Chapter 111: Killing the Basilisk
Chapter 111: Killing the Basilisk
The Basilisk on the ground, after a brief pause, seemed to regain its senses. It shook its head and began to flick its tongue, sensing the air.
After a few flicks, the Basilisk seemed to detect something. It turned its head toward the pillar where Liam was hiding, then raised its upper body high into the air, its two black-blood-filled, hollow eye sockets fixed on Liam.
Liam, watching the Basilisk's movements, felt something was off and also found it somewhat familiar. As he recalled a scene from a wildlife documentary, Liam quickly fired his Grapple Hook to the side of the pillar, then tightened the rope to pull himself over.
Fortunately, his reaction was timely. As he left his position, the Basilisk suddenly opened its mouth, and two streams of black venom shot toward where Liam had been standing.
The venom hit the stone pillar, and the area it touched began to bubble rapidly, accompanied by a hissing sound. Within seconds, most of the pillar's top was visibly eroded.
Is this venom or hydrochloric acid? Liam couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle at the sight. Is everything in the Wizarding World this overpowered? If this stuff splashed on someone, they'd probably dissolve into a puddle in less than a minute.
Seeing that its attack had missed, the Basilisk began to flick its tongue again, searching for its prey. Liam knew he couldn't let the Basilisk continue like this. Using his Grapple Hook, he swung past the Basilisk and pointed at a pocket on his waist, shouting, "Waddiwasi!"
Several Cherry Bombs flew like bullets toward the Basilisk's head and exploded upon contact. Liam clearly saw a part of the Basilisk's tongue, about the size of his arm, fly off.
As Liam fired the Cherry Bombs, the Basilisk whipped its tail at him. Liam managed to change his direction in mid-air, and fortunately, the Basilisk's tail, still injured from earlier, was not very agile. This allowed Liam to narrowly avoid the strike.
As the wounded tail swept past Liam, he could smell the sweet, toxic scent of the Basilisk's blood. Thankfully, the protective measures he had taken earlier were still in place, and he didn't suffer any harm from the toxic fumes.
Liam's attack had completely deprived the Basilisk of its external senses. The creature entered a state of frenzy—though it knew its enemy was still alive, it had no idea where. Even before losing its senses, the Basilisk could sense that its enemy was completely unharmed.
Rage transformed the Basilisk into a mindless beast. While its attacks remained fierce, the threat it posed was significantly reduced.
The Basilisk began to thrash on the ground, emitting toxic fumes in all directions. Fortunately, the chamber's extensive network of pipes helped disperse the fumes, keeping the concentration in areas away from the Basilisk below the limit of Liam's protective measures. Liam cautiously maintained his distance, not wanting to get too close and risk the Basilisk's attacks.
Since Liam had no immediate way to finish the Basilisk off, he chose to wear it down by constantly changing his position and attacking from a distance. Fortunately, it was Christmas break, and Liam was the only one in his dormitory. Even if he spent the whole morning here, it wouldn't raise any suspicions.
Two hours later, Liam, panting heavily, leaned against a pillar. The Basilisk's corpse lay in the center of the Chamber of Secrets. The chamber was littered with debris from the pillars, weapon stations, and plants. Thankfully, the decorative pillars were not load-bearing, so the ceiling remained intact.
The Basilisk was covered in wounds, with half its head blown off. After the Basilisk was immobilized, Liam had stuffed a large number of Cherry Bombs into its mouth to ensure it was dead. The wounds on the Basilisk's body were a mix of magical and physical damage.
This situation had exceeded Liam's expectations. He had never anticipated that the Basilisk, which in the original story was killed by a single sword strike from Harry, would be so resilient. His plan to use the Harpoon Gun and Crossbow to deliver a fatal blow had failed to hit the Basilisk's vital points. In the end, the Basilisk died from sustained, cumulative damage.
Liam felt that the time and effort he had spent would have been enough for Harry to kill a dozen Basilisks. However, looking at the scattered remains on the basement floor, Liam realized this was the difference between a Vip and a Free Player.
Harry had a divine creature, the Phoenix, which was on par with the Basilisk. The Phoenix would automatically attack, detoxify, and heal wounds. In contrast, Liam had released several Plants to assist him in the later stages of the battle. Unfortunately, apart from the Spikeweed and Fire Dragon Grass, whose dragonfire could slightly damage the Basilisk's scale-less areas, the other Plants had no effect on the Basilisk.
In addition to the divine creature, Harry also possessed a fully enhanced artifact: Gryffindor's Sword. It easily pierced the Basilisk's skull, which Liam's enchanted high-strength alloy steel arrows, launched from a heavy crossbow, couldn't even dent.
The result of having inferior weapons meant that Liam had to exert all his strength to achieve what Harry could do with a single strike. It seemed he needed to find some better equipment next time.
After resting for a bit and feeling less exhausted, Liam opened the Multiverse General Store and recalled the Plants that were still alive.
As soon as he opened the spatial door, Liam could sense the desperate signal from his newly cultivated Mutated Fire Dragon Grass through their mental connection, much like a pet seeking attention from its owner. It seemed to be growing rapidly and could now communicate with Liam telepathically, telling him that the Basilisk had something that could promote its growth.
After checking to confirm that the Mutated Fire Dragon Grass had indeed developed a stable soul, Liam, using the knowledge from the Life Magic Legacy, issued a Pet Bond request to the Mutated Fire Dragon Grass. Clearly, the Fire Dragon Grass was very dependent on its creator, and upon receiving the contract, it immediately split a portion of its soul to form the Pet Bond with Liam.
Now that it was his pet, Liam decided to treat it well. He carefully removed the Mutated Fire Dragon Grass and placed it aside, planning to see what it needed once he had tidied up. Then, he opened the portal to the Plants vs. Zombies World and summoned several robots to clean up the scene.
Directing the robots to extract the Snake Gallbladder and several Poison Fangs from the Basilisk's belly, Liam examined them closely. After confirming they were valuable, he stored them in the emporium. He then dug out the Mutated Fire Dragon Grass from its pot and placed it on the Basilisk's head wound.
The Fire Dragon Grass automatically extended its roots into the wound and began absorbing. Liam watched this scene with a sense of warmth, as if watching his child grow. He shook his head to clear his mind of the strange thoughts and then turned back to the Basilisk to start dissecting other valuable parts. To his surprise, he noticed the Basilisk visibly shrinking, its scales losing their luster.
How could it deteriorate so quickly? Liam carefully examined the Basilisk and was astonished to discover that his Mutated Fire Dragon Grass was absorbing the Basilisk's essence at an unexpected rate.
Upon noticing Liam's discovery, the Mutated Fire Dragon Grass sent a mental message of embarrassment and pleading through their mental link. After observing that the rapid absorption was not harmful, Liam chuckled helplessly and sat down, waiting for the Fire Dragon Grass to finish absorbing.
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Wishing all College Entrance Exam candidates smooth sailing and success.
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(End of Chapter)
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