Top-Tier Dao Protector

So, the plan is to cultivate an invincible momentum from a young age, build up strength in silence, crush peers, and then surpass the legends of old, right?

Isaac is all too familiar with this!

Before transmigrating, Isaac read plenty of web novels on Qidian; there wasn't a trope he hadn't seen.

But that doesn't add up, does it?

Isaac suddenly spotted a blind spot in Dumbledore's words: "That's not right, Professor."

"Setting aside the Prefects and Head Boys that are produced almost every year."

"Hogwarts has at least one top-tier student in every single grade, doesn't it?"

"Even ignoring the generally excellent young wizards, I don't think Hogwarts lacks those who are truly exceptional."

"Take Gryffindor's Percy Weasley, for example?"

Even though Isaac had never set foot in Hogwarts, that didn't stop him from discussing the people and events within its walls.

Dumbledore didn't find anything amiss with that.

Upon hearing the name Percy Weasley, Dumbledore nodded in agreement:

"Indeed, Percy is a very excellent young wizard, but that is not enough."

From a certain perspective, Percy Weasley had already reached the ceiling of what an ordinary wizard could achieve through hard work.

No... without the corresponding talent, even Percy Weasley would be an unreachable goal for an ordinary wizard.

Students at Hogwarts must undergo two life-defining examinations during their time at school.

The fifth-year OWLs, or Ordinary Wizarding Levels, serve as the foundational threshold for a magical career and directly determine the eligibility for sixth-year courses.

In these exams, Percy Weasley obtained 12 certificates, each with a perfect score.

Next are the seventh-year NEWTs, or Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, the highest-level examinations at Hogwarts, which determine entry into high-end magical professions.

Careers such as Auror, St Mungo's Healer, high-ranking Ministry of Magic officials, Alchemists, and Spell Researchers all require high scores in the corresponding subjects on the NEWTs.

Percy Weasley achieved perfect scores in all 12 of these exams as well.

This was a crucial condition that allowed him to become the personal assistant to the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement the moment he joined the Ministry of Magic.

To understand the scale of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, consider this: it has a subordinate unit called the Auror Office.

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement is essentially a combination of the Muggle world's Ministry of the Interior, Department of Justice, police system, and Supreme Court.

Its head has historically been the strongest contender for the position of Minister for Magic.

While Percy Weasley's selection as secretary to the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was certainly aided by the Weasley name, those 12 perfect certificates were the hard requirement that allowed for such an exceptional promotion.

It's just that the head at the time, Barty Crouch, never expected he had recruited a "fool."

Setting aside the clumsy start to his career later on, Percy Weasley was undeniably excellent during his time at Hogwarts.

Even the students of Ravenclaw House, who are the most devoted to their studies, would admit as much.

Doesn't this satisfy Dumbledore's definition of an excellent young wizard?

"Of course it isn't enough. Isaac, you are focusing on the wrong point. The excellence of Grindelwald and Tom never lay in the certificates they obtained or their so-called grades."

"Grindelwald's excellence lay in the astonishing, or rather, terrifying talent for Dark Magic he displayed at the age of sixteen."

"And for Tom, his Parseltongue and his talent for magic and dueling were the core pillars that supported his excellence."

"In other words..." Isaac mused, "To achieve such talent, one must be able to do things that ordinary wizards cannot?"

Dumbledore nodded with satisfaction. His own excellence in his youth was not defined by Hogwarts awards.

Rather, it was his ability to engage in academic exchanges with the alchemist Nicolas Flamel and the magical historian Bathilda Bagshot.

In other words, to walk the same "invincible path" as Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Voldemort, being excellent at Hogwarts is useless.

Even if one were as excellent as Percy Weasley, they would still be nothing more than an excellent ordinary wizard.

A true "young master" must be able to do what their peers cannot.

"So..." Isaac began to understand what Dumbledore was driving at.

"So, you could try subduing a Dark Wizard. Don't worry, I'll be watching quietly from the sidelines."

After hearing Dumbledore's words, Isaac didn't think of himself, but rather of the "adventures" Harry Potter had at Hogwarts.

First year, fighting a teacher, Voldemort; second year, fighting a teacher, a Basilisk; third year, hunting a fugitive, a Dementor; fourth year, fighting students from other schools...

Don't say it, you really shouldn't say it!

If one follows Dumbledore's theory, the quality of the enemies Harry Potter faced during his years at Hogwarts was truly extraordinary.

Dumbledore and Grindelwald never faced enemies like Voldemort at that age.

Even if it was just a remnant soul and Harry Potter had a natural advantage against him, the quality of those "adventures" was far from ordinary.

By the time Harry Potter reached his seventh year, he could trade spells with Tom; perhaps that was the bonus of the invincible path of magic.

The only difference between Isaac and Harry Potter is that Harry embarked on this "path of magical invincibility" without knowing what he was getting into.

Now, Dumbledore has laid this path before Isaac, asking if he is willing to walk it.

Walk it? Of course he would!

In a world where magic is might, having a path to invincibility already paved by those who came before is an opportunity not to be missed.

With a world-class "guardian" watching over him, Isaac would be a fool to refuse.

It's just a petty dark wizard, after all—take him down!

Enemies never wait for you to be ready before they strike, and he is no ordinary little wizard!

"Fine!"

"Rest assured, Isaac, your... what did you say?" Dumbledore seemed prepared to offer more persuasion, never expecting Isaac to agree with such decisiveness.

Not only was he decisive, but his initiative was also remarkable.

"Professor Dumbledore, hide yourself. Oh, and remember to help me protect Anthony later. At his age, he can't handle being tossed around by a dark wizard."

Isaac pulled out his wand and checked it thoroughly, much like a soldier maintaining his weapon before stepping onto the battlefield.

Finally, he nodded at Dumbledore and left the Magic Candy Shop.

After leaving the Magic Candy Shop, Isaac headed straight for the exit of Diagon Alley, passed through the Leaky Cauldron, and summoned the Knight Bus at the entrance.

After giving the address of 12 Medway Street, Isaac strapped himself into a "seat" on the bus, feeling the breakneck speed of the magical vehicle.

Isaac was certain that the dark wizard tailing him had not boarded the bus, yet he did not doubt for a second that the dark wizard had ways to track him to 12 Medway Street.

He only needed to wait quietly for the enemy to arrive.

About 20 minutes later, a wizard arrived at Isaac's doorstep via Apparition.

He first verified the house number, then let out two sinister laughs.

"Alohomora!" He pointed his wand at the front door of Isaac's house, and the next second, accompanied by the sound of the lock clicking open, the iron gate outside the garden slowly swung wide.