Chapter 590: Ambush
In the magical world, most traps operate on one of two activation methods. The first is physical activation—like Isabella, who stepped directly onto one. The second is magic-triggered: when a trap’s core senses a wizard with sufficient magical energy approaching, it suddenly springs into action.
As for the first type, the Insect Magic Puppet weighs less than a football—far too light to trigger any trap. Otherwise, before the champions even entered the Chamber of Secrets, the tiny creatures scuttling through the dark would have detonated every trap just by their mere presence.
The same logic applies to the second kind. These puppets carry only a minimal amount of magic, comparable to that of a tiny sprite. Thus, while the Chamber of Secrets presented deadly danger to the human champions, it was completely safe for the Insect Magic Puppets.
Their small size and light weight allowed them to slip effortlessly through cracks between vines and rocks, reaching places no human could ever hope to reach.
Wade sat cross-legged inside the horn, back pressed against the cold wall, chin resting on his palm, boredly waiting with eyes closed.
A moment later, a scorpion-shaped Magic Puppet approached, its pincers raised, clicking as it presented a golden egg.
Wade suppressed the egg with a flick of his wand, then waved the puppet onward to continue its mission.
Just then—crack!
A sudden, sharp bang echoed through the chamber.
Someone had just been teleported inside.
Wade raised an eyebrow. His wand snapped toward a nearby animal bone at his feet. The slender, finger-thick bone extended, reshaped, and transformed into a long, narrow convex mirror.
Through the mirror’s surface, he saw Viktor Krum appear beside the compass. His brow was furrowed, his expression cold and hard. A deep gash ran along his left arm, blood soaking into the sleeve of his cloak.
Ignoring his wound, Viktor gripped his wand tightly and moved swiftly toward the wall, scanning the chamber with wary eyes. After a tense pause, he confirmed no ambush. He then surveyed the chamber, quickly grasping that he should now choose a tunnel to search for the golden egg.
Still alert, he stepped forward, his footsteps heavy, vanishing into the darkness of one of the tunnels.
…
After three incidents that appeared extremely serious, the Ministry of Magic hastily deployed personnel to reinforce the stadium with a ring of sound-dampening spells.
Now, the competitors could no longer be disturbed by Bagman’s commentary.
But whether this was good or bad remained uncertain—because they also missed the next part of his speech.
“Look, friends!” Bagman nearly leapt from his seat, ecstatic. “Wade Gray has just claimed the Golden Egg! He’s the first champion to retrieve it! All he needs to do now is return to the stadium with it, and he’s guaranteed—oh, Merlin!”
Bagman froze, staring at the streaming mirror. Then, with even greater excitement, he roared:
“Merlin’s beard! Look! After finding the egg, he didn’t leave—he chose to stay! And no one’s stopping him from touching the compass!”
“Clearly, Wade Gray intends to ambush the next challenger entering the chamber. What a bold move! Considering his age—far younger than most of the others—we must admit, this is incredibly daring! But the other champions aren’t weaklings either…”
“Viktor Krum has entered the Chamber of Secrets! Are they about to face off head-on? Will the prodigy, the Alchemist Wade Gray, ambush Viktor? Or will Viktor—beloved by fans everywhere—turn the tables and defeat the young genius?”
The entire stadium held its breath, eyes glued to the mirror. For a moment, even the two remaining champions battling the fire dragon—he escapes, it chases, he can’t fly away—were forgotten.
“Oh no… be careful, Viktor!” a Hogwarts girl cried out, her voice laced with worry.
Her brunette friend snapped back: “Which side are you on? How can you root for the enemy?”
“But… but…” the girl stammered, clutching her chest. “It’s Viktor!”
The brunette opened her mouth—then fell silent.
She, too, was a fan of Viktor. Yet now, she found herself silently hoping to see her idol fall—bloodied, broken, slowly collapsing onto the floor, his usually stoic face twisted in a look of disbelief and pain, utterly vulnerable.
Then, the image shifted—Viktor, defeated, lying in a hospital bed in the medical wing, curled under the blanket, quietly weeping. A girl entered, holding a bouquet, gently pushing open the door…
The brunette clenched her fists, heart pounding. Her mind had already spun a full dramatic scene, and she was now utterly consumed with adrenaline, silently cheering for Wade.
“Come on, Wade!” Theo from Hufflepuff shouted. “Take him down, Krum!”
“But…” his roommate hesitated. “Isn’t that… kind of dishonorable?”
“Dishonorable?” Theo scoffed. “This is strategy! You’ll see—once you watch the others, you’ll realize they won’t be playing fair at all!”
“Tournaments are tournaments,” Liam said firmly. “All means allowed by the rules are fair. Spells are part of the game. So is your mind.”
“After all,” he added, “the rules require the champions to return the Golden Egg safely. That’s already a hint—here, you must guard against attacks from other competitors.”
Karkaroff stroked his walking staff, his gaze flicking between the hidden Wade and Viktor’s position. He knew his student was quick and agile—Wade might not catch him off guard. But Viktor wasn’t invincible either. If he got hurt, how would he face the next challenger?
Under the weight of countless eyes, Viktor finally lowered his wand slightly and stepped toward one of the tunnels.
The stands erupted in a collective sigh of disappointment.
…
Wade let out a quiet sigh, lowering his wand.
Viktor had chosen the other tunnel. The two weren’t directly opposite. Once he disappeared inside, Wade’s spells would have little chance of hitting him. He couldn’t just leap from his hiding spot and attack.
In the meantime, two more golden eggs appeared at his side. Wade collected them without hesitation.
He could, if he wanted, summon more Insect Magic Puppets—enough to sweep every egg from the chamber, leaving no trace for anyone else to find.
But the Ministry had spent months preparing this tournament. They’d invited eleven renowned magical schools with great fanfare. The last thing they’d want was for the first task to end with Wade eliminating everyone else—locking the title before anyone else even had a chance.
Such an outcome would force the referees to either alter the rules—declaring Wade’s actions a violation—or risk the entire tournament collapsing, with other competitors refusing to continue.
So Wade chose not to attack the next challenger. He stayed here, waiting, narrowing down his list of opponents in advance.
Then, two more champions tumbled into the chamber at nearly the same moment.
They landed hard, immediately sprang up, and turned to face each other—wands raised, ready to duel.
(End of Chapter)
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