Despite it still being noon, the Forbidden Forest was as dark as if one couldn’t see their fingers, with only the faint chirping of insects audible.

"Lumos!"

As Vid softly recited the spell, a ball of light emerged from the tip of his magic wand. With a slight flick of his hand, the light floated upwards, hovering three to four feet above him, resembling a giant incandescent lamp in the Forbidden Forest.

The boundless darkness around him was instantly dispelled. The ancient towering tree silhouettes emerged from the thick darkness, with roots entwined like slumbering giant serpents that might trip someone unexpectedly.

On a nearby large tree, a dozen slender vines silently stretched toward Vid. The sudden light seemed to startle them, causing the vines to retract swiftly like nimble snakes.

Suddenly, Vid felt the hairs on his neck stand on end, a gut feeling of impending danger.

He spun around, his magic wand tracing a blazing arc!

At the same moment, a spider as large as a horse leaped down from the canopy above. Its eight eyes gleamed coldly in the glow, and its black, hairy legs lunged straight toward Vid!

The magic spell’s light hit the massive spider instantly, and golden-red flames roared to life, consuming the charging spider in the blink of an eye.

Fiery serpents spread madly across the furry body, making its exoskeleton crackle and pop. The Acromantula let out an ear-piercing screech, writhing in pain on the ground.

"Fire! Fire!" it shouted loudly, "The fire is burning me!"

In the parts of the forest that Lumos couldn’t illuminate, there was a series of clicks. Two slightly smaller Acromantulas rushed out from behind the trees. They grabbed their burning companion, not attempting to save it but rather tearing the burning comrade apart!

A large group of spiders, some the size of human fists, others as large as hounds, rushed out from the woods, gleefully feasting on the remains of their companion. The entire forest was filled with the crunching sounds of chewing.

Meanwhile, some of the giant Acromantulas slowly emerged from the trees, surrounding the young wizard from all sides. They excitedly clicked their pincers, seemingly anticipating a grand feast.

...

In the stands of the stadium, most of the audience, witnessing this scene, turned pale, especially some young Hogwarts wizards who had once sought adventure in the Forbidden Forest, now trembling weak-kneed in fear.

"Raising... raising so many Acromantulas... That’s illegal... isn’t it?"

A young brown-haired wizard stammered.

"Oh, the creatures in the Forbidden Forest developed naturally,"

Kettleburn—the retired professor of Care of Magical Creatures Lessons—said with a smile, "With such a large group of dangerous species so close to the school, we’ve always been quite troubled!" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The young wizard: "..." Lies! Wouldn’t Dumbledore be able to handle such a group of beasts?

"Can that kid handle it? Those Acromantulas seem really numerous," a Bulgarian wizard turned to the person next to them, asking, "Will he be eliminated right at the start?"

"That kid is Vid Gray from Hogwarts," another replied, "He’s one of the top contenders for the championship."

"Darn it!" someone else exclaimed, pounding their fist, "Who would have thought Vid Gray would be the first to be eliminated? If I’d known, I would have bet on someone else!"

Ferdinand gripped Fiona’s hand tightly, his voice trembling, "Don’t worry... there are professors patrolling the Forbidden Forest... Vid will be fine..."

...

"Human! Human young wizard!"

"He uses fire! That pesky fire!"

"Kill him!"

"Eat him! Eat him!"

The spiders shouted angrily, advancing step by step toward Vid in the center. However, their pace was slow due to their fear of the flames.

Originally, Acromantulas didn’t have a fear of fire, at least not to the extent of fearing it like a tiger.

But ever since they almost faced extinction one dark night due to a fire, in their simple brains, flames had become synonymous with death.

Even though the young wizard before them seemed tender, delicious, and weak, the fact that he could wield fire caused the spiders some fear.

Suddenly, one of the giant spiders swelled its abdomen and spewed a stream of viscous silk, only to see the young wizard gently wave his magic wand, deflecting it away.

"Is this all?"

Vid looked rather disappointed. With the corner of his eye, he glanced at a bluebird flying nearby, sighing softly in his heart:

"I’m sorry, Hagrid."

Not sure if Hagrid was watching the live broadcast, but regardless... even if he ends up crying while hugging Fang in sadness later, Vid couldn’t hold back anymore.

But honestly, Vid felt he could never understand Hagrid’s fondness for Acromantulas.

As the surrounding spiders were inspired and began spraying venom and webbing at him, Vid also let out a light cry, sweeping his magic wand!

"Incendio!"

Golden red flames, tinged with blue, erupted from the wand’s tip, swirling around like a Fire Dragon, spiraling forward!

Vid’s Flame Curse had once been guided by Dumbledore, and even taught by Grindelwald himself, so even a seemingly ordinary "Incendio" in his hands could bring out extraordinary effects.

The extremely high-temperature flames spread outwards from Vid, engulfing everything around and rapidly extending outward. The giant spiders could only let out one sharp screech before their eyes burst one by one from the heat, and they were incinerated into charred ash.

The air was filled with the stench of burning grease, and black smoke wafted into the Forbidden Forest, occasionally accompanied by faint popping sounds.

After a few seconds, the erupting flames abruptly disappeared. The surrounding ground was desolate, with the spiders burned into blackened husks, still frozen in their final struggle before death.

Their remains continued to disintegrate in the residual heat. A gust of wind blew through, instantly reducing them to a heap of smoldering ash that scattered in all directions.

...

In the audience, a moment of silence fell.

Just a moment ago, people were worried if Vid Gray would manage to send out a distress signal. In the blink of an eye, only the seemingly slender figure of the young wizard remained in view.

Several Hufflepuff students clutched their mouths tightly, pale-faced; from the Ravenclaw stands came the dull thud of books hitting the floor, with some students even dropping their telescopes. After a brief stupor, the Weasley Brothers from Gryffindor were the first to erupt into enthusiastic cheers.

While the Slytherin stands seemed exceptionally quiet, some recalled their previous conflicts with Vid Gray and suddenly felt like they’d narrowly escaped with their lives.

Sporadic applause erupted, gradually crescendoing into a thunderous wave of sound.