"Click! Click! Click..."
In the quiet cottage, the crisp sound of keys being pressed rang out periodically.
Victor Wick's expression was tense as he tapped incessantly on a uniquely shaped, pitch-black keyboard in front of him.
Meanwhile, the ordinary-looking miniature architectural model before him began to exude an eerie vibe as numerous runes were integrated into it!
After a while, Victor wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"I can't believe that even after transmigrating, I still have to write code in a different form..."
Indeed, Victor Wick had originally been a programmer with a worrying hairline. Fifteen years ago, he had been physically transported into the world of Harry Potter, his physical age reverting to eighteen.
But at that time, he had no idea where he had ended up!
Alone in a strange land, Victor's only consolation was that his long-lost hairline had finally returned...
Because Victor's knowledge of the Harry Potter series was quite superficial...
This led to a long period of ignorance about which world he was in, and his lack of familiarity with the setting resulted in several narrow escapes...
It couldn't be helped; he only knew that the protagonist was Harry Potter, the final villain was Voldemort, and Voldemort's followers were called Death Eaters. As for the rest of the plot, he was mostly in the dark.
"Why did I turn down that sweet girl's recommendation back then?" Victor muttered with a hint of regret.
Back in school, his desk mate had been a very cute girl who had tried to get him into the books more than once. Unfortunately, Victor had righteously rejected her at the time, claiming he needed to focus on his studies and shouldn't indulge in light novels and the like...
Every time Victor thought about it, he wanted to travel back in time and give his younger self two good slaps!
If only he'd known the plot, he wouldn't have suffered so much!
'I'm such a fool! That girl was practically trying to save my life!'
Fortunately, he hadn't come to this world entirely empty-handed.
Victor discovered that magic in this world was composed of complex combinations of Ancient Runes.
His ability allowed him to see through the "source code" of magic, enabling him to modify or even rewrite these Ancient Runes to change a spell's effect.
Most importantly, as long as he learned enough Ancient Rune combinations, he could "program" unprecedented magic based on his needs...
He didn't need incantations to cast spells; he only needed to understand the meaning behind the Ancient Rune combinations to manifest the magic instantly. He didn't have to worry about emotions or wand movements.
This was all thanks to his experience as a programmer. Otherwise, even knowing his ability, he wouldn't have been able to utilize it to its full potential.
'Damn it, even after transmigrating, I'm still being haunted by code!'
Fortunately, this was much simpler than actual programming! Magic was just lines of runic sequences made of logical Ancient Rune vocabulary... he didn't even need to add comments!
The most crucial part was the logical thinking!
However, doing all this required mental energy...
The more advanced the magic, the heavier the drain on his mental energy. If he accidentally exhausted it, he would collapse into a coma!
But Victor soon found that by expending his mental energy, his capacity would gradually grow—much like a muscle being deliberately exercised.
After more than ten years of training, Victor's mental capacity was now quite impressive. If there were no other distractions, he could cast the Killing Curse all day long!
However, Victor was starting to notice a very concerning issue: after more than a decade, his appearance remained exactly the same as when he first arrived! It was as if time had left no mark on his face...
"Azkaban's protective enchantments certainly live up to their reputation. Fortunately, I've mastered them now. Many of the ingenious code combinations have given me a lot of inspiration. It's been quite a haul; it was worth sneaking in and staying there for three months."
Snapping out of his reverie, Victor stopped dwelling on those idle thoughts and turned his attention back to the miniature model with satisfaction.
Indeed, the miniature model was of Azkaban. He had essentially replicated all of Azkaban's protective charms using Ancient Runes, creating a micro-version of the prison.
Achieving such a feat was no easy task.
Figuring out the functions of these Ancient Runes and replicating the protective spells not only expanded Victor's knowledge of rune combinations but also gave him an immense sense of accomplishment.
Just as Victor was admiring his masterpiece while gulping down an Invigoration Draught to recover his energy, a knock suddenly sounded at the door...
A look of surprise flashed across Victor's face as he slowly turned his head toward the door.
Having lived through the Second Wizarding War and served as an elite undercover agent for Dumbledore embedded within the Death Eaters, Victor naturally wouldn't leave his home unprotected.
After years of immersion in Ancient Runes, Victor's mastery of "magic code" was already extraordinary.
In fact, ordinary wizards couldn't even find his front door, let alone knock on it! Even if they managed to find it through special means, his magical traps would make them wish they were dead...
Yet this person had not only found his door but had also silently bypassed numerous magical traps without alerting him, and was now calmly knocking!
Thus, while Victor didn't know who was at the door, it didn't take a genius to realize that their magical prowess must be profound.
And wizards with such skill were undoubtedly extremely difficult to deal with...
Victor pulled his wand from his pocket and gave it a light tap in the air.
A set of Ancient Rune combinations flashed briefly in mid-air, and a second later, a holographic screen appeared before him.
The content on the screen showed the scene at his front door!
Standing there was a man... an old man with a somewhat haggard face and a slightly hunched posture.
But despite looking like an ordinary old man, he radiated a strange aura.
It was an indescribable quality, one that seemed to effortlessly instill a sense of inexplicable trust in others...
Until now, Victor had only ever seen this kind of aura on Dumbledore.
Just then, the old man on the screen seemed to sense something. He slowly raised his head and, with a smile, winked at Victor through the screen...
Victor raised an eyebrow.
"This old man... is quite interesting..."