I Don't Want It, I Won't Accept It
Aberforth rubbed his hands together, a greedy glint in his eyes. "What's in it for me to help you?"
With a whoosh, Tom pulled out his Dragon Hide wallet and gave it a hard shake.
The bright yellow Galleon poured out, piling up into a small mountain on the bar, making Aberforth's eyes widen.
"A fully grown Runespoor, three hundred Galleon, I'll take it no matter how many."
Aberforth swallowed hard, clicking his tongue, and said, "You brat, you didn't just rob some Pure-blood families, did you?"
"No way," Tom waved his hand, looking smug. "In here is some pocket money from my mother-in-law, and some of my own little savings."
"Your mother-in-law?" Aberforth was stunned.
"The Greengrass Family," Tom replied smugly.
Aberforth was so angry he grimaced; this kid got all the good things!
"Alright, I've been thinking of leasing a ranch to raise goats recently, I'll take the job."
As he spoke, he reached out to push Galleon back, saying, "Take your money back right now, or I'm afraid I might just rob you."
Ariana covered her mouth and chuckled softly in the Study Space.
"Aberforth still loves goats so much; even his Patronus is shaped like a goat."
Tom waved his hand. "I'll leave it with you as an advance payment, so you don't change your mind."
Aberforth laughed and patted the bar, "Kid, aren't you afraid I'll take the money and then deny it?"
Tom laughed too, a sly look on his face. "I'd rather you deny it."
"Albus Dumbledore will definitely compensate me double in the end, so I'll still be the one who profits."
Aberforth shook his head helplessly, waved his wand, and sent all the Galleon upstairs.
"You're a guy, you've got guts and guts. Go back and wait for my message. IChat tool then."
Tom got up and walked towards the door. "Then I'll wait for your good news."
"Next time I come, I want to try your cooking. Newt Scamander said your silver cod chowder is amazing, he misses it."
"He still remembers?" Aberforth grinned. "Alright, next time don't come early; we only open after 3 PM."
Tom waved his hand and replied with a "Okay" without turning his head.
The two had just met and weren't yet at the point of having a casual chat.
Ariana understood that there would be many more opportunities to meet in the future, so she didn't insist that Tom stay any longer.
"Thank you, Tom," the little witch said earnestly as she stepped out of the Hog's Head Inn and into the Study Space.
[Ding-- Ariana's approval rating for the host exceeds 50%, randomly drawing a talent... Successful draw!]
[Congratulations, host, you have acquired the talent: Obscurus Resonance]
"I won't accept it! Absolutely not!"
As soon as the system notification sounded, Tom almost jumped up, yelling at the top of his lungs to stop, as if he had seen Dementor.
Obscurus? This isn't a reward; it's clearly an attempt to kill Tom Riddle!
Obscurus is a deformed, dark creature Transfiguration in magical power. The host must be called Obscurial.
The Obscurus only found an opportunity when medieval wizards were being hunted down by the Church and Muggle.
In Andros's time, wizards and Muggle lived in peace, and this thing didn't exist.
The worst part is that none of the Obscurial live long.
The Obscurus will relentlessly gnaw at the host's negative emotions and magic, eventually even consuming their life force.
Ordinary Obscurial don't live past ten years old, but those with better talent can last a few more years, like Ariana, who was still fine at fourteen.
If it weren't for the bad luck of being accidentally injured, I could have lived for decades more.
And then there's her little nephew, Aurelius Albus Dumbledore, who managed to hold on until his twenties before being completely drained.
Tom considered himself stronger than the two, but he wasn't foolish enough to put a "vampire" inside his body.
Perhaps sensing his resistance, the system displayed another line of text on the screen.
[Please rest assured, host, this reward has been optimized and will not cause you any harm.]
Tom's lips twitched. "Hey system, can you at least finish your sentence next time? You almost scared the wits out of me!"
The system, with its rigid and inflexible programming, could only silently take the blame and even secretly added Tom's reminder into the program.
Tom clicked on the details with some skepticism, and only breathed a sigh of relief after reading them:
[Obscurus (Pure Version): Her mind has been cleared, and she has become dark magic that can be completely controlled by the host. She is currently in the embryonic stage and needs to be nurtured with magic.]
Note: The host has been detected to possess Heart of Dark Magic; activating it will grant an amplification effect.
Well, there's no risk and it can be used as combat power, so it's not a loss.
Tom Apparition and darted to the mountain behind Hogsmeade. After confirming that no one was around, he gritted his teeth and accepted the reward.
Instantly, he could clearly feel the changes in the magical power within his body.
It's as if a tiny creature resides within the magic, timidly yet eagerly yearning for energy.
"Want some? Plenty!"
Tom opened his palm, and a black wisp the size of a glass bead floated out. As he continued to infuse it with magic, the wisp slowly expanded.
The rate at which it absorbs mana isn't exaggerated; it's about the same as constantly using regular spells to deplete mana.
After consuming nearly a third of its magic, the glass bead Obscurus grown to the size of a basketball when Tom quickly stopped.
Although the desire was still there, he didn't dare to steal the magic power Obscurus, which put his mind at ease.
The system was reliable this time, managing to suppress the Obscurus's instincts, so there's no need to worry about it going berserk in the future.
This isn't Fantastic Beasts; it's clearly a controllable and powerful talent!
Tom was increasingly pleased with what he saw; back then, Aurelius Obscurus destroyed half of Manhattan.
If you let his pure version of Obscurus grow wild, it could destroy New York without you even realizing it.
The best part is that the Silent One can cast Nonverbal Spellcasting Obscurus without a staff, and can be activated with just a thought. It's practically a godsend for slacking off and causing trouble.
"Go!"
Tom raised his hand and Obscurus ran straight towards the big tree next to him.
With a "crack," the tree trunk snapped in half, and then the entire tree was torn to shreds by the violent dark magic, leaving not even a trace.
It's no wonder Gellert Grindelwald kept his eyes on the Obscurial back then, given that they could possess such power so soon after being trained.
Once he's grown a bit bigger, and Obscurus covers his entire body, he can transform into a black wind, existing between tangible and intangible—it's absurd to even think about.
Tom withdrew his hand, Obscurus transformed into a wisp of black smoke and obediently returned to his body.
"I'll have to ask Gellert Grindelwald for some advice later," Tom thought to himself.
When he received the Obscurus just now, he deliberately turned off his Study Space.
I mustn't let Ariana see this, lest it stir up unpleasant memories from the past.
You can't ask Ariana, but surely you can ask Gellert Grindelwald?
Although Grindelwald wasn't Obscurial, he must have thoroughly researched how to use the Obscurus against Albus Dumbledore back then, so going to him is definitely the right thing to do.
As for what to do about Ariana's inner turmoil, Tom was racking his brains as he hurried back.