novelcrest Chapter 424 Snowfield
Chapter 424 Snowfield
Chapter 424 Snowfield (additional update)
The next day.
Durmstrang was still shrouded in the chill of winter in the early morning.
The distant mountain outlines were clearly visible, and the snow on the peaks gleamed a cold, silvery white in the morning light.
Outside the school classrooms, students gathered in twos and threes, wrapped in heavy cloaks and fur-trimmed robes.
A cold wind howled past, carrying a few scattered snowflakes, and the air was filled with a clean and biting chill.
Nevertheless, these students from the cold region were used to the weather, and their laughter, mixed with puffs of breath, echoed in the empty courtyard.
Inside the classroom, a burning brazier emitted warmth, its orange-red flames contrasting beautifully with the dark red flags on the walls.
The students entered one after another, and the air was filled with a faint scent of pine wood magic potion.
Most of the people at the long table were already seated, talking in hushed tones about yesterday's training and their experiences in the secret realm.
With a loud bang, the heavy wooden door creaked open, and the students in the auditorium all turned their heads.
At the entrance, Sean, dressed in a long black robe, slowly walked in.
The students standing in the front row instinctively shut their mouths, and the crowd that had been discussing earlier instantly fell silent.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." Sean glanced around the classroom. "I hope you all slept well last night."
The students reacted in unison, all sitting up even straighter.
Sean walked to the front of the podium, stood still, and tapped the table lightly with his fingers. The crisp sound was particularly clear in the silence.
Today, we will continue with yesterday's lesson.
"However, this time I want to see how well you can perform in more complex situations."
The students' expressions changed slightly; some showed excitement, while others frowned.
Seeing this reaction, Sean smiled.
"If you felt yesterday's dungeon was difficult enough, then today, I will make you redefine the meaning of the word 'challenge.'"
Several students couldn't help but exchange glances. Although they were used to high-intensity training as Durmstrang alumni,
But every word Professor Phillips said sent chills down their spines—from day one, it always had.
"Now," Sean waved his wand gently, and a silver light streaked through the air, then coalesced into a three-dimensional magical map behind the podium (like a holographic projection), "your task is simple—one by one, walk out of this map."
The students' eyes all fell on the map, and their expressions quickly changed from curiosity to shock.
The map appears simple, but upon closer inspection, everyone discovers its hidden intricate details: crisscrossing roads, concealed traps, and some unidentified magical markings.
"Of course, this is not an ordinary training session," Sean said solemnly, casually tucking his wand into his robe pocket. "Today, I will participate personally."
"Participate in person?" a student couldn't help but repeat in a low voice, and then a murmur rippled through the classroom.
Sean gently raised his head, silencing the hushed discussions, and swept his gaze across the crowd: "No, I will act as an 'obstacle' on the map. Your task is not only to find the exit, but also to complete it under my interference."
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the auditorium suddenly became tense.
After all, the traps and monsters summarized in the secret realm yesterday were already enough to make them look bad, and if Professor Phillips, an "unpredictable" variable, is added, the difficulty is simply unimaginable.
"Well then," Sean slowly turned around, gently waving his hand, causing the map to split in two in the air, dispersing into several more detailed regional maps, "are you ready?"
No one answered, but all the students instinctively stood up.
Are you ready?
Of course, we weren't prepared.
How could it be ready? In other words, what can be prepared in just a few seconds?
However, even though they knew Professor Phillips was just being polite, someone still couldn't help but raise their hand and ask, "Professor... could we discuss a possible solution?"
Such a foolish question naturally drew ridicule from Sean.
"In actual combat, do you think the enemy will wait for you to finish discussing things before taking action?"
Sure enough.
The student then lowered his head silently and stopped speaking.
Then, Sean took his briefcase from under his feet, opened it, and said, "Welcome, everyone."
As the darkness within their briefcase disappeared, a completely new scene appeared before them.
Beneath their feet lay a seemingly peaceful snowfield, shrouded in a thin layer of mist, with very low visibility.
A strange chill permeated the air, not just a biting cold, but more like a deep, unsettling stillness.
"Watch your step," a student whispered, kneeling down to examine the snow more closely. "This isn't ordinary snow; it might be some kind of trap."
Before he finished speaking, a slight tremor suddenly came from the snow, as if something was stirring underground.
Several students instinctively took a step back, their wands already raised, watching the snow beneath their feet warily.
"It's the Avalanche Spell," Krum said in a deep voice. He recognized the magical fluctuations of this spell, which was only mentioned briefly in the "Advanced Magic Spells" book. "Someone has laid a large-scale trap. If you step on the wrong spot, it will be triggered, and the entire snowfield will collapse."
Krum's words made everyone more nervous, and they moved more cautiously.
A student standing in the back row muttered under his breath, "This is only the first hurdle, and it's already this troublesome..."
Krum didn't say much, but carefully observed the subtle changes in the snow.
He noticed that every few steps, the depth of the footprints seemed to vary slightly—did this mean...?
"Follow me," he whispered, and began to move slowly forward.
However, just as everyone got used to the rhythm and thought that as long as they continued to follow Krum, they would be able to pass this level, a "wicked" laugh suddenly came from afar.
"Hehehe, not bad, you're being this cautious in the first round."
Everyone instantly became alert, raised their wands, and nervously searched around.
Through the mist, Sean's figure slowly emerged. He stood at the other end of the snowfield, his hands in the pockets of his robe. Compared to their "prepared for a major battle" appearance, he looked like he was on vacation (skiing).
"However, you seem to be moving a little too slowly," he said, waving his wand casually.
The next second, the snowfield suddenly began to tremble, and a magical wave spread from the ground. The original snowfield began to crack, revealing a deep, icy blue fissure.
"Start the timer now," Sean said casually. "In five minutes, the entire snowfield will completely collapse. If you haven't left by then... :.:" He drew out a few decibels, "then you've failed the challenge."
The students' expressions changed instantly.
Five minutes?
"Go!" Krum shouted, quickly leading the charge forward.
As the young wizards rushed forward, the snowfield began to tremble violently, the cracks widened, and an eerie light shone through the icy blue ice.
The snow surface became increasingly unstable, and the last few people fell into the ice hole.
"Don't wander off! Follow me!" Krum shouted again.
Just then, a deep roar suddenly came from beneath the snow, and the ground began to collapse in a large area, as if some kind of creature was wriggling, trying to break out of the abyss.
"Something's coming out!" Eileen screamed. "It's that monster from yesterday!"
"Never mind it! Run!" Krum roared, turning around and swinging his wand violently. "Freezing Charm!"
A blue light shot towards the snow beast's figure, forcing it back a step, but this did not completely stop its movement.
The snow beast was enormous, and its icy blue eyes scrutinized the tiny, insect-like creatures.
"It's enraged!" Ryan shouted, panting as he ran. "Krum, the spells aren't working on it! What do we do?"
Krum gritted his teeth and did not answer.
His attention was focused on the exit in front of him—just a few dozen meters away, a portal formed by silver light was faintly visible, which was their only way out of this dangerous area.
"Hold on! Don't scatter!" Krum shouted back as he ran. "Keep formation and avoid the cracks!"
However, just as the students were desperately rushing towards the exit, Sean's voice came from behind them once again.
"Krum, your command is indeed excellent. However, this is only the first stage. Don't you think relying solely on running is a bit monotonous?"
As soon as the words were spoken, another snow beast suddenly leaped out from the crevice, its massive body blocking the students' path.
It roared, opened its huge ice fangs, and spewed out a frost ray, instantly freezing a patch of snow into a thick layer of ice, blocking the road ahead.
"Professor! This is not fair at all!" Eileen shouted, her wand trembling slightly with tension.
"Fairness?" Sean stood at the edge of the rift in the distance, one hand in his robe pocket, calmly observing everything in the arena. "In reality, do you think your enemies care about fairness? Rules are meant to be transcended, not complained about."
Krum didn't say much; cold sweat was already beading on his forehead.
Will Professor Phillips show mercy?
Based on the situation of the past two days, it's highly unlikely!
Therefore, in order for everyone to avoid being eliminated and to successfully advance to the next stage, he had to come up with a solution as soon as possible.
"Eileen, Selena, Kovic, you guys cover us!" Krum shouted, quickly directing Ryan and several other students to bypass the snow beasts. "The rest of you, follow me! Concentrate your fire and hold them off!"
Eileen gritted her teeth, raised her wand, and swiftly cast a spell on the snow beast's legs: "Freeze everything!"
The snow beast's forelegs were instantly covered in frost, and its movements visibly slowed down for a moment.
However, its size was too large for the Freeze spell to completely restrain.
It let out a low growl and swung its huge claws down, smashing a massive dent into the ground and nearly knocking Krum and his group over.
"Keep attacking its legs! Quick!" Krum shouted back, simultaneously casting a fire spell at the snow beast's left side to try and draw its attention.
The snow beast turned its head, its icy blue eyes fixed on Krum, as if it had realized that he was the core figure in the team.
It growled and pounced on Krum, its sharp claws bringing with them a chilling gust of wind.
Krum leaped away quickly, narrowly avoiding the attack, but almost slipped on the soft snow. He gritted his teeth, used all his strength to steady himself, and rushed towards the exit.
"Krum! You can't go alone!" Ryan shouted from behind, his expression becoming flustered as Krum suddenly accelerated.
"Follow me, don't stop!" Krum didn't turn around. His goal was very clear: as long as he could distract the snow beast, the others could take the opportunity to pass through the exit.
However, just as he was about to approach the portal, the snow beast roared and leaped up, attempting to completely seal off the exit with its body.
"No! We can't let it block the exit!" Krum's pupils contracted, and he quickly raised his wand, shouting, "Explosion Charm!"
A dark red beam of light shot out and struck the snow beast precisely in the chest.
The huge explosion echoed across the entire snowfield, and the snow beast was jolted back a step, but it was not fatally injured.
At the same time, others, including Selena, quickly joined the attack.
Their spells came one after another, striking the snow beast's hind legs and neck hard, further restricting its movements.
The snow beast let out a painful growl, and its movements began to slow down.
Krum seized the opportunity and shouted, "Now! Everyone rush to the exit!"
The students rushed toward the portal, stepping through the cracked snow, and leaped into the silver light at the last moment.
The snowfield collapsed completely behind them, burying the snow beast's figure in the ice and snow until it gradually disappeared.