The darkness was fleeting, as if tumbling from one space into another.
Krum suddenly saw light again.
But the descent didn't stop.
Krum looked down, his pupils contracting sharply!
Waiting directly below them was a pack of menacing sharks!
The dark blue seawater churned violently, and several sharks, their blood-filled maws gaping wide, eagerly awaited their fall, ready to rip them to shreds!
Their fierce, bloodthirsty eyes and rows of razor-sharp teeth, laced with bloody veins, resembled the deadliest meat grinder!
This was a fatal trap, a straight path to death!!
"Damn it!!!"
Krum cursed.
In a flash, he roared, stomped hard on a shark, and vaulted out!
The instant he landed, Krum hissed, feeling a sharp pain shoot through his ankle.
But his teammates weren't as burly as he was.
"Ahhh—!!!"
They plummeted into the midst of the sharks, screaming and thrashing in terror, desperately trying to break free from the encirclement—
Huh?
Krum frowned, sensing something off.
Why were these sharks... flat?
He took a closer look.
That's when he realized the so-called "turbulent seawater" and "terrifying shark pack" were nothing more than a massive oil painting.
It was incredibly lifelike.
Subtly radiating a magical aura.
In their panic, it had tricked them into seeing it as real ocean and sharks.
"—Shut up, stop yelling," Krum said in a low voice. "These sharks are fake."
"Ah—huh?"
Only then did his teammates cease their struggles, staring blankly downward.
They realized they'd been flailing around on a flat painting the whole time.
Their faces turned beet red as they scrambled awkwardly to their feet, standing beside Krum.
With lingering fear, they cast wary glances at the sharks.
—It was too realistic.
Each distinct sharp tooth, the glistening skin, those small, bloodthirsty eyes.
If you didn't look closely, you could spot the brushstrokes.
It was just like a living creature.
Even without any knowledge of art, the group could tell the painting's artistic skill was extraordinarily high.
"The organizers really went all out with this setup. It's just a bit too creepy."
His teammates muttered.
"How did they teleport us from the doorway right inside the door? Was the floor in front of the doorknob the trigger?"
Krum frowned, a vein pulsing in his temple.
If that was the case, then the organizers were downright ruthless.
For some reason, he had a premonition that this wasn't over yet—
Unease gnawed at him.
But no matter what.
He was the first to arrive at the mansion.
The ultimate glory of first place was already within his grasp!
With that thought, Krum puffed out his chest proudly.
"Let's start searching for the door key."
"Yes!"
The four split up into two teams of two, methodically searching room by room, starting from the first floor.
Ben and Leon formed one team.
They began in the study.
"'Strange Rituals: The Blood Goblet,' 'Rising Appetites'—"
Ben flipped through the books. These ancient, tattered volumes, stained with dark red smudges, sent chills down his spine.
Though the contents had been sanitized, making it impossible for contestants to truly grasp them on the spot.
The eerie atmosphere still made everyone uneasy.
Ben pulled a white crystal pendant from his pocket.
This was a magical item; the higher an object's magical concentration, the deeper red the white crystal would turn.
It was perfect for identifying the door key.
Efficient and quick.
Victory was surely theirs!
The corner of Ben's mouth curled up as he scanned the bookshelf with the white crystal.
Just then.
The white crystal suddenly glowed red.
And as Ben moved it, it erupted into a dazzling light!
"Found it!"
Ben shouted in excitement, calling Leon over from the other side.
He reached up and pulled down the book the crystal had indicated.
The two huddled together, eagerly examining the old book with its black cover.
Flipping open the inner pages revealed yellowed paper that was completely blank.
"A blank book—so unusual, this has to be the door key!"
Ben declared confidently.
Just then.
"Gurgle."
Right before their eyes, a round eyeball opened on the pages of the book in their hands.
It rolled around, then fixed on their faces.
It curved, as if smiling.
Like a bucket of ice water dumped over their heads, the smiles on Ben and Leon's faces froze.
This wasn't a painting.
It was a real eyeball, as if freshly plucked from a living being.
It had grown into the page, and in an instant, the paper seemed to transform into human skin.
Its dark pupil brimmed with endless evil and malice, gazing at them with a mocking grin.
—[You have disturbed ■■]
A stinging, itching sensation, like needles pricking their skin, spread across their faces.
"Ahhh!!!"
Ben snapped out of it at the scream beside him and whipped his head around.
He saw Leon's face covered in red sores.
Pea-sized red blisters erupted, popped, and regrew like mushrooms after a rainstorm.
As if they were alive.
But what stopped Ben's heart cold was Leon's terrified stare directed at him.
As if he were the "monster."
Ben glanced down and saw red rashes appearing one by one on his arm, slithering like a snake.
—"Ahhh!!!"
Krum and the other teammate heard the cries, exchanged a glance, and bolted to the study!
What met their eyes was their two teammates writhing on the ground in agony.
Desperately clawing at their faces and arms.
And on their skin, horrifying red rashes had bloomed.
As they scratched, the rashes burst open, oozing red and yellow fluid.
W-what the hell happened?!
Krum's eyes widened, his heart racing.
He tilted his head and spotted a blank old book lying open on the floor nearby.
"Stop scratching!"
Krum lunged forward, seizing Ben's hands.
He shot a look at his stunned teammate, signaling him to grab Leon's.
"Eyes—eyes—!"
The two wailed, their bodies convulsing, utterly beyond recovery.
Krum clumsily cast a healing spell, but it barely helped.
He specialized in offensive magic and hadn't practiced healing much.
What on earth had these two encountered?
"Eyes"?
What did "eyes" mean? Had they seen something forbidden?
But hadn't the organizers inspected everything? How could such a dangerous, malevolent curse still linger?!
Krum eyed the open blank book warily but couldn't figure it out.
All he could say was:
"They can't continue the competition. Get them out of the mansion and find a nearby Auror for help."
After a pause, Krum added, "Go through the window."
"—Y-yes!"
The last remaining teammate replied hastily.
With Krum's assistance, they managed to drag the two out through the window.
"Phew." Krum wiped his forehead, taking a deep breath, his brows knit tightly.
This house was too uncanny.
They'd searched the first floor for ages without a hint of the door key.
Instead, they'd encountered a slew of bizarre paintings.
It was like a parade of nightmarish horrors.
His already weary mind grew even more strained, jumping at every shadow.
Was Herpo the Foul originally such an art enthusiast?
As expected from the ancestor of Dark Wizards.
He wondered if it was just his imagination.
Krum couldn't shake the feeling that this mansion was targeting them.
Four people, and in the blink of an eye, two were out.
Now, only he and the other teammate were left.
His ankle was injured too, and even after treatment, movement was awkward.
The victory he'd thought was assured suddenly felt elusive once more.
Had he somehow offended the owner of this mansion?
That couldn't be.
Herpo the Foul's bones had long turned to dust.
Krum was baffled, so he pushed the thought aside.
Once the last teammate returned, Krum said, "Let's rest for a bit, recover—" But before he could finish.
"Bang!!"
A thunderous crash echoed from the main entrance!
As if some heavy object had smashed through the door and burst inside!
Krum and Noah whipped their heads around, staring at the front door, their briefly relaxed nerves snapping taut again!
The sole remaining teammate, Noah, wore a pained expression.
No way, again??
Are they really out to get us like this—
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