bacchusnovels Haven't you had enough of Chapter 425, Professor?
Haven't you had enough of Chapter 425, Professor?
Haven't you had enough of Chapter 425, Professor?
When the group passed through the portal and stood on solid ground again, everyone collapsed to the ground, their faces filled with exhaustion and relief... thank goodness for Krum.
Sean reappeared before them, standing to the side with a faint smile on his face: "Not bad, you've passed the first hurdle. But—" he paused slightly, "the challenges ahead will be even more interesting."
Before the students could recover from the horror of their time on the snowy plains, Sean waved his wand once more.
The silver passage in front of them began to split, branching out into multiple new paths like a river forking.
"This time," Sean's voice rang out calmly, "I want to see how well you work together. Each passage presents a different challenge, and no one can complete it alone—so you need to team up."
"Each passage can have a maximum of three people per group and a minimum of two people; the number of people cannot exceed the limit."
"You need to decide your team formation quickly. The passage will be randomly assigned. Once you enter, you cannot return."
The room instantly became noisy as students began to whisper among themselves. Some quickly found their partners, while others seemed hesitant.
Krum, standing not far away, scanned the crowd with his eyes.
Professor Phillips' words from last night struck a chord with him—this was an opportunity, a chance to team up with Selena and express his feelings.
But at the same time, he also felt a little uneasy.
Although he had mustered the courage to face his feelings, Selena's attitude still left him uncertain—what if she rejected him? What if she chose someone else?
Krum took a deep breath and looked up in Selena's direction.
She was at the other end of the crowd, quietly talking to Eileen about what had just happened.
Watching the two of them talk, Krum's heart pounded faster and faster—he could no longer hesitate!
The next second, he had already taken a step, walked through the crowd, and stood in front of Selena.
"Selena," Krum said softly, trying to sound natural, but still a little nervous, "would you like to team up with me?"
Selena looked up, gave him a faint smile, and without much thought, readily agreed, "Okay, Krum."
Krum was taken aback, not expecting her to agree so readily, without even the slightest hesitation.
"That—that's great." His tone was a little stiff, then he coughed and tried to compose himself. "We need to find another person; a group of three would be more reliable."
Selena nodded slightly, glanced around, and soon her gaze settled on Eileen in front of her.
Perhaps Eileen would be a good helper.
"Want to team up?"
Eileen seemed surprised that Selena would invite her directly. She paused for a moment, then looked up at Selena and then at Krum standing to the side.
Her expression showed some surprise, but she quickly smiled and said, "Of course."
"Then it's settled." Selena smiled slightly and patted Eileen's shoulder lightly. "Three people is just right."
Krum breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the scene before him, but also felt a mix of emotions.
He had nervously prepared a whole host of reasons, and was even mentally prepared for the possibility of rejection, but Selena agreed so readily and even took the initiative to invite a third teammate, which was completely unlike the difficult rehearsal in Krum's mind.
But that's not surprising—they have a good relationship, don't they?
Eileen suddenly looked at Krum and blinked. "Krum, you're not suddenly relieved because Selena contacted me, are you?"
Krum blushed slightly and quickly shook his head: "No, no. I just think the three of us have a better chance of winning."
Eileen said "Oh," a smile of enigmatic meaning playing on her lips, but she didn't press the matter further.
She looked around and asked in a low voice, "So, which passage should we choose now?"
The three of them looked at the several passages in front of them, each shimmering with a different light.
Each passageway looked exactly the same.
"Since it's a random assignment," Selena shook her head slightly, "I think it doesn't make much difference which passage you choose."
Krum nodded: "But we have to be careful. I have a feeling Professor Phillips won't let us get through easily."
"Of course." Eileen shrugged. "I suspect these passages might be even more troublesome than yesterday's secret realm."
The three exchanged glances and ultimately chose a passage that seemed slightly closer to the middle. Selena took the lead and walked towards the entrance, followed closely by Krum and Eileen.
The moment their feet stepped into the passage, the scene before them changed instantly.
Inside the passage, the air became unusually quiet, and the surrounding light dimmed, leaving only a faint blue-green glow floating around them.
The ground beneath their feet was no longer soil, but a slippery stone path.
A thin layer of moisture covered the stone path, and the sound of flowing water could be faintly heard in the distance.
Krum stood behind her, cautiously glancing around.
For some reason, a vague sense of unease lingered in his heart.
The three continued walking forward, and their view gradually opened up, revealing a vast underground space.
Before me lay a vast lake, its surface covered by a faint blue-green glow; the entire lake seemed to be composed of light.
There are several abandoned huts by the lake, and in the middle of the lake, there is a solitary stone platform with a crystal on it.
"Could this crystal be the target? It's too obvious." Eileen frowned, somewhat warily. "Such a simple design can't possibly be without a trap."
Krum nodded, he also sensed something was wrong: "There might be something wrong with this lake, we need to figure out how to get across."
Eileen glanced around at the surroundings, her gaze settling on some stone pillars by the lake: "Those pillars seem like they could be used to build some kind of path. We could try using these pillars to build a road leading to the stone platform."
Selena looked at the stone pillars and nodded. "It looks feasible, but we need to be very careful. Magic might be unstable in this environment, and the pillars might not be able to support our weight."
Krum said in a deep voice, "Let's try dividing the work. Selena, you observe the magical fluctuations on the lake's surface. Eileen, you're in charge of checking the stability of the stone pillars. I'll build the path."
Eileen smiled slightly: "That sounds like a good plan."
The three quickly divided the tasks.
Selena used her wand to cast a faint detection spell, observing the magical power subtly flowing beneath the lake's surface: "There's something moving at the bottom of the lake; it seems to be some kind of living creature."
Eileen frowned and continued examining the stone pillars: "These pillars are protected by spells, but their support is weak. If we rush up on them, they might collapse."
Krum took a deep breath and tried to shorten the distance between the pillars with a spell: "The distance between the pillars is too large, we need something to hold them in place."
The three had a clear division of labor, and their cooperation was intense yet efficient.
However, the blue-green light on the lake's surface began to flicker more uneasily, as if some force was gradually awakening from the lakebed. While probing the magical fluctuations on the lake's surface, Selena whispered, "We need to speed up. The creature at the bottom of the lake seems to sense our presence; it's approaching."
Krum nodded, gripping his wand tightly. "Eileen, try using the Levitation Charm to support the pillars. I'll reinforce the connection between them. Selena, continue monitoring the lake; alert us immediately if anything unusual happens!"
With a flick of her wrist, Eileen cast a levitation spell precisely on the stone pillars, stabilizing several pillars that were originally teetering on the brink of collapse.
Krum waved his wand and used an adhesive charm to connect the stone pillars into a viable path.
Although their cooperation became increasingly seamless, time was clearly not on their side.
"Look!" Eileen pointed sharply at the lake, her voice trembling slightly.
The dark shadow at the bottom of the lake finally emerged completely, and a huge aquatic magical creature broke through the water, its body covered with thick scales.
It was surrounded by eddies formed by the flow of water.
Its eyes emitted a ghostly blue light, locking onto the three people on the stone pillar.
"Oh no! Run!" Eileen screamed, attacking with a spell, but her spell was reflected by the magic barrier.
"Don't attack it with magic!" Selena quickly assessed the situation. "Its scales can reflect magic!"
Krum gritted his teeth, suppressing his fear: "We have to get the crystal and leave as soon as possible!"
Just then, the magical creature suddenly swung its tail, creating a huge wave that instantly shook the entire stone pillar, making it teeter on the verge of collapse.
"Grab me!" Krum shouted, grabbing Eileen's arm, but the next second, the entire stone pillar collapsed, and the three of them fell directly into the icy lake.
The lake water was icy cold, instantly stealing their body heat.
Krum struggled to surface, only to find that Selena had already cast a simple head-bubble spell, covering her head to breathe.
Yes, how could they forget that spell!
So Krum and Erin followed suit and put the Bubble Head Spell on themselves as well.
"Krum!" Selena, who had been observing the surroundings for a while, suddenly shouted and stretched out a hand to him, "Hurry up and follow me!"
Krum swam towards her with all his might, watching as she pointed to the stone platform in the middle of the lake: "The crystal is over there! We can still make it!"
Working together, the three of them managed to swim to the edge of the stone platform despite the magical fluctuations and threats from the creatures underwater.
Selena was the first to climb onto the stone platform. The crystal shone brightly in her hands, and she grabbed it without hesitation, feeling the icy touch spread throughout her body.
However, at that moment, the aquatic creature suddenly leaped out of the water, opened its huge mouth, and tried to attack the three people on the stone platform.
"Jump back quickly!" Selena calmly commanded, quickly handing the crystal to Krum and using a powerful shield spell to block the aquatic creature's attack.
Krum took the crystal, leaped back into the water, and swam toward the lake.
Eileen followed closely behind, while Selena was the last to jump into the lake, using the current to quickly leave the stone platform.
Despite the perilous situation, the three of them finally reached the lake shore safely.
The aquatic creature seemed to lose interest in the crystal, slowly sinking to the bottom of the lake and disappearing again into the deep blue water.
Back on shore, the three were almost completely exhausted and collapsed onto the ground.
The icy lake water soaked through their clothes, carrying a biting chill.
Krum held the crystal in his hand, and despite being soaked to the bone, a hint of excitement still shone on his face: "We did it!"
Eileen, panting, looked up at him and said with a smile, "Yes, thank goodness Selena blocked the final attack. Otherwise, we might be dead."
Krum turned to look at Selena, who was gently rubbing the water droplets from her long hair, her cheeks flushed slightly from the intense exercise.
Crystal-clear lake water dripped onto her fair and slender neck, sliding down the graceful curves formed by her wet clothes clinging to her body.
Kru was momentarily stunned, even forgetting that he was still holding the crystal in his hand.
"Krum?" Eileen suddenly patted him, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Are you alright?"
"Ah, it's nothing!" Krum suddenly snapped out of his daze, quickly shifting his gaze away from Selena and pretending to be nonchalant.
Selena, who was standing nearby, had already stood up and patted the water off her clothes. "My clothes are completely soaked. I need to find a place to dry off." She pointed to a small hut on the other side of the lake. "That should do it."
Without lingering, she walked straight to the other side of the lake.
Krum watched her retreating figure, his heart pounding, even forgetting that he was also soaked to the bone.
The image of her calmly directing from the stone platform was still replaying in his mind. In that instant, he felt that Selena was not only beautiful, but also incredible.
Now he has made up his mind.
I must express my feelings to Selena today.
Regardless of the outcome.
"Krum, what are you standing there for?" Eileen's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Hurry up and dry your clothes, or you'll catch a cold."
Krum nodded quickly, stood up, but couldn't help glancing again in the direction Selena had walked away.
Selena gently pushed open the door to the cabin, and a faint scent of wood filled the air.
This appears to be an abandoned storage room, surrounded by cluttered wooden crates, and is quite dark.
She went inside, cast a cleaning spell to sweep the dust to the corner, and then gently waved her wand to light an oil lamp in the corner of the room. The orange light made the small house a little warmer.
"Finally, I can catch my breath," Selena muttered to herself, reaching out to wring out her long, soaking wet hair, water droplets dripping from the ends onto the floor.
She sighed, unbuttoned her robe, gently took it off, and hung it on the back of a chair beside her.
By this time, her underwear was also soaked by the lake water and clung to her skin, making her feel very uncomfortable.
Selena frowned, reaching for her soaked inner lining, muttering to herself, "What a nuisance—"
However, when she had unbuttoned the lining halfway, she suddenly stopped, then turned her head to the side, "Haven't you seen enough, Professor?"
In the silent room, the air seemed to tremble slightly, and then a familiar figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
"As expected, nothing escapes your notice." Sean emerged from the shadows, his robes fluttering slightly, and asked knowingly, "How did you discover me?"
"Intuition, do you believe in it?" Selena raised her head, her gaze fixed on Sean's face.
"Intuition?" Sean chuckled. "I thought you'd say it was magical detection."
Selena slowly turned around, running her fingers through her long, wet hair as she casually said, "Magical detection is certainly useful, but Professor, intuition is the most accurate tool, isn't it? Especially when facing—someone like you." As she spoke, she gently wrung out her wet hair, water droplets sliding down her fingers and dripping onto the floor with a crisp sound.
At this point, Selena was only wearing her undershirt, which she had only partially removed. The buttons trembled precariously, and with her heavy breathing, she seemed on the verge of bursting off.
She didn't try to hide her current state; instead, she appeared remarkably natural.
Sean's gaze involuntarily lingered on Selena, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Looks like you're quite confident in your body." "That's just a fact," Selena said provocatively, turning around to reveal her petite frame to Sean. "Weren't you very satisfied yesterday either?"
Then, with a rather provocative tone, she continued, "Professor, do you always have this habit of observing your students at all times? Or is it my behavior just now that piqued your curiosity?"
Sean raised an eyebrow, not answering immediately, but instead slightly raising his head and saying calmly, "I'm just making sure my students aren't in danger. After all, in this kind of environment, you always need to be extra careful."
"Oh?" Selena smiled slightly, slowly walking towards Sean. She stopped a few steps away from him, looked up at him with bright eyes, and asked, "Professor, do you think the current situation is still dangerous?"
Sean stood there, motionless, his gaze calmly meeting hers, without answering.
"Professor, if you don't speak, I won't know your answer." Selena sighed, feigning helplessness, and then slowly took a step closer.
At this moment, she and Sean were so close that they could almost hear each other's breathing.
Just as the thunder and fire were about to fully ignite in the room, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside.
"Danger, you're in danger now."
Sean finally answered, a smile slowly appearing on his face.