As Magnus coasted through the sky, he reached out to Basker mentally.

By the way, will the Nullfang be able to keep up with me while flying?

[That won't be a problem, Master. Now that I have control over it, I have a much better grasp of its abilities. When the Nullfang moves through the world without interacting with it, it's almost like it's shifting into a different plane of existence. As long as it's inside something, it can travel at speeds that would normally be impossible.]

Really? Then why didn’t it do that when it was fighting me—or Mia and the others? I mean, it was fast, but no faster than an Adept-level knight at best. Its null states and immortality were what made it hard to kill.

[There were two reasons, from what I can decipher. First, the Nullfang didn’t fully understand its own abilities. It was running on instinct and didn’t even realize it wasn’t technically alive anymore. It still thought it needed to breathe, which is why it surfaced so often.]

Magnus thought back to how the Nullfang moved, leaping out from one spot before vanishing and reappearing somewhere else. It reminded him of a dolphin or some kind of aquatic creature swimming through water. Terrifying when it was hunting you—but in hindsight, it was constantly revealing its position. If it had just stayed underground without showing itself, it would’ve been a lot deadlier.

In the end, instinct and cunning weren’t the same as logic and intelligence.

[Secondly, while moving beneath the world, there are no speed limits. The Nullfang can keep accelerating indefinitely. Given enough time, there’s no speed it can’t reach.]

That made Magnus tilt his head in interest.

Really? Damn… For such a straightforward glitch, the Null State Glitch sure has a lot of perks. Well, aside from the fact that spamming it gets you erased from existence. Is there any way for me to use it on myself?

[I’m afraid not, Master. From what I can tell, the glitch is tied solely to the Nullfang’s body. Even if you held onto it, you wouldn’t be affected.]

Magnus let out a sigh.

Figures. Oh well. At least it’s under our control now. I can only imagine how much more dangerous it would’ve been if it had been left to rampage.

The Nullfang had adapted quickly—not just to fighting knights but even to facing Magnus. When backed into a corner, it lashed out even harder. If it had spent a few more months or even years being hunted by knights and mages who could push it to its limits but not kill it who knows how strong it would’ve been by the time it finally ran into him?

Now that I think about it… The Command Console did mention a list of states the Nullfang could remove from itself, along with the consequences of doing so. I only glanced at it before since most of it was self-explanatory. At the time, the real danger came from what the Nullfang could learn to nullify, not what it already could. But now that it’s under my control, I should probably take a chance ot get a closer look at the move set of my new... pet? Monster? Mount—let’s go with that.

Magnus let the thought fade as he approached the outpost. He dipped out of the sky, descending toward the courtyard. His academy uniform fluttered around him as he slowed a meter above the ground before dropping the rest of the way. The nearby soldiers tensed at first, but they relaxed once they saw it was just Magnus.

“Hey, Magnus, back already?” Turning toward Mia’s voice, he spotted her near the tent in the center of the courtyard. She stood with Gerald and Marcos, all huddled together. The large map table that once dominated the tent had been removed, leaving the space mostly empty. With their departure for Arlcliff City set for tomorrow, Magnus noticed a row of carts lined up near the outpost’s gate, ready to be hitched to horses. The scattered supplies that had been left lying around—or stuffed into storage to make room for the influx of soldiers—had been sorted back into place. The only thing left was a final inventory check.

As Magnus walked over to them, he nodded.

“Yeah. I finally finished patching up that part of the valley I blew up. It should be safe for people to go over there now.”

“Huh? Wait, you actually fixed that mess?” Gerald looked genuinely surprised. He’d been far enough away that he only saw the aftermath of Magnus’s attack on the area above the magma chamber. Still, even from that distance, he’d felt the force of it. And from what Mia had described in her report, the destruction had been overwhelming.

“That’s… really impressive, Magnus.” Mia’s disbelief ran even deeper than Gerald’s. She’d seen firsthand how much damage he had caused. The idea that someone could repair all of that in just a couple of days—even with a team of knights—seemed impossible.

Then again... Magnus is a mage, or at least... he seems like one.

“Well, it’s not perfect,” Magnus admitted.

“It’s still just an empty plain until something starts growing there again.” His tone, though, made it obvious he was pleased with himself.

“So, I guess that means you’ll be heading back to Arlcliff City now, right?” Marcos asked.

Magnus paused, thinking for a moment before nodding.

“Yeah, pretty much. I’ve handled everything I needed to here. I just wanted to say bye to you guys first.”

Hearing that, Gerald chuckled and threw an arm around Magnus’s shoulder.

“Ah, now I’m definitely gonna miss having you around! Look at you, being all sweet.”

“Well, like Magnus said, we’ll be meeting up in Arlcliff City soon—he’s just getting there before us.” Mia’s words were casual, but there was something in her tone that hinted she’d have preferred if Magnus traveled with them instead of heading off on his own.

"Oh, actually, speaking of that—on your way back to Arlcliff City, if you guys plan on stopping anywhere, I’d recommend Freyborn and Dimfield. Those are the villages my friend and I visited before I came here," Magnus said.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Freyborn? That’s the village you saved from a monster swarm, right?" Marcos asked.

"A monster swarm? What are you two talking about?" Gerald looked between them, curious.

"Eh, long story," Magnus replied.

"But it’s safe now. When I left, they were already starting repairs. I’m sure they’d be more than willing to accommodate you guys as long as you help out a bit before leaving. If there’s one thing they need right now, it’s manpower."

"Hmm. Well, if you say so, I’ll mark it on our map," Mia said, making a mental note.

Magnus shifted his thoughts to the other village.

"As for Dimfield… honestly, it was pretty peaceful. There’s this calming aura around the place. So if monsters or predators become a problem, I’d head there." Mia nodded again, filing the information away.

"Wow, you’ve really been getting around, huh?" Gerald noted.

Magnus gave a small chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess so. Feels good, honestly. Arlcliff City was starting to feel a bit… cramped. Almost claustrophobic with everything going on back there." At that, something seemed to click in Mia’s mind.

"Oh, wait—before you leave, Magnus, I need you to take something with you." Before he could respond, she ran off into the outpost. A couple of minutes later, she returned, holding a bundle of signed and sealed letters. She handed them over.

"I didn’t think about it before, but since you’re heading back to Arlcliff City—and you’ll get there before us—would you mind delivering these to the Major General?" Magnus glanced at the bundle, tied together with a short rope.

"Reports?"

"Yeah. They cover everything that’s happened here. The Major General hasn’t had any contact with us—or you—and I’m sure by now, he’s expecting the worst." Magnus hadn’t thought about that. He hadn’t even told Seraline to report back, so if she had returned to Arlcliff City already, the Major General would still be in the dark about how things had played out.

Tucking the letters into his spatial ring, Magnus said, "Don’t worry, I’ll get them to him first thing. I needed to talk to him anyway."

Then, after a pause, he added, "Anything else you want me to tell him? Any personal messages?"

Gerald raised a hand immediately.

"Oh, yeah. Tell him we’re taking a vacation when we get back. We’ve been working ourselves to the bone for months now."

"Gerald…" Mia’s voice stretched his name out in a way that said they had not discussed that.

Gerald just shrugged.

"What? Not all of us are addicted to working like you, Mia. Tell her, Marcos." Suddenly put on the spot, Marcos hesitated before letting out a small sigh.

"A short break would probably do us some good." With the vote two against one, Mia looked between them before sighing herself.

"Well… I guess we’ll be taking a vacation when we get back to Arlcliff too."

Then, glancing at Magnus, she asked, "Do you mind delivering that?"

"No problem. Honestly, you guys sound like you need one after all of this." After chatting a little longer, Magnus figured it was about time to head off. Lifting a few meters off the ground, he waved down to Mia and the others. They returned the gesture, seeing him off, along with a few nearby soldiers who had realized he was leaving. Some of them waved as well, calling out their thanks for his help dealing with the Nullfang.

"See you guys back at Arlcliff City!" Magnus called down.

And with that, he was gone. A shockwave burst around him as he took off, breaking clean through the sound barrier. His figure streaked through the air, the rolling landscape of the valley rushing beneath him. Tall grass, winding paths, and a crystal-clear river all blurred together as he flew past. Within seconds, he reached the valley's edge, where the swaying grass gave way to dense forest.

Without slowing, he shot straight up, disappearing into the Verdant Woods.

"Well, there he goes," Gerald muttered, watching Magnus vanish into the distance.

Mia smirked.

"Aww, you’ve gotten attached to him again, just like last time."

"Huh? No, it’s just that neither of you will spar with me. I just lost the perfect training partner," Gerald huffed, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, sure," Marcos said, his tone making it clear he wasn’t buying it.

Mia just laughed softly before motioning to them.

"Alright, come on. Let’s make sure everything’s ready for tomorrow. Apparently, we have a vacation to enjoy when we get back."

•

"Whoa, I didn’t realize just how fast I could fly now with this new body. At this rate, I’ll be back in Arlcliff City in no time," Magnus muttered to himself as he soared higher into the sky, rising above even the towering trees of the Verdant Woods. Without a valley or canopy restricting him, he could fly as fast and as high as he wanted. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever felt anything so freeing in his life. He had to be at least a thousand meters up, and yet, it felt like he could go even higher with no problem.

Oxygen? Temperature? None of it was an issue.

The thought made him glance upward.

I wonder… could I make my way into space? I mean, it’s not like I need to breathe…

He considered it for a moment before shaking his head.

Eh… I’ll save that for another day. I don’t even know if this world has an outer space. The stars might not even be real stars considering what happened during the Netherwave Communion.

His thoughts of becoming the youngest astronaut in history were interrupted when Basker suddenly spoke.

[Master, before you arrive at Arlcliff City, would you like to take a look at the Nullfang?]

Hearing Basker’s voice, Magnus thought for a few seconds before responding.

Hmm… yeah, sure.

The only reason he hadn’t checked on the Nullfang earlier was that he didn’t want Mia and the others to find out it was still alive. He doubted they’d spy on him without reason, but it was better not to take the risk of having the creature out in the open while he was still in the valley.

But now, he was kilometers away from Larter Village and the valley that housed it. That wasn’t a concern anymore.

Descending once more, Magnus dropped beneath the dense forest canopy. He brushed past the thick leaves as he looked around. It was dim, the sunlight struggling to pierce through, but aside from that, the area seemed empty.

Alright, you can bring it out.

The moment he said that something shot up from the ground in front of him.

The Nullfang.

Its skeletal body was far too massive to fit comfortably in such a dense patch of forest, forcing it to coil around itself as it surfaced. The sound of bone grinding against bone filled the air—a noise that was hard to describe but impossible to ignore. Even curled up, its head brushed against the treetops. Its fifty-meter-long body pressed against the surrounding trees. Magnus instinctively took a step back, taking in the full sight of the creature.

It’s strange… seeing something that was once trying to kill me so… passive.

[Don't worry, Master, it's completely safe.]

Yeah, I don’t doubt you—it’s just going to take some getting used to.

Magnus held out his hand toward the undead creature—or, rather, toward Basker. The Nullfang reacted immediately, lowering its head toward him. With an unnatural gentleness, it pressed its massive skull softly against his palm.

"Hmm… yeah, way too big and creepy to be considered cute," Magnus muttered, pulling his hand back and instinctively covering his nose with his arm.

"Oh, and it smells—Jeez, I didn’t even notice how bad it reeked when I was fighting it. Then again, it is technically a corpse." That realization immediately added two things to his to-do list. First, he needed to find a way to repair its skeleton—its skull and jaw were still cracked, and looking at it in such a damaged state was just unpleasant. Second, he had to clean it. Maybe dump it in a massive pot of boiling water and soap.

Then again… I could probably just do it myself with elementrix magic, right? With enough fire and water, you can clean pretty much anything.

That idea sat for a second before he checked the mental map in his head, zooming out to see his distance from Arlcliff City.

Hmm… still pretty far. Alright then, I’ve decided.

[Decided what, Master?]

I’ve decided I’m going to clean you—well, the Nullfang—up and ride it back to Arlcliff City.

[Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if someone sees you?]

It’ll be fine. I’ll only ride it until we’re a couple of kilometers away. I just want to see if it can actually work as a mount. Besides, aside from Mia, the others, and the Major General, no one even knows what the Nullfang is—so it doesn’t really matter if they see me.

And more than anything… it was going to be fun.