Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Wand Customization! Pink Stardust Particles!
"Coincidentally, although I haven't delved too deeply into other spells, the six max-level Dark Magic spells are more than enough to make me fearless against any magical creature in the Forbidden Forest!"
Dylan then thought about his wand customization.
"I've already sent a fair amount of money home for Dad to invest in stocks. Over the past few months, it hasn't skyrocketed to astronomical levels, but it's still earned a decent profit."
"With this money, I can totally give my spellcasting a little cosmetic upgrade. That way, even if someone sees me using magic, so what?"
"Who would believe that a wand glowing with pink light is casting the Killing Curse?"
If he fired off a pink, fluffy bunny version of the Avada Kedavra, people would probably just think it was some kind of special effect.
"Aside from the materials needed for potion-making, the rest can even be sold for profit."
Although Dylan wasn't particularly keen on selling magical creature parts for money, it was still a source of income nonetheless.
"If I could get my hands on Harry's invisibility cloak, could I just go and rob Gringotts?"
Dylan couldn't even imagine what kind of rewards the achievement system would give him if he actually managed to pull off a heist at Gringotts.
As he pondered this, Dylan began planning how to sneak into the Forbidden Forest to hunt for the various potion ingredients he needed.
After chatting with Neville for a bit, Hagrid arranged a time for Neville to come back and pick up the special fertilizer.
He then escorted Dylan and Neville to the door before heading back into the Forbidden Forest.
Dylan glanced at the dark depths of the forest before turning away.
"Let's head back."
Dylan and Neville started walking back toward Hogwarts.
Neville rubbed his chubby cheeks. "Goodness, that rock cake nearly broke my teeth!"
He turned to Dylan. "Did you notice something earlier?"
Dylan blinked. "What?"
He had been too busy thinking about how to sneak into the Forbidden Forest and do something utterly ruthless to Hagrid's Aragog.
"That rock cake! Hagrid just baked another batch!"
"Huh? What about it?"
"You didn't notice? Hagrid dropped the tray, and one of the rock cakes fell."
"Tiny was right by Hagrid's feet, and the rock cake hit him on the head. He passed out!"
"Wait, really?" Dylan was stunned. "I didn't notice that."
Neville grimaced. "I guess Tiny's used to it by now. He woke up after just a few seconds."
Dylan nodded. "Alright, that explains why I missed it."
"I'm going to check on the Fire Thorns. Hagrid managed to dig up a bit of the special fertilizer for me, so I can use that for now."
Dylan gave a slight nod. "Alright, I'll head back to the dorm then."
Neville hesitated. He had been about to ask if Dylan wanted to come with him, but Dylan had already shut that door.
He sighed. "Well…"
Dylan knew Neville was worried about him.
He smiled and patted the chubby boy on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll take care of myself. I'm not planning to study too much today. I'll relax a bit and look into something else."
"Wait, you're still going to research something? Isn't that just more studying?" Neville looked at him skeptically.
"No, no, this is something fun, not from the textbooks," Dylan quickly clarified.
"Alright then," Neville relented. "I'll head to the greenhouse. Take care of yourself, okay?"
"Got it, Mr. Longbottom," Dylan waved.
"Moo!" Coal also waved a tiny hand at Neville.
"See you tonight, Coal," Neville chuckled.
After parting ways, Dylan carried Coal back to the dorm, where Seamus was already gone.
Dylan kicked off his shoes, climbed into bed, and sprawled out.
Coal was tossed to the side.
He pulled out his wand and examined it closely.
The wand was pitch black, with a cold, glossy sheen. The wood grain seemed to have mysterious runes faintly flowing within it, but upon closer inspection, there was nothing.
"Do I really need to customize it? I think the wand looks pretty cool as it is. I don't need to hide my identity by changing its appearance."
Dylan felt the cool touch of the wand against his fingertips.
He tapped the tip of the wand with his index finger.
"Any thoughts? Do you want pink effects when casting spells, or maybe multicolored ones?"
The wand remained silent.
"If you don't say anything, I'll assume you're fine with both."
Dylan thought for a moment, then glanced at his current gold balance.
"Aside from the money I've left for my parents to manage, I've got over ten thousand Galleons. A hundred Galleons isn't too expensive!"
Dylan focused his mind.
He clicked on the wand icon in the system panel.
Then he opened the wand customization section.
After a moment of contemplation, a mischievous idea popped into his head.
"How about adding a pink stardust particle effect?"
Just then, a system notification popped up.
**[Message]:** Would you like to spend 300 gold to add a pink stardust particle effect to your wand's attack visuals?
"Wait, 300?!"
Dylan was taken aback.
"I thought it was only supposed to cost 100!"
After staring at the notification for a while, Dylan finally understood.
"So… what if I just add a pink attack effect?"
Sure enough, as soon as Dylan adjusted his request, the system notification changed.
**[Message]:** Would you like to spend 100 gold to add a pink effect to your wand's attack visuals?
Dylan clicked his tongue.
So pink, stardust, and particles were three separate effects?
The color alone costs money, and stardust and particles should count as one effect, right?
"Whatever, I've already spent the money. What's another 200 Galleons?"
**[Message]:** Would you like to spend 300…
Dylan clicked "Yes."
In the next moment, Dylan felt a strange, almost imperceptible magical energy envelop his wand.
"Hummm—"
Suddenly, the wand began to vibrate intensely.
Dylan sensed a profound, almost intangible magic descending upon his wand.
The process was quick, and soon the customization was complete.
Dylan peeked out from under the covers to check the door.
No one was there.
"Let's test it out!"
Dylan couldn't wait to try it.
He waved his wand.
In an instant, something entirely different happened compared to his usual spellcasting.
As the wand moved through the air, a trail of pink stardust particles cascaded out like a dreamy waterfall!
(End of Chapter)