The last spoonful of porridge disappeared.
Null set the bowl down with a quiet clinck.
"…Decent."
Fantasy Omniscience responded.
[Conclusion: satisfactory nutritional intake.]
Null nodded once, then stood.
For a brief moment—
Peace.
Then—
"Um… excuse me!"
He froze.
A group of girls had somehow gathered near his table.
One of them stepped forward, fidgeting slightly.
"Can we sit here?"
Another leaned in immediately.
"We've seen you around a lot…"
"And we wanted to—"
"—talk!"
Null stared at them.
Silence.
Then—
He smiled politely.
"Ah."
"…A social ambush.
The girls blinked.
"…What?"
"Nothing."
He picked up his tray.
"I'm afraid I'm currently in the middle of an extremely important mission."
They leaned closer.
"What mission?"
Null turned slightly.
His expression calm.
"Escaping."
And with that—
He walked past them.
Clean.
Efficient.
Gone.
The girls stood there in stunned silence.
"…Did we just get brushed off?"
"…I think we did…"
"…That was kinda cool though."
—
A few minutes later—
Null stepped out of the cafeteria.
The noise faded behind him.
Silence returned.
"…That was close."
[Threat level: moderate social engagement avoided.]
"…I'm starting to think you categorize everything."
[Correct.]
Null nodded.
"Well, That is indeed a life-threatening situation."
—
The Sanctum grounds stretched quietly under the morning sun as he made his way toward a more secluded section.
Fewer people.
Fewer distractions.
Eventually—
He arrived.
A large reinforced door stood before him.
The private training hall reserved exclusively for one person.
Commander Dhomnac.
Null pushed the door open.
—
The moment he stepped inside—
His instincts reacted.
A presence.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Predatory.
There were no trainees.
No assistants.
No noise.
Only—
A hulking figure standing at the center of the hall.
Broad shoulders.
Well-built frame.
Lion-like ears resting atop his head.
Golden eyes.
Watching.
Commander Dhomnac.
The man looked to be in his forties, but there was nothing aged about him. His posture was straight, his muscles coiled with restrained power, and his very presence carried the weight of someone who had seen real battle—many times.
His eyes shifted the moment Null entered.
Locked.
Silence.
Null stopped.
"…Ah."
A pause.
Then internally—
Oops.
Dhomnac's ears twitched.
His voice came out low.
Commanding.
"You are late."
Null immediately frowned.
"But, teach—"
A vein pulsed faintly on Dhomnac's forehead.
Null continued anyway.
"I arrived at the mentioned time."
He gestured casually.
"You're the one who seems to have come early."
Silence.
Then—
Dhomnac smiled.
Just slightly.
It was not a kind smile.
"Just because I set a specific time…"
He stepped forward slowly.
"…does not mean you cannot come earlier."
Each step echoed.
Controlled.
Heavy.
"If you had arrived before me—"
Another step.
"—you would have had time to warm up."
Another.
"Center yourself."
Another.
"Reach peak condition."
He stopped right in front of Null.
Towering.
"In fact—"
A pause.
"…this was a test."
Null blinked.
Dhomnac's smirk widened.
"And you failed."
A quiet beat.
"It seems…"
"…you have quite a lazy attitude."
His grin sharpened.
"Let me fix that."
Null instinctively took a step back.
Then another.
"…Now hold on—"
"And another thing."
Dhomnac's eyes narrowed.
"How many times have I told you…"
"…to stop calling me 'teach'?"
Null opened his mouth.
Closed it.
"…A respectable number?"
"Incorrect."
Dhomnac's grin turned openly predatory.
"Too many."
He cracked his neck once.
"Call me Instructor Dhomnac."
A pause.
"Or I will enforce it."
Null raised his hands slightly.
"Right, Instructor Dhomnac—"
"Too late."
Dhomnac cut him off instantly.
"Punishment stands."
Immediate.
Final.
A pause.
"Today—"
He pointed at him.
"I am doubling your training regimen."
Silence.
Null's expression flattened.
"…Ah."
He took another slow step back.
Eyes on Dhomnac.
"…You're just making up reasons now."
Dhomnac said nothing.
Null narrowed his eyes.
"You monstrous lion…"
"That paperwork finally got to you—"
"… now you're just venting your work stress on me, aren't you?"
Silence.
Dhomnac's ear twitched again.
Not denial.
Not confirmation.
Just—
Silence.
Which was worse.
Inside his mind—
Null sighed.
Right.
This guy.
Commander of the Radiant Guards.
One of the strongest forces in the world.
Elite.
Respected.
Feared.
And absolutely buried under administrative work.
A warrior forced into paperwork.
A disaster waiting to happen.
And now—
That disaster had a student.
Namely—
Him.
There was a reason no one studied under him.
Rumors spread fast.
Broken trainees.
Merciless training.
Zero tolerance.
And yet—
Due to pure ignorance—
Null had walked right into this.
He closed his eyes briefly.
I really regret not checking his history first…
[Master, do not worry.]
Fantasy Omniscience spoke calmly.
[Instructor Dhomnac is aware of his limits.]
[Despite his outward aggression, he does not exceed safe thresholds.]
[Furthermore, his training intensity is optimal for rapid adaptation to your current state as a mana-awakened.]
Null scoffed internally.
Convenient for you.
Meanwhile—
Dhomnac had already turned away.
"Enough talking."
He pointed toward the weapon rack.
Rows of weapons gleamed under the light.
Swords.
Spears.
Axes.
Training variants.
Real variants.
"Choose."
His voice carried quiet anticipation.
"Today…"
A faint smirk.
"…is going to be an eventful day."
Silence filled the hall.
Null stared at the weapons.
Then at Dhomnac.
Then back at the weapons.
A long pause.
Then—
He sighed.
"…Of course it is."
He walked forward.
His hand hovered briefly—
Then settled on a long spear.
Balanced.
Simple.
Reliable.
He lifted it.
Tested the weight.
"…This will do."
Behind him—
Dhomnac's grin widened.
Predatory.
Satisfied.
"Good choice."
A pause.
Then—
His voice dropped.
Sharp.
"Now."
A shift in stance.
The air itself seemed to tighten.
"Show me."
His golden eyes locked onto Null.
"What you actually learned out there."
Silence.
Then—
Null exhaled slowly.
His grip on the spear tightened.
His posture shifted.
Casual—
Gone.
Replaced by something quieter.
Sharper.
"…Alright."
A faint curve touched his lips.
"Let's try not to make this too one-sided."
For a brief moment—
Just a brief moment—
Dhomnac's grin widened further.
Like a hunter who had just confirmed—
His prey could bite back.
"Good."
"Come at me."
And the training hall—
Came alive.
–
The first clash came—
—and disappeared.
Null didn't even register the moment his spear moved.
Only the result.
A sharp impact.
A shift in balance.
And—
The floor.
—
Hours passed.
Then more.
Morning blurred into noon.
Noon into evening.
And evening—
Into night.
—
By the time the moon had climbed high above the Sanctum—
Null collapsed.
Flat on his back.
Chest rising.
Falling.
Rising—
"…haah…"
Falling—
"…haah…"
Every breath felt like it scraped against his lungs.
His arms trembled.
His fingers barely held onto sensation.
The spear had long since slipped from his grasp.
"…I'm…"
A pause.
"…still alive."
[Confirmed.]
"…Good to know…"
His vision tilted slightly toward the ceiling.
The training hall lights flickered faintly in his exhausted gaze.
Everything hurt.
Not sharp pain—
But deep.
Thorough.
Complete.
The kind that settled into muscle, bone, and something deeper.
The kind that said:
You were used properly today.
—
A shadow loomed over him.
Massive.
Unmoving.
Commander Dhomnac.
Standing.
Unshaken.
Not a drop of sweat.
Not a single sign of fatigue.
His breathing was steady.
Controlled.
As if the last several hours had been nothing more than a light warm-up.
Null stared upward.
"…Monster."
Dhomnac's ear twitched.
"I heard that."
"…Good."
Null didn't even try to move.
"…it was meant to be heard."
Silence.
Then—
Dhomnac crossed his arms.
"That's enough for today."
Null almost laughed.
Almost.
"…Today…?"
His voice cracked slightly.
"…that implies this wasn't a multi-day event."
Dhomnac ignored that.
"You did well."
A pause.
Null blinked.
Slowly.
"…I'm sorry?"
Dhomnac looked down at him.
Eyes sharp.
Measured.
"You improved."
Another pause.
"Faster than expected."
Null stared.
Then turned his head slightly.
"…Did you hit your head at some point during training?"
Dhomnac's expression didn't change.
"You adapted to pressure."
"You corrected your stance mid-engagement."
"You stopped overthinking your strikes."
Each word landed with weight.
"Your reaction speed improved."
"Your mana flow stabilized."
A small pause.
"And—"
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"You reached E-rank."
Silence.
Null blinked again.
Once.
Twice.
"…Wait."
He lifted one hand weakly.
"…I did what?"
[E-rank progression confirmed.]
Null stared at the ceiling.
"…Huh."
A breath escaped him.
"…I see."
A longer pause.
"…So that's why it felt like I was dying slightly less toward the end."
[Accurate.]
"…Good to know the threshold for improvement is near-death."
Dhomnac spoke again.
"Because of that—"
A pause.
"You will take tomorrow off."
Silence.
Null didn't react immediately.
"…I'm sorry."
"…come again?"
Dhomnac's tone remained flat.
"Rest."
"Recover."
"Return the day after."
Another pause.
"Consider it a reward."
Null slowly turned his head back toward him.
Suspicion filled his exhausted eyes.
"…This isn't a trap?"
"No."
"…There's no 'extra training hidden inside the rest period' clause?"
"No."
"…You're not going to appear in my room at dawn and call it a 'surprise session'?"
Dhomnac stared at him.
"…No."
Null narrowed his eyes.
"…You hesitated."
"I did not."
"You did."
"I did not."
"…You definitely did."
Silence.
Then—
Dhomnac turned away.
"Rest properly."
He began walking toward the exit.
Heavy steps.
Measured.
"Today's performance…"
A brief pause.
"…was acceptable."
Null lay there.
"…That's the highest praise I'm getting, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"…I feel honored."
Dhomnac stopped near the door.
Without turning—
"Next time—"
A slight tilt of his head.
"Arrive early."
Null closed his eyes.
"…Of course."
Of course.
Because arriving on time is apparently a crime now.
Dhomnac pushed the door open.
Cold night air drifted in slightly.
"And stop calling me 'teach.'"
The door began to close.
Click.
Silence.
"…Yeah, yeah. Teach."
Null muttered with slight grudge.
—
Null lay there for several seconds.
Completely still.
Then—
"…Fantasy Omniscience-san."
[Yes, Master.]
"…Remind me."
A slow breath.
"…why I chose this path again?"
A pause.
[To become strong and gain foothold in this world.]
"…Right."
Another breath.
"…Next time—"
A longer pause.
"…remind me to choose a path that involves less suffering."
[Noted.]
Silence filled the training hall once more.
Null didn't move.
Didn't get up.
Didn't even try.
He simply lay there.
Staring at the ceiling.
Completely—
Utterly—
Exhausted.
Somewhere between consciousness and complete shutdown.
He heard something.
A sound.
Soft.
Barely there.
The training hall door.
Opening.
Closing.
Quietly.
Too quietly.
A girl with pure white hair and sky-blue eyes entered.
***
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