Fleeting Respite Amid Endless Toil
I slowly opened my eyes. Sunlight poured through the window onto my face. It was morning. The room was packed with dolls. I'd collapsed right in the middle of them. Exhaustion weighed down every inch of my body—I couldn't move properly, not even enough to circulate my mana. Clearly, I'd passed out after pulling an all-nighter. Come to think of it, how long had it been since I'd lain down like this? I couldn't even remember the last time I'd hit the bed.
I glanced at the clock. Not even thirty minutes had passed since I'd collapsed. I wanted to savor this honey-sweet moment just a little longer, even a tiny bit more. Tasks loomed ahead, but this dreamlike rest gripped my body and refused to let go. Hmm, should I just shove today's work onto tomorrow? And drift off right here. Tomorrow's me could handle the fallout. For now, just a bit more rest.
That was when the door creaked open with the jingle of a bell. Someone had come in. I screamed internally in silence. Nooo, my precious break is slipping away!
"Mister, I came to request a doll modification. You here?"
A familiar voice. I weakly raised a hand. Even that took monumental effort—my fingers trembled like they might snap off any second. The visitor must have spotted it and approached. It was a blank-faced woman.
"Want me to help you up?"
She leaned over me, her face inches away. The metallic tang of a swordswoman hit my nose. I nodded feebly. Without hesitation, she channeled mana and forced my body upright. I shot to my feet in an instant, my whole frame screaming in protest. But the pain snapped me awake. What was I thinking, postponing things for tomorrow? I had a mountain of work today, and tomorrow's pile was already sky-high.
I clutched my knees with both arms to keep from toppling over. Strength trickled back bit by bit. With shaking hands, I wiped my face, brushing away some of the fatigue. The woman stared at me blankly.
"Thanks, Kasian."
The first time I realized who she was, I'd been shocked. This was the lunatic who'd smashed all my dolls to bits during my tenth exam attempt. No wonder her face rang a bell. Of course, now she was just a customer at my shop.
I shuffled slowly to the counter and leaned my upper body against it for support. It was bearable like this. I beckoned her over, and she placed a doll on the counter. A massive Bear Doll, filling the entire surface. Drained of mana, it looked like any ordinary stuffed toy. Come to think of it, I'd forgotten to recharge the dolls' mana today amid the all-nighter. Another task added to the list. I gripped my head and sighed.
While I sorted my thoughts, Kasian fiddled with the doll and spoke up.
"Anyway, mister, I want this one modified."
"Sure. How would you like it done?"
"Take out some of the functions you added before. It keeps trying to hug me at the worst times—kinda annoying."
My eyebrow twitched. Just a month ago, she had begged me to add that feature. And now she was already bored of it? I'd squeezed it into an already packed capacity, sweating blood over it. But my face showed only a polite smile, and I offered a compromise.
"How about reducing the response frequency instead of removing it entirely? Or I could link it to specific actions, so it only hugs when you want it to."
She pondered, then shook her head.
"Nah, just remove it. But make the doll's eyes show emotions. Oh, and can you change its scent? It's getting old. Actually, make the scent change with its emotions."
"Do that for me," she said brightly.
I stared at the doll with trembling eyes. This thing was already stuffed to the brim with functions—adding something that complex? Impossible. What did she think I was?
"A hundred points, right?"
"Yep. Come back tomorrow."
Nothing was impossible for points. I jotted down her requests without hesitation. Limits? Who cared. I'd make it work somehow.
"Here."
She handed over a ring. After paying, she left. I stroked the ring and snapped to my senses. What had I done? I already had a backlog, and I'd taken another order. Points had blinded my reason. She'd already sunk over four thousand points into modifying this doll. She was the only one who poured points into dolls like this. How much did she even have?
I placed my trembling hand on the doll. I'd poured my heart into crafting it. All the functions made it more natural and perfect. Even I had to admit, it was flawlessly beautiful—no gaps. Now I had to cram even more into it.
I infused it with mana, reviving it. The doll guzzled my mana and rose, its myriad spells and functions kicking in with that fuel. Following my will, it lumbered deep into the shop. Pushing through other dolls, it reached the workbench. I laid it there and collapsed into a chair like a sack of potatoes.
I was screwed. Royally. My body proved it. My Seedling-stage mana tree, squeezed dry daily, hung limp just like me. Two years at the university, and this was my utterly ordinary morning. My shadow stealthily rose and patted my shoulder. It looked just like me. Over those two years, the harder I toiled, the more it grew.
Taking comfort from it, I closed my eyes briefly. How did it come to this? Things hadn't started this way. I traced it back to the beginning. Yeah, it all started there.
After the first lecture ended, crowds flocked to the tower as its sections opened—two hundred strong. Students signed up not just to grow through lectures, but to use the towers. Most took only one or two courses, holing up in that professor's tower for cultivation. Makes sense—I'd do the same. A professor's tower mana was purer and stronger than anything else. Training there would be insanely efficient.
So mornings saw the first floor swarming. It was vast enough for them all. But problems arose. With fixed opening hours, they arrived at the same time daily, bumping into each other constantly. Fights broke out—arguments, duels, assaults. Grudges from treasure hunts exploded. They formed cliques, claimed rooms, and turned hostile to outsiders.
The professor loved it. She opened the second floor too. Its mana was denser, stronger—naturally, the powerful ones swarmed there. The tower became a battlefield for territory. She watched, amused. And amid it all, I was the one dying—mediating conflicts, repairing broken furniture. My preset receptionist dolls couldn't handle it. Endless questions, suggestions left behind. Just dealing with students drained me, but more awaited.
I had to inspect the tower daily. Its powerful spells warped things fiercely if unchecked. These finicky bastards caused issues without daily checks. At first, I missed it—built-up distortions eventually tore space. The eerie gaze of that eye staring at me... That unknown intruder tried seeping in, only to die by the professor's hand after she spotted the anomaly. I nearly died too for poor maintenance.
After that, daily inspections became routine. No need past the sixth floor—her domain—but first through fifth were mine. Just checking those spells exhausted me. Most were unknown, so I had to experience them firsthand.
Even while managing the tower, I prepped lectures. One every three months. But the first wrecked all my dolls. I was short on materials gathered for a month. Future ones needed ironclad prep—she'd torment me more now. Heisen's lectures were easier: just grow a shadow. It copied my actions, fed on my mana, bulked up steadily. Fine for his tower—the shadow realm perfect for growth, roaming spots made it thrive. But getting there and back was work, and tasks piled up after.
Handling it all flew by time. A break? Something cropped up. Fix it, another arose. Chain reactions. Then collapse into sleep. No cultivation time. At this rate, a century later, I'd still be slaving away. I needed to cut tasks. Thought hit after four months, post-second lecture. No one claimed Irian's treasures, but others grew through competition and tower training. Me? Suffering under chores. No future without fixing this.
So I mass-produced dolls—my specialty. Dumped nearly all points into it. Bought materials in the city, commissioned more. Woods, minerals piled up. Poured all mana and heart into refining them. Tower mana-enhanced, they exceeded expectations.
I distributed one to each student. Not simple receptionist copies, but advanced servants with butler-level judgment and action, serving their assigned owner faithfully. They learned habits for better service, mediated disputes autonomously. Visitors plummeted. Success.
Relief brought a smile. Sure, I had to recharge their mana—only mine powered them. But compared to before, a breeze. Charge before opening, station at entrance. First real rest since lectures began.
Leaning back in the chair, eyes closed. Why hadn't I thought of this sooner? My stinginess with points had chained me to suffering. Hoarded points were dead points. Use and enjoy to make them mine. All points gone to dolls, but this bliss made it worth it.
With students quieted—my biggest burden—I could focus on cultivation.
That's what I thought. Until she showed up.