Chapter 165: The Final, Entering the Maze

With Dumbledore's speech, it meant the game was about to officially kick off.

Everyone stood up one after another.

"Alright, go, child."

"We will be watching you from the spectator seats."

Mr. Claude patted John on the shoulder and said with a smile.

He didn't put any pressure on him, but his eyes were full of trust and encouragement.

Titus, Ryan, Ethan, and the others also gave John a thumbs up with smiles.

"Go for it, John, bring the championship back for us!"

"No, the championship must be Harry's!"

Ron on the other side shouted, causing a burst of light laughter from the people around.

Hermione also hugged John and Harry like last time.

"You both must come back safely."

Harry smiled, and before he could say anything, he was suddenly pushed out by John.

Then John monopolized Hermione's hug.

"Don't worry, Hermione, I will come back safely."

John said to Hermione with a smile, and Hermione glared at him with a blush, but couldn't hide the smile at the corner of her mouth.

The adults didn't expect the children to be so bold now, and for a while, they exchanged glances, their faces showing expressions they couldn't help but laugh at.

"Whew~"

Sirius whistled, a teasing smile on his face.

Hermione hurriedly let go of John, stepped back half a step with a blushing face, and then pretended nothing happened.

John smiled, then looked at Harry, who had a resentful face on the side.

"Let's go, Savior."

After saying that, he hooked his shoulder and led the reluctant Harry toward Dumbledore.

After the four warriors were all present, Dumbledore led them away from behind the Great Hall.

Then they came all the way to the center of the Quidditch pitch.

Although they had already seen it once.

But when they stood in front of the maze entrance, they truly felt the oppressive feeling coming toward them.

The pitch-black entrance was like the mouth of a giant beast, and from time to time, it would blow out cold wind.

Harry could even hear low and eerie roars coming from the depths of the maze.

"Warriors, come over."

Dumbledore stood beside the maze entrance, his gaze sweeping over the four warriors, and said to them.

The four of them formed a circle.

Dumbledore looked at them, giving them his final instructions.

"Although there are no dragons or water monsters in this maze."

"But it is still full of crises, and a moment of carelessness could lead to being lost in it."

"You must keep your heads clear at all times and be careful of the dangers lurking within."

"The staff will patrol around the maze, and if you encounter a situation you truly cannot handle, you can shoot red sparks into the sky to call for help at any time."

"Of course, I hope you can distinguish where the real sky is..."

Dumbledore's gaze flickered slightly, looking at the four seriously.

The four nodded one after another to show they understood.

Dumbledore waved his hand, letting them return to their respective starting positions to prepare.

There were four entrances to the maze in total, and John stood at the third entrance from left to right.

Before long, the school's teachers and students, as well as the guests from other schools who came to watch the game, poured into the spectator seats one after another.

Seeing that the time was almost up.

Dumbledore walked onto the central lecture platform.

"Now! The third task of the Triwizard Tournament, also the final, is about to begin!"

Dumbledore held his wand to his mouth and began to speak loudly.

"Next, the four warriors will search for the path to the center of the maze in this unpredictable maze, where the Triwizard Cup is quietly waiting for the true winner to lift it!"

"Whoever gets the trophy first is the winner of the Triwizard Tournament!"

With Dumbledore's speech, a deafening cheer erupted from the spectator seats.

"According to the points ranking of the first two tasks."

"John Merrick will be the first to set off."

"Next is Harry Potter, followed by Viktor Krum, and finally Fleur Delacour."

"Now, contestants, take your positions!"

Dumbledore turned back to look at the maze entrance.

John was already standing in front of the entrance, and the cold wind blowing from the maze kept hitting his robes, making them sway and dance.

"Three, two, one..."

Bang!!

A cannon sounded.

John didn't hesitate, turned around, and stepped into the maze entrance.

People in the spectator seats could only see John's swaying robes gradually disappearing into the depths of the dark maze.

Inside the dark hedge maze, John walked alone.

After entering, the noise behind him quieted down completely, leaving only the sound of his own footsteps on the grass.

Soon, he reached the first fork in the road.

There was no difference between the left and right sides; they were both dark hedge passages.

Normally, he should use the Point Me Spell now.

But John didn't, instead picking up his wand.

"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe."

John pointed left and right, and finally, his wand landed on the right passage.

Without hesitation, John walked directly over.

After walking for about half a minute, he reached another fork.

This time he didn't continue to point randomly with his wand but walked directly to the left.

After all, he had already favored the right side once, so he had to favor the left side.

As a result, after walking two steps, it was a crossroads again.

This time John chose to go straight.

However, just as he went straight into the passage, the road in front of him suddenly twisted and deformed, the hedges squirmed like living things, and the passage behind him closed rapidly, sealing off his retreat.

In front, he didn't know when, a magical creature resembling a wild boar appeared, a Porlock.

Its huge tusks shone with a cold light, and its back was covered in hard bristles.

Alright, alright, so that's how we're playing.

Realizing he had stepped into a trap, John was speechless.

He saw the Porlock roar, paw the ground with its front hooves, kicking up a cluster of mud, and then suddenly rush toward John.

This passage was narrow, and there was no way to dodge.

John quickly waved his wand, and a wall of earth rose rapidly to block in front of him.

The Porlock slammed into the earth wall with a bang.

It actually smashed the earth wall directly; if this hit his body, wouldn't he be bruised and purple?

However, it didn't feel good either, its tusks embedded in the rubble, shaking its head hard, trying to shake the rubble off its tusks.

John seized this momentary gap and waved his wand again.

"Retreat Enemy Three Feet!"

A red spell hit the Porlock's soft nose, and the Porlock let out a howl in pain, raised its head, staggered back a few steps, and then fell to the ground.

John didn't give it another chance to get up.

A Binding Curse instantly tied it up firmly, and it could only curl up on the spot and struggle, making low whimpering sounds.

As the Porlock was subdued by the Binding Curse, the passage in front of him twisted again, the hedges slowly separated, restoring the original appearance of the previous passage.

That Porlock also disappeared, as if it had never appeared.

Hiss... didn't I just fall into an illusion?

John looked at this scene and scratched his head strangely.

But he didn't think much about it and continued walking forward. ===== CHAPTER 166 =====