The silver moonlight faded from the stone walls as the night wore on. The sky gradually softened into the pale, quiet gray of dawn.
Inside his quarters, Null slept. For once, he slept peacefully.
Hours later, his eyes blinked open. He stared blankly at the ceiling, watching the morning light creep across the stone.
"Morning already?" he muttered, exhaling softly.
A small, black-white line drifted into his mind's eye. [Current time: 06:18 AM.]
"Respectable," Null said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He sat up and stretched his arms,
[Your body entered a deep recovery cycle last night. Physical fatigue from your previous combat has been entirely cleared.]
"Good." Null swung his legs out of bed, his bare feet meeting the cool stone floor. He sat on the edge for a moment, letting his mind clear.
The faint, distant shuffle of movement echoed through the corridor, signaling that some early risers had already begun their day.
"You know," Null tied his hair, "this world really loves its early mornings."
[Structured training institutions tend to follow consistent daily schedules.]
Null sighed. "My old life strongly disagreed with that philosophy."
Then, A faint grin broke across his face. "Fantasy Omniscience-san."
[Yes, Master.]
"How's the universe looking today?"
[Status: operational.]
Null stared deadpan. "Incredibly helpful."
[Thank you.]
Null moved toward the small wash area attached to his room. "Well, Even observers of cosmic narrative structures should maintain basic hygiene."
[An admirable decision,]
"That sounded suspiciously like judgment."
[Observation: maintaining personal hygiene increases overall social compatibility by approximately sixty-three percent.]
"You actually quantified that?"
[Yes.]
"Omniscience really is terrifying."," Null shook his head in mild amusement.
The splash of cold water instantly shattered the last remnants of his lethargy. He wiped his face with a dry cloth, ran a hand through his loose dark-white hair, and looked at his reflection for a brief second before shrugging it off.
-
Half an hour later, Null stepped out into the hallway and let his door click shut behind him.
"Fantasy Omniscience-san."
[Yes, Master.]
"I just realized a minor tragedy."
[Proceed.]
He sighed. "My kitchen is bare. I'm completely out of ingredients."
[Confirmed. Your personal supplies were depleted during last night's dinner.]
Null clicked his tongue. "Truly unfortunate. I suppose I'll have to eat like a normal trainee today."
[That remains the most time-efficient solution.]
"Cafeteria it is, then," Null murmured, turning down the stairwell.
...
Cafeteria,
Null pushed open the large doors. Warm light and the lively murmur of morning chatter immediately spilled out to greet him.
The clattering of utensils. Rows of long tables, were packed with young priests, clerics, and knights-in-training debating their morning schedules and trading the latest Sanctum rumors.
As Null walked in, the usual ripple of turning heads followed his path.
'Same as always,' he thought, weaving through the crowded aisle with the familiarity of someone who had been here many times before.
But as he passed between tables, whispers trailed him.
At one table, a group of girls immediately leaned closer together. One of them clasped her hands near her face. "Ah—he's here again."
"Why does he look so damn sexy this early in the morning?" Another girl whispered excitedly.
"Those white eyes are illegal. He seriously looks like a sculpture made by divine hands." A third girl sighed dreamily
One girl covered her mouth to stifle a small squeal. "Do you think he's a secret prince from a great kingdom?"
A few feet away, the sentiment was entirely different. A male trainee aggressively stabbed a spoon into his porridge. "Unbelievable. The guy walks in like he stepped out of an impossible painting, and half the cafeteria turns into a fanclub the next moment."
His friend scoffed, glaring over his shoulder. "Tch. Look at all the girls staring at him. What kind of unfair genetics is that?"
A third muttered bitterly. "Bet he practices that calm mysterious walk in the mirror."
The grumbling took a sharp turn when a third boy leaned across the table, lowering his voice. "Hey, did you hear the rumor? He just got back from a mission."
"So? Trainees go on missions every week."
"Not with her," the boy whispered. "He paired with the Saintess of Living Radiance."
Two guys nearly choked on their breakfast. "Lady Sora? No way!"
The first boy slammed his cup down, his jealousy turning into pure indignation. "THAT GUY got to go on a mission with her?! This is injustice. Divine injustice!What kind of cursed luck does that guy have?!" He clenched his fists.
Their outbursts grew loud enough to draw sharp glares from the girls nearby.
"Excuse me?" One of the girls frowned sharply. "Why are you yelling like that?"
One of the jealous trainees scoffed. "Because that guy keeps hogging all the attention!"
"And that justifies you shouting like a barbarian?"
A different girl stood up. She wore the robes of a trainee cleric. She crossed her arms. "Using such crude language within the Sanctum is entirely improper. If you have complaints regarding another trainee's appearance or fortune, please manage them without degrading yourselves."
The boys instantly went quiet, shrinking back into their bench. "We apologise."
Null walked right past the entire spectacle without a single sideways glance. He had caught every word, every glare, and every dramatic defense. The only reaction he gave was a quiet, internal chuckle.
[Your presence appears to create a measurable amount of social friction,]
'Can't be helped,' Null thought, finally reaching the serving counter at the far end of the hall.
He picked up a wooden tray and scanned the chalk menu board. The kitchen was serving mana-infused porridge, sunroot stew, honey-glazed bread, and grilled wyvern eggs. A few more specialty dishes rotated depending on the ingredients the kitchen received that week.
[The mana density of the porridge is slightly higher today,] she noted.
Null nodded slightly. Before he could call out his order, a pleasantly plump, kind-faced woman stepped up to the counter. It was Chef Fiuyme, the head of the kitchen, and her eyes lit up the moment she recognized him.
"Well now!" she called out, a broad, warm smile breaking across her face. "If it isn't our resident culinary prodigy."
"Morning, Chef Fiuyme."
She laughed heartily. "Good morning to you too, boy! Haven't seen you around my kitchen for days,."
Null smiled back, scratching the back of his neck. "I ran out of ingredients, Fiuyme-san. Had to come back to civilization."
Fiuyme snorted, leaning over the counter. "Listen to this brat calling my cafeteria 'civilization.'"
"Thanks again for the ingredients you gave me last time."
"Ahh…" She sighed. "Don't even remind me."
Null tilted his head. "Still thinking about it?"
"How could I not?" She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"That dish you made with those ordinary ingredients," she shook her head with a downcast look. "That flavor profile... I swear I could still aftertaste the complexity for two whole days."
"Elegant, balanced, and somehow comforting. I've been cooking mana cuisine for over twenty years, and that dish left me realizing I still have a long way to go."
Null listened quietly, keeping his face perfectly neutral. 'It was just a basic home recipe. The credit goes to those ingredients,' he thought dryly.
There was nothing magical about it. It was simply the result of centuries of human culinary chemistry, precise heat management, and intentional flavor layering. Yet, in a world that relied entirely on magical radiation to carry its flavor, a standard Earth recepi had thoroughly shattered the standards of the Sanctum's finest chef.
Back then he had only cooked it for one reason. 'I had only cooked it to pass her kitchen test so she would let him procure some magical ingredients to experiment with.'
The result? One of the best chefs now looked slightly dispirited every time she recalled it.
Fiuyme suddenly clapped her hands, snapping out of her daze. "So! Don't you worry about ingredients. You take whatever you need from the pantry.
Especially after those incredible recipes you traded me. It's only fair."
'Those were just ordinary recipes,' Null thought, suppressing a sigh. 'Compared to the value of magical ingredients, it's a total steal.'
Null nodded sincerely. "Much appreciated, Fiuyme-san"
.
"Now, what can I get you?"
"Just the mana grain porridge and a grilled egg, please."
"Good choice. Get it while it's hot!" She flagged down the staff, and within a minute, Null's tray was loaded.
Carrying his breakfast, he turned back toward the chaotic cafeteria. He completely bypassed the crowded rows and the lingering whispers, heading straight for an isolated table tucked away by a far corner window.
Bright morning sunlight streamed across the dark wood, offering a perfect pocket of silence.
Null sat down alone, picked up his spoon, and took a bite.
"Nice," he murmured.
He settled into the quiet, eating breakfast like a solitary background character in a story that hadn't even begun yet.