The Trial of Taroske (4)

'This is easier than I thought.'

Step, step.

Pean thought to himself as he walked out of the first room with a relaxed stride.

The structure of the trial, as he understood it, was simple.

Every time they entered a room, a specific penalty was imposed, and they had to face enemies under that constraint.

The penalty of the first room they had just passed through was 'Mana Seal.'

Accordingly, the party chose to seal the mana of Targon, a 2nd-circle mage, and protected him by placing him in the rear guard.

The level of the enemies was not particularly high. They were merely skeletal knights and soldiers clad in rotting armor.

There was no need for Pean to step forward.

Selena Servich's magic alone was more than enough to clear them out.

'By the way...'

Pean turned his head toward Natalia.

Although he could not see her with his eyes, everything he perceived from her had clearly changed.

The stride of her steps. The depth of her breathing. Even the rhythm of her heartbeat.

It was as if she had become a completely different person.

"...Since we are in combat, I will temporarily release my seal."

Indeed.

Natalia had temporarily released her seal to cope with a trial that was too difficult for a child's body to endure.

Thanks to that, her combat power had multiplied, allowing them to break through the first room much more easily.

"...?"

Pean paused.

At that very moment, he felt a strange sensation, as if a portion of his Super Sensory was being rapidly shaved away.

It was the same anomaly he had first felt in the unexplored territory a few days ago.

It was the signal that Gaon had activated his Super Sensory.

'Ah.'

A faint smile spread across Pean's lips.

'So he intends to bypass the trial's penalty using Super Sensory.'

He was incredibly curious.

Unlike himself, who had spent hundreds of years adapting to Super Sensory...

Would Gaon be able to properly utilize that ability in actual combat?

Tring, tring, tring!

Several messages popped up in front of my eyes, but I ignored them for now.

I would be using this 'ability' later anyway.

For now, I had to focus solely on surviving the first phase of the Silence's Ball.

"..."

Naturally, there was a reason why I was dancing with a mannequin.

Our group consisted of five people in total.

In other words, an odd number.

Because of that, one person was inevitably left without a partner, and someone had to bear that isolated role.

'Of course, it wouldn't have mattered if I chose Adelia, Biorf, Marcus Coshat, or Isaac Berilov...'

But was there any need to do that?

When there was someone already familiar with this trial.

I knew the patterns, traps, and unexpected variables of the Silence's Ball inside out.

'In that case, it's only natural that I take on the role that requires quick improvisation.'

Quickly finding the lone mannequin, holding its hand, and flexibly adapting to the situation.

There was no reason to force such a burden onto the others.

But was it really okay to take on such a role when I had lost my hearing?

Of course.

Although my ears were closed, I could still 'hear' every sound in the world.

No.

In fact, even the word 'hearing' was inaccurate.

Right now, I was perceiving the world in a much more fundamental and primal way.

Thump! Thump-thump!

The vibrations of the air seeped through my skin. The minute impact of footsteps treading on the floor traveled up through my bones.

I could even detect the heartbeats of my companions through the subtle changes in atmospheric pressure spreading through the air.

Even my own exhaled breath felt like a violent gale.

'Wow...'

So this was the world of Super Sensory.

The ability that Pean said took him hundreds of years to adapt to.

'...This is an absolutely ridiculous power.'

Just looking at my enhanced 'vision' proved it.

Everything in the world was unbelievably clear.

The dust floating in the air. The loose threads on the mannequins' dresses. Even every single movement of their joints.

Moment by moment, everything was as detailed as if I were looking through a microscope.

My sense of touch was the same.

The rough, cold texture of the marble transmitted through the soles of my feet was vividly real enough to give me goosebumps.

Even the sensation of my collar brushing against my neck felt excessively sharp and distinct.

What about my sense of smell?

The scent of thousand-year-old dust, the musty stench rising from rotting fabric, and the smell of blood seeping in between them...

'Ugh!'

...However, that was the problem.

While it was a clear advantage that my enhanced senses could compensate for my lost hearing,

having all my senses become extremely sensitive meant that I was receiving far too much stimulation.

Even at this moment, my head was throbbing.

My brain was overloading under the relentless flood of incoming information.

"I am only worried about whether you will be able to properly use a 'sense' that took even me hundreds of years to adapt to."

I could finally understand why Pean had said those words.

Quickly filtering out only what was truly necessary from the flood of information.

That was the core of mastering Super Sensory, and at the same time, the most difficult part.

What if one failed to do so?

The user would have to pay a harsh price.

Even with 'MAX' Mental Strength, it could not completely block out the pain generated by the waves of sensory input.

This was obvious just by looking at the glitched cost and the skill description.

Yes.

No matter how maximized my Mental Strength stat was, it could not act as a breakwater.

This authority was not designed that way in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the first place.

The system itself was built to force inevitable pain upon the user.

'But...'

I gritted my teeth.

For now, I had to endure this pain. To break through this trial, I needed the power of Super Sensory.

'...Focus.'

This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a sensation I had already experienced once at the Forge of the Single Fire.

Recalling the pain I felt back then, I suppressed the scattered stimuli one by one.

The rhythm transmitted to my toes. The waves of music traveling through the air. The minute vibrations created as the bones of the skeletal musicians clashed.

I detected all of it.

Suddenly, the central wave vibrating through the air cut off.

At the same time, the footsteps of the other four people, which I could sense nearby, froze in unison.

Although the remaining mannequins were still dancing...

I immediately flung away the hand of the mannequin holding mine and stood perfectly still.

...

...

...

A momentary silence.

And then, vibrations began to spread through the space once more.

The music had resumed.

I let out a deep breath I had been holding in.

'I did it...'

I had successfully bypassed the gimmick of the first stage using Super Sensory.

Even without hearing, I had perfectly detected the performance of the skeletal orchestra.

Now, only one thing remained.

I just had to endure this pain until the end of the first phase while moving to the rhythm of the ball.

'It won't be difficult.'

Tring!

...After all, enduring pain was something I was all too familiar with.

"──!"

It was at that moment.

I saw Biorf shouting something from among the mannequins.

Although my hearing was blocked, I could roughly grasp the meaning by reading his lips with my enhanced vision.

"Lord Gaon!"

"───! ──! ───!"

"Why are you playing along with their childish game! I can just blow them all away with my magic! Just give me the word!"

...Or at least, that was what it seemed like he was saying.

'Hey, Biorf.'

Did you already forget that I can't hear?

'It's a good thing I have Super Sensory, otherwise how on earth were you planning to communicate with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me?'

Well, I could understand him.

Considering his Chihuahua-like personality, he had actually held back for quite a long time.

And Biorf wasn't entirely wrong either.

There was certainly an option to engage in combat with the enemies in this situation.

'With this lineup, we definitely have the power to sweep away mere steel mannequins.'

But the real problem lay elsewhere.

If you moved when the music stopped, it triggered an instant-death judgment. Just like how that mannequin's head had shattered and exploded earlier.

So what if we initiated combat and the music suddenly cut off mid-fight?

The mannequins would relentlessly pour out attacks, while we would have to stand perfectly still like statues.

The outcome was obvious.

It would be a one-sided massacre.

'Of course, Biorf might be able to wipe out all the mannequins with a single spell, but...'

There were too many variables.

I didn't like such uncertainty in the first place. Options that carried risk were never under consideration from the start.

Therefore, I had to pursue a standard strategy by dismantling the gimmick as much as possible.

'Above all...'

There was a more important reason.

Unlike the Corpse Exhibition, where I had openly ignored Camilo von Taribas's intentions, it was much more advantageous to follow Taroske's intentions in the Rashutku Imperial Palace.

Only then would our conversation go smoothly when we eventually faced him in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the audience chamber.

To complete the big picture I had drawn, it was wise to clear every stage by the book for now.

Having organized my thoughts, I spoke to Biorf.

"Wait quietly for my command. Do not make any more noise."

"Yes! I underst—huh? Wait a minute!" Biorf shouted back.

"Wait, how did you hear me again? They clearly said your hearing would be sealed for three hours..."

The voice of the 'Host' rang out, bypassing the penalty.

Biorf clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned his head away.

'Unbelievable...'

A dry chuckle escaped my lips.

'...Did he really just shout at me like that knowing full well I couldn't hear?'

What a character.

I had encountered him many times in the game, but his personality baffled me every time.

Well, I suppose.

He was just a 212-year-old kid whose head was barely dry yet.

I should be the understanding one.

'By the way...'

His Chihuahua-like tendencies seemed especially pronounced in this playthrough.

'Is it because of me?'

Was he growling more because he was in front of a Sword Master?

Like a Chihuahua barking fiercely in front of its owner?

'...Ah, whatever.'

I brushed the useless thoughts aside.

For now, let's focus on finishing the first phase.

"Phew."

The first phase ended safely, and the second phase began.

And finally...

Tring!

...It was time to test the new talent awakened through Super Sensory.