The True Chamber of Secrets of Salazar Slytherin!
What?!
Harry was stunned.
A strong sense of familiarity instinctively welled up inside him.
He wanted to take a closer look.
But right after that,
Smoke and stone walls blocked Harry's view.
Amid the phoenix's high-pitched cry, it carried him swiftly through the vast underground pipes, racing toward the surface.
Only a deep impression lingered in Harry's heart.
He couldn't shake the feeling that this Mr. Lamp was even more formidable than Lord Voldemort.
The man was truly inscrutable.
He had to be some ancient demon king who'd been lurking in the wizarding world for ages.
Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, felt an immense weight pressing down on him.
Ethan watched Harry vanish from sight.
He immediately let out a long sigh of relief.
He flopped straight onto the ground, sprawling out his limbs, his once-composed expression melting into relaxation.
"I feel like I've been completely drained..."
Ethan muttered.
He lazily waved his wand, conjuring a protective barrier to shield himself from the falling rocks overhead.
In that moment,
Ethan looked like a cheerful, sunny boy who'd finally claimed his prize after endless trials.
No one would ever connect him to the enigmatic Mr. Lamp.
Ethan gazed up at the scattering sparks, a scarlet gleam flickering in his cobalt-blue eyes.
He couldn't help but sigh in awe:
"How beautiful... This is the wonder of magic..."
Beside him,
The basilisk watched its thousand-year-old lair crumble into dust in an instant, falling into a heavy silence.
...It couldn't help but think that if Salazar Slytherin saw this, he'd be furious enough to claw his way out of his grave.
[Congratulations!]
[You have met the conditions to open Salazar Slytherin's True Chamber of Secrets!]
[—To put Hogwarts in a life-or-death crisis]
[The Chamber of Secrets has been opened]
[Please welcome this gift spanning a thousand years]
Ethan's breath caught in his throat.
He glanced subconsciously at the basilisk and saw it staring back at him, as if sensing the same thing.
[Hiss—…]
Ah, has this moment finally come—
The basilisk felt the magic that had slumbered for a thousand years slowly stirring awake within its body.
It had been dormant before, probably because no one had ever been wicked enough to actually blow up the school.
In its orange-yellow slit pupils, Ethan's face was reflected—tired, yet glowing with an inner radiance.
It seemed that when it came to art, his hunger for knowledge and the unknown was insatiable.
His cobalt-blue eyes were clear and sparkling.
So intense.
It made the snake's scales stand on end.
It couldn't help but remember the days of wandering and questing with its original master and the other three founders.
If it was this young human, then yes—he was worthy of Salazar Slytherin's secret treasure!
Under Ethan's intent gaze, the basilisk slowly closed its eyes.
Its massive body arched high, and then its dark green scales hardened and faded to white.
Finally,
It transformed into an impossibly tall, pure white door!
Towering before Ethan like a mountain!
"Wow."
Ethan stared at the scene in astonishment.
Even he, with all his worldly experience, couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.
A piercing chill radiated from the sealed pure white door in the center.
When it met the hot air of the Chamber of Secrets, it vaporized into a misty fog.
—This was Salazar Slytherin's True Chamber of Secrets.
Ethan held his breath, his heart racing with excitement!
He first downed a Potion of Invigoration, then tentatively reached out to touch the door.
"Hiss!"
So cold!
Like licking an iron railing in winter, Ethan felt his palm instantly stick to the door.
"Rumble—"
The door slowly creaked open.
An even more bone-chilling cold rushed out.
Like a barren winter, it invaded his mind.
When Ethan pulled his hand back, a patch of skin tore off and clung to the door.
But Ethan ignored the pain and stepped inside curiously.
As he crossed the threshold, he felt his mouth seal shut, healing over like a scar.
Unable to speak.
Then, in the silence, Ethan saw those shadowy white specters.
Staring at him with empty black voids.
Wailing without sound, they drifted toward him, the living intruder.
It's really lively in here.
Ethan thought, nodding politely in greeting.
He felt a spark of inspiration ignite in his mind.
In the future, he could probably create a new painting based on this.
Then,
As if drawn to it, Ethan noticed something by chance.
He spotted a crooked word etched into a brick.
It was in Ancient Runes, meaning "gift."
As if he already knew.
Ethan pried up the stone brick.
His eyes lit up—sure enough, treasures!
One was a plump, vibrant red fruit, resembling an apple, giving off a rich aroma that made Ethan's mouth water just from the scent.
The other was a gleaming silver key.
It was palm-sized, but etched with intricate, densely packed runes, fine as mosquito legs.
Ethan felt dizzy just glancing at them.
[You have arrived at the Hidden Place!]
[The Pure White Door where the Dead Wander]
[You have received Salazar Slytherin's gift!]
[Red Apple: Eating this fruit will restore all magic power and greatly invigorate the spirit, a sweet comfort item]
[Silver Key: Key to Soaring Through the Past, taking you back to the distant past to explore ancient magic that has been lost]
[You have received Salazar Slytherin's Admonition!]
["Descendant, continue to advance until you reach the Door of Promotion, transcend mortals, and join the ranks of the extraordinary!"]
[Mortal → Knower Path has been activated!]
[Ordinary mortals spend their entire lives unable to find the path to promotion]
[And now, this path slowly unfolds beneath your feet]
[However, danger also accompanies it]
Luminous blue subtitles appeared.
A dazzling golden light shone from the depths of the white mist!
Then, a thunderous roar erupted!
"Roar—!!!"
Like crashing thunder, or drums pounding in his ears!
Ethan's heart instinctively raced from the sheer power of that roar!
It was impossible to imagine what kind of beast—something beyond the mortal world—lurked in the depths of that mist, higher up in the Hidden Place!
[Painting Level 3, final promotion condition unlocked!]
[Cross the danger, ascend from Mortal to Knower!]
Thump! Thump!
Ethan's eyes gleamed with an incredibly bright light!
The instinctive tension from the danger blended with his craving for advancement.
It set his blood on fire, his eardrums throbbing!
He wanted to advance! He wanted to elevate his painting skills!
"Indeed, my current art isn't enough," Ethan thought to himself. "How can I deliver an even greater shock to the world?"
Little Hogwarts was just the start.
Power, power!
It all came down to power!
He would slay that roaring beast and ascend to a higher Knower!
Ethan licked his lips impatiently.
He looked down at the gift left by Salazar Slytherin, one of Hogwarts' four founders.
That intricate, ancient silver key.
Perhaps he could find a way to boost his strength from it; he'd unlocked the path to advancement and claimed a relic.
This trip had been worth it!
"Ah, checking the time, it's almost ready."
Ethan snapped back to reality, glancing outside the door, a smile curling on his lips as he murmured to himself:
"Since I've got the precious relic now, I can let the great snake devour Hogwarts—"
Mr. Lamp, who'd only appeared in the newspapers a few months ago, must have already faded from everyone's memory.
He wondered how much shock his reappearance would cause—devouring Hogwarts and blowing up this thousand-year-old prestigious school.
If Dumbledore knew just how exceptional his student was, he'd probably be so moved he'd pass out.
"Heh heh—heh heh heh heh."
Ethan stepped out of the door, a sunny and innocent smile spreading across his handsome face.