Standing before Lloyd was a crowd of adventurers wearing all kinds of armor and wielding weapons that ranged from staffs and bows to gauntlets and knuckle dusters.
He didn't really understand why they didn't just keep it in their storage devices, but who was he to judge? He was probably the least normal out of all of them.
Without thinking about the people around him too much, he simply pushed past them to get to the front desk. Some of them got angry at him, yet when they saw his mask and how he was dressed, they instantly became quiet.
"He's a fake, right?" A man whispered.
"Probably just a fan or something." A woman whispered back.
"I mean, real or fake, I'm not taking that risk." A burly man laughed, causing everyone to glare at him with dagger-like eyes before looking toward's Lloyd again.
"You think he heard us?"
"No way, right?"
"Haha. It's not like he has super hearing an ability."
Ignoring the sounds coming from the humans behind him, Llo-... Null simply shook his head before speeding up.
He found the reception desk in less than 30 seconds before joining the line.
While the people in front of him did not recognize him, those behind him did, while those who worked there also seemed to recognize him. Most of those who worked in the booth were those who worked for the army, yet there were still a few who looked like they worked for the local police.
"Mr. Null?" A man no older than 40 called out from Null's right.
'Peak second commandment?' Null thought to himself with a slight frown.
People in the second commandment were not common, especially not in an area like this.
While entering the first commandment was particularly easy, less than 20% of humans reach the second commandment, and even if they do, most are usually stuck in the initial stages of it.
Only the elite can reach the peak of the second commandment, and while it might not seem like much, they are still considered powerhouses of society, especially on a planet like Deroxa, where there are close to no third commandments actively living there.
"Yes?" Null simply replied, making the man smile before gesturing to Null to come with him.
Since Null didn't feel anything weird about the man before him, he simply replied-
"Lead the way."
The man's smile broadened before he finally began to walk towards the receptionist sitting on a table covered with gold cloth. Everything about it felt fancy, and Null was not complaining.
'Hmm? How did I know how strong he was from one look?' Null asked himself, yet since he wouldn't be getting an answer any time soon, he simply threw the thought to the back of his mind.
"Mr. Null, please register yourself with this man over here." The greying man pointed at the receptionist, who simply gave Null a welcoming smile like they were supposed to.
"Why take me here?" Null asked.
"Its a procedure for those who become famous."
"Who said I'm famous?" Null asked, knowing fully well what the man was talking about.
"Hahaha. Nice one Mr. Null." The greying man laughed before walking away.
"So you've got to meet the lieutenant? Can't say You're lucky." The receptionist laughed.
"..."
"Anyways, name?"
"Null."
"Real name?"
"I don't have to tell you that." Null replied, his eyes growing brighter for a moment and making the man before him shudder for a moment.
"O-Okay Uhm... Emergency number?" The man stuttered.
"No need."
"Sir, I'm going to give you this form, and you can complete anything you want to complete. Is that fair?" The man asked, yet he did not wait for a reply as he instantly slid the paper over to Null.
Reading over it, Null only put in everything he needed, like the number on his adventurer card, the number of supplies he had, and the ones he would need.
The rest of the contract stated that the army and the association could not be sued if he died, and even though he was 16, he could still sign this since anyone awakened would be considered an adult.
Of course, while they are viewed as adults no matter what age they awaken, the age of consent is still 16; however, even that varies depending on the planet or solar system.
"25%?" Null looked up at the man, who simply nodded.
"Why?"
"Sir... I'm not the one who makes that number. The association is." The man replied with a shaky voice.
"Understandable." Null simply sighed before signing the agreement and giving it to the man.
"Anything else?" Null asked,
"N-No, sir. Have a great day." The man stuttered while Null walked into the crowd and waited like everyone else.
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and by the time the dungeon was about to open, almost 50 people were waiting outside it.
"The dungeon is going to open in less than a minute. Please have all your equipment ready. Do not rush in, and do not run. Fighting each other is strictly prohibited."
"Try to move in groups to minimize casualties, and finally, 4 hours in, there is only 1 hour out here. This dungeon is particularly weak, so we have about 48 hours out here to complete the dungeon. You guys have 4 times that, but try to be a little quick on your feet. We are trying to break a record here!" The announcer shouted before a roar of warcries washed over the entire area.
Seconds seemed like hours to those who were here for their first time. For others, the seconds felt too short.
'It's opening...' Null thought to himself, and without thinking twice, he sunk into his own shadow and began manoeuvering around people's feet.
3
2
1...
The woman looked at her watch, which started pinging her, and when she finally saw the message, she roared-
"The dungeon is open!"
*ROOOOAAAAR*
Despite the earlier warning, everyone charged forward with everything they had, yet Null was way ahead of them.
Leaving his shadow, Null immediately entered the dungeon, yet the instant he stepped inside, he felt his entire world turn upside down.
*Thud*
Flung out of a portal, Null fell onto the ground and tumbled towards a tree, yet just when he was about to hit it, he used his arms to fling him upwards, allowing him to do a small backflip before landing comfortably onto one of its branches.
It was only then that Null realized something. The trees had no leaves on them, and the branch he was standing on was extremely weak... Almost too weak...
The sky above had an ashy grey tint to it, yet at the same time, Null felt like behind those ashy clouds was an orange sky stuck in an endless sunset that dyed the entire sky the same color.
Looking down, he saw that the ground he had stepped on was grey sand, yet the ground right under the trees seemed to be dry mud that had cracked and shrunk.
The air felt poisonous, and despite Lloyd being a void walker and knowing that he could literally live in the vacuum of space if he wanted to, he still had the urge to close his nose and hold his breath.
"What is this dungeon called?" Null asked.
[Volcanic Waste]
Null squinted his eyes at the answer, yet instead of dwelling on it any further, he simply jumped off the branch and entered his shadow.
***
3 hours later
"I still can't believe I met Null in person!" A girl shrieked while the rest of her group clicked their tongues.
"Why don't you just go and ask him out then." A boy no older than 16 chuckled.
"You know what, I will!" She replied, causing the boy to widen his eyes in shock while the rest laughed at him.
It was a solid group of 5 with two melee's, two range, and one healer.
"You will?" The boy sniffled before looking away as if he was about to cry.
"I'm kidding babe!" The girl laughed, causing the boy to also chuckle despite trying to stifle it.
"2 o'clock." A man with a magnificent black mustache pointed out, causing the rest to look in that direction with squinting eyes.
"Is that... A magma bat?" The archer at the back asked.
"Yes, it is." The boy at the front replied before taking out his sword and shielding his girlfriend, who happened to be the healer.
*Screech*
"How strong do you reckon it is?" The boy asked the man with the mustache.
"It's a half-step first commandment... I think." The man replied.
"I'll try to shoot it down. Flynn, protect me. John, protect Lea." The archer stated.
Without thinking twice, they both did as they were told while the archer knocked an arrow onto his bow. Yet, before he could even launch his first arrow, they all froze before their attention shifted slightly to the right.
The sound of a low sizzle entered their ears, and by the time it had reached their line of view, it was already too late.
*Swoosh*
Seemingly melting through its head, a small flame shot right through the bat's head, killing it instantly before leaving it to slowly fall to the ground.
Scenes like this continued to occur over and over again all over the dungeon, and despite most of these monsters being accustomed to the heat, these flame-like bullets seemed to pass right through their skulls as if they were made of butter.
Magma bats rained from the skies, and since no one associated Null with flames, no one recognized that it might be him causing this.
***
Looking into the distance, Null landed upon a tree branch just a few meters away from a gargantuan lake created purely out of bubbling magma.
However, despite the beauty of the scene before him, Null's eyes were locked onto a single point in the magma, and after looking at it for a bit longer, he could not help but take in a sharp and cold breath despite that being near impossible due to how close he was to the lake.
Null instantly created a fireball in his hand, and without thinking twice, he threw it to the center of the lake where-
*Boom!*
A loud explosion echoed throughout the dead forest while a strong gust of hot winds short in every direction, causing them to catch fire and burn down in less than a minute, a fate that Null barely avoided by running away and shielding himself with several trees.
It did not take long for a reaction to stir the forest awake, and when it finally came, it swept the grounds and sent a shiver down the spines of whoever heard it.
*ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAR*
A booming roar entered Null's ears, yet unlike those who were shuddering in their boots, Null stopped in his tracks, turned around, and launched himself in the direction of the creature without a second thought.
With red scales covering its body from head to toe, as well as two large horns protruding out of its head, simply put, the creature was beautifully terrifying. A fire drake capable of destruction far beyond the normal human's understanding.
Yet, despite everything from its color to aura telling Null to run away, for the first time since he had taken on the identity of Null, he felt something.
A burning anticipation?
A driving excitement?
Bubbling rage?
No, that wasn't it...
What he felt was something else...
A feeling that humans had forgotten a long, long time ago.
A desire that made them who they are today...
Yet, as a void walker, it was as if this desire was second nature.
The desire to devour-
And an endless hunger for strength.
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