[Note: Read up to Chapter - 32 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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Inside the house, Xeno stood by the second-floor window, quietly watching the boy down below.
He'd just seen Aris casually wave his hand and send blades of grass dancing through the air, shaping them with precision. Even now, a faint look of surprise lingered on Xeno's face. His brow was slightly furrowed, and the worry in his eyes had deepened.
"Such powerful magical talent… and he's not even started school yet. To control grass like that and form shapes—it's incredible."
"Definitely lives up to the Shafiq name. I should've known a kid from one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight wouldn't be ordinary."
He paused, eyes narrowing slightly as concern crept in.
"Still… I need to look into the Shafiq family. Properly. The sooner we understand his background, the better. If things get complicated, it might be safer to send him away."
"Harsh as it sounds… I can't risk anything happening to Luna."
The quiet words faded into the air, and a resolute look took hold in Xeno's eyes.
Luna was his world.
For her, he'd give up anything.
His pride. His freedom. Even his soul, if it came to it.
Let alone some mysterious boy he barely knew.
Just then, a voice piped up behind him.
"Dad, what're you doing up here?"
Luna's voice was light and curious.
Xeno turned quickly, smoothing his expression and forcing a warm smile.
"Just thinking about dinner, love. What do you reckon—some fresh bread and butter? Maybe a bit of your favourite Gordigan tea on the side? Those two go together a treat."
Luna grinned, giving a little shrug.
"Sounds brilliant! I can already smell the Gordigan tea from here."
"Oh, by the way, Dad—what've you got in the left pocket of your coat?"
"Eh?" Xeno blinked in surprise. "Nothing!"
He instinctively patted the pocket, his face twitching slightly with embarrassment.
"Why are you suddenly asking something so weird?"
"It was Aris," Luna said cheerfully. "He said he was curious, that's all!"
She didn't seem to notice her dad's discomfort in the slightest. With no hesitation, she reached her small hand straight into his coat pocket.
Moments later, she pulled out—
a pair of socks.
Not just any socks either.
Smelly ones. The kind with a scent strong enough to cast a Stupefy on your nose.
"Ugh," Luna muttered, her nose wrinkling as she shoved them straight back where they came from.
"Dad, seriously—socks don't magically wash themselves just because they're stuffed in your pocket, you know!"
She shot him a weird look, then turned on her heel and skipped off down the stairs.
"???"
Xeno just stood there, completely thrown.
Aris? Curious about my coat pocket?
What was that boy playing at?
Getting Luna to dig through his pockets like some nosy little spy?
Oi, get a grip!
He was mortified.
Totally stitched up by a kid.
Typical. Boys—always trouble. Not half as sweet as girls.
"That was a proper stinky sock," Luna grumbled as she returned to Aris.
Aris tried to keep a straight face, but his expression twitched.
Did Xeno really walk around with socks in his coat pocket?
Bit mad, that. Not exactly something you'd expect from a respectable adult wizard.
'Is this... normal human behaviour?' he wondered.
While he was having such doubts, the system chimed in again:
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[Congratulations! You've completed 3/3 of today's tasks. You've earned 10 academic points.]
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???
Aris blinked.
That counted too?
Fair enough—but the reward was tiny.
He frowned, slipping into thought.
Maybe the system scales the reward based on the quality of the question...
So it wasn't just about completing the task—it mattered how you did it.
Figures.
This was going to get trickier if he wanted to rake in points quickly.
Still, there was a silver lining.
Apparently, the term "teacher" wasn't just limited to actual professors.
That meant he could ask anyone—even a random stranger on the street—and it'd still count.
He turned his attention back to the system panel.
At the moment, it showed he'd racked up 310 academic points—not a bad start.
Time to spend a few.
He already had a basic idea of how to use academic points thanks to the system's earlier guidance. As the thought crossed his mind, a new roulette wheel appeared before him—far flashier than the one from before.
Unlike the talent wheel, this one was proper vibrant, all sorts of colours spinning together like a rainbow in motion. Each section varied in size, clearly representing items of different rarities.
"Let's give it a whirl."
As soon as Aris made the decision, the system's voice echoed in his mind:
[Would you like to spend 100 academic points to participate in the primary draw?]
"Yes."
The colourful roulette wheel began to spin rapidly.
Aris wasn't expecting much—this was just a trial run.
He mostly wanted to get a feel for how the draw worked, what kind of prizes were in play, and whether the cost was worth the spin.
Of course, it would've been lovely if Lady Luck fancied him and gave him something decent.
But let's be honest—he was never going to be one of those jammy "European Emperor" types.
When the colourful roulette wheel finally slowed to a stop, the pointer landed squarely in the white section. No surprise there.
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[Congratulations! You've received: 10 Gold Galleons.]
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Ten Galleons?
That's it?
Aris raised a brow.
Figures. White-quality rewards were never going to be anything to write home about.
He let out a dry chuckle and shook his head.
But just as he was about to move on, the system chimed in again—and this time, with something new.
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[The Points Shop is now open. You may now exchange academic points for items.]
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Curious, Aris opened the shop interface—only to be met with a single, lonely listing.
It glowed faintly with golden light.
No, not a legendary item.
Just the 10 Galleons he'd pulled from the lottery moments ago.
He tapped on it, and the exchange rate popped up:
10 Galleons = 100 Academic Points
Didn't seem pricey at first glance, but based on how slowly he was earning points...
Yeah. Not exactly a bargain.
Aris frowned slightly, deep in thought.
Clearly, I need to find a better way to rack up points—fast.
Still, with 210 points left to burn, there wasn't much else to do.
The shop only had one item and nothing else seemed usable right now, so—
"Might as well take my chances."
Without overthinking it, he went for two more spins in a row.
It's not as though there's anything good in the System shop and the remaining points don't seem to have any other use except for the lottery.
If nothing good's in the Shop, the lottery's the only game in town.
As the roulette wheel spun, a flash of white light blinked by—then suddenly, a flicker of purple.
Purple Grade?!
Aris's eyes widened.
"No way… I actually pulled a purple one?!"
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[Congratulations! You've received: 10 Gold Galleons.]
[Congratulations! You've received: 1x Magic Potion.]
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Magic Potion: Permanently increases magic power by 10 points.
Aris stared at the screen, stunned—then his face lit up.
A potion that boosts magic power permanently?!
That was massive.
And right then, a new item popped up in the Points Shop:
Magic Potion – 1,000 points each.
It felt pricey right now, sure—but once he unlocked better ways to earn points, this would be well within reach.
If I can stack these potions… I could boost my magic power without limit.
Even legendary wizards like Dumbledore had a ceiling. The magical world had always believed there was a cap on how much magic a human could wield.
But now—
He had the chance to break that ceiling.
The possibilities were endless. Aris's mind buzzed with thoughts and plans.
After a moment, he let out a long breath.
"One step at a time."
As tempting as the potion was, it wouldn't do him any good without the points to buy more.
First things first—
earn as many academic points as possible. Fast.
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[Note: Read up to Chapter - 32 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]