Hogwarts: I Am an Exemplary Wizard

Chapter 516: Chapter 514: The Final Trial, Fire Dragon

On the other side of the stadium, with the help of the Firebolt, Kael quickly saw a golden shadow amidst the Bludgers.

The Golden Snitch was hovering near the stands, its round head with a pair of shiny black little eyes curiously looking at Kael.

When it saw Kael flying towards it, it remembered to continue running, but it was already too late.

The biggest advantage of the Firebolt is agile turning and its ability to accelerate quickly in a short amount of time. Even though there were Bludgers constantly interfering nearby, Kael still managed to catch up to the Golden Snitch before it disappeared again and gently grasped it with his hand.

The little thing was fluffy, like a warm dandelion, and felt pretty good in his hand. Moreover, it didn’t struggle after being caught and obediently nestled in Kael’s palm, tilting its head to look at him.

”Puff... Puff...”

The moment Kael caught the Golden Snitch, the Bludgers behind him consecutively turned into piles of powder, dissipating in the air.

After one of the Bludgers dissipated, it revealed a shiny red stone inside, and Kael quickly flew over and caught it with his other hand.

The stone was about the size of an egg, dark red, and both its size and color were very much like the Philosopher’s Stone hidden in Hogwarts back then.

This should be the red stones Bagman mentioned earlier, but it’s still unclear what they are for.

Soon after, before Kael could store the stone away, the surroundings changed again.

The remaining platform vanished, and he felt the entire Quidditch Pitch start to rotate; the people in the stands became smaller, and the whole space seemed to be expanding continuously.

The ground appeared again, but Kael chose not to land and continued tightly holding onto the Firebolt.

He heard waves of roaring in his ears, and in a blink, a towering peak rose from the ground, filling the entire Quidditch Pitch in an instant.

Then came two piercing roars.

It was the Swedish Short-Snout and the Hungarian Horntail Kael had seen before, both standing there atop the peak.

”What is this situation!” Kael was incredulous.

Why are both dragons here? Does the first one to reach the third challenge get this big prize?

What about the remaining two competitors’ challenges...

Kael felt his mind was a jumbled mess, trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

Upon seeing the Fire Dragons, the entire atmosphere of the Quidditch Pitch was pushed to an unprecedented height.

At that moment, the Hungarian Horntail seemed startled by the sudden cheers around it and spewed out a forty-foot flame towards the stands.

”Ah!” The cheers turned into screams.

The students facing the flames were terrified, scrambling to escape.

But soon people realized that those flames hadn’t reached the stands... or rather, the distance between them and the Fire Dragons was much farther than it appeared.

”Everyone, do not worry.” Bagman said, ”The stands are safe, please sit back down... I really didn’t expect this to happen; the Hogwarts champion unexpectedly broke through to the final challenge with an absolute advantage.

”Alright, there’s one thing I must tell you in advance: the final third challenge is a joint challenge for the champions, meaning the other two champions will eventually arrive here as well.

As long as you can find three red stones, you pass the final challenge, so... good luck.”

A shared challenge for all champions?

Kael realized, no wonder, if he alone were to face two Fire Dragons, the difficulty would be too high.

He jumped down from the Firebolt, took advantage of Fleur and Krum’s absence, and looked up at the two Fire Dragons standing atop the peak.

He finally knew what those boxes contained that he saw that day.

Ashstones.

A stone with dark red stripes, originally a high-density ore, formed after long-term exposure to Dragon Flame, capable of continuously emitting high temperatures.

This is what Fire Dragons love most; they typically collect Ashstones to place in their nests, and most Dragon Eggs are hatched in these stones.

It’s worth mentioning that the Fire Gray Snake, a magical creature familiar to most wizards, got its name from this stone.

Now these Ashstones are piled at the top of the mountain, right under the Fire Dragons.

Additionally, the type of red stone he needs to pass the challenge is also mixed in there.

The condition for passing this challenge is to collect three red stones.

None in the first challenge, one in the second... maybe there was one in the first, but he didn’t find it.

But regardless, Kael must now find a way to obtain two more to pass the final challenge.

But how to do it... Kael furrowed his brows.

Fire Dragons are inherently irritable creatures, and as the first champion to reach the third challenge, most people are surely watching here.

This makes it difficult for him to pass unnoticed through a ”trade.”

Kael pondered for a while and seemed to understand the meaning of the third challenge a little.

Three people, two dragons, meaning as long as two people willingly divert the Fire Dragons, the remaining person can easily get the stones needed to pass.

However, who distracts the Fire Dragons and who takes the stones requires the champions’ own decision... or perhaps they coexist peacefully, with one person taking all the stones and then sharing them, or taking turns to distract the dragons... In short, relying on one’s abilities, once the method is found, passing this challenge is equally simple.

But the premise of this is that all three champions must be here—having just Kael alone certainly wouldn’t work.

”Should I wait for them?” Kael hesitated, if he waits for Fleur and Krum, then the time advantage he accumulated in the first two challenges would be lost.

But if he doesn’t wait, he has to face two Fire Dragons alone.

Kael hesitated in his heart, instinctively taking a step forward.

”Crash...”

A few stones rolled down from beside his foot.

Although the sound wasn’t loud, the Swedish Short-Snout heard it and stood up, its dark golden vertical pupils slightly rotating, gazing in Kael’s direction.

Now there’s no need to think.

Kael didn’t hesitate, directly jumping on the Firebolt to dart out.

A roar sounded behind him, and Kael felt his back getting hotter, instinctively bending to dodge a scorching flame.

Kael glanced back.

The Swedish Short-Snout had already caught up; whether it was considered lucky or not, the Hungarian Horntail didn’t move, just kept its head following Kael’s movements, as if it was watching over the home.

This reduced Kael’s pressure considerably, but likewise, he couldn’t use the Firebolt’s speed to turn back and grab the stones.

An unsuccessful attempt.

Kael shook his head, turning in the air, preparing to shake off the big guy behind him. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

But while flying past each other, Kael suddenly noticed a long scar near the wing of the Swedish Short-Snout, even the scales couldn’t cover it.

This situation is rare, after all, few creatures can leave a scar on a Fire Dragon... unless the opponent is also a Fire Dragon.

And that scar position looks a bit familiar.

Could it be...

Kael immediately thought, he seemed to have seen this Swedish Short-Snout before at the Fire Dragon Reserve, only back then it was badly beaten, and he and Newt helped treat its wounds.

Among the injuries was one near the wing; having secretly taken half a bottle of Dragon Blood at that time, he remembered it clearly.

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