Cavern Exploration
Having dealt with Kettleburn, Skylar carefully removed all eight Alchemical Magic Eye and stored them in his pocket space.
[Eight Alchemical Magic Eye Obtained!]
Skylar looked down at the Bowtruckle lying unconscious on the ground. Just as Kettleburn was attacked and subdued, this clever Bowtruckle immediately tried to escape, but was knocked unconscious by its own faster spell.
The Bowtruckle, has already seen its own face.
This is a Magical Creatures with sentience. Although it cannot speak human language, it can communicate in other ways, such as through various gestures and language.
To conceal Skylar's identity, Skylar used Conjuring Spell to conjure a sturdy iron box and imprison it inside. His Dark Laboratory was short of experimental subjects, and this Black Bowtruckle possessed special sensory abilities that ordinary Bowtruckle did not have, making it worthy of being dissected and studied by Skylar.
[The "experimental material," the Black Bowtruckle, has been obtained!]
Next, Skylar rushed to the next location without stopping—the Forbidden Forest coordinates that Silver Fang had given to the Sleeping Dragon Society, a hidden cave where ancient inscriptions had appeared.
Skylar conjured three orbs of light to lead the way before cautiously stepping into the dark, bottomless cave.
The journey was uneventful, but the dark and narrow cave path was very long, Skylar walked for a long time without seeing the end.
A dark and silent environment can slowly affect a person's mood over time, especially when in an enclosed space where the end is nowhere in sight.
Skylar's pupils began to turn crimson Snake Eyes. His lifelong habit of continuous training enabled him to sustain this level of cave exploration, but the environment slowly began to make him feel depressed.
The long journey had long since made him lose his sense of time. He had checked his watch many times during the journey, but in this strange cave, the watch was interfered with by some unknown force and stopped working, leaving Skylar with no idea how long he had been there.
As expected of Gryffindor, he understands the fragility of human nature very well—this kind of dark space full of unknowns is most likely to trigger fear in people's hearts. If it weren't for the Skylar Orb and Serpent Pupil, two spells that helped him adapt to the cave environment, it would have been very difficult for him.
Just as Skylar began to feel a little impatient, he was pleasantly surprised to find that he had finally reached the end of the cave.
Before him stood a stone door, inscribed in Old Conrwo Language, "Danger within, enter with caution."
Yes, very Gryffindor style.
Skylar vaguely remembered that historical records indicated Gryffindor was from Cornwall, and the ancient Conrwo Language was probably spoken around the 10th century, so it seemed that the warning words on the door were undoubtedly left by Gryffindor himself.
Having come this far through so much hardship, there's no reason to be scared back by him.
Of course, Skylar didn't believe Gryffindor would be so bored as to make a pointless bluff just to scare people. So there must really be some danger behind the door.
Although the Gryffindor's Chamber was likely intended for underage wizards, the average skill level of wizards a thousand years ago was far superior to that of modern wizards.
The Middle Ages, a dark age for wizards, was filled with intrigue, bloodshed, and danger. Wizards' primary goal in learning magic was to gain the ability to protect themselves.
Modern wizards live in a peaceful era, and their magic is more focused on making life more convenient and efficient.
With a solemn expression, Skylar drew his wand, activating the power of the Night Star Cloak, the Supreme Robe, Wind-Setting Boots, and forcefully pushed open the door.
Even with Skylar's composure, he couldn't help but gasp. What came into view was an enormous Manticore, its height roughly the height of a three-story building.
The Manticore is already a five-star dangerous Fantastic Beasts, and this monster is at least ten times larger than described in textbooks.
The Manticore roared, and the sheer power of its sound waves was enough to make Skylar lose his footing. If it weren't for the Merlin 'Guardian Ring on his right index finger activating its protective shield in time, Skylar might have been blown away.
The Manticore roared menacingly, "Humans, those who trespass on this forbidden land shall die!" It revealed a pair of sharp claws, tearing deep grooves into the ground in front of it, while its huge hook-shaped scorpion tail lashed violently behind it, emitting a terrifying buzzing sound.
This is such a twisted test! Skylar was speechless.
Let alone underage wizards, even ordinary Auror would only become a meal for the Manticore if they came here.
Skylar's mind raced through the description of the Manticore from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to Find Them*: The Manticore is incredibly agile, capable of powerful leaps, and often roams the jungle, hunting humans. It is renowned for the soft humming it makes when swallowing its prey. Its skin repels almost all known spells. Its tail, like a scorpion's, has deadly stingers that can be fired in any direction. Anyone stung by it will die instantly.
Damn, aside from lacking ranged attack capabilities, this behemoth has almost no weaknesses.
In fact, in the confined space of the cave, the availability of ranged attack methods was irrelevant; a single leaping attack from the Manticore would be difficult for Skylar to dodge.
Skylar knew he didn't have much time. The Manticore was quite intelligent, and its earlier roar and fighting stance were just tests. If he showed any weakness, he would be met with a storm of attacks.
Fortunately, he had enough magical treasures at his disposal, and by using the power of the Guardian Ring, he avoided being in a vulnerable position from the very beginning.
Skylar didn't waste a single second. He immediately cast "Gods' Protection" with one hand and drew the "Guardian" Ancient Runes in the air with the fingers of the other. As long as these two spells were cast, Skylar would be in an invincible position from the start.
At the same time, the Manticore leaped into the air and pounced fiercely towards Skylar's location, its speed so great that it seemed to tear the air apart.
Skylar activated the magic on his Wind-Setting Boots, and suddenly felt light. At the same time, he activated his self-created "Walking Like Flying" technique, and instantly his whole body was like a light feather, drifting away with the Manticore's attack.
After the Manticore's attacks failed, Skylar completed two spells in succession. With the two protective shields stacked together, Skylar that he could withstand at least five more attacks from the Manticore.
Skylar tried to summon Aquila to fight alongside him, but found that the summoning magic failed. His heart sank. Could there be an anti-summoning restriction in this cave?
He then tried to summon Jormungandr again, and as he expected, all summoning magic failed him here.
Skylar kept considering the feasibility of different strategies.
In this cramped cave space, Blasting Curse, Demonic Flame Curse, and Fiendfyre Curse should be ruled out first, as one careless move could very well bury you alive.
Severing Curse, Reducto, and the Sectumsempra may not be able to break through the protective layer on the skin of the Manticore.
All that's left to use are Transfiguration and various elemental magic.