Chapter 305: The Chamber (35k)

In the pitch-black pipe.

A black cat merged into it.

As the black cat slid, its shiny green eyes carefully observed the pipes branching off in all directions.

The pipe beneath it was winding and twisted, steep and sloping downward all the way.

Wizard Sean knew he had slid deep beneath the school, deeper even than the underground classrooms.

Until—thud—the black cat rolled uncontrollably across the floor.

Halfway through the roll, it transformed into a small wizard wearing glasses.

“...Don’t knock them off.”

Wizard Sean suddenly said.

Bai Yi, who had been scratching at his glasses with its paws on his shoulder, stopped.

They turned corner after corner along the tunnel.

Wizard Sean’s expression remained calm, occasionally glancing at the planned map, at Ginny in Gryffindor Tower and Harry’s trio circling on the second floor.

Finally, he carefully turned another bend and spotted a solid wall ahead, carved with two entwined snakes, their eyes inlaid with large, glittering green gems.

“Sssss (open).”

Wizard Sean always felt magic was too vast. Parseltongue—a modest magical ability—had kept the Chamber hidden for a thousand years.

It was like the Dumbledore family’s bond with their phoenix; no one knew what else lay hidden in this magical land...

With a soft sound, the two snakes parted, and the stone wall split down the middle, slowly sliding away until it vanished.

Wizard Sean stepped inside, his left hand holding a glowing wand, his right gripping the Sword of Gryffindor.

Now, he felt as if he had merged with a memory of some close-combat mage.

Behind the stone wall was a long, dimly lit chamber.

Many stone pillars, carved with coiling serpents, rose high to support a ceiling lost in darkness above, casting long, eerie shadows across the room, filled with a greenish, mysterious haze.

Wizard Sean felt slightly tense, scanning every corner—the alchemical frogs were just ahead.

These tiny alchemical constructs had been watching the basilisk for a long time, waiting for him to act.

Following the planned map, Wizard Sean walked until he reached the line of the last pair of pillars, when suddenly a statue, as tall as the chamber itself, appeared pressed against the dark wall behind him.

The statue was naturally Salazar Slytherin’s:

He had a wrinkled, monkey-like face and a thin, straggly beard.

Beneath the statue lay the giant basilisk, its entire body glowing green, shimmering with the vivid sheen of a venomous serpent, its body as thick as an oak trunk.

It had been sleeping,

Now,

It woke.

The alchemical frogs leapt onto Wizard Sean’s arm; his wand blazed with intense light, making the Sword of Gryffindor in his right hand gleam sharply.

The first-floor corridor.

“I heard it! ‘Kill... kill anyone who sees...’”

Harry’s face turned instantly pale; he lay on the ground, hearing an extremely faint hissing—undoubtedly, Parseltongue.

The night was silent; Harry heard only that faint sound and his own heartbeat.

“Think—what in Hogwarts is a snake... and dangerous...”

Hermione looked anxious but dared not move, afraid of disturbing Harry.

“We have to tell Headmaster Dumbledore...”

She spoke without thinking.

“Hermione, every snake is dangerous... and if Wizard Sean didn’t say...”

Ron trembled.

The corridor was dark; about twenty spiders scurried frantically, eager to squeeze through a tiny crack in the glass.

A long silver thread hung down like a rope—they must have climbed up it to escape out the window.

“Have you ever seen spiders like this?”

While waiting for Harry to listen, Hermione asked.

Ron stood far behind, as if barely holding back the urge to flee.

“What are you doing?”

Hermione asked again.

“I—I don’t—don’t like—spiders.”

Ron said nervously.

“I’ve never heard that,”

Hermione said, staring at Ron in surprise,

“You’ve used spiders so many times in Potions...”

“Dead spiders don’t bother me,”

Ron said, carefully avoiding the window,

“I just hate the way they move...”

Hermione smiled.

“What’s so funny?”

Ron snapped,

“You should know, when I was three, Fred broke my toy broom, so he turned my—my teddy bear into a hideous giant spider.

If you’d had my experience, you wouldn’t like them either; if you’re hugging your teddy bear and suddenly it sprouts legs, and...”

He shuddered, unable to continue.

Hermione’s expression turned suddenly serious; she cried out:

“Go to the library—I think I’ve heard of this snake!”

And Harry, still lying on the floor, was dragged along.

The library.

It had closed early; the bookshelves, meant to be empty, suddenly dropped a book.

It didn’t seem to have fallen—it was taken down by an invisible hand.

“Did you find it, Hermione?”

Harry whispered.

Hermione stood frozen, silent.

“Hermione?”

Ron called urgently.

Hermione didn’t respond.

They finally pried open her fingers and pulled down the old library book.

Harry eagerly unrolled it; Ron leaned in, and they read together:

【In our country, many terrible beasts and monsters roam, but none stranger or more deadly than the basilisk, also known as the King of Serpents.

This serpent can grow enormous, often living for centuries, hatched from a rooster’s egg incubated by a toad.

The basilisk kills in astonishing ways: beyond its lethal fangs, its gaze alone can kill. Anyone who meets its eyes dies instantly.

Spiders flee at the sight of a basilisk, for the basilisk is their mortal enemy...】

“Could it be... Hogwarts has a basilisk? The danger Dobby warned of... the sound I heard...”

Harry was terrified by his own thought; Ron wasn’t much better—he clamped his mouth shut to keep from screaming.

“Where did it come from? What did Wizard Sean mean by ‘open’? How can we help?”

Harry asked a flood of questions, his mind blank as a fly without a head.

But no one here could answer his doubts.

“Harry, listen—if Wizard Sean found the basilisk, he wouldn’t ignore it. He always faces danger alone,”

Hermione’s voice trembled, nearly breaking into tears,

“We have to tell the Headmaster—”

Basilisk.

Also called the King of Serpents.

Its ability to petrify wizards’ eyes, its venomous fangs, its massive body—all marked it as deadly.

But Wizard Sean merely gazed calmly at it; his wand went dark, yet the six alchemical frogs hidden in the Chamber blazed with light.

The basilisk seemed enraged; its heavy body slithered slowly across the dusty floor, then reared up.

But before it fully rose, it sank lower—the ground beneath its feet had changed.

【You practiced material transfiguration at the standard of a skilled master. Master-level proficiency +10】

It grew even angrier, lunging forward violently—then halted.

Because two giant dogs had bitten its body.

Two dogs, six heads, wearing glasses—strange beyond belief.

The basilisk writhed, its head shaking as if the earth itself were trembling.

Wizard Sean stared up at the rock above, watching cracks slowly spread across its surface.

Massive chunks of stone crashed down onto the basilisk’s head, forcing it to thrash wildly, yet leaving it dazed and disoriented.

Wizard Sean didn’t pause for a moment; the instant the stones hit the ground, he was already beside the basilisk, sword in hand.

The Sword of Gryffindor gleamed with pristine silver light, utterly spotless.

At last, the basilisk regained its senses. It was far larger than the three-headed dog, so its escape from Bai Yi and Tila was no surprise.

Wizard Sean stepped back silently, completing a [Skilled] Transfiguration spell in an instant.

The basilisk’s counterattack was interrupted again as the ground beneath it sank once more.

Wizard Sean was growing weary—he waved his wand, and the stone floor slowly crept up the basilisk’s body, locking part of it in place.

His wand traced a downward arc; the two three-headed dogs lunged forward, while conical stone spires rained down upon the basilisk’s head.

“I’ll need Dark Magic now…”

Wizard Sean’s gaze shifted slightly.

“Impedimenta!”

The basilisk’s resistance weakened significantly; its bloodied, stone-pounded body grew sluggish.

Only its head narrowly avoided the sharp stone spires.

“Petrificus Totalus!”

“Petrificus Totalus!”

Both spells cast instantly, combined with Transfiguration, rendered the basilisk completely motionless.

Let the three-headed dogs tear into its body.

Wizard Sean was exhausted—three Master-level Transfigurations had drained him completely; his hand holding the sword now trembled.

“Still a bit too much…”

Wizard Sean walked up to the basilisk and, through the magical refracting mirror, saw its strange gaze.

Even with glasses on, Wizard Sean would freeze the moment their eyes met.

The Sword of Gryffindor slashed through its body without mercy—but didn’t kill it outright.

Wizard Sean sheathed his sword, gulped down a potion, and suddenly heard a chime from his panel.

【You have earned the Basilisk’s favor at a Master’s standard. Favor +300】

Wizard Sean: “...”

He had assumed he could only determine the ritual by observing the basilisk—never expecting this unexpected bonus.

The Sword of Gryffindor seemed to possess some strange magic; after its tail was cut, the entire basilisk grew weak.

Wizard Sean cast several Stunning Spells in succession, then had Bai Yi, now transformed into a rooster, perch atop its head—only then did he relax slightly.

Killing the basilisk was simple—but taming it…

Wasn’t hard either.

During the time Voldemort’s soul was weakened by the Soul Relic, Wizard Sean had urgent time to brew Basilisk Cookies.

The only thing that puzzled him was how quickly the basilisk’s favor had increased after he defeated it.

Wizard Sean had never seen favor rise so fast.

He briefly wondered if he’d spoken Parseltongue.

Then he remembered a possibility and pulled a book from his bag:

【The Basilisk is an artificially bred creature. The first recorded Basilisk was bred by “Herpo the Foul,” a Greek Dark Wizard who spoke Parseltongue.】

【After numerous experiments, he discovered that a rooster’s egg hatched by a toad would produce a dangerous serpent with extraordinary powers.】

Dark Wizard…

Meaning the basilisk was very likely a product of Dark Magic.

He opened his panel again:

【Wizard Wizard Sean Green, Dark Magic Affinity: Gold (Dark Magic Saint title already activated). Note: Typical wizards are Green.】

【Assessment: You are a rare genius in Dark Magic. Dark Magic embraces you willingly. You are born to be the King of Dark Magic.】

【Impedimenta: Master (1000/?)】

【Petrificus Totalus: Expert (1000/9000)】

【Crucio: Expert (2000/9000)】

…

For the first time, Wizard Sean thought that occasionally embracing Dark Magic might…

He shook his head quickly.

Never mind.

Inside the Chamber.

The basilisk lay still; only the Sword of Gryffindor glowed—and then, a fang fell from its head.

Wizard Sean held the fang, his gaze as deep as the ocean.