Harry held the Hogwarts letter and its list in the faint blue light of the System, its information categorized and its source understood. Step 1 of his Primary Quest – Embrace the Unknown: A Wizard's Journey – was complete. He had retrieved the impossible map to his future, albeit temporarily. His mind, boosted by Level 3 stats, Pain Resistance Lv. 1, and newfound MP regeneration speed (1.2 per hour!), felt clearer, sharper, ready.
But he couldn't keep his treasure here. He had risked discovery enough. It had to go back to its secure location until he had another window to examine it safely. Night was still the best time. Vernon was still snoring faintly. Dudley was quiet upstairs.
He eased open the cupboard door again, Stealth Lv. 1 engaging automatically, wrapping him in a layer of perceived non-presence. Every bare footfall on the floor felt controlled, silent. His body moved with a surprising fluidity thanks to DEX 9. Situational Awareness Lv. 1 painted a subtle map in his mind: the cold air flow, the creak of floorboards above (not Dudley), the distant hum of appliances, all checked against what he knew was normal. No immediate threats.
He ghosted through the living room again, reaching the armchair without incident. He knelt down, extending his hand into the dusty void beneath. The thick parchment envelope was still there. With quiet precision, he slid it back into the hidden space behind the leg, pushing it back as far as it would go. Secure. Safe. Waiting.
[Action Outcome: Successfully re-secured Object of Personal Significance in designated Hidden Storage.]
[High Skill Application Noted: [Stealth Lv. 1], [Situational Awareness Lv. 1], [Agile Evasion Lv. 1] (passive environmental avoidance), [Dexterity] (successful delicate manipulation).]
[+15 EXP]
Current EXP: 187 + 15 = 202/400
EXP for re-hiding it too. It wasn't just about acquiring things, it was about managing them safely. 202 EXP now. Already halfway to Level 4.
He returned to his cupboard with the same silent efficiency, closing the door behind him. He lay down on his threadbare blanket. Sleep beckoned, but his mind was too active. This felt like the real beginning of his game. Survival was the tutorial. This... this was the first stage of the main story.
Tuesday morning arrived. A normal day of Dursley routine. Get up, make breakfast, chores, avoid Dudley, try to get food. But nothing felt normal anymore. His internal System was humming with purpose.
He ran through the kitchen tasks. Made the tea (Silent pouring? Stealth application?). Made the toast (+5 EXP, 207/400). Set the table (Place silently? More Stealth practice). He paid closer attention to everything, actively looking for ways to optimize his actions for System gain. How quiet can I be? How much information can I absorb just by listening?
He washed the dishes afterwards. Hot, soapy water stung his cracked hands. He expected the usual sharp discomfort, but Pain Resistance Lv. 1 muffled it, turning the stinging to a dull warmth that was more manageable. It was a tangible, subtle effect. His hands still hurt, but his reaction was less severe. He didn't flinch as hard, didn't want to stop as much. It worked.
🔔 [Skill Application Note: [Pain Resistance Lv. 1] mitigated effects of Environmental Discomfort (Hot Water).]
Cleaning the windows in the sitting room felt like an opportunity for Situational Awareness. He worked near the front windows, keeping an eye on the street (using [Observe] passively), listing for sounds. A dog barked across the street (System identifies sound origin). A car drove past (System identifies vehicle type and speed). This wasn't just being nosy; it was actively feeding information into his Awareness skill, making it work even on the mundane.
Suddenly, a letter carrier walked up the path. Harry ducked reflexively behind the curtains, though [Gamer's Mind] prevented a full panic reaction. They sometimes got bills. Sometimes junk mail.
The mail slid through the letterbox. Vernon usually collected it immediately, or Petunia. Harry's mind whirred, propelled by Situational Awareness. Who would get it? Would Vernon be in a bad mood? Should he stay hidden?
He heard Vernon grunting in the hall, collecting the mail. Harry risked a brief [Observe] on the stack in Vernon's hand from behind the curtain.
🔔 [Using Observe Lv. 1... Target: Mail Stack.]
(Cost: 0 MP)
📦 [ITEM: Mail Stack]
Description: Standard daily mail. Contains bills, junk mail, a catalogue, and [Item with Anomalous Address - 2nd Occurrence Detected!]. Note: Anomalous Address matches previous [Magical Communication] syntax. User Connection Confirmed.
Anomalous Address - 2nd Occurrence Detected! It matched the syntax of his letter? Another one? So soon? Was the magical world sending more letters even though they hadn't received an owl back?
Uncle Vernon paused, his grunting turned into a sputter of outrage. "Another one! Petunia! Look at this! The same mad scribbling! Addressed to... the cupboard! Again!" His face began to turn that familiar shade of puce.
Harry stayed frozen behind the curtain, absolute stillness enabled by Stealth Lv. 1. He didn't need to see Vernon's full Threat Level; the enraged sputtering and colour change were ample warning. Petunia shrieked from the kitchen, hurried into the hall.
"Oh, Vernon! Not again! How are they getting through?!" Petunia's voice was panicked, furious. "They're obsessed!"
"Trying to contact him again!" Vernon snarled, glancing towards the sitting room where Harry was hiding. Harry flattened himself further against the wall. The conversation moved towards the kitchen, growing fainter, filled with ripped paper sounds and furious pronouncements that they'd "stop this nonsense!"
He stayed hidden, completely silent, for a full five minutes after the sounds of destruction subsided and Vernon had gone back to the sitting room with his non-anomalous mail and Petunia had retreated. Safe. The anomalous letter was gone, destroyed, but the System had noted its appearance and type.
🔔 [Action Outcome: Successful Evasion (Threat Presence - Duration Extended).]
[Effective application of Stealth, Situational Awareness (Anomalous Item detection & threat processing), and Gamer's Mind (emotional control) under duress.]
[Major Plot Event Detected: Confiscation/Destruction of potential Magical Communication by Hostile Entities. User Action Inhibited by Circumstances. Potential Future Repercussions Detected.]
[Situational Awareness Lv. 1 Skill Experience Gained via Active Use under Threat + Information Acquisition.]
[Stealth Lv. 1 Skill Experience Gained via Extended Concealment in Threat Proximity.]
[Agile Evasion Lv. 1 Passive Check - Successfully maintained lack of detection under stress.]
[+30 EXP]
Current EXP: 207 + 30 = 237/400
Thirty EXP! Even for staying hidden and just observing the loss of the letter, he'd gained significantly. The System seemed to prioritize rewarding him for navigating the Dursley threats effectively, even if it meant not directly engaging with the magical object itself. It also noted the "Major Plot Event" and "Future Repercussions," hinting that this wasn't the end of the letters.
He finished cleaning, continued to earn small bits of EXP (+choreshalf = +7 EXP, 244/400), kept practicing Stealth and Awareness constantly. During the rare moments of relative calm, usually late afternoon before Vernon got home or Dudley was out, Harry focused his considerable INT and WIS on Step 2 of the Primary Quest: Navigate Prerequisites for Entry (Acquire Supplies). Diagon Alley, Wands, Books, Cauldrons. The System called Diagon Alley a Resource Node. What did a Resource Node need? Money? How much?
He saw Vernon handle cash sometimes. Saw Dudley get allowance. Dursleys were very focused on money, seemed to value it above almost everything. Money got them things. Magical supplies needed... money? It seemed logical, but how would he get any? The System offered a quiet nudge:
🔔 [Observation Triggered: User contemplation on resource acquisition and 'Money'.]
[Potential Relevance to Primary Quest Step 2 Detected!]
[Potential Connection Identified: Real-world 'Money/Currency' may serve as analogous or required resource within the Magical world's 'Commerce/Resource Node' (Diagon Alley).]
[Investigation Objective: Gain understanding of wealth acquisition and value.]
This was a clear instruction. To understand getting supplies, he needed to understand money. And getting it. He added "Observe Dursleys handling/talking about money," and "Observe locations/methods related to money (shops, banks if ever sees one?)" to his internal list of things to focus Awareness and Observe on. His Grinding was becoming multi-faceted – survive, train skills, gain EXP, AND gather intelligence related to the big, scary, wonderful Quest.
He ate his meagre dinner (+10 EXP, 254/400), securing his daily survival minimal sustenance even though the main Quest was over. It was just habit, System-reinforced instinct now.
Curling up in his cupboard that night, Harry felt exhausted but fulfilled. He had leveled up to Level 3, accepted his true path, gained Pain Resistance I, completed Primary Quest Step 1 by processing the letter's info, received boosted MP Regen, witnessed another anomalous letter's arrival (and destruction), gained valuable EXP for handling the stress, got a clear System hint on Step 2 related to understanding money, and pushed his core passive skills further.
254/400 EXP towards Level 4. More skills gaining silent experience in the background. His long-term goal – Hogwarts – felt distant, years away. But the steps, guided by the glowing blue System, were clear. Survive the days, push his limits, learn everything he could about this world (the Dursleys) and the other world (Magic), gain strength, intelligence, agility, and awareness. The grind was hard, the threat constant, but he was no longer just surviving. He was preparing. And with the System as his teacher and guide, he was getting better every single day.