The wheelchair-bound warrior is speedrunning Hogwarts.

"Go in," Tom commanded again, his voice tinged with barely suppressed excitement.

Fortunately, the pipes weren't too dirty.

With that thought in mind, Vera activated the levitation spell on her wheelchair and, without hesitation, slid into the dark pipe entrance.

The pipes twisted and turned, steeply descending as if leading straight to the earth's core. The wheelchair remained stable under the influence of magic, yet moved at an incredible speed, the wind whistling past its ears, creating a feeling of weightlessness.

After gliding for an unknown amount of time, a faint light finally appeared ahead, and it quickly expanded.

Vera instinctively gripped the armrests of her wheelchair and was launched directly from a pipe, landing in a dark, spacious stone tunnel.

The wheelchair made a dull thud as it landed, echoing in the silent tunnel.

A strong, nauseating stench wafted over, mixed with the smell of dirt and some kind of reptile.

She glanced at the scattered animal bones on the ground and, at the opportune moment, had the fake Vera in the anchor point show fear and discomfort.

"Where...where am I?" The fake Vera's voice trembled in the anchor point, tinged with genuine nausea. "It smells awful..."

"The antechamber of the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin." Tom's voice carried a sense of returning home with a mixture of pleasure and arrogance. "Keep up, the real treasures are yet to come."

In reality, Vera's true form held her breath, pushed her wheelchair over the tiny bones, and slowly moved forward along the tunnel.

The tunnel walls were damp and covered with sticky moss, and huge snake skins lay piled in the corners, silently demonstrating the enormous size of the creatures that lived there.

At the end of the tunnel, a solid stone wall blocked the way. Two giant snakes were carved on the wall, their eyes inlaid with huge, shimmering green gemstones.

“Speak,” Tom commanded, “the way I taught you.”

The fake Vera hissed again: "Open."

The two giant stone pythons seemed to come alive. Their intertwined bodies slowly slid apart, splitting the stone wall in two. They silently slid into the walls on either side and disappeared.

Behind the door was a huge, seemingly endless hall.

Towering stone pillars support the dome, their shafts entwined with even more giant stone serpents, their mouths agape, baring their fangs, as if they might come to life at any moment.

The air was thicker with a fishy stench and an ancient, suffocating magical pressure.

Vera didn't rush in, but stopped at the door.

The cold air deep inside the tunnel seemed to stagnate, and an indescribable, chilling pressure emanated from the depths of the hall.

Vera could clearly sense that some enormous and ancient creature was lurking in the darkness.

The aura was cold and bloodthirsty, making one tremble involuntarily.

Tom's consciousness whispered excitedly in her mind, like the flick of a viper's tongue: "Can you feel it? The great creation of Slytherin is ahead, awaiting your true command."

As he spoke, Vera in reality had already silently slid her fingers towards the side pocket of the wheelchair, touching the cold frame of the newly completed protective goggles.

Her heartbeat was steady, but her mind was highly focused, and her visual circuits were operating at full capacity, trying to penetrate the thick darkness ahead and capture any subtle movement.

The fake Vera in the anchor point convincingly displayed extreme fear and a hint of wavering, as if tempted: "It...it's right there? Do we really have to go over there?"

“Of course, this is the time to prove your true worth.” Tom’s voice was full of seduction. “Go forward and call upon it. In the language I taught you, with your will… let it see you.”

Vera's main body took a deep breath and quickly put on the specially made protective goggles.

The world appeared normal through the lens, but she could feel the subtle magical fluctuations as the miniature magic array on the lens operated, like the gentlest barrier protecting her eyes.

She pushed her wheelchair and slowly glided into the huge hall.

The wheels of the wheelchair echoed softly on the cold stone floor, sounding particularly clear in the deathly silence.

The towering stone pillars cast distorted shadows, and the eyes of the stone snake statues on either side seemed to be staring at this uninvited guest in the darkness.

The deeper you go, the stronger the fishy smell becomes, almost suffocating.

Suddenly, a heavy, teeth-grinding scraping sound came from the darkest part of the hall.

It looked as if something enormous was slowly moving across the stone ground.

Vera stopped her wheelchair and caught sight of the silhouette—an enormous, unimaginably large serpentine shadow slowly emerging from behind a massive stone pillar.

The first thing that catches the eye is two huge, lantern-like yellow eyes that radiate a cold and fierce light in the darkness.

Even through the specially designed protective goggles, Vera could feel the deadly magic in those eyes, a magic capable of taking lives.

That's the basilisk.

It was much larger than Vera had imagined, its head the size of a carriage, covered in dark green scales that shimmered with a cold, hard luster.

Compared to the basilisk in the movie, this one looks like a minor.

It slowly raised its upper body, its enormous form coiled in the shadows, its endless length unseen, its forked core hissing and spitting out, bringing with it a stench.

The fake Vera in the anchor point let out a silent scream, fear almost shattering the constructed mental illusion.

Tom's mind was pounding with excitement: "Look! How perfect! Now, speak to it! Command it! Show your will!"

In reality, Vera felt a sudden increase in the control the diary transmitted through the anchor point; the cold power attempted to manipulate the fake Vera more deeply and tried to influence her body's actions.

She had to keep her composure; on the one hand, she had to maintain the performance of the fake Vera, who was in a state of panic.

On the other hand, he used his awkwardly learned snake accent to hiss clearly at the behemoth, a sound that carried a hint of probing: "Back off."

The sound wasn't loud, but it resonated throughout the empty hall.

The basilisk's enormous yellow eyes instantly locked onto the source of the sound—the tiny human sitting in a wheelchair before it.

Instead of retreating immediately, it moved forward slightly, its massive head lowered, as if scrutinizing the creature that dared to command it.

The coldness and malice in their gaze were almost tangible, greatly increasing the sense of oppression.

Vera felt a chill creep up her spine, but she forced herself to remain calm, her visual circuits working at full speed to analyze the basilisk's movements and emotional fluctuations.

It seems that her snake accent wasn't standard enough, which is why it didn't resonate with the basilisk?

Please, she only studied it for two months in a short period of time!

Tom's voice from the anchor point urged urgently: "Not enough! Your will is not strong enough! Treat it like a lowly servant! Suppress it with force! Make it obey your commands!"

Just then, the basilisk seemed to lose patience. It let out a low and terrifying hiss, and its huge body suddenly lunged forward, bringing with it a gust of wind!

Its movements were incredibly fast, completely disproportionate to its enormous size!

Almost instinctively, Vera immediately steered her wheelchair, her magic exploding instantly, and the wheelchair slid to the side and back like an arrow!

"boom!"

The ground where she had been standing was violently struck by the basilisk's massive jaws, sending rocks flying everywhere!

The immense impact seemed to shake the entire hall.

A foul-smelling wind rushed towards her, ruffling Vera's silver hair. She could barely keep her wheelchair steady, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

Thank goodness... If she hadn't remained highly vigilant, that sudden attack would have crushed her and her wheelchair together!

The basilisk missed its attack, and a human-like look of surprise appeared in its huge yellow eyes, which then turned into even more intense ferocity.

It raised its head again, its cold pupils fixed on Vera.

Tom's mind was filled with shock, anger, and panic: "What's going on?! Why is it attacking?! Your commands were full of hesitation and fear! Start over! Suppress it!"

Vera completely ignored Tom's roars; all her attention was now focused on the basilisk.

The brush with death she had just experienced made her realize that Tom Riddle's so-called guidance was nothing more than sending her to her death!

Either he underestimated the basilisk's ferocity, or he simply didn't care about her life or death and only wanted to see the basilisk awakened!

Regardless of which one it is, she can no longer follow his lead.

She will subdue the basilisk on her own.

Chapter Thirteen: Subduing the Basilisk (Normal Update + 3k Bounty)

Vera mentally blocked out Tom's impotent rage. She had to concentrate, even ignoring the combat buffs from her magic circuits. Only in this way could she face the basilisk before her.

Fortunately, the glasses she made by hand are still working perfectly.

The next second, the basilisk attacked again. This time, it opened its blood-red maw, revealing fangs as sharp as daggers, and lunged at Vera with overwhelming force!

Vera's eyes shone brightly with golden light, and she suddenly waved her wand, unleashing the magic she had been accumulating: "Protect Armor!"

Three solid silver shields immediately unfolded in front of her, and the basilisk's huge head slammed into them with a deafening roar!

The tremendous impact propelled Vera and her wheelchair backwards for more than ten feet, the metal parts of the wheelchair groaning painfully.

The basilisk was stunned by the sudden, solid defense and shook its huge head.

Taking advantage of the brief moment, Vera didn't hesitate, pointing her wand at the basilisk: "Immobulus!" (Freezing Charm)

An extremely strong chill erupted instantly, and the icy cold air struck the basilisk's massive body precisely, quickly spreading across its hard scales and condensing into a thick layer of white frost.

The basilisk's movements visibly slowed down. It let out an angry and painful hiss, its huge tail whipping wildly, slamming against stone pillars and the ground with loud bangs, sending shards of stone flying everywhere.

However, the freezing spell, which was powerful enough to completely imprison an ordinary wizard, failed to completely restrain it.

The basilisk's strength far exceeded expectations. It struggled violently, and the ice on its body began to crack and fissure.

Vera didn't pause at all, continuing to wave her wand. Spells like the Freezing Curse were meant to buy her time.

Just as it was still struggling, this time, Vera pointed her wand at the giant stone snakes behind her!

The tip of the wand emitted a bright light, and the previously still stone serpents seemed to be infused with life, writhing and breaking off from the pillars, transforming into living snakes made of rock, hissing as they lunged at the real basilisk!

They coiled around the basilisk's cold body, using their own weight and sturdiness to trap the enormous creature.

The basilisk roared deafeningly, angrily thrashing its body in an attempt to break free of its double restraints. Ice shards and stones flew everywhere, and the entire hall trembled as it struggled.

Vera pressed her lips together, her face growing even paler from the rapid depletion of her magic, but her eyes remained fixed on the basilisk.

She knew very well that even with her current level of skill, she could only temporarily restrain this terrifying magical creature and could not truly harm it.

Perhaps in two years, the stone snake she conjures will be no less powerful than a real snake monster, but she is far from being good enough now.

But it doesn't matter. She was originally there to subdue the snake monster, and she wouldn't really use her killing move unless absolutely necessary.

As if inspired by Vera's will, two lines of text quickly appeared on her retina:

[Tamerable magical creature: Basilisk]

[Taming Rewards: Magic Circuit Level Increased, Maximum Mana +60, Gain Control of the Basilisk]

[Taming methods: Suppress its ferocity, or make it submit willingly]

They even released a strategy guide this time?

But how easy is it to get such a ferocious, thousand-year-old beast to submit willingly? Suppression is a more realistic option.

But choosing to suppress it means she needs to demonstrate absolute power to make this proud and ferocious magical creature acknowledge her strength, or even... fear her.

The basilisk let out another deafening hiss, its massive body struggling more and more violently, the stone snakes wrapped around it shattering and scattering into fragments of stone!

Its huge, vertical yellow pupils were fixed on Vera, their violence and killing intent almost overflowing.

Vera's eyes shone even brighter, and her magic circuits began to operate at an unprecedented speed.

The agility and strength bestowed by the three-headed dog awakened from within him, and the fire dragon's scales hardened and flowed silently beneath his skin, gleaming with an almost imperceptible sheen.

She took a deep breath, and without further hesitation, leaped up from her wheelchair!

Her mimicry legs unleashed astonishing power, propelling her to the side like an arrow, narrowly avoiding the basilisk's massive tail, which it slammed down again in fury.

Boom!

The ground was smashed into a deep crater, and rubble flew out like raindrops.

Vera landed lightly, her wand pointing steadily at the basilisk. Her voice was clear and cold, carrying an undeniable authority, as she hissed in parrot language once more:

"Get out!"

This time, her magic was infused into the hissing sound, like an invisible hammer that slammed into the basilisk's consciousness!

The basilisk's enormous body stiffened abruptly, and for the first time, a hint of surprise and uncertainty flashed in its pair of ferocious yellow vertical pupils.

It seemed unable to comprehend how this tiny human could unleash such immense power.

Taking advantage of its momentary hesitation, Vera's wand moved again: "Thunderous Explosion!"

An orange fireball-shaped flame struck the stone pillar next to the basilisk's head with pinpoint accuracy!

With a deafening roar, the upper part of the stone pillar was blasted to pieces, and huge boulders crashed down, landing heavily near the serpent monster's coiled body, stirring up clouds of dust.

Startled by the sudden explosion and falling rocks, the basilisk recoiled and let out a hiss that was a mixture of anger and unease.

However, just before the smoke cleared, Vera shot up like lightning, her figure moving like a ghost through the dust, her legs, imbued with the power of Cerberus, slammed into the side of the basilisk's hard snout!