Exploration Encountered a Dark Wizard (Revised)

After walking for about half an hour, they arrived before a dense forest. By then, night had completely fallen.

Moriarty whispered to Lockhart, "There's a Snowman Tribe hidden in these woods. Every evening, the little snowmen come out to play."

"Excellent! I'll wait for him here!" Lockhart drew his Wand.

Moriarty gave the Wand a few extra looks. It was exquisitely ornate to an absurd degree. Lockhart probably could not even cast a Disarming Charm.

"Hey," Lockhart whispered excitedly. "Did you hear that? Screams, hissing... could that be the sound of snowmen?"

Moriarty frowned. Snowmen's cries had always been rough and booming. He had never heard such shrill hissing.

As though he had discovered a new continent, Lockhart pointed excitedly at a spot in the forest for Moriarty to see. "That white shadow, look! It's moving! Could a little snowman have come out?"

But his expression soon darkened. A flock of fiery red crows appeared out of nowhere above the forest. Scalding flames burned over their bodies as they screeched and swooped at the snowmen in the woods!

The forest was set ablaze by sparks. Several snowmen sprayed snow water to extinguish the flames, only to be swarmed by even more Fire Crows moments later.

Three beams of white light shot into the sky and summoned three gusting whirlwinds. They slammed viciously into an adult snowman, knocking it out of the forest.

Lockhart stared blankly at the broken trees and injured snowman.

Those three white lights were magic. The Snowman Tribe was under attack by wizards!

At that moment, Moriarty received a system prompt as well.

"Mission issued: Prevent the Dark Wizards from taking the Ice Moon Necklace and save the Snowman Tribe! Reward: Ten Years of Magic Power and one Alchemy Item. Mission failure: Host must run naked for one thousand meters!"

He had only intended to use Lockhart to get revenge on the snowmen and perhaps bring Lockhart under his control while he was at it.

He had never expected to get dragged into an incident involving Dark Wizards!

Moriarty gripped his Wand tightly, considering whether he could defeat a Dark Wizard.

I hope the Slytherin staff is sturdy enough!

He automatically ignored the system's punishment. Running naked was absolutely out of the question.

"Lockhart, come with me! We have to sneak into the forest."

"What did you say? Are you crazy?" Lockhart shook his head in disbelief, finding it utterly ridiculous. "Before they notice us, we should leave as quickly as possible and never come back!"

Lockhart put his Violin and Wand back into the case and decisively turned around, only to have the tip of a Wand pressed against his back.

Moriarty held his Wand, his tone icy. "You have only two choices. First, I kill you now. Second, you come with me and save the snowmen!"

Lockhart swallowed. "Don't joke around. You're just a child. You can't possibly kill me."

"Are you testing me? Fine. Killing Curse!" Moriarty growled. "Avada—"

"No, no, please, don't say that spell!" Lockhart broke out in a cold sweat. He pleaded with Moriarty, "Don't kill me. I'll go with you."

"Follow me. We'll sneak in, and the moment you see a Dark Wizard, cast a Spell at him, understand? Snowmen aren't mindless. If they see us attacking their enemies, they won't attack us. And keep your footsteps light!"

Moriarty slowly released Lockhart. He knew Lockhart was only paying lip service. If things went south, he would still run away. But once the fight began, it would be enough if Lockhart could delay them for a dozen seconds or so.

The two bent low and jogged into the forest. They saw a large lake, where more than ten snowmen were fighting four wizards completely shrouded in black robes.

The Snowman Tribe had been devastated. The Fire Crows were completely unaffected by the snow, and four snowmen had already fallen to the ground. The little snowman Lockhart had spotted was being chased by a cluster of Fire Crows.

Lockhart finally saw the truth. The little snowman had not come out to play. It was running for its life.

"Save the little snowman first!" Moriarty charged forward, waving his Wand. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The Levitation Charm lifted a broken tree into the air. Moriarty controlled it as it crashed down from above, scattering every Fire Crow chasing the little snowman.

Realizing it was safe, the little snowman happily bounced toward Moriarty, making squeaking noises.

The adult snowmen on the other side quickly responded, though Moriarty unfortunately could not understand their words.

Moriarty surveyed the battlefield. The Dark Wizard controlling the Fire Crows was a Gnome Dark Wizard. Carrying a huge pack on his back, he was holding his own against six adult snowmen.

The other three Dark Wizards were summoning the whirlwinds. They were tall, each fighting one adult snowman.

Moriarty made a shrewd decision. "Lockhart, deal with that Gnome Dark Wizard. I'll take care of those three over there, then come help you."

Lockhart stamped his feet in fury. "You gave the strongest and most evil Dark Wizard to me! But I can't beat him at all!"

Moriarty had already run off. Without looking back, he shouted, "I'm not asking you to defeat him. Can't you even cast a Disarming Charm at his back?"

Lockhart gritted his teeth, his gaze at the Gnome Dark Wizard gradually becoming firm. But when the Gnome Dark Wizard gave him a vicious glare, Lockhart instantly revealed his true colors. He could barely even hold his Wand steady.

"I-I-I surrender! I have no intention of fighting you!"

Yet the Gnome Dark Wizard had no intention of letting Lockhart go. With a wave of his Wand, a massive flock of Fire Crows flew toward Lockhart!

The Gnome Dark Wizard also alerted his companions. Though they were not far apart, Moriarty still heard that he was speaking Japanese.

"An Eastern Isles Dark Wizard?" In his previous life, Moriarty had mastered five foreign languages, Japanese among them.

Translated, the Gnome Dark Wizard's words meant: Do not let anyone discover us. Kill everyone!

"Lockhart, stop running! They want to kill us all. They won't spare us!"

Moriarty did not expect Lockhart to defeat the Gnome Dark Wizard, but Lockhart could at least cast a Disarming Charm to buy some time.

After hearing that, Lockhart finally made up his mind to ambush the Gnome Dark Wizard. He scrambled forward and cast a Disarming Charm at him.

At the same time, Moriarty cast Lumos so he could clearly see the distance between himself and the three Dark Wizards.

He quickly reviewed the magical inheritance of the Slytherin Family in his mind and ultimately selected several simple Spells.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

A huge surge of Magic Power poured from his Wand. As it was his first time casting it, Moriarty's control over the Petrification Curse was still lacking.

The Spell drifted lazily toward a Dark Wizard, who easily dodged it and gave Moriarty a thumbs-down.

Moriarty replayed the casting process in his mind, then raised his Wand at the Dark Wizard mocking him.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

The second Spell struck the Dark Wizard's chest at lightning speed and petrified him. It happened so quickly that his thumb remained pointed downward.

Moriarty rushed straight up to the Dark Wizard and aimed the tip of his Wand at him. "Sectumsempra! Sectumsempra! Sectumsempra!"

Three consecutive Spells blew the Dark Wizard into pieces with a sharp bang!

"Ding-dong~ Detected that host has killed a Dark Wizard. Awarded 300 points."

Moriarty was delighted. With points, he could exchange them for all kinds of magic.

And with his abundant experience, he could always find the most suitable point to exert force and unleash terrifying power.

Moriarty became even more confident about dealing with these Dark Wizards.

When the remaining two Dark Wizards saw their companion dispatched so brutally, they realized how terrifying Moriarty was. They immediately abandoned the snowmen and raised their Wands at him.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Cruciatus Curse!"

The two Spells exposed the Dark Wizards' identities. They were speaking English.

Moriarty had no time to wonder why British wizards were working with an Eastern Isles Wizard. The two Spells came one after another, forming a chain.

Once Moriarty was disarmed and then hit by a Cruciatus Curse, he would be completely at their mercy.

"Protego! Protego!"

Having learned from his mistake while casting Petrificus Totalus, Moriarty cast the Shield Charm twice.

An invisible shield appeared in the direction pointed by the Slytherin staff, forming a protective barrier before Moriarty.

When Moriarty saw the rebounding red light, he knew he had blocked the Dark Wizard's Disarming Charm.

But the Cruciatus Curse was one of the three Unforgivable Curses. Protego could not block an Unforgivable Curse.

At Moriarty's current magical level, he could not use the powerful magic of the Slytherin Family. He could only summon a nearby tree to block the attack.

"Accio Tree!"

Moriarty then cast a minor Spell on himself. "Windlike Flight!"

After boosting his speed, Moriarty rolled forward, buying himself a little time. The flying broken tree blocked the Cruciatus Curse and exploded into fragments.

His instincts shone through at that moment. Moriarty realized he could use the slippery snow to increase his speed even further.

He rushed at the Dark Wizard who had cast the Cruciatus Curse, sliding low across the snow to close the distance rapidly.

Countless Slytherin Family Spells flashed through his mind before he settled on an instant Spell that struck as soon as it was cast!

"Slicing Spell!"

The Dark Wizard's black robe was shredded into pieces. The exposed skin split open as if cut by an invisible sword, and blood poured out in torrents.

"Oh no, Merlin! Save me!"

The Dark Wizard who had cast the Disarming Charm stared in shock at his companion, who was barely alive. Blood flowed from his writhing body like a burst dam.

Moriarty narrowed his eyes. The blood was especially glaring against the snow. This was a vicious curse invented by his ancestor Salazar during his long duels with Godric Gryffindor. Its damage was maxed out!

"Detected that host has killed a Dark Wizard. Awarded 500 points."

Moriarty opened the store. One bottle of Restorative Potion (Basic) cost 500 points.

"System, exchange one bottle for me."

Moriarty concealed the exchanged potion in his left hand. Supporting himself with his Wand in his right, he stood up and saw the Dark Wizard's face and hair color clearly.

He was a genuine British wizard!

That meant that among the four Dark Wizards, the Gnome Dark Wizard was from the Eastern Isles, while the other three were British Dark Wizards.

Moriarty did not want to be hunted down by Dark Wizards in the future without knowing why. He raised his Wand, aiming its tip at the last Dark Wizard.

"You saw what happened to your two companions, didn't you? Do you want to die in a foreign land just like them? Or will you tell me everything, and I'll give you some money so you can leave this place and never return?"

Moriarty barely moved his lips as he spoke, trying to break through the Dark Wizard's mental defenses with a tone utterly indifferent to death.

The Dark Wizard did not fall for it. He pointed his Wand at Moriarty. "The sweat on your forehead gave you away! That Spell you used to kill Neil must have consumed a great deal of Magic Power. Your bluff is useless against me!"

Just as the Dark Wizard said, Slicing Spell had consumed too much Magic Power. Moriarty had been suffering from a headache since then.

But he could not show weakness. Instead, he glared back even more fiercely. "Stupid Mudblood! Die!"

The Dark Wizard's eyes filled with humiliation. Moriarty's deliberate words had clearly struck a sensitive nerve.

He involuntarily backed away several steps and layered several Protego spells around himself, only to realize that Moriarty had already run far away.

"Fuck!" Realizing he had been tricked, the Dark Wizard raised his Wand in fury. "Sectumsempra!"

"Protego!" Moriarty spun around sharply and aimed his Wand at the Dark Wizard. A surging burst of Magic Power erupted, rebounding Sectumsempra.

While the Dark Wizard staggered back, Moriarty ran as he swallowed the Restorative Potion. His Magic Power had returned!

As he continued casting magic, Moriarty even felt his Magic Power increase a little.

"Incendio!" Moriarty had wanted to try this Spell for a long time.

A flash of fire shot from the Wand's tip, and a huge blaze lunged at the Dark Wizard so quickly that he had no time to cast Protego.

"No!"

The Dark Wizard rolled in the snow, hoping it would extinguish the flames. But Moriarty casually summoned a broken tree and ended the Dark Wizard's sinful life.

"Detected that host has killed a Dark Wizard. Awarded 300 points."

Based on the number of points awarded, Moriarty could tell that Neil had been the leader of the three British wizards and the strongest among them.

After eliminating the three Dark Wizards, he had gained 1,100 points.

At that moment, the Gnome Dark Wizard looked like a gold bar with legs in Moriarty's eyes.

"Moriarty! What are you standing around for? Come save me!"

Lockhart's howl came from the lakeside. His leg had been burned by Fire Crows, forcing him to soak his lower body in the lake.

Two adult snowmen capable of spraying water had saved Lockhart. Otherwise, the Gnome Dark Wizard's Cruciatus Curse would have hit him long ago.

But the snowmen were not in great shape either. Wanting to end the battle quickly, Moriarty recalled a large-scale spell from his family inheritance.

"Branches Fly."

Moriarty controlled twelve branches and planted them in the snow, then manipulated over a dozen more branches to sway continuously, as if he were drawing.

Lockhart snapped, "At a time like this, you still have the mood to draw?"

Hearing that, the Gnome Dark Wizard looked toward Moriarty, then sucked in a breath. "Where did this little brat come from? He can actually draw a Magic Circle!"

Lockhart: "..."

It was not Lockhart's fault for being ignorant. Magic Circles were rarely used in modern magic. Those capable of drawing them either came from ancient families or were reclusive old monsters.

Thinking of the hidden masters throughout China, the Gnome Dark Wizard realized he had stirred up enormous trouble.

The Gnome Dark Wizard raised his Wand. "Undead Fire Raven!"

The Fire Crows in the forest flew toward the Gnome Dark Wizard, forming a fiery red halo. A crow nearly five meters tall flew out from the halo, its target unmistakably Moriarty!

Whoosh!

The crow spread its wings. Its wingspan reached ten meters, and clusters of black flames rose from its wings, giving off a foul stench.

It was the stench of corpses!

Moriarty frowned deeply. This had to be the Gnome Dark Wizard's trump card, a forbidden art that summoned the undead.

Once the aura of death appeared, it would surely claim a life.

But it had one weakness: the Fire Crow Halo.

The Gnome Dark Wizard's Magic Power was clearly insufficient to support the summoning of a true Undead Fire Raven. He could only use the power of the smaller Fire Crows to sustain the giant one.

As long as the Fire Crow Halo was destroyed, the Undead Fire Raven could be weakened.

Moriarty was still drawing the Magic Circle and could not afford to lose focus. He roared at Lockhart, "Throw every Spell you know at that halo!"

Lockhart did as he was told, but he knew pitifully few Spells. Moriarty saw clearly that there were Disarming Charms, Cleaning Charms... but not Lockhart's best Memory Charm.

That meant Lockhart was not being honest. He was holding something back, perhaps harboring ulterior motives.

Still, Lockhart's interference made the halo shrink slightly. The Undead Fire Raven paused briefly, but it soon returned to normal and charged forward wrapped in flames.

Moriarty felt the scorching heat of undead fire. At that very moment, his Magic Circle was complete!

"Speak to me, Slytherin! The greatest of the Four Founders!"

Moriarty thrust his Wand into the ground. Green light rose up, followed by silver light spreading across the snow.

The crude Magic Circle activated and spun rapidly. More than a dozen branches transformed into green Light Beams that shot straight into the sky.

"Ice Snake Dance!"

Moriarty drained every last bit of Magic Power and poured it into the Magic Circle.

The air suddenly turned cold. A massive storm appeared above the Magic Circle, mixed with ice and snow.

Falling ice crystals and chunks of snow continuously smashed into the Undead Fire Raven, leaving it no time to counterattack.

The storm swiftly descended, sweeping away the Fire Raven. The undead flames vanished without a trace.

Bang! The Fire Crow Halo exploded. The Gnome Dark Wizard suffered a magical backlash and coughed dully.

Moriarty guessed that he must have coughed up blood. Though he concealed it well, the two snowmen would not miss this opportunity.

Two streams of snow water sprayed from the snowmen's mouths. The Gnome Dark Wizard cast a protective Spell on himself.

"Baka, you little brat!" The Gnome Dark Wizard burned with rage, glaring at Moriarty as though he wanted nothing more than to hit him with another vicious curse.

But Moriarty gave him no chance. If he could kill, he killed; never delaying had been his creed as an agent in his previous life.

He planted both hands on his wand and made hissing sounds. "Hiss! Hisss, hiss!"

Lockhart's mouth fell wide open. This time, no matter how ignorant he was, he knew what it was.

"Parseltongue!?"

Lockhart suddenly understood why Moriarty had been speaking to Slytherin.

After Moriarty spoke in Serpent Tongue, the twelve green Light Beams instantly transformed into huge green snakes!

The snakes charged into the storm above the Magic Circle and emerged as twelve ice serpents!

The ice serpents slowly approached the Gnome, who had already been frightened stiff.

The green snakes, each more than ten meters long and three meters wide, toyed with the Gnome as though he were a tiny mouse.

The twelve snake heads took turns staring at the Gnome. Their forked tongues licked his face, and every lick froze it further.

Eerie. Ominous!

The pressure brought by the ice serpents left the snowmen too afraid to move. Only after the Gnome had been completely frozen, forming an Ice Coffin, did the ice serpents gradually fade away.

Moriarty dropped onto the ground, his Magic Power nearly exhausted. He could not hold on any longer.

"Lockhart? Lockhart! If you can still move, bring me the Gnome's backpack!"

Moriarty ordered Lockhart around as though he were a servant. Lockhart blankly walked toward the Gnome, unable to banish the Twelve Ice Serpents from his mind.

Bang!

Lockhart set the enormous backpack down in front of Moriarty.

Four or five snowmen rushed over, but they fearfully glanced at Moriarty and did not dare come any closer. They could only whimper at the backpack.

Before long, a low whimper actually came from inside the backpack, as though someone were crying.

Moriarty remembered the system's mission. It seemed the backpack contained a Snowman Baby.

"Lockhart, open the backpack and return the Snowman Baby inside to the snowmen."

As if trying to verify it for himself, Lockhart opened the backpack with trembling hands, then instantly widened his eyes.

He blankly carried out the Snowman Baby and handed it to the snowmen.

"Y-you, how did you know there was a Snowman Baby inside?" Lockhart collapsed to the ground like a deflated balloon.

Moriarty's overwhelming strength, endless Spells, and terrifying forbidden arts had nearly crushed Lockhart's pride.

The only thing allowing Lockhart to retain any dignity before Moriarty was his Memory Charm.

And now, could Moriarty possibly foresee the future?

Wouldn't that mean the other man also knew about his Memory Charm?!

Moriarty was too busy staring at a necklace at the bottom of the backpack to pay Lockhart any attention.

He picked up the necklace, but nothing unusual happened.

But the mission was complete, right?

Detected that the host has completed the mission. Rewarding the host with Ten Years of Magic Power and an Alchemy Item, the Philosopher's Stone.

The Philosopher's Stone?

Nicolas Flamel's Philosopher's Stone!

He would definitely pay this Alchemy master a visit when he had the chance.

Moriarty had Lockhart help him up. Carrying his wand, he walked over to the Gnome and stored both him and the Ice Moon Necklace in the System Space.

He still did not know what the Ice Moon Necklace could do, but there had to be an enormous secret hidden behind the Gnome.

Moriarty would never allow that secret to slip through his fingers. Once he was settled, he would properly interrogate the Gnome.