Psychic Parasite

Chapter 393: The Tattoo World
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.

Once completed, it would fuse with his aura and disappear from view. After that, even if he loses a limb or two, the tattoo wouldn’t ever be affected. As he continued to expend energy, the River Whale ate at regular intervals before heading back to sleep.

It would have taken him at least 2-3 years if Jyorta just used the energy he could replenish on his own. But now, he used the three Frenzy Beasts—and the numerous Shoe Fishes attached to them—as a collective whole to obtain the equivalent energy within a day.

Jyorta remembered the time in Grapple Force when he used his Caterpillar to consume Heart Crystals. After consuming a lot of them, a white substance seeped out of his pores while his psychic energy became sluggish. He also suffered a drop in his Sync Rate as a result.

But now, the River Whale was unaffected despite swallowing almost a hundred Heart Crystals. It was because it was no longer a single entity. The base substance making up the Heart Crystals wasn’t stored in its body alone but was also distributed between the numerous Shoe Fishes attached to it, sharing the load. Moreover, it was a Tier 2 Frenzy Beast and possessed a tremendous reserve of Essence of Frenzy that could break down the white substance—that made up the Heart Crystals.

Everything combined made it possible for the River Whale to consume Heart Crystals without any side effects. Jyorta stored two Tier 2 Heart Crystals in his cuboidal pouch for emergencies, feeding the rest to the River Whale.

The energy generated from it was siphoned using his Soul Corneas and used to bolster his tattoo. A day had passed during this time; Jyorta judged through his body clock that it was already the 11th of November. He had less than two days left within the labyrinth. When 12th November ends, he would be asked to leave the labyrinth immediately.

”Finally, it’s done.” Jyorta smiled, watching the tattoo span all his body, covering every inch of his skin. To not hinder it, Jyorta had to expend the remaining two tattoos he had prepared before. He used it on a Tier 2 Lava Turtle and a Tier 2 Hunter Clam respectively.

The two Frenzy Beasts were currently standing beside the River Whale, obedient. The space within the tattoo now conformed to the volume of his hallucination’s effective usage—a sphere with a radius of 100 metres.

Floating within the space was the Frenzy Parasite’s presence. ’Now, I have to fill it up.’

”Let’s go,” Jyorta waved his hand, watching the River Whale take off to the air. The Bundle Flea landed beside him, resting its head on his shoulder. The Rigordile and the Lava Turtle slowly swam through the shallow waters while the Hunter Clam rode on the Lava Turtle’s back, accompanying other Hunter Clams.

There were altogether five Tier 2 Hunter Clams on its back and 10 Tier 1 Hunter Clams. That was the sole reason he had selected this Lava Turtle to use his tattoo on. A Lava Turtle and a Hunter Clam were basically one package. By controlling it, he got extra help.

As they would defend the Lava Turtle through any means necessary, all Jyorta had to do was send the Lava Turtle on the front lines. That would be his best bet. ”Now, I can make the Rigordile survive longer.”

The group headed towards the entrance of layer 3, soon entering layer 2. The moment they entered layer 2, the Bundle Flea began stirring up the sand using its hair, creating a major commotion. It splashed forth the sands while raising a large dust cloud, also cackling with a loud voice.

It did everything to disrupt the atmosphere in the layer, trying to grab the attention of all the Frenzy Beasts residing in the area. Soon, a couple of One-Horned Rhinos charged towards them, trying to impale the foes that disturbed their sleep.

The Lava Turtle took in a deep breath before exhaling a jet of hot air, with sparks flashing amidst. The jet of hot air slammed into the One-Horned Rhinos, causing them to scream in pain. They tumbled to the sand, sliding along it as the skin on their faces melted, showing the bones beneath.

The Hunter Clams on the Lava Turtle’s back sprang forth, using their jelly-like tentacles to wrap around the necks of the One-Horned Rhinos, tightening the hold continuously. Jyorta used the chance to activate his Aura Induction, pulling their presences into his tattoo world.

He then watched the Hunter Clams slowly kill off the struggling One-Horned Rhinos. As they were only at Tier 1, they were unable to retaliate. When they were killed, Jyorta completely pulled in their presences using Aura Induction.

He also took in their souls and stored them in their respective soul husks. He had been preparing a lot of soul husks for this occasion, accumulating them for the past month ever since he obtained Aura Induction. Now, he put them to use.