Hogwarts: I'm the only cultivator here!

Looking at the small fish in the distance that were taking turns flashing their dazzling light, Harry and his three friends exchanged a helpless glance.

After some attempts, they had to admit that it would be difficult to catch those small fish by themselves alone, so now they had to start considering whether to cooperate.

"Perhaps we should consider cooperating to catch these fish first, after all... we don't have much time left..."

At that moment, Dumbledore, who was on the lake, saw this scene and a look of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

"Although this may not have been the kid's original intention, the final outcome is still good. Perhaps... this is the future of the magic world..."

Chapter 287 The Little Net is the Eternal God

Ye Feng didn't know if Harry and his friends were the future of the wizarding world, but he did know that if they didn't act quickly, he would be the only one left to finish the competition this time.

As we all know, when fighting a boss, the boss will go berserk in the final stage when its health is low. Once the boss goes berserk, its attack power, attack range, and skill release speed will all increase significantly.

Although the few small fish that Ye Feng created weren't bosses, they had a similar setting: they would go berserk when there were only ten minutes left in the game.

Their rampage is simple: they unleash a barrage of abilities within seconds. During this phase, unless you catch them with a small net, even if you tie them up with a rope through their gills, they can still escape.

Of course, these bursts are intermittent, with about two seconds of 'stiffness' after each burst.

This "stiffness" was not originally supposed to occur, but the government felt that it would be a bit excessive if there were no "stiffness," so they added it, and being caught during the "stiffness" period meant being caught permanently.

Of course, this 'stiffness' period is still very short, so it's not easy to catch these fish during this time.

Harry and his friends were unaware of this, so they were still investigating whether there were any patterns in the fish's use of 'skills'.

It has to be said that having many people makes things easier. In just one minute, Harry and his friends figured out the pattern of how the fish used their skills and started discussing how to catch them.

"How about we gently drive one fish away first and catch it, instead of driving all the fish together and then trying to catch them all at once?"

Harry was quite clever, so when he made this suggestion, the other three people's eyes lit up instantly.

"That's a good idea. This way, if we only catch one, the difficulty will be reduced by several times, and we won't need to deliberately drive it away. The four of us can just surround it."

Hearing Harry and Fleur's words, Cedric was also very tempted, but he still had to ask a very crucial question.

"But how do we decide which fish to catch first? And..."

Cedric's words immediately plunged Harry and the others into deep thought. Although Cedric didn't finish his sentence, they all understood what he meant.

Yes, who can be sure that the person who catches the fish first won't continue to catch fish for the people behind them after getting what they want? You have to understand that this is their only chance to win.

Harry and Cedric, being from Hogwarts, certainly wouldn't sabotage each other. But Fleur and Krum aren't from the same school.

In other words, the four of them actually belong to three different camps, and the interests and demands of each camp and even each individual are completely different.

With different camps and different interests, if someone fails to keep their promises during cooperation, the alliance will collapse instantly, and the person who catches the fish first can gain a huge advantage.

However, Harry and his friends hadn't yet been corrupted by the world's corrupting influences; they remained relatively pure and innocent students in their ivory tower. So, despite their reservations, they ultimately trusted each other, and thus…

Harry: "I trust you guys, so help Fleur and Krum catch the fish they need first. We'll follow Cedric, and I'll be last."

Everyone agreed with Harry's suggestion, as it effectively dispelled their concerns. However, another problem arose.

"This will certainly guarantee that we all catch fish, but... what happens after we catch them? Who goes first?"

Krum's question stumped everyone else, because catching the fish didn't end the game; they needed to bring the 'fish' back to the surface to truly end the match.

Krum's question silenced everyone, but Cedric spoke up after only two or three seconds.

"I have a suggestion, of course, just a suggestion."

"After everyone has received what they want, we can choose a spot in the lake to have a competition. We can compete in magic or other things, and the winner will return to the surface first."

Cedric's words immediately caught everyone's attention, because the suggestion was indeed good and very feasible.

After hearing Cedric's suggestion, Fleur's eyes lit up and then she pondered, "I think this is a good idea, but we may not have that much time, so we need to think of a way to decide the winner faster."

"How about... we have a race to see who swims to the surface of the lake first?"

"Find a starting point and rush towards the lake at the same time. Who goes first and who goes last depends entirely on their own ability."

Although Furong's method was very simple, it was indeed the fairest and quickest, so the other three thought about it and nodded in agreement.

After the four reached an agreement, they began to scan the fish that were constantly flashing dazzling light, and finally their eyes fell on the fish that belonged to Furong.

Of the four, only Furong was a girl. Out of gentlemanly manners, the other three's eyes eventually fell on the fish.

Furong was initially reluctant, as she wasn't the type to like being given way to by others and was a rather independent girl, so she didn't want the other three to give in to her.

However, the 3-1 scoreline made it impossible for her to refuse, and time was running out, so they had no choice but to proceed.

It is indeed easier for four people to catch these competition props that have been transformed into fish by a transformation spell than for one person, because they only need four people, each in a different position, to easily surround the fish in the middle.

However, these fish had quite a few buffs. Even with all four of them working together, it still took them five minutes to catch Furong's fish and successfully break free of the transformation spell to get the item.

However, there were still three more fish left, and after catching the one with the lotus, the remaining three scattered immediately, meaning they might not have enough time.

"What should I do? This fish is hard to catch. Even if I force it to use up all its skills, it's still slippery. If only I had a fishing net." Krum's face was full of frustration as he watched the fish slip away from his hands again.

Harry: [?_??]

"Huh? Wait, Mr. Krum, what did you just say?"

Krum: [?_??]

"Fishing nets, aren't fishing nets usually used for catching fish?"

Harry: (????)

"Haha, Mr. Krum, your reminder is just in time. If it weren't for you, I would have forgotten that I even had this." As he spoke, Harry took a net bag out of his storage bag.

Fleur and Krum looked puzzled when Harry pulled out a tiny net bag, no bigger than their palm. But the next second, they gaped in astonishment, because Harry had simply shaken it, and the net bag had become bigger than a person.

With the net provided by Ye Feng, there was no suspense from then on. In less than five minutes, all three fish were caught. All I can say is, the little net is forever a godsend!

Chapter 288 Ye Feng: I just wanted to eat some takoyaki.

As we all know, slacking off is the most enjoyable thing, but it also has a very obvious drawback: it's hard to reap any rewards. So sometimes, if you want to get something out of it, you have to find another way.

Krum's words successfully reminded Harry, leading him to another way out. He remembered that he still had a small net bag, which then directly killed the game.

Of course, Ye Feng on the other side had already witnessed the excitement of the Three Strongest Slacking Off Competition, so he was satisfied and put his prop back into his storage ring.

After packing his things away, Ye Feng glanced at the large fish he was sitting on. After thinking for a moment, he decided to get off it and float in the water. He patted the head of the fish that had carried him for almost an hour, signaling it to leave.

As a fisherman, Ye Feng also has his own principles: he doesn't want fish that he doesn't catch.

The freed fish darted away with a whoosh, but after traveling a distance, it suddenly slowed down, eventually stopping and turning to look at Ye Feng.

Ye Feng was also a little surprised to see this. He did not expect that the fish's instincts were so sharp. It realized that he was not in danger and that following him would be very beneficial.

Unfortunately, Ye Feng had no intention of keeping a fish as a pet, so when the big fish hesitated about whether to turn back, Ye Feng simply turned and swam towards the lake.

When the fish finally decided to turn around and follow Ye Feng, Ye Feng was already almost at the surface of the lake, while Harry and the others were scrambling to swim towards the surface.

It must be said that having strong physical fitness is indeed an advantage.

At the beginning of the swim, it wasn't obvious; everyone was basically at the same level when they started. But as they swam, the three boys overtook Furong, even though she was using magic to try to speed up.

Then, Krum, who looked even stronger and had more defined muscles, was left behind by Harry and Cedric, which left both Krum and Fleur with expressions of disbelief.

In their opinion, Krum should be the one with the best physical fitness among the four, because their magic academy places great emphasis on physical training, and it can be said that among all the wizards in the entire magic world, the students from their school have the strongest physical fitness.

However, the fact that they were now inferior to Harry and Cedric, who seemed weaker than him, filled Krum with a deep sense of frustration.

However, he did not give up, because the distance from the bottom of the lake to the surface was not short, and it was practically impossible to sprint the entire distance; their physical strength would not allow it.

"Hang in there, I'm Krum! My stamina is incredible!"

After encouraging himself, Krum gritted his teeth and swam desperately upwards, but he soon realized something was wrong.

After swimming nearly halfway, he began to feel his limbs ache, his breathing became rapid, his stamina noticeably decreased, and his swimming speed began to slow down. Then he noticed... the two people in front of him... were actually speeding up!

"Damn it! You animals, is there really no hope at all?"

Just as Krum was feeling hopeless and about to give up, he suddenly noticed that the other person seemed to... slow down.

Krum: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ

"Hmm...it seems...there's still a chance?"

Seeing this, Krum suddenly felt that there was still hope, which instantly made him feel full of strength again, and his swimming speed increased significantly.

And at this moment…

“Cedric, are we really going to do this? Isn’t this… a little too insulting?” Harry turned his head slightly and glanced at Krum, who was following behind them, out of the corner of his eye, feeling a little reluctant.

“Harry, it would be really embarrassing for them if we just left them behind all the way. Sometimes, a white lie is a kind of wisdom in life.”

Upon hearing Cedric's words, Harry looked thoughtful, and when the two realized that Krum was showing signs of exhaustion again, they slowed their swimming speed once more.

To make it more realistic, the two started taking turns swimming, with one leading by a body length or two and the other catching up the next second, just like they were really swimming desperately towards the surface of the lake.

However, the truth is that neither of them used their full strength at all, and Krum's idea that the two were exhausted was completely impossible.

Harry and his friends' morning exercises over the years haven't been for nothing.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Harry and his friends may not have as many muscles as Krum, or be as exaggerated as Krum. When it comes to explosiveness, strength, and endurance, even two Krums combined might not be able to match Harry.

At this moment, Ye Feng looked at the four people 'harmonious' on the ground and a faint smile appeared on his face.

“Not bad, not bad. The magic world should be like this, loving each other. Otherwise… how can we deal with future crises?” After saying that, Ye Feng glanced at the bottom of the lake and his eyes lit up when he spotted a huge figure.

"Hmm~ It seems like it's been a while since I've had octopus. How about... I cut off a leg and take it home?"

A few minutes later, when they were still nearly a hundred meters from the water, Harry and Cedric exchanged a glance and their eyes narrowed, their relaxed muscles instantly tensing up.

"Whoo~"

The moment the two unleashed their power, they shot off at a speed at least twice as fast as before. This left Krum, who had been gritting his teeth and holding on for so long, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and preparing for one last burst of energy, completely dumbfounded.

"So...they were holding back all along..." Krum murmured, slowing down his swimming speed, which allowed Hibiscus, who had been at the back, to catch up and eventually overtake him.

As she passed Krum, Fleur said, "Getting discouraged already? That's not like you, Krum."

"Besides, wasn't the outcome already decided? We've only been at this school for a few days and our physical fitness has improved a lot, while they've been doing it for years."

Upon hearing Fleur's words, the disappointment and gloom in Krum's eyes slowly disappeared, replaced by a blazing flame of hope.

"I've only been doing morning exercises for a short time and I've already improved so much. If I keep at it, I'll definitely be able to surpass them in the end!" With Krum's murmur, Cedric was the first to rush out of the lake, followed by Harry, who was half a body length behind.

After Cedric and Harry rushed out of the lake, Fleur and Krum returned to the surface and swam toward the wooden stands built on the water.