"Diffindo!"
Evan's Severing Charm struck true, hitting the troll's arm at the joint. The beast, wildly swinging its club, felt a numbing sensation in its arm and the weapon slipped from its grasp. Propelled by the troll's own strength, the club whizzed past Evan, the rush of air forcing him to squint, while Hermione, pale with fright, nearly screamed.
Thud~
The club landed with a heavy thud behind Evan, but thanks to his precise calculations, it caused no harm to either of them...
The loss of its weapon didn't deter the troll; if anything, it seemed to enrage it further. After all, the two 'little dwarfs' were within arm's reach, seemingly easy to squash.
Five meters!
The troll drew closer, its pea-sized brain glinting with a bloodthirsty hue. Hermione closed her eyes in despair, while Evan, composed, pushed her aside and, retreating, pulled a bag from his wizard's robe and flung it forward.
Simultaneously, a beam of pure magical energy shot out, striking the bag. As the magic burst forth, dozens of iron thorns, previously shrunk and contained within, expanded to palm size, scattering across the floor.
The magical beam was a trick Evan had accidentally learned in Transfiguration class. With his spell nearly reaching Level 3, only the lower-level Shrinking Charm was dispelled.
Originally meant as a means of escape to hinder the troll's movement, these thorns now became weapons of offense.
One iron thorn, precisely calculated by Evan, landed right where the troll's foot was about to step. As the troll's massive foot pressed down, Evan clearly saw its grotesque face twist in agony.
Evan continued to retreat, casting another Severing Charm, this time targeting the leg used to support its massive body. The troll's hulking form, like a mountain of flesh, could no longer hold steady, and it lost its balance with a single step.
The troll's fat and massive body crashed down,
Directly onto the spot where the club had fallen.
Evan, now standing just a few dozen centimeters behind the club, released his final Transfiguration spell. As he cast it, he faintly heard the notification of his spell leveling up.
The troll's simple mind couldn't comprehend the sudden appearance of the hateful iron thorns on the ground, just as it failed to understand why the club it had dropped had suddenly turned into a cone-shaped spike standing upright.
Fortunately for it, there was no need to ponder anymore. The spike pierced through its eye and brain, and a gush of crimson blood mixed with white brain matter spurted out, trickling down the spike.
In the final moments of its life, the troll's remaining eye fixated on the oddly dressed 'little dwarf' before it, filled with endless confusion and a trace of fear...
Evan stood less than thirty centimeters from the troll's body, lowering his wand...
Hermione was speechless, staring at the troll's corpse. The despair and fear on her face had yet to fade. In just a few seconds, the menacing troll had fallen before Evan.
Evan breathed lightly, looking as though the brief seconds of confrontation had drained all his strength.
Had it not been for the delayed effects of the potent sleeping potion and the perfect assist from the prepared iron thorns, the idea of defeating the troll so easily would have been a fantasy.
[Ding, Challenge Task: Defeat or Kill the Troll (Completed)
Task Evaluation: Excellent
Task Reward: Bloodline Fusion Potion Recipe (Dispensed)]
The task completion notification chimed as expected. Evan was about to check the reward dispensed by the system when he heard a series of loud and hurried footsteps behind him.
"Oh, my word, what on earth has happened here?"
Professor McGonagall, the first to rush into the corridor, was met with a sight she had never imagined: the corridor littered with thorny iron spikes, the walls pocked and dented, and the troll lying before Evan, its head punctured with a gaping hole.
The two students she had been worried about, Evan and Hermione, appeared to be alright. Aside from some dust on their clothes, they seemed unharmed.
For a moment, McGonagall nearly thought she was hallucinating, and Snape, who arrived shortly after, was equally incredulous.
Quirrell was even more astonished, momentarily forgetting his act, and rushed to the troll's body to confirm that it was indeed the one he had released.
"Ah, it seems that in addition to a savior of the wizarding world, this year we have another prodigy who has accomplished something that even certain professors have failed to do," Snape remarked expressionlessly, though his words dripped with sarcasm.
Quirrell had resumed his usual meek demeanor, hunched over and looking worried. At Snape's words, he just shivered and offered no response, as if the "certain professor" Snape referred to wasn't him.
Professor McGonagall, her temper flaring, demanded, "Halse! Can you explain to me what exactly happened here?"
Though Hermione was also present, both McGonagall and the others could tell that Evan was the main actor in this drama.
After all, the tears were still fresh in Hermione's eyes, and the remnants of terror were visible on her face.
"As you can see, Professor, I just happened to encounter a troll while passing through this corridor," Evan said, spreading his hands innocently.
"Happened to?" McGonagall was not convinced.
Snape, observing the iron thorns scattered on the ground, added, "I suspect our Mr. Halse fancied himself a hero for the day, otherwise why would he have prepared in advance and just 'happened' to be here?"
Without time for a proper clean-up, Evan was at a loss for an explanation.
"Evan came to find Hermione, Professor! We can vouch for him!" Harry and Ron emerged from behind an armored knight statue in the corridor.
They had arrived earlier but had stumbled upon Evan's moment of glory and, aside from hiding on the side and internally exclaiming their astonishment, they had no chance to contribute.
"Harry, Ron, I thought you two would be obediently in your dormitory by now!" McGonagall frowned disapprovingly at them.
Tips:
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