The forest stilled.
Not the natural quiet from before—but something heavier. Something watching.
Ronan's group had pulled back nearly twenty meters now, forming a loose defensive line. Derrik stood at the front, staff ready. Mira hovered near the flanks, eyes locked on the two figures. Tobin's hands trembled slightly on his crossbow.
Lyra—still hadn't let go of Null's sleeve.
Her fingers were tight. Too tight.
Null didn't shake her off. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on the two assassins.
The insane one—Glo—was grinning like he'd just found a new toy.
The other—Nubrus—had already begun observing them. Calmly. Measuring. Calculating.
Yeah… These two are nothing like the bandits.
Inside his mind—Null spoke quietly.
Fantasy Omniscience-san.
[Yes, Master.]
His eyes didn't move. But his focus sharpened.
Appraise them. Use Existential Perception.
There was a brief pause.
Then—information flooded in. Cold. Precise. Unforgiving.
{Existential Perception – Target: Apprentice Assassins Glo & Nubrus}
---
[Apprentice Assassin: Glo]
Age: 18
Designation: Half-Elf
Core Attributes (Partial):
• Strength – C-
• Defence – D+
• Agility – C
• Stamina – C-
• Intelligence – C
• Mana Capacity – C
Overall Capability – C
Unique Abilities:
• Ecstatic Overdrive
Type: Self-Enhancement / Conditional Amplification
A unique ability born from extreme pain conditioning and psychological distortion. The user converts physical damage into a temporary amplification of combat capabilities.
Effects:
· Physical parameters (strength, speed, reaction time) increase proportionally to accumulated damage.
· Pain is suppressed and repurposed into heightened focus and aggression.
· Sensory perception sharpens under sustained injury, improving combat awareness.
Conditions:
· Activation scales with the severity of injuries sustained.
· Effects intensify continuously during combat as damage accumulates.
Limitations:
· Causes extreme physiological strain; prolonged use leads to total bodily collapse.
· Does not prevent fatal damage.
· Mental state becomes increasingly unstable as output rises.
• Rapture Carving
Type: Precision Combat / Anatomical Manipulation
A unique ability derived from obsessive mastery of anatomical targeting. The user's attacks are executed with unnatural precision, allowing minimal strikes to produce maximum structural damage.
Effects:
· Strikes automatically align toward critical anatomical weak points.
· Inflicted damage carries secondary effects (tendon severance, joint disruption, internal destabilization).
· Minor wounds escalate over time into severe functional impairment.
Conditions:
· Requires successful physical contact with the target.
· Effectiveness increases with the user's familiarity with the target's physiology.
Limitations:
· Less effective against non-standard or unknown anatomies.
· Requires deliberate intent; cannot be passively maintained.
· Reduced efficiency when the user's movements are heavily restricted.
Learned Skills/Spells (Partial):
· Stealth and other basic assassination skills
· Obsidian Assassination Arts
---
[Apprentice Assassin: Nubrus]
Age: 19
Designation: Human
Core Attributes (Partial):
• Strength – C
• Defence – C-
• Agility – C+
• Stamina – C
• Intelligence – C+
• Mana Capacity – C+
Overall Capability – C+
Unique Abilities:
• Stillpoint Execution
Type: Temporal Perception / Instantaneous Strike
A unique ability born from absolute control over movement and intent. At the moment of attack, the user enters a state where all external motion appears to halt, allowing for a perfectly calculated execution.
Effects:
· Upon initiating a killing strike, the user's perception accelerates to an extreme degree, making the world appear nearly frozen.
· The user can precisely adjust angle, force, and trajectory mid-action.
· Guarantees optimal strike placement within the user's physical capability.
Conditions:
· Activates only during a committed lethal action.
· Requires complete stillness or controlled breathing immediately prior to activation.
Limitations:
· Duration is extremely brief (a single action window).
· Cannot be chained continuously.
· High mental strain with repeated use.
• Erased Presence
Type: Stealth / Perceptual Nullification
A unique ability refined through the perfection of concealment techniques. The user suppresses their presence to the point of near non-existence within the perception of others.
Effects:
· Significantly reduces detectability by sight, sound, and intent-based perception.
· Observers instinctively overlook or forget the user unless directly focused.
· Killing intent, hostility, and emotional output are completely masked.
Conditions:
· Most effective when the user remains calm and emotionally neutral.
· Efficiency decreases with sudden, erratic movement.
Limitations:
· Breaks instantly upon direct engagement or large-scale attacks.
· Less effective against wide-area detection abilities.
· Requires continuous mental control to maintain.
Learned Skills/Spells (Partial):
· Stealth and other basic assassination skills
· Obsidian Assassination Arts
---
The information ended. Silence returned.
Null exhaled slowly.
Well. That's troublesome.
His gaze shifted slightly.
First—Glo. A damage-scaling berserker with precision targeting. Gets stronger the more you hurt him. Annoying.
Then—Nubrus. Null's eyes narrowed faintly.
That one is worse. Not because of raw strength—but because of how he fights. An assassin who can literally disappear from perception… and execute perfect killing blows.
Yeah. That's the real problem.
Behind him—Ronan spoke quietly.
"Null."
Null didn't turn. "Yeah."
"Any idea what we're dealing with?"
His eyes stayed locked forward. "Trouble."
A beat of silence followed.
Then—Mira exhaled sharply through her nose. "Thanks for stating the obvious, Null-kun." Her grip tightened around her daggers, knuckles whitening. "What I want to know is—" Her eyes locked onto the two hooded figures. "—who they are… and what they want."
Null answered without looking back. "As you can see… they seem to be assassins."
A pause. His voice lowered slightly. "As for what they're after—" He stopped. Just for a fraction of a second. Then—"If I had to guess… they're after me."
"What?!" Tobin's voice cracked in shock.
"Why?" Mira demanded immediately.
Behind him—Lyra's fingers tightened around his sleeve. Even more than before.
Before anyone could process further—a burst of manic laughter cut through the tension.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Glo leaned forward, pointing his blood-stained dagger toward them. "Hey, you weaklings—what are you yapping about?" His grin stretched unnaturally wide. "Don't tell me you're already shitting your pants and discussing how to beg for mercy?"
His laughter echoed again. Wild. Unhinged.
Behind him—Nubrus didn't even react. He simply spoke. Cold. Measured.
"Glo." His voice cut through the noise like a blade. "There is no time for your crazy antics."
A step forward. Measured. Controlled.
"Every second we delay increases the probability of complications." His eyes shifted briefly toward the forest. "The Justice Regulators should already be en route to collect those bandits you slaughtered." A pause. Cold. Precise. "You have already wasted enough time. As assassins, we need to complete our objective as fast as possible."
Glo groaned loudly. "Alright, alright." He rolled his neck lazily. Then pointed his dagger at the group again. "Now listen carefully, you weaklings." His grin sharpened. "We are from the Obsidian Veil. The deadly assassins who kill… without leaving a trace of evidence."
He spread his arms slightly—almost theatrically.
"Now then—" His eyes gleamed with manic delight. "Let's begin… a silent banquet of violence."
---
Meanwhile, Null chose to ignore them. Completely.
Instead—inside his mind—he calmly voiced.
Fantasy Omniscience-san.
[Yes, Master.]
Establish magical communication. Link the team.
[Understood, Master. Manipulating mana information bodies between the designated individuals. Connection established.]
The next moment—Ronan, Mira, Derrik, Tobin, and Lyra all flinched slightly.
A voice—Null's voice—echoed clearly inside their minds.
—Don't react. Just listen.
A brief ripple of surprise passed through them. But none of them panicked. Mana communication wasn't rare. A common skill. A bit expensive—but not rare. Still—the timing made it clear. This wasn't casual. This was deliberate.
Null continued.
—Those two are strong.
No embellishment. No exaggeration. Just fact.
Ronan's jaw tightened slightly. —Yeah. His mental voice came steady. —My instincts are screaming at me not to fight them. Otherwise, I would die in seconds.
Null didn't deny it.
—Then don't.
A brief pause. Then—
—You all need to escape.
The words landed heavily.
—Their target is me. If you stay, you'll only get caught in it.
Silence. Then—immediate rejection.
—No. Ronan's voice came first. Firm. Unyielding. —We're not leaving you behind.
Derrik followed. —Yeah, what the hell kind of plan is that?
Mira's voice cut in, sharp and cold. —That's suicide. And you think we're just going to run while you stay behind? Don't be stupid.
Tobin swallowed hard. —W-we can fight together—right? Like before—
Null interrupted.
—No.
This time—there was weight behind it.
—You saw how that one fights. And the other hasn't even moved yet.
A pause. Then—calm. Firm. Final.
—You'll die.
Silence.
That one word—hit harder than anything else. Not because they agreed—but because they could instinctively feel it.
Null continued, calmer now.
—Listen carefully. Among us… I'm the only one who has the confidence to hold them off.
No arrogance. Just cold assessment.
—At least for a few minutes.
Ronan's thoughts sharpened. —How long?
—Two to three minutes. That's enough for you to reach the main road. Once you're there, your chances of survival increase significantly.
Mira bit back immediately. —And what about you?
Null didn't answer right away. Then—
—I'll manage.
Derrik's mental voice hardened. —That's not an answer. That's suicide.
—It doesn't need to be, Null replied vaguely.
Tension spiked.
Derrik growled. —This is bullshit. We're a team.
—Temporary team, Null corrected. —Formed for a mission. And the mission is already over.
Tobin's thoughts trembled. —That doesn't mean we just leave you! You saved us back there! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have stood a chance against that beastman.
The others also agreed.
—And now we just run and leave you behind?! Mira's voice cut in again. —No. I'm not doing that. We're not abandoning a teammate.
Null didn't respond immediately.
When he did—his voice softened. Just slightly.
—This isn't about what you want. It's about what keeps the most people alive.
A pause.
—You're novices. You don't have the experience nor the means to survive against such strong opponents yet. People die. Unfairly. Suddenly.
—If you stay—you'll hesitate. You'll make mistakes. And they will kill you for it.
No one responded. Because they knew—he wasn't wrong.
Null pressed on.
—You all worked well together. Better than most novice teams. Don't waste that by dying here.
Ronan's grip tightened around his sword. His thoughts were conflicted. Duty. Logic. Emotion.
Mira clenched her teeth. —This is bullshit.
Derrik exhaled heavily. —He's right. The words came reluctantly. But they came.
Tobin lowered his head.
The argument didn't end loudly. It ended quietly. Because reality settled in. They couldn't win. And someone had to make the call.
Ronan exhaled slowly. His grip tightened around his sword.
"Damn it."
Another pause. Longer this time.
Then—"Fine." The word came out heavy. Reluctant.
—We move on your signal.
Null nodded faintly.
—Good.
Because it was. It meant they were still capable of basic self-preservation.
Just as the decision settled—a voice cut through the mental channel.
"No."
Soft. But firm.
Everyone froze.
Lyra.
She stepped forward slightly. Still trembling. Still pale. But her eyes—were steady.
"I won't go."
Silence.
Ronan turned. "Lyra—"
She shook her head. "No." Her voice trembled—but didn't break. "We're not leaving him."
Her grip on Null's sleeve tightened again. Stronger this time.
A breath. Shaky.
"I won't. And I can't."
Null looked at her. Really looked.
For a moment—he didn't know what to say.
Stubborn. Terrified. But standing her ground anyway.
"Lyra."
She shook her head again. More firmly.
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
For the first time since this started—he didn't have an immediate answer.
---
Just then—Glo's crazy voice cut through.
"Now then—! Let's begin a… silent banquet of violence."
The killing intent sharpened instantly.
Time ran out.
Null exhaled quietly.
No choice.
He turned slightly toward Lyra. His expression—gentler than before.
"Listen carefully."
Her eyes locked onto his.
"I'm not staying here to die."
A small pause. Then—
"I'm a special trainee from the Sanctum."
That alone made everyone stiffen.
Null continued smoothly. "I'm under the divine protection of the Pontiff."
Ronan's eyes widened slightly. Mira blinked. Even Derrik froze.
Null met Lyra's gaze. "I have a trump card." A faint smile. "If things go bad… I'll be instantly teleported back to the Sanctum."
Silence.
The lie settled perfectly. Too perfectly. Because it made sense.
From the beginning—nothing about Null had ever been normal. His unbelievably beautiful appearance. His composure. His unheard-of dual sword skills.
Now—it all aligned.
Tobin swallowed. "That… actually makes sense…"
Mira narrowed her eyes—but didn't refute it.
Ronan exhaled slowly. "No wonder…"
Even the others seemed to have bought the lie.
Lyra's lips parted slightly. "Really…?"
Null smiled faintly. "Really."
A pause. Then gently—he placed his hand on her head again.
"So go." His voice softened. "And trust me."
That was the final push.
Lyra hesitated. Struggled. Then—slowly—her grip loosened.
"You…" Her voice was small now. "…you have to come back."
Null smiled faintly. "I will."
It was a good lie. A kind lie.
Ronan turned around. "We move." His voice was heavy. But resolute.
Mira exhaled. "Don't die, idiot."
Derrik grinned weakly. "If you survive, consider drinks on me."
Tobin nodded nervously. "P-please be safe…"
Lyra looked at him one last time.
Then—she stepped back. Reluctantly.
The team shifted. Preparing to move.
Null watched them.
Then—shifted his stance. Subtly. Creating the opening.
"Hey." His voice rang out toward the assassins. "Didn't you say something about a banquet?"
Glo grinned. "Ohhh? Finally decided to step up?"
Perfect.
Ronan didn't look back. "Move!"
The team turned—and ran. Straight toward the forest path. Away from the clearing. Away from him.
Null stood alone.
Facing two assassins.
And exhaled quietly.
Alright. Now that the witnesses are removed, let's enact my plan. It's time I gain the freedom to navigate this world without scrutiny.
---
※