What Link wanted to do was kill the Voldemort soul fragment inside the cup without damaging the cup at all.
Even though Link had already reached the world's top level in controlling the power of curses, this was still extremely difficult for him.
After all, when Voldemort created the Horcrux, his soul fragment had already fused completely with the Horcrux itself.
And the power of curses is inherently destructive no matter how you handle it.
Just like when he dealt with Slytherin's locket before.
Back then, even though Link preserved the locket's magical properties perfectly, the curse power still caused some damage to the internal structure.
Not enough to break it, sure.
But at the very least, it cut a huge chunk off its lifespan.
Originally, this wouldn't have mattered at all.
But the Hufflepuff Cup was different.
Link had spent five years of his life as a Hufflepuff, and he'd come to feel attached to the Hufflepuff house.
Likewise, toward Helga Hufflepuff's cup, he held a special affection.
Even if he ignored the cup's magical effects completely, he still wanted to bring this relic of Helga Hufflepuff back to Hogwarts and place it in the Hufflepuff common room for all to honor.
To him, as a Hufflepuff, this held a meaning unlike anything else.
And it was also the duty and mission of every Hufflepuff.
So even though it was difficult, he still had to try.
Bright blue light flickered constantly in Link's eyes. With the help of the Sensory Charm, his powerful mind swept through every part of the cup.
Once he confirmed he had memorized all of its structure, Link slowly closed his eyes. His previously spread-out mental power gradually gathered together as he began to direct the curse power with one hundred percent concentration.
Buzz!
The surface of the Hufflepuff Cup began releasing wisps of black mist, and that mist clung together, outlining a snarling, screaming skull.
This was a spontaneous reaction from Voldemort's soul fragment the moment it sensed danger.
Unfortunately for it, this had absolutely no defensive effect.
The curse power, wrapped in a layer of neutral magic, turned into invisible threads that slipped into the cup under Link's mental control. They followed the cup's structure inward, weaving together, and slowly forming a net that began closing in on Voldemort's soul fragment.
Although Voldemort hadn't placed any defensive spells on the cup, the soul fragment inside wasn't about to sit and wait for death.
It darted around inside the cup like a fish, trying to escape the magic net.
It even noticed Link's careful movements, realized he didn't want to damage the cup, and actually tried to take the cup down with it.
This made Link marvel at the imagination of whoever invented Horcruxes.
Even the strongest souls, once separated from living flesh, would gradually lose memory and intelligence no matter how advanced the magic used to preserve them.
The Hogwarts ghosts were the best example.
Many of them had already forgotten large portions of their less important past memories.
The Bloody Baron had even begun losing control.
Death is the greatest equalizer of all.
It is nature's law.
But this soul fragment, sealed in a Horcrux for over twenty years, still retained such high autonomy and intelligence.
That meant that a Horcrux was no longer simply a container that preserved a soul.
In a certain sense, a Horcrux had already become something extremely close to a living body.
That was… rather terrifying.
Don't forget, the Horcrux ritual could turn any object into a Horcrux.
If someone added movable, controllable parts to a Horcrux and provided the soul fragment inside with enough energy,
Then couldn't the fragment control the Horcrux body itself, becoming something like Alphonse the armored younger brother from Fullmetal Alchemist?
Or even more straightforward, just use a corpse as the Horcrux vessel.
Then what would you call a corpse injected with a brand-new soul?
A zombie?
Or… straight-up resurrection?
Link's face turned pale.
He didn't dare continue thinking about it.
Even among the darkest wizards, these wild ideas were taboos among taboos.
Link felt a subtle sense of foreboding.
If he truly brought these ideas into reality, something terrifying might happen.
When that time came, he might not have the ability to control what followed.
And yet… Link was extremely curious about it…
After taking several deep breaths in a row, Link finally pushed those forbidden thoughts down temporarily and refocused entirely on the cup.
Voldemort's fleeing speed had already dropped significantly due to lack of energy.
Now that Link's focus had returned and his control of the curse power had become even more precise, he captured the fragment in the magic net almost instantly.
Then the net began to tighten.
At the same time, Link removed the neutral magic coating that had been protecting the outer layer of the "threads."
The curse power finally revealed its terrifying destructive nature.
The bound-up soul fragment was shredded into countless strands of loose energy almost instantly. When Link withdrew the net, that energy was also pulled out of the cup.
The black phantom on the cup's surface rapidly dissipated.
And in the final moment before it vanished completely, a faint, indistinct scream reached Link's ears.
[Golden Skill Point *1 acquired!]
[Quest: Hufflepuff's Honor! acquired!]
[Quest Requirement: Return the intact Hufflepuff Cup to Hogwarts and place it under Helga Hufflepuff's portrait in the Hufflepuff common room.]
[Quest Reward: Title, Righteous, Loyal, Honest, and Unafraid of Hardship]
[Effect of Righteous, Loyal, Honest, and Unafraid of Hardship, +20% quality when cultivating herbs, +20% quality when cooking, +20% quality when brewing potions.]
Staring at the stream of messages floating across the panel, Link was momentarily stunned.
Honestly, this reward was beyond what he expected.
The golden skill point was nothing new, that was the standard reward for destroying a Horcrux.
The important part was the quest.
Its difficulty was so low it was basically free.
And the reward, the title Righteous, Loyal, Honest, and Unafraid of Hardship, was ridiculously strong.
No one understood better than a potion maker like Link just how broken the effect "+20% quality when brewing potions" really was.
It was basically giving you 20% more success rate and 20% more high-grade output for free.
And if someone like Link, who was already extremely skilled at potion-making, gained this buff, it became even more terrifying.
With that 20% bonus, Link might even overcome the limitations of low-quality materials.
For example, he could use cheap American ginseng and make it produce the effects of real premium ginseng.
This wasn't just saving money.
The truth was, this world's supernatural resources had already been over-harvested long ago, to the point of near exhaustion.
Things like the Deathly Hallows, these bug-level artifacts, weren't made by any actual god of death but by the ancient Peverell family using countless extinct, relic-tier materials.
Those materials no longer existed at all.
That was why many similar artifacts or potions had become impossible to reproduce.
But now, with this 20% boost, Link finally had the foundation to "compete" with those ancient creations.
Of course, Link still couldn't recreate something like the Deathly Hallows, which used unimaginably rare materials even in ancient times.
But making some of the potions from the Slytherin Grimoire should no longer be a problem.
After all, Link had already collected substitute materials and run experiments before.
He had only failed because the substitute materials were too weak.
Now the biggest question in Link's mind was, why was the system so generous this time, giving him a task that was basically free rewards?
Back when he destroyed the Slytherin locket fragment, nothing like this happened.
Could it be that whether the system issued quests depended on his emotions and determination at the time?
The more Link thought about it, the more logical it seemed.
Wasn't the quest for the title Dragon-Slayer Warrior triggered because he felt strong empathy for the fire dragon's situation back then?
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…"
Link smacked his lips, feeling excited.
If his guess was correct, then he might get more, and better, titles in the future.
For example, if he collected all three Deathly Hallows…
Link was so excited he didn't dare continue imagining it.
At that moment, Emily approached, frowning and looking serious, "Link, time's almost up."
Taking a deep breath and suppressing his excitement, Link nodded.
"Then let's get moving. The other team is probably close to breaking the Anti-Apparition Charm by now."
As he spoke, Link glanced again into the Lestrange vault.
But what he saw made him freeze.
The hunters were lining up, hauling sacks and sacks of gold and jewels out of the vault.
The mountain of gold that had nearly touched the ceiling before had already been reduced by almost half.
"It's Anti-Thief Water."
Old Barty immediately stepped up to explain when he saw Link's expression. "These people are from the earlier Anti-Apparition-breaking team. But don't worry, I didn't slow down the progress. Those who finished picking up gold earlier already went to switch shifts. Fair share for everyone, you know."
Link nodded, suddenly understanding.
Anti-Thief Water did indeed have some anti-enchantment effects on magical objects.
He originally thought that with the hunters' spellcasting level, grabbing a handful of real gold coins would already be their limit in such a short time. He never expected they'd come up with this trick.
It made Link both amused and helpless.
It was worth noting that Newland and Sigefin stood beside him with serious expressions, practically acting as bodyguards. They hadn't joined the others in grabbing money.
Link then remembered that his earlier command applied only to the hunters, not to Newland or Sigefin.
And before coming here, he had also told them, they were only to observe this time, nothing unnecessary.
But the most amusing part was that Newland and Sigefin were thinking completely different things.
And Link, whose Legilimency was nearly maxed out, saw right through them.
Sigefin really didn't care about the mountain of treasure at all, he couldn't even be bothered to bend down.
As for Newland, he was just holding himself back.
His craving for the gold and jewels was written all over his face. Anyone with basic social experience could see it even without Legilimency.
"Hahaha!" Link couldn't help laughing. "What are you two idiots doing just standing there? Hurry up and go grab some! You don't want free money?"
The moment Link finished speaking, Newland shot forward like a cannonball.
Sigefin, on the other hand, looked unwilling, even throwing Link a resentful glance before leaving.
This made Link and Krell burst into laughter.
They had never seen such an amusing pair.
"This is not the time for that!"
Emily's sharp shout startled both Link and Krell. "Look at your D.A. coins! Our lookout in the Gringotts lobby sent several messages just now."
"Scrimgeour from the Auror Office has brought two full squads of Aurors into the underground vaults! And… and the Death Eaters seem to be attacking Gringotts too!"
The moment she said that, Link and Krell's faces changed.
Aurors and Death Eaters were definitely going to intervene. Link and Krell had anticipated that long ago.
But according to their calculations, the two sides should've fought each other above first, and only after one side won would they enter the vaults.
They never expected Scrimgeour to just charge straight in.
'Did he… abandon the people outside and his subordinates?'
Link couldn't understand Scrimgeour's actions, but what was done was done, and the plan had to change.
"Everyone, gather up!"
Link's voice, boosted by a Sonorus Charm, echoed throughout the vast cavern.
The well-trained elite hunters immediately stopped carrying treasure and quickly formed a square formation behind Krell.
As hunters, they were greedy, but as elites, obedience had been hammered into them for years.
This was the result of Krell and Old Beckman's long-term training.
This was also the heritage of the Foley and Beckman families.
Families like the Malfoys, who had money but no real power, weren't even in the same league. A true wizarding family had to maintain both wealth and a private force, eventually evolving into actual noble houses.
The best and most famous example was the Peverells. After them came the Blacks.
Unfortunately, both once-glorious families had long since declined.
Truly… disappointing descendants.
Compared to them, Newland's movements were much slower.
Since he started grabbing so late, after all that time he'd only managed to scoop up two big handfuls.
Looking at the still-towering pile of gold, he gritted his teeth and returned to Link's side.
Without an Undetectable Extension Pouch, he could only hold everything in his arms, looking utterly miserable.
"Tch!"
A disdainful snort came from the side.
Newland glared in that direction and, sure enough, saw Sigefin staring at him with absolute contempt.
But what he didn't expect was that in the next second, Sigefin tossed him a cloth bag embroidered with a shield-shaped crest.