Strength Attribute Point

Returning to the cold, silent Slytherin dormitory, Skofot locked the door behind him, leaned against the icy door, and let out a soft breath.

Tonight's "haul" had been pretty good, though the process had been a little... tooth-aching.

He unconsciously touched his wrist, then licked the tip of his teeth.

Out of habit, he summoned the system panel. His gaze swept over his Emotion Points balance before settling on the Shop's refreshed item for today.

[Today's Items: [Strength Attribute Point—10 Emotion Points]]

Skofot froze for a moment.

Strength Attribute Point?

And it only cost 10 Emotion Points?

The price was so low that it practically looked like a system glitch clearance sale.

The various cards he had bought before cost dozens or even hundreds of points each. This thing, which directly enhanced a basic attribute, was actually this cheap?

He stared at that number, his heart beginning to race uncontrollably.

Strength... the most direct, purest form of physical power.

To him, it meant more ability to protect himself, less reliance on cards with obvious side effects, and, when necessary, more effective... physical persuasion.

Without the slightest hesitation, a mad thought took shape in his mind.

Buy! Buy as many as possible!

He currently had 1,490 Emotion Points.

After setting aside 100 points as an essential emergency reserve, he would invest the remaining 1,390 points—all of them!

Purchase Strength Attribute Points 139 times, he commanded the system.

[Emotion Points -1390]

[Emotion Points: 100/100]

An immense, indescribable surge of heat instantly exploded within him!

It was as though countless streams of scorching magma were roaring through every vein and every muscle fiber in his body!

His bones emitted a faint yet dense hum, like steel repeatedly forged beneath an invisible sledgehammer.

An intense swelling ache and tearing pain swept through his entire body. He let out a muffled groan and dropped uncontrollably to one knee, his fingers digging deep into the old carpet beneath him. Veins bulged across his forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his undershirt.

The pain far surpassed his expectations—ten times, a hundred times fiercer than the side effects brought on by switching any card!

He felt like a balloon being forcibly inflated, on the verge of bursting at any moment.

After an unknown length of time, the surging tide of energy finally began to subside, transforming into a heavy, incomparably solid sense of strength that spread evenly through every limb and bone.

He slowly rose to his feet and moved his arms and legs. A strange sensation, both unprecedentedly light and weighty, welled up within him.

It was as if he had cast off a thousand-pound burden, yet could casually lift a thousand-pound object.

He walked to the bed, a four-poster bed made from ancient, hard Hogwarts oak.

He extended his right hand. His originally pale, slender fingers did not appear to have changed much, but he could feel the power hidden within them, like a ferocious beast lying dormant.

First, he lightly touched the bedpost with his fingertips. Then he laid his entire palm over it and gave it a slight squeeze—

"Crack..."

The crisp sound of splintering wood was especially piercing in the silent room.

He released it and saw five clear finger marks on the solid oak bedpost, as thick as a bowl, along with spiderweb-like cracks spreading outward from them.

Wood chips pattered down.

Skofot looked at the bedpost on the verge of breaking, then lowered his head to look at his own unscathed palm, without even a red mark on it. He remained silent for a full three seconds.

Then an indescribable feeling, bordering on exhilaration, surged through him.

Worth it!

So worth it!

Trading 1,390 Emotion Points for this level of strength increase was practically robbing the system!

He had originally worried that those Emotion Points would not be enough. Now, it seemed he had worried for nothing.

This strength might not yet be enough to move mountains and overturn seas, but against ordinary wizards... or rather, whenever "physical communication" was needed, it was absolutely enough.

Carefully controlling his strength, he straightened the bedpost he had damaged a little, then barely concealed the cracks with bedding and other clutter.

Hopefully, this ancient furniture was sturdy enough to last until he graduated... or at least until the next time he accidentally used too much force.

After finishing all that, he lay back on the bed. Feeling the surging new power within his body, now completely under his control, the corners of his mouth rose despite himself.

Tonight, though he had been bitten once—by which he meant he had bitten someone else—and though he had spent nearly all his saved Emotion Points, the result... was unexpectedly satisfying.

He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, carrying a new understanding of his own strength and the satisfaction of having gotten more than his money's worth.

The Hogwarts Great Hall was as noisy as ever the next day, sunlight streaming through the high windows and falling across the four long house tables.

On the Slytherin side, the students were having breakfast and talking quietly.

Holding his tray, Skofot calmly swept his gaze across the long table before it finally landed on Draco Malfoy, who was sipping oatmeal porridge while boasting about something to Crabbe and Goyle.

Without the slightest hesitation, he walked straight over.

Malfoy was in the middle of talking excitedly when he suddenly felt a shadow fall over him.

He looked up and saw Skofot standing before him. The smugness on his face instantly froze, turning into a trace of barely noticeable panic.

He instinctively shrank back.

"Leoqi? You..."

Before he could finish, Skofot had already bent down. His movements were as smooth as if he had practiced them countless times: one hand slipped beneath Malfoy's knees, the other wrapped around his back, and with a slight exertion of force—

"Ah!" Malfoy let out a short cry.

He was lifted sideways into Skofot's arms!

The surrounding Slytherin students were all dumbfounded. Spoons froze in midair, chewing motions stopped, and they stared at the scene in disbelief.

Crabbe and Goyle's mouths fell open, and the bread in their hands dropped onto their plates.

As though he did not see the stunned looks around him, Skofot carried the rigid, pale-faced Malfoy to the secluded seat where he usually sat, then turned and walked over.

—He sat down and placed Malfoy directly across his pressed-together thighs, as if setting down a large doll.

"Eat." Skofot pointed with his chin at Malfoy's tray, which he had brought over with him, his tone flat, as though this were the most normal arrangement in the world.

Malfoy was completely stunned. Blood rushed to his head, and his cheeks flushed scarlet with both humiliation and fear.

In all his life, he had never suffered such extraordinary humiliation!

Being picked up by a man—by that dangerous Leoqi, no less—and placed on his lap like a doll?!

"Let me go! You lunatic!"

He struggled, flailing his arms and legs as he tried to climb down from Skofot's lap. His voice turned shrill with agitation and humiliation.

Yet the arm holding him was like an iron hoop, utterly unmoving.

Skofot was not even using much strength. He merely held him securely.

Feeling Malfoy's fierce resistance, Skofot frowned slightly.

Troublesome.

With a thought, the [Rabbit Rhymer] card was instantly unequipped and switched to [Scavenger].

He did not deliberately release any killing intent, but that icy, spine-chilling sense that something was "wrong" instantly enveloped Malfoy in his arms like an invisible mist.