Role-Playing System

Skofot woke up in a musty wooden crate.

The first sensation was hunger, so intense it tightened his throat.

Then he noticed his noticeably smaller hands and feet, and the rough fabric of his clothes rubbing against his skin.

The space in the crate was cramped. He managed to push himself up, and the light filtering through the cracks illuminated the dust.

His hand touched a piece of dry, hard bread.

He grabbed it and shoved it into his mouth, not caring about the crumbs falling onto his legs.

The bread got stuck in his throat. He whimpered and pounded his chest forcefully before managing to swallow it.

Just then, a semi-transparent panel suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Welcome to another world, Host.]

[I am the Role-Playing System, wait...]

The text on the panel suddenly became messy. [Host, don't die!!]

A warm current suddenly spread from his spine.

The abdominal cramps, the dry throat, the soreness all over his body vanished as if erased by an eraser.

He let out a long sigh, his body feeling lighter than ever before.

"So I transmigrated," he murmured to himself, "No wonder my body felt so strange."

[Here your name is Skofot Tom Leoqi, you are currently 7 years old.]

Skofot nodded, getting used to this new name.

"What is the Role-Playing System...?"

[You can use 100 Emotion Points to draw cards. Emotion Points can also be used as energy. Specific functions are for you to explore.]

[Open Newbie Benefit Package?]

"Open."

The panel flickered.

[Draw Card × 1]

"Draw card."

The card spun on the virtual interface, finally stopping.

[Randomizing--]

[Leader--Job Introduction: He is a politician, righteous, just, and charismatic.

Buff: Majesty

Description: You will make those who fear you feel oppressed.

Debuff: Fear of Darkness

Description: You are afraid of the dark.]

Skofot processed this information. He pushed open the crate lid and climbed out.

It was a backyard filled with clutter.

He brushed the dust off his clothes. On his still childish face, his eyes held a gaze that didn't belong to a seven-year-old.

Three years later.

Deep within an alley in the Muggle World, a black-haired boy nimbly dodged the unknown liquid flowing on the ground.

Skofot Tom Leoqi wore a slightly oversized old robe, but it was clean.

He stopped in front of a dilapidated wooden door.

Voices arguing could be heard from inside.

"This little bastard definitely stole my money!"

Skofot pushed the door open and went in.

Inside, two ragged men were grabbing a smaller, thinner child.

"I saw it," Skofot said.

His voice wasn't deep yet, but something in it made the two men let go immediately.

"Who are you?" the tall man shouted, trying to sound tough.

Skofot didn't answer, just looked at them.

His gaze was terrifyingly calm (deathly terrifying).

[Emotion Points +10]

[Emotion Points +15]

The short man tugged at his companion's sleeve.

"Forget it, let's go."

They left in a hurry, not even daring to look back.

The child who was rescued thanked them timidly and handed Skofot a piece of bread that looked edible.

[Emotion Value +5]

Skofot took the bread and nodded. He turned and walked out of the dilapidated house, taking a bite of the bread.

The sky gradually darkened, and the first hint of night crept onto the eaves. He quickened his pace.

Darkness surged from the end of the street like a tide.

Although he knew it was just his imagination, his breathing did indeed become rapid.

That "fear of darkness" debuff hadn't lessened in three years.

He had to get back to the abandoned attic before dark.

That had been his refuge for the past few years.

Before the last bit of light on the street corner disappeared, he darted into a dilapidated building.

He climbed the creaking stairs, squeezed into the attic, and quickly closed the door.

Leaning against the door, he slowly slid to the floor.

Outside the window, Knockturn Alley's nightlife was just beginning.

He still had a long way to go.

Time flew by, and Skofot spent four years in the shadows and crevices of the alley.

At eleven years old, he had grown taller but remained thin.

The hardships of his environment had taught him the necessity of self-defense. Through certain special channels, he had obtained an old-fashioned handgun, which he carefully hid in his shelter in the abandoned attic.

He had also long since figured out that he was in Britain, a Britain that was both familiar and unfamiliar to his understanding.

At this moment, leaning against the creaking wooden walls, he silently recited, "System, draw card."

[Emotion Value -100]

[Emotion Value: 3390]

A virtual panel appeared, cards spinning, and finally settling.

[Rabbit Rhymer -- Introduction: A rabbit who was treated as meat by adventurers in the Adventurer's Guild and eventually kept as a pet because of its cuteness.

Buff: Fragility

Introduction: All your actions will carry a sense of fragility and forced bravery. Beware of ill-intentioned people.

Buff: Affinity

Introduction: You will have a natural affinity with those who hold goodwill towards you.

Debuff: Your strength will be weakened.]

[Note: Only one card can be equipped at a time, and the first time each card is equipped, it must be for a full week.]

Skofot... looked at this new card and was clearly stunned.

Unlike the previous card, [Leader], which exuded an aura of authority, this card radiated a sense of weakness, of needing to depend on others for survival.

But he didn't hesitate. Survival was paramount, and any potential ability needed to be tried.

"Equip Rabbit Rhymer."

The moment the command was given, he clearly felt something being drawn out of his body.

The slight strength he had accumulated from years of vigilance and necessary fights seemed to drain away like a deflated ball.

He even needed to lean on the wall to stand, a feeling of weakness and lightness enveloping him.

At the same time, he noticed a change in his demeanor.

A strange aura, one that easily evoked a desire to protect or... other intentions in people, spread invisibly.

He frowned. This uncontrolled change made him uncomfortable, especially the warning to "beware of ill-intentioned people."

He looked down at his now even more slender wrists and tried to clench his fist, finding it indeed soft and powerless.

In this state, let alone using a gun for self-defense, he probably wouldn't even have the strength to push open a heavy door.

"The first week, I must be exceptionally careful."

He muttered to himself, his voice carrying a hint of softness, a departure from his usual calm detachment, which he himself didn't notice.

He took a deep breath, trying to adapt to this weakness, and looked towards the small window of the attic, beyond which lay the gloomy skyline of London.

These seven days would be difficult.

On the seventh day, while wearing the [Rabbit Rhymer] card and in a state of unprecedented weakness and sensitivity, a barn owl flew through the broken attic window and dropped a letter in front of Skofot.

He picked it up in confusion, the parchment feeling strange and unfamiliar. He broke the wax seal, and the contents of the letter struck him like lightning: