Extraordinary Trait: Butcher Instinct

Ever since he was personally invited by Dumbledore to study magic at Hogwarts, the half-month wait had felt exceptionally agonizing.

However, after he had set out to catch a glimpse of the Leaky Cauldron in advance and encountered a mysterious figure in a black robe, he had abandoned such thoughts and remained shut away in the orphanage.

Ian shivered slightly at the thought of the darkness that might exist in the magical world.

He possessed the soul of an adult.

But a college student... how could he possibly handle that kind of situation?

One could only say he had learned his lesson.

[Latin successful, language proficiency +1]

[Latin successful, language proficiency +1]

[Romanian successful, language proficiency +1]

At his desk, Ian flipped through the books spread out before him. He frowned in thought from time to time, repeatedly transcribing words into his notebook before whispering them aloud.

Self-study always required strong self-discipline.

This was something that even having an attribute panel could not change.

Every increase in proficiency meant that Ian himself had actually learned something; every increase could be seen as a small epiphany.

But the prerequisite for such an epiphany was still the need to study diligently.

Of course.

When leveling up, one did indeed feel a sense of "comprehension" similar to a great epiphany.

Ian was studying.

And just then.

Knock, knock, knock.

A knocking sound came from outside the door. Ian's rhythm was interrupted, and he turned to look at the door, responding, "Come in."

Click.

The door was pushed open. The person knocking was Catherine. She leaned against the doorframe, her eyes sparkling with a bright luster.

"Ian, do you want a chicken leg? The cook said there are extra chicken legs tonight!"

She held the chicken leg in her hand, offering it to him as if presenting a treasure.

At Catherine's feet, a white shorthaired cat darted in. With an agile movement, it leaped onto the desk and crouched down.

Catherine was startled and stumbled back, but after seeing the cat clearly, she stood her ground.

"Gilly! You annoying brat!"

Ian swatted the cat's bottom, picked up the crouching cat from the desk, and comforted Catherine, "Alright, Catherine, I've already disciplined him."

Catherine nodded aggrievedly, still looking at the cat with some lingering annoyance.

Ian smiled to comfort her.

"Gilly didn't mean it, Catherine. Relax."

"Alright, Ian."

A child's temper always comes and goes quickly.

Catherine finally couldn't help but ask curiously, "Ian, when can we go to the magic school?"

Ian smiled at the little girl.

Indeed.

No one could resist the temptation of magic, but he still had to remind Catherine.

"Catherine, we have an agreement. Remember to keep it a secret."

Catherine immediately covered her mouth. "Ian, I..."

Ian smiled and said, "Of course, it's fine to tell only me, but to go and learn magic, you might still need to wait a few years given your age."

"Mm-hmm, I'll definitely eat more and grow up quickly. Ian, let's go find Norn and the others to play!"

Facing the little girl's expectant gaze, Ian shook his head with a chuckle and turned to look at the language books on his desk.

Originally, he had wanted to raise his language skills to level 5 to comprehend an extraordinary trait.

But now, having been interrupted by Catherine, he no longer had the mood to study; forcing himself to continue would likely result in low efficiency.

He took a look at his attribute panel.

Name: Ian Prince

Class: Bloodline Warlock

Magic: Level 4

Skills: Language Mastery (Level 4): 500/800

Biological Anatomy (Level 5): 64/1600

Freestyle Combat (Level 3): 85/400

Psychology (Level 6): 42/3200

[Psychology Extraordinary Trait: Thought Perception]

[Biological Anatomy Extraordinary Trait: Butcher Instinct]

After several days of frantic study, Language Mastery had reached Level 4, and it would hit Level 5 with only three hundred more points of proficiency.

As for the other areas.

Because he hadn't gone out to perform any fortune-telling these past few days, his Psychology hadn't increased. The same went for Biological Anatomy, which was precisely why his language skills had improved so rapidly.

After all, a person's time is limited.

"Let's go."

Ian set the kitten in his hands down.

The white cat immediately darted out of the room with agility, and Ian left the room as well, accompanied by Catherine.

Once they reached the courtyard, the children were playing soccer. Upon seeing Ian, the little ones were overjoyed—often, Ian, who wasn't much older than them, took on a role akin to a guardian. He wasn't overly strict, yet he provided these children with a great deal of care.

"Hey! Ian, come join our team!"

"No way, Ian finally came out to play, he should be on our team so we can win!"

He hadn't expected to nearly cause a fight among the children.

Ian smiled helplessly. "Alright, alright, let me be the goalkeeper!"

With only a few days left before he would leave the orphanage to attend Hogwarts, Ian felt an indescribable reluctance to part with the people and things here.

At night, the stars were sparse in the dark sky.

After finishing his wash, Ian lay in bed. Although today had been very fulfilling, he still harbored a persistent longing for the thing he had been craving all along.

When will I finally be able to practice magic skills?

Soon.

Drowsiness washed over him.

He drifted into a sweet, dark slumber.

The clear sky was like a freshly polished sapphire, crystal clear and translucent. Fluffy white clouds, like carefully sculpted cotton candy, floated leisurely in the air. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, casting mottled light and shadows like sprites at play, adding a touch of vibrancy to this tranquil scene.

He had entered it again, Limbo!

Ian spread his arms and took a deep breath, enjoying the serenity of this world.

Beneath this picturesque sky, he saw a fairytale-like forest stretching out before him.

The trees were lush, their green leaves rustling in the breeze as if whispering ancient secrets. Small animals darted between them, while butterflies and bees danced among the flowers. A winding stone path led deep into the forest, ending in a patch of darkness.

This time, he did not see Ariana.

Ian had already grown accustomed to this; after all, there had always been a significant disparity in the passage of time between the two worlds.

Only seven minutes had passed in the real world, but in Limbo, it felt as though half a day had gone by.

Every time he entered Limbo, several days would pass within the illusion, sometimes even with a discrepancy of several months. There was no accurate standard for this flow of time.

To be fair, the fact that he had happened to run into Ariana last time was truly a coincidence.

Ian stepped onto the grass and headed toward the path. Strange animals in the forest would occasionally dart out from the bushes, cast a curious glance at him, and then vanish. Ian continued along the winding path, the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves and falling in dappled spots upon the ground.

He didn't know how long he had walked.

He arrived at a small town hidden in a valley.

Though the town was small, its facilities were relatively complete; an old post office stood quietly, the sign of a pub swayed gently in the breeze, and the church spire pierced the sky, solemn and grave.

Everything was quite ordinary, except that the seemingly harmonious town lacked the breath of life. All the shops had their doors tightly shut, and they were completely empty inside.

It was like one of those eerie towns in horror movies, only lacking that sinister, chilling atmosphere.

"A town of the dead."

The scene of this town couldn't help but remind Ian of what Ariana had once said: there used to be people here, but they had gradually left. Perhaps these souls had simply forgotten their obsessions in Limbo, or had fulfilled them, and thus moved on to the next, more mysterious adventure.

"A place without human presence really does have a palpable sense of desolation." Soon, Ian crossed the deserted street and arrived at the small cottage where Ariana lived.

"Hm? Where is she?"

The cottage door was tightly shut. Ian walked up and peered through the equally closed window. It was very quiet inside, just like the shops, without a sound or movement.

Ian felt a bit strange.

Over the past few years.

Ariana had never left the vicinity of this town.

This was the first time Ian had been unable to find Ariana.

He had still wanted to ask her what the mark she gave him last time meant! Could this sudden disappearance be related to the gift she had bestowed upon him?

Anxiety began to stir in Ian's heart.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out behind him, shattering the silence of the street. It was an elegant, somewhat cold voice—the rich, commanding tone of a mature woman.

"Oh, heartbroken little boy, are you waiting for that poor little girl?"

Startled by the voice, Ian turned around in a hurry.

A woman stood right before him. Her eyes were like deep black gemstones, the corners slightly upturned, with thick lashes like fans shading her beautifully arched eyes.

She was an elegantly poised, stunningly beautiful... young matron? The woman wore a full-length black robe trimmed with gold thread, exuding a cold and solemn aura.

Yet, such a magnificent appearance and attire looked completely out of place in this simple, humble town.