Chapter 594: Does He Even Look Human?
“Digory, do you have anything to say?” Ryan Frown asked.
“I… I don’t know,” Cedric took a deep breath. “I swear on my wand—I still don’t know why Wade did this. I can’t tell whether Miss Amina is telling the truth or not.”
Amina erupted. “You think I’m lying? You think I’m lying to you? Look me in the eyes and say it!”
Cedric: “….”
He silently averted his gaze.
Well… Amina didn’t seem to be lying. But Wade was his own House mate.
Cedric sighed inwardly, gripping his wand tightly, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.
Even if it was one against five, the odds of victory were slim.
Ryan stepped in, blocking Asada Chika’s incantation, then turned to Cedric. “Leave. Cedric.”
“You go on ahead. If you have any abilities, use them to get through what comes next and retrieve a Golden Egg.”
This narrow tunnel wasn’t the place for sudden violence—it could easily cost them a teammate.
Ahead loomed Wade Gray, waiting like a predator, and the path was riddled with traps. Behind them, fresh competitors kept flooding in. If they started fighting here, before even seeing the Golden Eggs, they’d only hand the advantage to others.
But they couldn’t keep Cedric with them, either. Once they met Wade, he’d instantly become a hidden landmine—someone who could turn on them without warning.
Ryan repeated, “We don’t want to attack each other. Please go down another path, Cedric.”
Fleur bit her lip. Asada Chika remained expressionless. Digo’s eyes gleamed with eager anticipation for a fight. And Amina… she was caught between awkwardness and fury, grinding her teeth, eyes burning with rage.
Cedric glanced at the group, then let out a dry chuckle. “Fine… I hope you succeed in getting the Golden Egg from Wade.”
He slowly backed away, retreating down the passage, rounding a sharp bend. Once the stone wall blocked the line of sight, both sides exhaled in relief.
“Let’s go,” Ryan said, turning around. “Be careful. Wade Gray is The Alchemist. There might be more traps ahead!”
Suddenly, Asada Chika let out a soft “Hmm?”
“What is it?” Fleur asked.
“Look over there…” Asada Chika pointed to a shadow at a fork in the path. It hung in midair in a strange, unnatural pose—as if suspended like a puppet.
She whispered, “Doesn’t that shadow… look like a person?”
…
While Ryan and Cedric’s group clashed, three more figures appeared near the Compass.
The three from Salem Academy had all arrived at roughly the same time, having faced the Fire Dragon. After Abby Williams burst into the Chamber of Secrets, she waited patiently—then saw the other two arrive via teleportation.
Hope crouched on the ground, waving her wand gently. Etched into the stone were overlapping footprints, faintly glowing.
The other competitor, Samuel, leaned on his knees, squinting. “Looks like most of them went right. That first group probably had five people.”
“Everyone took the right path…” Hope looked up, her eyes peering through the gap in her red hair. “Is there something dangerous on the left?”
“Doesn’t seem so,” Samuel said, glancing at the red-haired girl. “It’s probably just coincidence. No one else used a Tracking Charm like you did.”
He paused. “Abby, what do you think?”
“Left,” Abby said without hesitation.
Not long after, the trio stepped into the passage—and nearly collided with Viktor Krum, returning from his run.
Both sides froze. Then, in a flash, they drew their wands and cast Shield Charms.
An invisible barrier formed in the air, clashed, and deflected nothing. Then, just as quickly, both shields vanished.
They stared at each other again, stunned.
Seeing that the other side’s first instinct was defense, not attack, they each felt a faint flicker of trust.
Krum spoke first. “I only took one Golden Egg. There should be six or seven left. You can search the others.”
Samuel narrowed his eyes. “How do I know you’re not lying?”
“No need to lie.” Krum’s voice was flat. “I’m leaving now. Taking more Golden Eggs would break the rules.”
Samuel bristled—disappointed at letting someone else claim first place—but suddenly, Abby placed a firm hand on his arm.
“I believe you,” she said to her companion. “Let him pass.”
The tunnel wasn’t wide. Krum pressed against the wall, the Salem trio on the opposite side. They passed each other slowly, so closely they could hear the metallic clink of leather bracers scraping against the stone.
Then they parted, each continuing forward.
…
“Kill him… kill him…”
Amina’s roar, echoing through the stone walls, warped into a strange, distorted howl.
Wade shook his head. “Looks like someone pulled him out. But do you really need to be this angry?”
His Crab Magic Puppet twitched its pincers, clicking in agreement.
As Wade deciphered the final riddle, he retrieved the Golden Egg hidden inside the box.
The Insect Magic Puppets, light and frail, couldn’t solve the mechanisms, even if they spotted the eggs. They could only lead Wade to the puzzles.
Now, all eight Golden Eggs along this path had fallen into Wade’s possession.
He kept one for himself, then casually transformed the rest into a stone platform and piled them inside.
This was a cavern over a hundred square meters in size—once the lair of a Ghoul.
Now, not far away, chains clinked and rattled.
A Ghoul, skin gray and mottled, with thin, sparse hair, dragged its chain back and forth. Pus-filled sores and rotting flesh covered its body. Its long, bony arms twitched occasionally, its claws sharp and gleaming. It would sometimes stretch its neck toward the tunnel, letting out a low growl. Or press itself against the wall, groaning softly.
Though mindless, Ghoul creatures were dangerous. They lurked in darkness, ambushing travelers, or prowled cemeteries, driven by an insatiable hunger for human flesh. Sometimes, they even captured live prey.
Originally human, they had devolved into these grotesque forms after years of consuming flesh.
To a wizard like Weasley, a Ghoul was just a noisy, ugly nuisance—a pet with a bad attitude.
But to Wade, it was a barely useful guard dog.
Amidst the Ghoul’s incessant noises, Wade calmly arranged his things in the cavern, then waited—patiently—for the next brave soul to step into the trap.
(End of Chapter)
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