The teleportation circle flared softly beneath Null's feet, casting a ripple of pale light outward. In the next moment, the cold marble corridors of the Sanctum vanished, replaced by warm sunlight. The city of Lumeris stretched below the floating citadel like a living painting under the afternoon sky.
Null stepped off the platform. "Alright. Let's head to the rendezvous point."
He fell into stride along the roadside path, weaving through a busy stream of merchants, carts, and travelers. From the outside, he looked completely relaxed, but inside his mind, a familiar voice spoke—one that rarely initiated conversation on its own.
[Master.]
Null kept walking with his hands in his pockets. "Oh?
It was unusual for Fantasy Omniscience to speak unprompted, but today her tone carried a faint trace of urgency.
[Master, I must warn you. During this mission, you will encounter certain danger. Your calculated death fate rate is 99.77%.]
Null didn't even slow his pace. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You've been saying that since this morning."
A brief silence followed before she replied, [Yes. However, it seems you are not taking my warning seriously.]
Null snorted. "Don't worry. Do you have any idea how mysterious your master actually is?"
[Indeed, I do not, Master,] she answered with perfect, literal honesty. [Despite being omniscient, I am blind to you. It is a 'deliberate' paradoxical limitation my creator installed within me.]
Null grinned. "Hehe. Good for me, then."
[Why, Master?]
Inside his consciousness, the avatar of Fantasy Omniscience tilted her head. She appeared as a young girl composed of shimmering data, with long pink hair drifting weightlessly around her shoulders and eyes glowing faintly with scrolling streams of information.
In her opinion, the limitation was inconvenient. If she could read Null directly, she could analyze the flaws in his existential framework, guide his training far more efficiently, predict his true future trajectory, optimize his decisions, and help him navigate life more effectively.
Those were only the most basic advantages. There were many more. She didn't understand why he seemed pleased by a restriction on her utility.
Null shrugged. "Simple. Because you can keep secrets from me, but I can't keep them from you. It's only fair that I get to have my own privacy."
[Master,] the reply contained exasperation, [You are quite childish.]
Null beamed. "Thanks for the compliment."
"But seriously though..." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I can't believe how much more emotionally developed your responses are getting. It's an interesting change."
[Master. It is called evolution.]
"Oh? You're going through an EQ evolution now?" Null smirked. "Fantasy Omniscience-san. What have you been doing since your creation, living in a cave?"
[I have been dormant. And please mind your language, Master.]
Null let out a dramatic sigh. "Geez, getting lectured by my own supernatural power. What is the world coming to..."
Ahead, the massive outer gates of Lumeris loomed into view, guarded by heavily armored sentries.
Null kept the conversation going. "By the way, how do you even know I'm facing certain danger? I don't recall you having a passive radar function."
[A passive subfuction, master. It triggers automatically when a threat to your existence exceeds a specific threshold,] she explained calmly. [Besides, I am omniscient, Master. I know everything that is happening and about to happen in the world.]
Null halted his steps for a brief second. "Oh? Are you boasting, Fantasy Omniscience-san?"
[... (Pout)]
Null burst out laughing. "Hehe. You're getting cuter every day. You're actually starting to develop a personality."
Inside his mindscape, the pink-haired avatar froze, her cheeks instantly flushed.
(Cute) she cupped her hands against her face to process the unfamiliar compliment.
Null, entirely unaware of her internal crisis, stepped beyond the enormous gates onto the wide, windswept grasslands.
Further down the main road, a broad field served as an informal gathering ground for mercenaries and freelancers waiting for teammates.
Null walked toward the rendezvous point, stretching lazily. "Anyway, why is the death rate so high? Don't tell me it's that cliché scenario where the bandits are secretly high-level boss monsters."
[Incorrect, Master. The mission you accepted was not faulty. The bandits are low-level.]
Null raised an eyebrow. "Then?"
[It is more accurate to say... there is a hidden knife attempting to eliminate you,]
[Your existence has become an eyesore to a certain individual.]
Null's lips curved into a faint smile, his brow furrowing slightly. "Is that so? From that description and my own math, I can probably guess who that 'individual' is." His tone turned dry. "Ah. What a classic enemy plot I've gotten myself into."
[Master, you appear oddly calm.]
Null approached the gathering point, where a small group of novice adventurers stood waiting beneath a lone tree. A tall boy with short brown hair and light armor spotted him and waved. "You here for the merchant road bandit mission?"
"Yep," Null said, raising a hand.
The brown-haired boy stepped forward. "Name's Ronan Vale, apprentice swordsman."
He gestured to the three others in the party. "This is Mira Talwyn, our scout." A lean girl with twin daggers strapped to her belt gave a casual wave.
"Derrik Stone, earth mage apprentice." A broad-shouldered young man holding a wooden staff nodded.
"Lyra Fen, healing trainee," a quiet girl in simple robes bowed politely.
"And Tobin, ranged support," a short blond boy carrying a crossbow waved awkwardly.
Ronan crossed his arms, studying Null's plain attire. "So that makes five of us. You're a Sanctum trainee, right?"
Null nodded casually. "Something like that."
"Good. Now that everyone's here, let's move out." Ronan grinned, turning toward the primary road stretching across the peaceful plains.
Inside his mind, Fantasy Omniscience spoke one last time.
[Master. The assassination attempt will begin immediately after the bandits are subdued.]
'Oh? How do you know that? Did you read these kids' futures?'
[Yes.]
Null smiled faintly, his hand resting casually on the hilt of the sword at his hip. 'Then let's see what kind of knife our noble friend decided to send.'
With their roles established, the novice party set off down the quiet road, marching directly toward the waiting ambush.