Cold water beaded on the stone wall and dripped with a plop onto Krum's shoulder below, bringing a faint chill.
Viktor Krum turned his head alertly, but when he saw it was only a drop of water dripping from above, he paid it no further mind.
He walked silently through the dark underground passage, and the tip of his wand glowed faintly, casting light on the narrow corridor ahead.
Many people believed that students from Durmstrang must be just like their reputation—sinister, cunning, ruthless, with no regard for human life, all rotten to the core with evil.
Grindelwald's actions had only deepened the world's negative impression of them.
Viktor Krum's appearance fit perfectly with that stereotype—
He had a prominent hooked nose, sallow-gray skin that made him look worn out, a gloomy demeanor, and a cold gaze that was far from likable.
Although Krum now had countless fans, just a year ago—before he became famous worldwide through Quidditch—he had suffered much prejudice and hatred because of his school background and his stern, harsh looks.
To others, he seemed like a deranged wizard ready to hurl a curse and torment people at any moment.
But in truth, Viktor Krum's heart was far brighter and more upright than most imagined.
He understood the organizers' hint that they were meant to fight each other, but Krum ignored it. His only intent was simply to complete the task—find the golden egg and bring it back.
He would not rob others, nor would he allow anyone to snatch the egg from him.
So, once stepping into the passage, he advanced straight ahead, encountering many carefully designed magical traps along the way. He even came across several chances to seize the egg, but Krum did not act rashly.
In fact, he was somewhat of a "specialist" student—subjects like Astronomy, Herbology, History of Magic, Divination, and especially Ancient Runes were not his strengths.
All the more since the examiners had set questions on British magical history and the International Confederation of Wizards—how could he possibly know about those?
Wisely, he skipped the parts he wasn't good at, defeated two gargoyles that tried to ambush him, as well as a redcap, and finally came upon a mechanism testing Transfiguration.
Krum lowered his gaze to his feet, where faint runes glowed red on the ground.
It was a trigger-based binding curse. One more step and magical chains would entangle his legs, possibly followed by other attacks—potions or Stunning Spells, perhaps.
Not far ahead, dozens of fist-sized beetles crawled across the stone wall. Their wings shimmered with a dark golden hue, and at a glance they looked like countless golden eggs rolling over the surface.
From this distance, if he stretched out his wand, he could just about touch the beetles on the wall.
Krum knew that the golden egg wasn't necessarily "hidden"—rather, it was surrounded by cleverly designed obstacles. Only by breaking the mechanism could one obtain it.
In this case, the task was likely to identify the one beetle that was actually the transfigured golden egg, then cast the counter-spell to restore it to its true form.
Or…
More simply, he could just cast the counter-spell on all of them. The real egg would naturally reveal itself.
…
Some time later, Krum finally held the golden egg in his hand and let out a long sigh of relief.
His luck wasn't great—only when there were seven or eight beetles left did he finally manage to distinguish the one that truly held the golden egg.
During the transfiguration reversal, a line of tiny words appeared on the egg:
[Eyes that can see through appearances are more precious than powerful magic.]
Ah… this…
Since Krum hadn't actually "seen through" the illusion, his face flushed faintly with embarrassment. Feeling like a thief, he quickly stuffed the golden egg into his pocket. Just as he turned around, a voice suddenly echoed through the passage—
[Important announcement, important announcement: Attention, champions! By the end of the task, each champion may possess no more than one golden egg! Any champion carrying more than one will be disqualified!]
After delivering the message in a stern tone, Bagman cheerfully added:
"Ah-ha, remember, children: one golden egg is just right, two golden eggs are trouble, more than that and the champion's cup will run away! Crafty champions, leave some chances for the others, won't you?"
As soon as he finished, laughter erupted from the stands, and quite a few wizards who had been anxiously following the Streaming Mirrors let out a sigh of relief in secret.
Inside the chamber, Krum couldn't hear the audience's reaction. He touched the golden egg in his pocket and frowned slightly.
Having just obtained the egg, only to hear a supplemental notice from the Ministry, Krum naturally assumed the new rule was aimed at warning him: don't even think about pocketing every golden egg.
He furrowed his brow, inwardly irritated once again by the constant prejudice against Durmstrang students. His expression grew darker, and with heavy steps he headed toward the exit.
…
Meanwhile, Wade had also heard the announcement. He twirled his wand casually, a faint smile playing on his lips.
At his feet, a scorpion-shaped magic doll was holding up a pale yellow nut, trying to hand it to him.
There might be countless nuts hidden throughout the tunnels, but for a magical construct like the dolls—its magic power faint yet its intelligence higher than most animals—it could easily sense the subtle magical aura and pick out the true golden egg.
Not far away lay three other fallen competitors—Yuri Ivanov of Koldovstoretz, Layla bint Rashid of Al-Qadim, and Amina Jabri of Uagadou.
Only Amina, however, had actually been struck down by Wade, blasted into a trap with a Knockback Jinx. Yuri had already been badly injured earlier, ambushed by a leopard conjured by Amina; while Layla had fallen into a circular bog during her exploration, and by the time the Aurors dragged her out, she was covered head to toe in mud.
The wounded Yuri and Layla were both taken away for treatment by the Aurors, but Amina was left behind as a "failed decoration."
Those left in the arena still technically had a chance at the golden egg—if they could first find a way out of their predicament.
Amina sat slumped against the wall, wrapped tightly in thorn-vines. The plant's barbs carried a powerful paralytic toxin—once pierced, the poison would spread rapidly through the blood, leaving the victim completely immobilized.
Her mind was still clear, but she couldn't move a single finger; only her eyes could turn. She watched as Wade accepted the nut from the scorpion doll, then lightly tapped it with his wand and murmured an incantation. Moments later, the nut transformed into a golden egg.
Amina's eyes widened instantly. With her paralyzed tongue, she forced out a muffled word: "Gol…den… egg?"
"That's right." Wade held up the prize he had obtained so effortlessly. "This is the golden egg."
Amina looked at his relaxed, almost leisurely manner, and with difficulty asked: "You… not… leaving?"
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