A sound tore through the forest.
Low. Primal. A beast's cry—but not one that belonged naturally to this place.
The reverberation came too wide, too deep. Like it wasn't just heard—but imposed onto the environment.
Null's eyes snapped sideways. Focus returned instantly.
"...What?"
And then—the ground beneath his feet gave way.
Not by breaking. Not by collapsing. By changing.
Color bled into existence where none should be. Not light. Not mana. Something spatial. Layered. Shifting. A circular formation spread beneath him—fractured hues folding into each other like reality had been sliced and misassembled.
A portal. But wrong. Too sudden. Too precise. Too intentional.
Null didn't react immediately. Not from slowness—calculation. His body dipped. Balance lost.
"...Tch—"
Gravity didn't pull him down. Space did. The moment his foot crossed the boundary, the world inverted. Color surged upward. Distance collapsed inward. Sound distorted into something unrecognizable.
And Null fell.
Not through air. Not through darkness. Through displaced dimension.
---
★
---
Awareness didn't snap back—it settled, like disturbed water smoothing into stillness.
He blinked as he regained his footing, defying the expectations of disorientation. To his bewilderment, he found himself still standing amid the woodland. Seemingly unchanged. Even his posture remained exactly as before.
That was the first thing he noticed.
The second: his surroundings. Same trees. Same spacing. Same dim undergrowth. Same uneven roots, same shadow patterns cast by branches overhead. Everything identical.
Null didn't move. His eyes shifted first—slow, measured. Scanning. Left. Right. Up. Down.
Nothing. No distortion. No anomaly. No spatial residue. No trace of the displacement that had swallowed him whole.
His brows creased. "...That's not right."
Because it wasn't. Everything was normal—and that was exactly the problem. No transition lag. No environmental inconsistency. As if he'd never moved at all.
Yet he knew he had.
His gaze drifted again. Every detail matched too perfectly. The spacing between trees. The density of the air. The faint pressure of night settling over the forest.
"No." A frown formed. "Something definitely doesn't feel right."
His fingers flexed once. Something subtle—beneath perception—was wrong. Not an error. An imitation.
He opened his mouth. "Fantasy Omnisc—"
[Clarification initiated.]
She cut in before the thought could complete. No delay. No hesitation.
[Master has been subjected to forced spatial displacement.]
Null's gaze sharpened.
[Displacement vector: non-linear. Not traversal through conventional space. Transition occurred through dimensional shearing followed by containment.]
A pause—for structuring, not processing.
[Current location is not the original woodland. This is a closed dimensional construct—commonly referred to as a pocket dimension. Environmental parameters are a near-perfect replication of the original coordinate space prior to displacement. Observed discrepancies fall below sensory threshold but remain detectable under anomaly-based perception.]
"So this entire place..." His voice lowered. "...is fake."
[Correction: Not fake. A reconstructed mimicry of reality. This space mirrors reality at high fidelity but lacks independent ontological grounding. All elements present are derivative constructs, not original existences.]
Null exhaled quietly. "No wonder." His shoulders relaxed slightly—not from relief, but understanding. "I knew something felt off."
His gaze sharpened further as he traced the treeline again. "So the real question is—" a slight pause, "—who did this?"
Silence followed. Not empty. Anticipatory.
[Further analysis complete. Conclusion: External entity intervention confirmed. Entity classification: unknown—Master verification needed for complete information. Detection method: indirect. Presence inferred through manipulation of higher-order spatial layers.]
Null's expression barely changed, but something in his eyes focused deeper.
[Master has drawn the attention of said unknown entity. Your existence deviates from standard narrative continuity. You are identified as an anomalous threat within this entity's plans for the world.]
"...Anomaly, huh."
[Inference: Entity is currently observing. Purpose: evaluation. Likely objectives include assessment of combat capability, measurement of threat level, and—if possible—unraveling the anomalous coherence within Master's existence.]
The words stacked, layer by layer, building something far more uncomfortable than the situation itself.
"...Ah." Null slowly exhaled. Not fear. Not tension. Recognition. "...I see how it is."
Then he laughed. Soft. Dry. "Hah." He ran a hand lightly through his hair. "Seriously?" A faint grin tugged at his lips—not amused, but annoyed. "What is this, some kind of hidden world boss encounter trigger?"
His tone lightened, but edged. "Did I accidentally speedrun my way into late-game content?" He clicked his tongue. "I barely step off the leash for a few minutes and suddenly I'm on someone's official radar?"
His eyes narrowed. "This is the exact reason I've tried to keep my mysterious nature hidden. Now I'm attracting annoying flies like some cosmic bug zapper."
A low sigh. "Is this what they call 'you flex once, and next thing you know, some high-order weirdo starts paying attention like you're limited-time content'?"
His voice dipped. "...Annoying."
Not panic. Just mild, genuine annoyance—which somehow made the situation feel even more dangerous. Because whatever had dragged him here wasn't ordinary. Yet Null wasn't reacting like prey. Or like someone cornered. If anything, he sounded inconvenienced.
Silence lingered. Then his expression shifted—subtle, sharper, colder.
"...So." A quiet breath. "I've been dragged into a test." His posture straightened slightly. Not tense. Ready. "Alright then." A faint, thin, measured smile. "Let's see what kind of 'entity' thinks I'm worth evaluating."
His eyes moved again—slow, deliberate—scanning the "reality reflection" of the forest once more.
---
The silence didn't last.
The same beast roar from before echoed again. The air tore apart. A sound wave descended, followed by a violent pulse of air slamming down from above, compressing the space around Null's position as if the sky itself had exhaled something monstrous.
Wind exploded outward. Branches bent. Leaves tore free. The replicated forest reacted—but only just enough to maintain the illusion.
Null raised his arm instinctively, bracing against the pressure as his clothes fluttered violently. "...Tch—!" His feet dug into the ground, stabilizing as the force washed over him.
Then he looked up.
For the first time since entering the pocket dimension, the sky changed.
Something vast moved against the empty black. Not flying. Not gliding. Dominating. A silhouette unfolded across the night—massive wings stretching outward like torn fragments of darkness given structure. The creature circled once, slow and deliberate, then descended just enough for its form to become clear.
Scales. Jagged. Layered like armor forged for war. A long, serpentine neck. A narrow skull crowned with horn-like protrusions. And eyes—glowing red. Not reflecting light. Emitting it. Locking directly onto him.
Null blinked once. Then: "...Oh my god." A beat. "...a dragon?"
[Correction: Wyvern.]
Null didn't look away. "Tch." His expression flattened. "That doesn't make it any less dangerous. Fantasy Omniscience-san, if you were trying to reassure me..." His eyes narrowed upward. "...then you've spectacularly failed."
A pause.
[My apologies, Master. It appears I have yet to attain sufficient emotional maturity to provide effective support.]
Null's eyebrow lifted. "Oh?" A faint, mischievous glint flickered in his eyes despite the situation. "And what kind of 'support' were you planning to provide, exactly?"
[... ...]
Silence.
Null blinked. "...Whoa." He tilted his head. "Why did you go silent?"
No answer.
Before he could press further, the wyvern roared again. Closer this time. The red glow in its eyes intensified, bleeding outward like heat distortion, staining the air around its gaze.
Null clicked his tongue and shifted his focus back up. "Damn..." He squinted. "Why are its eyes gleaming crimson?" A pause. "...What kind of visual effect is this?" Another glance. A slight grimace. "...And more importantly, that kind of red glow usually means double the trouble in anime logic."
Above him, the wyvern's wings spread wider. Massive. Oppressive. Each flap didn't just move air—it displaced presence. The replicated trees beneath it shuddered violently as it angled its body downward.
Locked. On him.
Then it dove.
The descent wasn't smooth—it was destructive. The air screamed as its body tore through it. Every replicated tree in its path splintered, shattered, crushed apart like fragile props unable to withstand something that exceeded their designed parameters.
"...Holy—!"
Null's body shifted instantly. He moved not away but aside—a sharp step, then a pivot—just as the wyvern crashed into his previous position.
BOOM—
The ground ruptured outward. Shockwaves rippled through the clearing. Fragments of false earth scattered into the air before dissolving mid-flight.
Null reappeared several meters away, landing lightly, coat settling behind him. "Fantasy Omniscience-san—" He didn't take his eyes off the creature. "This is not the time to go offline. My current predicament definitely requires your full support."
[...]
Nothing.
"...Fantasy Omniscience-san?"
The wyvern turned. Slow. Deliberate. Its red gaze locked onto him again. Closer now. Much closer.
Null exhaled once. Then: "...Alright, alright." A small sigh. "I'm sorry for teasing you earlier." A pause, then with exaggerated sincerity: "Now please—your favorite master needs you."
[... ...]
A brief delay.
[Activating Existential Perception. Target: Berserk Magical Beast — Wyvern.]
A translucent overlay formed within Null's vision—not obstructing reality, but layering information over it with precise clarity.
"Phew." He let out a breath. "Finally." His shoulders relaxed slightly.
But internally: 'What do you mean "lacking emotional maturity"… she literally made me apologize…' He rolled his eyes faintly. 'This so-called ultimate ability is evolving in the weirdest directions. In the first place, is she even an AI? I really have my doubts.'
Then his focus sharpened. Fully. As the data finished compiling.
---
[Existence Classification: Magical Creature]
[Designation: Wyvern — Berserk Variant]
[Threat Index: Very High — A-Rank Aggressive Combat Entity]
[Core Attributes: Strength: A+ | Defence: A+ | Agility: A | Stamina: A | Intelligence: C (Degraded — Berserk State) | Mana Capacity: A | Overall Capability: A]
[An aerial-dominant apex predator-class magical beast. Exhibits extreme physical power combined with high-speed assault patterns. Current berserk condition significantly amplifies aggression, pain resistance, and attack frequency—at the cost of strategic reasoning. Threat profile escalates in confined or isolated battlefields.]
[Innate Traits: Draconic Physiology (Wyvern Variant) | Berserk Amplification Core | High-Speed Regenerative Response (Limited — Combat Triggered) | Aerial Supremacy Instinct]
[Skill Set:
| Crimson Dive — High-velocity descent attack capable of terrain destruction
| Rend Talons — Enhanced claw strikes with armor-tearing capability
| Wing Pressure Pulse — Generates shockwaves through wingbeats
| Draconic Roar — Area-wide intimidation and sensory disruption
| Blood Frenzy — Temporarily increases all physical stats upon sustaining or dealing damage
| Predator Lock — Fixates on single target until termination or incapacitation]
---
Null read through the information in a single glance. Fast. Efficient.
Then: "...Yeah." A quiet exhale. "Yep. That's not something I can deal with casually." He paused. "Moreover, a berserk variant? What is it, the last boss of the first part of my journey in this magical fantasy world?"
His eyes lifted again, meeting the wyvern's burning red gaze. A faint smile formed—not confident, not reckless. Measured.
"This is a fun turning point." His smile widened slightly. "Hehe. Is it finally time to unveil an infinitesimal fraction of my mysterious powers?"
"...Guess this is where things get interesting."
The wyvern crouched slightly—muscles coiling, ready to launch again.
And for the first time since entering this pocket dimension, the test truly began.