Dumbledore pondered for a moment, then asked, "But this still doesn't solve the problem of differences in students' learning progress."
"Simple!"
Vaughn had considered this long ago. "We can divide that place into beginner, intermediate, and advanced zones, then implement a points system. All students entering for the first time will start in the beginner zone and earn points through adventuring, exploration, puzzle-solving, combat, and so on, advancing toward the higher-level zones—"
Put bluntly, it was essentially the typical gameplay of an online game.
In 1992, let alone wizards in the magical world, even Muggles would find such an idea quite novel.
Novelty meant a lack of understanding, so Dumbledore did not really comprehend it. After all, he had not traveled back from several decades in the future.
Still, through Vaughn's simple explanation, he picked up on some obvious drawbacks. "What if, over the course of seven years, a student clears the advanced zone? What happens afterward? Would that lead to there being nothing left to teach? And how many of these challenge activities you mentioned will there be? What if someone completes a challenge and shares the method for clearing it with others?"
Vaughn smiled.
"Those problems do exist, but they're all details. They can gradually be resolved by refining and subdividing the rules."
"For example, the issue of clearing the advanced zone can be solved with a seasonal system. Simply put, one term will count as one season, and at the end of each season, the points earned during that term will be reset. And you needn't worry that high-ranked students going through the lower-level zones again will disrupt the balance—we can record each student's points from the previous term as hidden ratings."
"At the beginning of a new season, placement matches will be assigned based on those