episode_0027

“Are you stacked up?”

“Do you have to express it like that?”

“I think it was the most appropriate.”

“Seriously.”

Right after the sparrow informed me about magic tattoos, we immediately headed to the underground with him.

I don’t like tattoos.

It’s not that I dislike people with tattoos, but I just didn’t want to have one on my body.

But I guess I have no choice if it’s necessary to survive, right?

As we entered the shop where the sparrow recently had a procedure done, a blonde woman was leaning on the counter with her head down.

“Hey! I’m here!!”

The sparrow called out cheerfully, and the face that was buried in the counter suddenly lifted up.

One eye was half-open, looking hazy, and clear liquid was dripping down the side of her chin.

“Uh…?”

“Uh~ No, a customer is here~”

She roughly fixed her messy hair with her hand.

Thud!

She slammed her head back on the counter and started muttering to herself.

As her head bobbed forward, a strong smell of alcohol, presumably coming from the woman, hit my nose.

“Is that person… okay?”

“She’s an A-class superpower. I guarantee her skills.”

“What about the rest?”

“I guarantee her skills.”

“This guy?”

The woman, who seemed to have just regained her senses from our conversation, shook her head unsteadily.

“Ugh… customer…?”

“Maybe?”

“Or would you mind leaving… I just drank a lot of alcohol until now…?”

“Should I guide you then?”

“Whatever…”

The woman waved her hand lazily, then forced her left eye open.

“But who are you?”

“I’m Kim Chansa, a C-class superpower who had a procedure here two weeks ago.”

“Chansa. Chansa… Sparrow… Hehe. How can someone’s name be Sparrow… Hehe.”

“Then let me see the introduction booklet.”

“Sparrow… Hehe… Sparrow chirp chirp… Hehehe.”

As the sparrow seemed familiar with the situation, he grabbed a thick booklet next to the counter and placed it on the desk in the corner of the shop.

I pulled a chair and sat next to the sparrow.

“Are you okay…?”

The same question.

“Just the skills.”

The same answer.

“But what exactly is a magic tattoo?”

As I asked the guy who unintentionally became the shop owner to explain, the sparrow opened the book.

“Do you know how scrolls work?”

“Superpowered individuals related to records borrow the power of magic-related abilities to record magic on scrolls. They tear it apart to activate it.”

“Oh~ I thought you knew nothing because you’re a layman~”

“I’ve been eating association meals for a month, you know?”

“Just for a month, and you’re showing off.”

The sparrow chuckled and pointed to the book with drawings.

“Like you said, scrolls are used by tearing magic-infused paper. But tattoos are different.”

“It’s using your skin as a medium, right?”

“Tearing the skin? Like a bear tearing a person?”

“You crazy, you saw what I just did. You activate it by punching or stroking it.”

“Hmm?”

I carefully examined the drawings on each page as he explained.

Enhancement of strength.

Enhancement of agility.

Summoning a fireball.

Summoning a low-level fire elemental.

There were many abilities that were universally known and quite popular.

On each page, there were small pieces of paper with drawings similar to tattoos fluttering below.

“What are these papers here?”

“Samples. You know tattoo stickers, right? You can erase them with water. These disappear on their own after a certain time. About 30 minutes for these.”

“Oh. Can I try an experiment?”

“Hey!! Can I use one of the samples?!”

“Just think of it as the sparrow asking. Hehe!”

With the owner’s permission, I tore a sample of my frequently used low-level fire elemental summoning tattoo.

I placed the paper on my arm and rubbed it with my palm, and voila~ a 30-minute tattoo was imprinted on my arm.

“Oh. How do you activate it?”

“Except for a few tattoos, most of them can be accessed by touching the tattoos.”

Nodding at those words, I poked the tattoo with my finger, and it lit up brightly.

A spirit manifested through the tattoo seemed to recognize me as its master and circled around me.

“This is fascinating.”

“Right? Once you embed it in your body, you can use it for a lifetime.”

“Is there no downside to it?”

“Well, there are limitations on the number of uses per day and efficiency, depending on the skills of the tattoo artist.”

“So, if you get it from a skilled person, it’s damn expensive. If you get it from someone less skilled, it’s less expensive.”

“In the end, it’s still expensive.”

“Even though it gives you abilities you didn’t have before, of course, it’s expensive. Nowadays, even wealthy civilians are getting one for self-defense.”

After parting ways with the sparrow, I returned home.

After 30 minutes, the tattoo disappeared.

“Magic tattoos… should I seriously consider it?”

No inconvenience of tearing it like a scroll every time you use it.

Once applied, it has limitations but can be used permanently.

In terms of ideology, it was a bit concerning, but performance-wise, it wasn’t bad.

Curious, I searched the internet and found specialized sites for magic tattoos.

“Wow… all the monsters are in the United States.”

The sparrow said he spent 10 billion won on two B-grade tattoos.

The top magic tattoo artist in the United States was charging 10 billion won for D-grade tattoos.

The reason the price was the same despite a two-grade difference was one.

“100 uses per day? I can’t even use them all!”

“And the sample duration is 12 hours? Can’t you just keep refilling the sample?”

I heard that erasing magic tattoos also requires effort.

So, you have to start with a good one from the beginning, but it’s too expensive.

Is there no cost-effective and non-permanent tattoo that is efficient and doesn’t leave a mark on the body? While pondering, an idea came to mind.

“Why not copy the sample?”

The world’s top magic tattoo artist not only performed the procedure but also sold samples.

I copied the preview sample of the lowest-grade fire elemental summoning tattoo on the site and pasted it.

Even though it was an F-grade magic, it did give me a slight headache, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

After drawing the tattoo on the back of my right hand and tapping it with my finger, a similar tingling sensation as before was felt, but the emitted light was different.

“Insane… this is a real F-grade elemental summoning?”

The summoned fire elemental was three times larger than the Korean fire elemental I knew.

At this level, it seemed like it could easily handle even the E-grade labyrinth.

Moreover.

“It’s three times cuter because it’s three times bigger, damn.”

I felt three times happier with the elemental’s cuteness recognizing me as its master.

The creature summoned by the scroll disappears after two hours.

I wondered how long this one would last, so I decided to take a nap for confirmation.

“Why are you still here?”

[Growl?]

Even after sleeping for a full eight hours and waking up, it was still floating around me.

“Oh, it was 12 hours. It’s okay to go in now.”

[Growl!]

After releasing the summon, I sat in front of the monitor and started the copy-and-paste process.

What I’m doing now is a sample of the [Low-grade Fire Elemental Summoning Tattoo].

My editing level has increased, so I wondered if I could do a low-grade one as well and experimented.

Although there was some overload, it was bearable with effort.

If enduring a moment of pain makes the future easier, I must endure it with the determination to endure!! With that mindset, I endured the pain and copied.

What I’m aiming for is the second effect of [Editing].

[Editing] LV.11

You can edit what you see.

LV.5 – Adds 1 slot to the storage

LV.10 – For consumables, there is a 20% chance of automatic saving

With a high but low probability of copying, I continued the tedious work with the expectation of producing a genuine product.

“This is it!! Agh!! It hurts so much!! Cancel! Cancel!!”

After failing about seven times, I finally obtained the genuine [Inferior Fire Elemental Summoning Tattoo Sample].

“Hehehe. Now I can at least play in grade E water, even if it’s not Munchkin level!”

After copying the real tattoo [Copy].

As expected, the real one seemed to consume less power, as my headache decreased compared to before.

After drawing the copied version on the back of my hand and stimulating it, the fire elemental appeared.

If the lowest grade only showed the form of fire.

From the inferior grade onwards, they showed their own unique appearance.

Well, their appearance was just eyes, nose, and mouth on a fireball.

“Wow~ I could even win against a mid-level elemental with this?”

Still, the aura emitted by the creature was tremendous.

After petting the playful elemental’s head, I sat back down on the chair.

Before starting the grind, I set one goal for myself.

“Alright. Should I go for the water elemental next?”

I decided to create my own magic tattoo sample booklet.

A week passed.

“Ugh… Ugh… Damn game… Reveal the probabilities, damn it…”

During that week, I invested all my time in [Copy], excluding sleeping, eating, and going to the bathroom.

Even so, I could only copy 41 samples.

“It’s not 20%, it’s 0.2%, right? Why won’t it stick properly?”

Initially, my goal was to copy all the samples on the site and make a book out of it, but I didn’t have the confidence to do more.

“Well, whatever. I’ve raised my editing level a lot. I’ll have to grind again when I need it later.”

[Editing] LV.14

You can edit what you see.

Smiling at the satisfying numbers on the monitor, I opened the thin book.

I already have the summoning skills for the four main elements: water, fire, wind, and earth.

There are tattoos that enhance the body and ones that heal.

With just this one book, I can become an all-rounder Munchkin!!

After all the hard work, I felt the urge to experiment right away, so I took a shower after a week and put on some clothes.

As I was about to leave the house, I stopped.

“Wait… It’s dangerous to go out like this without a plan again.”

Just like when I played around and messed up at work.

A superhuman using 41 abilities at will!

Even if a passerby saw it, they would think it’s strange and report it to the association.

Nodding my head, I opened the closet, but there were no useful disguises.

While rummaging under the bed, I found a good item: a winter coat that could cover my entire body and a hat with a large brim.

A coat that I had kept because it reminded me of the Wild West era when editing videos.

It was a bit of a waste to throw it away, but it was so ridiculous that I just stashed it.

“I knew the day would come when I would wear this.”

With a smirk, I put on the coat.

The baggy design still looked ridiculous, but it was good for covering my body.

Covering my face with the hat with a large brim.

“There’s no criminal here…”

Trying to hide my identity was pointless.

I had become a misfit, attracting more attention from people.