Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil.

In fact, Puni was completely unaffected at the moment. Azkaban's aura was useless to him, and he was not affected by the Dementors at all.

The Holy Light will cleanse him of everything.

But in order not to appear too unusual and avoid arousing the suspicion of the wizards in the Ministry of Magic, he deliberately pretended to be in pain, frowning and exerting himself so much that his cheeks turned red. After struggling for a long time, he was exhausted and finally made his face turn a little pale, pretending to be troubled by the atmosphere of despair on the island.

The wizards from the Ministry of Magic behind them watched Regulus and Puni walk deeper into the prison, their faces showing reluctance and resistance. They moved as slowly as snails, extremely unwilling to follow them in.

Regulus glanced back at them and understood what was going on. He simply waved his hand and said to them, "You don't need to come in with me. Just stay on the shore and wait. I won't mention today's events to Minister Fudge."

Chapter 103 You devoured ten Dementors, your level has increased.

Upon hearing this, the group of wizards from the Ministry of Magic's eyes lit up instantly, and the embarrassment on their faces vanished, replaced by undisguised joy.

They quickly bowed to Regulus in thanks, then hastily turned around and retreated back to the island's shore, standing far away, unwilling to take another step forward.

The two continued deeper into the prison. The further they went, the stronger the atmosphere of despair became, and the roars of the Dementors could be faintly heard. They were getting closer and closer to the Dementors' lair, and the invisible pressure was growing stronger, as if it was going to crush their will completely.

The reason why those wizards in the Ministry of Magic dared not follow suit was precisely because they feared this deep-seated dread.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, a fork in the road appeared ahead, with two dimly lit corridors extending in different directions.

Puni stopped, waved lightly to Regulus as a greeting, and then turned and walked alone toward the left corridor, leaving behind even the greyhound guardian spirit that Regulus had sent to protect him.

He knew perfectly well that the corridor on the left led to the Lestrange brothers' cell, while the corridor on the right led to Sirius's cell.

Regulus watched Puni's departing figure without being overly worried.

He knew that Puni was hiding many secrets and that his abilities far exceeded what he appeared to be.

There shouldn't be much need to worry about him getting into trouble on this island.

that's the truth.

Puni walked alone in the dimly lit corridor, his face no longer showing the paleness he had just feigned, and his expression was calm.

In the wizarding world, no one who has ever seen a Dementor harbors even the slightest bit of goodwill toward this dark creature.

The chilling aura and despair emanating from them seemed to be an evil etched into their very bones. Even though they were nominally tamed by the Ministry of Magic and served as guards of Azkaban, silently maintaining order and stability in the wizarding world, they could not dispel the instinctive loathing people felt towards them.

This aversion is not about advantages or disadvantages, but purely a rejection from the depths of one's soul. Once you have had a single encounter with them, they will be deeply imprinted in your heart and difficult to erase.

This deep-seated aversion stems not from their appearance, but from their innate abilities.

As soon as a Dementor gets close, it will forcibly pry open the most hidden corners of people's hearts, awakening those dark sides that have been deliberately sealed away and desperately forgotten without warning.

Those memories might be unspeakable traumas from childhood, the heart-wrenching pain of losing a loved one, mistakes one makes that one is unwilling to mention, or even some fragmented pains that have long been washed away by time and that one can no longer even remember.

No one wants to actively recall pain; it's human nature to avoid those suffocating past experiences.

Whether wizards or Muggles, they all yearn to retain the warmth and joy in life, and hope to bury their pain deep in their hearts and never touch it again.

But Dementors ignore this instinct and use their strange power to forcibly drag pain out of the depths of memory, making people experience that despair and sorrow again. No one can accept the feeling of having their scars forcibly torn open and being repeatedly chewed on. A sense of disgust naturally arises.

If you get too close to a Dementor, all the comfort you feel and all the happy memories you cherish will be sucked away without a trace.

If given the chance, it will cling to you for a long time, feeding on your happiness and hope, gradually eroding your soul until it turns you into something like it, soulless, leaving only endless evil and emptiness.

In the end, what will be left for you will not be any warm moments, but only the most painful, unbearable, and unforgettable memories of your life, tormenting you day and night and plunging you into an abyss of despair.

Reflecting on this feeling, don't you think it bears a striking resemblance to depression in the Muggle world?

As Puni delved deeper into his investigation of the Dementors, he came to realize this more and more clearly, and Harry Potter's personal experience further confirmed his suspicions.

Harry first encountered Dementors on the train to Hogwarts. That time, he truly experienced the despair of having all his joy taken away. From then on, whenever he encountered Dementors again, he would be instantly enveloped by a familiar, bone-chilling cold. That deep-seated coldness and depression would repeat itself again and again, lingering on.

In fact, the "familiar, terrifying chill" that Harry described couldn't be more accurate in describing the feelings of someone with depression.

In the medical understanding of Muggles, the vast majority of patients with depression have a tendency to relapse. This is not because they are not strong enough, but because the thought patterns that trigger this psychological disorder will surface uncontrollably.

Often, patients are unaware of the emergence of these negative thoughts. Even when they are in a warm and stable environment, that familiar feeling of depression can suddenly strike and drag them into an endless "dark abyss" at an extremely fast pace.

This experience of falling into despair has almost become an "instinct" for people with depression. They are familiar with it, yet powerless to resist it, let alone forcibly stop it.

They knew they shouldn't be depressed, but they couldn't control their emotions and could only let despair overwhelm them. That feeling of helplessness was far more tormenting than physical pain.

What's even more frustrating is that the onset of depression has no fixed pattern and cannot be controlled by the patient themselves.

Generally, each episode lasts for several days, and in severe cases, it can last for months. During this time, patients are completely enveloped by emotions such as depression, despair, and loss of pleasure, making it impossible for them to live a normal life.

However, most patients experience emotional relief after an attack. During the relief period, they return to normal, live and laugh like ordinary people, and are fully aware of how abnormal their state was during the attack. They also yearn for such pain to never recur. However, reality is often disappointing, and the predicament of repeated attacks continues to plague them.

The deeper Puni investigated the Dementors, the more certain he became of his judgment: the Dementors' attack method was essentially to indiscriminately release a "depressive syndrome" onto all living beings around them.

They do not initiate physical attacks proactively, but rather influence everything around them in this intangible way, then precisely lock onto those targets that will produce a strong reaction, and track and entangle them.

On one hand, it continuously drains the target's happy memories and erodes their hope, and on the other hand, it forcibly awakens the darkness and pain buried deep in the target's heart, making the victim become more and more cowardly and want to escape under double torment.

The victim will gradually feel that everything in the world is full of darkness, and that no matter what they do, they will only suffer more and fall into darkness faster, without seeing any light or hope.

This despair accumulates little by little until, in the end, the victim is completely overwhelmed, gives up all struggle, and takes the extreme step of escaping life.

And this is precisely the purpose of the Dementors, because only in this way will the souls of the victims become incredibly vulnerable, becoming their most delicious and nourishing food.

In particular, much of the magic in this world relies on emotions to activate it. A wizard's state of mind and emotions directly affect the power of the magic, and the existence of the Patronus Charm has become the nemesis of Dementors.

If you can successfully summon the Guardian, you can effectively resist the Dementors' aura of despair, and even dispel it.

This is why, apart from their numerical advantage, Dementors pose little threat to adult wizards who possess wands and are skilled in casting Patronus Charms.

As for the children who are not capable of casting spells, there is no need to worry too much.

In this world, almost all wizarding children study and live in magic schools such as Hogwarts and Durmstrang, which have strict magical protection, making it impossible for Dementors to easily break in.

Moreover, most children who grow up in ordinary wizarding families lead simple lives, have not experienced much darkness and pain, and have almost no dark memories that can be awakened in their hearts.

Even if they encounter a Dementor, their reaction won't be too strong, and they naturally won't become a priority target for Dementors.

Throughout the entire wizarding world, perhaps only Harry Potter endured endless abuse during his childhood. It would be difficult to find another wizard with such a tragic childhood.

When Puni first set foot on Azkaban, an island filled with despair, he was also ambushed by Dementors and took the blows head-on.

To his utter surprise, this unexpected encounter led him to discover a peculiar "use" of the Dementor. When he subconsciously touched and absorbed the Dementor that had attacked him, he tasted a familiar flavor—the rich, mellow taste of chestnuts, without any of the cold, sinister aura of the Dementor, but instead with a hint of sweetness.

While chewing, you can hear a crisp crunching sound. The texture is crispy, just like a carefully baked delicacy. It is not at all as frightening as rumored, but has become an unexpected "snack".

From then on, the Dementors of Azkaban took on a different meaning in Puni's eyes.

delicious!

At this moment, on the edge of Azkaban Island, the Ministry of Magic staff responsible for guarding the island were patrolling back and forth, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily. Little did they know that not far to the left of their patrol route, in a hidden Dementor lair, something that would shock them was happening.

Deep within the lair, a figure was walking unsteadily, wrapped in a large cloak with the brim pulled low, obscuring most of his face. His slender figure clearly did not belong to the ethereal form of a Dementor.

As he moved slowly, he approached the Dementors dwelling in the lair. Each time he reached a Dementor, he would raise his hand, his palm glowing with holy light, and gently draw the unsuspecting Dementor into his hand.

Faced with this holy light, the Dementors were utterly powerless to resist.

Many people don't know that Dementors don't actually have eyes; they can't see their surroundings or distinguish things around them.

However, they possess a unique sensory ability that allows them to accurately detect the emotional fluctuations of surrounding creatures, whether it be joy, sadness, fear, or despair. As long as there is an emotion present, they can sense the location of the target, approach it, and then consume its happiness.

This means that as long as you can completely suppress all your emotions and put yourself in a state of no feeling, you can completely "invisible" in the perception of Dementors. Even if you stand right next to them, they will not be able to detect you. However, Puni does not need to use this. Instead, he does not stop his excitement so as to attract more Dementors to his side and become his food.

Through this experiment, Puni discovered that these Dementors could provide him with the energy to create holy artifacts!

Not only is it delicious, it can also be a source of inspiration for your diary!

Even his level is constantly rising!

You have devoured a Dementor; your level has increased.

You have devoured a Dementor; your level has increased.

You have devoured a Dementor; your level has increased.

【...】

In no time at all, Puni even reached level 20!

However, at this point, eating a Dementor would no longer allow him to level up directly.

This made Puni very disappointed.

"Or do you mean if I eat ten, I can level up again?"

Since Puni didn't feel like his level was locked, eating a Dementor still allowed him to gain some magical power and progress.

He tried again.

really!

You have devoured ten Dementors; your level has increased.

You have devoured ten Dementors; your level has increased.

At this point, Puni had reached level 22.

But when he devoured ten more Dementors, his level did not increase, and he was stuck again.

ah~

Although Dementors have no eyes and cannot see the changes around them, they still keenly sensed that something was wrong. Their companions were decreasing at an extremely rapid pace, and the once crowded nest was gradually becoming empty. The familiar scent of their companions had largely disappeared.

The remaining Dementors began to grow restless, wandering aimlessly and emitting low whimpers, filling the air with a thick atmosphere of panic.

Sensing the unease and restlessness of the Dementors, Puni slowly came to his senses, glanced at the few remaining Dementors in the lair, and silently made plans in his mind.

I just got carried away and grabbed so many.

Losing a few dozen Dementors shouldn't have a significant impact on Azkaban as a whole, right?

After all, there are so many Dementors in Azkaban that they wouldn't even notice if a small number were missing.

Thinking of this, Puni felt that he should leave as soon as possible. If he stayed any longer, he would be in trouble if he were discovered by the patrolling Ministry of Magic staff.

Moreover, he also had his own plans. He wanted to come back here again to "find snacks" in the future. He had to leave some space for the Dementors to reproduce. He couldn't wipe them out all at once. He had to pay attention to sustainable development. Otherwise, there would be no "snacks" to eat next time he came.

Puni sighed softly, thinking to himself that Azkaban was actually a pretty good place for him. He could find these unique "snacks" and it was quiet enough that no one would bother him. The only downside was that it was too much trouble to come here every time. He had to avoid the Ministry of Magic's patrols and carefully sneak into the Dementor's lair, which took a lot of time and energy.

Puni strode out of the Dementors' lair and turned a corner along the winding path.

He stopped and cautiously scanned his surroundings, his gaze sweeping over the empty corridor and the patrolling Ministry of Magic staff in the distance. Only after confirming that no one had noticed him and no Dementors were approaching did he raise his hand and untie the cloak he was wearing.

After a moment's thought, Puni glanced at the sky, estimated his time, and decided he couldn't linger any longer. He turned around and decided not to go to his father's and uncle's cell, but instead to take a detour to the other side to see what Sirius Black looked like now.

In the right-hand prison area of ​​Azkaban, the light was dim and the air was thick with a chilling and desperate atmosphere. Inside the cells, a group of criminals who were still barely conscious and had not been completely consumed by despair were leaning weakly against the cold stone wall, talking idly. The focus of their conversation was Regulus Black, who had just passed by outside the prison area not long ago.