I’m the Only One with Powers in the Apocalypse – Chapter 35

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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…Wait a minute. Specialization aside, I had a new passive skill, and I understood the Recovery skill. But that wasn’t all there was, right?

“Achievements.”

…Oh!

Five achievements now!

Numbers 2 through 5 were blinking.

Malignant Entities… Malignant bodies? No, it was more like… bodies corrupted by malice… that was closer.

…Bodies corrupted by malice…

Hmm…

Anyway, good!

I had accomplished quite a few achievements!

I tapped on number 2.

…?!

A… a tattoo?!

What kind of tattoo?!

I jumped up and examined my body. There was nothing there.

A tattoo? What tattoo?! I didn’t want a tattoo!

Then, a wisp of smoke appeared on the back of my right hand. A pattern emerged from the smoke—a burning flower? It looked something like that. A strange, circular tattoo, with multiple overlapping rings, appeared on the back of my right hand. No, not just the back of my hand. It extended past my wrist, covering part of my forearm.

“…Crazy.”

I didn’t want a tattoo. Who gave them permission to do this to my body?

I rubbed at it, but it wouldn’t come off. I went into the bathroom, lathered up some body wash, and scrubbed furiously with a towel, but it wouldn’t disappear.

…It was a real tattoo.

I squatted down, clutching the soapy towel, and scrubbed at the back of my hand, then finally gave up.

“…Ah, shit.”

I buried my face in my knees and sighed.

“…Ugh…”

…Damn it, it was already there; there was nothing I could do about it. The others would be surprised when they saw it. A large, intricate tattoo had suddenly appeared on the back of my hand.

“Ugh… damn it.”

I rinsed my hand and went back to the bedding. The back of my hand was red and raw from all the scrubbing. Damn it.

“Status.”

Wait.

That wasn’t right. I was supposed to open the achievements screen. I was so flustered by the sudden appearance of the tattoo, I’d messed up the command.

?!

Another skill. A passive skill. …Soul Tattoo? I tapped on it.

…Immunity to Malice?

…Huh?

Ah, the human beasts spread the infection through bites. Immunity meant I wouldn’t turn into a human beast even if I was bitten.

…Hmm…

Was that good? I could just use Accelerate and escape if I was about to be bitten. Did I really need a damn tattoo for that…? Ugh, a tattoo…

…Whatever. I got it.

“Achievements.”

Hmm. Numbers 3 and above were blinking. Number 3… I had killed over a hundred. Right, number 3.

…Seriously… damn it…

I blinked slowly, staring at the message. I didn’t even have the energy to curse anymore. What now? Where would the next tattoo appear?

Smoke appeared on the back of my left hand. Of course. They had ruined my right hand, so they had to ruin my left hand too.

I rubbed my forehead. I had always hated tattoos. Those wannabe gangsters would get these hidden tattoos on their arms, under their school uniforms or gym clothes, bragging about their “connections” and extorting money from other kids, acting all tough, until I beat the crap out of them.

Wasn’t one of those thugs in front of the supermarket also covered in tattoos?

Tattoos were fine, I guess. But couldn’t they have appeared somewhere less visible, like my thigh or my chest? Why the back of my hands, where it was impossible to hide?

Ugh, damn it.

I looked at my left hand. It was the same as my right, just mirrored.

“…Ha…”

Calm down. Don’t get angry.

“Hoo…”

I took a deep breath to steady myself. Ugh, I needed a drink.

I opened the refrigerator…

It was surprisingly full. Hot bars, chocolate, cola, cider, beer… all sorts of snacks and drinks.

Who had done this? Probably Soo-hyun, though Ye-eun and So-eun had been coming up to the rooftop too.

…Hmm…

Whatever. I’d assume the women were responsible.

Thanks. I hadn’t even brought back anything from the supermarket.

Beer? …Like I could sleep after drinking in this mood.

I grabbed a can of cola and cracked it open.

Psst—

Ah, that sound!

I took a long gulp.

“Ah—!”

That was refreshing. The tingling sensation of carbonation on my throat…

“Ha…”

I went back to the bedding, cola in hand. A tattoo… it was already there; there was nothing I could do about it.

“Status.”

I opened the status screen, and, as expected, my skills had changed.

Right.

Level 2.

I tapped on it.

…Hmm…

Immunity to illnesses? Did that mean I wouldn’t catch a cold? And increased injury recovery… that wasn’t bad. Immunity to illnesses and faster injury recovery. And “minor.” That meant the effects would improve as the level increased. Increasing the tattoo level was actually… …almost appealing. No. I hated tattoos. I rubbed my forehead and said, “…Achievements.”

Now, two left. Numbers 4 and 5… …Good. Number 5 first.

?!

…Maintenance Gloves?

I jumped up. I looked around, but there was nothing there. I waited, but nothing happened. …What? Gloves were supposed to be something you wore on your hands. That’s what gloves were. …Ah.

“Inventory.”

…Oh!

I had Maintenance Gloves!

I immediately tapped on them. A faint, white smoke appeared in my hands, and then a pair of brown gloves materialized. Soft, dark brown leather gloves, fingerless, covering only the back of my hands and palms.

What were these?

I put them on. They felt good. They fit perfectly, like they had been custom-made for my hands. I fastened the buttons at the wrists, and they snugly hugged my hands, incredibly comfortable.

…But what were these gloves for?

I rubbed my hands together. …They didn’t rub! They didn’t move at all! Oh, this was good. I wouldn’t drop anything I was holding with these!

I stood up and drew my sword.

Shing—

Wow, the grip! It was amazing!

But… a faint smoke was rising from the sword. Not much from the blade itself, but mostly from the tip. …What was this? The smoke gradually dissipated. …Oh… the sheen…!

The sword gleamed, as if it had just been forged! The faint bloodstains were completely gone! “…Oh…” This was incredible. I angled the blade slightly, and it reflected the light brilliantly. It wasn’t just clean; it seemed sharper too.

I looked around and spotted an empty snack bag in the corner. I picked it up and held it above the sword, blade facing upward, then let go.

Swoosh— “…!” …The plastic bag… It was supposed to be quite durable, but it sliced cleanly in two, falling silently to the floor. There wasn’t even a sound. Just a smooth, swooshing sensation. Sharper than a razor blade.

“…Crazy.” …Maintenance Gloves. Gloves that maintained the weapon I was holding in its optimal condition. …I had acquired an amazing item. I stared at the sword, a feeling of excitement washing over me, completely forgetting about the tattoos on the backs of my hands.

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