Cold water droplets seeped from the icy stone wall, and with a "splash," one fell onto Krum's shoulder below, bringing a touch of chill.
Victor Krum alertly turned his head to look, and seeing it was just a drop of cold water from above, he paid it no mind.
He walked silently through the dark underground tunnel, the tip of his wand glimmering with a faint light, illuminating the narrow passage ahead.
Many people assume that students of Durmstrang must be as sinister and cunning as their reputation outside suggests, unscrupulous and disregarding of human life, steeped in evil down to their bones.
Grindelwald's actions further deepened the world's negative impression of them.
Victor Krum's appearance fits the image they were assigned—
He has a prominent hooked nose, and his sallow skin contributes to a haggard look, making him appear somber and his cold gaze is not of the pleasing kind.
Despite Krum now having countless fans, a year ago, before he gained global fame through Quidditch, he endured much external slander and hatred due to his school and his grim, stern looks.
In others' eyes, he seemed like a psychopath ready to cast an Evil Curse and torment others at any moment.
Yet in reality, Victor Krum's mind is far more upright than people imagine.
He understands the hints of the competition organizers to have them fight each other, but Krum paid no attention to it, simply deciding to focus on the competition goal—locating the Golden Egg and bringing it back.
He wouldn't loot others, nor would he let anyone seize the Golden Egg from him.
Thus, after stepping into the passage, he proceeded to explore upfront, encountering numerous carefully placed magical traps along the way, even catching sight of opportunities to obtain the Golden Egg several times, but Krum refrained from acting rashly.
He is actually somewhat of a student with an uneven skill set; subjects like Astronomy, Herbology, Magic History, Prophecy, and Ancient Magical Runes do not fall within his expertise.
Especially, when the judges set questions relating to British Magic History and the International Wizarding Union, how was he supposed to know about them?
Wisely skipping those he wasn't skilled at, he defeated two ambushing Gargoyles and a Red Cap, ultimately encountering a trap testing Transfiguration.
Krum looked down at his feet, where faintly visible runes emerged on the ground, glimmering with a red light.
This was a trigger-based Full Body-Bind Curse, taking another step forward would chain his legs with Magic Chains, potentially followed by other attacks, like Magic Potions or the Stunning Spell.
Just ahead on the stone wall, dozens of fist-sized beetles crawled around, their wings dark gold at the back, resembling countless Golden Eggs rolling on the wall at first glance.
From this distance, extending his wand, he could just touch the beetles on the wall.
Krum knew that the Golden Egg might not be "hidden" precisely, merely surrounded by cleverly set obstacles, and unlocking the trap was the way to acquire the Golden Egg.
For instance, identifying the one beetle among dozens as the creation of Transfiguration Spell and casting a Counter-spell to revert it back to its original form.
Or...
Simply casting a Counter-spell on all the beetles, and the real Golden Egg would naturally reveal itself.
...
After a period of time, Krum held the Golden Egg in his hand, finally feeling relieved.
His luck wasn't great, it was only after he had narrowed it down to just seven or eight left that he finally discerned the one beetle with the genuine Golden Egg.
The Golden Egg, during the transformation process, had a line of small text on it: [Eyes that can see through appearances are more precious than powerful magic.]
Ah... This...
Not having seen through it, Krum's face had a slight blush; like a thief, he quickly tucked the Golden Egg into his pocket. As he turned around, suddenly a voice echoed through the passage—
[Important announcement, important announcement: Attention all champions! At the end of the competition, each champion is allowed only one Golden Egg! Champions with more than one will lose their competition qualification!]
After seriously announcing the notice, Bagman joyfully added:
"Ah-ha, remember, kids, one Golden Egg is just fine, two Golden Eggs spell trouble, more Golden Eggs are a disaster, the championship trophy will escape! Crafty champions, leave some chances for others!"
As his words fell, peals of laughter erupted in the stands, and many wizards who had been watching the Flow Mirror secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Krum inside the Chamber of Secrets couldn't hear the audience's commotion, he felt the Golden Egg in his pocket, and frowned.
Just after acquiring the Golden Egg, he heard the Ministry of Magic's supplementary notice; naturally, Krum thought the rule was cautioning him not to attempt pocketing all the Golden Eggs.
Krum lightly furrowed his brow, inwardly irritated again by external prejudice against Durmstrang students, making his expression increasingly somber as he trudged heavily towards the exit.
...
On the other side, Vid had naturally heard the broadcast too; he twirled his magic wand, a faint smile on his lips.
At his feet, the Scorpion Puppet held a pale yellow nut, trying to hand it to Vid.
There could be countless nuts hidden in the tunnel, but for the Puppet, which possesses extremely weak Magic Power but far superior intelligence than most animals among magical creations, it's especially sensitive to these subtle magical auras, easily identifying the true Golden Egg.
Not far away, three contestants lay prone—Yuri Ivanov of the Kodostorians, Laila Benrashid of Akadim, and Amina Jabrai of Uagadou.
The only one among them sent into a trap by Vid's Knockback Jinx was Amina, while Yuri was severely injured after ambushed by a Cheetah transformed by Amina before that, and Laila fell into a round marsh during exploration, wrapped in mud when dragged out by an Auror.
Yuri and Laila were delivered for treatment by the Aurors; only Amina stayed as a "failed decoration."
The contestants remaining in the arena still possibly have the chance to get the Golden Egg—if they could first find a way out of their current predicament.
Amina sat by the wall, entangled in some thorny vines—the thorns of these plants contain strong paralyzing toxins, which rapidly leave one paralyzed throughout once pierced and the toxin spreads through the bloodstream.
Her consciousness was clear, but not a finger could she move, only able to rotate her eyes to see Vid taking the nut from the Scorpion Puppet and softly chanting a spell with his wand pointed at it, shortly after, the nut transformed into a Golden Egg.
Amina's eyes widened instantly, and with a paralyzed tongue tip, she uttered a sound: "Gold... Egg?"
"Yes," Vid showed her the hard-earned trophy in his hand: "This is the Golden Egg."
Amina looked at his leisurely demeanor, struggling to ask: "You... not... leaving?"