The battle broke out instantly, without the slightest pause. But to Viktor and the others' surprise, the dummy was not particularly strong.
At first, it moved like a beginner who had only just learned magic. Even when casting a simple spell like the Impediment Jinx, every motion was stiff and rigid, completely lacking the ease that came with experience.
So although it could still mechanically block quite a few spells with the Shield Charm, it was inevitably hit by the attacks from Viktor and the other seventh-year champions.
Because of that, another of the dummy's strengths quickly became apparent. Its durability was astonishing.
Viktor considered himself the most powerful student among the three schools, yet his Stunning Spell felt like nothing more than a tickle when it struck the dummy.
On the other hand, the Impediment Jinx, which hindered movement, could at least disrupt the flow of the dummy's actions a little.
"The dummy's body is made from magical materials, so it can't be stunned," Tver explained.
In truth, its body was even tougher than that of an ordinary dragon.
Back then, he had placed great expectations on this dummy and spent considerable effort constructing it. That was why, even after setting it aside, he had only left it to gather dust in a corner rather than discarding it outright.
Hearing this, the others did not mind.
If anything, its high durability made it better for practice. A one-sided fight would have been boring anyway.
But soon, the dummy began to show a different trait. It seemed to grow stronger the more it was hit. Each time it took a blow, it quickly picked up the relevant offensive techniques and adjusted with corresponding counters.
Even so, with the constant changes and complexity of real combat, there was only so much it could learn at once, so Viktor and the others were still handling it with ease.
Cedric, however, quietly tensed up.
That feeling remained vivid in his memory, even after four years.
The most terrifying thing about the professor's dummy was never its raw strength, nor its ability to keep fighting as long as it had enough magic.
It was its ability to learn.
Back when they were only third-years, they had let their guard down at the start. As the dummy gradually adapted and grew more skilled in combat, it had defeated them cleanly and hung them from the ceiling.
So Cedric did not dare relax. Instead, he warned his temporary teammates in a low voice, "Stay sharp. The dummy will keep getting stronger until it hits its limit."
Viktor and the others did not fully understand his caution, but they still tightened their formation, leaving as few openings as possible.
Very quickly, Cedric noticed something different from before.
The dummy had become stronger.
No, its learning ability had become stronger.
Before, even when it could learn, it was like a child. It picked things up quickly, but its limits were clear.
Now, it felt as if it had no limit at all. Their tactics worked at first, but soon the effectiveness disappeared. Worse, the dummy began using those same tactics against them.
Harry had not yet realized the danger closing in. With Viktor and the others drawing most of the attention, he happily practiced spells he rarely used, or rather, anything other than the Disarming Charm.
"Impedimenta!"
"Incarcerous!"
"Petrific—"
A fast, precise red flash suddenly burst in front of Harry's eyes, forcing him to shut them against the glare.
"Harry!"
At the same time, Cedric's warning and Fleur's startled cry rang in his ears.
He reacted instantly and raised his wand, but his body suddenly lost control and was flung backward, as if tossed aside like a loose robe.
A moment later, he realized he had not hit the ground. Instead, something soft and flexible had caught him, holding him securely in place.
He let out a breath in relief.
Viktor and the others, however, were not nearly as fortunate.
"What was that?" Fleur asked, her expression turning serious.
"That should be the attack I just used earlier. I slowed it down with an Impediment Jinx first, then followed up with another spell," Cedric explained at once.
But Viktor frowned, clearly puzzled.
"But how did the dummy figure out that our eyes are a weak point? Even if it was copying us, we've never attacked it like that, have we?"
Cedric gave a wry smile, then shrugged toward Tver, who was standing off in a corner observing them.
"You'll have to ask the professor about that."
No wonder he had said this dummy was specially prepared for them. With learning ability like this, it was already better than many real people.
What they did not realize was that even Tver was surprised by the dummy's actions.
He had indeed provided it with a range of combat knowledge, including common weak points like the eyes.
But he had never taught it the tactic of flashing the opponent's vision with the Lighting Charm before following up with an attack.
For an ordinary wizard, that kind of approach would not be hard to figure out with a bit of guidance.
But this was a dummy. Even with an imp containing a sliver of Tver's soul, it was still just a dummy.
And yet, it could not only learn its opponent's methods, but also adapt and apply them on its own.
Even Tver, its creator, could not help feeling pleasantly surprised.
It seemed that even after raising his expectations, he had still underestimated its potential.
Perhaps one day, it might even develop into a fully controllable duplicate of himself.
But that was a matter for the future. There was still a long way to go before the dummy could be perfected, and it would need many more opportunities to refine itself.
With that in mind, Tver subtly adjusted his wand and began feeding more ideas into the imp inside the dummy.
He still limited it to basic combat concepts, such as how an Impediment Jinx affected joints. As for how to use them, that was up to the dummy to figure out.
Cedric and the others immediately felt the pressure increase.
Harry in particular had just rejoined them and had been hoping to make up for earlier, but now he found himself barely keeping up with the dummy's strange and unpredictable attacks.
"Shh."
Another red flash burst in front of Harry's eyes, but this time he was prepared. He shut his eyes immediately and cast a Shield Charm in front of himself.
But to his surprise, the Shield Charm did not block anything.
Just as confusion set in, he suddenly felt movement beneath his feet.
Wait. Since when could the dummy use Transfiguration?
Harry's eyes snapped open as he looked down.
Too late. Closing his eyes and casting the Shield Charm had already used up his reaction time. All he could do now was watch as ropes suddenly shot out from the floor and wrapped tightly around him.
"Thud."
Harry was knocked to the ground, wriggling like a trapped caterpillar, but it was no use. The ropes dragged him upward toward the ceiling.
Soon, he was hanging helplessly in the air, watching Cedric and the others rush in to help, only to be seized upon and attacked by the dummy.
"Why am I always the one who gets taken out…"
...
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