Even though the second level's rules sounded complicated, Sean quickly understood the core idea.
Simply put—
If he performed poorly in the second level, the third level would become a disaster.
Which meant Sean needed to clear the second level as perfectly as possible before officially submitting the mission.
After thinking everything through, Sean tightly gripped King Arthur's Sword Wand and spoke calmly:
"System. Open the second level."
The moment his voice fell, the surrounding environment twisted violently.
When Sean's vision recovered, he found himself standing inside an enormous ancient forest.
Massive trees towered around him in every direction. Some trunks were so huge that four or five people couldn't fully wrap their arms around them.
The bark was covered in thick moss and felt extremely slippery beneath his feet.
The atmosphere was damp, dark, and oppressive.
Then suddenly—
A terrified scream echoed through the forest.
"Run!! There's a monster!"
Sean immediately looked toward the sound.
A ragged-looking man burst violently from the bushes nearby and sprinted directly toward him in panic.
The man wore crude sackcloth clothing and looked absolutely terrified.
But before Sean could react properly—
The bushes behind the fleeing man exploded apart.
A gigantic creature over four metres tall slowly emerged from the forest.
Sean's pupils instantly contracted.
"A griffin?"
The creature possessed the body of a massive lion covered in thick scales, while its upper body resembled a monstrous eagle. Its claws alone looked large enough to tear a person apart instantly.
Before Sean could fully process the situation, the griffin casually swung one enormous paw.
Bang!
The fleeing man was sent flying through the air like a broken doll before crashing heavily beside Sean.
Blood instantly spread across the forest floor.
Sean immediately pulled out King Arthur's Sword Wand.
"Damn…"
Griffins were not creatures ordinary wizards could handle casually.
In ancient times, imperial armies once attempted using griffins as war mounts because of their terrifying brutality and overwhelming presence.
Most enemies lost the will to fight the moment they saw one charging toward them.
Later, however, griffins were nearly hunted to extinction.
Because they possessed no intelligence whatsoever.
And humans remained firmly on their menu.
Still—
That wasn't even the griffin's most terrifying trait.
While Sean rapidly recalled everything he knew about the creature, the griffin slowly stopped several metres away and tilted its head curiously toward him.
Its eyes almost seemed confused.
Why wasn't this prey running?
But curiosity didn't reduce its appetite.
Only seconds later, the griffin suddenly roared and raised one enormous claw toward Sean.
"Stupefy!"
Sean instantly fired a Stunning Spell directly between its eyes.
To his horror—
Nothing happened.
The spell struck the griffin's forehead and dissipated completely.
Sean's expression changed violently.
The creature's thick scales and hide could naturally resist most ordinary spells.
That was the true nightmare of griffins.
They were literal biological war machines.
Sean immediately prepared to flee.
But at that exact moment—
The griffin opened its mouth.
A stream of burning liquid exploded outward.
It wasn't ordinary fire.
It resembled flaming acid.
Sean barely had time to react before the substance engulfed him completely.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!"
.....
Sean violently rolled across the floor of the training room screaming while desperately slapping at flames that no longer existed.
Several moments later, he finally stopped moving and lay there blankly staring upward.
"How the hell am I supposed to fight that thing…"
His voice sounded hollow.
"Normal spells are almost completely useless."
After sitting there silently for a while, Sean slowly climbed back to his feet.
"I need to visit the library."
He cleaned himself with a quick Scouring Charm before leaving the training room.
.....
The moment Sean exited the Slytherin common room, he immediately noticed something strange.
Not a single Slytherin student remained inside.
"Huh?"
Sean frowned slightly.
"Where did everyone go?"
He walked through several castle corridors without spotting a single little snake anywhere.
Other students moved around normally.
Only Slytherin had seemingly vanished entirely.
Then Sean overheard nearby gossip.
"Did you hear? All the Slytherins are in the library!"
"Hahaha! Has the sun started rising in the west?"
"No kidding. Those troublemakers actually studying voluntarily? Impossible!"
Sean immediately raised an eyebrow and headed toward the library.
Sure enough—
The library was completely packed with Slytherin students.
And the scene before him was honestly shocking.
Older students actively taught younger students.
Sixth and seventh years explained spell theory patiently.
Even Malfoy sat seriously taking notes.
Not even Ravenclaw normally displayed this level of learning enthusiasm.
The librarian herself looked deeply unsettled by the sight.
Sean silently observed the scene for several moments.
Then he slowly smiled.
Whether the students wanted strength or simply wanted to clear the training room, it didn't matter.
Both outcomes were beneficial.
Sean didn't interrupt them.
Instead, he quietly selected several books from the shelves before returning directly to the dormitory.
The training room's two-to-one time ratio was far too valuable to waste.
.....
Inside the training room again, Sean casually leaned against a dead tree while reading through the books he borrowed.
"It says griffins possess weak scales around the stomach…"
Sean murmured thoughtfully.
"And the acidic flames can reduce a human body to bones almost instantly."
His expression became serious.
"High-level attack spells can still damage them. Light-based magic also scares them away somewhat."
Then Sean suddenly remembered something.
"A powerful light spell…"
His eyes immediately brightened.
Without hesitation, Sean jumped to his feet and raised his wand forward.
Closing his eyes tightly, he concentrated deeply.
"Think about your happiest memory…"
Sean slowly breathed in.
"Immerse yourself completely…"
Then suddenly he opened his eyes and shouted:
"Expecto Patronum!"
Silence.
Nothing happened.
Sean awkwardly scratched his head.
"As expected of one of the hardest defensive spells in existence," he muttered helplessly. "I don't even have the slightest clue."
At that exact moment, the system notification suddenly echoed inside his mind.
[Reminder: Your Flying lesson begins in fifteen minutes.]
.....
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