"Professor, I absolutely have to enter this competition."
Ethan said firmly.
He was worrying about how to get there, since it was way up in the north of England.
He hadn't expected the competition to be held there!
In that case,
they would most likely fly everyone there directly with a Door Key.
The students only had to focus on competing. The organizers had a lot more to think about.
A Secret Treasure chosen by the system... What could it be?
It sure made him curious.
Ethan ran his tongue over his back teeth, suppressing the excitement and anticipation bubbling inside him.
He could win a Secret Treasure and earn Galleons, too.
It was a win-win.
Ethan would win twice over.
"Ethan, are you sure you don't want to think it over?"
Penelope urged him worriedly.
She felt a little guilty. After all, Ethan had gotten so fired up about the competition because she'd let the secret slip.
Usually, the professors from each house first recommended the students they thought most promising for the selection trials.
Only when there were still spots left would students be allowed to sign up freely.
"I'm entering this year's competition too. I took part once, three years ago... Even though I thought I was pretty good, I didn't even make it halfway before I was forced to drop out."
"There's no way a first-year could do it, let alone..."
"It's fine," Ethan said casually. "There's still the School Selection. If I don't make it, that just means I'm not good enough yet."
"..." Penelope pursed her lips and said softly, "But Sean Max—the senior who invited you to join his club before—is entering the trials too."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. He understood what she meant.
So if he foolishly entered the trials, Senior Sean would laugh at him, huh?
Hmph.
It was the same old tactic of putting someone down.
Ethan's lips curled up, a cold glint passing through his calm eyes.
That made it all the more important that he enter.
If he was too afraid of being laughed at to strive for his goals, he might as well just fall to his death through a Portal.
Bring it on.
Seeing that Ethan had made up his mind, Penelope and Professor Flitwick didn't know what else to say.
A first-year as proud and ambitious as Ethan surely wouldn't give up easily.
He'd have to run into a wall before he turned back.
"Here, take a look at the guidebook first," Professor Flitwick said, handing Ethan a small booklet. "You can fill out the form after you've read it."
Ethan took the fairly thick booklet. The cover bore the words "Secret Realm Tracking Challenge Complete Guide! 1991 Edition" in explosive lettering.
The cover featured a moving photograph.
Dozens of young wizards stood in a dim cave, holding torches and smiling at the camera.
But if you looked closely,
you could see several oddly sharp shapes among the shadows cast behind them.
They looked a lot like the legs of some giant spider.
Ethan opened the booklet. On the first page, he saw:
[Warning! This competition is extremely dangerous!]
[In the 1794 Spider King Cave competition, 13 students and one photographer went missing and were never found!]
[The only thing found at the scene was a shattered camera.]
Yikes—
Looking back at the grinning students on the cover and the sinister shadows behind them, it was all the more terrifying when you thought about it.
Ethan liked it even more.
His eyes lit up as he stroked the cover photo, inspiration crackling through him.
Just thinking about experiencing these bizarre and terrifying dangers firsthand made him tremble with excitement.
Seeing him like this, Penelope assumed he'd gotten scared.
She couldn't help feeling sorry for him.
She thought:
If Ethan insisted on entering, she'd go easy on him during the trials.
That way, he wouldn't be left with a psychological scar.
Ethan had no idea Penelope had completely misunderstood him.
He eagerly continued flipping through the booklet.
[The Secret Realm Tracking Challenge also tests a contestant's overall abilities, including their mastery of spells, use of potions, ability to identify plants, knowledge of history and culture, and their resourcefulness and ability to withstand pressure... The danger level is extremely high.]
[Anyone interested in competing should carefully read the following accounts of accidents:]
[Case One: 1986, Ancient Egyptian Pyramid. Student trapped in a coffin.]
[According to the other students on his team, the student wanted to experience the life of a Pharaoh and voluntarily climbed into a coffin to sleep beside a Female Mummy.]
[An analysis suggested that the student failed to take proper precautions and inhaled too much of the Pyramid's poisonous gas, causing hallucinations.]
?
Ethan checked again and again, making sure the student's name wasn't "Michael."
Ethan was intrigued, so he continued reading.
[Case Two: 1887, Ancient Battlefield Dense Forest. Student stuck in a wall.]
[While fleeing from a Vine Monster, a student used Apparition incorrectly, Splinching himself so that his upper and lower body became stuck on opposite sides of a wall...]
[The student spent a month in St. Mungo's Department of Proctology. During that time, he was unable to sleep or rest normally and suffered severe psychological trauma...]
Ethan: "..."
He turned to the title page and read the title once more.
Oh, it was the Secret Realm Tracking Challenge Complete Guide.
He'd thought it was a compilation of Godly People TV.
People from the city sure got up to some wild stuff.
Ethan was deeply impressed.
He felt the door to a whole new world slowly opening in his mind.
This competition really was interesting.
At first, Ethan had been in it for the prize money and Hellebore's Secret Treasure.
But now, he was genuinely interested in this bonkers competition.
It seemed like he'd run into all sorts of fun things.
Ethan smiled, his eyes crinkling.
"Give me the application form, Professor Flitwick."
Ethan asked earnestly.
"I really want to give it a try. Working together with my fellow students and tackling the challenges as a team would surely be very good for our physical and mental health."
For some reason, though the words were perfectly ordinary, they sounded a little strange coming from Ethan...
Professor Flitwick shrugged, brushing the thought aside.
He reluctantly produced the application form and handed it to Ethan.
"All right, all right. How could I stop such an outstanding young wizard from giving it a try? However, the School Selection starts next Friday, so you may not have much time to prepare."
Professor Flitwick hadn't even considered the possibility that Ethan could pass the School Selection.
If Hogwarts really sent a first-year to compete,
people would think Hogwarts had run out of students!
Or they might think the poor kid had offended someone and been thrown in as cannon fodder.
"The trials will be a simulated expedition through the Secret Realm for this year's competition. They'll be held in a Cliffside Cave beneath the Black Lake."
"Students will have to find a way past the nest of poisonous Giant Purple Toads, reach the cave, retrieve the token, and make it back safely."
There were dozens of toads in the nest, and they were agile. Avis alone wouldn't be enough to deal with all of them.
It would only leave him vulnerable to being surrounded.
As far as Professor Flitwick knew, Ethan's Portal could only open one at a time. It couldn't transport that many creatures at once.
With his two strongest weapons tied up, Professor Flitwick couldn't imagine what else Ethan could do.
Still, there was no way a clueless first-year like Ethan expected to get selected.
It was all about taking part, after all.
Just as Ethan himself had said, what mattered was working together with others.
Making friends and gaining knowledge on an expedition—what a lovely experience.
With someone as creative as Ethan, the others would surely be happy to team up with him too, wouldn't they?
Just imagining Ethan and the other wizards happily helping one another made Professor Flitwick's lips curl into a smile.
Ah, to be young~ Heh heh heh~
Before you continue