Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 38 (Part 2): Day of Peace (1)

Kim Se-jin puffed his cheeks slightly, looking oddly playful.

“But~ You might regret learning it. The path of a mage has many branches, and this is just one. Mastering one often prevents you from mastering another.”

“…Is there something better than this?”

“Not by my standards. But it’s foolish to disparage something you’ve invested in. If you’ve bought a car, for your own sanity, you should call it ‘the best’ and drive it proudly.”

“From what I see, there are no downsides.”

Kim Se-jin chuckled.

“No, there are plenty. The strain on the brain increases, for one.”

Brain strain. If that was the only downside—

“…I’ll do it.”

I felt confident.

“Alright. First, close your eyes.”

I obeyed.

“Draw your mana as close as possible to a specific body part. I showed you the back of my hand for simplicity, but anywhere works. The goal is to connect mana to your nervous system.”

Like Kim Se-jin just did, I drew mana to the back of my hand.

“Good. Now, link that mana to your brain.”

“My… brain?”

**“As I said—the key is binding mana to your nervous system.”

If mana connects to the brain, it makes sense that it could perceive threats autonomously. Human instincts are just chemical reactions in the brain, after all.

“I mainly use visualization—sending intent directly to the brain.”

Kim Se-jin explained, but I had a different idea.

A better one had just come to mind.

*Srrk.* I pulled a combat knife from my pocket.

“Why the knife?” Kim Se-jin asked.

“The easiest, most efficient way I know to stimulate the nervous system…”

I slashed—cutting both the mana layer and the skin beneath in one motion.

“…is pain.”

*Tszzt.*

Flesh split. Blood welled. Agony shot through my nerves.

Kim Se-jin let out a dry laugh.

“Right. The brain is a strange thing. It deceives itself so easily.”

Stabbing the mana layer hurt. Of course, I was cutting the skin beneath—but with repetition, the brain would mistake the mana layer for real flesh.

Thus, mana and nerves would fuse.

*Stab. Stab.*

I repeated the motion, using pain as a bridge to my brain.

The human nervous system is resilient. Even if nerves are severed, the brain endlessly finds workarounds—rerouting signals or forging entirely new pathways.

The only problem is the pain involved.

“…Personal experience?” Kim Se-jin asked.

I nodded.

My injury had been paralysis from cervical and spinal damage. Metal rods pierced my body, leaving me irreparably crippled.

Yet I overcame it. 99% effort, 1% talent.

The key wasn’t the effort—it was the talent.

Without that 1%, I’d have never achieved this miracle.

‘You were born with remarkable nerves.’

Neuroplasticity, they called it.

My spine was still broken. The only reason I could move was that my brain had carved new paths.

I stabbed my hand again.

“!”

A sudden, searing pain exploded in the back of my neck—as if someone had actually stabbed me there.

“Ghk—F*ck!”

I collapsed, staring up at Kim Se-jin. My entire body locked up. The ambush had been that abrupt.

“Why…?”

Did he just—?

My vision blurred. Consciousness slipped away.

“You… bastard…”

—

When I opened my eyes, Kim Se-jin was looking down at me.

“Ha-woon, you have a foolish side to you.”

His eyes crinkled with amusement. I was speechless.

“…You attacked me.”

“It was a delusion.”

A delusion? But it felt so real.

“If you really doubt me, feel the back of your head.”

I touched the back of my neck. It was fine. There wasn’t even a trace of blood, let alone a wound.

“What the… hell?”

“Using pain to link mana and your central nervous system was creative. But you overlooked one thing—the brain is stupid.”

He shrugged.

“Your nerves got crossed. The mana on your hand temporarily linked to your occipital lobe. So when you stabbed your hand, the pain registered in the back of your head.”

“…….”

Was that possible? I pressed my hand firmly—and it felt like I was pressing the base of my skull.

“This is why I don’t recommend pain. It’s too violent, too radical. It confuses the nervous system. Be careful with that hand for the next few days.”

I pursed my lips. I’d thought it would work perfectly, but it had backfired strangely.

Kim Se-jin added sympathetically,

“Sometimes, people overestimate their own experiences. No—they overestimate themselves. ‘I’ll be fine,’ ‘I can handle it.’ Humans think like that. Perhaps it’s because humans who lacked even a bit of this self-affirming thought process all committed suicide and died out long ago.”

He smirked.

“When that happens, the world needs to hit them at the back of their heads. Teach them humility. Like just now.”

His gaze sharpened.

“Ha-woon. The wound was an illusion, but the pain was real. Pain without injury can still kill. Do you still intend to keep using this method?”

“Yes.”

I answered instantly.

“…Yes?”

Kim Se-jin blinked silently.

“I believe I can master it.”

It was entirely possible.

But not because I was special. I had a far more concrete reason than blind self-confidence.

I’d been saving my [Tech Points] for this.

Dangun

I'm currently Translating the following novels: "Labyrinth Exploration 101" & "The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring " If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!

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