Forbidden Forest Instance Opens

Wizards needed to develop… That was something Adam and Grindelwald agreed on.

Grindelwald’s stance was based on preserving the superior status of wizards, while Adam was more pragmatic. He hoped magic could give him a better quality of life than Muggles of the same era enjoyed.

So at the very least, wizards had to develop at roughly the same pace as Muggles, right?

As for the problem of technological development being unrealistic in the Wizarding World…

Science and magic had never been opposites. Adam did not know about the worlds he had been in before, but in this world, magic was also part of the objective world!

If the Wizarding World’s magnetic field caused Muggle electrical devices to malfunction, that only meant the operating principles of Muggle devices were incompatible with magic. Wouldn’t it be enough to develop a magical technology tree that was compatible with it?

In fact, Adam had even considered directly opening up connections between Muggles and the Wizarding World, putting some pressure on wizards and giving them a sense of urgency.

After all…

Muggles: We have cars and planes!

Wizards: We have Apparition, flying brooms, and the Floo Network!

Muggles: We have radios!

Wizards: We have owls and Two-Way Mirrors!

Muggles: We have missiles!

Wizards: We have Adam!

Adam: We have missiles too!

Muggles: ? We also have nuclear bombs!

Wizards: We have Adam!

Adam: Wait… There, we have nuclear bombs too!

Muggles: ??? We also have aircraft carriers!

Wizards: We have Adam!

Adam: We… What would we need aircraft carriers for?

In short, before that happened, Adam had more than enough time to wait for wizards to climb the tech tree, and enough strength to single-handedly suppress any war between wizards and Muggles.

Unfortunately, even Grindelwald and Bernard felt that idea was somewhat extreme and dangerous, so it was abandoned.

Just as Adam was lamenting that he had no idea how long he would have to wait, the students in the Forbidden Forest began to emerge one after another.

Obtaining Ashwinder eggs was not particularly difficult, especially since Adam had placed plenty of Ashwinder eggs in the third area ahead of time. Many young wizards discovered "Ashwinder nests with no Ashwinders at home." Comparatively speaking, more mishaps occurred along the way.

For instance, some could not distinguish the tracks of magical creatures and charged headlong into Hippogriff territory; some failed to stay alert and were ambushed at close range by Augureys; others got curious about the gems on Fire Crabs’ backs and were sprayed with fire…

Fortunately, everyone came out merely bedraggled. No one was brought out by House-elves because their life had been threatened.

After the final team emerged, Grindelwald scored everyone based on each student’s performance recorded by the Magic Mirror.

Surprisingly, though not entirely surprisingly, Neville’s group took first place.

"Why?"

Hermione was astonished.

"Our group got the Ashwinder eggs without any trouble at all. Why were our scores lower than Neville’s group?"

"Your group was indeed very lucky, Miss Granger, but that also meant you had no ‘bonus points.’"

Grindelwald shook his head.

"Of course, that makes it seem as though your team is naturally at a disadvantage compared to teams that had a rougher time, as if we are encouraging students to provoke magical creatures. So the actual scoring rules are somewhat more complicated."

"In this case, Neville’s team encountered quite a few problems along the way, but they handled all of them very well. They even returned faster than you, whose journey went smoothly from start to finish… That is why their score was higher."

Hermione nodded somewhat unwillingly, then glared at Harry and Ron.

They really had obtained the Ashwinder eggs with ease, so afterward, they had rested for a while beside a patch of blueberries. That was why they returned later than Neville’s group.

"How was I supposed to know we were being scored… Besides, those blueberries were really sweet."

Ron muttered under his breath, and Harry silently nodded.

However, as the image in the Magic Mirror continued to change, Ron’s eyes widened.

"Wait… What did Neville use?"

On the Magic Mirror’s surface, Neville’s group had found that there was an Ashwinder in the nest. They each put on earmuffs, and then… Neville took a Mandrake out of his pocket?!

"A Mandrake."

Neville looked perfectly natural, a confident smile on his face.

Professor Grindelwald was right. How could Defense Against the Dark Arts be such an inconvenient thing? Any ability that could protect oneself was Defense Against the Dark Arts!

"Th-That counts as cheating, doesn’t it?"

Ron’s mouth fell open.

"Of course not. I told you that you could use any method. Threats will not arrive according to a textbook, and naturally, you need not resist them according to one either."

Grindelwald spread his hands.

"Magical plants, potions, magical items, even magical creature friends who can help you… As long as it can protect you, there is no such thing as having too many methods."

"You must understand that although you will not truly die in the Forbidden Forest, once you leave Hogwarts, you will face not only magical creatures, but wizards who are more cunning and dangerous than magical creatures. Life does not give you a second chance!"

After warning them all, Grindelwald added:

"However, the prerequisite is that these things belong to you… For example, Neville’s Mandrake was grown by Neville himself. It has not matured yet; otherwise, its cry could have killed the Ashwinder outright instead of merely stunning it, as it did in the Magic Mirror."

Then Grindelwald looked at Neville again.

"Mandrakes are certainly powerful, but putting on earmuffs is too obvious. Not being able to hear anything after putting them on is a drawback, and since this is school, you must be careful not to accidentally injure other students…"

"I know, Professor Grindelwald. I have been practicing casting the Ear-Sealing Charm nonverbally, and I am raising other magical creatures as well. I will adjust my tactics according to the situation, and I have teammates too."

This was not Neville’s first time using magical plants in actual combat. After achieving results time and again with the abilities he excelled at, he naturally possessed a confidence completely different from before.

Grindelwald nodded and glanced at Seamus beside Neville.

It had to be said, this boy was exceptionally talented with spells such as Confringo and Exploding Charm. Hogwarts really did have quite a few promising students…

After a real bout of combat, even if it had not been entirely real, everyone had gained enough awareness of how complicated the outside world was and how difficult it was to apply what they learned in class to actual combat.

According to Professor Grindelwald’s requirements, they were best off reaching a level within four months where teams of three or fewer could deal with magical creatures rated XXXX in danger. Those who succeeded could move on to the next stage, while those who failed could continue grinding the three-star Forbidden Forest—scratch that—the third area. Every student was brimming with enthusiasm.

Besides the tasks assigned by Professor Grindelwald, the other professors also began encouraging everyone to spend more time in the Forbidden Forest.

For example, some after-class practice assignments for Transfiguration Class and Charms Class required students to find specific targets in the Forbidden Forest to practice on.

Even some of the ingredients used in Potions Class had to be gathered by the students themselves in the Forbidden Forest—of course, the chosen areas were relatively safe for the students’ level.

As for whether those places actually produced the corresponding ingredients… Adam would make sure they did.

And would students cheat by claiming they had completed their homework in the Forbidden Forest, or by buying potion ingredients from shops and passing them off as results from the forest?

Of course they would!

But the purpose of these assignments was simply to get students into the Forbidden Forest for more practical experience. Unless a professor gave permission, students were not allowed to enter the Forbidden Forest at will, so those unwilling to go could do as they pleased. In the end, everyone had to take responsibility for their own life.