Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Volume 15: Avatar Incarnation (5)
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Then I'll be off."
"Yeah, make sure you eat breakfast, even if you have to grab it on the way out."
"What, are you my mom or something...?"
"Kali, you never take care of yourself. It worries me, you know?"
I have no idea why Nia keeps getting more and more protective of me like this.
Last time, she said I needed a good night's sleep and woke me up at dawn, then left me alone...
Do I really look that pitiful to everyone around me?
...Maybe I do?
I hadn't really thought about it, so I didn't notice.
But lately, I've been so busy that my face looks a total wreck.
Yeah, working on my own pieces and the club ones at the same time has piled up the workload.
"Haaah..."
"Kali, I keep dozing off."
"Me too..."
"Senior Rozaria, you worked so hard. Kali too."
Orca carefully moved the painting.
While Yuria looked after Rozaria and me, both half-asleep.
We'd stayed up styling the recording magic to turn the background black right before the end, and our minds were barely hanging on.
It felt like we were so close to nailing it, so we kept trying.
Ended up sleeping way too late, and now we're like this.
Still, we got satisfying results, so that's something.
"Wow, seeing it all finished like this feels great."
Not just the painting itself—we'd asked the gallery to apply the background change effect even to the title area.
So when the background shifts in an instant, swapping to a different image, the title changes too.
That makes this piece coexist as a white-background "Happy Daily Life" and a black-background "Harsh Reality," both in one.
Super natural-looking.
We tried all sorts of transitions, but this one was inspired by a flickering lightbulb.
Of course, in this world with magic lights, that tech doesn't exist.
But the short flickers leading to a long hold then fade-out had a nice vibe.
Not just plain flickering—thanks to the "darkness magic" traits, it spreads like fog rolling out.
Shortening that mid-cast feels like the magic cuts off, mimicking an attempted corrosion that ultimately takes hold.
It captures that vicious edge unique to darkness, which I loved.
"Kinda sucks we can't sell copies."
"No way to capture this vibe in a copy anyway."
No high-res printing on transparent glass yet, so copies are off the table for a while.
That rarity makes the piece shine even more.
It shatters preconceptions about paintings.
"Yeah, we'll check it out later during free time. That café over there any good?"
"Sounds good. But you're not seriously saying that just to crash, right?"
"...I was planning to head back early anyway, but I don't wanna sleep that bad."
I can't sleep.
I came downtown for this collab piece, but I've got other stuff too.
Nothing urgent, but pushing my schedule by napping feels off.
"Long time no see. Yawn..."
"You look exhausted."
"Stayed up late last night. My own work's busy enough, but fussing over Master's piece too—I'm dying."
"Oh, I saw that piece you worked on. Freaked me out when the image suddenly changed. A painting using recording magic? Wild..."
"Ah, that one."
"When it shifted, it reminded me of kids getting corroded on the Avatar Battlefield."
"Yeah, definite similarities."
Both start pristine and get invaded.
The effect's design draws from real-world spreading phenomena, so visual overlap makes sense.
Anyone could feel that.
"This the final manuscript?"
"Yep, need a sample print."
The finalized Avatar Incarnation manuscript wrapped up recently, so handing it off was priority one today.
The story was done ages ago; the cover took forever to make it pop.
Can't draw Albedo succumbing to the tattoo lightly.
I always pour my soul into characters' climax scenes.
Oh, and that big bonus illustration for the back cover dragged it out too.
"This cover's got a totally different vibe."
"Right?"
Opening it up, the early parts with Albedo recovering and battling threats feel familiar.
But the cover alone looks like nonstop lewd antics, like my last one Happiness Comes from the Heart.
And yeah, it does veer that way more and more—not misleading.
Well, it's a breather arc, after all.
These stories always do this.
Breather part, then bam—real plot explodes.
Usually with healing vibes laced with ominous hints.
Here, it's lewd breather, where the lewdness itself plants the unease.
Dig deeper: forcing kids into daily life invaded by corrosion to fight.
"Lots of preorders?"
"Yeah, but most bundled the extras."
"...Master's thrilled. Everyone snapping up mystery merch like that."
"She's worth it."
Skipping to save cash? Might miss the emotional payoff.
They trusted me blind—super grateful.
"And samples for those extras are ready."
"I should've run around for this myself. Thanks a ton."
"Nah, you're selling them together. Least I could do—for Siu's new work, no less."
The extra? Uterus tattoo stickers, merch for Avatar Incarnation.
Gradient looks way prettier, so I submitted background colors to copy them.
And shapes per color, cut to match.
"Why the tiny tattoo here?"
"Ah, that."
Each sheet leaves empty space by default.
I requested two extra small uterus tattoos, with backgrounds and cut lines.
Production cost barely changes.
"One's spare; I'll show the other with the comic sample."
"What's it for...?"
Not random.
Last page: group photo-style color spread, pushed in despite the crunch.
That's the spot for sticker use.
One color-less area amid all the color.
"No way..."
"Exact size match for the characters' tattoos."
Stick 'em nice: fully colored tattoo group shot.
To perfect it, buy every uterus tattoo set.
Marketing, sure—but collector itch hits hard.
Kept conscience: merch at near cost, minimal profit.
Damn, sticker quality's top-notch.
Tried one on my hand—blends like real skin, comfy wear.
"Way better than what I saw before. Feels made for skin."
"Told 'em Siu wanted it for that; they came back wrecked, handed it over."
"Oof..."
So many to thank this time.
Angelic fans buying blind.
Tech folks grinding selflessly for quality.
"Stick 'em all on like this... looks good, right?"
"This is wild."
Downside: peels hard if misplaced.
Now magic-based removal fixes that.
Grips tight, but magic pops it off easy.
Beats my old world here.
"But non-mages can't remove it?"
"Unavoidable, they said."
Ask a mage nearby or wear forever.
New adhesive ignores old solvents.
Must replicate the manual's magic circle.
...Risky, no?
"Anyway, make equal batches of the five, mix blind-pack, sell unknown contents?"
"Yep, basically. There's a sixth—replace five per thousand, produce in thousands?"
"Isn't that not in the comic?"
"From next Avatar series work. Early debut for surprise."
Nigredo's black Dreamcatcher tattoo, Citrinitas' yellow Alter Mind.
Rubedo's red Temptation, Viriditas' green Favor.
Albedo's white Soul Chain, and unused rainbow Opus.
Gacha for one of six.
0.5% odds low, but intentional rarity—urban legend vibe.
Rare drops blur fan tats vs. official Siu originals.
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