The person is at Hogwarts, but the system is in Middle-earth!

It's 11 p.m.

Filch carried a dim oil lamp, the light illuminating his wrinkled face, making him look exactly like a goblin overseer who had crawled out of the ground.

"Come with me," he said hoarsely. "I think you won't dare to break the school rules again, right?"

Harry, Hermione, and Neville kept their heads down, remaining silent. Malfoy, though also clearly unwilling, stubbornly maintained his aristocratic arrogance.

Only Lowe was doing his stretching exercises, oblivious to everyone else.

"Wait!" A panting voice suddenly came from behind.

Ron rushed out from the stairwell, his hand, which had been bitten by Norber, still wrapped in thick white bandages.

"I want to go too!" Ron rushed up to Filch. "This all started because of me. If I hadn't been in the hospital, I would be here too."

"Oh, touching friendship." Filch leaned closer to Ron's face. "But I only had these five names on the list. Go back to sleep, Weasley, unless you also want to go into the woods and feed werewolves."

"Ron, go back," Harry said softly, a hint of emotion in his eyes. "Your hands need a rest."

"But……"

"Don't worry, we'll handle it," Hermione reassured her, even though she herself looked terrified.

Ron looked at them resentfully, then turned his gaze to Rowe: "Rowe, keep an eye on them. Please."

Luo Wei stopped stretching his legs and looked at the red-haired boy who, although usually reckless, never let him down in crucial moments.

"Don't worry, Sam." Rowe patted Ron's unharmed shoulder. "I'll take care of Frodo."

Although Ron couldn't understand what he was saying, he nodded vigorously and watched them being led away by Filch.

[Mission Name: Deep in the Dark Forest]

[Mission Objective: Assist the Forest Guardians in investigating the source of darkness.]

[Recommended Level: Lv.5 (Current Level: Lv.1)]

[WARNING: Extremely dangerous area. Team play recommended.]

"Stop twisting and turning, Baggins!" Filch glared at him fiercely.

"I'm inspecting the equipment, foreman."

Filch snorted and pushed open the oak door.

Outside the door was a pitch-black area, and in the distance, the edge of the Forbidden Forest resembled a high black wall, blocking out all starlight.

Hagrid was already waiting there. He carried a huge stone bow on his back, a full quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder, and tusks pressed tightly against his legs.

In Lo Wei's eyes, this scene was completely different.

[NPC: Bion]

[Race: Skinner/Guardian of the Forest]

Status: Alert

[Weapon: Giant Dragon-Slaying Crossbow (Attack Power: 99-999)]

"Time's up, Filch," Hagrid said gruffly. "Leave the rest to me."

"Good luck, Hagrid." Filch grinned sinisterly. "Hopefully, we'll see them all together by tomorrow morning."

After saying that, the old man turned and went back to the castle.

"Alright, listen up," Hagrid said sternly, looking at the five young wizards. "Tonight we're going into the Forbidden Forest to do something dangerous. I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Dangerous stuff?" Malfoy's voice shrilled. "I'm not going! I'm a student! My dad said there are werewolves in there!"

"If only it were a werewolf," Hagrid scoffed. "The Forbidden Forest has been in turmoil these past few weeks. I've discovered something terrible; something is hunting unicorns."

"A unicorn?" Hermione gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. "But unicorns are very fast and hard to catch."

“That’s right. So that thing is extremely dangerous and very strong.” Hagrid raised his enormous lantern, illuminating a path leading deep into the forest. “I found a dead one the day before yesterday, and today I found another bloodstain. If we don’t find the killer, all the creatures in the forest will suffer.”

"So you're taking five first-year students to find that monster that can kill unicorns?" Malfoy exclaimed incredulously. "Are you crazy?"

"As long as you stay with me or Tooth, the creatures of the forest won't harm you," Hagrid said impatiently. "Besides, unicorns are more affectionate towards children, so you might be able to spot an injured one more easily. Alright, enough talk."

"I...I'm not afraid."

A trembling voice rang out. Neville clutched his arms tightly, his round face filled with fear, but he didn't take a single step back.

"Grandma said the Longbottoms can't be deserters." Neville glanced at Harry and Hermione, his voice slightly raised. "Since it's to help Hagrid, and also to... to make up for our mistakes, I'm willing to go."

Hagrid sniffed, touched, and patted Neville on the shoulder with his large, fan-like hand, almost shoving the round-faced boy into the dirt: "Well done, Neville! You'll make something of yourself! Okay, enough talk."

Hagrid led the way, and the group set off.

System Environment: Dark Forest.

[Environmental Debuffs: Whispers of Darkness (Sanity slowly decreases), Disorientation (Disorientation -50%).]

Lowe took a deep breath; the air was filled with the smell of decaying leaves.

He pulled a pair of heavy leather gloves from his pocket and put them on—the dragon skin gloves Susan had given him.

Then he handed Harry a sharpened stick.

"Take it," Rowe said in a low voice.

Harry paused for a moment: "I have a wand, Rowe."

"In a place like that, a wand is less useful than a good spear." Rowe warily stared at the dark forest. "If you encounter a giant spider, remember to stab its eyes. If it's an orc, stab its stomach."

Harry swallowed hard. Although he thought Rowe was acting crazy again, he instinctively gripped the stick tighter. For some reason, holding the stick made him feel safer than holding the thin wand.

"We need to split up," Hagrid said. "There are signs of unicorns everywhere. We need to find it and end its suffering."

"I want to be with Tooth!" Malfoy exclaimed immediately, looking at Tooth's long teeth.

"Okay, but I must warn you, Tooth is a coward," Hagrid said.

Creature detected: Tooth

Race: Dire Wolf

[Status: Domesticated/Cowardly]

[Evaluation: A mount that only knows how to bluff.]

The final groupings were decided: Hagrid would take Hermione and Neville, while the remaining three would form a group.

"Love, Harry, you two team up with Malfoy, and take Toothbrush with you," Hagrid ordered. "If there's any danger, fire Red Spark."

"Let's go." Lowly, Rowe drew his Blackthorn Plumwood Wand (short sword) and held it in a reverse grip.

The three people and the dog walked into the dark forest.

The trees were so dense that the path was so narrow that only one person could pass at a time.

Luo Wei deliberately walked at the very back.

Malfoy walked in the middle, carrying a lantern, his face pale. Harry walked at the front, holding Babbler's hand.

"This job is fit for servants!" Malfoy complained after walking for a few minutes. "I'm going to tell my father..."

"Shut up, Malfoy," Rowe interrupted him coldly. "If you don't want to attract the spiders of the Black Forest, you'd better keep your mouth shut."

Malfoy turned and glared at him, but when he saw Rowe's eyes, which seemed to gleam coldly in the darkness, he swallowed the curse that was on the tip of his tongue.

That Hufflepuff madman really does make a move. Malfoy had no doubt about it.

[Warning: An untrusted temporary ally has been detected.]

[Recommendation: Maintain distance to prevent backstabbing.]

Lowe stared intently at Malfoy's back.

"etc."

Luo Wei suddenly stopped and squatted down.

At the base of an old oak tree ahead, there was a pool of silvery-white liquid shimmering.

[Item: Life Force of the Pure Spirit (Unicorn Blood)]

[Attribute: Holy/Curse]

[Description: Only the most wicked creatures would slaughter such pure beings just to prolong their own existence.]

"What is this?" Harry asked, his voice trembling.

"Unicorn blood." Rowe stretched out his finger, which was covered by a dragon-skin glove, and stopped a centimeter away from the blood.

"He's bleeding," Malfoy said, a hint of fear in his voice. "And he's badly injured."

"It's not just bloodshed." Rowe stood up, his gaze piercing the darkness deeper into the forest. "This is a hunt. Something is craving life."

On the system interface, the pool of blood emitted a blinding red light, pointing towards the depths of the dense forest.

"I want to go home," Malfoy said, his voice trembling with tears.

"You can go back." Rowe turned to look at him expressionlessly, "but if you go alone, I can't guarantee what you'll encounter. Maybe werewolves, maybe something worse."

Malfoy shuddered and ran over to grab Tooth's collar tightly.

"Keep moving," Rowe ordered. "Maintain formation. Harry, raise your spear. Toothpick, sniff."

They continued their investigation.

The surrounding trees grew increasingly twisted, like withered arms reaching towards the sky. The moss on the ground grew thicker and thicker, making a "crunching" sound when stepped on.

Luo Wei felt his sanity level dropping little by little.

But he couldn't show it. He was the "Maia" of the group, the only adult soul (though not in body). If he panicked, Harry and Malfoy would absolutely break down.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from ahead.

It sounded like a long robe dragging on withered leaves.

Harry stopped, his fingers gripping the stick turning white from the force. Malfoy let out a choked scream.

Tooth growled softly, but the "dire wolf" hid behind Rowe.

Luo Wei squinted.

In the system's view, what lies ahead is not just darkness.

A huge, red skull symbol is slowly rising in the darkness.

[WARNING! High-risk hostile unit detected!]

[Warning! Signs of an impending boss battle!]

Luo Wei took a deep breath, gripped the "short sword" in his hand, and quietly reached for the frying pan at his waist with his other hand.

"Prepare for battle, Fellowship of the Ring," he said in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible. "Whatever it is... it's coming."

......

[System Settlement:]

[Exploration Progress: Edge of the Dark Forest (10%)]

[Key Clue Discovered: Silver Blood]

[Reward Obtained: Skill Book - Tracking Technique (Lv1)]

[Current Status: Luo Wei [Skill: Tracking] [Psychological State: Repression]]