Return [1]

Back at the wall, Rosepetal looked into the distance with narrowed eyes as if the she was trying to look past something and peer into another realm.

While this caught the attention of many, most of the guards and the people of the town saw her as nothing but a tourist who happened to be interested in everything she saw; however, to her team, she looked like she had seen a glimpse of something important and was trying to find it again.

"Are you sure she is okay?" Poisonlily asked with a worried tone.

"I'm sure she is fine. I don't know what it is, but sometimes she says that she sees things that others don't. She calls them fluctuations." Osmygold sighed.

"Fluctuations of what exactly?" Poisonlily tilted her head a few degrees, allowing her long black and green hair to fall to her side.

"What I told you is everything I know." Omsygold closed his eyes and shook his head, yet a moment later, his eyes opened as he was pulled toward them roughly by a hand.

"Osmy... Look! Can you see that?" Rosepetal asked with widened eyes. Her complexion suddenly worsened in mere seconds as his face became oddly pale. Her hand shivered without any signs of stopping, and the look in her eyes would have made anyone think that the apocalypse was coming.

"What is it?" Osmygold asked calmly, yet his expression looked severe.

"S-Something is coming... Something big!" She screamed and pointed toward a particular area.

"That's..." Osmygold froze before a frown slowly took form.

"Isn't that the inn you guys are in?" Poisonlily asked, yet instead of getting an answer, she saw a brilliant flash of light before the two people beside her disappeared.

Carrying Rosepetal in his arms, Osmygold flew through the air by jumping from building to building, leaving nothing but a streak of white light behind him.

"Osmy..." Rosepetal muttered, yet her voice sent a chill down Osmygold's spine.

"It's here..."

*DOOOOOOM*

In an instant, everything within a large radius of the inn was enshrouded in powerful killing intent; however, unlike the killing intent they felt when Null had unleashed bloodlust, this one was different.

It was a calculated cold energy as if it weren't created to intimidate, but rather, as if it derived from the very existence of a being.

An energy created by the very atoms in the air shaking in fear, distorting the air and everything around it to create the illusion of killing intent.

A fluctuation only created by the descent of a being of the highest race, like a monarch stepping foot into the mortal slums.

However, just as it came, it disappeared within seconds, allowing everyone in the affected area to let out a breath they had no idea they were holding.

While most stayed frozen at their spots for several seconds, not a second passed before one of the inn doors creaked open and a man wearing a long black trenchcoat and jet black mask left through them.

Everyone stared with flabbergasted expressions, yet Rosepetal and Osmygold rushed over to the man without thinking twice.

"Null! Are you okay? Did you feel that?" Rosepetal asked while Osmygold narrowed his eyes at Null with slight suspicion.

"Yes." Null simply replied.

"Did you see what caused it?" Rosepetal asked, and while Lloyd would have usually thought of telling them to truth, his thought process as Null was a little different.

"No. I just felt a powerful killing intent and left immediatley." Null lied through his teeth.

He was well aware that the energy was caused by him, but he was certain that it wasn't killing intent. The only reason he had not tried to further investigate was due to the fact that he was too entranced by his status that he had completely ignored the energy leaking out of him for several seconds.

"Oh, good then. That thing was powerful. Could have probably killed all of us pretty easily." She sighed while Null simply narrowed his eyes before looking away and glancing at his watch.

'I might have made a slight miscalculation.' He thought to himself.

Null has spent approximately 7 days inside the labyrinth, and while that would have been fine if he had entered it in the morning, he found himself slightly delayed by the sign-up process, which meant he would have had to enter the labyrinth at 4 pm.

7 days in the labyrinth dungeons equates to about 16 hours and 48 minutes in the outside world, meaning that if he were to leave at this instant, it would be around 10 am.

'I'll need an excuse for not coming home the day before, and right now, I can't think of any. If I lie, Mrs. Glade will definitely recognize it. I need a lie that incorporates the truth.' Null stroked his chin, yet after several seconds, he simply shrugged. It wasn't his problem; after all, it was Lloyd's.

"We should get going." Null stated.

"Yeah, 7 days is more than enough. I don't think another 'boss' goblin will spawn soon." Osmygold nodded before looking at his watch and sending out a signal to everyone on the team alongside the 7 reapers.

They did not have to wait long as they all appeared at the meeting location in a matter of minutes, Peacexelr coming last.

"You look horrible." Null remarked when seeing Peacexelr, a statement that made everyone chuckle due to Null's cold tone when saying it.

"Shut up." Peacexelr snarled, making Null raise a brow in surprise.

'I never knew his hatred for me would become this intense. I thought of him as nothing but a child throwing a tantrum, but now I can see that he might be a problem in the future.' Null thought to himself but quickly chose to forget about it in the meantime.

"We were thinking of leaving today too, and since you guys are leaving, why not go together, share contact details, and have a drink every now and then. We can go on raids together if you'd like." Damien suggested.

"Sounds good." Osmygold grinned before stretching out his hand.

"It's been nice working with you, and I hope we work together in the future. I know I am an old man now and probably won't ever have the capability of keeping up with all of you, but I'd like it if we work together for now and until I can no longer work with you guys." Osmygold announced with a sad yet determined smile.

"Don't worry, old man, even if we pass you in strength, with your exprience, I'm certain you'll surpass us in no time." Monarch laughed, causing the broadsword on his back to rattle in its chains.

"Haha. I sure hope so."

"Does everyone have everything on them?" Null asked coldly, cutting off the conversation and getting to the part he perceived the most important.

"Yep."

"Yes."

"I believe so."

"Most likely."

"I don't even have an inn."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Everyone simply stared at Transcendent with an agape expression, looking at him as if he were a member of a new alien species.

"Where the hell did you sleep?" Trishaless could not help but exclaim.

"He's always like this. A rich cheapskate." OracleOfFlames sneered.

"Let's stop wasting time with chit-chat. How are we going to leave?" Null asked.

"Oh, there is a teleportation ring in this town, but we can also just tap our dimensional space ring 3 times with the intention to leave." Rosepetal explained while taking the opportunity to inch closer to Null.

"I see." Null nodded and looked away without giving her a second glance.

"Then let's go shall we." Damien smiled before tapping his ring and disappearing from where he stood.

Everyone quickly followed, leaving Null to take one last glance at the place before tapping his ring three times and disappearing from where he stood in a bright flash of light, yet unlike everyone else's flashes, his one seemed to have been contaminated by a little bit of ivory purple.

***

"The adventurer's association thanks you for your services. I hope we get to see you again." The cashier smiled before looking at the next person in line.

Null walked off while looking at his watch, which showed him a screen stating-

[Current Balance: $20625]

'I'll be damned...' Null thought to himself, yet after recalling all the hunting, he did as part of his training, it made sense.

"Uhm. Mr. Null?" A girl with blonde hair and blue eyes walked up to Null with a sheathed blade in her hand.

"Yes Grisha?" Null turned towards the girl.

"I fixed your sword, but with the money you gained you should probably think of buying a new one." Grisha advised before handing the katana to Null.

"Why is that?" Null unsheathed the blade and began to examine everything from its texture to the sharpness of the edge itself.

'Feels the same... In fact, it feels a little bit sharper. I can also feel mana beating inside it so she most likely used runes to make the blade itself better.' Null analyzed.

"There are blacksmiths out there that can do a much better job than that." Grisha pointed at the katana before continuing.

"I think you should consider it. They are masters of their crafts and are capable of creating amazing swords."

"They are expensive though." Null retorted.

"It's worth it." She tried to argue.

"Why would I ask someone else to make me a weapon...

When I have you?" Null asked as he continued to analyze the blade from tip to base, so he could not notice that Grisha had become beet red.

"W-W-W-Wha-at?" She stuttered.

"I trust that you are talented and will also improve at your crafts... Or am I wrong?" Null shifted his view and looked her straight in the eyes.

Grisha felt a warm feeling inside her heart in that instant before a determined expression appeared on her face.

"I will do my best, Mr. Null!" She exclaimed before walking off with confidence.

'Mr. Null said he trusts me!' She inwardly squealed. Null, on the other hand-

'Free weapons supplier, check.' He inwardly thought.

"Uhm, by the way, who should get the hobgoblin core? We split the goblin general's money between all of us, but the hobgoblin was all Transcendent and Null." Relish, who was usually quiet, could not help but comment.

"I did something too!" OracleOfFlames retorted.

"They did 90% of the work. You just happened to be there when they killed the hobgoblin." Damien stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, I think Null should have it." Transcendent cut in before an argument could commence.

"Huh... Why?" Monarch could not help but ask.

"Well, he was the one to decapitate the hobgoblin, right? It only makes sense for him to get it." Transcendent argued, and since he was the only other person who could have gotten the core, no one argued against his decision.

Taking out a crimson orb no bigger than the side of one's palm, Damien handed it to Null, who quickly stored it in his watch's storage space.

'I'll need to get an upgrade after this. My storage space is almost full,' Null scratched his temple.

"Let's exchange contact information then shall we?" Damien suggested, and without skipping a beat, everyone pushed their wrists forward until the familiar *ding* entered their ears.

Quickly saying their goodbyes, everyone went on their merry way, trying their hardest to avoid all the press outside the building. While most of the seven reapers left in a limo or a luxurious car, Null and the rest decided to leave on foot while being escorted by members of the adventurer's association.

"We have arrived at your destination sir." The association's escorting driver announced, snapping Lloyd out of his daydream.

With a smile, Lloyd thanked the man for his service, yet before he could leave, the man could not help but advise-

"Sir. I know it is not my place to speak, but as someone much older than you and with much more knowledge and experience, I'd advise you to tell your family about your identity as Null."

"Why is that?" Lloyd asked, his eyes narrowing down onto the man driving.

"It is better if they know from you rather than find out by having to identify your corpse. In situations of disaster, too, it is always good to keep those you love close, no matter what. Pushing them away with silly things like secret identities is foolish. And if they find out in another way, they might have hard time trusting you properly again." The man replied.

"Am I right to think that the association will not spread my information?" Lloyd asked, his voice now cold.

"That is correct, Sir. We are not allowed to tell others of your information even if you are a threat to the government, so do not worry about any of us telling your family. All I was doing was advising you." The man shrugged.

"Thank you for the ride." Lloyd simply replied before stepping back and turning around.

Taking a deep breath, he relaxed his face into a warm smile.

*Knock Knock Knock*