When Bilbo scurried back into the kitchen, Darian breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look seriously at the glowing message before him.
"Hogwarts Sign-in System? But what does this have to do with Middle-earth?Since it's the Hogwarts Sign-in System, shouldn't I have transmigrated into the Harry Potter world?How did I end up in Middle-earth instead?"
"Did I… transmigrate to the wrong world?"
Darian was completely confused and bewildered.
He tried asking the system what it did.
But the system gave no response. The glowing prompt simply floated in the air, silently urging him to make a decision.
With no reply coming, Darian hesitated, then said tentatively,"Sign in?"
The entry flickered. The previous text disappeared, and a new line appeared:
[Sign-in successful! Magic talent unlocked. Congratulations on becoming a Wizard!]
The next moment, Darian felt something open inside him—like a hidden door within his body. A rush of vigorous magical power erupted from deep within, spreading quickly to his limbs and bones.
"Poof!"
He vaguely heard something like an invisible barrier inside his body breaking apart.
The next instant, his magic burst outward.
Suddenly, Darian felt as light as air. His body floated upward effortlessly.
And with him, the tables, chairs, sofas, teapots, and nearly every item in the room rose into the air, suspended by invisible force!
"Oh, my goodness!"
A shocked voice came from the kitchen doorway.
Bilbo Baggins stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief, the plate in his hand falling to the ground with a crash.
Startled by Bilbo's movement, the floating objects trembled—then, as if losing power all at once, they dropped to the floor in a massive clatter.
The room was instantly a mess.
Darian blinked, recovering from the magical surge, and looked around at the chaos he'd caused, face full of guilt.
"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Baggins… I didn't mean to do that. It's all my fault."
Bilbo, still stunned, slowly began to process what he had just seen. His expression shifted into something like awe.
"Mr. Darian… you're actually a Wizard?!"
"This is amazing!"
"I didn't even expect it myself…" Darian muttered silently.
The next while was spent cleaning up the mess they had made.
Although Darian desperately wanted to restore everything with magic, he was now only a beginner Wizard—with magical power, but no idea how to control it.
So, he could only clean the room slowly, by hand.
Afterwards, Bilbo kindly prepared two more servings of food.
At the dining table, Bilbo said somewhat awkwardly,"Sorry, Mr. Darian. I wasn't prepared today… so this is all I have for now. I'll go into Hobbiton first thing tomorrow morning to buy some proper groceries—and then I'll cook the most sumptuous Hobbit dinner you've ever had!"
Seeing how Bilbo was being so cautious, Darian smiled gently and shook his head.
"Bilbo—may I call you that? You don't need to be so formal. You can just call me Darian. Honestly, I should be the one thanking you for taking me in. Why don't we treat each other like friends?"
Feeling Darian's sincerity, Bilbo relaxed completely. A warm smile spread across his face.
The kind Hobbit, with no complicated thoughts, was happy to accept the friendship.
He reached out his hand cheerfully.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Darian—my friend!"
Darian smiled brightly and shook it.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Bilbo—my friend!"
The atmosphere at Bag End turned friendly and cozy.
Darian asked Bilbo questions about the Shire and the lands beyond.
Though Bilbo had never left the Shire himself, he was an avid reader of adventure travelogues, so he shared everything he knew with great enthusiasm.
For example, from the Shire, there was an East-West Road heading eastward. It passed over Brandywine Bridge, through the Old Forest, across the Barrow-downs, and eventually reached the human town of Bree.
Beyond that lay the endless wilderness, leading straight to the Misty Mountains.
There was also a North-South Road leading south from Bree, which curved around the Misty Mountains and eventually reached the southern human kingdom of Gondor.
Bilbo also mentioned that the current year was Shire Reckoning 1340, which corresponded to the Third Age 2940 of Middle-earth.
That meant this was the year before Bilbo would set off with Thorin & Company.
Soon, this Hobbit would be swept into a legendary adventure.
If, before becoming a Wizard, Darian's only thought had been to lay low and survive quietly…
Now—with the Sign-in System—he began considering something bold:joining Thorin & Company.
After all, their journey would take them through numerous regions, including Elven lands. If he wanted to "sign in" at different key locations, this expedition might be the best opportunity he'd get.
That night, after bidding Bilbo goodnight, Darian lay in bed.
The bed was a bit short for someone his size, and the blanket barely covered his legs.
Fortunately, it was midsummer, so there was no real concern about the cold.
Moonlight streamed in through the round window, mingling softly with the flickering candlelight.
The sounds of chirping crickets and croaking frogs filled the night air, and Darian's restless heart gradually calmed.
Since he was already here…he might as well make the most of it.
He had unexpectedly arrived in a world both strange and familiar. Now, all he could do was get stronger—and live the best life he could.
With that thought, Darian cleared his mind, and soon, his consciousness faded into deep sleep.
The next morning,
Darian woke up early.
Hearing faint snoring from the next room, he quietly ducked and tiptoed into the round living room. He opened the round door and stepped out into the garden.
Welcoming the morning breeze and the scent of fresh flowers, he took a long breath.
These Hobbit homes were way too short. If he had to keep living hunched over like this, he'd end up with a stiff back—or worse, neck problems.
Bilbo's home, Bag End, was perched atop a small hill overlooking Hobbiton.
From here, Darian could see the entire town.
And what a beautiful view it was—like something out of a fairy tale. Rolling green grass, vibrant flowers everywhere, and even the trees and bushes were trimmed small, as if the entire land was shaped to match its tiny inhabitants.
Darian felt a deep sense of peace. For a moment, he even wanted to stay here forever.
But reality quickly returned to his thoughts.
Even though he was now a Wizard, he lacked a wand—an essential tool for spellcasting. And he hadn't actually learned any spells yet.
In other words, compared to ordinary people… he wasn't much stronger at all.
As a former Potterhead, he could rattle off spells like Wingardium Leviosa, Expelliarmus, Petrificus Totalus, even Avada Kedavra…
But spellcasting wasn't just about saying the words. It required theory, a wand, precise gestures, and mastering the spell's intention.
No matter how many times Darian chanted, nothing happened.
Still, he refused to give up.
He believed firmly that, even without a wand or magical training, his strong willpower could awaken results.
Hadn't Harry Potter, before even attending Hogwarts, accidentally made the glass at the zoo disappear—freeing a snake and trapping Dudley?
Even Neville Longbottom, once believed to be a Squib, had bounced like a ball across a yard when dropped from a window.
Those weren't conscious spellcasts—but they were real.
So, why not him?
Darian focused his gaze on a small stone in the garden.
He locked in on it with all his mental energy, willing it to float.
He tried.
And tried.
And tried harder—face turning red from effort.
But the stone remained stubbornly still.
Frustrated, he gave up on the stone and selected a smaller target: a leaf.
At first, it, too, refused to budge.
But after minutes of intense focus…
The leaf trembled slightly.
Then, with no wind at all, it lifted—slowly, shakily—into the air, hovering under an unseen force.