Ted reached out and gently tapped Hermione's head, activating [Ravenclaw Wisdom (Blue)] on her.
Hermione stiffened, her fluffy brown curls bouncing slightly. She blinked rapidly, eyes widening in shock before locking onto Ted with an incredulous look.
Ted simply winked and motioned for her to stay quiet.
Hermione had always been sharp—her intelligence was naturally at 7, making her a born academic prodigy.
But now, with the added +2 Intelligence and +1 Spirit, her mind felt exquisitely precise.
Everything clicked into place effortlessly, problems seemed almost laughably simple to solve. It was… exhilarating. Maybe even a little addictive.
With the boost, Hermione's contributions would be even more crucial.
The group had already gone over their battle plan and escape routes in case things went south. But at this moment, Hermione's role was vital.
One last thing—Ted quickly cast Bubble-Head Charms on each of his friends, ensuring they wouldn't be taken down by any airborne hazards.
A corridor had been obliterated, its stones cracked and crumbling. The three monsters, now standing at the base of the stairs leading to the first floor, looked around in confusion.
They had escaped their cages in a sudden frenzy, but their tiny, undeveloped minds couldn't quite process how—or why.
With intelligence no greater than that of a five-year-old child, their thoughts were simple: cause destruction, go somewhere, break things.
Just as they prepared to ascend the staircase, an ear-splitting squeal rang out.
A massive, pitch-black wild boar barreled down the stairs at full speed, its bulky frame rippling with unnatural energy.
The Modified Troll, leading the group, instinctively reacted. It grunted and swung its oversized club in a devastating arc, aiming to crush the oncoming threat.
DUANG!
The club slammed into the ancient stone steps, sending cracks spider-webbing through the floor. Dust and debris erupted from the impact.
But the wild boar? It phased straight through the club like a ghost and kept charging.
It didn't hesitate—it rammed directly between the legs of the Mantis, who recoiled in confusion.
The Spider-Mantis, thrown off by the bizarre sight, instinctively lashed out.
Its emerald-green blade-like arms slashed at lightning speed, aiming to dice the boar into ribbons. The attack was so fast it left a faint afterimage in the air.
But once again, the blades passed through nothing but air.
The boar didn't react. It just kept running, slamming into the Horned Beast next, before charging headfirst into the darkness beyond—vanishing into the wall.
It was, of course, Ted's item card: [Wild Boar Cannon (Green)].
Under normal circumstances, anyone with a bit of magical knowledge might have realized something was off about this boar. It wasn't behaving like a real creature.
But in the first-person perspective of three low-intelligence monsters? Panic and instinct took over.
The three beasts stared at the wall where the boar had disappeared, utterly bewildered.
The Modified Troll even snorted and raised its club, as if debating whether to smash the wall in search of the missing animal.
At that exact moment, a streak of blue light flashed.
A Frostbolt shot out from the darkness, skimming past the troll's hulking frame before slamming into the Mantis.
Normally, the Spider-Mantis was the hardest to surprise—it had nearly 360-degree vision thanks to its compound eyes.
But this time? Its reaction was just a fraction too slow.
The Frostbolt pierced its carapace, punching a fist-sized hole through its tough exoskeleton. Fractures webbed outward, and half of its body turned ice-blue. The creature stiffened, its movements becoming sluggish.
Insects hated extreme cold. The Frostbolt had not only crippled the Mantis but sent waves of paralyzing cold through its body.
Ted smirked. His newly developed Frostbolt had worked.
Thanks to his previous research on Frost Armor, crafting offensive ice magic had been significantly easier.
The downside? The spell still took a full four seconds to prepare—far too slow for direct combat.
But for a preemptive strike? Perfect.
"ROOOOAAAARRR!!"
The Modified Troll, now aware of an actual living enemy, threw its head back and let out a deafening roar.
The sound rattled the walls, reverberating like rolling thunder.
The sheer force shattered the concentration of Ted's allies.
Harley and the others winced, clutching their ears. Jerry stumbled, his eyes rolling as the vibration nearly knocked him unconscious.
The Troll was already moving.
It charged up the stairs, its club raised high, ready to smash anything in its path.
Ted remained calm.
Using his psychic abilities, he immediately dampened the auditory shock, shielding himself from the disorienting effects.
With his mind crystal-clear, he quickly cast a spell on the steps in front of the charging Troll:
"Glisseo."
A sudden magical slickness spread across the staircase, removing all friction.
It was a simple spell—something he had stumbled upon in an old library book. He had barely practiced it.
But right now?
It was the perfect trap.
The Troll's foot slipped.
BAM!
It collapsed onto its back, sliding downward uncontrollably.
On its way down, it slammed into the frozen Spider-Mantis, snapping two of its slender legs with a sickening crunch!
The Unknown Horned Beast at the end of the team was a bit more cunning than its companions, managing to dodge the chaos just in time.
But before it could react further, Ron hit it squarely with a Teeth-Elongating Hex.
In an instant, enormous fangs sprouted from its mouth, growing at an alarming rate until they completely filled its maw.
The creature let out a garbled, panicked noise, shaking its head frantically in a desperate attempt to rid itself of the unnatural growth.
But no matter how hard it tried, the fangs remained, rendering it unable to bite or even close its mouth properly.
Seizing the opportunity, Harley swiftly cast a Severing Charm. The spell struck true, slicing a deep, jagged wound along the beast's back.
A burst of dark crimson blood gushed from the injury, staining the stone floor beneath it.
Harley hadn't expected the spell to be that effective, and she froze momentarily, eyes widening at the sheer amount of blood.
She had practiced dueling spells before, but this was the first time she had truly wounded something so severely.
The sight made her stomach churn, but there was no time for hesitation.
Meanwhile, Jerry aimed his wand at the spider-mantis that was struggling to regain its footing. "Locomotor Mortis!"
The Leg-Locking Curse hit its mark. The creature's remaining six legs snapped together instantly, its razor-sharp claws screeching as they scraped against the stone floor.
Even the nearby transformed troll took a hit from the flailing legs, a deep scratch splitting its thick hide and causing a trickle of yellow-green blood to seep from the wound.
Annoyed, the troll lifted its massive foot and unceremoniously kicked the spider-mantis aside.
The creature tumbled backward, rolling several meters before slamming into a crumbling pillar.
But just as the troll prepared to stomp forward, a flurry of shimmering white paper butterflies materialized around its head, darting erratically in front of its dull, beady eyes.
The troll grunted in confusion, swiping wildly at the tiny intruders. But the butterflies danced just out of reach, slipping through its thick fingers with ease.
Frustrated beyond reason, the troll let out an enraged roar and did the only logical thing it could think of—
It smacked itself on the head. Hard.
"DUANG!"
The resounding thud echoed through the corridor as the troll's own club connected with its skull.
The force of the impact sent a tremor through the ground, shaking loose dust and debris from the ceiling.
Jerry snorted. "That's one way to handle it."
Harley grinned, glancing at Hermione. "That was you, wasn't it?"
Hermione, who had conjured the enchanted paper butterflies, nodded. "Simple misdirection. Trolls have terrible eyesight and even worse patience. I figured it wouldn't take much to confuse it."
The troll, still blinded by the butterflies and now dazed from repeated self-inflicted concussions, let out an infuriated snarl.
It swung its club wildly in every direction, growing more and more enraged with every failed attempt to swat the illusions away.
"Alright, that's our distraction handled," Ted said. "Now let's finish off the other two."
He didn't waste a second. Channeling his magic, he unleashed another Frostbolt, the spell taking a full four seconds to charge.
The shimmering bolt of ice shot forward with deadly precision, slamming into the spider-mantis's already crippled form.
A fist-sized hole pierced straight through its exoskeleton, sending a wave of chilling frost through its entire body.
The remaining half of the creature turned a pale, sickly blue, its limbs twitching sluggishly as the freezing magic seeped into its core.
Two direct hits from Frostbolt, combined with the devastating kick from the troll, had finally taken their toll.
The spider-mantis let out one last feeble screech before collapsing, its saber-like claws going still.
Ron let out a breath. "Blimey… That thing's finally down."
Harley shot him a look. "Don't relax yet. We still have the Horned Beast to deal with."
Jerry had already anticipated that.
He reinforced the Leg-Locking Curse on both the horned beast and the spider-mantis's lifeless form, ensuring that neither would be moving anytime soon.
That left just one problem.
The troll.
"Why is this thing so ridiculously tough?!" Ron groaned, watching as the troll continued smacking itself in blind fury. "It's been clubbing itself for minutes now, and it's barely even bleeding!"
Ted clenched his jaw as he thought to himself. 'Quirrell must've done something to it. Trolls are already hard to kill, but if he's been experimenting with them… he definitely boosted its durability.'
Ted quickly assessed the battlefield. They needed to take down the weaker creatures first before focusing on the transformed troll.
"We finish the others first!" he shouted, glancing at Hermione, who was still keeping the massive brute distracted with her conjured paper butterflies.
With a deep breath, Ted launched another Frostbolt, carefully channeling his magic for a solid four seconds before releasing it.
The icy projectile shot forward, hitting the spider-mantis dead center. The already crippled creature shrieked as the frost magic tore through its exoskeleton, leaving a hole the size of a fist.
The chilling effect spread rapidly, its movements slowing until it became completely rigid.
The spider-mantis let out a final, weak twitch of its saber-like arms, but its body had already shut down.
Between the twin Frostbolts and the accidental kick it had received from the rampaging troll, the monster had no fight left.
It collapsed with a dull thud, its legs curling inward as the last remnants of life faded from its body.
Just as Ted was about to shift his attention to the horned beast, Neville's voice rang out in a panicked shout. "Be careful!"
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Word count: 1781
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