The early days of his "Wizard's Journey," despite being spent entirely at Number Four, Privet Drive, felt charged with new purpose. The completion of the Survival Quest and acceptance of the Primary Quest had shifted the landscape of Harry's internal world. He wasn't just surviving anymore; he was training.
He was Level 3, 254/400 EXP towards Level 4. MP regeneration felt noticeably quicker (1.2 per hour!), allowing more frequent use of [Observe]. Pain Resistance Lv. 1 was a subtle blessing, muting the constant low-grade aches that were his baseline. His core passive skills – Gamer's Mind, Stealth, Agile Evasion, Situational Awareness – felt less like accidental talents and more like honed tools.
Harry consciously applied them to every aspect of his day. Making breakfast became a Stealth exercise, testing how quietly he could move within meters of Vernon's newspaper. Cleaning became a Situational Awareness test, using [Observe] (on objects, 0 MP) to map out the environment, identify potential hiding spots, and track where dust gathered or how things were typically arranged. Doing laundry was Pain Resistance training as he hauled heavy baskets up and down stairs. Escaping Dudley, whenever possible, honed Stealth, Evasion, and Awareness all at once.
He deliberately sought out opportunities for higher EXP. Longer, more complex chores granted more points (+10-15 EXP). Successfully navigating tense, close calls with the Dursleys yielded high situational and evasion EXP (+15-20 EXP). But he also needed points outside of crisis.
Recalling the System's hint about 'understanding wealth acquisition' linked to Primary Quest Step 2 (Acquire Supplies / Diagon Alley), Harry began to focus his INT and WIS during the quiet hours. He listened intently whenever the Dursleys spoke about money (rarely directly where he could hear, but hints existed in context). He found discarded newspapers in bins ([Observe] on articles yielded metadata - Subject: Economy, Source: Daily News, Content Rating: Complex - and occasional EXP, +1-3). He even observed mundane items related to money when dusting Vernon's wallet (+0 MP - Item: Leather Wallet. Condition: Full. Status: Restricted. Warning: Accessing Contents may result in Critical Threat Level.) or Petunia's handbag. It was slow, piecemeal understanding, but the System seemed to value the persistent investigative effort.
[Action Noted: User engaged in prolonged information gathering related to [Economy/Resource Acquisition] via [Observe] and [Situational Awareness]. Aligns with Primary Quest Step 2 Sub-Objective: Investigate Prerequisites.]
[Intelligence (INT) and Wisdom (WIS) experience points gained.]
[+12 EXP]
Current EXP: 254 + 12 = 266/400
Every bit helped. His grinding routine now was structured: core chores (bulk low EXP, Skill practice), focused awareness/stealth practice (higher Skill EXP, situational EXP), avoiding threats (Skill use, high situational/evasion EXP), and passive information gathering ([Observe], INT/WIS EXP).
Over the next week, Harry pushed himself, fueled by the sight of that Level 4 progress bar inching upward. He did extra dusting ([+5 EXP]). Navigated breakfast with zero detection clicks from Stealth (+Skill EXP noted). Found a lost shilling coin behind a sofa cushion ([Observe] + Find action = +8 EXP! Actual money!). Avoided a furious Uncle Vernon returning home early (+20 EXP for High-Stress Evasion/Stealth combo). Cleaned the entire upstairs hallway and bathroom (+15 EXP).
He was working constantly, quietly, accumulating points. 266... 271... 279... 299... 314... 322... The numbers steadily climbed as days blurred into a cycle of hardship and measured gain. His stats felt sharper, his reflexes honed. Level 4 felt imminent.
The morning it happened felt otherwise normal. Thursday, he thought (keeping track of days was a quiet System goal too, tracking Time Markers). Aunt Petunia had sent him to fetch something from the garage – the same garage where cleaning had previously earned him high EXP. It was cold and dusty. He went about it methodically, cleaning the gardening tools before finding the requested item (a small plastic watering can Dudley hadn't used).
He was wiping down a dirty trowel when the quiet internal chime signaled.
[Action Completed: Thoroughly Cleaned Gardening Trowel (Complex Cleaning Task)]
[Skill Use Note: [Pain Resistance Lv. 1] mitigating cold metal and rough texture effects.]
[+5 EXP]
Current EXP: 387 + 5 = 392/400
Almost there. Just eight more points. Cleaning the other tools would get him there. He reached for a set of rusty pruning shears, determined. He took his time, focusing on every bit of grime. The rusty edges were sharp, a familiar hazard.
He scraped away a tough bit of dried mud, the sharp point of the shears slicing a tiny line into his thumbpad. It stung fiercely.
🔔 [Combat/Injury Note: Minor Puncture/Laceration taken to User's hand. HP: 75 --> 73.]
[Pain Resistance Lv. 1 mitigating effect!]
[Passive Skill [Pain Resistance] actively reduced flinch reflex (5% chance proc?). User maintained focus on task.]
[Due to skill application under minor injury and persistent task completion:]
[+9 EXP]
Current EXP: 392 + 9 = 401/400
Taking damage? And gaining EXP for continuing despite the pain! It felt counter-intuitive, yet grimly logical in the Dursleys' world. And the points... 401! He had just earned his Level Up by getting slightly injured and ignoring it thanks to Pain Resistance.
The now-familiar cascade of bright blue Level Up windows unfolded before his eyes.
🎉 [LEVEL UP IMMINENT!] 🎉 (Initiating at 400/400)
🎉 [LEVEL UP!] 🎉
User Harry James Potter has reached Level 4!
Current Level: 3 --> 4
Your base stats have increased!
STR: 5 --> 6 (+1)
DEX: 9 --> 10 (+1)
INT: 10 --> 11 (+1)
WIS: 9 --> 10 (+1)
LUK: 18 --> 19 (+1)
CHA: 11 --> 12 (+1)
All Primary STATs have gained +1 Point!
New Maximum HP: 75 --> 90 (+15)
New Maximum MP: 15 --> 18 (+3)
Experience Required for Level 5: 800. Current: 1/800. (Remaining EXP rolled over)
Another level up. Another point in every base stat. Dexterity at 10. INT at 11, WIS at 10. HP approaching 100, MP nearing 20. And needing 800 EXP for Level 5 – the grind was scaling. He was no longer Level 1 with stats of 3-16. He was Level 4 with stats ranging from 6-19, significantly more capable than he'd been even a week ago.
The Level Up felt different this time. Not just numbers changing, but a deeper sense of himself being… sturdier. Faster reflexes felt like part of his nervous system. Clear thought wasn't just a dampener anymore, but a core processing function.
The accompanying Level Up Perk notifications cemented this.
[Level Up Perk!]
User's mental processing speed further increased.
Passive Skill [Gamer's Mind] Lv. 1 effect improved (INT/WIS/Level). (New Effect: Emotional dampening ~25%, Focus enhancement increased).
Passive Skill [Observe] Lv. 1 efficiency improved. (Range and clarity increased subtly).
User Gains 1 Perk Point.
[Perk Points: 1]
A Perk Point? This was new. It didn't explain what it did, but 'Perk Point' sounded valuable. Something to spend? On what? The System didn't offer a menu for it. He filed it away – another mystery, another System layer revealed.
The cleaning shears incident, the tiny cut on his thumb (HP now 73/90) felt like a confirmation. This was his life, but through the System, he was turning pain and work into power. He quickly wiped the cut, finished cleaning the shears (+exp!), found the watering can, and took it inside. Aunt Petunia barely glanced at him, missing the internal fanfare of his Level Up entirely.
Days continued to blend into weeks. The grind continued. Chores, observation, evasion, small acts of defiance, studying Vernon's magazines or Petunia's post when possible. He tested his limits subtly. Could he carry two heavy buckets without HP drain? (STR check?). Could he hear Dudley approaching from further away? (Situational Awareness range test?). His LUK stat seemed to randomly give him little advantages – finding loose change slightly more often, objects landing slightly more favourably when dropped, rarely stubbing his toe in the dark.
The Dursleys noticed nothing but that Harry seemed... less prone to tantrums. More focused. He just did his work quietly. Which, perversely, made them slightly less annoyed with him most of the time, reinforcing the success of his Stealth and Awareness skills in minimising interaction (a remnant of the old Quest goal, still a valid survival tactic).
Weeks turned into a month. Harry's EXP climbed past 400. Level 5 arrived with its own stat bumps (+1 to all), HP/MP increases, and another Perk Point. The grind continued, his physical and mental capabilities expanding steadily. He was Level 5 by late summer of his sixth year, stats significantly higher (STR 7, DEX 11, INT 12, WIS 11, LUK 20, CHA 13 based on 2 Lvl ups giving +1s). Still years away from Hogwarts, but exponentially more ready than before. The letter was still hidden. Other anomalous mail occasionally arrived and was destroyed by the Dursleys. But the System grind, preparing him for his journey, was firmly established. The next year, Year 7, was about to begin.