"I don't think the name 'Ultimate Challenge' is very good," Wade said to Michael. "An 'ultimate challenge' shouldn't have an 'ultimate.'"
"What if your final boss is defeated?" Michael asked.
"Then we'll tell the challengers that it's just a Bronze-tier Boss, and after that, there are Silver, Gold, Platinum, Emerald, Diamond, Master, Grandmaster, and King tiers. Then there are One-Star King, Two-Star King, Three-Star King... and after reaching Nine-Star King, there's a God-tier stage. Isn't that great?"
"Spare us, please!" Michael rolled his eyes. "At this rate, this game would never be finished in a lifetime."
"Why would you want to finish it?" Wade retorted. "An obstacle course with an ending will quickly become a forgotten memory. One without an end is what makes people reluctant to give it up."
"I think... this memory will never be forgotten..."
Michael said, "Tell me the truth, is the only reason you're doing this because everyone disliked Wade's version of the survival game?"
"...How could that be?" Wade retorted with a hint of guilt. "Of course, I thought about this for a long time, considering how to make these games more interesting and useful for everyone... This wasn't a whim."
"Stop trying to justify it. Your hesitation says it all," Michael scoffed.
Wade: "..."
The professors, while keeping an eye on the students' progress in the course, watched the two bicker with a broad smile and were very forgiving, even Professor Snape didn't say a word.
And in the span of a day, Wade truly came to realize the capabilities of the school's professors.
His memory went back to yesterday noon.
Padma, along with a few other girls, only took one afternoon to draw up the new blueprint.
It was a massive space, divided into seven different zones, each containing a complex maze. From the outer layers to the inner ones, the area became smaller and smaller, eventually converging in one place.
Players had to choose one of the seven entrances to enter, pass through seven levels, and only then could they face the final boss.
Once they failed or gave up, the challenge would have to be restarted from the beginning.
Michael and the others from the SCC borrowed the complete set of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them from the library, from which they compiled a list of thirty-seven magical creatures suitable for the students.
Wade, on the other hand, contacted Professor Morrey through his Friend's Account and consulted with Mr. Scamander, finally designing a new alchemical artifact.
Its common name was the "Real-Time Scorer."
But the inscription Wade carved on it was—[Hero's Rank]!
While he was busy day and night completing his alchemical work, Professor Flitwick had brought all the school staff to help—from Dumbledore to Filch, from the soon-to-be-retired Professor Kettleburn to the Thestrals that pulled the school carriages, no one was left out.
Most of the staff were also excited to participate, only Filch grumbled, worried that the mischievous students would take the opportunity to cause trouble.
First, the Herbology professors and their advanced students took action. Overnight, they made countless shrubs grow out of thin air, completely encompassing the previous game area and forming the basic framework.
The thorny shrubs, although not as dangerous as Devil's Snare, were still incredibly painful if you got pricked. They grew in a dense, tangled mess, with gaps so small that only tiny insects like ants could pass through.
Next, Professor Flitwick and his advanced Charms class students set up various terrains in the areas between the shrubs.
There were alleys like in the previous game area, as well as swamps, forests, flower fields, or small hills, and seemingly flat but actually trap-filled grasslands.
Professor Flitwick enchanted some keys or paper airplanes to fly freely within the area, and students would need to catch them to get clues.
Professor Flitwick also invited Lockhart to join. Lockhart happily waved his wand, announcing that he would create a spectacular sight. However, the spell he cast accidentally ricocheted back at him, sending him flying and landing right in a trap that Professor Flitwick had just set up.
Professor Flitwick had no choice but to have a student take Lockhart to the hospital wing.
Next were the Transfiguration experts, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, and their students. They unleashed their Transfiguration skills at will, making the maze even more bewildering and fantastical.
Tree branches turned into archways, a dead leaf became a hanging, tattered piece of cloth, and a rotten apple on the ground turned into a carriage emitting a foul smell.
Dumbledore also set up a few small mechanisms; people who fell into the traps would be temporarily turned into goats or boars. He was clearly looking forward to the moment the traps would go off.
Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey took out their stock of potions and hid them in the maze. Some could drive away magical creatures, some could confuse enemies, some could heal, and so on.
However, Professor Snape was unwilling to let his valuable potions be used for free by students who didn't cherish them. He placed potions with opposite effects next to the useful ones. For example, potions that would make people vomit or hiccup uncontrollably, as well as some that would cause fainting or make one hot-tempered.
Then, this professor racked his brain to leave many different logic puzzles and potion-related questions. Students who answered incorrectly would suffer the consequences of not paying attention in class.
Finally, Professor Kettleburn and Hagrid placed different magical creatures into different areas, based on the list Michael had provided.
The two were very eager to have the dragon, Norberta, act as the final boss, but this was unanimously rejected by the other professors. In the end, they adopted Wade's suggestion.
The final boss was a ball python that had been enlarged with an Engorgement Charm.
This was a non-venomous, ordinary snake, but under the influence of magic, it could resist most spells, move flexibly, and its body was as large as a prehistoric giant beast.
The giant snake slowly slithered around the final level, its scales shimmering with a metallic sheen. Its massive body was enough to scare timid children just by looking at it from a distance.
Wade was looking forward to the day it would be defeated by the students.
Of course, there were also some harmless ordinary animals and some harmless but terrifyingly large insects.
Wade maliciously gave the most terrifying-looking creatures higher scores, so challengers who wanted to rack up points would have to face them.
Hmph.
Fairies are cute, right? Can fairies get you points? Wade thought to himself.
A giant earthworm burrowed into the ground, creating some underground passages for the maze. Professor Flitwick hid the entrances but left behind suggestive riddles.
Thestrals were also in the maze; they would take students who were in trouble out of the maze and occasionally create a terrifying atmosphere.
Dumbledore even specially allocated a group of house-elves to act as lifeguards.
They could Apparate freely within Hogwarts, their large ears could hear any sound throughout the maze, and their innate magic also allowed them to sense people's most urgent needs, making them the most suitable lifeguards.
This was also the first time the house-elves had appeared openly in front of the students.
When they first showed up, they terrified some Muggle-born students in the lower grades, who thought they were monsters from the maze and shouted, "Go away!"
But soon, students who had been rescued a few times started affectionately calling these elves their "little saviors." Some even secretly slipped candies or Knuts to the house-elves, hoping they would help them skip class or defeat opponents, which of course was not allowed.
With everyone's concerted efforts, the new game area "grew" at a visible speed, and after just a day and a half, the first "trial run" began.
This was a miracle in everyone's eyes.
When the trial run started, Wade and the professors were at various locations, checking for any hidden dangers or areas that needed improvement.
Students lined up in a long queue in front of the entrance. Filch stood with a dark face, making sure the students followed the rules and didn't cut in line.
Even if some people were quickly sent out by the house-elves, they immediately ran to the back of the queue to get in line again, eager to try a second time.
The reason students were so motivated to keep challenging themselves was not only because they now had such a large-scale real-life obstacle course in their boring and mundane school lives, but also because of the massive, constantly-updating scoreboard near the entrance.
[Daily Scoreboard];
[Single Run Scoreboard];
[Total Scoreboard].
The game had just begun, and the competition for rankings was fierce, with scores changing rapidly.
Different names kept scrolling on it. Sometimes, a person who was in first place would scroll down to the bottom of the scoreboard in just a few minutes.
Some people would also emerge unexpectedly, suddenly taking the top spot.
Even just staying in first place for a few minutes was enough for many students to boast about.
One of the reasons why score-based games are so captivating is the sense of accomplishment and excitement that comes from this instant feedback. Students could easily find satisfaction and happiness in it.
And unlike ordinary people who are addicted to mobile games, these students had to work harder on their studies to get a higher score in the maze. They had to master more magic and learn more about each subject. Therefore, the professors not only didn't stop them but actually encouraged them to participate.