Rain poured down in sheets as Michael looked around, searching for the Dark Magic creature that had launched the attack.
He had barely lifted his foot when he discovered that the ground had already turned into a muddy mess, the thick sludge even rising past his ankles.
There seemed to be a pulling force hidden deep within the mud, trying to drag him down.
The discovery gave him a fright. "Merlin's beard! How did this happen?"
He hurriedly raised his Wand and pointed it ahead, transfiguring a platform above the mud. He tried to stand on it, hoping to keep the mud from affecting his mobility too much.
The moment Michael stepped onto the platform, it suddenly lost its balance and toppled backward with him.
Fortunately, he had not made the platform too high. He hastily pulled back his foot and barely managed to steady himself.
Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the corner of his eye caught a black shadow flashing past on his left.
"It's here?" He quickly turned toward where the black shadow had vanished, but all he saw was churning mud. There was no black shadow at all.
Michael relaxed slightly and muttered, "I should stop scaring myself..."
Before he had even finished speaking, the mud in front of him exploded. A Grindylow leaped out of it.
The Grindylow waved its long, thin fingers and let out a piercing shriek as it lunged straight for Michael's face.
Michael stumbled back in fright, slipped, lost his balance, and crashed heavily into the mud.
Thankfully, the Water and Fire Resistance Spell protected him, keeping the splashing mud from smearing over his eyes.
The mud churned again, and the Grindylow vanished once more, clearly diving back beneath it.
Michael gasped for breath as he struggled to his