Chapter 347: The challenge begins

Since he could not escape, he could only choose to face the so-called evil god.

Ivan made up his mind and decided to face him calmly. He thought that the centaur elder would reveal some information and tell him details about the evil god.

But unexpectedly, the old man did not speak anymore.

The old centaur and Magorian standing next to him looked silently at the night sky.

Following their gaze, Ivan noticed the unusually bright Mars and the bloody moon not far away.

After staring at it for a while, he returned his gaze to the crack of the statue....

About twenty minutes later, Sirius, Harry, Ron and Hermione hurried past and were also impressed by the huge statue before them.

Sirius was fine, he had seen it before.

But this was the first time for Harry, Ron and Hermione, and they couldn't help but talk about it.

This time, the eldest of the centaurs didn't try to explain anything else. He looked particularly tired and didn't even say a word. He finished by waving to Magorian.

"If you want to climb that thing, you have to pass the test." Magorian said loudly, stepped forward and pointed to a complex Obsidian table in front of the huge statue. "Anyone who wants to accept the challenge must stand there."

This seemed to be the core of Gryffindor magic. Besides the object above, Ivan could sense the most powerful magical reaction there.

All the powers of the stars converged here and then transmitted to the top of the statue.

Magorian said simply. Sirius explained the method in detail.

"It sounds very simple. Stand on this table. Anyone can do it. Anyone can do it." Ron wrinkled his nose and said. "I thought I was going to fight a monster to prove my worth..."

"It's a complex illusion magic, where you have to show unparalleled courage to pass the test." said Sirius.

"I know. No matter what you see, but don't be afraid!" Ron nodded his head and said, "It's not too hard, is it?"

They all discussed it for a moment. When Ron volunteered, they finally decided to let him go up and try it first, with Hermione and Harry following.

Ivan went last because he had the best hope.

Ron looked at the red glow above the statue, and couldn't wait to go to the front of the table as he approached.

In the next second, the red light above blinked clearly.

Along the lines of the platform slab, numerous bright lights quickly converged from all sides.

The intricate pattern glowed and the ancient magic was activated.

Standing in the middle of the platform, Ron's expression was bored and his eyes were full of confusion.

He looked doubtful, and then scared out of his wits, as if he had seen something terrible.

His expression was twisted, struggling, and he seemed to be caught in extreme pain.

Everyone looked at Ron, nervously, wondering what he saw in the illusion and why he showed that expression.

Out of fear, Hermione unconsciously moved closer to Ivan.

On the stone platform, Ron had reached his limit. He seemed to want to run away.

The next second, a blue glow flashed, and he was ejected and landed outside the stone platform.

"Failure!" Magorian said expressionlessly.

"Ron, what did you see?" everyone rushed over.

"Acromantulas, thousands of them, and they all came at me." Ron gasped violently with a shout in his voice. "I told myself not to be afraid. They were just illusions, all fake. But they were really biting me, they wanted to tear me apart. I wanted to run away, just..."

"This illusion magic is similar to that of a Boggart, who can see through a person's deepest fear and then visualize it concretely." Sirius said, "Ron is afraid of spiders. All he sees inside are Acromantulas."

"I thought they were Boggarts, I used magic, but it didn't work." Ron said, his body still shaking.

"It's not that simple. Like I said before, everything in it is real and it won't crack by magic. Your experience just confirmed it once again." Sirius told him, "Everything you see inside him is a true illusion."

Godric Gryffindor's quality is courage. In the face of any difficulty, it is only with courage that one can pass the test he left.

But it wasn't just about being free of fear. Sirius said that everything in that illusion was real, and that reckless bravery was just a dead end.

"It's very difficult. Those Acromantulas wanted to tear me apart. I even felt the pain of their bites on my thigh. It's exactly the same as the truth." Ron said grimly, touching his right leg involuntarily.

That was where he was bitten by the Acromantulas in the illusion.

"Well, the next challenger." Magorian insisted impatiently.

Ivan, Harry and Hermione looked at each other, and Hermione stepped forward cautiously.

He was thinking about what he feared most. On this occasion, it wouldn't seem too worrisome if Professor McGonagall came out and told him that he had failed all of his exams.

However, it was not to be that simple.

Standing in front of the black stone platform, Hermione looked hesitant. She looked at Ivan.

"Come on, Hermione!" Ivan rushed over and hugged Hermione tightly.

Feeling the warmth of Ivan's body, Hermione nodded and climbed up the stone with a ruddy face. Just as when Ron climbed up, there was a flash of light.

Other than a little surprise, Hermione's expression didn't change much.

Immediately, she frowned and her little face turned serious, like when she was analyzing a professor's questions in class or reading a magic book.

"What do you think Hermione will find?" asked Harry uncertainly.

"I don't know. I can't imagine anything that would scare her except failing the exam." Ron took a deep breath and commented objectively, "To be honest, she has almost no weaknesses."

"I hope Hermione succeeds, otherwise I'll have to face countless Dementors or..." Harry didn't go on, he had cold sweats all over.

What should he do if he found Voldemort in the illusion?!

As time passed, the expression on Hermione's face remained unchanged. But the frowning time was getting longer and longer, as if she had found something difficult to solve.

Everyone was looking at her nervously, and Ron was still there muttering about Acromantulas.

Hermione was standing on the stone platform, and about half an hour later, a blue glow finally flashed, and Hermione was bounced off the stone platform.

"Failure!" Hermione said calmly, not too surprised.

"What did you see inside?" everyone asked, "Was it an Acromantula, or Professor McGonagall?"

"Neither!" Hermione shook her head. "In the illusion, I went back to Hogwarts, came back to the castle, and a male professor I'd never seen before was lecturing me in class, and then he asked me questions..."