No. No. No.
Tanya didn’t like the look of Martyr. Would it kill her? Could classes directly kill people?
She huffed as she pressed into the barrier. Each monstrous body banging against it shook the entire structure and sent spikes of pain down her arms. It kept growing. The creatures pushed against the sides, and Mrs Ecceer added a corner, so it was more like a riot shield to hold them back. Mrs. Eceer’s brows knitted together, lips pressed thin as she stared, unmoving. If the shield flickered, both them and the monsters would fall through it, and their body parts would become collateral. Tanya counted; there were five of them behind the barrier as well as the one by Fahad. Tanya could only see Ishita in a single moment as the writhing mass undulated low enough for her to catch a glimpse. Tanya watched Ishita stagger to her feet, and the monster before her backed off slightly. Tanya didn't know what Ishita’s new class did, and there wasn't time to read it.
At least she’s standin’.
“How much energy you got left?” Tanya asked Mrs Eceer over the thrum. Tanya didn’t look over—her eyes set on the spot of one monster's back that let her dip occasionally to show her a glimpse of Ishita.
“I’ve got 2 Concentration left." Mrs Eceer replied. "Do you know what happens if one of these Attributes hits zero?”
Not Vitality?
Tanya suppressed her question. “No.”
She looked at her Attributes.
* * *
Attributes
Strength: 2/9
Dexterity: 6/18
Vitality: -3/12
Concentration: 2/8
Will: 3/16
* * *
Fuck, that's not good.
“They can go into the minuses,” Tanya said. Mrs Eceer’s head whipped towards her.
“What?”
Tanya gulped, wringing the hilt of the blade in her grip. If she was going to die, then she was going to go out swinging. She saw another glimpse of Ishita holding Fahad in her arms. Ishita's skin was glowing an ashy brown—too grey to look normal.
They’re gonna live.
“You get them out of here. It’s my turn to be the distraction,” Tanya said. She flashed a weak smile at Mrs Eceer but was met with only a stony stare back.
Two monsters hit the shield at the same time, and Tanya whimpered at the new jolt of pain. They both turned forward again. Tanya’s arms gave out, and she spun, pressing her back against it instead. Her shoulders throbbed. A monster slipped round the sides, and Mrs Eceer created a smaller fragment shield in its snout. It writhed there, unable to howl.
“I'm down to 1 Concentration,” Mrs Eceer announced.
“Then use it to get them out,” Tanya said. She didn’t wait for a response this time, not giving Mrs Eceer time to disagree. Slipping round the side of the shield, Tanya charged at them, sword above her head.
“System, give me every level-up I got this fight so far!” she yelled.
She dismissed each notification as they came.
* * *
Alert!
Through your efforts, you have increased the following Attributes:
Strength +4
Dexterity +4
Vitality +5
Concentration +2
Will +3
* * *
Achievement: Beyond the Brink
You’ve let your stats drop below zero, playing with the limits of your body and mind. The consequences could be catastrophic, but your choices might just keep you alive long enough to face them.
For each point an Attribute is below 0, you will receive an extra point to every other Attribute. These are used up at a normal rate and do not replenish.
* * *
Level Up!
You have leveled Tattoo Summoner to Level 4.
Congratulations!
You have unlocked an Ability Crossroads. These are Abilities you choose rather than just unlock.
Would you like to see your choices?
* * *
Level Up!
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
You have leveled up More than Meets the Eye to Level 3.
You now have the Ability to see the starting stats of all your awakened tattoos, regardless of the Wielder.
See the ‘Tattoos’ menu in your interface for more details.
* * *
Level Up!
You have levelled up The Power of Intention to Level 2
* * *
Level Up!
You have levelled up The Power of Intention to Level 3
The Power of Intention has received a Minor Ability Boon
The Power of Intention
Level 3
Intention is the core of your tattoos. You can predict how intentions may affect your tattoo whilst in the design phase.
* * *
Congratulations!
Phantom Brand has unlocked a new Ability.
Tactile Memory
Retains echoes of sensations, pressures, and textures from past bindings, improving its effectiveness when reapplying similar techniques or attacks.
* * *
A tremor ran through Tanya’s body as the first surge hit—deep as if the earth itself had shifted beneath her. Her muscles tensed, then unwound, as if shackles she hadn’t even known were there had snapped apart. Strength flooded her limbs—not an overwhelming, uncontrollable force, but something refined. She felt lighter, faster, her movements effortless, as though the weight of the world had lessened its hold on her. It reminded her of how she felt tattooing her assistant with the buff, but this time it was more ingrained. It felt more like a real part of her.
Her senses flared—colours richer, sounds sharper, the air itself alive against her skin. The world hadn’t changed, but she had. There was a new steadiness in her stance, a balance she hadn’t possessed before, like her body better matched the will that drove it.
Another wave hit her. Her mind raced as new understanding filled her. Her pulse hammered in her ears, and her breath caught between exhilaration and shock. Looking down at the tattoo in her hand she could see how each of the intentions had combined to create it. The amount of information made her dizzy. She teetered, swaying this way and that as she worked out how to push the new knowledge away, just for now.
Then came the final pulse. It felt like an exhale. Pins and needles meandered through her body. Everything in her head slotted into place. Her Concentration found the new knowledge, filing it away. Her Will connected her to the sword in her hands, and she could feel its new level up now, even if she didn’t properly know what it meant yet.
The numbers flashed across her vision—proof of what she knew in her gut. The pools were higher and partly recharged by this Achievement—for now.
* * *
Attributes
Strength: 5/13
Dexterity: 9/22
Vitality: -3/17
Concentration: 5/11
Will: 6/19
* * *
Tanya exhaled a slow, steady breath. And then, she smiled.
She surged forward, her enhanced senses guiding every step. The six remaining monsters turned toward her with guttural snarls. Their bodies twitched, sensing the shift in the battle. Flesh barely clung to their splintered bones, and thick black ichor oozed from their gaping wounds, pooling beneath their mangled paws. Hollow eye sockets and jagged, broken jaws twisted open, releasing a stench of decay. The light overhead reflected off of their fur in an alien sheen. Their shadows were long, stretching for metres behind them. On the floor, Tanya’s shadow version was stretched too. She noticed her sword didn’t have a shadow at all.
The first swung at her with a club-like arm, missing the claws on the end. She ducked, but not fast enough—pain flared as the edge of the blow clipped her shoulder, sending her stumbling. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself upright. The sword in her hands whooshed past as she swung, the blade carving into the creature’s side. It wasn’t a clean hit, but it was deep enough. Black blood spurted out of the gap she made like something out of a horror movie, splattering across her torso. The monster staggered, and with a second strike, she drove the blade through its throat. She withdrew the blade, and it was still completely clean. She watched as a droplet of blood sunk into the wood itself, absorbing it. Looking this close, she could see the cracks forming in the wooden blade.
Do not break on me now.
A second monster lunged. She’d never get used to something flying at her face like that. Its mangled maw grew larger and larger until it filled her vision. She twisted away but misjudged the movement—her foot slipped, throwing her balance off. A flash of panic shot through her, but something in her body adjusted. Her grip steadied, and as the creature's claws just missed, she raised her sword. This time, the thrust was more controlled. The blade sank in at the base of its ribs, lower than a human heart, higher than a stomach. It convulsed as it dropped. Her breathing was steady, her heart pounding but controlled.
Muscle memory.
The thought clicked. Her eyes were once again drawn to the sword. It didn’t feel like hers. The tattoo—
The third and fourth beasts swung low. She jumped, but her timing was off. She twisted her ankle and stabbed the blade into the floor to steady herself. The tip of the blade chipped off. She pivoted before the monsters could press their advantage. She twisted her grip, driving the hilt backwards into one monster before using the momentum to swing the blade forward, stabbing the other straight in the eye. The blade found its mark, but the angle was awkward. She had to twist it free before the creature finally fell still.
Three down.
Another dashed forward from the corner of her eye. She turned to face the monster that she’d hit in the eye, but it had already moved. Searing pain flooded through her left shoulder, and she panicked, tossing and turning to get away from its teeth. She stabbed it over and over again. The stabs started off light, barely sinking through to its skull, but each was slightly stronger, slightly better aimed.
The monster that had raced towards her slowed, arching its back low to the ground. The others hesitated too, circling her further back. Their tactics had changed now there was just her. No longer piling on to use force to get past the barricades, they were biding their time, trying to avoid being butchered at the tip of her sword. She rolled her shoulders, settling into a loose stance.
“Come on,” she taunted. “You were winning a second ago.”
She could feel it now—the drunken haze across her vision. None of this felt real. She looked down at her hands, and for a second, there were four of them. She forced the double vision away, furrowing her brow to focus on them better.
A roar split the air as one of them charged. Her head whipped back up. This one was bigger—faster. Tanya braced herself. She meant to sidestep smoothly, but her body overcorrected. The monster’s claws grazed her side. Not deep, but enough to sting. She forced herself through the pain and swung her sword. The first strike glanced off its hide. She adjusted. The second strike sliced across its throat. A few seconds later, it collapsed.
Two left.
She knew there was something logical to this. The way her body was moving, the way her grip adjusted automatically, the way her footwork corrected itself even when her mind was trailing off into the fog. She tried to grab onto the thought, to make sense of it.
The next tried to flank her. She turned, but she was half a second too slow. Claws raked across her arm, shallow but jarring. She grunted, forced herself to focus. This time, when she sidestepped, it was smoother. When she thrust forward, her strike landed deeper. The monster fell. She felt her Concentration drop to 0.
One more.
It lunged faster than the others. She couldn’t even see it. Her vision was all blurred, black spots invading the corners of her vision. Tanya raised her sword, but she knew she wouldn’t be quick enough—her body moved on its own.
A sidestep, cleaner than before. A counterstrike, sharper. The blade went straight through its eye socket. The monster didn’t even have time to scream before it slumped, lifeless.
The battlefield went silent.
Tanya stood there, panting, her sword dripping with black blood. Six bodies lay around her.
The world was spinning too much, the smell of their bodies filling her throat. She could still remember how it tasted in her mouth. She staggered forward, feet squishing into something soft. It twitched as she stepped on it. She vomited until her stomach was long past empty. Her vision blurred, the world doubling before her eyes as darkness crept in, tightening its grip. A crushing pressure pulsed in her head, and before she could fight it, the darkness took over. Tanya was unconscious before she even hit the ground.
BONUS CHAPTERS
Followers (1000):
