Ethan Loves Private Matches the Most

"Professor, I have to participate in this competition."

Ethan said firmly.

It was located in the far north of England, and he had been worrying about how to get there.

He hadn't expected the competition venue to be set right there!

In that case.

It would most likely be a direct flight via Door Key.

The students just had to focus on the competition; the organizers had plenty to think about.

The system-designated secret treasure... what could it be?

It really made him curious.

Ethan licked his back teeth, suppressing the excitement and anticipation inside him.

He could get both the secret treasure and the golden Galleons.

It was a win-win.

Ethan winning twice all by himself.

"Ethan, won't you reconsider?"

Penelope said worriedly, trying to persuade him.

She felt a bit guilty, since it was her loose lips that had gotten Ethan so hooked on this competition.

Usually, professors from each college would first recommend students they favored for the selection.

Only when there were still vacancies left would free registration open.

"I'm also participating in this year's competition. I joined once three years ago... back then, even though I thought I was pretty good, I couldn't even make it halfway before I was forced to drop out."

"Let alone a first-year Young Wizard—it's absolutely impossible."

"It's fine," Ethan said lightly. "Isn't there still the School Selection? If I don't make it, it just means I'm not good enough yet."

"..." Penelope pursed her lips and said softly, "But Sean Max, that senior who invited you to join the club before, is also participating in the selection."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, understanding what she meant.

So, if he "overestimated himself" and joined the selection, he'd get mocked by Senior Sean, huh?

Ha.

The same old suppression tactic.

Ethan curled his lips, a cold glint flashing in his calm eyes.

Then he definitely had to join.

If he backed away from his goals just because he was afraid of being laughed at, he might as well throw himself through a Portal and die.

Screw that.

Seeing that Ethan had made up his mind, Penelope and Professor Flitwick couldn't say anything more.

A Young Wizard as proud and arrogant as Ethan surely wouldn't give up easily.

He'd only turn back after hitting the wall of reality.

"Here, take a look at the guidebook first." Professor Flitwick handed Ethan a small booklet. "Read it first; there's no rush to fill out the registration form."

Ethan took the fairly thick booklet. On the cover, in explosive-style font, it read: "Secret Realm Tracking Challenge Complete Guide! 1991 New Edition."

The cover was a moving photo.

Dozens of young wizards, holding torches, stood in a dim cave smiling at the camera.

But if you looked closely.

You'd notice a few abnormal sharp points among the shadows cast behind them.

—They looked a lot like the legs of some giant spider.

Ethan opened the booklet, and the first page read:

[Warning! This competition is extremely dangerous!]

[In the 1794 Spider King Cave competition, 13 students and one photographer went missing, whereabouts unknown!]

[Only a broken camera was found at the scene.]

Hiss—

Now, looking back at the cover photo of those smiling students and the hidden shadows behind them, it sent a chill of creeping dread.

Ethan liked it even more.

His eyes lit up as he stroked the cover photo, feeling his inspiration crackling and sparking.

Just thinking about experiencing these eerie, terrifying dangers firsthand made him tremble with excitement.

Seeing Ethan like this, Penelope thought he was scared.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

He thought:

If Ethan insisted on participating, she would just look out for him a bit more during the selection.

To spare him from lasting psychological trauma.

Ethan had no idea about Penelope's completely misguided assumptions.

He eagerly continued flipping through the pages.

[The Secret Realm Tracking Challenge also tests participants' comprehensive abilities, including mastery of spells, use of potions and plant identification, history and culture, as well as adaptability and stress tolerance... The danger level is extremely high.]

[Prospective participants are advised to carefully read the following accident cases:]

[Case One, 1986 Ancient Egyptian Pyramid, Student Locked in Coffin Incident.]

[According to teammates, the student wanted to experience what it was like to be a Pharaoh and voluntarily entered the coffin to sleep with a Female Mummy.]

[Analysis indicates the student failed to take proper precautions, inhaling excessive toxic gases inside the pyramid, which triggered hallucinations.]

?

Ethan double-checked several times, making sure the student's name wasn't "Michael."

His interest piqued, he continued reading.

[Case Two, 1887 Ancient Battlefield Dense Forest, Student Stuck in Wall Incident.]

[While fleeing from a Vine Monster, a student mistakenly used Apparition, causing their upper and lower body to separate and get stuck on opposite sides of a wall...]

[The student later spent a month at St. Mungo's Department of Proctology, unable to rest or sleep normally during that time, accompanied by severe psychological trauma...]

Ethan: "..."

He flipped to the title page and checked the title again.

Oh, it was Secret Realm Tracking Challenge Complete Guide.

He thought it was a compilation of Godly People TV.

City folks really knew how to have fun.

Ethan was deeply impressed.

He felt like a new world was slowly opening up in his mind.

This competition was truly interesting.

If earlier Ethan was in it for the prize money and Hellebore's Secret Treasure, now he was genuinely curious about this crazy competition.

He felt like he'd run into some really fun stuff.

Ethan's eyes curved into a smile.

"Give me the registration form, Professor Flitwick."

Ethan said earnestly.

"I really want to give it a try—working together with other classmates to tackle the challenges together. I'm sure it'll be great for my mental and physical health."

For some reason, even though the words were perfectly normal, they sounded a bit off coming from Ethan...

Professor Flitwick shook his shoulders, brushing the thought aside.

He reluctantly pulled out a registration form and handed it to Ethan:

"Alright, alright. How could I stop a talented Young Wizard like you from trying? But the School Selection starts next Friday, so you might not have much time to prepare."

Professor Flitwick never even considered the possibility that Ethan could pass the School Selection.

If Hogwarts actually sent a first-year to compete, people would think Hogwarts had no one left!

Or they'd think the poor kid had offended someone and was being thrown in as cannon fodder.

"The selection content simulates the challenge's secret realm expedition. It'll be held in a Cliffside Cave under the Black Lake."

"Students need to find a way through the nest of toxic Giant Purple Toads, reach the cave, retrieve a token, and then successfully return."

There were dozens of toads in the nest, and they were agile. Using Avis alone wouldn't be enough to deal with all of them.

Instead, it would put him in a disadvantageous position of being surrounded.

As far as he knew, Ethan's Portal could only open one at a time, not enough to teleport that many creatures at once.

With his two strongest tools neutralized, Professor Flitwick couldn't think of any other way Ethan could manage.

But as a clueless first-year Young Wizard, there was no way Ethan was aiming for selection anyway.

It's the thought that counts, the thought that counts.

Just like Ethan himself said, the focus was on cooperating with others.

Gaining friendship and knowledge through the expedition—what a wonderful thing that would be.

Ethan was so innovative; surely others would be happy to team up with him, right?

Just imagining Ethan and other wizards happily helping each other out made Flitwick's lips curl up.

Ah, youth is wonderful~ hehehe~