Myriad realms store owner of Harry potter

Early the next morning, Robert noticed Malfoy's shocked expression at the dining table when he realized that Harry Potter was still at school. Honestly, with that stunned look on his face, Malfoy almost looked cute.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron seemed to be deeply engaged in a private discussion. Every time Ryan approached them, they immediately fell silent, as if they were trying to hide something. It wasn't hard to guess—they were most likely speculating about what lay beneath the trapdoor guarded by the three-headed dog.

Another situation developed—one that was both good and bad. Hermione had started avoiding Ryan entirely. While this left him feeling a little disappointed, it also gave him more opportunities to interact with other students in the courtyard and common room. Several classmates even admitted that they felt much more at ease without Hermione constantly around, as if her presence somehow made them anxious. It seemed she had some trouble with interpersonal relationships after all.

More than a week passed, and during that time, Ryan finally found an opportunity to apologize to Hermione. It happened after she was startled by Harry's sudden flight on his Nimbus 2000. As an adult inside, Ryan knew that bringing outsiders into danger warranted an apology, and he had no shame in admitting his mistakes.

Kids' friendships weren't as complicated as adult relationships, so after a week of sulking, Hermione forgave Ryan recklessness, and their friendship returned to normal.

Entering Tim Hortans Again

The weekend arrived. Once all his dormitory roommates had fallen asleep, Ryan drew the curtains around his bed, shielding himself from view. He then entered Tim Hortans.

At first, he thought he could simply wait and see if any customers arrived on their own. However, he quickly recalled that before he came to Hogwarts, the mayor of Winter Home from the Ice Age world had been the only visitor. Over a month had passed since then, and no one else had shown up.

Upon consulting the system, Ryan learned the reason—the probability of customers coming to the store was directly tied to the power of the store owner. The fact that a guest had shown up previously was already a stroke of luck.

Since waiting wasn't an option, Ryan decided to be proactive. He stepped outside the store and browsed the available worlds for traversal. The system categorized worlds into nine levels, from the weakest (Level 1) to the strongest (Level 9).

The cost to open a portal started at one offset point, and each higher level doubled the cost. The Plants vs. Zombies world he had visited earlier was classified as Level 5, which made sense—after all, a world teeming with sentient plants and superpowered zombies was far from a simple game setting.

Ryan considered his options. The first and second levels likely wouldn't offer anything useful. Even if they had firearms, they were just ordinary weapons, and with his lack of professional training—not to mention his 11-year-old body—handling them effectively would be impossible.

Moreover, using guns against magical creatures was foolish. Shooting a three-headed dog or a troll in a confined space would be suicidal, akin to firing a pistol at an elephant inside a cage. And Voldemort, being formless, was completely immune to physical attacks. As for using a gun against Malfoy during a schoolyard dispute? That was simply out of the question.

Higher-level worlds, like the Level 5 Plants vs. Zombies, had proven dangerous. He had been lucky last time, but luck was unreliable. If he encountered a horde of zombies, he would be utterly defenseless.

With only six offset points at his disposal, Ryan settled on a Level 3 world. He paid four points, and in a flash of light, he was transported away.

A World Where Superpowers Run Wild

Ryan found himself in a forest clearing, crouched behind a large tree. Thankfully, it was nighttime, and his black school robes helped him blend into the shadows.

Looking around, he noted the grassy ground, the surrounding trees, and a large crater nearby. Strange noises were coming from within the pit. A shiver ran down his spine—this was a well-known setting for travelers like himself.

He had arrived in a superpowers gone out of control kind of world.

It made sense. This was the kind of universe where people could gain incredible abilities with little effort. Even among the countless movies and stories he had seen, such an easy power-up scenario was rare.

Ryan sighed. He felt a bit sorry for the protagonist of this world's original story. Imagine living in a world without superpowers, suddenly gaining them, and exposing yourself to the world. The outcome was inevitable.

Unless a superhuman formed an organization or was truly invincible, some group would always seek to control or eliminate them. Even if someone was ridiculously powerful, as long as they retained a shred of humanity, they could always be manipulated, controlled, or driven to self-destruction.

After all, no matter how strong an individual was, they could never surpass the power of an entire collective.

Thankfully, Ryan had arrived early. He removed his magic robe, used it to cover the pit, and then cast a Transfiguration spell to make it blend with the surrounding grass. He then hid behind a nearby tree, waiting.

An hour later, three young men passed through the grove. Ryan observed them closely—two white men and a black man. This had to be the original protagonist trio.

They circled the clearing and eventually left, never noticing the camouflaged entrance.

As soon as they disappeared, a notification appeared in Ryan mind:

—Completely reversed the plot. Gained 20 offset points.

Excited, Ryan clenched his fists in triumph. That was a major gain! However, he knew he couldn't count on opportunities like this often. If the plot was stopped from the beginning, there was no way to continuously accumulate offset points. Different intervention methods had their own pros and cons.

For the original protagonists, not gaining superpowers was probably a good thing. At least they wouldn't end up dead or forced into hiding overseas.

With the coast clear, Ryan rushed to the edge of the pit, lifted his magic robe, and jumped down.

The space was tight. After a few steps and a turn, he spotted a glowing blue crystal, shaped like a spiked sea urchin.

Ryan hesitated for a moment before reaching out and snapping off a crystal shard.

A new notification popped up:

—Acquired an item suitable for trade. Add to Tim Hortans inventory? (Yes/No)

Ryan selected Yes, and the crystal vanished. Almost immediately, the ground began to shake. The removal of the crystal caused the cave structure to collapse.

Acting fast, Ryan dashed for the entrance, barely making it out before the entire pit caved in. He rolled onto the ground and ran into the woods, just in time to hear a thunderous crash behind him. A sinkhole, roughly the size of a van, had formed where the clearing once was.

His objective in this world was complete.

The Temptation of Power

Back in Tim Hortans, Ryan examined his new inventory item. The power crystal was now palm-sized and displayed on a shelf with an information card:

Power Crystal

Grants the user up to 100 tons of psychic force by stimulating the brain.

Can be used 3 times (non-stackable).

Ryan stared at the crystal for a long time. He was tempted. With psychic abilities, he could gain immense power instantly.

But… what if the brain stimulation had side effects? What if it interfered with his magic?

Magic was his foundation. Taking such a risk for an ability with an unknown limit was reckless.

Reluctantly, he decided to keep the crystal as a trade item instead.

Despite not gaining personal power, the trip had been a huge success. He now had 22 offset points in total.

Suppressing the urge to reconsider, Ryan exited Tim Hortans and returned to his bed.

Glancing at his alarm clock, he noted that only an hour had passed.

No matter how long he spent in other worlds, only an hour passed in his own.

That was very useful information. It would make planning future adventures much easier.

Reviewing his adventure mentally, Ryan then pulled the blankets over himself and, exhausted from the excitement, quickly drifted off to

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