#389 - Chapter 389 I strongly opposed Professor Swan's retirement

Madam Hooch placed a large box in front of the two contestants. The lid opened, revealing ten Golden Snitches neatly arranged inside, their golden surfaces gleaming attractively.

"Please, both players, verify the numbers on the Golden Snitches."

Krum immediately leaned in, carefully examining the Golden Snitches. He noticed that each Snitch was clearly marked with a number, from 1 to 10, exceptionally distinct.

This eased his mind slightly.

Fortunately, the numbers were large and clear.

This way, he wouldn't have to worry about not being able to see them clearly in the sky later.

Madam Hooch then produced two deep brown pouches and handed them to the two players.

"These are the pouches for you to store the Golden Snitches. The pouches are enchanted with windproof magic, ensuring that even during intense flight, you can easily place the caught Golden Snitches inside. You can tie them around your waist for easy access."

She then pointed to the box and added, "To facilitate the high-difficulty challenge of catching the Snitches in numerical order, this box has been enchanted with special alchemical magic. When you catch a Golden Snitch, the corresponding number on the lid will automatically light up, making it easy for me to confirm your progress."

"If there are no further questions, I will now release the Golden Snitches."

"Krum, you can start locking onto your target now," Sebastian said, gripping his Firebolt and offering a friendly reminder.

Without hesitation, Krum straddled his Firebolt and fixed his eagle-like gaze on Snitch number one. He took a deep breath, tensing his entire body, entering a state of readiness.

He wanted to challenge himself with the highest difficulty, catching the Golden Snitches in numerical order.

Seeing that neither of them had any objections, Madam Hooch tapped the box lightly with her wand.

Instantly, the Golden Snitches in the box unfolded their wings with a sudden burst, emitting a buzzing sound, then darted into the sky like arrows released from a bow.

In an instant, the ten Golden Snitches completely disappeared into the sky, with only faint glimmers reminding them of their presence.

The young wizards in the stands held their breath, waiting for the official start of this unprecedented match.

"Ready, 3—2—1, begin!"

Accompanied by a loud whistle, Krum abruptly pulled up on his Firebolt, instantly soaring into the air.

His figure traced a sharp arc in the sky, his speed eliciting gasps from the spectators on the ground.

His eyes were like an eagle's, fixed on the trajectory of Snitch number one, which was darting through the air with extreme cunning, sometimes climbing, sometimes diving, its wings emitting a low hum.

Krum's movements were clean and efficient, the broom seeming to come alive in his hands. With a slight tilt of his body, the broom swiftly descended, almost parallel with the Snitch.

His eyes remained locked on the target, his arm poised, like a cheetah ready to pounce.

He regulated his breathing, incorporating the changes in airflow caused by the Snitch into his mind, predicting its next move.

Suddenly, the Golden Snitch made a sharp turn, sketching a small arc like lightning, evading Krum's pursuit.

Just as Krum was about to adjust the direction of his broom, he saw Snitch number one fly straight into Sebastian's hand.

What was going on?

Professor Swann was right there, as if he had predicted that the Golden Snitch would fly directly into his hand.

"Professor Swann has caught Snitch number one!" The young wizards cheered, accompanied by Madam Hooch's commentary.

Krum was not distracted by this; he steadied his broom and quickly scanned the sky, searching for the trace of the next Golden Snitch.

"Number two is in the southeast direction, Krum."

So fast?!

Hearing Sebastian's prompt, Krum adjusted his direction with astonishing agility, quickly flying towards the southeast.

Soon, he spotted that golden shadow, and after careful identification, confirmed it was indeed Snitch number two.

Huh?

Why was Professor Swann flying downwards? Had he given up on catching Snitch number two?

Before the thought could dissipate, Krum saw the Golden Snitch in front of him suddenly swerve downwards, once again flying into Sebastian's hand.

Subsequently, the other party abruptly swooped down to the lower right, and caught another golden shadow above the ground of the Quidditch pitch.

"Professor Swann has caught Snitches number two and three in succession!"

Domination!

With just three Golden Snitches, Krum felt the astonishing gap between himself and his opponent.

Since he started playing Quidditch, he had never experienced such a feeling of being utterly outclassed.

"Krum, fly upwards, number four is inside the clouds."

Here it comes again...

Still so fast, did the other party not need time to search for the Golden Snitches?

And it was even accurate with the numbers.

A wave of powerlessness washed over him, almost making Krum lose the courage to continue the match.

He gritted his teeth, silently cheering himself on.

He couldn't keep catching them in numerical order; he had to go at his own pace.

Instead of climbing upwards to chase after number four, he scanned the entire field, and after spotting a flickering golden light, quickly rushed over.

As for Madam Hooch's shouts and the cheers of the spectators on the sidelines, he automatically blocked them all out, focusing all his attention on this Golden Snitch.

Getting closer, Krum realized this was Snitch number six. He doggedly followed behind the Golden Snitch, sometimes rapidly climbing, sometimes swooping down.

The distance between the two grew closer and closer, and just when Krum thought he could steadily catch this Golden Snitch, a figure descended from the sky, brushed past him, and took away the Golden Snitch in front of him.

"Professor Swann has once again caught Golden Snitch number 6. Now there are only four Golden Snitches left on the field, numbers 7 to 10."

The young wizards cheered, each one flushed with excitement, unable to sit quietly in the stands.

"Professor Swann is too amazing! I need to film this steadily; this magical video will definitely be a bestseller, I'm going to get rich."

"That interception was just too brilliant! Descending from the sky, just like a hunting peregrine falcon."

"I was strongly opposed to Professor Swann retiring back then. How could he think of retiring when he's so amazing? If he hadn't retired, we would definitely be able to see more exciting matches."

"Are you sure you'd be able to see exciting matches? You have to know that the professor's habit is to catch the Golden Snitch within two minutes."

"Uh... it seems like that's the case..."

Today's match was a feast for the eyes of everyone.

Before the match, some people thought Krum could win, and some people imagined it would be an evenly matched contest. Of course, more young wizards believed that Sebastian had a sure victory.

But no one had imagined that Krum, the world's number one Seeker, would be like a novice in front of Sebastian, with even the Golden Snitches about to be caught snatched away.

At this point, there was no more suspense in the match, and everyone began to guess whether Krum could catch any Golden Snitch before the end of the match.

Krum didn't know what everyone was thinking, nor did he bother to pay attention to everyone's thoughts.

He simply scanned the arena, and after locking onto a Golden Snitch, abruptly turned his Firebolt, rushing over like a sharp arrow released from a bow.

He clenched his teeth tightly, his body leaning slightly forward, almost merging with the broom, with only one thought in his mind: catch it!

Looking at Krum, who was undiminished in his fighting spirit and as tenacious as a diamond, Sebastian revealed an appreciative smile.

This young man is really amazing!

This kind of mental fortitude, this kind of powerful ability to withstand pressure, are all top-tier among the top.

Since he's a diamond in the rough, then it must be polished.

Thinking of this, he turned his Firebolt, tracing an arc in the sky, coming beside Krum and keeping pace with him.

"Krum, would you like to learn my technique for quickly catching the Golden Snitch?"

Under the effect of magic, Sebastian's voice clearly entered Krum's ears, making him pause slightly.

Really?

Professor Swann was actually willing to teach him his Quidditch techniques?!

This was a rare opportunity, once learned, it would benefit him for life, and if he refused, there probably wouldn't be a next time.

As for the match in front of him, he had already lost anyway, hadn't he?

Thinking of this, he looked at Sebastian and nodded his head vigorously.

"I want to learn," Sebastian smiled slightly, "then I'll teach you!"