“Hey! What time is it, why are you still lingering in your rooms? This meeting is critically important; it’s an opportunity our Rerel Gener Career Planning Center (reerelingener) has worked painstakingly to secure for you. The interviews start in precisely one hour. Five minutes—I swear by the name of my deceased father—I will wait a maximum of five more minutes! Anyone left after that can prepare to make their own way there—and naturally, not a single penny of your deposit will be refunded!”
Fang Senyan shrugged his shoulders, showing no outward change in demeanor:
“I am a man who values punctuality, sir. Unfortunately, not everyone shares my discipline.”
Although Fang Senyan’s reply was perfectly measured, his minimal Charisma score undoubtedly played a significant role here—a negative one, to be sure. The career manager did not soften his expression in the slightest and curtly told him to wait to the side. The other Contractors emerging from their rooms were certainly not deaf, having overheard the prior exchange, and they all hurried to assemble **.
Within two minutes, all ten Contractors on that floor had gathered **. Fang Senyan noticed that at least four of these ten individuals knew each other, exchanging significant glances and subtle signals while nodding in recognition. They were clearly members of the same team. The next step was descending via the elevator. Once all the Contractors had assembled in the hotel lobby, Fang Senyan observed there were nearly thirty of them present, visibly divided into two distinct groups: one smaller contingent and one noticeably larger one.
Just then, Fang Senyan felt someone approach and take a seat beside him. He turned his head and exclaimed, “Oh?”
“It’s you?”
The man beside him was covered in a thick, bushy beard, his expression conveying both sharpness and hard-won competence. It was the cold-blooded assassin Fang Senyan had encountered in the Terminator world. They had previously exchanged intelligence regarding Milestones and Titles, establishing a certain level of familiarity. At this moment, neither of them belonged to any of the established teams, making the idea of an alliance a natural conclusion.
Rerel Gener Career Planning Center (reerelingener) had three career managers present. These three appeared to be ordinary people, though all seemed to possess a distinct lack of patience. After waiting a few more minutes, a brand-new bus pulled up outside the hotel. All the Contractors boarded obediently, and the vehicle started moving. ///.iuyd/.//m first release
As the bus pulled away, a clear announcement resonated in the ears of every Contractor:
“Time: August 26, 2000, 1:00 PM.”
“Location: London, Europe (Latitude 51°30′28″N, Longitude 00°07′41″W.)”
“Scenario: The Magical World of Harry Potter”
“Difficulty: Easy (D-Rank)”
“Pain Attenuation Level: 50%”
“Personal Ability Extra Enhancement Level: 0%.”
“Current Scenario Exploration Notes: This world is a Free Scenario: Contractors can only acquire relevant combat record information through direct point-to-point engagement (i.e., parties directly inflicting/receiving damage). When engaging in combat with other Contractors, if your Perception exceeds your opponent’s, you can exert Perceptual Suppression, preventing them from gaining detailed combat records.”
“This is a Free Scenario: Killing another Contractor has a 33% chance of yielding certain benefits (applicable only when a Contractor kills another Contractor). If Contractors attack each other, all damage will be reduced by 40%. (A prominent warning color overlays the words ‘Free Scenario’). Effects causing temporary sensory or physical impairment (such as blindness/deafness/disability) resulting from Contractor-on-Contractor attacks will be reduced to 50% effectiveness. (For example, if a monster cripples a leg, reducing movement speed by 70%, an attack from a Contractor crippling that same leg will only reduce it by 35%.)”
“Note: When attacked by a Contractor, if any single attack would result in a fatal effect (Health Points reduced to zero), you will not die immediately but will enter a Severely Wounded state. In this state, you retain only 10% of your Health Points, movement speed is reduced by 80%, all attack power is reduced by 80%, and all attributes are reduced by 50%. Certain team-specific abilities can only be activated while in the Severely Wounded state. If Health Points drop to zero while Severely Wounded, death is permanent.”
“Warning: Participation in the killing of any Contractor will increase your Slaughter Value by 10 points. Possessing a Slaughter Value increases your chance of dropping a Blood Key and makes you a target for hunting.”
“Contractors without a Slaughter Value may attack/kill Contractors who possess one without incurring any Slaughter Value themselves.”
“Completing any Main Quest: Eliminates 1 point of Slaughter Value.”
“Experiencing any World: Eliminates 10 points of Slaughter Value.”
“Contractors who have acquired Slaughter Value cannot conceal it; it is visible to all Contractors.”
“Slaughter Value will affect the perceptions of certain Non-Player Characters.”
“You will automatically master the relevant languages and can interact fluently with the inhabitants of this world. This knowledge will fade upon leaving this world.”
“Number of accepted Quests: 1”
“Your appearance/identity has been modified and will automatically revert upon returning to the real world. You may also adjust appearance settings within the Nightmare Space. If you have questions, you may silently prompt the Nightmare Mark to inquire; if your clearance level permits, you will receive an answer.”
Upon receiving the world information notifications, all Contractors exchanged glances, recognizing the palpable threat reflected in the eyes of the others. Undeniably, this threat stemmed directly from the line: “This is a Free Scenario; killing other Contractors has a 33% chance of yielding certain benefits!”
The bus drove through the streets of London, stopping shortly outside a pub. From the exterior, the establishment looked profoundly ancient. The hyacinth lanterns hanging beneath the eaves, the stone walls, and the wooden sign swinging above the entrance all evoked a sense of temporal regression, as if returning directly to the eighteenth century. Despite its archaic facade, the pub possessed an untainted cleanliness, much like the bare, pristine rock face of a high mountain. The sign above the door clearly read: “The Leaky Cauldron (Leaky Cauldron).”
The group disembarked in single file. The three managers proceeded into the pub. To conduct interviews in an ancient tavern was utterly bizarre. However, the assembled Contractors were all elites from their respective real-world lives and remained outwardly composed.
The pub appeared small from the outside, its business area seemingly less than twenty square meters, yet upon entering, one realized the interior space was extraordinarily vast. The heavy oak tables bore no discernible age. Even though it was daytime, white candles burned brightly in pewter-cased wooden candelabras. The walls beside them were ragged and time-worn, revealing patches of red brick in places, and the beams and pillars showed visible signs of woodworm infestation. Behind the bartender, the decorations consisted of countless scattered empty bottles, and the window lattices were styled in the manner of the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries.
The three managers walked toward the west side of the pub, where a man sat rigidly upright, cloaked entirely in black. His hair was somewhat greasy, reaching his shoulders, and his nose possessed the distinct aquiline curve characteristic of Corsican features. The man’s gaze was cold and aloof, as if the entirety of existence were beneath the notice of his vacant eyes.
One manager stepped forward and stated:
“Mr. Snape, these are the latest batch of volunteer applicants.”
The man nodded, but a chill of deep dread rippled through every Contractor present. Most had instantly recognized the man’s true identity. Because of this recognition, they felt an overwhelming sense of suppression under the weight of absolute power. Fang Senyan felt an impulse to use ‘Insight,’ but after carefully considering the potentially severe repercussions, he suppressed the urge.
Snape raised his head, and his emotionless gaze slowly swept across the faces of all the assembled Contractors. Simultaneously, the Nightmare Mark issued a prompt:
“Main Quest: Interview Complete”
“You have gained 1 Merit Point.”
“You have acquired the Main Quest: Credentials.”
“Hogwarts is unequivocally the most famous magical academy in this world. Subsequent Main Quests will take place around Hogwarts. You have a full forty-eight hours to obtain an item of recognition—a credential required for entry and exit from Hogwarts.”
“Quest Hint: Failure to complete this series of Main Quests will result in a deduction of 5000 Universal Points, though your stay in this world will be extended by one week. If you fail to remit the deducted 5000 Universal Points by that time, you will be erased.”
Snape regarded the Contractors for a long moment before finally speaking in a calm, measured tone:
“Among you, does anyone frequently encounter strange phenomena in their daily lives?”
After a pause, several Contractors exchanged glances, and one finally ventured tentatively:
“Sir, small objects around me occasionally float without reason.”
“Oh?” Snape picked up a spoon from nearby, holding it vertically between his fingers, and stated flatly: “Sit in front of me. Look at this spoon, and in your mind, concentrate on bending it. But you must only think it; do not assist with your hands.”
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