Achievement Unlocked in Five Seconds

Deep within the Scandinavian mountains, atop a cliff, the evening breeze blew.

Moonlight pierced through the thin clouds, casting its glow upon the forest. In the distance, the roar of an unknown beast startled a flock of night birds. Mu En stood on the cliff, the grandeur of nature laid out before him.

Beside him, the Moonpetal Flower, surrounded by intricate silver formations, swayed. Its thousand layers of petals, under the moonlight, seemed veiled in a silvery mist.

Mu En raised his hands, his eyes gradually closing as he began chanting a spell, activating the formation.

In an instant, the high moon seemed to shift from aimlessly casting its light upon the world to focusing its attention uniquely on this spot.

A vast amount of moonlight, like a vortex, began to pour into the Moonpetal Flower, centering on this location.

The moon, "Luna," originates from Latin and corresponds to the metal silver in mysticism, carrying connotations of madness. As the Moonpetal Flower absorbs moonlight, it is also the main ingredient for the Eclipse Elixir.

At this moment, the veil on Mu En's face had vanished, reverting to its cat-like form. He needed to expedite the refining of the Eclipse Elixir, using its inherent madness to impact himself and break the curse.

The moonlit night was tranquil, and the flowing radiance inadvertently attracted many creatures to gather, yet they dared not approach, intimidated by the terrifying aura emanating from Mu En.

Several hours later, the moonlight gradually receded. Mu En opened his eyes, looking at the three blooming Moonpetal Flowers at the top of the cluster, a smile appearing on his face.

Although many were ruined by those brats, three flowers were enough for the potion.

If not for the accident today, he wouldn't have wanted to fully ripen the Moonpetal Flowers all at once.

After fully harvesting the three Moonpetal Flowers, Mu En returned to the castle.

The castle's basement presented a completely different scene. It was outfitted with numerous specialized rooms, each serving a unique purpose: storage, collection, alchemy, potion-making, a library, and so on.

Arriving at the potion room, his gaze fell upon the cauldron bubbling on the central table.

The potion was a vibrant red and exceptionally viscous. After adding the three Moonpetal Flowers, Mu En began to stir.

From beneath the cauldron, Lucifer's face suddenly appeared within the flames.

The castle had many fire conduits responsible for the kitchen, potion room, alchemy room, and even the hot water for the washrooms.

"Increase the heat," Mu En said calmly.

The flames around Lucifer intensified, and his face showed concern. "Mu En, I still think you're being a bit extreme."

He was naturally referring to Mu En's plan to use the madness from the Eclipse Elixir to break the curse.

"Am I? I think it's a rather novel idea worth trying," Mu En replied nonchalantly, a smile on his face.

After simmering for a long time, he lifted the cauldron and set it aside to cool. After a considerable period of resting, he removed the cloudy liquid from the top, leaving behind the thick, glue-like substance at the bottom – the Eclipse Elixir he needed.

Taking the potion, he returned to the first floor and sat on his own red patent leather sofa. Posing himself, facing the fireplace, he drank the potion in one gulp.

As the potion entered his stomach, he felt a tremor in his spiritual energy. A full moon seemed to appear in his mind, followed by boundless darkness. A strange eclipse quietly manifested in his consciousness...

Standing before Number 4, Privet Drive, Harry reflected on everything that had happened that day, feeling as though he had just experienced a magnificent adventure in a story. Even facing the Dursleys, he felt he could meet their taunts and humiliation with a smile.

Of course, that was just wishful thinking.

Harry patted his face, suppressing his excitement and joy, and then his expression reverted to its usual disheveled state.

As long as the Dursleys saw him like this, they would be happy, holding their heads high, displaying their pride and arrogance like victorious knights.

Conversely, if Harry was happy, they wouldn't be as pleased. Consequently, the Dursleys would intensify their torment.

The first rule of dealing with the Dursleys: never smile in front of them.

He had learned this through experience.

Creak—

The old wooden door emitted an unpleasant sound. Pushing it open, soft, dim yellow light spilled out, contrasting sharply with the darkness of the street. The house was clearly warmer, like a cozy home.

However, to Harry, it wasn't warm at all...

"I'm back," Harry said.

Aunt Petunia walked from the hallway, her expression immediately changing. "You wretched little brat, come here quickly."

Her words were filled with hatred, her voice incredibly sharp. He suddenly thought of Mu En; compared to that true wizard, Aunt Petunia seemed more like the evil old witch from fairy tales.

"Quickly, tell me, did you do something to Dudley's face!" Uncle Vernon also stepped forward, staring directly at Harry, who stood at the doorway. Their shadows stretched long, even from a distance, pressing down on his frail body.

"It has nothing to do with me," Harry flatly denied Uncle Vernon's accusation, his face flushing red like a boiling kettle.

"You little rascal, and... and I heard from Petunia that you even crushed the neighbor's prize-winning plants." Vernon walked over and grabbed him by the collar.

"Heavens, if the other party wasn't kind-hearted, I wouldn't dare to imagine how much debt you would have brought upon this family." Petunia feigned distress.

"I didn't, it has nothing to do with me," Harry protested weakly.

Uncle Vernon was furious. As soon as he got home, he had been informed of everything that had happened today. It had ruined his appetite for dinner, and he had been waiting for this boy to return.

"Do you have even a shred of gratitude towards us!" Uncle Vernon roared. Then, without waiting for Harry to resist, he opened the cupboard door and shoved him inside.

Bang—

The door was slammed shut tightly.

Click, a gap appeared on the small door, and Uncle Vernon's eyes, narrowed by his ample flesh, appeared. He said viciously, "From today onwards, every moment you are in this house, you will be confined to this cupboard."

With that, he walked away, as if Harry had turned into a mouse, and he no longer wished to speak further.

Harry swept a spider that had been knocked from his pillow onto the floor, dusted himself off, and leaned weakly against the bed made of planks. He suddenly thought of Moonlight Castle again.

That magical castle, he couldn't get enough of it. Honestly, even being a handyman there for life would be better than being confined here.

He was somewhat looking forward to tomorrow. Although it would be busy, at least compared to doing chores and being scolded at the Dursleys', or being bullied by Dudley and his cronies, no amount of hard work would matter.

With that thought, he fell into a deep sleep without even taking off his glasses.

However, he felt like he hadn't slept long before he was jolted awake by a loud banging on the door.

"Get up! Get up! Hurry!"

Aunt Petunia was banging on his door again.

"Get up!" she shrieked, "How long do you plan to sleep? Don't forget, you still have to go to work."

Harry pushed himself up, grumbled, and then opened the door.

"Hurry up and wash yourself," Aunt Petunia urged.

Harry glanced out the window; the sky was just beginning to lighten. He could even hear Dudley snoring from where he stood. Clearly, he had been woken up very early today.

It was then that he realized something: the Dursleys weren't planning to feed him. Oh, yes, after lunch and dinner yesterday, they had confirmed that the gentleman living at Number 13, Privet Drive was a wealthy and kind person.

He would be responsible for feeding this brat, so they didn't need to worry about it.

He wouldn't let the poor child go hungry, would he?

Harry understood the Dursleys' intentions. Regardless of whether he felt embarrassed or not, he had already been driven out of the house by Aunt Petunia like a stray dog.

It had rained lightly all night, as expected, and the morning wind was still a bit cold. Harry wrapped himself up and stood outside Number 13, Privet Drive.

He didn't know if Uncle Mu En was awake yet, or if he would be disturbing him.

If he went over now, he would be blatantly trying to freeload breakfast. Would that make him look like a beggar? Would Uncle Mu En dislike him?

Uncle Mu En was already so good to him. Both yesterday's lunch and dinner were incredibly lavish, the best food he had ever eaten in his life.

He had come to work to atone, but suddenly...

Countless jumbled thoughts raced through Harry's mind, intertwining and making him agitated. But all these thoughts were asking him the same thing... "Do I deserve this? Will Uncle Mu En dislike me if I'm like this?"

Creak—

As Harry was feeling agitated, the door of Number 13, Privet Drive slowly opened, revealing the dark and dim interior of the house. The only source of light was Lucifer burning in the fireplace.

"What are you squatting out there for? Looking for goblins?" Lucifer asked curiously.

Harry managed a smile. Although the rooms in Moonlight Castle were dark and dim, he felt they were a thousand times better than the Dursleys' home, which had seemed warm and gentle yesterday.

"If you are looking for goblins, you can come in and get a bottle of Sniffing Water. That stuff is very attractive to goblins; it can lure them all out at once," Lucifer continued unhurriedly.

Harry stood up and walked into the house. "No, Mr. Lucifer. I was just..."

???

He saw a figure lying on the red sofa and his words stopped abruptly.

The clothes, they were Uncle Mu En's.

The build, it was also Uncle Mu En's.

But why... was it a cat?!!

Harry's first shock of the day came within five seconds of entering the house.