SWNOVELXO Chapter 8: The Helper
As soon as Eira heard the strange chime in her head, her heart leapt with excitement. It was finally happening the moment she had been waiting for. The system… the helper promised by the world will itself… had arrived.
She stood up from the table without a second thought. Her uncle, still silently staring down at his untouched meal, didn't even notice her sudden movement.
"Have a nice meal, Uncle," she said casually.
Without waiting for a reply, Eira turned and walked swiftly toward her room. The moment the door clicked shut behind her, she let out a quiet, giddy laugh. She climbed onto her bed and sat cross-legged, anticipation brimming in her chest.
A glowing interface appeared before her eyes, like a translucent window floating in midair.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host. You have activated your system.]
Her breath hitched slightly. She had read enough about systems to know what usually came next.
"So…" Eira said aloud, her voice filled with curiosity. "What are your functions, System? What can you do for me? Please guide me through it—and explain how to use everything."
The system replied in a calm, neutral tone:
[This is the Check-In System. Every year, you will be granted one opportunity to check in. Each check-in will reward you with five items. Rewards may include talent points, spells, magical tools, or rare items such as alchemical materials. All rewards are randomly generated and based on luck.]
Eira tilted her head. "So… each year, I get one sign-in, and in that sign-in, I receive five different rewards?"
[Correct. One check-in grants five rewards.]
She leaned back with a grin. "Cool. I just hope the first batch gives me some useful spells."
[Would you like to view your status window, Host?]
"Sure," she said. "Show me my stats."
[Ding!]
⸻
❖ Status Window ❖
Name: Eira White
Age: 10 years old
Race: Human / ????
Class: Witch (Unawakened)
Bloodline: Ancient Blood of the White Family
Talents:
• Charms: 15 (Excellent)
• Transfiguration: 13 (Excellent)
• Potions: 5 (Average)
• Dark Magic: 3 (Poor)
• White Magic: 6 (Average)
• Magical Creatures Affinity: 7 (Average)
• Quidditch: 5 (Average)
• Alchemy: 1 (Poor)
• Prophecy: 0 (Locked)
Note:
Talent scale: 1–4 (Poor), 5–8 (Average), 9–12 (Good), 13–16 (Excellent), 17–20 (Genius)
Spells: None
⸻
Her face twitched slightly as she reviewed the numbers.
"Oh wow, System… there's a lot of problems here," she muttered, unimpressed. "Why is the race listed as 'Human slash question mark'? And nearly all my talents are stuck at poor or average. Charms and Transfiguration are excellent, at least, but the rest…"
She sighed and shook her head.
"Explain the question marks in the 'Race' section. And what does my bloodline really mean?"
But the system did not respond. Instead, it repeated the earlier prompt:
[Would you like to check-in for the first time?]
Eira groaned lightly. "Of course. You're not even a smart system. Just a glorified menu. Would it have been too much to ask for you to come with a helpful AI assistant or something?"
Still, she smiled faintly and shrugged. "Anyway. Fine. Let's do this. Start the check-in."
[Ding!]
Resolution Complete. Host has received five rewards:
1. Master-Level Occlumency
2. Perfect Memory
3. Magic Awakening
4. 10 Talent Points
5. System Space (non-living items only)
⸻
Her eyes widened, then a smile slowly curved across her lips.
This was huge.
Occlumency—master level? That meant complete mental defense. No one would be able to read her thoughts or intrude upon her mind. It also meant control—emotional and mental—at a level most wizards never achieved.
Perfect Memory would allow her to recall every book, every page, every lesson she ever read or heard. That alone was worth its weight in Galleons.
And finally, the Magic Awakening… she placed her hand over her chest, already sensing something stirring.
Plus, ten talent points. She could use those to raise her weaker areas. And the System Space—a portable inventory to store items? That was an incredibly rare magical convenience. She'd never need a trunk again.
"I'm ready," she whispered. "Now that my magical core is awakening…"
[Warning: Please be seated. Awakening magic will channel your soul through your body. This may cause temporary pain.]
Eira's smile faded as she nodded and quickly sat cross-legged on her bed.
"Understood. Start it, System."
[3… 2… 1… Initiating Awakening.]
Suddenly, her body began to burn. An unbearable wave of heat surged through her limbs. Sweat dripped from her forehead as she gritted her teeth, clutching the edge of her bed with trembling hands.
Then came the pain—sharp, deep, and electric—stabbing into her chest like an arrow of fire. She bit her lip, refusing to scream. Tears squeezed out from her closed eyes.
Two… three… endless minutes passed.
And then—just as suddenly—it stopped.
A strange fullness spread through her veins, as if a glowing river had begun flowing through her body. Magic. Real, tangible, living magic.
She opened her eyes slowly… and froze.
The room was in chaos.
The drapes had torn from their rods and lay in tangled piles. Toys lay flattened across the floor. Her bedposts were splintered and crooked. Books were strewn in every direction, pages fluttering. The very air crackled faintly with lingering energy.
The door slammed open.
Lolly, her devoted house-elf, burst inside with wide, frantic eyes.
"Young Lady! What happened?! Are you alright?! Did someone attack you?! Do you need me to take you to St. Mungo's?!"
Eira held up a calming hand. "Calm down, Lolly. I'm fine. No one attacked me."
"But the room! The destruction!"
"It's because of my magical rite," she said softly. "I just awakened."
Lolly gasped, her eyes filling with tears. Then, without warning, she began jumping up and down, squealing with joy.
"The Young Lady has awakened! Magic—real magic! Oh, the Lord will be so proud! Finally! Finally!"
As Lolly jumped and screamed with joy, Eira glanced at the house-elf and smiled, warmth blooming in her chest. The devotion this elf had shown her throughout all the years of her life was nothing short of extraordinary—and Eira felt deeply, sincerely grateful for it.
Eira chuckled. "Alright, alright—enough celebrating. Can you help me clean up this mess?"
Lolly immediately straightened. "At once, Young Lady! It will be done."
While Lolly began repairing the chaos with eager efficiency, Eira focused back on her system. She still had ten talent points.
She pulled up her status screen.
"Potions first," she murmured. "It's too low. And dark magic… as dangerous as it is, it might be useful."
She allocated five points to Potions and five to Dark Magic.
[Ding!] Points Allocated. Displaying Updated Status Window.
⸻
❖ Status Window ❖
Name: Eira White
Age: 10 years old
Race: Human / ????
Class: Witch (Newly Awakened)
Bloodline: Ancient Blood of the White Family
Talents:
• Charms: 15 (Excellent)
• Transfiguration: 13 (Excellent)
• Potions: 10 (Good)
• Dark Magic: 8 (Average)
• White Magic: 6 (Average)
• Magical Creatures Affinity: 7 (Average)
• Quidditch: 5 (Average)
• Alchemy: 1 (Poor)
• Prophecy: 0 (Locked)
Note:
Talent scale: 1–4 (Poor), 5–8 (Average), 9–12 (Good), 13–16 (Excellent), 17–20 (Genius)
Extra: System Space, Perfect Memory
Spells: Occlumency
⸻
Eira stared at the updated screen and nodded, though a faint frown remained on her lips.
"Better," she murmured. "But still a long way to go."
Genius. That was her goal. Not average. Not even excellent.
And one day, she would get there.