Tom stood before David, feeling as though every inch of his skin was being pierced by needles.
The psychological pressure David exerted on him was simply overwhelming!
He cautiously glanced at David's expression. "Perhaps my name is just too ordinary. Many people are called Tom, so you must think my name sounds familiar..."
As Tom spoke, a trace of disgust flashed in his eyes. In this regard, he was not lying; he truly loathed his own mediocre name.
For he had always believed that someone with his special talents was extraordinary, and not of the same breed as those mediocre wretches who also went by the name of Tom!
Thus, the mere thought of sharing a name with those foolish creatures filled him with nausea!
"An ordinary name doesn't matter, Tom. If you become powerful enough, terrifying enough, your name will naturally become a taboo. Can a name that no one dares to speak aloud still be considered ordinary?"
Watching David remove the hand from his shoulder, Tom could not help but swallow hard.
Before David, he felt as though he were standing stark naked. This sensation of being so easily seen through filled him with both terror and fury...
Yet... making his name a taboo?
Tom carefully savored David's words. His pupils gradually contracted, and even his breathing grew somewhat rapid.
*Can it really be done?*
Without a doubt, David's words had struck a profound chord within him.
Moreover, he suddenly felt that using such rare talents to bully ordinary people as he had done before was indeed beneath him. No wonder David held him in such contempt...
Still, since this fellow David could elevate his own abilities through practice, why couldn't he?
In Tom's eyes, the humiliation he suffered before this guy today was entirely due to the fact that he hadn't practiced his abilities much!
With proper practice, he refused to believe he was any less capable than the posturing fellow standing right before him!
*Just wait, when the time comes, I'll definitely...*
Tom lowered his head slightly, his eyes flickering.
As he plotted how to deal with David in his heart, he cautiously glanced up, only to catch David's half-smiling gaze, which sent a sudden chill through him!
*Damn it! What is that look supposed to mean? Why do I feel like he knows everything I'm thinking? No... impossible!*
Naturally, Tom had no way of knowing that David, as a transmigrator, understood his life story far better than Tom understood it himself. Figuring out what was on his mind was therefore the simplest thing in the world.
A smile returned to David's face as he said gently, "My name is quite ordinary too. I'm called David. Oh, according to your customs, it should be Wade Lee. Of course, I don't mind if you just call me Wade."
*Well, I certainly mind you calling me Tom!*
While shouting angrily in his heart, Tom labored to manage his facial expressions so that he appeared reasonably submissive.
This ability to mask his true self seemed to come to him quite naturally.
"Today was just a misunderstanding, Wa... I mean... Sir." In the end, Tom did not dare to address David by his first name.
Though he kept telling himself in his heart that David was merely putting on airs, the damn oppressive aura radiating from the fellow left the current Tom feeling utterly powerless.
At the same time, a sudden realization dawned on him.
So long as one was powerful enough, terrifying enough, people truly would not even dare to utter your name!
In other words, what this fellow said about turning one's name into a taboo was entirely and practically achievable!
*One person whose name is a taboo is quite enough! And that person... is me! It can only be me!*
*Perhaps I can find a way to learn something from him here, and then...*
A barely perceptible red glint flashed through Tom's eyes once more.
Naturally, Tom's subtle facial changes did not escape David's notice. He knew very well that Tom was never the sort of person willing to live under someone else's thumb for long.
Without a doubt, he would spare no effort to exact revenge for what happened today!
Even so, David still allowed Tom to walk safely out of his room.
Not finishing off this future Dark Lord was, on the one hand, because David had no desire for Tom to die in his room and stir up unnecessary trouble.
On the other hand, a living Tom was still useful to David.
Most crucially, David knew that Dumbledore would personally come to deliver Tom's acceptance letter...
And David wanted to see the legendary spectacle of Dumbledore setting fire to Tom's wardrobe with his own eyes.
...
After Tom left, David closed the door once more. He looked at the broken door lock and gently pressed his left hand against it.
Since he knew the power he wielded was magic, and having read novels and watched movies before transmigrating, he remembered what the spells sounded like—there was no reason not to give it a try!
"Reparo!"
The moment the words fell, the lock hanging on the door frame began to rattle and gradually repaired itself.
It was impossible to tell whether the spell had taken effect or if it was simply the result of David's repeated practice.
Looking at the door lock that had been repaired, yet still bore a rather prominent crack, David felt a twinge of uncertainty in his heart.
He remembered that magic involved more than just incantations; there were gestures, syllabic pacing, and the like. Perhaps his spell hadn't quite worked, otherwise, it shouldn't have left a crack behind.
However, David was not particularly anxious about this and temporarily put spells aside.
Because, apart from figuring out what world this was, he had just activated a system and hadn't had the time to examine it yet.
At this thought, David mentally attempted to summon the newly activated system.
The moment the thought crossed his mind, a familiar chime rang out in his head!
"Ding! The host has successfully bound the Merit System. By doing good deeds and accumulating merit, you can gather merit points and exchange them for items in the system store!"
"Ding! System prompt: The system store refreshes two types of goods daily at midnight, twelve o'clock sharp. The host possesses the ability to lock one item; locked items will not be refreshed."
"Ding! Detected that the host has just interacted with the future Dark Lord. Following an assessment, the host clearly possesses even greater potential to become the Dark Lord. Therefore, upon achieving the Dark Lord achievement, the host will instantly attain divinity and transcend this world. Furthermore, the criteria for the Dark Lord achievement will be determined by the system itself. Please strive for it, host!"
David stroked his clean-shaven chin and slowly sat down on the single bed nearby.
Becoming the Dark Lord was not actually difficult; one simply had to wait until his power grew and follow the methods of Voldemort in later generations.
Or, once Grindelwald was locked away, he could simply adopt that playbook and try it himself.
However, sustaining such an enterprise required that he himself possess formidable strength.
Even without the system, David had every confidence in his ability to grow powerful. But having a system and choosing not to use it would be no different than returning empty-handed from a mountain of treasures!
So, use it he must!
Now, the crucial question was... didn't doing good deeds and accumulating merit run counter to the goal of becoming the Dark Lord?
A faint smile suddenly curled the corners of David's mouth.
Who said that doing good deeds meant one couldn't be a Dark Lord?
It all depended on how those good deeds were carried out!