Then Sagres changed the subject, offering an even more tempting incentive:
"In addition, as recognition for outstanding performance... the top thirty students on the completion leaderboard will have their Duel Badges upgraded to Shining Gold Badges."
He paused briefly before adding:
"Gold Badge holders will receive a 200 Galleon scholarship from Bronze Feather each academic year."
An uncontrollable gasp immediately spread through the crowd.
The Duel Badge was already a symbol of strength and honour, and now it came with a tangible reward of 200 Galleons.
For the vast majority of students, this was by no means a small sum.
Moreover, many of them already had a vague idea of what Bronze Feather was. It was most likely the organisation that had appeared alongside Professor Greengrass at the Quidditch World Cup.
Sagres gave them little time to recover from the shock before speaking again.
"At the same time, once your badge level is upgraded, the number and variety of items available in the exchange catalogue will increase significantly."
His gaze swept across the eager faces before him.
"This means that rarer magical materials, more powerful magical artefacts, and even certain unique magical research notes will become available to you."
Those words completely ignited the students' enthusiasm. The nervousness in their eyes was replaced by burning desire.
At the same moment, the doors of the Alchemy Construct Workshop slowly opened with the rumbling sound of gears, revealing a deep passage lined with metal pipes.
Sagres quietly appeared in the professors' seating area beside the arena, where Professor Bathsheda Babbling and Professor Pomona Sprout were already seated.
"This is truly remarkable, Sagres."
Professor Babbling's face was filled with undisguised excitement.
"It's far more effective than me repeating the same thing a hundred times in class!"
While they spoke, the students had already organised themselves into teams of five.
The first group, consisting of two Gryffindors, one Ravenclaw, one Hufflepuff, and one Slytherin, cautiously entered the outer corridor of the Ixos Workshop.
The cold metal walls reflected a dim glow, while steam hissed from the joints of the pipes, obscuring their vision.
Almost the moment they stepped inside, a slow-moving Patroller construct rounded the corner with a heavy grinding noise, its metal arm swinging directly at them without hesitation.
One of the Gryffindor students let out a yelp and instinctively cast a Shield Charm.
The spell flared against the metal shell, but it failed to stop the construct's advance.
"Attacking it from the front is useless!"
The Ravenclaw girl remained calmer. She attempted to circle behind it, but the constant steam and the construct's clumsy yet continuous turning made it difficult to find a good angle.
In the stands, Professor Sprout tilted her head slightly.
"It seems they've completely forgotten your hint, Sagres."
Sagres remained calm.
"An unfamiliar environment and a potential threat require time to adapt to and overcome."
Just then, the Hufflepuff student was forced back by the construct and barely avoided another swing. As his angle shifted, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Behind it! There's a glowing plate on its back! Blue!"
"Impedimenta!"
The Slytherin in the group reacted instantly, casting the spell the moment he heard the warning.
The spell struck the faintly glowing blue rune plate with perfect accuracy.
"Buzz..."
With a soft hum, the light in the construct's eyes instantly went out. Its movements froze, and then it collapsed to the ground with a metallic clank, becoming nothing more than a pile of harmless parts.
The students stared in stunned silence for a moment before breaking into excited cheers.
"Well done!"
Several of them couldn't help shouting their praise.
"It seems they're beginning to discover the key to the problem," Professor Babbling remarked appreciatively.
Leaning forward, she watched intently.
"Next, they need to learn how to actively search for and interpret those 'traces.'"
Sagres spoke calmly.
"Professor Babbling, I have already integrated the typical rune sequences and common combinations you provided into this workshop in a number of special forms."
Professor Babbling immediately turned towards him.
"Special forms?"
"Yes."
Sagres's gaze settled on the projection screen. A second team was currently dealing with a Rune Sentry. One student had attempted to overpower it with offensive spells but had been forced back by a barrage of magical projectiles.
"I've broken down those pieces of knowledge, key rune sequences, correct combination diagrams, and even certain typical examples, into information fragments hidden throughout the workshop."
The interest of the other two professors was instantly captured.
"Information fragments?" Professor Sprout asked.
"Yes," Sagres explained. "For example, inside the wreckage of a destroyed Repair Unit, there may be a small embedded circuit recording the correct structure of a Stabilisation rune. Blueprints scattered across workbenches may illustrate weaknesses in the leg-joint runes of a Heavy Guard. Even in some overlooked corner of the ruins, there might be a discarded apprentice's notebook containing scribbled observations about the dangers of energy backlash in an Elemental Weaver's arm runes."
He paused, watching a student on the screen finally strike the red rune above a Rune Sentry's firing port with a Disarming Charm, instantly paralysing it.
"These fragments are the keys to solving the problem. Collect them, piece them together, understand them, and you'll discover how to deal with the challenges ahead more effectively and safely. In itself, that is a form of learning and practical application of Ancient Runes."
The professors' eyes immediately lit up.
"Brilliant!"
Professor Babbling could not help exclaiming.
"This doesn't merely test combat ability. It also develops their skills in gathering information, analysing clues, and applying theory in practice. That's the true spirit of research!"
Professor Sprout smiled gently.
"I think it sounds rather like a treasure hunt. The children should enjoy it immensely."
"Exactly."
Sagres nodded.
"Knowledge discovered through one's own efforts is remembered far more firmly than knowledge simply handed to you."
After successfully dealing with the Patroller and the Rune Sentry, the first team's confidence rose dramatically, though they had also consumed a considerable amount of magical energy.
After a brief rest, they cautiously pushed open the metal door leading into the Construct Production Workshop.
The space beyond was even larger and more chaotic.
Massive cranes moved slowly along tracks attached to the ceiling, filling the air with creaking noises. At the centre of the workshop lay a pool radiating dangerous magical energy, from which arcs of electricity occasionally leapt.
Near the entrance, a tattered sheet of parchment had been clipped to an inspection desk.
The Ravenclaw girl reached out and removed it.
Immediately, two constructs of vastly different sizes activated.
One was a Heavy Guard, resembling a small fortress. It began charging forward with heavy footsteps that made the floor tremble slightly, its thick frontal armour appearing completely impregnable.
The other was a Swift Cutter, spinning like a top as it raced through the workshop at incredible speed, producing a shrill screech as it carved dangerous silver trails through the air.
"Spread out!" shouted the Gryffindor boy.
The five team members immediately scattered in different directions.
The Heavy Guard rumbled through the spot where they had been standing moments earlier, crashing into a distant metal wall with a deafening roar.
Several spells immediately flew towards it, but the construct quickly resumed moving. Most of the spells struck its thick armour and had little effect.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the workshop, the Swift Cutter's incredible speed kept the two Gryffindor students scrambling. Their spells simply could not keep up with it.
"It's too fast! I can't get a lock on it!"
"The parchment says this big one's weakness is its energy-conduction runes..."
"What do those energy-conduction runes even look like?!"
"Double W-shaped!"
One of the Gryffindors let out a startled yell as the Heavy Guard charged straight at him, forcing him to stumble away in panic.
"Its knees! Attack the leg joints!"
The Slytherin pointed towards the rune-covered area around the Heavy Guard's knees, where a faint yellow glow flickered beneath the armour.
The two Gryffindors focused on repeatedly casting Impediment Jinxes, restricting the Swift Cutter's movement and forcing it to slow down or change direction.
The Hufflepuff student immediately concentrated all his efforts on bombarding the same knee joint of the Heavy Guard.
The yellow runes grew brighter and brighter until they began emitting an overloaded buzz and a dazzling light.
Finally, after one particularly heavy step, a sharp crack rang out from the Heavy Guard's leg joint. Its massive body lost balance and crashed heavily to the floor, exposing the energy core glowing brightly on its back.
A precisely aimed Blasting Curse struck the core.
The Heavy Guard instantly shut down.
At the same time, the Swift Cutter had been cornered.
The moment its speed dropped, several spells struck its flashing green rune core simultaneously. The construct spun wildly out of control before slamming into a wall and coming to a halt amid a puff of black smoke.
The professors nodded repeatedly in approval.
"The value of information lies in its application. They're beginning to understand the operating principles of this workshop," Sagres said calmly as he watched the display.
Having learned from previous attempts, the students' approach soon changed significantly.
They no longer charged ahead recklessly or attacked without thinking. Instead, they became far more cautious.
Teams began dividing responsibilities clearly. Some students stood watch while others searched workbenches, bookshelves, and piles of wreckage, trying to gather information before proceeding.
"Here's a page from an experiment log! It mentions the dangers of the Energy Pool... Hey, it also includes a simple foot-protection spell!"
"I found a note about the Elemental Weaver! It explains the opposing elemental properties of the runes on its arms!"
The entire instance gradually transformed into a dynamic, hands-on Ancient Runes lesson.
Failures still occurred frequently, especially against the Elemental Weavers in the Core Furnace and the troublesome Repair Units, not to mention the final challenge of the Energy Core, which demanded exceptional observation skills and rune knowledge. Most teams failed there and were teleported out by the platform's protective magic.
Yet even after failing, the students' faces were usually filled with thoughtfulness and determination rather than simple frustration.
"Next time we go in, someone needs to focus entirely on recording the sequence of the core's rune changes!"
...
Sagres's earlier speech, combined with the reward of the Shining Gold Badge, was like a carrot dangling in front of them, driving them to keep trying.
Professor Babbling wore a radiant, relieved smile.
"Professor Greengrass, this has been even more successful than I expected. They aren't memorising things by rote. They're actively exploring, understanding, and applying what they've learned. This is exactly how Ancient Runes should be taught."
Sagres gave a slight nod.
"Practice is the ultimate test of knowledge, and appropriate challenges and rewards are the most effective catalysts."
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