96. A swim.

The morning of the second task arrived with a crisp chill in the air, the sky clear and bright despite the tension surrounding the event. The three remaining champions stood on the docks, the surface of the Great Lake eerily still as if waiting to swallow them whole.

Krum, with his hunched posture and brooding scowl, looked particularly out of place standing next to Fleur and Ryan. Next to the two of them, he resembled an ugly duckling flanked by two celestial beings. Fleur, her ethereal beauty further enhanced by the sleek silver swimsuit she wore, looked like a goddess of the sea. Her long, silken hair was tied back, revealing her elegant neck and delicate features, though her piercing blue eyes gleamed with determination.

Then there was Ryan, standing tall in only a pair of dark swimming trunks. His supernatural physique, chiseled to perfection, gleamed under the morning sun, muscles flexing with every small movement. His presence alone drew more than a few hungry stares from the Hogwarts girls gathered along the shore, their eyes tracing every sculpted line of his body. Whispers spread like wildfire, and more than a few of them had thoughts that involved a broom closet and a few minutes alone with him.

Ludo Bagman stepped forward with his ever-present enthusiasm, his voice magically amplified. "Champions! The second task is simple—your most precious person has been taken and placed at the bottom of the Great Lake. You have one hour to rescue them! Fail to do so, and they remain lost beneath the waves!"

Ryan's eyes immediately sharpened as he glanced toward the water, his mind already made up. He had known from the start that his hostage would be Yue. She was the only one missing from the group of girls this morning as she had been called away by Flitwick.

Fleur's hostage was her young sister Gabrielle, as expected. Krum's, was the Beauxbatons girl he had taken to the Yule Ball.

As the whistle blew, signaling the start of the task, Krum wasted no time in transforming his upper body into that of a shark before diving headfirst into the water. Fleur cast a quick Bubble-Head Charm before following suit, her movements graceful as she disappeared beneath the surface.

Ryan? He simply stepped forward and sank into the water without hesitation.

The lake was murky and cold, but he didn't feel the bite of the temperature. His body having consumed the Flame-Flame fruit, adapted effortlessly, and his vision cut through the water with unnatural clarity. Rather than rushing ahead, he followed Fleur closely, keeping an eye on her as they descended further into the lake's depths.

Of course watching her tight little ass in that swim suit as she swam ahead of him was just a bonus.

Strange, luminescent fish darted past them, and in the distance, the eerie figures of merpeople could be seen lurking near their underwater village. The hostages were tied to stone pillars in the heart of the settlement, their eyes closed as they floated eerily in place.

Yue looked peaceful in her enchanted sleep, her golden hair flowing around her like a halo, her small frame delicate but unyielding even in slumber.

Fleur reached Gabrielle first, beginning to untie her binds with deft fingers. Just as Ryan arrived at Yue's side, he noticed something in the shadows—a pair of merpeople lurking too close to Fleur, their tridents gripped tightly.

They weren't planning to interfere, were they?

Ryan didn't waste time. With a sharp burst of speed, he moved between Fleur and the merpeople, giving them a warning look. He had read too many fanfics about merpeople and veela being enemies. The sheer pressure of his presence sent them flinching backward, their instinct for survival overriding any thoughts of intervention. They had likely planned to test Fleur's resilience by making things more difficult for her, but Ryan's silent message was clear—don't even try it.

Satisfied that Fleur was safe, he turned back to Yue, snapping the ropes binding her and gathering her gently in his arms. She remained asleep, her breathing slow and steady. With ease, he kicked off the lake floor, ascending rapidly toward the surface.

By the time they breached the water, the cheers from the spectators confirmed what he already knew—he was the first to return.

Ryan carried Yue onto the dock, laying her down as Madam Pomfrey rushed over to check on her. She was perfectly fine, just as he expected, but he still watched over her closely as she stirred awake, blinking up at him with soft red eyes.

"…Ryan?" she murmured, still drowsy from the magic-induced sleep.

"Morning sleeping beauty." he assured her with a smile, brushing a strand of damp hair from her face. "I've got you."

Yue's lips curled into a faint smile before she closed her eyes again, clearly content to remain in his care a little longer.

Meanwhile, Fleur emerged from the water with Gabrielle in tow, visibly exhausted but victorious. She sent Ryan a grateful look, having clearly noticed what he had done for her below.

Krum was the last to arrive, his shark-like form thrashing through the water as he dragged his hostage onto the dock. He looked frustrated but ultimately relieved to have completed the task.

As the champions were led away to rest, the second task came to an end—but the way Ryan had effortlessly dominated the challenge, both in efficiency and presence, left a lasting impression on everyone watching.

And more than a few Hogwarts girls were now even more determined to get their hands on him before the tournament was over.

The scores weren't tied anymore, Ryan was now in first place, Fleur in second and Krum in third.

This task wasn't as exciting as expected, no sea monsters or magical creatures attacking aside from the merpeople.

(Magical Creatures had an innate danger sense like normal animals and Ryan gave off pressure like a terrifying beast. There was no way they would attack, even the grindylow known for aggression were curled up and hiding in the seaweed afraid to come out.)