'Ding!'
'gratutions, you have obtaihe Extraordinary trait [Butcher's Instinct].'
I, just as Ian was about to deliver the final blow to the hen, a look of surprise fshed across his face. He immediately began to examihe effects of this rait.
Acquiring araordinary trait signified a deeper uanding of a skill, a mastery that transded mere proficy.
Just like his Psychology trait, which had granted him "Thought Perception."
What effect did this Biology Disse trait have?
Ian checked the trait description and discovered that [Butcher's Instinct] allowed him to instantly analyze the optimal anatomical structure of any creature.
It was a useful skill, but perhaps not revolutionary.
Looking at the hen he had caught, Ia as if he could see through its feathers, directly pinpointing the most effit strike point.
With a swift motion of the khere was a "crack" and the hen's life was instantly ended.
The decisive move earned praise from the cooks nearby.
"Wow, Ian, your butchering skills are gettier aer!"
After sughtering the chi, Ian tio help by cutting up the chi meat.
A few swift cuts and the chi was ly divided.
Ian smiled and responded, "Heh, I've definitely gotten more skilled."
Since acquiring the Extraordinary trait, his progress has been rapid.
These "Extraordinary traits" were certainly remarkable, but they still felt… limited. Ian couldn't help but wonder, if he learned magic, would the Extraordinary traits associated with magic be even more powerful and awe-inspiring?
Unfortunately, he would have to wait awo weeks before the owl arrived with his letter.
Until today, Ian still didn't uand why Dumbledore wao do a home visit first.
Did the aura of the Wood Orphanage really have such a strong influence?
At his desk in the m, Ian realized he could no longer trate on reading.
"Two weeks! I really want to learn magic!"
…
The days dragged on, and Iahe time passing unbearably slowly. This wasn't just impatie was a yearning, aement akin to anticipating the arrival of a long-awaited treasure.
It was the kind of excitement anyone would feel when about to step into a new world – a world of magic, a world beyond the munday.
…
On this day, Ian decided to skip work.
Though he was the "boss" of his own little stall, he o make an adult decision. Wasn't it just a simple trip to Diagon Alley?
Could this really stump him?
Ian gathered his "fortune" a off, relying on his faint memories of the inal story, attempting to locate the [Leaky Cauldron] in the vast expanse of London.
It was a bar invisible to Muggles and only visible to wizards. Through the bar, he could enter [Diagon Alley], the heart of the wizarding world.
In the inal story, Harry Potter entered Diagon Alley the same way.
So, Ian decided to give it a try.
However, he only khe name of the pub and had no idea where it was located.
The streets were teeming with people.
Ian blended into the crowd. He traversed several blocks, but no matter how he sed the shops on both sides of the street, he couldn't spot the pub.
"Minotaur Tavern… Jenny's Feast Hall… Tomorrow's Restaurant… KFC."
There were a variety of shops, but none of them were the ones he was looking for.
It was just like Ptform Nine and Three-Quarters in the inal story. The Leaky Cauldron was only visible to wizards – logically, Ian should be able to see it too; he knew he just hadn't found the right pce.
"Hmm?"
As Ian tinued his search, he felt a sense of unease, a feeling of being watched.
'A mugger?'
'Was an traffig even prevalent nowadays?'
Ian quied his pace, turning several ers and gng behind him. There was a figure in a bck cloak, their face obscured.
Hmm.
Suddenly, everything seemed to make sense.
This outfit wasn't for cospy.
A dark wizard, perhaps traffig young wizards? Who knew what their motives were? It couldn't possibly be as simple as wanting ao i their dark magic.
"I'm being targeted!" Ian's heart tightened.
He felt a surge of panic.
Luckily, he spotted the entrao the subway station. He hurriedly jogged towards it – the figure in the bck cloak didn't follow him inside.
Perhaps the person didn't dare to use magi a crowded pce.
After all…
Kidnapping young wizards and going against the Ministry of Magic were two entirely different levels of crime. The iy of the pursuit they'd face would be vastly different.
'It robably akin to the differeweey theft and terrorism, wasn't it?'
Ian's heart pounded.
He was relieved and quickly boarded the subway. An hour ter, he was back at Wood Orphanage.
"That was truly dangerous! The magical world is definitely a chaotic pce!" Ian muttered to himself.
At the entrance of the Orphanage, with its eerie, square building, Ian, his small frame moving slowly, entered. He didn't notice the two figures watg him from the shadows.
One of them was the man Ian had sidered a "dark wizard."
Dumbledore's calm voice gently echoed o the cloaked figure.
"Do you think you've been too cautious, stopping him from engaging with the magical world early?"
The cloaked figure remained silent.
Like a statue in the dark, his thoughts drifted ba ho when he had cast a mysterious spell on Ian, preventing him from seeing the Leaky Cauldron, which was right in front of him. It turned out that Ian hadn't failed to find the pce; rather, he had been uo see it due to magical interference.
"Diagon Alley isn't a pyground for children. There are plenty of dark wizards there. I don't want him to end up like that foolish..."
The cloaked figure stopped abruptly, turned, and gazed at Dumbledore with deep eyes. After a long silence, a hoarse voice broke the quiet.
"He belongs to Slytherin."
He said no more, but after leaving that cryptic remark, the cloaked figure disappeared with a sudden Apparition, leaving behind only a faint breeze and the dissipating magic.
"Wood Orphanage…"
Dumbledore remained behind, silently watg the worn-out gates of the Orphanage. He stared at the faded e as if lost in thought, a plex expression appearing on his face.
"I hope this time, I won't make a mistake again."
With a heavy sigh, Dumbledore turned aed into the night.
But as he left, his figure appeared somewhat hunched.
(End of Chapter)
