Single Wish: Rise Of The Omniscient Paragon

442  441: Tainted (1)

"I want to know what those tattoos I've been seeing on the bodies of the inhabitants of the shattered dimension are. I have some knowledge of runes, so I know those are not normal tattoos… They are runes."

The instant Corey said these words, Pamela's eyes flickered, and then she smiled faintly.

"I'm quite surprised you know about runes. Not everybody knows about runes."

Corey nodded, "Your books helped."

Pamela furrowed her brows, and a few seconds later, her eyes widened slightly in realization.

"The books I published in the Underworld?"

Corey nodded, "Your book on Fundamental Magic in the Outer Library and your book on runes taught me a lot."

Pamela smiled, "Thanks. I'm happy my books were able to teach somebody about runes. Very few would be interested in runes and the intricacies of magic, and I don't know why the Underworld made my books expensive."

Corey raised his brows when he heard the last part of her sentence. Although he was curious, he was more curious about the tattoos he saw on the bodies of the inhabitants of the shattered dimension.

"First of all, those you see with tattoos are called The Tainted."

"In case you don't know, the inhabitants of the dimension of The Old Ones are not like us. They don't have the Universal System. Their cultivation system is much different compared to ours."

Corey's eyes flickered, 'It's just as I expected… The energy the Capra King and the Temple Guardian used was similar to mana but it was also different from mana.'

"I call the tattoos on the body of the Tainted, Rune Tattoos because the cultivation system of the inhabitants of the dimension of the Old Ones is based on their tattoos which are actually runes like you said."

"According to what I know, normally, each inhabitant gets a unique rune tattoo when they turn 18. There are several factors that determine the type of rune tattoos a child would get after 18, and most of the time, the child usually undergoes several tests." Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"The tattoos are carved onto their bodies through rituals that involve the bone, ash, and blood from slain creatures. After getting a rune tattoo, the child becomes a Tainted and he or she would have access to Chaos energy. The rune tattoo can give a Tainted the ability to manipulate certain elements, it can grant an increase in the physical strength of a Tainted, or it can allow a Tainted to transform into monsters."

"The rune tattoos and chaos essence are powerful, but they come at a great risk. The tattoos feed on the Tainted's mental state, and it can react violently when the Tainted is under stress. The tattoos respond to the Tainted's emotions or desperation, and they can warp or evolve unexpectedly if the Tainted's mental state is unstable."

"Overusing the rune tattoos can lead to a condition where the Tainted would lose control, and his or her mind would become unstable, sometimes resulting in temporary insanity or physical mutation."

"There are six stages in the rune tattoo system of the Tainted."

"They call those in the first stage are called Novice of the Mark or Novice in short. To become a Novice, one has to go through a ritual where the bone, ash, and blood from monsters are used to inscribe a tattoo on the body of an 18 year old."

"Novices gain a single Primary Rune Tattoo that grants them a basic power, like elemental manipulation, bodily transformation, or heightened physical abilities. Once a Novice is in a heightened emotional state such as fear or anger, they can become stronger… Basically, they're like Berserkers."

"Those in the second stage are called Bearer of the Fractured, or the Fractured in short."

"Fractured is one of the most defining stages in the rune tattoo system of the Tainted because Tainted's develop a different type of power called Chaos Mark."

"Chaos Marks allows a Tainted to have more abilities, and it also allows them to become much stronger. However, although the Chaos Marks grants a Tainted more power, they are more sensitive to emotional swings, thereby affecting a Tainted's mind and body."

"For a Novice to become a Fractured, a Novice would have to survive battles, and it must involve an intense emotional experience, such as rage, fear, or despair during combat. In such a state, the Tainted's Primary Rune Tattoo would be pushed to its absolute limits, causing the Rune Tattoo to fracture and split, creating new Chaos Marks."

"The third stage is called Seeker of the Devouring or Seekers in short."

"At this level, Tainteds learn Essence Devouring, an ability that allows them to absorb the essence from a defeated enemy, and they temporarily gain their traits."

"Although Seekers temporarily gain more power when they devour the essence of an enemy they killed, Seekers don't only absorb the powers and abilities of the enemy, they also absorb the personalities of the devoured enemy, and this can lead to heightened aggression, paranoia, or other mental influences."

"For a Fractured to become a Seeker, he or she would have to find an opponent, whether monster, beast, or another Tainted, kill the opponent, and then consume a portion of their opponent's essence after victory."

"For a potential Seeker, the opponent they face and kill is very important to them because they would be able to permanently obtain all of the opponent's abilities, and depending on the difference in physical abilities, the potential seeker might also become much stronger than an average Seeker."

"Take for example, if a Fractured killed a powerful Seeker, then he would gain more compared to one who decides to kill another Fractured to progress to a Seeker."

"However, just like the previous stages, once a Fractured absorbs the essence of his or her defeated enemy, they would not only absorb the abilities of the enemy, but the personality of the enemy. Because of this, it's not strange for a Seeker to have a split personality, though, I got to learn that the Tainteds have found a way to stop themselves from losing control."