"Student Ian, wake up."
"…Ugh!"
I thought it would be hard to fall asleep in a labyrinth environment, especially since the bed was uncomfortable, but it hadn't been hard whatsoever. As if time had passed in a flash, I felt like I had just laid down, but Alencia had already woken me up. I must have been really tired.
Oh, I even drooled a bit.
I got up from my seat, groggily, and put the sword I had left by the bedside back on my waist. I could feel the heavy feeling of the sword through my clothes, and I felt like I was starting to feel a little sleepy.
"Student Ian, you probably don't have a watch, so I'll lend you mine. Wake me up in four hours as well. There were no explorers or monsters around."
When I took the watch Alencia handed me, the current time was 2:16. No matter how much I tried to deny reality, I had really slept for four hours. Alencia handed me the watch and went straight into the tent.
As I rest my butt on the rock where Alencia had been sitting a little while ago, I wake up a little and start to feel pain all over my body. Come to think of it, I did overwork my body a bit while learning swordsmanship yesterday.
'Hmm... Don't characters in novels usually practice swordsmanship at times like this?'
Just like in novels, I took out my sword to practice swordsmanship during my night shift, but I put it back down because of the muscle pain I felt all over my body. Come to think of it, I don't have the skills to be alert of my surroundings while swinging a sword.
To relieve the pain, I tried to cast [Sensory Block] on myself, but suddenly another skill came to mind.
-[Heavenly Hands lv. 1]: Corrects all actions using hands. Adds healing and healing effects to massage actions.
[Massage lv. Max]
It is none other than [Heavenly Hands]. With just the basic effect, it has the performance of a [Dexterity] skill, so it is a filial skill that helped me obtain the [Swordsmanship] skill.
However, this skill is clearly used for massages. Up until now, all I have done with massages was to the elderly at the treatment center or on Hessa...
"[Sensory Block]", I casted sensory block on me. The sense I chose to block was also pain. Last time I obtained the [Heavenly Hands] skill, I blocked Hessa's senses and massaged her, and the results had been on another level entirely.
I wonder how great it must be to be given such a ridiculous skill, so I decided to try using it on myself.
Uh... First, should I massage my shoulders? They are already sore from wearing that armor...
[Heavenly Touch lv.1] activating. Hand actions are being compensated. Massage is currently receiving a healing effect. - [Massage lv.Max] effect being applied. Extreme compensation for massage actions. Grip strength greatly increased. Relieves target's tension, relieves fatigue, relaxes muscles, and reduces pain. Corrects some misaligned areas. After the massage ends, fatigue accumulated in muscles is greatly reduced for a certain period of time, and flexibility is greatly increased.
"Huh? Euuuuuuu..."
As soon as the skill message appeared, I let out a sound like an old man who had just entered a hot spring without realizing it.
Of course, I felt an incredible coolness I had never felt before. Whether it's because of my skill effect or the [Massage] skill, I didn't feel any pain at all, my muscles that were stiff until a moment ago loosened up and became flexible, and the fatigue I felt until a moment ago has disappeared without a trace.
"Thump... thump..."
Even without my knowledge, I twisted and applied pressure wherever my hand went.
"Whoa!"
When I came back to my senses, I had already massaged every part of my body that I could touch. Not just my arms, legs, and shoulders, but I even took off my shoes and massaged my feet without realizing it!
It's was a shame that I couldn't massage my back, where my hands couldn't reach. It felt very stiff, but it's not like my hands could magically extend, so there was nothing I could do about it.
Even the healing effect seemed to have worked well, because the wounds on my hands from swinging my sword had healed considerably. My wounds weren't completely healed, but the fact that I recovered without the help of sacred magic from the temple or potions was amazing in itself.
Just in case, I lifted the [Sensory Block] that was on me, but the muscle pain I had felt a moment ago was completely gone. Instead, my muscles were full of flexibility and strength.
Thanks to that, it felt like all the sleepiness that had remained had disappeared.
Then, I put back on the armor and boots that I had taken off without realizing it. It seems that I had lost consciousness of what was happening around me because of the pleasure of the massage.
As I put the armor back on, I kept hitting the scabbard, making some noises.
I looked over to see if Alencia had woken up, but she was still sleeping soundly, her posture the same as when I saw her earlier.
"Hmm...."
Now that the massage was over, I looked around. In the first place, there were no people camping on the first floor of the labyrinth, unless they were trained like me. Most of the people who would camp in the labyrinth are on the lower floors, and those who don't camp go outside the labyrinth.
In addition, since the entrance to the labyrinth was closed in the evening, there was no sign of life around. The monsters also didn't feel any signs since they had burned the grass that monsters dislike.
"Hmm...."
I'm bored. Of course, being on night watch is boring, but now that I'm feeling full of energy, I feel particularly bored.
I blankly stare at the campfire and then turned my attention to Alencia. Thinking about it, she had been expressionless since the first time I met her, but does her expression change when she sleeps?
Unable to contain my curiosity, I approach the tent to check. She said she didn't wake up easily, but just in case, I approached her while keeping my footsteps quiet.
When I looked inside the tent, I saw Alencia sleeping soundly. Her armor right next to her, and she was sleeping in the exact same position as when I briefly checked her position when we changed shifts earlier.
And surprisingly, the expression on her face that I was curious about had not changed at all. From the expression I saw during the day, it's as if I could tell that she only had her eyes closed.
Her facial muscles moved a little bit every time she breathed, but that's the same as when she spoke during the day. What I wanted to see was her squinting, or maybe smiling sleepily... or… maybe something more.