A massive offline real-life competitive game?
Harry chewed on the term Professor Delfino used in his mind, and like many other young wizards, he showed a look of interest.
This wasn't surprising; young wizards in their early teens would definitely be more interested in games than in boring self-study or exams.
"Offline competitive game... How do you think this game is played, Harry?"
"Hard to say, Ron—"
Harry smacked his lips, speaking excitedly.
"It sounds like we'll form teams, most likely several teams competing together to see who can last until the end!"
Phew—
Neville, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, let out a sigh and whispered to join the topic.
"Thank goodness for that... Someone can help... I can tell you plainly, Harry, Ron, I haven't got a clue how to deal with a Nogtail..."
"Now, everyone please line up and follow me to the third floor. I've found an empty classroom there as the testing site."
Professor Delfino said with a smile, very satisfied with the high spirits of these little guys.
"An empty classroom?"
Ron mumbled.
"Is that place big enough for all this fuss?"
Many had similar doubts, but no one asked.
Naturally, the students gathered together by dormitory. If the assessment was conducted in teams, they would naturally choose people they were familiar with.
"Can I join you?"
The girl with pretty features and brown skin, who was previously between Ron and Neville, approached Harry directly.
"And a friend of mine—"
She pulled over another girl whose face shape was somewhat similar to Neville's, but whose features carried a bit of Ron's clumsiness.
"I'm Parvati Patil, and this is Lavender Brown. We're both Gryffindors—we can only team up with boys because there aren't enough girls."
The boys in Harry's dorm exchanged glances. Clearly, in a game involving fierce confrontation with monsters, no one wanted girls dragging them down.
Ron gave Harry a look. But after a slight hesitation, Harry nodded.
"Alright, welcome—"
After accepting the two girls, Harry hesitated again.
Because he knew very well that among the Gryffindor first-years, Parvati and Lavender weren't the only girls; there was one more.
He glanced at Hermione Granger—who had obviously noticed them "forming a clique" and also noticed Harry's gaze.
However, even so, Hermione kept a straight face, holding herself aloof and saying nothing.
Suit yourself.
Harry grumbled inwardly, choosing not to ask for a snub.
"That's it then, the seven of us team up... Oh, hurry up, everyone's almost gone."
With that, he rushed out of the classroom, leaving Hermione, whose eyes were unwittingly reddening, at the very end.
During class time, the castle was empty, with few people to be seen. Only the sounds of reading aloud, clanking noises, or explosions could be heard from the classrooms they passed.
The young wizards almost trotted behind Professor Delfino. After about five minutes, they arrived at a cobweb-filled corridor on the third floor and stopped at a classroom in the middle.
"It's class time now. I hope you can restrain your excitement for what you are about to see."
Ares said with a smile, then turned the brass handle of the classroom door first and walked into the dimly lit space.
Harry and his roommates all heard the professor's instruction, but felt somewhat skeptical—who would be excited about seeing monsters?
But—
"Merlin's beard!"
"Hiss, what is this?!"
"A miracle! How did you do it, Professor Delfino!"
"I can't believe it, you moved a valley into the classroom!"
"Oh, a suspension bridge... I'm actually on a suspension bridge... Below—below is an abyss, it's terrifying!"
After the first students at the front of the line followed Professor Delfino into the classroom, exclamations and shouts never ceased in the dimly lit room. Almost every student who walked in had to express their amazement!
Harry and the others, who were nervous about facing the Nogtail, were now bursting with curiosity!
Harry stood on tiptoe, staring straight at the classroom door, hoping to see the full view inside a second earlier. He had never felt that a line of a dozen meters could be this long!
Finally, it was Harry's turn—
He thought the exclamations of so many students before him had given him enough mental preparation, but when he actually stepped into the classroom, he couldn't help but scream in surprise.
"How is this possible!"
Harry shouted. He felt he had never been so surprised in his life!
What did he see?
There really was a valley... not exactly a valley, more accurately, a complex terrain of several small hills and hollows!
Several small hills stood under a misty, dim sky. These hills were connected by passages and suspension bridges, forming a closed loop. And beyond the bridges and passages—
"Look down, Harry!"
Ron's shout was filled with horror.
"It's an abyss!"
Harry instinctively looked down. Just one glance, and he felt dizzy!
They were now on a suspension bridge. The bridge, at least half a mile long, could accommodate at most three people walking side by side, and it swayed slightly in the valley breeze.
Below the bridge, shrouded in thick fog, was... Harry couldn't tell how high it was above the ground... He actually didn't think it was an abyss, but rather a river, because he heard the sound of rushing water.
But whether it was an abyss or a river, falling from a high suspension bridge would mean certain death!
Was Professor Delfino crazy?!
Bringing them to such a dangerous place?!
Many people squatted down in fear, afraid of accidentally tumbling off the increasingly swaying bridge. Some girls... like Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff, were already sobbing quietly.
"Quiet please!"
Professor Delfino looked calm.
"Please give me two minutes to explain, alright, everyone?"
So, the students gradually quieted down. Harry wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, holding his breath to force himself to listen to Professor Delfino's explanation.
"First of all, this place where you are is very safe. There is no risk of falling to your death."
Professor Delfino said. Under everyone's gaze, which looked at him as if he were a madman, he raised his hand and pounded heavily on the space outside the suspension bridge.
Bang, bang, bang!
The solid knocking sound confused the young wizards, but at the same time, much of the fear in their hearts dissipated.
"Do you understand?"
Professor Delfino looked at everyone calmly.
"The scene you see... the suspension bridge, mountain paths, open grounds, and puddles you see are real and can be stepped on. But the space beyond that is just a painting—a pattern formed by magic, an absolutely insurmountable wall... If you don't believe me, you can all try."
For a while, the banging sounds were incessant. Harry tried it himself.
Indeed, the suspension bridge seemed to be swaying, and it was made of rotten planks and dull hemp ropes, but the space outside the iron chain railings was impenetrable, truly like an invisible wall.
"How much effort did he put into making this place like this!"
Harry saw that Ron had finally stopped shivering, and color had returned to his pale face. He looked around the misty valley, clicking his tongue in amazement.
From Ron's reaction, Harry also realized one thing: this valley, which was no smaller than the entire Hogwarts campus, wasn't created by simply waving a wand.
No wonder Professor Delfino said he overslept!
Harry pursed his lips, looking at the thin professor standing among the lined-up students, feeling a bit more admiration in his heart.
"The name of this valley is 'The Valley of Mist'—"
Ares cleared his throat.
"This is the [Stage] I have prepared for you.
Next, I will spend two minutes introducing the rules of the game called 'Protect the Captain'.
I hope you listen carefully, because this game will span my teaching career, and even after I leave Hogwarts one day, this game will accompany you through your studies and help you become outstanding wizards proficient in Defense Against the Dark Arts!"