[Due to this being the host's first encounter with a "Magical Loan," the lowest possible interest rate will be applied.]
[Task updating…]
[Loan Task: Master Transfiguration Perfectly]
Seeing the new task details, Lucien let out a sigh of relief. This, at least, seemed achievable.
"System, what's the standard for 'mastering perfectly'?" he asked.
[Learn and master all existing Transfiguration knowledge, apply it proficiently, and develop a new direction for the field.]
Lucien fell into deep thought as the System's explanation sank in. Master all the knowledge and use it with ease? That was tough enough. But the real challenge was innovating—pushing the boundaries of Transfiguration.
Transfiguration was a cornerstone of magic, and truly mastering it would demand an immense amount of time and effort. A year, maybe more…
Lucien's eyes gleamed with determination. This loan task wasn't impossible. Why? Because Loki's greatest magical talent was Transfiguration—rated at an extraordinary SSS level!
The System ranked magical talent from E to SSS, with S already marking a prodigy capable of leaving a lasting mark on history. But SSS? That was the realm of gods.
With the reward of this talent pre-granted, Lucien would be unmatched in learning Transfiguration.
[Do you accept the 'Loki's Faceless' loan?]
"Accept," Lucien said without hesitation. If he failed the task, the System would only reclaim the reward—nothing he couldn't handle.
He was already set on studying all kinds of magic. Having Loki's talent would give him a massive edge.
Suddenly, a half-real, half-illusory mask appeared before him. It shimmered in black and green, its eye sockets and mouth shifting positions endlessly. The mask's shape morphed constantly—one moment human, the next beastly.
[Evaluation: A fixed form is the limitation of mortals. For Loki, change is the only truth.]
Lucien barely had time to look up before Loki's Faceless fused with his face. The mask melted into a black-green liquid, seeping over his nose, mouth, and hair, enveloping his entire head.
Yet, he didn't feel suffocated. Instead, invisible waves of energy pulsed from within him, rippling through the bedroom.
After a few minutes of eerie silence—
Buzz buzz—
Gurgle gurgle—
The room came alive. The bed, desk, and teacups trembled. Wooden objects turned to steel or stone, while others sprouted feathers or scales. The room was a chaotic swirl of transformation.
---
Downstairs in the drawing room, Madam Penelope sipped her afternoon tea, flipping through a book. "Lucien's got me hooked," she muttered with a smile. "Can't go a day without reading now."
A tabby cat padded elegantly toward her. Assuming it was a stray that had wandered in, Penelope was about to call for a servant to shoo it away when the cat's form shimmered.
In a blink, it transformed into a woman in a deep green robe, wearing square spectacles. "Good afternoon. I'm Minerva McGonagall, a professor at Hogwarts."
Penelope's lips parted, her hand frozen mid-air with a pastry. Did a cat just turn into a woman?
But the word "Hogwarts" snapped her back to reality. She quickly composed herself. "Good afternoon, Professor McGonagall. I'm Penelope Grafton, Lucien's aunt. He's upstairs—"
Before she could finish, McGonagall's eyes narrowed. She sensed a powerful magical disturbance from above. "Excuse me," she said curtly, heading for the stairs without further explanation.
Penelope, sensing something amiss with Lucien, hurried after her.
McGonagall didn't need directions. She zeroed in on the source of the magical anomaly—Lucien's room. The wooden door was now coated in patches of iron-black metal, gray-white stone, and yellow sand.
She twisted the handle, but it wouldn't budge. "A Transfiguration charm?" she murmured, drawing her wand. "Finite Incantatem."
The metal and stone faded, revealing the original wooden door. McGonagall pushed it open, and both she and Penelope gasped.
The once-tidy room was unrecognizable. The soft quilt had turned into a pile of grass and flowers. Table and chair legs had sprouted fur and were scampering about. Books flapped through the air like birds. In the corners, unstable creatures resembling wolves or snakes flickered between forms, their original shapes impossible to discern.
The moment the door opened, every animated object turned its eyes toward the two women. McGonagall's wand moved swiftly, casting Finite Incantatem with precision. Living or not, every transformed object reverted to its original state, leaving furniture scattered across the floor as if the chaos had been a dream.
In the center of the room, Lucien floated, eyes closed, the black-green mask gone. Seeing him unharmed, McGonagall exhaled in relief.
By all accounts, young witches and wizards who received their Hogwarts letters should have already experienced their first magical outburst—a moment when their powers awakened, often hinting at their strengths and talents. But Lucien…
McGonagall couldn't fathom why he was having such an intense outburst now. One thing was clear, though: his talent for Transfiguration was extraordinary.
As a master of Transfiguration and a decades-long professor at Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall recognized something special in Lucien. Unconsciously, he had transformed objects into living creatures and shifted them between species—feats most students couldn't master after years of study.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, like a jeweler spotting an unpolished gem already glowing with promise. "Such talent…"
Under their gaze, Lucien slowly descended to the floor. His dark blonde hair was slightly mussed, and when he opened his eyes, a hint of green now shimmered in his once-dark irises, turning them a deep emerald.
He glanced at the doorway, meeting the kind, expectant gaze of the older woman who, moments ago, had been a cat.
"Hello, Lucien," McGonagall said warmly.