If you want to read ahead by 20+ chapters you could take a visit on my patreon Or check it out.
http://patreon.com/SageOf016
--------
My shirt was disposed of revealing my chest as I heaved in mouthfuls of air violently as I thought of thousands of tortures that happened to me in my past life.
Let's just say being the hero of Olympus that traversed his way through Tartarus wasn't what it was all cut out to be.
Still as I struggled I noticed that there was no whip or insane looking metal knives all there were was small clay jars with dark symbols that looked like magic to me.
Still each one was about the size an adult male's balled fist only a couple inches wide.
Beside it was paintbrushes and some sort of cleaning spot for the brushes and nothing more.
Still even though it looked harmless that little jar of what I assumed was a sort of liquid gave me chills.
So I paid it no mind as I stared up at the stone ceiling and prayed for something good to happen to me for once.
Yet nothing happened as a one of the men dressed in the black clothes and pointy mask came forward.
He said nothing to me as he slightly opened the jar as a foul odor entered the air. It smelled like an old tuna sandwich left out in the sun to a couple days then wrapped in a dirty diaper then microwaved.
All in all I almost vomited as I had to turn my head away from it. Unfortunately the others weren't as lucky as vomit flew out of their mouths and onto the ground which made the room only smell worse as I swallowed down the vomit threatening to come out.
Soon the man by my side slowly dip the thin tipped brush into the substance which revealed a rancid black liquid.
The tip of the brush was about the same width as a crayon tip but that didn't matter as the man slowly reached over me and slowly started to run the paintbrush over and area right where my collar bone met the middle of my right peck.
As he started I felt nothing at first but then I felt the burn.
It was like a hot iron being pushed against you but that hot iron was covered in spikes and it was ten times more painful than hydra venom.
Actually I fainted after the first few seconds but the pain brought me back awake as I screamed bloody murder.
However the man didn't stop as my body was completely immobile other than my head. Tear of pain streamed down my face as the pain was like nothing I had ever felt before.
But what felt like hours was only seconds as he finally pulled back but the pain was still fresh. I could only look down to see a perfectly straight line of flesh was gone from my chest.
It sunk down right until the blood red flesh was then it stopped. But the black liquid seemed to integrate with that flesh as made the red flesh a dark black color.
Yet as I looked at it in excruciating pain I noticed the man going back for another brush full.
Each stroke slower than the last, each eternity of pain lasting even longer, my mind going haywire from the pain alone as I throat cracked and blood started to come out of it.
As that happened the still silent man motioned his hand as two guard came to the side of my head and force a thick cloth in my mouth and wrapped it around my head.
I could only let out animalistic groans of pain as I continued fainted and woke up.
The others around me the same as the bodies convulsed under the black stinky liquid. Some eventually started to foam at the mouth but were drenched in ice cold water as they instantly woke back up.
Nothing stopping the men slowly painting the liquid on our flesh as it dissolved and became black at the bottom of these canals of flesh.
But soon after what felt like a millennia that pain finally subsided and I was released of my cloth as they did I saw something pop up in front of my head.
[Ding! The [Mark of sacrifice] has been acquired!]
[Passive skill: Mark of sacrifice lv-MAX
This mark is what is branded on the people used as a sacrifice for those going through an {empowering}. With this mark when you pass away your life essence and all stats will be given to the one you have been claimed to. Any unclaimed branded ones stats will be given to any {empowered} that might kill them.
This also makes a physical connection with your body to the astral world and the world of the living. Ghosts and astral demons and possessed corpses will flock to you at night since the brand is like a torch for them, a light that they wish to have no matter what.
100% Astral world connection (MAX)
100% Physical world connection (MAX)
75% Probability of Astral encounter during nights. (±?% depending on location) ]
As I read through it I could only cry in pain as I closed the window in front of me and examined the mark on my chest.
The mark on my chest was now complete and looked like this. It was about 3 inches tall and maybe an inch and three fourths wide.
At the bottom was a square but on one corner to make it look like a diamond shape. Above that was another square just like it with its corner touching the other corner.
The bottom of the top diamond was complete but the top half was only half done so at the top the two lines didn't touch at the point in the middle but stop about halfway there.
In the middle was a line that went straight up as well right until it reached the point in which the top two lines stopped.
At the top of that vertical line there were three tiny prongs spread out in all directions. It looked like a curse brand all right but I couldn't help but inwardly curse my own luck, even thought it was good on stats it didn't seem like that kind of luck was what I was talking about.
--------
If you want to read ahead by 20+ chapters you could take a visit on my patreon Or check it out.
http://patreon.com/SageOf016