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'What a strange feeling...'
I have a warm feeling on the back of my right hand, but when I touch it with my left hand, I see that it's not warm at all.
"You're such a fucking show-off..." says the elderly orc, looking at me with a smirk and a grin.
" …It took me weeks to get my first tattoo activated.... I thought it would take you at least a few days to get it... although I guess that makes sense because you already knew how to control your mana beforehand"
As soon as I activated the tattoo, a small red symbol appeared on my status.
Its description just says 'Magic Tattoo: +1 Strength -1 Intelligence', and upon opening the full status, I see that my normal Strength and Intelligence stats are actually altered that way.
A few seconds after the strange symbol appears, a notification pops up in my field of vision informing me that I have acquired the Shaman class.
'So that's how it works? It's really simple to understand...
And it seems that I don't need to spend any mana to activate it, as the mana is not leaving my body but simply concentrating in my right hand...
But a +1 isn't a big deal...
I wonder how much I can make it change the normal balance of my stats with this tattoo?'
I then concentrate a bit more mana on the tattoo, which starts to glow more brightly.
And the number of both stats starts to change accordingly.
+3
+5
+15
+30
+50
+75 in Strength.
The more I increase the amount of concentrated mana, the greater the feeling of warmth.
But instead of becoming overly warm, it's strangely more and more pleasant, as if inviting me to increase the power more and more.
I keep increasing my Strength stat, and consequently decreasing my Intelligence, to try to test the limits of this new ability, but when I try to go above +80, my mind starts to go dizzy.
I quickly stop, lower the power a bit, and keep the effect at +78 to see if there is some sort of time limit on how long I can keep the tattoo active.
But I don't think that's the case, as I should be informed by the interface if there is one.
'It looks like this is the maximum I can go to for now....
It's amazing...
But...
I feel as if my mind is submerged under water....
What a ridiculous idea...
It must be because of the decreasing Intelligence stat...
That means...
Shit...
I feel like there's something important that I'm not thinking about'
"No offense, but you're a monster, kid.... I've never seen a tattoo glow so bright.... I was hoping that your gloves could cover up the glow, you being a novice Shaman and all, but with that intensity, it's going to be impossible," says the elder orc as he starts putting away all the stuff he used to make my tattoo.
At the ancient orc's words, I burst into a silly laugh and lose my concentration, so that the effect of the tattoo wears off and I feel as if a gigantic weight is being lifted from my mind.
'Looks like it won't be such an easy thing to use in battle....
I guess it all depends on how much power I use....
I can't wait to put it into practice…
Concentrating on activating it to its maximum while in a relaxed environment is easy, but to be able to activate it to its maximum in combat is going to take a lot of practice…
assuming it's something possible to do.'
Also, now that my Intelligence stat is back to normal, I clearly realize that it wasn't a good idea to lower it that much.
Even if I can reach those limits without getting dizzy, in practice, it would do me little good to be much stronger if my thoughts can't match the speed of my body.
'The only way I can think of to be able to use it to its maximum in combat situations is to vary the intensity at which I use it and only use it to its maximum for short periods.'
"Yeah, I don't think it's an easy thing to hide if I activate it at that power... Anyway, isn't it strange the way the tattoos glow?" I say, also realising, now that my Intelligence is back to normal values, that despite how bright my hand was, it wasn't hard to look at directly, nor did it generate any kind of illumination.
"Yes, I know what you mean.... It's not really light of any kind that you see when the tattoo is activated, and that's why it doesn't work the same as light." says the old orc, getting up from the floor and sitting on one of the two beds we have in the room.
"My spells do emit light..." I say, mimicking him and sitting on my bed while creating a bullet of mana with my right hand as an example.
"Yes, I understand what you mean, but I don't know what else to tell you about it. It takes mana to activate them, but the glow of the tattoos is a matter of how they affect the spirit. I think…" says the ancient orc with a sombre expression, lying down and turning his back to me.
"... I'm no expert in the field, though. My cou... Once upon a time I knew someone who knew a lot about it... but she's no longer in this world,"
'I suppose that explanation also serves for the warmth without heat that I felt in my hand when I activated the tattoo....
On the other hand, I'm pretty convinced that the elder orc was about to say my couple....
I didn't think anyone could have ever fallen in love with this self-centered old orc, and put up with his constant bullshit....
Maybe Kaelion wasn't always like that...
And I guess his couple was a person who didn't belong to the orc race....
That would explain how the ancient orc learned to tattoo...
And why he has the Shaman class, despite it apparently being a reason to be despised by his race...
What must have happened to his couple? Judging by his expression, it seems that their love story didn't end well...
The reason is pretty easy to guess, considering how slaves are treated in this shitty empire...
Anyway, now I'm really curious...
Has Kaelion always been this tolerant with those who are not Orcs, or is his attitude the result of having fallen in love with someone who was not of his race?...
Anyway, it's a shame but it seems I'm not the only one who has a past he'd rather not talk about.'
"Ahh. Anyway, the feeling is amazing. Thanks for helping me out. Now I can't wait to put it to the test in combat," I say with several seconds of delay.
A plethora of new thoughts are starting to pop up in my mind due to the elder orc's slip of the tongue as I look down at my hand and lightly activate the tattoo again.
'It's odd that no sort of notification came up informing me of the acquisition of a new ability related to this thing....
But I guess this can be considered as some kind of equipment...
And since only things I equip from my interface appear equipped on it, it makes sense that the tattoo wouldn't show up.'
"About that... This afternoon, while I was shopping, I was thinking. I'd like to take you to a place where you can put the tattoo into practice in a safer way than in the labyrinth..." says the elderly orc in a muffled voice, still turning his back to me.
"... Besides, if your reason for going to the labyrinth is only for the money, I think you'll find my idea even more interesting,"
"Where do you want to take me?" I ask curiously as I turn the tattoo on and off in varying degrees of intensity.
'I have to get used to the feeling of the different intensities so that I can activate the tattoo instantly at the power I want without having to gradually increase or decrease its power to switch between various degrees of intensity.'
"You'll see tomorrow. Now go to sleep; it's late..." says the old orc in a muffled grunt.
'The old orc is right; I should lie down and sleep...'
+10 Strength and -10 Intelligence.
'Tomorrow I'll have plenty of time to practice with the tattoo...'
+20 Strength and -20 Intelligence.
'Just 10 more minutes...'
+35 Strength and -35 Intelligence.
'10 more minutes of practice and I'll go to sleep...'
+70 Strength and -70 Intelligence.
'After all, sleeping won't give me any experience...'