The dark object was a tree trunk that had sunk to the bottom of the lake at some unknown point. Its middle had already hollowed out, leaving just enough room for Su Er to hide inside.
A simple deception was all it took to deal with fantastic beasts of extremely low intelligence.
Su Er kicked his feet, keeping as far above the aquatic plants as possible to avoid getting entangled with the Grindylows hiding among them again. He gently brushed aside a few broken strands of weed.
He could no longer proceed straight ahead. Though that large group of Grindylows would be easy to deal with, getting caught up with them would be troublesome, especially since they could call for their companions. The Champions had only an hour, and if he got entangled again, there was no telling how much more time he would waste.
Su Er changed direction again, deciding to take a detour toward the center of the lake.
"Confringo." A boiling column of water exploded beneath Su Er's feet. The flames produced by the magic itself were extinguished by the vast quantity of water, but its force was undiminished. It gave Su Er a substantial burst of propulsion underwater, increasing his speed considerably.
After more than fifteen minutes of movement, only silence and a deep, dusky green surrounded him. There was nothing here apart from glittering pebbles and aquatic plants, not even a single Grindylow.
Suddenly, Su Er felt a ripple travel toward him from somewhere not far ahead. At the same time, he heard an unpleasant but extraordinarily familiar screech.
Grindylows!
Su Er's expression changed. He gradually slowed down and came to a stop in the water.
He did not know whether the group of Grindylows ahead was the same group that had blocked him earlier,