The Trial of Taroske (3)
Ding!
Suddenly, a chat post that MoonlessTea had uploaded in the past came to mind.
As always, it was a post dissecting and praising Lost Elder from a game developer's perspective.
At the time, MoonlessTea had been more excited than usual.
Yes.
The situation I was facing right now was the very essence of the system MoonlessTea had praised so highly.
The sealing of senses. A completely severed sense of hearing.
Ah, of course...
Naturally, such perverse attention to detail wasn't welcomed by all players.
Except for the hard-boiled veterans on the Hall of Fame and a few enthusiasts who obsessively dug into Lost Elder...
For ordinary players, every single one of these delicate, twisted elements was nothing but a massive barrier to entry.
"..."
As we stepped fully into the room, I watched the heavy door slowly creak shut behind us.
Everyone began to look around the chamber.
A chandelier hung from the ceiling.
Its crimson glow bathed the entire room in a sensual light, yet it simultaneously exuded a chilling aura.
A spacious dance floor stretched across the ground, and faint stains resembling old blood splatters were scattered here and there on the smooth marble.
Faceless mannequins stood throughout the room, frozen in elegant dance poses while draped in extravagant dresses.
"..."
Of course, I knew.
Those things were no mere mannequins.
They were steel golems crafted in the likeness of humans.
Currently dormant, but ready to spring to life at any moment as killing machines.
That was the true identity of those dancers.
Shhh.
Shifting my gaze, I spotted a low stage. A skeleton orchestra was stationed there.
Two violins, a viola, a cello, and a piano—a classic piano quintet setup.
They bowed deeply with polite grace.
Like musicians greeting their audience before beginning a performance.
"—?"
Marcus pointed at the skeleton orchestra, muttering something.
Biorf nodded, replying with words of his own.
But not a single sound reached my ears. Their lips moved meaninglessly, like a silent film.
Just then, Adelia approached me. Without hesitation, she grabbed my palm and began tracing words with her slender finger.
Sir Gaon, those skeletons are...
Stop.
Adelia's finger abruptly froze.
With a startled expression, she looked toward the stage and cried out.
"—!"
The skeleton orchestra began to play.
The violinist's bow swept across the strings, and the pianist's bony fingers tapped against the keys.
Simultaneously, the mannequins that had been frozen like statues began to move one by one.
The faceless golems took each other's hands, assuming elegant waltz postures as they glided across the dance floor.
Everything was in perfect rhythm and harmony.
"—!"
"—?"
"—!"
Yet, this splendid ball unfolded in absolute silence for me alone.
A silent performance.
A silent dance.
A silent world.
"..."
The Silent Ball. Its cruel banquet had begun.
──♬♪
"W-what is...?"
Biorf flinched and took a step back.
An elegant waltz had suddenly filled the air.
As the mannequins began to move to the melody, the party couldn't help but panic.
Grab!
It was at that exact moment.
Gaon grabbed Adelia's hand without a second thought.
"Huh...?"
Before Adelia could even utter a word in her confusion, Gaon led her into a natural dance.
As if he had anticipated this situation from the very beginning.
Isaac Berylof, quick on the uptake, also grasped the situation immediately. He thrust his hand toward Biorf.
"Professor, take my hand...!"
"A-ah, right!"
The two began a clumsy dance, trying to match their steps.
...What is this?
Adelia was swept up in the bewildering flow, completely at a loss.
Yet, Gaon naturally passed Adelia's hand to Marcus Coshat.
In an instant, he had paired them up as dance partners.
"Uh, u-uh..."
Marcus was flustered, but he took Adelia's hand and clumsily began to match her steps.
Confirming they were moving, Gaon gave a brief instruction.
"Keep dancing while the music plays. The moment it stops, freeze."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he grabbed the hand of a lone mannequin and began dancing with it.
"S-Sir Gaon...?"
Adelia, stumbling to keep pace with Marcus, was about to say something more when—
A cheerful voice echoed from somewhere in the banquet hall.
Yet, beneath that bright tone, a strange chill lingered.
"...!"
Goosebumps broke out all over Adelia's body.
Her instincts whispered to her.
If she kept talking now, something terrible would happen.
Biting her lip, Adelia shut her mouth tight and continued her awkward dance with Marcus.
As they spun and stepped, the party members became entangled with the mannequins, their positions gradually jumbling together.
With clothes brushing and bodies bumping, they soon lost track of where everyone was.
The banquet hall was transforming into a stage of madness, a blur of dance and chaos.
*Stop.*
At that exact moment.
The music abruptly cut off.
"...!"
*Freeze.*
Recalling Gaon's warning, Adelia stopped dead in her tracks.
The other team members did the same. Everyone held their breath, frozen like statues.
But...
*Tap, tap, clack!*
The rhythmic clicking of heels still echoed across the dance floor.
The faceless mannequins were still dancing.
The skeleton orchestra also continued their playing motions, though no sound came from their instruments.
And...
Gaon was visible among the mannequins.
He hadn't stopped his steps either. No, to be precise, he couldn't stop.
...Ah!
Only then did Adelia realize the truth.
Gaon's hearing was completely paralyzed.
Creak, creeeeak!
The mannequins' gazes snapped toward Gaon in unison.
Though their bodies continued to dance, their heads twisted at unnatural angles to stare at him.
*Creeeak, screech, crunch!*
*Shatter!*
The neck of the mannequin dancing with Gaon suddenly twisted violently, and its head shattered into pieces.
Steel shards sprayed in all directions.
"..."
Naturally, Gaon didn't show the slightest hint of agitation.
He casually tossed aside the limp mannequin and immediately set off to find another lone one.
This is...
Shhh.
The waltz melody began to play again.
As she danced with Marcus, Adelia couldn't help but look at Gaon with worried eyes.
The structure of the game was clear now.
...The rule is to dance when the music plays, and freeze the instant it stops.
But Gaon, whose hearing was sealed, had no way of knowing this.
The skeleton orchestra on stage didn't stop pretending to play even when the music died, and the room was so crowded with mannequins that it was difficult to track the movements of the other party members by sight.
"..."
Adelia bit the inside of her lip.
Though anxiety lingered in her heart, she did not lose her firm faith in Gaon.
...How will you overcome this crisis, Sir Gaon?
He must have a plan.
Even if he seemed reckless on the surface, he was never one to take risks without a strategy.
Even now, at this very moment.
The deafened Gaon would be resolving the situation in his own way.
At least, Adelia wanted to believe so.
Please...
Fortunately, the others seem to have figured out the stage's gimmick.
Yes.
Since they were quick-witted, there shouldn't be any issues until the second phase began.
Now, I just need to do my part.
Being unable to hear was a fatal restriction on this stage.
Missing the timing of the music stopping meant immediately drawing concentrated attacks from the steel golems. If that repeated, the entire party would eventually be in danger.
I kept dancing on purpose this time to reduce the number of mannequins and show the others the gimmick, but...
Only the first mistake is tolerated. There won't be a second chance.
Of course...
...As I said earlier, I was already prepared.
*Hummmmm!*
The authority engraved on the sheath, Mokgwe, responded to my will.
The world changed.
Or, to be precise, the way I perceived the world completely transformed.
Grade: ??
Type: Active (On/Off) / Authority Skill
Cost: @?????????????????#???????????????!???????????$????????%?????????? Mental Power per second
Cooldown: None
[Skill Description]
All beings perceive the world through their five senses. However, for you, there exists a new sense that transcends the five—a sixth plane of perception that awakens at the absolute limit.
The moment your gaze lands, even a single strand of hair is captured in minute detail. Before a sound even reaches your eardrums, its vibration is felt throughout your entire body.
Even without skin contact, temperature and texture are vividly transmitted, and the trajectory of movement can be perfectly drawn from the slightest tremor in the air.
However, beware.
An extremely heightened sense is both a blessing and a curse.
The whisper of the wind will sound like a roar, and the touch of a single speck of dust will feel like a needle piercing your flesh. Another's killing intent will carve into your skin like a physical blade.
As your senses sharpen, the pain you must endure deepens. The price of transcendent perception is accepting all of the world's stimuli without filter.
No matter how strong one's mental power may be, they cannot escape the aftermath.
[Effects]
The Sensory stat becomes MAX.
Following Swordsmanship Talent and Mental Power, my Sensory stat had now reached 'MAX' as well.
Of course, that was only while Super Sensory was active...
Ding!
...But that alone was more than enough.
To awaken my new talent.