The Rise Of A Porter

The room was dark, very dark. Arnold made sure his eyes were open, they were. Yet he couldn't see his only remaining hand, even though it was literally an inch from his face. No, he wasn't locked up in a cell. He sat comfortably on his bedroom floor.

"This is annoying." He mumbled, "So very much annoying."

Blood trickled out of his mouth. His knuckles might've had turned red from all the punches he threw at himself. He couldn't confirm his injuries because he had switched off the lights. But he knew he was hurt.

Yet he couldn't feel a thing. No pain, no wetness from the sweat on his forehead or the blood from his mouth... Nothing. It was as if he was living in an empty world... A world of nothingness.

"I could literally bleed out in battle or get attacked in my sleep and I wouldn't know a thing." He finally got up to switch the lights on, "Oh I'm injured alright. Can't feel shit though."

Arnold thought as being in dark tends to improve a human's other senses, he could just try and see if he really could feel anything. Sadly, he couldn't. No matter what he did to himself, he couldn't feel anything. He broke a finger, ruthlessly punched himself but couldn't feel a thing. And it frustrated him like never before.

What he thought to be a blessing, turned out to be a curse (as usual). And he only realised it after nearly choking Devon to death.

Back when he lifted Devon by his neck, he couldn't get a feeling like he was grabbing something. So he tightened his grip more and more. Almost to the point where Devon's eyeballs were ready to pop out of their sockets. It scared him. He thought he had lost the sense of pain when in reality he had lost the sense of touch. It was troublesome and annoying, to say the least.

"I have to do something about it... Damn it. Can't a single thing go in my favour for once?"

He went ahead to wash his face, the water must have been cold, but he for one, didn't know if it was. That was the final straw. He had made up his mind. The system store must have something to cure him. He quickly opened the shop and went through it all. From potions and accessories to knowledge. But he couldn't find a thing, until, system-sama came to the rescue.

<Looking for something?>

'Yeah. Actually anything!'

<That narrows down the search by a lot! I'm saying this for the last time! You should probably stop wasting time on increasing your intelligence as investing hundreds of points clearly didn't do you much good.>

'... Okay, I totally deserved that. But don't you have anything to give my sensory abilities back to me?'

<Hm... The shop does have something that could help you.>

'I looked through the shop but couldn't find anything useful.'

<Did you use the 'search' function?>

'There is a search function!?'

<I should've expected nothing less from you. Do you mind telling me how many years has it been since our paths crossed, oh great vassal of the immortal one?>

'... Quite a few.'

<And yet you didn't get to know the basic things about the greatest weapon in your arsenal. It almost feels like I failed as your guide and system.>

'...'

<You did know that the shop/store only shows you a basic list of available items until you search for a specific item, right?>

'...'

<...>

'Okay, drama king, enough chit chat. You gonna tell me where I can find this search feature?'

<Okay. I made it easier for you to access the search feature. Just use the magnifying glass icon and then think about what you wish to look for. The store would provide the most suitable item for your use.>

'Thank you for your help.'

<Yeah yeah... Just get on with it. Call me if you need me... No, call me when you desperately need my assistance. Otherwise, leave me be.>

'Just get lost already, you fcking lazy roasting bastardized son-'

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These are the results of your search for: 'Sensory'

1. Pill of sensory immunity (Available under Shop > Accessories > Premade pills)

Cost: 15 Rank B beast crystals.

Type: Consumable (Can be used once every 10 minutes)

Effect: upon consumption, protects the user from sensory attacks for 1 minute.

2. Scroll of sensory boost (Available under Shop > Spells > Scrolls)

Cost: 5 Rank E beast crystals.

Type: Usable (Vanish after a single use. Can be bought an infinite number of times and used one after another)

Effect: upon usage, increases your sense of touch, smell and hearing for 5 minutes per scroll.

These items might also be up to your liking:

1. Second Skin (Available under Shop > Skill > Sensory enhancement)

Cost: 1 rank S black beast crystal

Type: one-off skill (Can be bought to learn a new ability. After purchase, the skill gets removed from the shop.)

Effect: After successfully learning the skill, 'Second Skin', allows the user to envelop their body in a thin layer of mana and links their minds directly with the mana shield. This allows the user to heighten their sensory touch while also improving overall mana control.

*Warning: This skill doesn't provide the user with a second set of skin. But allows the user to imitate one by mana manipulation.*

<The amount would be automatically deducted from your inventory after purchase>

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"Second skin... That's exactly what I'm looking for!" Arnold's excitement had no bounds, "But damn, it is expensive. Black beast crystal... Even among the S ranked monster those crystals are rare. Not every S ranked monster drops them. Thankfully, I do have a few black beast crystals lying around."

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You've selected [Second Skin] ability. Do you want to learn [Second Skin]?

•Yes or •No

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'Yes.'

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Request Acknowledged.

Learning...

Learning...

Learning...

You've successfully acquired the ability [Second Skin].

You've unlocked new ability(s):

• [Second Skin] : (Passive ability) Envelopes the user in a thin layer made of mana. This layer acts both as a shield as well as a secondary sensory organ (skin) time the user and enhances the sense of touch. Also provides a 'Danger sense' to the user to further enhance their battle capabilities.

[ Rank : A ]

[Mana cost : 10000 once in a lifetime]

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