The next day passed as usual. Classes, lunch—where Alexia once again scratched my head. Honestly, I was probably only looking forward to lunch because of that pleasant, pacifying feeling.

  After classes, I walked into my room and decided to check on my dummy. And what do I see? A whole crowd was standing around it: Alexia, Lianel, and Alphus.

  "Alright," I hissed to myself. "Alexia and Lianel—fine, whatever. But why is Alphus here?!"

  Anna, spotting me, immediately jogged over. She looked guilty, but undeniably pleased with herself.

  "Greg! I called my friends to help me out!"

  "Whaaat?" I raised my voice. "I explicitly told you not to tell anyone!"

  "I only called Alexia and Lianel!" she quickly defended herself. "Alphus just happened to walk in! But don't worry. I told them it was a gift!"

  "Yeah, right, a gift," I sighed heavily.

  Alexia, it seemed, had already gotten a taste for it. She grabbed some smooth rock from outside, poured mana into it, and slotted it into the dummy's chest compartment.

  "Watch, Anna," she said.

  The dummy defended itself against Anna and Lianel's combined attacks. It held out for about five to eight minutes.

  "An astonishing artifact!" Alexia exclaimed. "Anna, you have to share!"

  "Alright, but it takes a while," Anna replied. "Whenever I'm free. But the real problem is the charge. The stone holds mana poorly and can't absorb very much."

  Alexia immediately lit up with scientific curiosity. "Let's see," she examined the compartment. "This space could fit... Hmm, I know! We'll use our sphere! It absorbs mana perfectly and retains it extremely well. We'll bring it tomorrow!" she told Lianel.

  Lianel nodded. "Excellent. I can enchant it for extra durability."

  I was both surprised and offended. I asked her not to show anyone—and no, she just had to show it off! And now I'm going to have to deal with an upgraded dummy that will be training my "masters."

  Alexia, noticing my sour expression, decided to cheer herself and the others up: "Why so gloomy, Greg? Everything is fine. Look, your dummy is going to be even better now. We're going to upgrade it."

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  "Yeah," Anna chimed in. "You like it when your toys get used!"

  "Exactly," Lianel added. "Look, Alphus is happy about it too!"

  "Are you guys trying to drive me crazy?" I snorted. "Why are you all being so toxic? I create an artifact for you, and you guys..."

  "An artifact," Alexia drawled, walking around me and affectionately stroking the back of my head. "Or a new toy?"

  "A toy," Anna agreed, poking me in the ribs.

  "Toxic," I muttered, but the malice was already gone from my voice.

  I came back again that evening. I saw Anna and Lianel sparring together against the dummy. The battle was in full swing.

  "How long has this been going on?" I asked Alexia, who was standing off to the side, observing.

  "About twenty minutes now," she replied.

  Yeah, I thought. They're attacking my poor dummy unfairly. "Two against one," I said aloud.

  "It has four arms," Alexia countered.

  "But the dummy only has two eyes. It might not be able to track all the strikes in time."

  I remembered that I had given it ears so it could hear, but I hadn't given it a nose. I should have given it a nose, I muttered to myself. For better spatial coordination.

  Another ten minutes passed, and the dummy began to noticeably slow down. Five minutes after that, it stopped completely.

  "The sphere lasts for thirty-five minutes?" I clarified.

  "No," Alexia said. "We only filled it halfway. It'll probably last an hour on a full charge."

  I watched them, genuinely feeling bad for the dummy. Sure, it was literally built for this, but two against one—that's just unfair.

  Alexia pumped a little more mana into the sphere so it wouldn't die completely, then asked: "I wonder, does it only defend? I saw it kick earlier."

  I remembered that I had woven a few advanced combat fencing techniques into its core. After all, the best defense is a good offense, I had thought at the time.

  Without waiting for my answer, Alexia sharply commanded: "Dummy, combat! ATTACK!"

  And all hell broke loose.

  The dummy moved with such terrifying speed and raw power that the four-armed fighter wielding four swords and two legs looked like a literal meat grinder. Anna, who was standing closest, went flying first. Then Lianel. The dummy moved in to "finish" them, but I reacted instantly:

  "DUM-MY, STOP!"

  The mannequin froze. I yelled again: "DUM-MY, COMBAT OVER!"

  It slumped forward, as if all its power had been violently drained.

  I looked at Alexia's wide, shocked eyes, then at the princesses peeling themselves off the floor, dusting off their clothes. I started laughing. Loudly.

  "Well, you really kicked the hornet's nest this time! Congratulations, you just unlocked its 'Death and Destruction' feature."

  "Alright, girls," I said, gesturing toward the dummy. "Train hard. You're going to need it to survive."

  I didn't wait for any questions. I immediately barked an order, already turning my back to head for the door:

  "DUM-MY! COMBAT! ATTACK! DO NOT STOP UNTIL THEY ARE ON THE FLOOR!"

  And the chaos began.

  I couldn't see what was happening, but I heard the dummy activate instantly. The frantic clashing of four swords, the heavy thuds of bodies hitting the floor, and the outraged, terrified screams of the princesses echoed through the room.

  I bolted down the hallway, listening to the dummy absolutely wreck everyone behind the closed door, and walked away, giggling to myself.