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Hearing Evie's ambitious question, Regulus felt a distinct stir in his chest. His gaze drifted from her determined blue eyes down to the heavy leather and steel of the Assassin's Creed gauntlet resting on the table. He fell into deep, calculating thought.
He still remembered that, besides receiving that suspicious wax-sealed invitation letter with Hogwarts Castle as the background, his very last memory before transmigrating was booting up Assassin's Creed: Origins.
Because of that specific association, he had always assumed his Eagle Vision strictly required a living, breathing avian companion—like Godric—to function.
But tracing the lore of the Mythology Trilogy, true master assassins didn't strictly need an eagle when utilizing the sense. This specifically included the Frye siblings operating in Victorian London. In the official canon, they didn't naturally awaken the ability until they were around twenty years old.
Another piece of lore echoed in his mind: "Everyone can master this sense, but most people don't understand it, or can only truly use this power later."
This concept mirrored the unpredictable nature of Wizarding bloodlines and delayed magical awakenings. Even Desmond Miles was able to unlock the legendary Eagle Vision using the bleeding effect from Abstergo's Animus machine. However, that kind of dark, sci-fi technology wouldn't exist until Harry Potter's era.
As for his own progression—
He could only be certain that he wasn't some overpowered, cliché web novel protagonist. If he possessed a standard, cheat-level web novel system, he, as a mere second-year, would probably be casually dueling Albus Dumbledore to a standstill by now. (+10086 dog heads here)
(^_−)−☆
Although he wasn't sure how to systematically train a true "assassin apprentice" from scratch, he clearly remembered the physical activities that effectively increased his own synchronization experience.
Last spring, his baseline physical fitness was definitely not outstanding among Little Wizards of the same age. However, through those seemingly boring, tedious "experience grinding" activities—climbing, leaping, balancing—his physical ability and reaction speed had made massive leaps.
Of course, the system's underlying boost provided the framework, but the grueling training itself played a substantial, undeniable role.
A free lunch always feels unreliable; only skills obtained through brutal sweat equity made him feel at ease and in control.
Could Muggle-style parkour and stealth training buff these magical prodigies?
Except for the Frye twins, the other Little Wizards around the table were also staring intently at the pensive Regulus.
Almost everyone present ranked among the best students at Hogwarts. Even Mary, who humbly considered herself to have average aptitude, had recently made rapid progress in her defensive training. And all these positive changes seemed directly tied to the calm, composed young Slytherin sitting in front of them.
Who wouldn't want to become stronger and cooler?
"Regarding training, I do have some insights—" Regulus finally snapped out of his thoughts, his tone shifting into his authoritative CEO persona. He looked at the twins, his expression becoming unprecedentedly serious. "But I have to tell you all in advance—it is physically difficult, it demands a massive investment of your time, and I cannot guarantee it will awaken any hidden abilities."
The tone, both frank and solemn, made the young Frye siblings freeze in their seats.
Just then, Remus broke the heavy silence.
"If there is such training," he looked at Regulus, his amber eyes gentle yet firm, "I'd like to participate too."
His friends had been silently protecting him, diligently studying complex lore about Animagus transformations, and were determined to fight Fenrir Greyback in the future. Remus saw all this effort, and he urgently hoped he could forge himself into a weapon to contribute more to the syndicate.
Regulus's gaze softened as it fell on this friend who had always been quiet and diligent.
"If there's physical training, I want to join too." James grinned, eagerly raising a hand. "You've all seen Regulus's performance on the Quidditch pitch. Even if we can't move like him, we'll definitely get better!"
"Me too." "Count me in!"
"Training is never wasted," Evie said seriously, her posture straightening. "Practicing basic fencing footwork is very helpful for me and my brother."
"Don't forget what you yourself said," Sirius leaned forward, looking at his younger brother with a dashing smirk. "If you have to know the exact outcome of everything before you're willing to do it, then nothing will ever get done."
"Yeah," Lily nodded towards Sirius appreciatively, her red hair catching the candlelight. "There's no success without risk."
Mary pursed her lips, clenched her small fists under the table, and secretly vowed to do her absolute best.
Standing amidst these sincere, enthusiastic gazes, Regulus touched his nose. Try as he might to maintain his stoic facade, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards into a genuine smile.
The kids sitting in front of him were the top academic and tactical elites of Hogwarts.
Since they were all willing to grind for excellence—
Regulus's bright gaze swept around the room, and he grinned:
"Then, let's see if you're willing to climb some trees with me."
...
Within two days, Regulus, combining his past-life gaming experience and tactical imagination, had designed a fairly comprehensive "assassin apprentice" syllabus.
The group reconvened in the dusty, sunlit Duelling Club activity room.
Regulus pointed his hawthorn wand at a woven basket sitting on a desk.
"These stickers of different colors. Your task is to find a way to stick them on your classmates' backs, whether they are in your own year or suspicious upper-year students—do not use magic! As long as they are within the Hogwarts grounds, these enchanted stickers will automatically record faction points to the scoreboard."
The Little Wizards looked down at the basket of colorful, innocent-looking parchment stickers and couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances.
These stickers even had cheerful messages written on them in neat calligraphy: "Have a great day," "Good luck," "Keep it up," and so on.
This kind of harmless, gentle facade masking a ruthless combat exercise is very much Regulus's style, Sirius thought to himself, stifling a laugh.
"Each person per day—well, do as much as you can manage without getting caught," Regulus instructed, pacing before them. "This training is aimed at drastically improving the 'stealth' of your physical movements and footwork."
James's hazel eyes lit up, and he couldn't wait to grab a large handful of the stickers.
Sirius and Remus, standing beside him, immediately moved two steps away, implicitly understanding their friend's chaotic intentions.
"Can we get massive extra points for sticking them on Professors?" James waved a yellow sticker in his hand, buzzing with excitement. "If I could successfully stick one on Professor McGonagall's tartan robes, I'd have no regrets in this life!"
"Then you'll probably be transfigured into a squirrel on the spot," Severus calmly interjected, the corners of his mouth lifting in a dry, mocking smile.
"Not recommended to try," Sirius also couldn't help but laugh, rubbing his chin. "But it could be the final exam content for when we advance to the next rank?"
Regulus smiled, letting them joke, before continuing the briefing:
"Furthermore, we will practice free-climbing trees and scaling the rock faces near Hagrid's cabin, rain or shine. This will greatly strengthen everyone's baseline physical fitness and grip strength."
"I will notify you of the specific meeting times using the encrypted developing paper."
"For 'Vision and Reaction', I will arrange for Godric and Regina to drop small, weighted balls from high up in the sky, and you must try to catch them before they hit the snow."
"Isn't this just brutal Seeker training?" James's eyes lit up again, then he showed a wry, defeated smile. No wonder he couldn't beat Regulus to the Snitch at Quidditch.
"As long as it's not actual bird droppings..." Lily covered her mouth and chuckled softly, remembering Hagrid's fate in the golden circle.
"There will be more advanced training programs implemented in the future," Regulus smiled, winking at the Frye twins. "But, I'll keep you guessing for now."
It all sounded incredibly challenging, but undeniably fun. The Little Wizards' anticipation overflowed from their bright, sparkling eyes.
"What about today's activity?" Severus asked impatiently, his wand tucked away. "Are we going outside the Castle?"
"Or are we going to ambush and stick people in the corridor right now?" James bounced on his heels.
Regulus lightly waved his wand in a sweeping arc—
"Today, let's start with an indoor activity."
Ten thick, coarse hemp ropes suddenly materialized, strung tautly between the stone walls on either side of the classroom, hovering exactly three feet off the dusty floorboards.
The Little Wizards stared blankly as Regulus took a short run-up, leaped gracefully onto the nearest rope, and walked across the narrow, swaying fibers as if strolling on solid, flat ground. His posture was impeccable, his arms relaxed at his sides.
Even Sirius, who trained with Regulus the most out of everyone, was dumbfounded by the display of balance.
This, this, this...
His good Slytherin younger brother, just how many hidden tricks did he still possess that even his own family didn't know about?
"As you can see—today we practice balancing on a rope."
Everyone collectively took a sharp breath, staring at the thin ropes.
"Next week, I will raise the rope another three feet."
After delivering the threat, Regulus chuckled. With a quick flick of his wand, several "Keep it up" stickers suddenly rose into the air and shot rapidly towards everyone's foreheads like tiny paper darts.
Only Quidditch expert James dodged agilely, dropping to a crouch as the sticker brushed past his messy hair and fluttered away. Everyone else was hit squarely between the eyes.
"Good job, James," Regulus said with an approving smile.
James immediately rubbed his hair, beaming happily.
It was unclear exactly when the dynamic shifted, but all HP members now took profound pride in gaining Regulus's CEO approval.
"Without further ado," Regulus tapped his palm lightly with his wand, as if holding a strict teacher's pointer.
Go, Pikachu!
"Begin!"