Beginning the First Journey Through Worlds

This strange virtual panel had appeared without explanation on the very first day he was reborn into this world.

And only he could see it.

After years of research and studying the panel's descriptions, he had more or less figured out its purpose.

First, as long as he did good deeds, the panel would accumulate Little Red Stars for him. Once he amassed five thousand Little Red Stars, he could exchange them for a special Wizard Bloodline and be sent to a parallel world to study magic.

According to the panel, while he was studying magic in a parallel world, time in his own main world would be completely frozen.

Over the years, Jerry had worked hard to do whatever good deeds he could—helping elderly women cross the street, taking out the trash for neighbors with mobility issues, beating up classmates who liked bullying others, voluntarily doing housework, and so on.

And with the soul of an adult, he naturally ranked among the top students at school.

Thus, in the eyes of his relatives, neighbors, and teachers, he was an exemplary good child—the kind of child everyone called someone else's child.

He had also discovered that although the panel rewarded good deeds with Little Red Stars, it did not punish him for doing bad things.

For instance, stealing things or snatching lollipops from younger children would not cause the panel to deduct any of his Little Red Stars.

"6000."

Looking at the number of Little Red Stars he had accumulated on the panel, Jerry took a deep breath and tapped the exchange button beside it.

In fact, he had already accumulated enough Little Red Stars half a year ago to exchange for a Wizard Bloodline and enter a parallel Small World.

But he had kept hesitating over whether to make the exchange.

The panel stated that if he died in a parallel world, he would also die in the main world. If he was injured in a parallel world, his body would return injured as well.

The family he was in now was not wealthy, but they were reasonably well-off.

Besides, this was his second life. If he studied hard, his future standard of living should not be too bad. Did he really need to risk his life in an unknown wizarding world?

Compared with thrilling adventures, Jerry actually preferred a peaceful, stable life.

In his previous life, his dream had been to own a car and a home, have a gentle and caring wife, come home from work to a hot meal, and take his wife and children traveling during holidays. He did not seek great wealth or fame, nor did he want to become an official. He only wanted peace and safety, and a happy family.

Unfortunately, for a child from the countryside, those things were not easy to attain. Even when he died unexpectedly in his previous life, he had not saved enough for a down payment.

But now, he had confirmed that the world he was in was the dangerous Marvel world.

And the roar of submachine guns nearby made him realize that if he did not gain some power of his own, he and his family in this life would truly be unsafe.

Jerry liked a peaceful life, but that did not mean he lacked courage.

"Confirm exchange for Wizard Bloodline. Beginning implantation."

"Implantation successful. Beginning selection of parallel Small World."

"Successfully selected the parallel Small World 'Harry Potter.' Beginning identity implantation."

"Identity implantation successful. Beginning entry."

"Your first experience period in the Small World will last one month. If you wish to continue afterward, please exchange Little Red Stars for additional time!"

As line after line appeared on the panel, Jerry found that the world around him seemed to freeze in an instant. Then his vision went black, and he gradually lost consciousness.

August 1st, 1991.

Inside an orphanage in Winton Town, Surrey, London, a brown-haired little boy slowly sat up from his bed.

"I didn't expect it to be the world of Harry Potter. Good thing I've watched all the movies in this series!"

The little boy rubbed his still-dizzy temples and let out a long sigh of relief.

He had originally thought he would be sent to an unfamiliar magical world. He had not expected it to be the world of Harry Potter, and Jerry could not help feeling a little delighted.

Although the passage of time had blurred many of the details in his memory, he still remembered the general direction of the plot.

In this world, as long as he stayed away from the three reckless troublemakers, he would be quite safe at least until Voldemort was resurrected.

And Voldemort's resurrection should still be four or five years away from now.

Once his head no longer felt so dizzy, Jerry began sorting through the information about the identity that had been implanted into his mind.

In this world, he was also called Jerry Carmen, but he had no family. He was an orphan at a place called Edward Orphanage.

The rest was merely a brief introduction to the orphanage staff and some of the other orphans. There was nothing else.

"Let's get familiar with the surroundings first!"

After putting on his shoes and clothes, Jerry was about to push open the door and leave the room when a series of ding-ding taps sounded against the windowpane.

Turning his head, he saw a gray Long Ear owl carrying a letter in its beak, using its claws to tap on the tightly shut window.

"Could it have arrived so soon?"

Jerry hurried to the window, opened it, and let the owl inside.

The owl flew into the room, placed the envelope on the table, then hooted at Jerry as though asking for something to eat.

Jerry looked around, then rummaged through his pockets. He shrugged at the owl with an awkward yet polite smile.

Seeing this, the owl hooted at Jerry again, as if saying, "What bad luck," then spread its wings and flew out the window.

"This..."

He had not expected to be looked down on by an owl on his first day here.

Shaking his head helplessly, Jerry stepped forward and picked up the letter lying on the table.

The envelope was not made from ordinary paper, but from rather old-fashioned parchment. Several lines were written across the front in a strange emerald-green ink:

Recipient: Jerry Carmen

Address: Mr. Jerry Carmen, second floor, Edward Orphanage, Winton Town, Surrey.

Turning it over, he saw a familiar wax seal.

The wax seal bore a design with a large letter "H" in the center, surrounded by a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake.

Opening the envelope, he found two sheets of parchment inside. One listed all the books, necessities, and precautions required for Hogwarts first-year students.

The other was a more formal Hogwarts acceptance letter:

"Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Magic: Albus Dumbledore

(Chairman of the International Confederation of Wizards, First Class Grand Sorcerer of the Order of Merlin, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot)

Dear Mr. Jerry Carmen:

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Magic. Enclosed is a list of required books and equipment.

The term begins on September 1st. I will personally visit Edward Orphanage at nine o'clock tomorrow morning and collect your reply.

Deputy Headmistress

Minerva McGonagall"

After putting away the Hogwarts acceptance letter, Jerry murmured to himself:

"That works out. The sooner I start, the sooner I can go to Diagon Alley to buy magic books and learn magic. That way, when I return in a month, I might be able to deal with those armed robbers!"