task Completed: Relocated Vernon's Glasses (Prophylactic)]
[Task related to Surviving the Week (Appease Authority Figures, Minimize Negative Interaction Risk)]
[+8 EXP]
Current EXP: 20 + 8 = 28/200
Trying to anticipate where Aunt Petunia might be (+WIS, Potential Situational Awareness?). Trying to move more silently than usual (+DEX, Potential Stealth?). Each successful, deliberate small action felt like a tiny tick somewhere in the System's invisible calculations. Sweeping the front path added more points.
[Action Completed: Swept Front Path]
[+7 EXP]
Current EXP: 28 + 7 = 35/200
The encounter with Dudley in the afternoon was less drawn-out than usual. Harry was in the downstairs bathroom cleaning (a strategic absence from Dudley's known location in the garden).
[Action Completed: Downstairs Bathroom Cleaning]
[Evasion Method: Strategic Absence from Threat Location]
[+9 EXP]
[Potential Skill Development Progress Updated: [Subtle Movement/Stealth] - Noted User avoiding direct contact successfully. (Progress update Pending Confirmation/Further Demonstration)]
Current EXP: 35 + 9 = 44/200
He was just finishing in the bathroom when he heard Dudley stomping towards the door, apparently having come in from the garden and spotting him through the crack.
🧍 [PERSON: Dudley Dursley]
Level: 3
Current Mood: Triumphant, Eager (for 'Harry Hunting').
Objective: Capture/Torment Harry.
Harry didn't hesitate this time. Instead of freezing, Harry finished wiping his hands and tried to slip out the bathroom door the opposite way Dudley was approaching. It was a small gamble – the main hall was right there, no immediate safe haven besides bolting upstairs or back into the garden (risky). He timed his movement as Dudley reached for the handle on one side. He spun and bolted, hoping his improved DEX (now 5, and 6 after the Level Up passive increase) and budding subtle movement would help. He wasn't fast enough to be truly unseen, but he was just fast enough to slip out the door and make a desperate dash towards the living room.
Dudley fumbled the door handle for a split second, losing just enough time as Harry shot past into the wider living room.
"Hey! Get back here!" Dudley roared, entering the hall but now having lost the immediate trap scenario. Harry didn't wait; he immediately cut through the living room and headed for the safety of the kitchen door at the back of the house, successfully widening the distance. He was breathless by the time he reached the kitchen, but untouched.
🔔 [Evasive Maneuver: SUCCESSFUL!]
[Specific Classification: Close Quarters Escape]
[Potential Skill Development Progress Updated: Evasive Maneuver: 3/5 Successes]
[Action benefited from increased base DEX from Level Up.]
[+12 EXP]
Current EXP: 44 + 12 = 56/200
Twelve EXP! Another chunk, just for successfully avoiding Dudley's grab. And the Evasive Maneuver count was now 3/5. Only two more needed! The note that it benefited from his higher DEX felt confirming; Level 2 did make a difference.
Later, getting his single portion of dinner, felt particularly rewarding. It was just beans on toast tonight, even less substantial than yesterday's chicken, but he ate it carefully, focusing on making it last, chewing every bite.
🎯 [QUEST PROGRESS UPDATED!]
Survive the Week: Ensured daily food intake (4/?) (Day 4 Goal Achieved)
Goal: Ensure daily food intake (minimum one meal/day). Status: Achieved for Day 4.
[Task Related to Surviving the Week: Achieved Minimum Sustenance]
[+10 EXP]
Current EXP: 56 + 10 = 66/200
Sixty-six EXP towards Level 3. Still a long way, but today felt different. He'd gained a level, even if it was just Level 2. His stats had improved, even if subtly. He had avoided Dudley again, adding to his evasion count (3/5). He felt like he had a better grasp on how to earn EXP, on what the System was encouraging him to do: survive smartly.
Curled in his cupboard that night, the silence was heavier, the cold sharper than the daytime. But the internal glow of his Level 2 status, his new EXP total, and his visible quest progress kept the usual suffocating misery at bay. He wasn't just living day-to-day anymore. He was improving. He was becoming... something more than he had been. And that was worth enduring anything for.