Chapter 346: Trophy
Chapter 346: Trophy
"Damn." Liam knew he had been exposed the moment Krum looked his way. He remembered that Krum was a world-class Quidditch Seeker, much more sensitive to small, shiny objects than the average person.
Sure enough, as soon as he left his hiding spot, a burst of Blue Flames shot through the hedge and hit the ground where he had been standing. Krum clearly wanted to bring the hidden threat out into the open.
Liam had no intention of joining the chaos at this moment. He planned to retreat and find another way out. However, a monstrous creature emerging from the shadows changed his mind.
"How did Hagrid manage to feed this Flobberworm to such a size? Did he use Miracle-Gro or an Engorgement Charm?" The creature before him was an adult Flobberworm, over three meters long and resembling a giant scorpion. Its long stinger was curled on its back, coated in a greenish, glowing liquid. Its thick, armor-like skin even shimmered with a metallic sheen.
"Natural Transfiguration", Liam shouted, pointing his wand at the grass beneath the Flobberworm. The weeds quickly intertwined, forming a spring-like structure that suddenly launched upward.
The Flobberworm was flung out of the path, and both Krum and Fleur instinctively cast spells at the suddenly appearing threat. However, the hastily cast spells lacked the power to penetrate the Flobberworm's thick armor and were deflected.
The attacks only enraged the Flobberworm, which began to crawl aggressively toward the two. Liam took advantage of the distraction, zigzagging past them and leaving a trail of spell marks on the ground and the hedge. Fleur and Krum, separated by the Flobberworm, could only watch as Liam made his escape.
"Hogwarts' other contestant cleverly broke through the encirclement of the other two schools' participants—" Bagman began his commentary, watching the large screen. Of course, Bagman's eyes were only on Harry, so Liam's name wasn't even mentioned; he was simply referred to as Hogwarts' other contestant.
"He actually ignored Big Brother." In the stands, Rose Crystal, hiding under Hermione's robes, angrily clenched her small fists.
"Come on, don't be upset. Not everyone in this world is as perceptive as you", Hermione patted the little puppet. "Besides, even if Bagman lacks judgment, it doesn't change how impressive Liam is on the field."
"Of course, Big Brother is the best", Rose Crystal said, her face puffing up with pride.
However, Liam was unaware of what was happening outside. He was now walking through a tunnel. The freshly dug tunnel was damp and narrow, and after a few minutes, he found a stone door blocking his path.
On closer inspection, the stone door had a simple Sudoku puzzle. Completing it would open the door. The only difference from Muggle Sudoku was that the challenger needed to sense the magic power intensity in each square and then mimic that intensity when filling in the numbers.
Mimicking the magic power intensity was straightforward; Liam believed any third-year student at Hogwarts could manage it. This suggested that the true challenge was solving the Sudoku puzzle. It seemed Hermione's comment in the final task that many wizards were not adept at logical reasoning was indeed true.
Two minutes later, Liam filled in all the blanks, and the stone door slid open, revealing a wide path. However, just as he stepped out, he heard movement behind him and instinctively waved his wand.
"Iron Armor." Sure enough, a red light streaked past the Magic protection layer and flew diagonally into the sky.
"Stupefy." As the spell aimed at him deflected, Liam instantly fired a Stunning Spell in the direction it came from, then turned to face the source of the attack.
But there was nothing behind him. However, Liam's infrared vision in his left eye revealed a human-shaped figure hiding in the hedge. It seemed someone had quickly dug a hollow in the woods and hid there, attempting to ambush anyone passing by.
"Where is he?" Liam pretended to search, but his wand secretly pointed at the figure hiding in the hedge.
"Explosive Flame!" "Cry of Fear!" As Liam threw a pale blue fireball, he saw ripples suddenly appear in the air. The figure hiding in the bushes must have been preparing a powerful spell, trying to resolve the situation in one go.
"This is a Soul Attack Spell", Liam thought, feeling something impact his soul. He immediately recalled that Durmstrang taught dark Magic, and this kind of spell, which uses negative spiritual energy, was a standard dark Magic technique. Although Liam had Life Magic that didn't require negative spiritual energy and was even more effective, it was too powerful to be used openly.
By now, Liam had recognized that the figure, who was desperately trying to extinguish the flames on his body, was Gustav from Durmstrang. However, his spell's power was weak, and a red film naturally formed around Liam's soul, blocking all attacks. If someone could see Liam's soul at this moment, they would notice the countless mysterious runes that occasionally appeared on the red film.
"Stupefy." Liam casually stunned Gustav, who was rolling on the ground in pain from burns to certain body parts. This Magic was just a simple Elemental Magic, so his injuries would heal quickly once he was out of the maze.
Looking at Gustav, whose pants were completely burned, Liam shook his head sympathetically and then used Magic to create a red spark, signaling the rescue team to take the unlucky guy away.
After rounding a corner, Liam knew he was close to the center of the maze, but a Basilisk blocked his path. Although the snake was only four to five meters long, its agility was enough to seal off the entire road. According to The Monster Book of Monsters, these snakes attack all surrounding creatures when protecting their eggs.
Some sadistic designer had placed the Basilisk's nest right in the middle of the path, and Liam could see several silver eggs nestled inside.
"Only this will work." Liam thought, extending his hand and silently chanting, "Nature's Soothing."
The hand began to emit a vibrant green light. The Basilisk, which had already risen to attack, sensed the natural power and calmed down, coiling around its eggs without moving.
Liam took this opportunity to slip past the snake's nest, hugging the hedge. Ahead was a fork in the road. After assessing his position, Liam headed down the left path and soon saw a bright light.
The Triwizard Cup glowed enticingly on a pedestal about a hundred meters away. Liam scanned his surroundings as he ran toward the Trophy.
"Flame Flourish." A series of bright flames shot from Liam's wand, and a mass of Vines on the ground retreated, shrinking back from the light and warmth.
"Things never go smoothly when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel", Liam thought as he ran past the area previously filled with Vines. "Trophy, here I come!"
(End of Chapter)
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