Chapter 393: The Tattoo World (1/2)

As it was just creating the basic setup, Jyorta didn't have to think too much. He just used the base knowledge of his tattoos while inscribing it all over his body, imbuing it in his aura. Its stability was all he pursued. After all, a good foundation was a must to build anything of importance.

In regular intervals, the Rigordile and Bundle Flea dragged in a Lava Turtle carcass, having killed it. Each carcass was covered in numerous injuries, showing that the battle was hard-fought. The injuries sustained by the Rigordile and the Bundle Flea too continued to pile up.

If not for the existence of the Shoe Fishes covering its skin, the Rigordile would have long died from the high-pitched battles. Even with them protecting it, it was still wounded all over. The Shoe Fishes, despite possessing powerful defensive abilities, were still Tier 1 Frenzy Beats.

So, over time, their defences were worn down by the attacks of the Lava Turtles and the Hunter Clams. When the Rigordile neared him and entered the range of his soul domain, Jyorta noticed almost half of the souls of the Shoe Fishes on it had disappeared. Just this alone showed the danger it faced every time it ventured forth to battle.

”Alright, you can stop now,” Jyorta commanded them to rest and recuperate. One or two more Lava Turtle carcasses would matter much in the grand scheme of things. But, a loss in the Rigordile would hinder him too much.

It was a lot useful and could serve as the party's tank, so Jyorta didn't wish to throw it away without a solid reason. The Rigordile gobbled some Lava Turtle flesh and slammed into the shallow waters, opening its mouth wide as it entered a state of rest. It swiftly fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

The Bundle Flea's aura spiked again as it began to regrow the hair it had lost. The fight with the Lava Turtles almost made it bald. When its hair seeped into their flesh, it caught fire and just melted. Even if it stuck to just lash attacks, every contact still snapped and burned its hairs.

Moreover, the Hunter Clams used their jelly-like tentacles to lash out in return, sometimes coiling around its hair to pull it towards the wounds of the Lava Turtles, using the heat in their blood to burn the hair.

It faced a lot of difficulties. Time passed as its hair regrew to full capacity. The Bundle Flea consumed a large piece of a Lava Turtle, curled itself into a ball, and floated on the shallow waters. It had bulged thanks to its rapid eating.

After swallowing a large portion of the Lava Turtles, the River Whale had closed its eyes to rest, only opening them again when it began to feel hunger. The constant fights had tired them out completely, so they were resting whenever possible.

As Jyorta was constantly healing himself using Regen, he wasn't tired. Regen was able to negate both physical and mental fatigue. If he had enough energy to sustain the expenditure, then Jyorta could continue to work without rest. Such was the might of this Unranked Skill.

Madam Mary had put in a lot of consideration before creating this Unranked Skill. 'Automatic guidance to heal, recovery of physical and mental states, replenishing the expended presence, and regenerating any substance in the body back to its Nurtured state, Regen is amazing.'

Jyorta got distracted as he began to admire the workings of Regen. Soon, he reverted to his task, focusing on enlarging the space within the tattoo world. It was basically the cohesive volume his aura personification of hallucination could function within, so he had a lot of space to build.

Jyorta gazed at an intact shell of a Lava Turtle, motioning the Rigordile to set it aside. As for the rest, he allowed the Frenzy Beasts to consume them. On the Rigordile's body, the Frenzy Parasites of the dead Shoe Fishes tried to drill out, as patches—formed by their bodies—fell off.

Once they had died, their connection with the Rigordile's nerves was cut off, and their hold automatically relaxed. As they fell, they created plopping sounds in the water. Jyorta pointed at the places based on the sound, watching the Rigordile pick up something from within and munch them.

Even after their deaths, the Shoe Fishes were transparent, unable to be detected using normal means. Their smooth surfaces prevented any substance from attaching itself to them, be it blood, fat, grease, Essence of Frenzy, etc.

The Rigordile ate them and began digesting their respective Heart Crystals. It wasn't as efficient as swallowing a Heart Crystal using the Caterpillar or Centipede, but since they couldn't spot the Heart Crystals, swallowing them whole was the only option.

The Rigordile replenished its energy reserves in such a manner as Jyorta returned to his task, noticing the tattoo reach his hips. It continued to grow, soon reaching his ankle. The tattoo on his back was just a manifestation while he was imbuing it using Aura Induction.