Thursday blurred into Friday, marked only by the steady, silent climb of the EXP counter in Harry's internal awareness. He woke on Friday morning feeling slightly less stiff. Level 2 and its boosted stats were still there, quietly making themselves known in the background.
📊 [STATS]
Name: Harry Potter
Level: 2
HP: 60/60
MP: 12/12
STR: 4
DEX: 5
INT: 9
WIS: 7
LUK: 16
CHA: 10
Experience: 66/200
He was well on his way to Level 3, though 66 points still felt far from 200.
🎯 [QUEST ACCEPTED!]
Title: Survive the Week
Goal: Avoid Dudley's violent games. Minimize interactions with Petunia. Ensure daily food intake (minimum one meal/day). Do not reveal the existence of the System.
Progress: 3/7 days survived safely (Current Week Status: Fri)
Reward: +100 EXP, +1 LUK, unlock passive skill [Pain Resistance I]
Failure: Serious injury, revelation of the System, prolonged starvation. Unknown penalties.
Day four. The end of the week was almost in sight. Three days left.
🔔 [POTENTIAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT]
Evasive Maneuver (Potential Agility/Awareness skill): Successful escapes from immediate physical threats/ambushes.
Action Trigger: Successfully avoid or escape threats.
Current Progress: 3/5 (Successes needed to unlock)
Keep practicing Evasion.
Detected Action Pattern: [Subtle Movement]
System notes User's attempts to move silently and without drawing attention.
Action Trigger: Move through spaces quietly and unnoticed, particularly near conscious, alert entities.
Current Progress: [Further Observation Required] (Need consistent, deliberate application)
Focus on conscious application of stealth techniques.
Detected Action Pattern: [Situational Awareness]
System notes User's attempts to gauge surrounding danger and gather indirect information.
Action Trigger: Proactively seek information about threats or environmental details.
Current Progress: [Further Observation Required] (Need consistent, deliberate application)
Consciously use [Observe] and environmental cues.
Okay, so Evasive Maneuvers had a counter (3/5), but Subtle Movement and Situational Awareness just needed 'Further Observation'. The prompt about 'Focus on conscious application' and 'Consciously use' made it sound like he needed to deliberately try to use these like skills, even if he hadn't 'unlocked' them yet. Like practicing drawing before you become an artist. He could try being extra quiet.
He spent breakfast making a game of being unseen. He moved so quietly that Aunt Petunia looked up twice, her brow furrowed, glancing around the kitchen as if she'd heard a phantom noise. A flicker of internal notification confirmed his thought:
[Action Noted: Highly Subtle Movement Performed.]
[Action aligns with potential [Subtle Movement/Stealth] skill trigger.]
[Progress update Pending Confirmation.]
Good. The System noticed when he really tried. It didn't give EXP every micro-task like this, but it seemed to note the effort related to potential skills.
After breakfast, Aunt Petunia ordered him to dust Uncle Vernon's study. It was usually locked, but Uncle Vernon was home for the morning for some reason, and he'd left it open while taking a phone call elsewhere in the house.
"And be careful, boy! Don't touch anything you're not meant to! Your uncle has important papers in there!" she warned, pointing a bony finger.
Perfect. Uncle Vernon was in the house (Potential Threat), distracted (Opportunity for Subtlety). And the study would have lots of objects to [Observe].
He slipped into the study. It was thick with the smell of stale tobacco and felt oppressively quiet. He started dusting the bookshelves. Using [Observe] on a row of imposing leather-bound books cost him 0 MP.
📦 [ITEM: Leather-Bound Books (Series)]
Description: Business almanacs and professional texts. Unread.
Condition: Dusty. Value: Low.
Notes: Owner (Vernon Dursley) uses as decoration to appear Intelligent/Important. (Trait related to owner: [Pretentious])
He almost snorted. Pretentious? The System was being very blunt! And accurate. He could see why not letting the Dursleys know about the System was so important. Imagine Vernon seeing that.
He dusted silently, trying to make no noise. His bare feet on the rug helped. He focused his will on being invisible, on not disturbing the air or bumping anything. It felt like trying to shrink, mentally.
As he reached for a high shelf, he heard the clatter of the phone receiver being replaced elsewhere in the house, followed by Vernon's heavy tread moving towards the kitchen. Now was the chance. Vernon was going the other way.
He swiftly but silently moved towards Vernon's large desk. What was important enough that Uncle Vernon kept this room locked and open while he was home? He didn't have long before Uncle Vernon finished in the kitchen.
He swept his gaze over the desk, trying to process everything. He risked a single MP on the papers stacked neatly to one side.
🔔 [Using Observe Lv. 1... Target: Documents]
(Cost: 1 MP)
(MP Remaining: 11/12)
📦 [ITEM: Business Documents]
Description: Paperwork related to Grunnings, Uncle Vernon's drill company. Financial Reports, Contracts, Sales Figures.
Notes: Contain potentially sensitive or private information. High Owner sensitivity.
Sensitive paperwork. Makes sense why the door was usually locked. He noticed something else near the corner of the desk – a large, sealed envelope with unfamiliar writing. The lettering looked elegant, curly. Not like bills or junk mail.
He held his breath, risking another MP.
🔔 [Using Observe Lv. 1... Target: Unfamiliar Envelope]
(Cost: 1 MP)
(MP Remaining: 10/12)
✉️ [ITEM: Unfamiliar Envelope]
Description: Thick, heavy parchment envelope. Address written in elegant, unfamiliar script. Appears addressed to: Mr. H. Potter, The Cupboard Under the Stairs, 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. No stamp.
Harry froze, dusting rag forgotten in his hand. Mr. H. Potter. The Cupboard Under the Stairs. His address. Written clearly. An envelope... for him?
This was unheard of. He never got letters. No one wrote to him. Especially not at that address. It must be a mistake. But it had his name. And where he slept. His small heart began to thump faster, but Gamer's Mind kept it from racing into full panic. Confusion, shock, but manageable.
Just as he reached a hesitant hand towards the envelope, the floorboards groaned just outside the door. Uncle Vernon!
Harry snatched his hand back as if burned, backing away from the desk with a silent gasp. He grabbed the dusting rag and spun, pretending to be intently cleaning a trophy case on the opposite side of the room.
The door handle turned. Uncle Vernon entered, humming tunelessly, but his eyes, behind his glasses, were sharp as he scanned the room, particularly the desk area.
Harry held his breath, deliberately trying to make himself small, focusing all his internal attention on being unnoticed, being quiet, being subtle. This felt like exactly what the System wanted for that 'Subtle Movement' practice. He kept dusting the trophy, his movements slow and steady, not stiff, not hesitant. Just quiet. Unseen.
Uncle Vernon's gaze lingered on the desk for a moment, then swept over Harry. Harry didn't make eye contact. Just kept dusting. Vernon grunted, presumably satisfied nothing was obviously amiss, and walked to his desk, sitting down with a sigh.
Harry stayed focused on his polishing for another minute, his body vibrating with held tension. Then, with excruciating slowness, he inched his way towards the door, still trying to be perfectly quiet. Step. Breathe. Polish a tiny spot on the trophy. Step.
He reached the door, slipped out as silently as possible, and closed it with infinite care, letting the handle click almost soundlessly into place.
He leaned against the wall in the hallway, lightheaded with relief and a strange exhilaration. He hadn't been caught. He had gotten out. And he'd seen... the letter. For him. In the cupboard.
He risked a peek at his notifications.
🔔 [Evasion Event Outcome: User avoided direct confrontation during proximity check by Authority Figure.]
[Classification: Evasive Maneuver - Passive (Unseen Avoidance)]
[Action aligns with potential [Evasive Maneuver] AND [Subtle Movement/Stealth] skills.]
[Potential Skill Development Progress Updated: Evasive Maneuver: 4/5 Successes! One more success to unlock!]
[Potential Skill Development Progress Updated: Subtle Movement/Stealth: Progress significantly increased due to high focus under pressure! (Progress update Pending Confirmation/Further Demonstration)]
[+15 EXP]
Current EXP: 66 + 15 = 81/200
Fifteen EXP! For not being seen! And his Evasive Maneuver count was up to 4/5! Only one more to unlock that skill. And Stealth progress was 'significantly increased'! The System rewarded not just running away, but staying hidden in the first place. Staying quiet and unseen felt powerful. More powerful, maybe, than dodging.
He needed to find that letter. But he had chores to finish. He needed to maintain his quiet efforts, continue earning EXP and solidifying those potential skills. And, most importantly, he needed to survive until dinner, to get his one meal for the day and advance that crucial Quest step.
He knew exactly what his priorities were. Earn EXP. Progress skills. Fulfill Quest steps. Get the letter when he could. The hunger in his stomach and the mystery of the letter were powerful motivators, but his Gamer's Mind kept his focus sharp. He was the Player, navigating this treacherous level.