Chapter 68
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Promotion Exam (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
First, stay calm.
The cold, metallic texture still lingers at my fingertips. At least my sense of touch is intact for now. My sense of taste is probably fine too, but I'll set that aside.
Stay calm. Even without hearing, sight, or smell, I still have something left.
The [Presence Detection] skill. With this, I can pinpoint the goblin's location. It's impossible to get an exact position from this distance, but a rough estimate should be feasible.
Relying on the touch I can still feel, I grope forward, attempting to apply [Heavenly Touch]. On top of that, [Curse Resistance] is still active, so I should be able to hold out.
Judging from the mana consumption I can sense, the [Sensory Block] I've cast on that thing is still holding. Meaning it can't see either.
Damn it. I should have blocked more than just sight—other senses too. If I'd at least blocked hearing, I could have screamed and then used [Sensory Release] for a eardrum assault.
One hand grips the sword while the other desperately presses and rubs at various parts of my body, advancing toward the direction indicated by [Presence Detection]. For now, this closest hostile presence has to be that goblin!
I charge straight ahead in the direction sensed by [Presence Detection]...
-Bang!
"Guh!"
Before I can fully lunge, something flies in and slams into my body. The intense impact shatters my forward momentum, sending me crumpling to the ground.
Ugh... Goblin shaman's attack? With no sight, I can't even tell what hit me. Is this how my victims felt under my [Sensory Block]?
-Bang! Boom!
The attacks come relentlessly. And they're not guesswork—they're precisely aimed at my position.
I urgently roll to the side to dodge, but the goblin's assaults keep targeting me accurately.
'Ugh... damn it!'
I can't tell where they're coming from. I can only sense the impacts as they hit. Desperately trying to evade, I run wildly without direction. It's still holding... the [Sensory Block] is still up! I'm barefoot, so if I move without making noise, it won't track me...
-Boom!
......Smell. It has to be smell. The wind's blowing at my back. If I can just get out of this spot...
-Kwang!
......Damn it...
I can't see. I can't hear. No smells reach my nose.
But as each sense fades one by one, the remaining ones sharpen with exquisite detail.
The vivid texture of grass brushing bare skin. The searing pain of impacts exploding against my flesh. I can't taste properly now, but if I ate something, I bet I'd analyze flavors with pinpoint precision.
......And another sensation stirs within my body. One I've felt all along. I'm not sure if it qualifies as a "sense," but I've come to call it that.
Mana.
No, not just inside. Outside my body too. The flow of mana circulating between me and the world—I can feel it.
Humans don't consciously blink or breathe. My skill, [Mana Breathing], runs constantly without my focus—drawing in external mana with each breath, circulating it through my body, and exhaling it in an endless cycle.
I've been unconsciously sensing and absorbing mana from outside my body. Sensing... yes, sensing...
Something's on the verge of clicking. But I'm one step short. And under constant attack, I can't concentrate properly.
My thoughts turn to the ring on my finger. No hesitation—I don't need to hoard it anymore since that thing has a token. I rub the ring three times and infuse it with mana. I can't see if it worked, but a protective barrier should be up. Believing that...
'[Sensory Block]'
I cast [Sensory Block] on myself. The sense to block... touch.
Instantly, the tickle of grass on skin, the cool breeze, and the impacts hammering my body vanish. Utterly defenseless, but trusting the barrier, I focus my mind inward, on bodily sensations.
Only me and mana remain.
Mana. Sense. Mana. Sense. Mana. Me. Goblin. Sense. Pain. Sense. Skill. Sense. Mana. Block. Sense. Mana..............
I get it.
The goblin shaman wasn't in a great mood.
Ever since spotting that human male, it couldn't see. Could the human use the same shamanism as its own?
But its mood improved soon after. It had sealed the human's eyes, nose, and ears with its spell, yet the human kept covering only its own eyes.
I'm superior!
Elated, the goblin shaman conjured dark orbs and hurled them at the human. Somehow sensing its direction roughly, the human tried to close in, but the shaman flung orbs to maintain distance. It sneered at the flailing human, who nailed the general direction but couldn't reach it.
"Keruk! Keruk!"
Stupid human. Can't even sense surrounding auras like me.
Shocked that the human endured multiple dark orbs, but then its movements suddenly halted.
"Keruk!"
Finally worn out! Killing this pest should restore my sight!
Thrilled, the shaman chanted again. A massive surge gathered in its staff, fired at the human—enough power to kill even that unnaturally tough foe.
"Keruk?"
Then panic. A colossal barrier of unfamiliar energy sprang up before the human, deflecting its orb.
"Keruk!"
How dare it block my mighty shamanism!
Furious, the goblin shaman unleashed a barrage of spells, but the barrier repelled them all without budging.
"Keruk!"
Fine, ultimate attack! It gathered its energy into the staff... energy... gather...
"Keruk?"
No energy. Not in the staff, its body, nature—or the human's aura.
What is this?
You have realized the method to perceive the world through mana. Acquired [Mana Detection Lv.1] skill.
[Mana Breathing] level has risen to 2.
Success.
It started as an effort to perceive surroundings through mana. But no matter how I manipulated it, mana alone couldn't identify objects. It almost worked—teetering on the edge—but time ran out.
So I focused on the one sense left to me.
The [Sensory Block] on the goblin was holding. I honed in on the mana drain from my body. The moment I traced that flow, I sensed the goblin shaman's very existence through the linked skill.
No visuals, no scent—just the undeniable presence. Instinctively, I channeled the draining mana and recast [Sensory Block]. Shockingly, it succeeded.
You don't need eyes to cast skills, after all.
"Ah. Ah."
Smell returned first. The metallic tang of my blood hits strongest, followed by the forest's earthy scent.
Maintaining [Heavenly Touch], hearing and sight soon followed.
"Keruk? Keruk!?"
With vision back, I see the goblin shaman wildly swinging its staff in utter panic.
The [Sensory Block] I'd cast on it targeted mana sense. I didn't know monster shamanism used mana, but apparently it's the same deal.
It tracked and attacked me by sensing mana? Well, thanks to that, I learned something good.
-Slash.
Time to send it off cleanly.
The moment I snatched the token from the goblin shaman's neck, the entire exam arena warped.
What? Automatically ejecting me outside?
"Good work."
"!!"
The scenery shifts dramatically. Bookshelves fill the space, and a familiar voice echoes.
"Lady Vivian?"
"Call me Master."
Before me appears a witch with purple hair and a youthful face, wearing a bored expression. Beside her floats a screen displaying the exam arena I'd just left.
"You were watching?"
"Yes. I assigned homework, so I had to grade it."
"......I heard no one is allowed to watch or interfere inside the exam arena."
"I'm fine."
No, that's not the issue—I'm just incredulous.
"Anyway, the exam... er, test ended remarkably fast. I'm... impressed."
"You said 'experiment' just now."
"You must be tired."
Her gaze feels off. Like she's eyeing a lab rat.
"First, take your promised reward."
With that, Vivian hands me a small silver ring. What is it? Too big for a ring, too small for a bracelet or anklet.
"What's this?"
"Figure it out yourself. Isn't exploring mysteries the fun part?"
I'm the type who reads manuals, but whatever. She clearly won't explain.
"Anyway, did you summon me just to give the reward?"
"Partly. And to check something."
"??"
Vivian examined Ian again with her [Magic Eye].
......Still invisible.
From watching the exam and the monsters' behavior, Ian definitely has a skill called [Sensory Block].
But her [Magic Eye] only showed a few new resistance skills. No sign of [Sensory Block].
"Hmm........."
"Why are you staring like that?"
Fascinating. She itched to capture him for experiments right then. But no—this unique specimen needed careful handling.
A one-of-a-kind case. If she meddled recklessly and ruined it?
"......In three days, training tailored for you will be ready."
"Ah, I saw the message. That's why I rushed this exam too."
So Vivian let it slide for now. She archived Ian's exam footage from the system for herself and tampered with the rest.
A skill confirmed by the temple but invisible to her [Magic Eye]... Other old monsters would take interest.
At least she'd secured the "disciple" connection.
'Take it slow...'
Savoring rare excitement, she desperately suppressed her surging curiosity and thirst for knowledge.
To avoid ruining this precious sample.
At least, to keep it from other geezers stealing her fun.
```