Evelyn walked out of Transfiguration class looking so calm it was kind of scary. She totally tuned out Malfoy's dumb comments and the whispers from the Ravenclaws. It was all just background noise, like NPCs in a game. All she could think about was that one, epic fail. The ten points, everyone laughing? Whatever. That didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was the info she'd just gotten: her gear was total garbage.
She skipped lunch. Instead, she zipped through the crowded halls like a ghost on a mission. She took a few shortcuts she knew from the game, ducking behind a tapestry of some goofy guy trying to teach trolls how to dance. She found exactly what she was looking for—an old, abandoned classroom on the fourth floor. It was super dusty, with rows of beat-up old desks. It smelled faintly of chalk and old memories. Perfect.
She slid the door shut, the click echoing in the empty room. Finally, she was alone.
Closing her eyes, she shut out the dusty room and focused, pulling up that familiar menu in her head. The see-through screens popped up in her vision, way clearer than any monitor she'd ever had. She skipped right past her stats—she already knew they were maxed—and went straight to the 'Equipment' tab. The screen that popped up was so bad it was almost funny.
[CHARACTER: Evelyn] [EQUIPMENT LOADOUT]
MAIN HAND: Standard-Issue Willow Wand (11-inch, Unicorn Hair Core)
Quality: Common
Durability: 98/100
Magic Power: 5/100 (Yikes!)
Precision: 12/100
Attribute Bonus: +1 to Charms (Beginner Tier)
Description: A safe wand for kids. Basically, you can't use this for any of the cool spells.
Evelyn just stared. A 'Common' item. A starter weapon! The Magic Power stat was the most important one for a magic-user, and hers was a five. A five! No wonder the spell blew up in her face. She was trying to send a 100-point command through a 5-point wand.
She swiped to the next item.
CHEST (ROBES): Standard Hogwarts Robes
Quality: Common
Armor Value: 0
Magic Resistance: 0
Elemental Resistance: 0
Special Properties: None.
Description: Your boring old school uniform. Won't protect you from a slight breeze.
A big fat zero on everything. These robes were just for looks! In any RPG, walking around with no armor is just asking for trouble. I was a glass cannon, and my cannon was busted.
CRAFTING STATION (CAULDRON): Standard Pewter Cauldron (Size 2)
Quality: Common
Heat Distribution: Poor
Material Integrity: Low
Potion Success Rate (Complex): -20%
Description: A basic cauldron for easy stuff.
It had a debuff! A penalty! Her main crafting station made it harder to succeed. It was a miracle her potions in Snape's class had turned out okay. Her skills were maxed, sure, but for the really awesome stuff, this piece of junk would totally screw things up.
She didn't even bother checking the rest of her stuff. The problem was clear. She was a god-tier player stuck with the default starting gear. It was like the game spawned her in at level 100 but only gave her the level 1 starter pack.
So, is this the catch? she thought. The game's way of balancing things? They give you maxed-out stats, but you have to build all your best gear from the ground up?
A slow smile spread across her face. This wasn't a punishment. This was a challenge. A grind. And man, if there was one thing Evelyn knew how to do, it was grind.
This was the real game! Not the classes, not the house points, not even Voldemort. The real game was leveling up her gear. It was the best part of any RPG: find what you need, get the stuff, build the upgrade, and do it all over again.
With a happy sigh, she looked at her Quest Log. The main quest was still the one she got after the Sorting.
[Main Quest: The First Year] - Survive and thrive at Hogwarts.
Super vague. Totally unhelpful. She focused her will on the menu itself. She was the player here, and she made her own goals.
The text flickered. A new line of shiny, golden writing appeared right at the top, glowing like it was the most important thing in the world.
[PRIMARY QUEST: The Grind for Gear] - Objective: Replace all standard-issue equipment with master-crafted or self-enchanted items. - Priority: CRITICAL.
There it was. Her real main quest. A calm, focused energy washed over her. It felt just like starting a new game. The anger from Transfiguration class was gone, replaced by pure determination.
She knew exactly what to do next. Every good grind starts with research. She needed to figure out what stuff she needed for Legendary-tier items, and where in the world she was going to find it.
There was only one place to start.
Evelyn pushed open the classroom door and walked out, her steps steady and sure. She was heading to the library. But she wasn't going to the normal part. Oh no. She was headed for a very specific, and very dangerous, section.