Tattoo Artist (2)
Tattoos spread across his body. Then changes began to ripple through Kethar's form.
"Wh-what the hell is that? Is fur growing out of his body right now?"
Jerome couldn't hide his shock. Black mane had sprouted all over Kethar's body.
The basic skill of a Tattoo Artist.
Tattoo Artist. A class that recreates the power of tattoos drawn on the body. Depending on the type of tattoo, both strength and appearance changed, and more tattoos could always be added.
-Grrrrr…….
Before long, fur enveloped Kethar's entire body. His nails sharpened to claws, and his teeth grew razor-edged, capable of tearing through anything. He was the picture of a perfect werewolf.
-Graaaargh!
Tadadadak!
Kethar charged right in. Was it the werewolf transformation? His speed was insane. In just a few bounds, he closed the distance to the enemies.
Kwajik!
Kwajik!
"M-monster……! Gahk!"
"L-let go! Let me go! Graaaah!"
Was he paying back the debts they'd racked up? Kethar tore into them mercilessly with his fangs.
What would it be like to turn into a werewolf in reality, unlike in the game? Probably his instincts turned feral too.
Even at level 5, his power was tremendous. As expected of a playable character? I could definitely feel the difference from a regular one.
"We just unleashed a monster here."
"……Incredible."
Even the silent Alpano's eyes went wide as he stared at Kethar.
After ripping through a few more, Kethar approached me, blood dripping from his jaws. He'd gotten even bigger too—I had to look up to meet his gaze.
-More of them……. I want…….
Was this some bloodthirsty rage? It seemed like the effect of Blood Thirst.
After all he'd endured, he probably wanted to tear into more. Anyway, there was work to do before we left, so I decided to let him have his fun.
"There should be a separate boiler room around here. Find it. You'll run into plenty of those guys on the way."
-……Grrrrr!
Beast-form monsters had one useful trait: a highly developed sense of smell. I directed Kethar to track the chemical scent to the boiler room.
Kethar, now fully beast, sniffed out the path. The eerie chemical stench made it easy to follow, and who knew how many he tore apart along the way.
It's exactly the same…….
The boiler room's layout matched the lab I'd been in perfectly. It dredged up those memories again.
Anyway. I had Jerome set up what he'd brought. Tools infused with Explosion attribute magic—modern bombs, essentially.
Jerome placed about ten explosive devices around the boiler. That should be enough to blow the place sky-high.
But I wasn't detonating them yet. Better to time it for maximum effect later. The moment hadn't come.
With that, we left the first lab. It was empty now, primed to blow.
Next up: our second target.
No weapon fragments here, though. Is Descartes keeping them personally?
The ultimate reason for targeting the labs: fragments of Yodo Barseto.
"Second destination's the opposite way. We'll have to climb some hills, so get ready."
Jackson took the lead. The second site was pretty far off. We trekked through the barren, treeless forest.
"……High levels."
Kethar came over and spoke.
"Gotta power up to survive. What about you—how'd you handle your first time here?"
"Confusing. Didn't know what to do……. But I couldn't waste time. I need out as fast as possible. Someone's waiting……."
"Family?"
"……Yeah. Just her. Seven years old—worries me more."
"Hm."
A young sister. Solid reason to fight. He'd grabbed his gear to do something, at least.
……Wait a sec. Come to think of it, where's his stuff?
"When I went to the mansion looking for you, you'd already taken your gear. Where is it?"
"……They probably took it."
Hm. One more objective added. I'd searched the first place thoroughly for fragments, but nothing. So it had to be elsewhere.
I have to find it.
We needed Kethar's gear. Without it, his Tattoo Artist powers ended here.
"How'd you end up in that body, anyway? That body……."
Kethar had noticed. No player could miss it.
"No idea. Woke up like this."
"Lucky, then. Damian……."
"Yeah. Same thought. With Damian's power, maybe we can do something."
"……Exactly."
His speech was a bit off, though. Not like his real-world self. Super quiet and subdued.
Come to think of it, when I asked his name, he gave the Tattoo Artist's right away. Like it was his own.
Was I assimilating slower than other players, since I possessed Damian's body? Meeting another player highlighted the differences. Good to have a benchmark.
"Were you a ranker before coming here?"
"……Tattoo Artist ranker."
As expected. It lined up with my guess about the message recipients.
"You too?"
"Yeah. Gunner ranker."
I went with my alt, not my main. Fellow shipmates or not, better not reveal everything yet.
"……Figures. You're skilled."
Whatever he thought didn't matter. Same goals.
"Couple things you should know."
Kethar and I talked about what we'd been through. The vibe here. Ties to the game story.
Of course, I held back key info. Didn't know him well enough yet.
Needed to learn more about Kethar.
"Oppa, got any fun stories? What're you two talking about? Huh? That old guy's next to me won't say a word. Keeps staring ahead no matter how much I ask……."
April sidled up, as chatty as ever.
"You okay now?"
"Oh, me? Yeah, I'm good. Earlier, old memories hit me and I got worked up. Actually……."
April cautiously opened up.
"When I was little, I went for a walk with Mom and ran into monsters like those. No guards—just us. I had power back then too, but……."
Hm, I got the picture. Kid or not, she couldn't use it right.
"Still can't control it great, but back then? Total mess. Tried my best, but…… I couldn't save Mom. She shielded me instead and…… died. Then your guys came and saved me."
That explained her reaction in the lab.
"Going back there decided it for me. You asked my goal last time? I wanna power up and wipe out the bastards who made those things."
Those things meant Orion. Our goals aligned naturally.
"Whew…… Gotta learn emotion control too."
April scratched her head.
"Smart move. But not suppressing anger—get used to unleashing it whenever, fully controlled."
"……Huh? Get comfy with getting mad?"
April had changed in that first lab. For a moment, she'd punched way above her level. Awakening, maybe?
So she was the type who erupted with emotion.
Maybe that's why her family sealed her power.
Stumbled on a high-potential mage by chance. Jackson was top-tier too. All coincidence? Or programmed this way?
"She a player too?"
Kethar eyed April. She latched on at "player," begging for answers. I caught Kethar grimacing despite his poker face.
"Nah, just a regular character."
"……Regular character."
I whispered it. He stared at her like she was a curiosity, timing her endless chatter.
"Dunno if we'll make it today at this rate. Rough going—how about a rest?"
Soon enough, dusk fell, and Jackson suggested camping. I agreed. Tough fights ahead. Rest when we could.
Plenty of fallen trees around. We stacked them into walls for a campsite. Felt secure. Built a fire in the middle and settled in.
Tadak.
Tadak.
Alpano boiled water over the flames. I prepped beans from April.
"……Is that coffee?"
"Americano. No ice, sorry."
"Hm, shame."
"You too, huh……."
"Yeah. Iced Americano's the winter essential."
Huh, another iced Americano guy. We were gonna get along.
"Want one?"
"……Thanks."
No point hogging it. Tried sharing with the rest…….
"Nah, good. Cigarette's my fix."
"I'm fine, bro! I like sweet stuff anyway."
"Me too? Nah, but thanks anyway. You thought of me—heehee."
"……Bitter."
Everyone passed except April, who'd been waiting. We sipped hot Americanos.
"By the way."
Kethar set his cup down after a sip.
"Targeting the lab train now?"
"Yep. You know—the one linked to Descartes' labs."
"I do."
"Planning to clear the experimental monsters ahead of time."
"Makes sense."
"Exactly. Cut 'em off early."
"Good plan."
Having another player was convenient. Instant sync. Couldn't do this with April or Jackson's crew—they wouldn't get it.
But with Kethar? Felt natural spilling everything.
"……Then that guy's there."
"First boss?"
"Yeah. 'Monster Transporter,' right?"
Two guys before Descartes. One mage with Protection Magic, one swordsman under Descartes' control.
"Around level 20, I think. Right?"
"Probably."
"……Fine. I'll take him."
Kethar volunteered. But he was only level 6. He'd leveled sweeping the lab goons, but still low.
"……Gotta test my power anyway."
"See what level monsters you can handle?"
"Yeah. And…… I can't help much against Descartes anyway. Save your strength. I'll handle what I can."
Kethar, not one for long talks, got serious. Meaning he'd mop up the small fry.
Worked for me. Descartes fight would be the toughest yet. Side effects lingered too.
Conserving mana was key.
"Deal."
We took watches through the night.
Tadak.
Tadak.
Fire crackled. Still not used to forest camping—sleep wouldn't come.
Mage focused on protection magic.
I pondered. Hadn't fully tapped Weapon's Memory's new effects yet. Jeanne boosted my curved sword mastery, but Damian's body leaned more magic than swordplay.
So what if I comprehended spellcasting through memories? Could I use his magic?
Esperro lore: perfect formula grasp = castable spells.
If Damian's a genius build…….
Maybe I could develop my own magic from the train guard. If it worked, huge edge against Descartes.
Next day. Moved out at dawn. Destination: the rail chokepoint.
Jackson led us over a trestle above the tunnel. We waited for the train.
"Goal's simple. Detach the monster cars, hijack the train, head to him."
"Safe? High risk of detection."
"Yeah, tons of them aboard—okay, boss?"
Jackson and Michael voiced concerns. Fair point. Descartes' private train went straight into the labs. We'd exit into enemy territory.
But safer that way.
"Covered that."
"Got it. Your plans are solid—we saw that first job. Prepared us for the crazies."
Jackson recalled our initial quest.
Rwooooooo—!
Then it came. Pitch-black tunnel. A horn echoed from within. Lights pierced the dark, revealing the train.
"Everyone, ready."
We waited. As it passed below…….
"Jump!"
We all leaped onto the train.