The Sorting Hat will be the mightiest challenge the Ad Infinitum will face after reincarnating into this Random World, Black thought, standing among the silent students. The difficulty would be many tiers higher than breaking into Voldemort's mindscape.
Yet, Black had no other choice.
The Ad Infinitum was about to upgrade and it just needed a push.
Yes. Since its creation, the Elementary Ability had done far more outstanding things than Kai had imagined it to be capable of.
With the help of Black's AI, Kai had already infected the minds of thousands of people in the timeline, including hundreds of wizards.
Even the Prime Character, Harry Potter, couldn't escape the combined might of the Ability and Luck.
However, it wasn't only about the way Ad Infinitum infiltrated the minds, infecting them with Echoes to exploit them later.
It was about how Kai actually used the Ability itself.
Let's not talk about how nigh impossible it was for other Contestants to have something like Ad Infinitum in the first place.
The Ability was unique to him because he had a singular mind, birthed from the years of research and selective breeding by the collective efforts of many generations in his previous life.
But Kai also kept pushing the Ability to the furthest limits all the time.
From his plans that spanned years, sometimes even generations, to Random Worlds, Missions, and Floors, to the constant calculations of decoding the Yellow Sign itself—there was little the Ability hadn't done in the last year.
Now, stuck at 97%, the Ad Infinitum needed a push that Kai alone couldn't provide.
One way was to test himself against Dumbledore's mindscape. But that was a one-way ticket to some Hidden Mission, which would trap him in this timeline for eternity, Kai knew.
The best way, for now, was to reverse-engineer the Sorting Hat, infiltrating it as the item tried to allot him to a House.
And according to the AI's calculations, with a probability of over 50%, this was also the way to turn the Sorting Hat into an Item.
Besides, according to Meg and Red Sun, they hadn't heard of anyone having the hat as an Item in the Primordial Tower.
To think I am already walking on unknown and unexplored paths in the Primordial Tower, Black mused, smiling. Life has become much more interesting after dying twice.
"Why do you smile so much?" Harry asked nervously. Ron nodded, pressing towards them.
Black chuckled. "I just remembered something," he said. "Why did you two jump off the train behind me?"
Harry and Ron turned red.
Both had already asked themselves this question. Yet, neither had found an answer.
They had done what they thought was the best—or the only—thing to do in that moment.
After the incident a week ago, the Aurors had brought the students to Hogwarts. With the threat of another attack, the students had been camping on the school grounds for the past week.
Few had spoken much to each other, as the Aurors kept questioning them about what they saw during the Battle of Legends.
Now, the entire castle was patrolled by dozens of Aurors, along with protection spells cast by the combined might of the Ministry of Magic.
Black looked at Harry and Ron and smiled to himself. Is this the trait that gets you in Gryffindor? Hmm… Interesting…
Suddenly, the Sorting Hat twitched, drawing the silent stares of the students.
A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth—and the hat began to sing:
…
Oh, the times are dark and weary,
And shadows creep with fear,
Yet Hogwarts stands with ancient might,
To guide us through the year.
Don't think me just a simple hat,
Or judge by what you see,
For though the world may twist and turn,
I hold the key to thee.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where courage lights the way,
Their bravery and daring deeds
Will shine through night and day.
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where loyalty runs deep,
In toil and truth, they stand their ground,
Their promises they keep.
Or perhaps in Ravenclaw,
With wisdom and with grace,
Where knowledge rules and clever minds
Find their rightful place.
Or yet in Slytherin, bold and shrewd,
With cunning plans they strive,
In shadows deep, their goals are set,
And secrets come alive.
So don me now, and heed my call,
For danger's close at hand,
Together we'll face what's to come,
And with courage, take our stand.
For in this time of dread and woe,
The Sorting Hat is here,
To guide you through the darkest nights,
And keep you ever near.
…
There was no thundering applause.
No cheers. No excited, awed expressions.
Yet, tearing through the gloomy atmosphere, a smile crept up on many faces.
Even the most silent ones were smiling, knowing that someone understood what they needed most at this time.
Then, one by one, they began clapping.
The entire Great Hall buzzed as if a cold, refreshing stream of water had flowed through it, livening up the atmosphere.
The Sorting Hat bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.
On the other side, Black fell into contemplation, his Luck bubbling out feeling after feeling.
"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry and Black. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."
Harry smiled weakly.
Ron nudged him suddenly.
They both looked at Black and saw him frowning.
Wow! Harry thought, shaking his head. He's not smiling now… Arlen sure is weird… Suddenly, he remembered the scene of Black grinning at them before jumping off the train. He again looked at Black… and again shook his head.
Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"
A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause —
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table.
Black took his hands out of his pockets, his white shirt still untucked.
He stepped out of the group of children and marched toward the Sorting Hat as if he was about to face the strongest opponent since the Upper Moon Six.
Professor McGonagall's lips twitched. She sighed with a smile, sensing something truly odd yet amusing about this boy.
"Black, Arlen!"
**************
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