"Perfect timing," Ronan said, pointing down the road.
A merchant carriage was rumbling past the rendezvous field, its wooden wheels creaking under the weight of bundled cargo. The driver noticed the group waving and pulled the horses to a stop.
"Bandit mission?" the merchant called out.
Ronan nodded. "Yes, sir! Heading that way."
"Climb aboard, then," the merchant laughed with visible relief. "Safer for both of us if you're riding along."
The party climbed onto the back, settling between crates of trade goods and bundled cloth as the horses resumed their steady trot.
Warm wind brushed across the open plains beneath the afternoon sun.
For a while, no one spoke. Everyone was quietly sizing each other up—the standard ritual for adventurers thrown into a temporary team.
Ronan eventually broke the ice, looking over at Null, who was leaning casually against a crate of spice sacks. "So… Null, right? You're with the Sanctum?"
"Sort of," Null replied lazily. "Training experience."
Derrik, the broad-shouldered earth mage, nodded approvingly. "Real combat's the best teacher."
A few feet away, Mira leaned toward Lyra, covering her mouth to whisper, "Hey. Is it just me, or is he ridiculously beautiful?"
Lyra glanced briefly at Null before looking back. "You noticed too."
The two girls exchanged a quick look.
"Right?!" Mira whispered urgently. "Where did Ronan even find a guy like that?"
Lyra nodded faintly. "His aura is unusual, though. Too calm."
Mira placed a hand dramatically over her chest. "Even If we die today, at least I saw an extremely beautiful man first. I'll die with a smile if that's the price for obtaining a small escapade with him."
Lyra cringed. "Please do not say such ominous things before a mission. Focus, Mira-san."
Null was completely oblivious to the scrutiny, currently listening to Tobin enthusiastically explain crossbow mechanics.
[Master, The probability of two female individuals developing romantic curiosity toward you has increased by 37%.] Fantasy Omniscience-san suddenly said with a slightly aggressive cadence.
Null blinked, casting a sideways glance at the two whispering girls, who immediately darted their eyes away.
'Fantasy Omniscience-san,' Null sighed internally. 'Please don't calculate things like that.'
['...' Understood.]
Inside his mindscape, the pink-haired avatar covered her flushed face, struggling to process the unfamiliar emotional phenomenon.
As the distant walls of Lumeris slowly shrank behind them, Ronan stretched his arms. "Alright, introductions round two. If we're going to fight together, we should know what everyone does."
"My perk is Iron Tempo. The longer I fight in a steady rhythm, the faster and stronger I get."
"A literal engine." (Null)
Derrik said. "My perk is Stoneheart Channel. I reinforce my body with earth mana. Makes me tougher and heavier."
"A human battering ram," Null noted.
Derrik chuckled. "Pretty much."
Mira swung her legs from the edge of the carriage. "My perk is Ghoststep. I get quieter the faster I move. I can sprint past someone and they won't hear a thing."
"A walking ghost?" (Null)
"Exactly," Mira smiled.
Tobin lifted his crossbow. "My perk is True Aim. The very first shot I fire in a fight never misses. Only the first one, though."
"I guess the first kill goes to you." (Null)
Tobin scratched his head.
Lyra folded her hands neatly. "My perk is less exciting: Gentle Bloom. When someone near me is injured, my healing spells become more efficient."
"That's amazing," Ronan said. "Healers are rare."
Then, everyone turned their attention to Null. "Alright, mysterious Sanctum trainee. What's your perk?"
Null scratched his cheek. Technically, his perk was a world-breaking ability capable of reading the structural framework of existence.
…Yeah. That's not something he could casually say to anyone. Well, even if he did, he knows they won't believe him.
"Basic sensory enhancement," he offered.
[Master. That description is grossly inaccurate,] Fantasy Omniscience interjected.
Null ignored her.
"Ah, an awareness type," Ronan nodded. "Can you sense danger?"
"Sometimes," Null shrugged.
'Fantasy Omniscience-san,' Null asked mentally, 'is it normal for people to just give out their fighting styles to strangers?'
[Not necessarily, Master. Only novices tend to do so in order to increase team cooperation. After all, as novices, most of them would not yet possess true trump cards within their arsenal.]
'That makes sense.'
The merchant driver glanced back. "You lot seem lively for people heading into a bandit zone."
Ronan laughed. "Nervous energy."
The mood on the carriage relaxed further until Mira leaned forward, her eyes narrowing playfully. "So, you said you're from the Sanctum. Does that mean you're training under the Saintess?"
Null almost choked. "Wha—"
"We've heard rumors that she personally escorts a certain trainee sometimes. People talk about it at the guild."
Null suddenly had a very bad feeling.
[Master. The probability that they are referring to you is 96%,]
"No idea, i am just a normal trainee who barely gets by." Null lied smoothly.
Mira hummed, clearly suspicious, but before she could press him, the merchant driver slowed the horses. "Alright," the driver called back. "This is as far as I go."
The road ahead bent through a cluster of low hills and sparse woodland—a textbook ambush point.
The group climbed down from the carriage one by one. The merchant tipped his hat. "Good luck. Try not to die."
The group bowed. "We'll try. Thanks."
As the carriage rumbled away, Null rested his hand casually on the hilt of his borrowed sword.
Fantasy Omniscience-san, remind me where the hidden knives are waiting.