At the thought, Tom glanced sideways at Dumbledore, his eyes tinged with a pity he couldn't quite explain. The old man looked polished and impressive, but behind closed doors, he was as lonely as a stray dog with no home. He didn't even have anyone to confide in. It was both pitiful and ridiculous.
The two of them said little for the rest of the trip, and Dumbledore finally dropped Tom off at the entrance to Wool's Orphanage.
"I look forward to seeing you again, Mr. Riddle." Dumbledore waved his wand, wearing a gentle smile. With his hands in his pockets, Tom lifted his chin. "Likewise, Professor."
But inwardly, he grumbled, I hope we don't see each other too often. Having you watch me every day makes it hard to slack off. Life isn't any fun that way.
After watching Dumbledore disappear completely into the thick fog at the end of the street, Tom turned and went inside. Arman had already prepared a simple dinner and was getting ready to leave for the day.
In the dining room, Seth was wolfing down food with three boys who had only recently arrived. As soon as he saw Tom come in, Seth set down his cutlery and eagerly pushed over a full plate piled with a big steak and creamy mashed potatoes, sprinkled with a little chopped parsley.
The three new troublemakers saw Tom and reacted like mice spotting a cat. They quickly finished eating, cleared away their dishes, and scurried back to their room. Soon, only the two of them were left in the dining room.
"Boss, are you really going to that white-bearded old man's school?" Seth leaned closer, curiosity and resentment in his eyes. "I've never even heard of it. You're top of the whole school in both academics and fighting. You could easily get into Harrow or Eton, so why go to some dump like that?"
Tom took a big bite of steak and retorted through a mouthful, "Cut the crap. It's none of your business. Remember, if your grades slip while I'm gone, I'll deal with you when I come back for the holidays."
Seth shrank back and didn't dare argue, but inwardly he felt indignant on Tom's behalf. That lousy school must have such expensive tuition that Boss had no choice. How infuriating.
Tom had no time to guess what his underling was thinking. His mind was full of Dumbledore's warnings: he couldn't tell Muggles about the Wizarding World or let magical objects find their way into the Muggle world.
He was just a powerless newcomer, with no means of defying the rules. For now, he could only obey. After dinner, Tom cleared away the dishes.
Back in his cramped bedroom, he shut the door and immediately perked up. He silently recited, "Open system panel." A pale blue screen appeared out of thin air, and Tom leaned in to study the long-awaited system.
The Strongest Learning System was, in short, a tool to help him become a top student. Boring as hell. Tom curled his lip and grumbled inwardly, Other people's systems can destroy the world or make them richer than kings. All I can do is study obediently. I can't even take it easy. I must have had the worst luck in the world.
Despite his complaints, he patiently read on. The system's core mechanic was simple: any activity related to learning that yielded practical results—whether reading books, practicing spells, or studying Magical Theory—earned him a corresponding number of credits.
Credits had only two main uses. The first was to hire private tutors. The first hour of each day was free; every additional hour cost six credits in tuition.
The second was entering Transcendental State, which greatly improved his learning efficiency and speed of thought, producing an effect somewhat like a "minor epiphany." It cost one hundred credits for ten minutes, and extending it cost an additional ten credits per minute.
More important than credits were achievement points. He could earn them by completing achievements and tasks, but for now, they could only be used to choose teachers.
The points awarded varied wildly by rank: a B-rank ordinary wizard earned 1 point, an A-rank outstanding wizard 10, an S-rank King Realm wizard 100, an SS-rank Epoch wizard 1,000, and an SSS-rank Eternal Saint 5,000.
Tom knew the score: there was one King Realm wizard at the top of each thirty-year generation; one Epoch wizard—the strongest of the century—every hundred years, and old Dumbledore certainly qualified. Eternal Saints were rarer still. There had only been a handful in the history of the Wizarding World.
As he pondered, a "Beginner's Gift Pack" appeared in the center of the screen. Tom's eyes lit up, and he immediately opened it with a thought. A system notification rang out: [Congratulations, host! You have received 100 credits and one free summon of a private tutor (minimum level: King Realm wizard).]
Tom raised an eyebrow, wondering how the free teacher would be summoned. Are they really going to appear here? Curious, he claimed the reward.
Brilliant golden light instantly filled the room. Tom's head spun, and when he came to, he was standing in a mist-shrouded space.
It felt unbelievably real. He could clearly sense that his body was still lying on the bed. The system explained at once: [This is the Study Space. Time passes at the same rate as in the outside world. The energy spent studying here won't affect you in reality, and you can conjure teaching aids and books.]
Tom narrowed his eyes. So I can study here all night and still feel refreshed in the morning? But entering costs credits. These 100 credits probably won't last long. Looks like I'll have to earn them properly.
After familiarizing himself with the rules, Tom looked around for his teacher and muttered, "Just a King Realm wizard. I hope he's not some worthless nobody, or this will be a huge loss."
Just then, hearty, uninhibited laughter rang out from the mist, making it ripple. "Hahahahaha! How interesting!"
The mist in front of Tom instantly cleared away by more than half, doubling his field of vision. In the distance, a tall, straight figure strode toward him through the haze, each step steady and powerful, making the ground seem to tremble faintly beneath him.
Soon, the man broke through the last veil of mist and stopped firmly in front of Tom.
He wore a white, one-shouldered robe in the style of ancient Athens, its thin fabric leaving much of his strong, well-defined muscles exposed. A laurel wreath, the symbol of honor, rested on his head. His sharply sculpted features and bright, piercing eyes made him look like a god stepped straight out of an ancient Greek statue.
He radiated a powerful masculine presence, his aura so imposing that it was hard to meet his eyes.
The man looked around the space with interest, then turned to Tom, his smile growing broader. "So you're the young wizard who summoned me? Your talent is astonishing. You managed to awaken my soul after all these years of slumber, and that contract is so binding... I'm jealous of your good fortune."
His envy was entirely undisguised, but Tom wasn't worried in the least. The system had already said that no one who entered the space could harm him, and that they would teach him everything they knew.
Besides, the man seemed as honest and bright as sunlight. Compared to him, old Dumbledore seemed downright cunning.
With his hands in his pockets, Tom lifted his chin and retorted, "Sir, shouldn't you introduce yourself before asking questions?"
The system loves being mysterious too. It doesn't even tell me who the teacher is. What a waste of time. The man paused, then burst out laughing and slapped his forehead. "Hahahaha! You're right. How rude of me." He stepped forward and held out his hand, smiling sincerely. "My name is Andros."
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