Chapter 1 - Sensory Block

People who watch a lot of comics, anime, or novels—or even those who don't—often imagine a different world from Earth! A world where different races exist, filled with swords, magic, and romance.

They imagine what it would be like to exist in such a world and often play various genres of games to satisfy that fantasy, even just a little. Of course, people with such fantasies often imagine themselves shining brightly. They see themselves casting powerful magic, swinging a sword, cutting down monsters, and being surrounded by countless beauties.

"Mr. Ian, please finish organizing the herbal medicine warehouse before you get off work, and when you're done writing your list, you can go home."

"Yes, priest."

...This was not the second chance at life that I once envisioned for myself.

***

Is it because I sometimes fantasized about different worlds?

I once wrote a long review of a specific game or novel—6,800 characters long. I even paid for a novel with 0 views and read it from the first chapter. I tried a game with a high difficulty level, downloaded strange mods from who-knows-where, and installed them into the game.

In the end, it was mostly just a joke.

While doing all that, I imagined myself falling into a world like the ones in novels or games. Then, one day, I came to my senses and actually found myself in another world.

It was a fantasy world, and I liked the fact that there was magic and different races. When I learned that there was a "labyrinth" in that world, I worried that it might be a dark fantasy. And sometimes, I dreamed of becoming a peerless other-worlder—until I got my skills appraised at the temple of the other-world.

The temple staff said it was a policy for other-worlders who had been transferred.

[Sensory Block Lv. 1 - Blocks sensory perception below a certain threshold.] 

My expectations were dashed when I checked my skill. No matter how I looked at them, it was a boring skill—far from the flashy ones I had dreamed of.

Still, I tried to think positively.

"Sensory Block... If I can use it to block others' vision or block my own sense of pain, then maybe it could be overpowered!"

I kept my hopes up and fearlessly tested the skill. I bought a sword and cheap leather armor and ran straight into the labyrinth.

Until then, I was filled with hope.

I had heard that the first floor of the labyrinth was easy. Maybe I was out of my mind, having experienced the strange phenomenon of suddenly being in another world.

***

"Kuaaaaak! Shit! Shit!"

Goblins.

All my illusions were shattered when I was defeated by dwarf goblins on the first floor of the labyrinth.

It was manageable when I could hunt one or two goblins alone. However, when two goblins appeared—one in front of me and one behind me, trapping me in a narrow alley—I had no choice but to suffer a terrible defeat.

I managed to kill one goblin, but I was slashed all over by the goblin's dagger and barely escaped from the labyrinth, bleeding profusely.

"[Sensory Block]! [Sensory Block]!"

The skills I had trusted also betrayed me.

Even though I tested the skills on myself and shouted their names until my throat was hoarse, the pain from the stab wounds all over my body didn't go away.

Only then did I realize the reality of my situation and understood my place in this new world.

I sold my only remaining sword to pay for treatment and got a job at a treatment center in this new world to earn money.

I didn't become a healer or a priest. I just asked to work at the treatment center where I could survive.

I was treated, and they hired me as a chore worker. For three years, my skill [Sensory Block Lv. 1: Blocks sensory perception below a certain amount] remained the same.

***

"Whew... I finished it before the sun set."

After finishing organizing the herbal medicine warehouse and handing over the herbal medicine inventory to the priest, I realized I had more time than I thought. Certainly, after working for three years, the priest seemed to have become much more skilled.

"Ian, when you're done, come to the injection room for a moment."

"Yes, sir."

At the priest's call, I put down the inventory list I was holding and followed him to the injection room. Inside, I saw a little boy who looked to be about five years old and a couple who seemed to be his parents.

"If you stay calm, we'll buy you whatever you want!"

I've worked at this treatment center for three years, but this was the first time I'd seen parents coax a child like that.

"Ian. Like you always do."

"Oh, yes."

As the priest approached the child with a syringe in one hand, the child screamed with a frightened expression.

"It won't work! My parents fooled me! I'm a con artist who conned with my parents!"

...Wasn't he scared, but angry?

"This injection is supposed to be painless."

"Lies! The needle is made of Big Hornet's stinger! It's a needle that can pierce the skin of a Labyrinth Explorer, but it doesn't hurt!"

Wow, you're so knowledgeable? I've been working here for over a year, and I barely know what it's made of.

Anyway, now wasn't the time.

I used the only skill I had while looking at the child who was nagging at the priest. Feeling that the [Sensory Block] skill was successfully cast, I winked at the priest next to me. The priest noticed my wink, slightly turned the child's gaze away, and skillfully stabbed the syringe into the child's arm.

"There! The injection is finished!"

"When it hit… Huh? Didn't you feel anything?"

"The brown is so strong that Big Hornet's stinger doesn't even tickle you."

"Wow! I guess so! When I grow up, I'm going to be a tank!"

I left the two people having this extremely Labyrinth City-like conversation and, just in case, opened my skill window like I always did.

***

<Skill List>

[Sensory Block Lv. 1: Blocks sensory perception below a certain threshold.] 

Still at level 1.

While working at the infirmary, I pondered how to use the skill. When I entered the labyrinth, the pain from the goblin's dagger wound didn't go away no matter how many times I used the skill. After that, I studied it further and found that it could block the pain of a small needle.

I sometimes helped the priest in the injection room by using it as a human anesthetic. That's all it was useful for. I tried using it on people who didn't want to take medicine to block their sense of taste, but even though I could feel the skill being cast, the bitter taste of the medicine could still be felt through the skill.

It couldn't even block the taste of medicine that children were taking.

This skill is even judged as an abnormal status, so even normal adults resisted it.

The conclusion was that my skill was trash.

Even though I've been using it consistently for three years, my skill hasn't grown at all. I've been using the skill to relieve the pain of shots for kids who benefited from it, but my level just keeps going nowhere.

"Yeah. Good work, Ian. Go rest."

"Yes, priest."

I closed the skill window and left the infirmary. My next steps took me to the warehouse where the odds and ends of the infirmary were stored. There was a small bed filled with straw in the corner for me to sleep on.

I'm always grateful to the priest who gives me a job and lets me sleep in the warehouse.

"Ian, come here for a sec! Something came up."

"Yes! Coming!"

You damn bald punk. You just told me to rest…

***

Huh? To this person?

In the treatment room I went to, I saw a priest and a woman. Judging by her attire... is she a Rogue?

From what I heard, she was lightly cursed in the labyrinth. The curse was the lowest level of itching. It's a curse that mildly itches the body, but at the lowest level, it's said to be like tickling more than anything else.

"I can do it, but I'm out of holy water right now, so I have to go get some. In the meantime, I'll let this person rest in the bed. Can't Ian's skill block this level of tickling?"

"I guess it's possible, but you know my skill, right? The duration is short, and if another stimulus comes in during the skill, the skill itself will be canceled right away. And this person won't resist either."

Even explorers who travel through the labyrinth have high resistance to abnormal status skills.

"Talk to this person for more details about the situation, and I'll go get some holy water first."

"Huh? Priest?"

The priest roughly passed the responsibility to me and left to get the holy water.

He's a nice guy, but he likes work too much. He'd be a really nice guy if he didn't make me work too.

"Um..."

"Huh?"

"You're... Mr. Ian, right? Are you a priest too?"

"Oh, no, I'm just a... um... odd-job worker here."

As the priest passed the task to me and left, the woman in front of me seemed flustered and spoke to me. Only then did I take a proper look at her.

She had short black hair, clothing with minimal metal to reduce the noise typical of Rogues, a dagger tied to her waist with a leather strap, and a shark tail that was characteristic of the Miao people. Her bright red pupils stood out, contrasting sharply with her overall appearance.

Her body twitched slightly, as if she was feeling uncomfortable, as if the curse truly was affecting her. Her clothes were slightly tattered and muddy, as if she had just emerged from the labyrinth, and she looked exhausted.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, yes. What the priest said is because of the skill I have. It's a skill that acts as a kind of anesthetic. If I use it, I'll be able to suppress the tickling sensation from the curse until the priest returns."

"Anesthesia skill... yeah, that would be useful."

Strictly speaking, it's not anesthesia but [Sensory Block]. Does it matter? In reality, I don't know the big difference, and I also call it anesthesia when I use it. In fact, it's worse than real anesthesia.

"Would you like to lie down on the bed? I'll try using the skill."

"Oh, then excuse me for a moment."

The woman climbed onto the bed at my words. I focused my mind on the woman and cast the skill. The curse was on her upper body, so I chose that area to focus on.

"[Sensory Block]!"

Honestly, I didn't have high expectations... It's a skill that won't work well even for an average adult, let alone a labyrinth explorer who looks like a beginner.

"Huh? The unpleasant sensation I was feeling just now has disappeared. You're really good!"

"Oh, yes?"

Contrary to my expectations, the skill worked immediately.

Hmm... Now that I think about it, I heard that the beastmen race has particularly low resistance to abnormal conditions. And it's said that if you're under another curse, your status abnormal resistance decreases even more.

Even so, is this really happening? I was dumbfounded.

"Excuse me, but can I sleep like this for a moment? I can't sleep properly in the labyrinth because of this curse."

"Uh, yes. That's fine. I can't help you until the priest gets the holy water anyway... Our priest is a good person, but his skills are low-level, so he needs holy water to help you. That's why he runs this small clinic."

"Excuse me, then, for a moment..."

The woman must have been really tired because she quickly fell asleep.

...Isn't she lacking vigilance? Even though I work at a clinic, she fell into a status abnormality cast by a man who isn't a priest and ended up in a defenseless sleep...

Is it because the rumors about our priest are good?

Anyway, I quickly fixed the sleeping woman's posture, took out the blanket from under the bed, and tried to cover her.

"Umm...."

"...!"

Before the woman rolled over, my hands accidentally brushed against her chest.

[The woman's sexual sensation has been blocked with the sensory block skill!]

[The sensory block skill level increases to 2.]