Brook raised a hand to his forehead, his face full of helplessness.
What was all this nonsense?
Whether it was the Ring or the Space Gate, he could leave whenever he wanted.
It was one thing for Harry and Ron not to understand his abilities, but how had Hermione become so muddled too?
With a casual wave, a glowing door appeared out of thin air.
He stepped through it and instantly appeared beside Hermione.
This sudden scene left everyone present completely stunned.
The Troll froze. Its walnut-sized brain could not understand why Brook had suddenly vanished, only to instantly appear somewhere else.
Harry and Ron were stunned too. They had just been trying their hardest to create an opportunity for Brook to escape, but apparently, he did not need one at all.
Hermione: ⁄(⁄⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄⁄)⁄
She had simply been too worried to think straight. All she had wanted was to help Brook, and she had forgotten that his Space Gate itself was a powerful escape skill.
However, she reacted the fastest and grabbed Brook's hand.
"Open a Space Gate. Let's get out of here."
Brook shook his head. "Hermione, since we're already here, let me show you what I can do. Then you won't always worry about my safety."
It was only a Troll. He had countless ways to kill it.
Earlier, he had wanted to hide inside the Ring purely because he was lazy.
This was a good chance to put Hermione's mind at ease—and make certain people worry a little.
Although the Troll had yet to figure out what was happening, it decided to stop thinking and simply beat this tiny human who had confused it to death.
It raised its club and swung it fiercely toward Brook.
Hermione screamed in terror. "Ah! Danger! Danger! Danger!"
"Don't be afraid. I have plenty of ways to deal with this. Space Gates can save lives, but they can also be used in battle."
Brook spoke calmly as he casually raised a hand.
A Space Gate appeared directly beneath where the club was about to come down.
At the same time, another Space Gate appeared beside the Troll.
Something miraculous happened. The whistling club passed straight through the two Space Gates and slammed heavily into the Troll itself with tremendous force.
The Troll's massive body was sent flying by the blow, crashing viciously into the wall with a dull thud.
The Troll was completely dazed by the hit and lay sprawled stupidly against the wall.
Hermione, Harry, and Ron, who were watching nearby, were all so shocked that their mouths hung open.
"See? If I'd placed the Space Gate at the Troll's head, it would have already exploded."
With a flick of Brook's wand, one of the Troll's feet was sliced open, the cut incredibly smooth.
The Troll howled in agony.
"The Cutting Charm. If I wanted to, I could carve the Troll into pieces."
Then Brook lightly brushed the Ring.
Two modern weapons appeared on the ground.
Ron did not react much. He was only a little curious.
But Hermione and Harry's jaws nearly hit the floor.
"This is a Degtyaryov machine gun. I prefer to call it the 'Dapanji.' One burst would be enough to turn the Troll into a sieve. And this is an RPG-7 rocket launcher. It can destroy tanks. One shot would send the Troll flying into the sky," Brook explained.
"No, don't! You absolutely can't!" Hermione hurriedly stopped him. "Hogwarts would be blown away too."
"To blow up Hogwarts, you'd need missiles. Of course, I have plenty of those too. Never mind one Hogwarts—even a hundred of them, I could flatten them with ease. But against a little nobody like this, I don't need any of that."
Brook smiled and continued, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm really strong. You don't need to worry about me."
At that moment, the Troll struggled to get back on its feet. It seemed unwilling to let the matter rest and wanted to attack them again.
Brook casually waved a hand, and a Space Gate instantly appeared beneath the Troll's feet.
The Troll had no time to react before it fell straight in.
When it had fallen halfway through, Brook canceled the Space Gate.
Now half the Troll's body was stuck underground. No matter how it struggled, it could not get out and could only roar in fury.
Brook's hand passed through a Space Gate and slapped the Troll across the face, instantly dazing it.
"Stop shouting. You're teaching material now."
He turned to Hermione. "Actually, as long as you stay calm, you can defeat it too."
"Me?" Hermione's face was full of surprise. "Can I?"
"Why not?" Brook began teaching her. "There are so many broken stones on the ground. Use the Transfiguration Curse to turn them into steel balls. The Troll will slip when it steps on them. Then use the Levitation Charm to control those steel balls and attack its head. You can defeat it easily that way."
Hermione: (ㅍ_ㅍ)✧
That actually seemed possible!
She was tempted.
"What do you think? Want to give it a try?"
Hermione nodded vigorously.
She was eager to try.
However, before Brook could release the Troll and let Hermione show what she could do—
A burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from behind them.
Professor McGonagall rushed in first, with Snape and Quirrell close behind.
They looked at the chaotic scene before them, especially the Troll trapped in the floor, still struggling and roaring, and expressions of utter disbelief appeared on their faces.
Quirrell was so frightened that his face went pale. He clutched his chest, his legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor nearby.
Professor McGonagall's chest heaved violently, and her trembling voice was laced with anger.
"Can someone explain to me what, exactly, is going on here?"
Snape swept his scrutinizing gaze over the four of them, especially Brook.
He had a strong premonition that Brook was the only one who could have done all this.
Just as Hermione was about to speak, Brook complained first, "Professor, Hogwarts' security is far too poor, isn't it?"
"W-what?"
Professor McGonagall: [・_・?]
She had no time to remain angry. Brook had completely thrown her off.
Even Snape's usually expressionless face took on an amused look.
With a flick of his wand, he stunned the roaring Troll.
Then he folded his arms and stood to the side as though watching a show.
"The moment I stepped out of the classroom, I was attacked by a Troll. My poor heart is still pounding."
Professor McGonagall took a deep breath. "Why were you here?"
She understood what Brook meant. He had not been at the feast, so he had not received the warning.
The responsibility for him being attacked by the Troll truly fell on the professors.
Brook shrugged and patiently explained.
"Since the beginning of term, whenever Hermione and I had free time, we went to that empty classroom to practice magic. The two portraits there can testify for us."
Professor McGonagall fixed her gaze on Brook, waiting for him to continue.
"After class today, as usual, I came here to practice the Bubblehead Charm." Brook pointed at the bubble over his head.
Professor McGonagall completely understood now.
"Although it's not yet perfect, it is already quite remarkable for a first-year wizard. Filius would probably award you points for this."
"Thank you for the praise. I was so absorbed in practicing that I forgot all about the feast. That's why they came to notify me about the Troll—they were worried I might be in danger." Brook finished explaining the situation.
Before you continue