Dummy

Julien flexed his fingers, shaking out the sting from his failed punch. "Okay, what kind of messed-up trick is this?"

I leaned against the fence, sipping my coffee. "Trick? None at all. You just suck."

Mira crossed her arms. "You reinforced them, didn't you?"

I gave her a slow, approving nod. "At least one of you is paying attention."

Leo groaned. "Great. So, what now? Are we supposed to break our hands trying to punch through enchanted training dummies?"

"Sounds like a you problem," I said.

Garrick rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck. "Then what's the point? If they're reinforced, then this isn't about strength, is it?"

I grinned, "I Don't anything about that."

Julien narrowed his eyes. "Oh, come on. You definitely know something."

I crossed my arms. "Maybe. Maybe not."

Mira sighed. "You're messing with us."

"Always," I said. "But that doesn't mean I'm lying."

Leo rubbed his knuckles, still sore from his failed punch. "So what are we supposed to do? Just keep hitting them until we break something?"

"That's an option," I said. "Not a smart one, but an option."

Julien huffed. "Great. So this is just another one of your lessons where we flail around like idiots until one of us figures out the trick?"

I grinned. "Congratulations. You're finally catching on."

Felix groaned. "This is why I hate this class."

Garrick, meanwhile, wasn't complaining. He was studying the dummy, running a hand along its surface. His brow furrowed.

Then, without a word, he crouched down, grabbed the base, and lifted.

The dummy wobbled.

Everyone froze.

Garrick adjusted his grip and ripped the thing clean off the ground.

Silence.

I clapped my hands slowly. "Wow, Garrick. You used your head for something other than blocking attacks. I'm so proud."

Garrick grunted, setting the dummy down. "It wasn't that hard."

"Of course not," I said. "Because thinking isn't hard. Yet somehow, the rest of you turned this into a test of endurance instead of basic problem-solving."

Julien pointed at me. "That's because you set us up!"

I smirked. "And whose fault is it that you fell for it?"

Julien opened his mouth. Closed it. Scowled. "I hate this class."

"Good," I said. "Now, since our dear genius Garrick has demonstrated how not to waste energy, let's move on."

Felix raised his hand to ask something.

"Felix! If it's something stupid I'll use you as a dummy for the next class." I said while rubbing my temples.

Felix immediately lowered his hand. "Never mind."

"Smart choice," I said. "Now, let's talk about what just happened."

Leo sighed. "We got tricked, again."

"Wrong." I gestured to Garrick. "You got tricked. Meathead over here figured it out. Which, frankly, is both impressive and deeply concerning."

Garrick frowned. "Again, should I be offended?"

"Yes," Mira and Julien said at the same time.

I ignored them. "The point of this exercise wasn't brute force. It was problem-solving. Strength is great and all, but if your first instinct is to keep smashing your head against a wall instead of looking for another way around…" I shrugged. "Well, congratulations, you're a future corpse."

Julien groaned. "We get it. Think before we act."

"Exactly," I said. "But more importantly, think better than your opponent. That dummy wasn't invincible. It was just reinforced against impact. A simple change in approach was all it took."

Mira narrowed her eyes. "So what would you have done?"

I smirked. "What, you think I'd waste my energy lifting it?"

Everyone braced for my answer.

I casually flicked a rune on the side of the dummy.

With a faint hum, the enchantment faded.

Silence.

Julien stared. "You're joking."

I patted the now-normal dummy. "Always check for an off switch."

Julien looked like he was about to explode. "You—You mean we could've just—" He took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and exhaled sharply. "I hate this class."

Felix groaned, slumping to the ground. "I could've avoided so much pain."

Leo muttered, "I knew it. I knew there was something stupidly simple we were missing."

Mira pinched the bridge of her nose. "I should've guessed. If he was the one giving us the lesson, it was always going to be some kind of cruel joke."

I clapped my hands. "Cruel? No, no. Educational. You learned something, didn't you?"

Julien shot me a glare. "Yeah. That you enjoy watching us suffer."

I grinned. "And?"

He scowled. "And that sometimes the best solution isn't brute force but actually understanding the problem first."

I placed a hand over my chest. "Wow, Julien. Using your brain for once? I'm so proud."

"Bite me."

I chuckled and leaned against the fence. "Alright, lesson over. Unless, of course, any of you feel like punching something else out of frustration."

Felix immediately shook his head. "Nope. I'm good. Completely fine. No frustration whatsoever."

"Coward," Mira muttered.

Felix sighed. "Self-preserving."

I clapped my hands together, "Always keep it in mind, that there is always a way to make your life easier. You just have to be smart enough to find it."

Julien groaned. "Yeah, well, too bad the world's not full of conveniently placed off switches."

I raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it?"

That made them pause.

Mira frowned. "What are you saying?"

I stretched, taking my time before answering. "Every problem has a weakness, a pressure point, an off switch. Whether it's an enemy, a battlefield, or even a damn locked door, there's always a way to make it crumble. The trick is finding it before you break yourself trying the hard way."

Garrick nodded thoughtfully. "So you're saying… work smarter, not harder?"

I smirked. "No, I'm saying work smarter and harder. Just because there's an off switch doesn't mean it's always easy to find or use. But if you don't even look for it, you're just a dumbass punching a wall for no reason."

Julien muttered, "I feel like that was directed at me."

"Good instincts," I said.

Leo sighed. "Great. Another lesson that somehow makes me feel both dumber and smarter at the same time."

"That just means it's working," I said. "Now, unless you all want to keep standing around looking stupid, class dismissed. Try not to embarrass me too much before the next lesson."

Mira scoffed. "No promises."

Felix was already walking away. "I'm gonna go lie down and pretend today never happened."

Julien crossed his arms. "I swear I'm going to get you back for this."

I smirked. "Looking forward to it."