The Great Villain? Actually, I'm a Great Benevolent One!

Maximizing profit.

Dewey Jones was planning something big, considering how to push his combat power to the absolute limit.

With two purple cards, Dewey didn't consider duplicating them for upgrades; whether it was Avada Kedavra or Apparition, neither could reach a qualitative change with this little essence.

This time, Avada Kedavra hadn't even taken down a single Ministry of Magic operative.

It stood to reason that it wouldn't be very effective against other wizards either.

On the contrary, Stupefy, Obliviate, and Finite Incantatem were all worth considering for upgrades.

Dewey tapped his head.

The essence could duplicate twenty-three white cards.

He had 16 Stupefy cards, so Dewey first upgraded Stupefy to level 3, then used one duplicate card on it.

Stupefy was duplicated to level 4.

With 8 Obliviate cards plus one duplicate, he could reach exactly level 3.

Dewey thought for a moment and chose not to spend any more essence on Obliviate.

Judging by Protego, a level 3 spell already had considerable power; the Ministry of Magic operatives' Stupefy spells had been blocked by his Protego, causing him no harm.

Dewey chose to focus on upgrading Protego. As a foundational defensive spell, it was extremely practical, and Dewey liked it immensely.

Using 1,700 essence, Dewey stacked Protego to level 5.

He hadn't expected anything unusual when stacking Protego to level 5.

However, Dewey discovered that the level 5 Protego had undergone some strange changes.

He looked at the Protego card and noticed it was glowing faintly.

[Apprentice]

A prefix had appeared before Protego.

Dewey stared at the [Apprentice] tag, sensing the shift.

He casually picked up the wand in front of him.

Under the terrified gazes of Dudley and Aunt Petunia, he cast "Protego."

Apprentice Protego was clearly different from the previous Protego. Dewey saw a golden shield appear before him, looking like a real shield; its luster and texture were both impeccable.

"A change has occurred; what a pleasant and unexpected surprise."

Dewey reached out to touch the Protego shield. It was physically real—heavy and thick, yet defying common sense as it hovered in mid-air.

"Is this magic?"

Dewey whispered. Even Aunt Petunia momentarily forgot her fear, staring at the shield. Dewey cast Stupefy at the shield, and the spell was deflected!

Dewey nimbly ducked his head as the Stupefy spell struck the wall behind him, giving him a fright.

Yes, the magic hitting it wasn't dissipated; it was deflected!

A weapon for team fights!

Dewey ducked to avoid the rebounding Stupefy and looked at the Protego shield with a smile.

"Not bad, really not bad."

Dewey said, stroking the shield.

It was common knowledge that Avada Kedavra could not be blocked by Protego.

But what if he could continue to increase the power of Protego?

Dewey remembered when Voldemort and Dumbledore fought at the Ministry of Magic; Voldemort had summoned a shield to block in front of him—a shield that "seemed to be the hardest thing, with all the spells in the world leaving no mark upon it," and even Dumbledore's spells couldn't break its defense.

What if his shield one day reached that level?

Would that mean he could also use his shield to bully some kids?

Dewey waved his wand, dissipating the shield.

He had 350 essence remaining.

Without duplicating any more cards, Dewey upgraded Finite Incantatem to level 2. He still had 5 blue cards left, but he didn't attempt to dismantle them.

Getting back a quarter of the dust was simply too much of a loss.

If he wanted to add a large amount of points, he would have to fleece the experts.

Now, Dewey's status was:

[User: Dewey Jones (alias)

Learned Cards:

[(Apprentice) Protego (Level 5)] (White Common)

[Stupefy (Level 4)] (White Common)

[Apparition (Level 2)] (Purple Epic)]

[Avada Kedavra (Level 1)](Purple Epic)

[Obliviate (Level 3)](White Common)

[Finite Incantatem (Level 2)](Blue Rare)

[Animagus (Special Card)]

Title: None

Mana: 80

Magic Essence: 350

Duel Points: 1]

Dewey looked over his cards, stuffed one of Dudley's small cakes into his mouth, and took a sip of sweet tea to wash it down.

"Sugar and joy—they are the most wonderful things in this world, aren't they, Dudley, Petunia? Dudley, come here, child. Come over and tell me a joke."

Dewey said this while basking in the sun. Dudley and Petunia were too terrified to speak. Seeing that Dudley wouldn't approach and that Uncle Vernon was beginning to stir, Dewey casually picked up his wand and hit Uncle Vernon with another Stupefy.

With a crisp thud, Uncle Vernon's head, which had just begun to lift, slammed back against the floor.

Aunt Petunia let out a shriek.

Dewey sighed.

Exposed.

Dewey took out a Magic Coin and handed it to Dudley, saying, "A gift for you, child. This is currency from the wizarding world. You might not have a use for it, but you can keep it as a souvenir. And Petunia, I'll leave a wand for you. You've loved magic since you were a girl, haven't you? This is a wand; surely you've seen one when your sister came home."

Dewey spoke with great kindness. He knew that the moment Petunia screamed, he could no longer stay in this house. While it was true that the most dangerous place could be the safest, the old ladies in the neighborhood were truly Dumbledore's eyes and ears.

If Dumbledore arrived here, Dewey was certain the man would have ten thousand ways to prevent him from using Apparition.

Every transmigrator feared Dumbledore.

Many believed that if they ever met Dumbledore, they would need to use Occlumency immediately.

That was because he was a master of Legilimency.

But Dumbledore didn't use Legilimency on every student he encountered.

Most of the time, he remained a kindly, benevolent old man. The last time he had truly exerted himself was during his great duel against his former lover, Grindelwald.

Since then, he had rarely taken action, to the point that many had forgotten just how terrifying Dumbledore could be.

Dewey knew that Dumbledore's strength lay in the fact that he rarely needed to cast magic deliberately; he had woven magic into the very fabric of his daily life.

Stupefy, Alohomora, Apparition, Impedimenta—these spells had become instincts embedded within the White Wizard's body.

He cast spells as he pleased, wordlessly and effortlessly, with a mere flick of his hand.

Aside from Grindelwald and Voldemort, no one had ever seen his truly terrifying side.

"I must be going, Mrs. Petunia. This is the finest hospitality I've tasted in many years," Dewey said with a smile. "Your tea is truly sweet. And Dudley..."

He patted Dudley's round head. Dudley trembled, not daring to resist in the slightest.

He lectured Dudley.

"Bullying others is wrong. We must strive to be good people. Good people—do you understand what I mean? Enjoy life, and greet it with a smile."

After saying this with a smile, he used Apparition and vanished from the spot in an instant.

He had arrived silently and departed cleanly, without a hint of hesitation.

Sunlight spilled down, illuminating the table.

The dangerous fugitive was gone.

On the table, a Silver Sickle and a wand lay in silence.

He transformed into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared from the scene.

Dudley and Petunia huddled together, having no idea what had just transpired.

Had that man truly left?

No one knew.

Time ticked by, second by second. After nearly five minutes had passed, Dudley asked cautiously.

"Mom, is he gone?"

Petunia didn't know either. She summoned her courage, let go of her son, and ran to her husband's side to check his pulse.

"Thank heavens, he's still alive."

Petunia let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the floor.

Only now did she feel the terror.

Compared to his mother, the young lad Dudley possessed a much stronger ability to adapt. Having been around Harry Potter, he had long since developed a stout heart; after all, back when he visited the zoo as a child, the glass of the reptile house had suddenly vanished, allowing him an intimate exchange with a python.

A large man had once cast a hex on him, causing a pig's tail to sprout.

Last year, he had even watched Harry Potter board a flying car and depart from their home.

There were also the giant spiders that appeared in the house from time to time, though that could not be blamed on Harry.

That was the fault of his father, who disliked cleaning.

He did not seem particularly fearful or intimidated by these things that defied common sense. While Dewey was present, he had been terrified, but once Dewey departed, his eyes remained fixed intently on the wand and the coins upon the table.

"No, Dudley, don't touch those things."

Petunia looked at her son's expression and spoke instinctively.

Living up to expectations, Dudley did not heed his mother's words; he stood up and walked toward the table.

Closer, even closer, Dudley had eyes only for the items on the table.

His hand made contact with the wand, but just as he was about to pull back, his wrist was seized by a hand that had appeared out of nowhere.

A man with a white beard and pale blue eyes, dressed in wizarding robes, had arrived.

"Very well, child, it would be best if you did not touch that."

Dumbledore had appeared here quietly. He looked at Dudley, and Dudley turned his head to see the old man.

He was somewhat dazed.

As their gazes met, he felt that the man's eyes were soul-stirring and captivating; it seemed as though every thought he possessed was laid bare the moment this wizard glanced at him.

In the eyes of the wizard before him, he appeared to have no secrets at all.