Harry stood under the dim streetlight in Greenwich, cloaked in shadows and the fading orange haze of dusk. With a flick of his wand upward,then he stepped back.
BANG!
A triple-decker purple blur slammed into existence with a screech, nearly toppling a post box. The night bus shimmered slightly with magic, its form subtly vibrating—like reality hadn't quite accepted it yet.
But the muggles across the street didn't bat an eye.
Harry turned to watch them.
Two teenagers scrolled on their phones. A couple waited for their cab. A man with a suitcase walked past without so much as a glance.
That's when Harry noticed it: the faint ripple of magic in the air.
Muggle-Repelling Charm – Active.
Target: Visual & Auditory Camouflage.
Status: Tier III Illusion Enchantment (Linked to Bus Core Magic)
Harry nodded to himself. Of course. How else could a triple-decker purple monstrosity appear with a thunderclap in the middle of London without attracting chaos?
When he climbed aboard, he expected the same driver and conductor as last time. But the ones greeting him were new.
The conductor wore long mustard-yellow robes and had a golden hoop in his nose. He grinned with two missing teeth.
"Where to, lad?"
"Grimsby," Harry replied.
The driver gave a sharp nod and floored it before Harry even finished blinking.
CRACK—WHOOSH!
The bus jolted forward, and Harry stumbled as it soared down a cobblestone alley that hadn't existed a moment before. Tables, streetlamps, and even buildings folded out of its way like paper puppets.
The conductor wobbled beside him, completely unaffected by the jerky motion.
"That'll be 16 Sickles, young sir."
Harry handed over the coins and made his way up the narrow, winding staircase to the third deck.
The top deck was chaos incarnate.
Beds—not bolted or chained—slid and banged around like drunken hippogriffs. Some were empty. Some held sleeping witches and wizards, gently snoring as if the bus wasn't defying physics.
Harry found one near the back and climbed on just as the bus lurched left, sending a stack of suitcases flying across the floor.
"3 hours to Grimsby," the conductor called up.
Harry nodded, gripping the brass railing of the bed, and lay down.
From this high up, through the tall glass windows, he could see towns and country sides whizzing past at impossible speeds. Floating chandelier drifted in the sky.
He opened his system tab and reviewed his gear, sorting potions and enchantments as the bed rolled gently from side to side.
[Travel Detected]
Knight Bus Activated – Safe Zone Buff Applied
MP Regeneration Boost (+15%)
Physical Fatigue Recovery (+25%)
Skill Cooldowns Accelerated (-10%)
Harry chuckled softly.
The Night Bus, for all its madness, had its perks.
He lay back and watched the stars outside, quietly preparing for what awaited him in West Ravendale—the serpent dungeon, the shadows of history, and the chance for another step forward on his path to power.
By the time the Night Bus screeched to a halt and disappeared into the shadows with a CRACK, Harry was standing alone under the fading light of the horizon. Grimsby's urban glow flickered in the distance, but out here, in the wind-brushed outskirts, there was only the sound of crickets, the faint rustle of distant leaves, and the weight of the coming night.
He stood still for a moment, clutching his trunk, his black cloak fluttering lightly in the breeze. He looked no different than any other orphan child wandering alone—except his eyes, always alert, always calculating.
"No point asking for a Muggle hotel," Harry muttered to himself.
He was still a child in the eyes of the world. Muggle suspicion was one thing, but he hated the idea of manipulating them with enchantments just for a bed and a hot meal. It might have been easy—just a whisper of Confundus or a minor charm—but Harry had rules. Strict rules when it came to those who had never wronged him.
So he turned from the road and headed into the grassy slopes to the west.
Harry walked until the lights of the town were distant flickers behind him and the stars above were untouched by the haze of civilization. Here, the ground dipped into a small hollow beside a half-frozen stream. Trees loomed overhead, ancient and gnarled, but not threatening.
He dropped his trunk, took out a plain brown tent—worn but sturdy, a gift from one of the werewolf builders at Zeus Hotel—and began setting it up.
He worked quietly, efficiently. A few flicks of his wand to stake the corners, a whispered "Impervius" to keep out the frost, and the tent stood strong.
"I'll get a wizarding tent after this quest," he said to himself as he examined his handiwork. "This one creaks like a ghoul."
Then, Harry pulled out a small wardstone and began whispering in Latin and activated the magical wards.
"Gringott's Defensive Ward – Perimeter Silence & Intrusion Lock."
Glowing runes traced in the air, forming a ring of invisible protection around the tent. Only a medium-ranking cursebreaker or some very angry magical creatures could breach it now.
[Safe Camp Created]
All Status Effects Recover 50% Faster
Passive Mana Regeneration (While Sleeping): +30%
Stealth Rating Increased (While Ward Active)
Inside the tent, Harry changed into his sleeping robes, laid his wand beside him, and stared up at the canvas ceiling. Outside, the wild whispered. The wind carried stories from long-forgotten dungeons. In the distant woods, something large moved—but the wards held strong.
"Tomorrow, West Ravendale," he whispered, eyes narrowing.
"Snakes. Magic. Dungeon."
"Let's see what secrets you hold."
Harry awoke before the sun had fully risen, the chill of early morning clinging to the grass outside his tent. A faint silver mist hung over the field, curling around his ankles as he stepped out. He took a deep breath of the cold, earthy air and stretched. Today was a day for dungeons.
Without wasting time, Harry opened his inventory, pulled out a warm roll wrapped in wax paper, a boiled egg, and a bottle of pumpkin juice. Sitting cross-legged outside the tent, he ate in silence, his eyes scanning the distant treetops as if expecting something to watch him back.
After breakfast, he carefully packed the tent, folded it with practiced precision, and stowed it away in the inventory. Then he opened his System Map—a shimmering magical interface that appeared in front of him like a floating screen.
Harry's eyes locked onto the blinking golden marker at the West Ravendale point. His instincts sharpened.
"Two leylines crossing… that's it," Harry whispered.
He didn't need Wraith Flight or Wind Step this early in the day. No rush. The journey to a dungeon was as important as the dungeon itself. So he started walking, cloak billowing behind him, boots crunching frost-kissed grass underfoot.
The morning air smelled of dew and distant firewood. As Harry passed from open field into an overgrown woodland trail, birds burst into startled flight above him. Trees here were ancient, bark split with age and moss trailing from the branches like green curtains.
As he moved deeper into the path, he felt it—a tingling, like a whisper brushing the edges of his magical senses.
Each step brought him closer to something older than the Diagon alley, older than Hogwarts even. The leylines beneath the earth hummed, as if calling to him. As if something hidden wanted to be found.
The birdsong began to fade the closer he came to the Ravendale Hollow, and soon even the wind seemed to avoid the space. It wasn't cold. It wasn't hot. It was... watching.
By the time he arrived at the edge of the leyline convergence, the sun had finally broken through the mist, painting the world gold. Harry stood on the lip of a natural basin, a deep stone sinkhole ringed by massive standing stones, each one etched with weather-worn runes. Grass refused to grow here. The center of the hollow pulsed softly with pale green light—magic leaking through a crack in reality.
At the very center was a hole, perfectly round, descending into the darkness like the throat of a forgotten god.
"Found it," Harry murmured, narrowing his eyes.
[New Dungeon Discovered]
[Serpent's Descent – Level Requirement: 15+]
Type: Survival | Boss Unknown | Environment: Organic/Magical
Suggested Party Size: 2–3 (Solo Risk: High)
[Do you wish to enter the Dungeon: Serpent's Descent?]
– Yes
– No
Harry knelt down beside the glowing edge and pulled his wand from the inventory. He whispered:
"Let's see what kind of monsters live beneath West Ravendale…"
He tapped the [Yes] option in his mind.
The moment Harry stepped into the dungeon, the air grew dense and humid, thick with the stench of rotting vegetation and the faint tang of venom. The stone tunnel he entered sloped downward at a gentle angle, glowing faintly with a sickly green bioluminescence coming from mosses and fungi on the walls. But he had no time to admire it.
Because the snakes came fast.
The first wave was almost comical—dozens of small, garden-sized snakes, no bigger than twigs, came slithering from the cracks in the floor and walls. They hissed in unison, forming a black wave across the stone path.
"Fireball."
Harry raised his hand and a glowing orb of fire flew from his palm, hitting the center of the swarm. It exploded, burning through a dozen snakes in a flash of flame and smoke. Their corpses disintegrated into ash and small loot drops clinked on the floor—Galleons, Snake Fangs, and Weak Venom Sacs.
He pressed forward.
As Harry descended deeper into the twisting maze of stone and tangled roots, the snakes evolved. Thicker, glossier, more magical, and increasingly resistant to his spells.
One coiled out of a wall crack and lunged at him.
Its fangs sunk into his arm before he could react.
[Status Effect: Venom – 5 HP/sec for 30 sec]
[HP: 520 ➝ 370]
"Damn it—Poison Mist."
A purple cloud burst from Harry's body, driving away the other approaching snakes. The one biting him froze mid-coil, hissed weakly, and then dropped—dead.
The venom's effect lessened, his passive resistance helping, but the sting and the weakness in his limbs reminded him:
"I'm not invincible."
He took a healing potion and pressed on, blade in hand.
The next corridor was wider and warmer—unnaturally so. A hiss echoed ahead.
Then came four snakes, each the size of a grown man's arm, glowing with magical runes along their backs.
Spells barely slowed them.
So Harry switched tactics.
"Equip: Mithril Blade."
His sword materialized in a flash of white light. One snake lunged—Harry slashed mid-air. The enchanted blade sliced cleanly through the serpent's head. Its blood steamed as it hit the floor.
He dodged another bite, ducked under a lunging tail, and slashed and stabbed, his reflexes enhanced by Wind Step.
[Loot Acquired: Greater Snake Fang ×2, Arcane Venom Sac ×1, Galleons ×9]
His sword dripped green venom, but it remained untarnished. Mithril was resistant to corrosion.
"Good investment."
As Harry walked through a winding corridor, the floor shook.
"What now…"
Two gigantic snakes, at least ten meters long, slithered from the ceiling and floor, scales glimmering like steel. Their eyes glowed red, and magic pulsed in their movements.
One opened its mouth—and a jet of acid shot toward Harry.
"Water Shield!"
A glowing bubble of swirling blue energy absorbed the spray—but barely.
[Water Shield Durability: 25%]
He knew spells wouldn't work well here.
He charged.
Wind Step.
He blurred and vaulted onto the back of one snake, running along its scales. It thrashed violently, but he kept balance. He stabbed his blade deep into the base of the skull, twisted, and released Poison Mist again.
The second snake lunged—he jumped off the first just as it crashed into the wall.
Both snakes eventually fell, Harry panting and bloody.
The loot from the colossal serpents was impressive.
Galleons ×62
Magical Serpent Core ×2
Snake Bone Plate (Armor Material)
Venom-Slicked Cloak (Rare Item)
Scroll Fragment: ???
The system chimed.
Harry stood at the edge of a massive, spiraling stone staircase that descended into darkness, green mist rising from below.
"I'm not even halfway," he muttered, cleaning his blade.
He drank another potion, wiped sweat from his brow, and grinned.
"Let's see what else this place is hiding."
The spiraling stairway opened into a dimly lit, half-submerged cavern. Faintly glowing moss clung to the walls, casting eerie green reflections over the stagnant water. The water reached Harry's waist as he waded cautiously forward.
Suddenly, a warning from his Observe skill popped up.
[Giant Anaconda]
[Level: 20 | Role: Dungeon Guardian]
[HP: 4100 | Affinities: Water, Constriction, Poison]
[Note: Guardian of the Inner Sanctum. Defeating it unlocks deeper dungeon access.]
Perched on a rocky ledge coiled in silence, the anaconda's massive body was hidden in the shadows. Though its eyes were closed, Harry felt its awareness. As he took one more step—
The beast slid into the water, silent as death.
[Battle Initiated: Guardian of the Nest]
Harry barely had time to react. The snake surged through the water like a torpedo, its body slicing through the surface in a blur.
"Water Shield!"
A glowing blue dome formed just as the serpent slammed into him. The sheer impact flung him backward, bouncing off slick cavern walls before crashing into the water.
[HP: 320 ➝ 190 ➝ 105]
Even before he could recover, the snake wrapped around him, slamming him again into submerged rocks. His magic and stamina drained rapidly, and spells became harder to cast under the water's resistance.
"If I don't do this now, I'm done."
Desperate, Harry reached into his hidden skill list and activated:
[Active Skill: Soul Drain]
Drains health and mana through direct physical contact. Highly illegal.
He clung to the snake's body and triggered the ability. A swirling vortex of red-black aura pulled energy from the anaconda.
[Soul Drain: Active]
[HP: 105 ➝ 145 ➝ 210 ➝ 285]
[MP: 80 ➝ 150 ➝ 230]
The anaconda writhed violently, slamming against the walls, but Harry held firm, drinking in its life force until it slowed, weakened.
"Equip: Mithril Blade!"
The shimmering sword appeared in his hand. With a burst of strength and a leap through the shallow water, he plunged the sword into the serpent's head.
Its body jerked, then stilled, sinking into the water with a hiss.
[Defeated: Guardian of the Nest]
[EXP Gained: 1500]
[Level Up! ➝ Level 17]
[Loot Dropped!]
Galleons ×334
Guardian's Fang(Crafting Material – Poison Affinity)
Scalebound Hide Armor(Epic – Increases resistance to physical damage in watery terrain)
Blood of the Anaconda(Rare Alchemy Ingredient)
Skill Scroll: Serpent's Reflexes(+30% dodge speed when HP < 50%)
Harry panted, soaked and bruised, but victorious.
Near the far end of the chamber, a giant stone gate engraved with ancient serpentine runes stood sealed. As the anaconda's body dissolved into mist, the runes glowed faintly, and a system alert chimed:
[Guardian Defeated – Seal Unlocked]
[Access to Inner Sanctum Granted]
[Caution: Main Boss Detected Ahead.]
Harry took a deep breath, storing all loot into his Personal Dimension, and glanced at the gate.
"So that was just the guard dog..."
He smirked.
"Let's see what your master looks like."