As everyone knows, fighting a boss means experience and loot.
Of course, the premise is that you don't get counter-killed by the boss and lose your own life in the process.
How to successfully turn the Dark Lord into experience is definitely a technical skill.
The unfortunate Quirrell is a perfect negative example. This gifted young wizard was too naive and arrogant, actually believing he could learn more magic from Lord Voldemort and put it into practice. In the end, he lost his life.
Compared to Voldemort's remnant soul hiding in some corner, starting with his Horcruxes is undoubtedly a simpler and more effective way to harvest experience. The easiest Horcrux to find is Ravenclaw's diadem, hidden in the Room of Requirement.
Albert firmly believed that if he could locate the diadem, he would trigger one or two panel quests—perhaps even more—which meant experience and skill points.
After reaping the rewards, he could also do Dumbledore a favor and gain benefits from the century-old wizard.
As for explaining it to Dumbledore…
That was simple: just claim it was an accidental discovery.
Yes, a rare accident.
He would say Fred and George stumbled into the Room of Requirement while hiding from Filch during a night excursion, and Albert used that clue to discover how to enter the room.
Upon finding the Room of Requirement and realizing its wonders, a Gryffindor's nature would naturally push him to explore further. Albert would explain that during his experiments with the room, he accidentally heard whispers and followed them to an item suspected of being a Dark artifact.
The rest was easy: tell Dumbledore he found something resembling Ravenclaw's diadem, then bring him there. Problem solved.
Albert truly believed Dumbledore would accept the story. Every word would be true, and truths woven together are hard to deny.
He suspected Dumbledore already knew about the Room of Requirement and how to enter it, but had never considered that Voldemort's Horcrux might be hidden there.
The only difficulty was timing. Choosing the right moment to tell Dumbledore was crucial.
Of course, all of this depended on actually finding Ravenclaw's diadem—and on there being enough benefits to make the risk worthwhile.
If there were no benefits… then why bother?
Albert took a deep breath. The sight before him was astonishing. He raised his camera and snapped a photo.
"My photography skills are getting better and better," he murmured.
He glanced at the photo, tucked it into his robe pocket, and carefully approached a pile of precarious old furniture. He picked up a fanged frisbee from a dusty table. It had been here too long and had lost its magic.
Setting it back down, Albert's gaze shifted to a stack of books nearby.
He hurried over and pulled one out.
The cover revealed it was Magical Drafts and Potions. Its former owner was clearly a Potions professor—the first page bore a bat drawing and the initials "Professor SS."
The book contained many illustrations. Several pages were smudged and torn, showing its owner hadn't treated it with care.
To the right of the pile stood rusted suits of armor. Beside them was a weapon rack holding rusted swords and a blood-stained axe.
Albert's eyelid twitched as the visor of one armor suddenly moved. A small, greenish-blue imp-like creature crawled out, fixing its eyes on him. Just as it spread its wings, a red light flashed. The unlucky creature collapsed back into the armor with a clatter.
Albert pocketed his wand and re-examined the axe, wondering what it had once cut.
He moved on, strolling through the narrow passages between towering piles of junk: worn-out furniture, boxes, a three-legged chair, old brooms, broken bats, discarded newspapers, tattered robes, and other unidentifiable debris.
Perhaps some of it was evidence of failed student spells. Perhaps the three-legged table had been tossed here by house-elves maintaining the castle's dignity.
Albert even saw burnt cauldrons, abandoned herbs, and broken bottles with solidified potions. A few wax-sealed bottles still glowed with an eerie green light.
The passage ended, splitting left and right.
Albert stopped, his gaze falling on a Troll specimen. It was massive, but treated—there was no foul smell.
Perhaps a professor had once used it for lessons.
Up close, the Troll exuded a strange sense of oppression, especially with the deadly-looking wooden club in its hand.
If it swung down, Albert thought grimly, he might die.
Still, with his current magic and knowledge of Trolls, he believed he could defeat one if necessary.
Turning such a creature into a specimen, however, was no easy task. Deodorizing, disinfecting, and preserving it must have been tedious. Whoever had done it must have been very bored.
As Albert shifted his gaze, a new quest appeared on his panel:
Fearless Challenger You have discovered a Mountain Troll specimen and felt the oppression of its massive body. As a brave Gryffindor student, attempt to defeat a Troll to demonstrate your heroism and fearlessness. Reward: 3000 Experience
Albert was speechless. Where am I supposed to find a Troll? And why does proving Gryffindor's bravery mean fighting one?
Could his understanding of Gryffindor courage be wrong? Was Gryffindor bravery simply recklessness?
He resisted the urge to complain, reminding himself: a thousand readers will have a thousand Hamlets. Everyone interprets courage differently.
Still, activating a panel quest was good. Experience was always worth collecting.
As for finding a Troll?
Once Harry Potter enrolled—Albert's third year—he could simply borrow one for a while.