The combat room was lined with dozens of metallic dolls, each one standing eerily still. Their eyes—if they could be called that—were hollow, yet there was an unsettling sense that they were watching.
Some were taller, built to resemble hulking warriors with oversized weapons. Others were leaner, made for speed and agility. Each of them held different weapons—swords, spears, maces, and daggers—all tipped with blunted edges for training.
The supervisor clapped his hands.
"Pick a doll and face it."
The students hesitated for a moment before scattering across the room.
Hope walked toward a medium-sized doll, which held a rubber spear in one hand and a small round shield in the other.
He could feel his heart rate increasing, but he forced himself to remain calm.
"It's just a machine," he told himself.
Then, he chuckled as something struck him.
"How can you watch all of us at the same time?"
He muttered it under his breath, but before he could dwell on it, the supervisor spoke again.
"These dolls are not lifeless."
The words sent a wave of unease through the students.
"They have been engineered by our scientists for combat training. Right now, they are set to the lowest difficulty, tuned to a novice combat style."
Hope narrowed his eyes at the metallic construct before him.
It looked stiff, its joints slightly rusted, but he had a feeling that could change very quickly.
"I will be watching all of you."
That sentence felt… ominous.
Hope could feel his skepticism growing.
"How the hell is he going to watch all of us at the same time?"
But before he could overthink it, the supervisor's voice boomed:
"Begin."
The Dolls Come to Life
A loud mechanical hum filled the room.
Suddenly, the once lifeless dolls twitched, their joints hissing as they came alive.
Hope's opponent jerked forward, raising its spear in a basic stance.
Then, without hesitation—it lunged.
Hope barely had time to react.
He sidestepped, the rubber tip of the spear whizzing past his ribs. His body moved on instinct, honed from years of survival.
Fast.
Faster than he expected.
He gritted his teeth, his daggers flashing as he slashed at its exposed arm.
The metallic frame let out a dull clang as his blade scraped harmlessly against it.
"Damn it."
No real damage.
The doll turned sharply, its hollow gaze locked onto him.
Then, it attacked again.
This time, Hope saw it coming.
It thrust its spear forward, but he twisted his body, the attack narrowly missing his stomach. Before it could retract the spear, he stepped in, aiming for its shoulder joint—
A loud clang echoed.
The doll raised its shield just in time, deflecting his strike with unnatural precision.
Hope jumped back, heart pounding.
"Okay... this thing isn't just some slow-moving target."
Around him, other students were having varying degrees of success.
Some were struggling—getting knocked around by their dolls as their weapons were disarmed. Others were managing well, their movements showing experience in combat.
The silver-haired girl danced around her opponent, her spear whipping through the air with fluid precision. The skinny guy with the rapier wasn't engaging directly—he was analyzing, watching the patterns of the doll's movements before striking.
The muscular guy, on the other hand, simply brute-forced his way through, using his battle-axe to crush his doll's defenses.
Hope turned his attention back to his own fight.
The doll was studying him, its hollow gaze tracking his movements.
"It's learning."
That realization sent a shiver down his spine.
It wasn't just following a preset pattern—it was adapting.
He needed to change his approach.
His dagger wasn't doing enough damage against its metal plating, and direct strikes were getting blocked.
That meant—
"I need to aim for the weak points."
He shifted his stance, lowering himself slightly, forcing the doll to adjust.
The moment it moved, he attacked—
This time, instead of aiming at the body, he targeted the wrist joint holding the spear.
His dagger slammed into the gap in the plating—
There was a spark, followed by a loud whirring sound as the doll's arm locked up for a second.
That was all he needed.
Hope twisted his body, using his momentum to kick the doll's spear hand aside while slashing toward its neck joint—
Another clang—but this time, the doll staggered backward, its movements slightly sluggish.
Hope grinned.
"Gotcha."
But before he could press the attack—
"STOP!"
The supervisor's voice boomed across the room.
Instantly, the dolls froze, their mechanical limbs locking in place.
The students let out exhales of relief, some collapsing onto the ground.
Hope backed away from his opponent, his chest rising and falling from the exertion.
His mind was racing.
That wasn't just a training dummy.
That was a combat machine—one that learned as it fought.
And if this was just the beginner setting…
What the hell were the higher levels like?