Dumbledore's gaze swept over everyone in the room before finally settling on Rock.
Newt hurried forward in surprise, nearly knocking over a drink on the table.
"Albus, what are you…?"
Tina let out a breath of relief, the tension on her face melting away, replaced with honest astonishment.
"Headmaster Dumbledore… this is quite an unexpected honor."
Rock, meanwhile, used Theseus as cover while secretly studying the living legend of the wizarding world who had somehow ended up in their home today.
Dumbledore hugged Newt and Tina warmly before letting his eyes drift back—almost casually—to Rock.
Rock happened to look up at that exact moment, meeting those calm, piercing blue eyes.
He froze for half a second, then mustered a shy smile in Dumbledore's direction.
Dumbledore winked at him. "Happy birthday, Rock. I've heard from your grandfather that you have quite an unusual curiosity about the wizarding world."
"Rock, come here," Newt called, motioning toward him.
Rock steadied the confusion swirling inside him and stepped quietly to Newt's side.
Dumbledore remained standing, observing him for a long moment—a look that seemed to peer straight past Rock's appearance and down into something much deeper.
Rock's hands tightened in his pockets. Compared to Queenie, he was even more afraid of Dumbledore using Legilimency on him.
After years of reading online novels in his past life, all those conspiracy theories had given him a healthy sense of suspicion.
But nothing happened. Neither Rock nor Queenie behind him—nor anyone else in the room—felt any sign that Dumbledore was probing his mind.
Rock knew exactly what Legilimency felt like. Queenie had accidentally slipped into his thoughts since they were kids, even if she didn't mean to. He could recognize that sensation instantly.
Dumbledore reached into his robe and pulled out a small velvet pouch. It looked ordinary, made from rough dragonhide, tied simply with a leather cord.
Tina stepped forward. "Headmaster Dumbledore, is that…?"
Dumbledore simply smiled and placed the pouch into Rock's waiting hand.
The moment it touched his palm, Rock felt its weight—and a warm, pulsing energy.
[High-Order Artifact Detected: "The Sorcerer's Stone"!]
[Inscription Triggered: Mystery of Immortality — Artifact Parsing in Progress…]
The translucent book of his interface flipped open again, revealing lines of text he had never seen before.
Rock stared at the pouch, stunned.
"This is…"
The Sorcerer's Stone.
Dumbledore lowered his voice, speaking as though sharing a secret with a much younger child.
"This little object has caused quite a bit of trouble in the past. It's called the Sorcerer's Stone."
Everyone around them reacted with shock. No wonder Dumbledore was so serious.
But then another thought hit them—was he really planning to entrust the Sorcerer's Stone… to an eleven-year-old?
Theseus frowned. As the former Head Auror, he had heard rumors recently.
"Headmaster… are you recruiting a student who hasn't even started school yet?"
His tone held accusation—not out of disrespect, but sheer disbelief.
He could tell that Dumbledore wanted Rock to carry the Stone.
And that was something Theseus simply could not accept, even if the man in question was the great Albus Dumbledore.
Newt was flustered too. As Dumbledore's former student and later close friend, he trusted him more than almost anyone. He had followed Dumbledore's instructions countless times without hesitation.
But today, even Newt looked at Albus seriously.
"Albus… if you need help, I'm here. But Rock is still just a kid."
His meaning was crystal clear: Give the job to me, not him.
Tina and Queenie stood behind Rock, their expressions firm and protective.
For them, Rock was an absolute line no one crossed.
Dumbledore straightened slightly, taking in everyone's worried faces with calm acceptance.
He didn't seem surprised.
He spoke softly—yet with a clarity that made everyone fall silent.
"I understand your concerns. Truly."
"Linking something this dangerous with a child… it does sound outrageous."
"But sometimes the most unlikely place is the safest place."
His gaze drifted over them.
"Think about it—where would people look for it? Gringotts? Or Hogwarts' restricted areas?"
"A fortress protected by a famous wizard's defenses?"
Silence.
Tina pressed her lips together. Newt stared at the small pouch in Rock's hand.
"Albus… this is reckless."
Theseus still couldn't accept it. The risk was insane.
Dumbledore remained serene. Then he turned to Rock—the boy who'd been staring blankly at his ever-updating interface.
"How about we let Rock decide for himself?"
Everyone fell quiet.
If this were any other day, they would have refused instantly.
But today, Rock was eleven. Hogwarts age. Old enough—in the wizarding world—to make his own choices.
One by one, every gaze shifted toward him.
Rock blinked, realizing suddenly that everyone was watching him.
"Uh… I zoned out," he admitted—though his hand was clenched tightly around the Stone.
Almost there. Just a little more.
[…Inscribing…]
[Inscribed Content:]
Eternal Loop (Inscribed – Unparsed) → Requires Alchemy LV.1
Transmutation Formula (Inscribed – Unparsed) → Requires Ancient Runes LV.2
Mark of the Sage (Resonant): +500 Alchemy Affinity, +500 Mental Scale
[Inscription Progress: 1/3 — Please attempt next inscription in a fully rested state.]
Rock was stunned.
Just by holding the Sorcerer's Stone once, his interface had inscribed abilities he'd never even heard of—and his mental stats had skyrocketed.
"This interface… it's unbelievably powerful."
He forced down the excitement bubbling through him.
As much as he wanted to continue, he couldn't. Not now. Dumbledore—the greatest white wizard alive—was standing right in front of him.
So Rock quickly extended the Stone back toward him.
"Sir… this is way too valuable."
This response was perfectly in character—exactly what everyone expected from him.
And Rock wanted to see whether Dumbledore would notice that the Stone had already undergone one round of inscription in his hands.