At the edge of the region where the world had turned upside down, Gais had returned to human form and hung upside down from the grassy ceiling.
She did her best not to look at the boundless void below, struggled to pull her feet free of the vines, then tumbled onto the ground where everything had returned to normal.
Gais's legs felt weak and her head swam, but she was thankful that no monsters or Champions had passed nearby just then. Otherwise, she could easily have been defeated.
She rested there for a few minutes, then rolled over and transformed into a Wampus Cat again, racing off into the distance.
After avoiding a giant scorpion and defeating a group of silk-spitting acromantulas, Gais continued toward the center of the maze.
Suddenly, her pointed feline ears twitched. She could hear a fierce battle taking place on the path beside her.
She hurriedly stopped. The next instant, a huge hole was blasted through the hedge ahead.
Through the shower of grass clippings, Gais saw who was fighting on the other side: Boris and Krum.
The two clashed with blazing flames and crystalline ice, proving that no one chosen as a Champion was weak.
Just as Gais was marveling at how far these people would go to win, Krum unexpectedly found an opening in his battle to fire a spell at her.
"Cruciatus Curse!"
"Meow!"
Gais jumped in fright, the fur along her spine standing on end. She instinctively leaped backward, just barely dodging Krum's attack.
Had he gone mad? Using an Unforgivable Curse during the competition-wasn't he afraid the patrol would arrest him and disqualify him on the spot?
She remained calm and immediately realized something was wrong with Krum. Boris offered an explanation at just the right moment.
"Gais, Krum's being