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As Lynn dived into the water, the young wizards immediately began discussing how he could breathe underwater.
Ludo, commentating from the judges' table, was silent for a moment before concluding that this question was beyond his knowledge.
"Uh..." he stammered dryly, "Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we need our knowledgeable headmasters to answer this question at this moment."
As soon as he finished speaking, Karkaroff was the first to speak.
"I still think he's cheating!" His voice was sharp and grating, filled with a sense of gnashing teeth. "A normal wizard cannot breathe underwater without magical assistance! This goes against the laws of magic! He should be—"
He didn't finish his sentence.
A thunderous boo erupted from the stands.
"Shut up!"
"Karkaroff, shut up!"
"Go back to your ship!"
All sorts of voices merged into a cacophony, effectively drowning out Karkaroff's words.
Especially those students who had bet on Lynn winning—their eyes were red with anger. Several Gryffindor boys stood up directly and rolled up their sleeves, looking as if they wanted to rush down and tear Karkaroff's mouth apart.
If Professor McGonagall hadn't stood up in time to calm the situation, someone might really have rushed down.
"Ah haha..." Ludo chuckled quickly, a fine sweat beading on his forehead. "It seems Principal Karkaroff doesn't have any constructive insights..."
He quickly changed the subject and looked at the silver-haired old man seated in the center of the judges' table.
"Let's invite Headmaster Dumbledore to answer for us!"
Everyone's eyes immediately turned toward Dumbledore.
On the big screen, Dumbledore's face was magnified, appearing in the center of the frame. He sat in his chair, hands clasped in front of him, a profound smile on his face.
If one didn't look closely, no one would have noticed his eyelid twitching as his mind descended into utter bewilderment.
What's going on?
How is that child breathing underwater?
He didn't know either!
But could he say that? No.
Dumbledore's brain worked rapidly, and a few seconds later, he slowly spoke, his tone measured and certain.
"This is—talent!"
The stands fell silent for a second, then discussions erupted.
"Talent?!"
"What kind of talent?!"
"Can talent make someone breathe underwater?!"
"Does that even make sense?!"
Several older Ravenclaw students exchanged glances. One of them pushed up his glasses and whispered, "No matter how talented someone is, that's impossible..."
Another interrupted him. "Do you dare question Headmaster Dumbledore?"
...I wouldn't dare.
Underwater.
Lynn had no idea what was happening on shore.
He was suspended in the water, his gaze piercing through the dark green lake water as he looked around.
The Black Lake was much larger than he had imagined, and seemingly bottomless. Even though Lynn's vision wasn't greatly affected, he still couldn't see the end.
Lynn looked up.
Above the thick surface of the water, he could see the outline of the stands—small and blurry, like a mirage.
He oriented himself slightly.
The stands were near the Castle, so the center of the lake should be in the opposite direction. Lynn withdrew his gaze and "swam" toward the middle of the lake.
To say he "swam" wasn't quite accurate.
A normal wizard would be doing well to advance half a meter with one stroke in the water. Lynn, with a single stroke, covered several times the distance of a normal wizard. His movements were so fluid that it was less like being in water and more like moving through a zero-gravity space.
He moved like a fish, gracefully passing through layers of water.
Various creatures began to appear around him.
Small fish swam in schools, their silver scales glittering in the dim water. They brushed past Lynn, looked at him curiously, then flicked their tails and quickly disappeared into the distant darkness.
Lynn stared at the fish, his eyes turning a little red.
After so much fishing and so many times coming up empty-handed, seeing fish now made his hands itch.
Lynn resisted the urge to reach out and grab a fish with immense willpower.
Later, after the competition.
Continuing to dive, the light grew dimmer and dimmer.
The surrounding water became deeper and more silent. Only the occasional sound of flowing water and the faint rustling of unknown creatures in the distance could be heard.
Of course, there were definitely more than just normal creatures like fish and shrimp underwater; there were also many dark creatures.
For example, Grindylows.
These aquatic dark creatures specialized in hiding in the darkest corners of the lakebed, lurking in rock crevices and waterweeds, waiting for passing creatures to approach before launching a sudden attack.
Lynn encountered two.
They were hidden behind a pile of rocks, their bodies almost blending in with the stones. Their grayish-green skin and rough texture remained motionless, making them nearly impossible to spot without a careful look.
Lynn swam past them.
The two Grindylows moved simultaneously.
They opened their mouths full of sharp teeth and extended their slender claws, lunging toward Lynn—
Then they found themselves unable to move.
Lynn's wand was in his hand at some point. A spell froze the two Grindylows, pinning them firmly in place.
The two Grindylows' eyes widened, filled with terror.
Lynn looked at them, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He was always ruthless when dealing with dark creatures that had a record like theirs.
He'd be as covert as possible, and inflict as much pain as possible.
Lynn lightly tapped his wand twice, and light flowed into the bodies of the two Grindylows. Both Grindylows stiffened, fainted, and then began to twitch unconsciously.
It was a Stupefy, but with a curse mixed in.
Lynn put away his wand and continued to dive.
Behind him, the two Grindylows were still twitching and foaming at the mouth, but at least they were alive.
...
At the judges' table.
Dumbledore's gaze remained fixed on Lynn's screen.
When the two Grindylows rushed out, his heart skipped a beat.
When Lynn dealt with them so casually, his heart relaxed.
Dumbledore stared at the screen, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward uncontrollably.
Madame Maxime glanced at him, a little confused.
"Headmaster Dumbledore?" she asked. "Is there a problem?"
Dumbledore snapped back to reality, quickly composing his expression.
"No, no," he said gently. "Just marveling at the young man's... handling method."
Madame Maxime did not doubt him.
"Indeed, quite gentle."
Dumbledore withdrew his gaze, picked up the teacup in front of him, and took a sip.
No ashes!
No ashes!
No ashes!
...
As Lynn continued to delve deeper into the Black Lake, time passed minute by minute.
On the big screen, Lynn's segment hadn't shown anything exciting for a long time. He was just swimming, constantly swimming, occasionally stopping to orient himself, and occasionally dealing with a few troublesome dark creatures. The footage was incredibly monotonous.
In the audience, a first-year student's head nodded repeatedly before finally hitting the back of the chair in front of him with a thud. He jolted awake, rubbed his forehead, and looked around blankly, only to realize that no one was paying attention to him—because everyone else was also sleepy.
"Why isn't he there yet..." someone muttered softly. "How long is he going to swim for...?"
At the judges' table, Ludo Bagman looked down at the timer in his hand.
Time was up.
He cleared his throat, pressed his wand against his throat, and his voice, amplified by magic, echoed through the stands.
"Time's up!"
The voice startled many dozing students awake.
"The champions of Ilvermorny—first into the water!"
On the big screen, the scene instantly switched.
The three Ilvermorny docks lit up simultaneously, with Ryan, Thomas, and Jordan standing on their respective wooden planks, each holding the same item—a wrinkled, grayish-green plant.
The camera zoomed in.
The plant looked a bit strange, with shriveled leaves and a grayish color, resembling dried kelp pulled from the water.
"It's Gillyweed!" Ludo's voice rang out at the perfect moment, full of excitement. "It comes from the Mediterranean and was first discovered by the famous witch Eladora Ketteridge!"
He paused, then began recounting the history.
"It is said that after Mrs. Ketteridge ate Gillyweed back then, she almost suffocated to death—because she didn't know how to use the stuff. She gasped for air desperately, but found it increasingly difficult to breathe, eventually becoming dizzy and falling headfirst into a nearby pool."
A low chuckle rippled through the stands.
"And guess what happened?" Ludo teased. "She found she could breathe underwater! This stuff is that amazing—after eating it, you'll grow a pair of gills and be able to breathe freely underwater!"
On the big screen, Ryan had already stuffed the Gillyweed into his mouth.
He chewed it, frowning—the taste was clearly not good.
He lowered his head, looking at his feet.
His feet were transforming.
Translucent webs began to grow between his toes, like a frog's feet. Gills were also forming on his face.
The three of them bent their knees in succession and jumped—
Splash!
A round of applause erupted from the stands.
Although this entry method couldn't compare to Lynn's splash-free dive, it was at least better than simply waiting.
The scene switched to underwater.
Ryan, Thomas, and Jordan floated in the water, adapting to their newly acquired gills, and then began to dive.
Their speed was not slow.
Although they didn't have Lynn's leisurely "stroll," it was still much faster than an ordinary wizard.
"Good!" Ludo praised. "The Ilvermorny champions have successfully entered the water! Next—the Uagadou champions, prepare!"
The scene switched again.
On the three Uagadou docks, Amina, Nema, and Wanjiru also stood on their respective wooden planks.
They held no props and took no potions, but simply stood there quietly.
A confused murmur rose from the stands.
"Why aren't they going into the water?"
"Didn't they eat Gillyweed?"
"Do they also have Lynn's talent?"
"Oh please, that's called talent, not a dime-a-dozen potato."
At the judges' table, several headmasters also leaned forward slightly, watching the scene curiously.
On the big screen, Amina suddenly moved.
More accurately, her hands began to move.
Complex hand gestures rapidly changed. Fingers interlaced, rotated, and fluttered like a silent dance.
Her body began to twist and contract. Her outline blurred, and her edges softened. A faint silver light appeared on her skin, as though something were flowing beneath it.
Soon after—
Three fish appeared on their respective docks, clearly the kind of fish that are excellent swimmers. They landed on the wooden planks, their tails slapping against the wood, and soon splashed into the water, sending up sprays of water.
Their movements were light and fluid, and their speed was astonishing—even faster than that of the three Ilvermorny students earlier.
This was truly "like a fish in water."
Ludo Bagman stood at the judges' table, his voice cracking with excitement.
"How wonderful! How wonderful! The Uagadou champions have transformed themselves into fish using Transfiguration! They will participate in the second task in this manner!"
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"Next, the Hogwarts champions, please prepare—"
As soon as he finished speaking, Viktor Krum's face at the Durmstrang dock darkened by several shades.
They still had to wait.
They still had a long wait.