Next came the selection for the second group of Chasers.
Captain Smith released two bludgers and then pulled a Quaffle from his bag.
The focus of this test was to assess whether the Chasers could successfully throw the Quaffle into the goal while under fierce pincer attacks from the bludgers.
Compared to the Seeker's test, the Chaser selection was clearly more brutal and bloody.
With the addition of the bludgers as a variable, the entire scene became exceptionally chaotic.
Some candidates' broomsticks were smashed to pieces by bludgers, causing them to fall straight from mid-air; others were struck squarely in the stomach because they couldn't dodge in time, turning pale with pain and unable to continue; still others focused solely on throwing the Quaffle into the goal, completely oblivious to the danger at their side, resulting in them being sandwiched by two bludgers and having their ribs broken on the spot.
Amidst this chaos, only Roger Davies passed the test.
This rookie, who had once received high praise from Madam Hooch, performed exceptionally well in this intense selection.
His flying speed was more than just a bit faster than the other candidates, and the Quaffle in his hand seemed enchanted, passing accurately through the hoop every time; he even scored fifteen consecutive goals—a performance that nearly rivaled the veteran Chasers of Gryffindor and Slytherin.
The corners of Adelaide's mouth curled up slightly; after all, Quidditch was not a one-person sport, and the stronger her teammates were, the higher their probability of victory.
By the time the third group of Beaters was about to take the field, the number of spectators in the stands had reached nearly four hundred—thanks to the incredible strength Adelaide had displayed in the basic flight test two hours earlier, which attracted nearly half of the Hogwarts students to watch her upcoming trial.
The spectators in the stands wanted to confirm if Adelaide was truly the genius Beater rumored to have talent comparable to Gwenog Jones.
The Beater position primarily tests a player's familiarity with bludger trajectories, the strength and angle of their hits, as well as their ability to clear threats for teammates and create trouble for opponents.
Captain Smith released six bludgers directly, and the third group's test was to avoid being knocked down by the bludgers on the field for thirty minutes.
To some extent, this was likely the most difficult test among the three groups tonight.
Smith had no other choice; the chance of a Beater getting injured in a match was simply too high. They had to chase the bludgers, and a slight slip-up could mean a missed swing and being hit by a bludger instead.
There were six people in total in Adelaide's group, but two had been eliminated during the basic tests, so only four actually took the field.
Captain Smith paid special attention to Adelaide, intentionally letting her go last so she could gather more experience in dealing with bludgers based on the performance of the other three.
Adelaide stood to the side, quietly watching the first three candidates take their turns—to her surprise, these three couldn't even last twenty minutes before being knocked down one after another.
The first candidate missed a swing and was hit in the arm by a bludger, falling off his broom after losing balance; the second candidate accidentally crashed into a goal post while dodging a bludger, losing control of his flying broomstick in agonizing pain; the third candidate was even more unfortunate, swarmed by four bludgers he couldn't fend off, eventually being hit in the head and losing consciousness.
Watching these tragic scenes, Adelaide couldn't help but feel a chill.
She had only chosen the Beater position to legally carry a bat and bludgers; she hadn't expected it to be this dangerous... but now there was no turning back.
Natasha had already bragged so much before; if Adelaide didn't take the field, wouldn't they become a laughingstock?
Thinking of this, Adelaide took a deep breath, gathered her courage, took the bat from Natasha's hand, mounted her Nimbus 2000, and kicked off into the midst of the bludgers.
Immediately, a bludger smashed toward her like a cannonball, and Adelaide swung her bat somewhat frantically—
With a loud "Bang!", the bludger was sent flying back even faster than it had come, colliding with another bludger that was about to ambush Adelaide and sending it flying far away.
The spectators in the stands were stunned by this incredible scene. Wood gripped Percy's shoulder beside him so hard his fingers almost sank into the flesh, but he was completely unaware.
His eyes were fixed on Adelaide, erupting with intense longing as if saying, "Damn it, why isn't Adelaide in Gryffindor!"
The originally joking Weasley Twins fell silent now, looking at each other with the smiles long gone from their faces.
As Beaters, they understood the power behind Adelaide's swing better than anyone else.
They couldn't help but feel secretly annoyed: Damn it, Adelaide never mentioned she was a girl with such monstrous strength before!
Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint clutched his head in pain, his face as pale as paper.
He had bet with Natasha earlier that Adelaide wouldn't be as good as their Beater, Derrick—now it seemed he had lost utterly.
That was a full 20 Gold Galleons, his entire month's allowance!
The eyes of Alice, Armandina, Hermione, Pansy, and the others shimmered with a strange light; they were deeply captivated by Adelaide's performance, their hearts fluttering.
On the other side, the eyes of young boys like Harry and Malfoy shone with admiration as they shouted excitedly, "Senior Grindelwald is just too cool!"
Adelaide herself was simply stunned. Was knocking away a bludger really this simple?
It didn't look like this when she watched the other candidates from below... She powerfully knocked away several more bludgers that came at her, one of which she hit so hard it slammed directly into a goal post, leaving a deep dent—this made the Quidditch players from other houses turn pale; if that hit a person, wouldn't they be forced out of the arena immediately?
And by 'arena,' it didn't mean the match, but the arena of life.
Feeling a bit bored in the air, Adelaide suddenly remembered Merlin once saying she had no weaknesses, and even Merlin's Blessing didn't know what else to grant her—it seemed that besides talent, her physical fitness was also within the scope of having "no weaknesses," which explained why she dared to fly several laps around the tower during her first Flying Class; it was all her innate talent.
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