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2024-12-14 18:26:37“There is, huh? Looks like there's a fucking upgrade for everything!” Tim partially celebrated.
He was also angry, however, so he then added. “Why didn't you tell me about the upgrade before, instead of making me eat a bunch of panzer crabs just to get bigger!?” [The upgrade wouldn't have done you any good before,] The system answered, [It's pretty expensive, and it can only make your body smaller than it already is. The upgrade wouldn't help you become larger, and it would have stunted your already impressive progress. I'm sure you would've wasted a lot of time, if you went around fighting bacterias rather than mages.] Tim was still irritated, however, he was also somewhat reasonable, he embraced common sense. He didn’t argue with the system, but instead, he became solution oriented about the issue. He asked, “Okay then… how much am I supposed to pay for the upgrade?” Tim asked that question while he swam. The situation he was in had multiple problems, and thanks to these problems, he couldn’t quite afford to have a lengthy conversation. He had to be on the move, in order to find and kill anything edible. For the sake of that issue, he just hoped that other fish would be scared of him, in any confrontation to the point where they would just give up, rather than the other way around, because he didn’t really want to chase after them, especially not for a long time. Anyway, the system did answer his prior question, she said. [The micro shift ability, otherwise known as the third upgrade on the row, from the new badge of upgrades, costs 1,800 system points to unlock. Its price is like nothing you've seen before, because the upgrade is very useful in this new world, it's simply essential for any great mage. Furthermore, since this ability is highly dependent on magic, the price is also adjusted in accordance to your current quality of mana. It's pricey for those couple of reasons!] “Let it be expensive, it’s not like I can haggle for a cheaper price.” He added. There was no room for bickering, Tim had things to do. Although it was imperative to buy the upgrade that the system mentioned, there was no rushing it, he couldn’t forcefully complete this goal. For now, he could only hunt things and try to survive! Surviving and hunting was all he could do, and since hunting itself came hand-to-hand with the possibility to get plenty of system points, then his hunger-induced rush was both essential and efficient. He could stack up points, and also, not starve to death! … Tim was on a hunt for food, but he avoided the reef. He knew that place well, and understood that it was not a spot where he could hunt ‘big game’ at. The reef mostly featured critters, as far as he knew, and that wasn't enough to fill and sustain his new, massive stomach, which was equal to that of at least nine human stomachs. He had to kill bigger stuff, in order to survive; That was the deal. Thanks to that fact, rather than going to the reef, he headed out for the open waters. The sea was massive, so as he explored it, he wasn’t necessarily limited to the reef and its close vicinity. He took a risk to explore the open seas, only now when the odds were staking up against him, as in the heat of the moment, he felt that this additional burden of exploration was worth the baggage. The train of thought behind his decision sounded wise, but the actual thoughts he was having, weren't so wise. His brain had grown and expanded along with his body, but he was so malnourished for the time being, to the point where coherent, smart thoughts were almost illegal for him! He thought, “Wonder if I can run a barbecue around here? I'm sick of eating raw meat.” Tim didn’t either have the body or the proper environment to host a barbecue right now, but regardless of facts, that was what his brain was pressing at for the time being. The line between malnutrition and retardation was only so thin! The open seas were more boring than he imagined, which explained why he was so easily distracted. Tim swam only around ten meters below the water’s surface, and although this gave him the opportunity to explore for as long as he wanted, he was still bored as a result, because there wasn't an ounce of thrill to work with anymore. Thrill was what usually kept him sharp-minded, and in its absence, his brain was so smooth that it was indistinguishable from his fin! Then suddenly, thrill was exactly what he got, and thankfully so. The reason behind the thrill was predictable, he saw a school of small fish, roaming tens of meters away from him! The school was massive too as the open seas supported it. Tim was a whole kilometer away from home right now, and the risk of this decision came with its rewards. He could finally have a decent meal, as long as he ate enough of them, regardless of how tiny any singular fish was within that school! He felt excited about it, food seemed like a reward. With that excitement, he beamed towards the school of fish at full speed. He didn’t care about scaring them off with his enthusiasm, because he wouldn't really have to chase them in order to get fed. The fish in front of him were so many in numbers, that their group seemed more like a huge cloud rather than a school, and this cloud stretched about a whole kilometer wide. Tim had plenty of fish to nibble on, plenty of options, and since his swimming speed had increased along with his body size, it was easier than ever for him to catch a bunch of tasty fish! Tim eventually mixed within the school, and then he started chopping. He killed seven fish within a minute, and since most of them were only under a foot long, he managed to swallow them whole! He killed three species of fish so far, none of which were magical, yet regardless of how plain they were and looked like, these fish served two purposes for him at the moment! They fed him, and gave him system points! The system then announced accordingly, she said. [You successfully killed 7 fish, and got 82 points as a reward. Do not stop there, though, because you need over twenty times the amount of points, if you're to unlock the micro shift ability!] “No shit,” He thought, and then chased after a couple dozen more fish. Tim was hyper focused to get food for himself, the situation demanded it so. He was surrounded by food, but little did he know, schools of fish were also extensively diverse! Along with food, danger was oftentimes sandwiched between such crowds.
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I'm a Stingray? Chapter 41 - Green, again?
Timothy ate a fish, and then another. He was supposed to, as most stingrays were carnivores, and loved to eat meat. However, he had approached this school of fish in a less than rithmic way, and this was inevitably problematic. Fish weren’t the brightest creatures in the world, not by a stretch, but they were smart enough to understand some forms of rhythms. The social complexity of a mega-school of fish, naturally had some rules, and if someone broke those rules, a bunch of fish within the school were bound to notice! The rules were simple. For example, huge fish who preferred solidarity, knew to swim slowly within such crowds, they were typically very relaxed as they knew better. Smaller fish were more frantic, but they knew enough not to separate from their groups or respective subgroups, and this was what kept most of them alive. Those were the couple of little rules that such large crowds of fish followed, however, it was problematic that Timothy didn’t follow any of such soci
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Tim swam forward for a few more meters, before he unleashed another wall of fire within the waters. He still didn't understand how his fireballs were water resistant, but as long as they did what they were supposed to, he did not question their mysterious nature. He used the fire's collective, wall-like results to eradicate the things that had threatened him, and he succeeded as a result, he won the battle.“That should be the last of them,” He mumbled, “I spun my tail like it was some fucking helicopter blade! Spun it longer than I wanted to… I didn't even know that my thin ass tail could get so exercised.”The things that he was saying were as horrendous as ever, but this time, he said them with the pretext of irritation. He was irritated, because he felt worn down and still hungry, and overall really challenged. He had enough reasons to excuse the nonsense that he just spewed.Then, the system came along to twist his feelings even more. A couple of things had happened over the cour
I'm a Stingray? Chapter 43 - 1/100
Timothy ate a bunch of small fish, about sixty of them. After that, he had to put an end to his seafare. He had dared to explore the open ocean, because hunger had encouraged him to do so, but now, it was time to go back home. He didn’t necessarily have to go back to the reef, but he still had to hide somewhere, preferably a spot where there wasn't a dark, bottomless pit below him. He wanted to feel safe, because there was a purchase option that he wanted to buy.Timothy wanted to, and quite frankly, he had to buy that micro shift ability. The ocean was treacherous and unforgiving, even more so, to the 3.5 meter long, swimming disk that was Timothy. For that matter, he simply had to buy this ability, and alter his size to fit any environment better.The system encouraged his motives as well as she could. She even gave him the greenlight from her side, regarding the purchasing matter. Apart from that, she also had something else to say.She said, [Congratulations, Timothy! You've accum
I'm a Stingray? Chapter 44 - Task 6, 7, and 8!
The purchase he bought didn't go easy on him. Tim had hoped to have a painless experience, but that request was out of the system's hands. She tried to grant his little wish, but inevitably, it was the brute pain that knocked him out, rather than anything else!He did not have a fun time, especially in the beginning. However, he was sound asleep throughout most of the implementation of said purchase, which all facts considered, was the only type of mercy he got as a result. The process itself took four hours, it wasn't fun!Tim woke up, about two hours after the purchase was implemented. He felt both well rested and worn down, at the same time, which was quite a sensation! The process had put his body into a strain, so it wasn't a surprise how he felt chewed up and spat out! It mattered more that he was alive, however.The system cheered him up even further, as she bashed a couple of notifications on his face. One was relative to the previous task, and the other notification was more
I'm a Stingray? Chapter 45 - Koob Tonon Bonon
“A bubonic what?” Tim asked.After hearing that name, his explorative urges went down for a second. He was really intimidated by the name, and considering that the reward for killing one of them was decent, he could only guess that they were really dangerous!He frantically repeated, “Bubonic, huh? I'm not planning to get sick for some points, system.”[It's called a bubonic shifter, mind you. Odds are that you won't get sick from them, as long as you play it safe. Use your deflective magic, you have the extingus breath ability for a reason, it deflects magic, use it more often.] She followed along.“What should I expect from a bubonic shifter then? Help me be more prepared, system.” He tried to pressure the other.[They shift,] She answered, [Shapeshift, to be exact. That is one of their main powers, and also, they can shoot plague darts out of their nostrils. They're interesting creatures, but bubonic nonetheless, so it's a good deed to kill one, or more of them.]“Nostrils, huh? Bl
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Marlo was an important fish, he was a shark! Well, his species did not matter much, however, the position he bore here across the reef, did matter. He could get things done, and in this case, Tim had to talk to Marlo first, if he wanted to get back into the sect without being labeled a murderer, and or traitor!A few days ago, he had a bad experience with several stingrays from within the sect. He experienced a deadly brawl which only allowed him, and Ortana (another stingray), to escape! Now Tim didn’t know if Ortana was still alive, he didn’t know if she made it home, but if she did, then he had to know how she had portrayed him within the sect!This was the safest course of action, because he couldn't just barge in the sect right now. He wasn't able to predict how its members would react! Ortana could've said simply anything to preserve her privileges and her very life, and Tim wanted to know just what she said! That was why he wanted to talk to Marlo, he wanted to play it safe.Ko
I'm a Stingray? Chapter 47 - Anti-mana pool (1)
“The open waters were no joke!” Tim exclaimed, as he tended to a bunch of kids within the sect.He wanted to give them a fun story, as Marlo requested such, so he then added. “There are hundreds of fish out there, thousands of them that we can eat, but they’re crazy as shit! There’s no fighting them, so stay here, and listen to your elders until you grow big and strong… or at least until you can shapeshift into something bigger, cuz the oceans aren’t so friendly towards tiny fish. I know all about that first hand, I used to be very tiny too!”The small fish (some older than others) loved his over-dramatic storytelling, but at some point, he had to put an end to those same stories. There was a lot going on here, in the sect, so he didn't want to waste anyone's time. He didn’t want to distract these folks.That aside, he was yet to see Ortana, a female stingray whom he considered to be a lousy traitor! It was imperative to meet her, so he wanted to spend a moment looking around for her.
I'm a Stingray? Chapter 48 - Anti-mana pool (2)
“The green stuff drives fish mad, yes.” Tim emphasized, “Anti-mana thing is no joke, then, but is there a cure to it, Marlo, a fix? I wasted a lot of meat today, because I couldn’t eat all those crazy dolphins that I ended up killing, and now, I can see that you're losing your home too, all because of this anti-mana shit! It’s no fun, and that's why we need to do something. Is there a fix to this?”“We’re already doing something about it, we're fixing it.” Marlo said. Afterwards, he went into more detail about what some would consider a rather boring topic. The topic itself wasn’t entirely boring, but for one to understand the concept of anti-mana thoroughly, a one-hour long lecture was mandatory. Marlo didn’t hesitate to lecture the other, regarding everything one needed to know about anti-mana, or at least everything that he knew of, so that was exactly what Marlo did. Tim listened to what Marlo had to yap on about, and at the end, he was confident to boast about remembering a who
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Chapter 100 - "Eighteen-hundred log bolts a day!"
The second check-point that Arvena so treasured, wasn’t as easy to get to. It had these perplexing issues behind it, and the main issue was that they had to reach a portal of some sort, in order to get to this said second check-point (or location).It wasn’t easy to get to the portal, as they had to pay for their transport, in literal gold coins. This was perplexing for them, it was the main issue, because the team had to get actual jobs in order to afford the means of their transportation! In other words, they couldn’t fight like cavemen any longer in order to progress, as it wouldn’t work as often in a civilized society. It was true that they usually got what they wanted through such fighting and slaughtering, but they couldn’t behave like that this time around, no. They had to pay twenty-five gold coins each!Now in any universe, that amount of gold was pretty sizable, it was expensive. The average goblin family had to work four months straight in order to accumulate around twenty-
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Chapter 99 - Flash-fix
Arvena had gone through a portal, no doubt about it. Timothy wanted to go after her to make sure that she was okay, but then he realized how a terrible idea that was, he realized that it would be too dangerous to follow her, and that was what made him reconsider things! Arvena had read those scrolls for hours before she opened that portal, she was prepared in other words, and Tim feared that if he charged into that portal ‘heroically’, then he might get vaporized one way or the other because he was severely unprepared. It was simply stupid for him to go in there. Tim even looked at the scrolls close by, to figure out what was going on, but it was hopeless. He couldn’t make out a single word out of them, and with that said he simply backed off, he couldn’t get involved.“That crazy bitch wasn’t up to anything good anyway,” He tried to console himself.It was great that Tim backed away, because moments later, that portal started generating a suction of some sort. It tried to suck the t
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Chapter 98 - "100 points of mana an hour"
The quality of Timothy’s mana was flash upgraded to level three, he bore decent mana now, that was its literal name. He was still shocked about how it happened, it had been painless and quick, hence it being a flash upgrade, but despite being shocked, he was also really happy! This was the easiest mana quality upgrade that he had ever gotten, his friends were congratulating him quite a bit too, they were excited! Well, everyone congratulated him, apart from Arvena, who was fixated on her scrolls.Anyway, then things got even better! The system came with a great announcement.She cited, [Congratulations, Timothy. Apart from all the benefits you got from that flash upgrade, your mana pool has also expanded. As of now, you can accumulate up to 3,000 points of mana in your pool, in this goblin form! As a stingray, however, you’d be able to accumulate a maximum of 8,000 points, that is, if you chose to swim in your full, gigantic size! You have great options overall.]“Eight thousand point
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Chapter 97 - Flash upgrade!
The team had made it to the ancient library of Rempegana, which was amazing, especially since they made it here in one piece! Now the dilemma was that the elevation drop in front of them was too intimidating, it was concerning. They could quite literally fall to their death because it was a twenty meter drop, and in a world full of magic, this may be one of the most embarrassing ways to die. It would be tragic!For that matter, Tim asked. “How do we get down there, Araduli? I think your friends stole all the ladders from here.”“The ladders withered away, they were made out of wood I presume. I believe that’s what you call it, wood? Besides, you don’t need any ladders today, because I’ll just cast a light-wing spell on the lot of you. It’s very effective, you’ll be flying.” He answered.“That sounds useful, cuz you don’t hear much about flying goblins out there! You must be a pretty powerful guy then, Araduli?” Tim asked, he was a bit curious.“Yes, I would say so. Calidum mana lets u
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Chapter 96 - The Molten Dwarves!
It wasn’t easy to get to the ancient library of Rempegana. The tunnel that they found was pretty, yes, but it also featured a lot of danger! Danger in this case, was no different from a textbook barricade, as no one would willingly engulf themselves in the utter darkness that the tunnel featured.Apart from this path being poorly illuminated, there were other issues to it as well. Some kind of creatures lived here, and this part was pretty predictable, however, these creatures were especially dangerous because they had a genetic advantage, they were mammals!After the team swam about ten-meters forward, something swam past them, right within the tunnel! Aside from the initial scare of being spooked in the dark, Timothy also picked up on a very important detail.“Was that a fucking foot I saw?” He asked, and their guide just nodded.That’s how they discovered that they were entering mammalian territory. With that said, what was to follow was bound to be a challenge, because even though
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Chapter 95 - "The obsidian towers"
Timothy wasn’t going to buy a mana quality upgrade anytime soon. He couldn’t afford it, first of all, but that wasn’t the main reason behind his decision. He didn’t feel like spending them due to various reasons, so he’d rather accumulate any and all system points for now, and spend them later on, perhaps on more sensible purchases. Since the quality of Tim’s mana was at level two now, he felt like his normal self again, he felt confident! He was powerful enough to do plenty of damage, independently, and that was the second, more important reason behind his prior decision. He didn’t feel the need to upgrade the quality of his mana again so quickly, he wasn’t in a rush.Despite the main reason why they’ve entered this micro-universe to begin with, which was to improve the quality of the individual mana they bore, he wasn’t in a rush. Level two was plenty for a crafty rascal such as himself.“I went through thick and thin with this rustic ass mana, and most important of all, I survived
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Chapter 94 - Stingray ink
Timothy and Arvena hunted the whistling mana-muncher eels. It was evident that the team reigned victorious in this battle already, the enemies were fleeing, but if they were to assure their personal safety even further, then it was best to kill these sneaky, potentially invisible eels, they couldn’t spare them. It would be stupid to let these few vengeful munchers roam free, as they could come back for revenge in any given time later on! It was safer to kill them!Arvena ended up doing most of the work. The fireballs she shot out from the front of her forehead were massive, hot and dangerous! She managed to scorch an eel whole with a single shot, and this spoke volumes of the amount of power that she bore! It was understandable how she was the main contributor here. In the meantime, Timothy managed to kill a single eel, purely by accident. He had spammed lightning-bolts and fireballs against the enemies, and it so happened that he hit one of them at the same time when Arvena had stru
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Chapter 93 - Whistling mana munchers!
“A demon? Hell no, I don’t want to meet a demon! The gods hate me enough already.” Timothy refused, he joked partially, then again he was really curious about the matter. Arvena helped maintain his curiosity, as she added. “It’s a caged demon, so don’t worry. Your gods have punished this demon a long time ago, so I’m sure they wouldn’t mind you talking to it.”“Oh shit! You’re serious, aren’t you?” He followed along, “I thought you were talking about a statue or something? I didn’t expect a living, er, unliving demon!”After that part, they swam towards the bottom of the pool without much of a debate. Considering that this demon somehow illuminated a big area, the team expected to see a huge beast, the thing of nightmares, even! They expected a lava-encrusted monster, and rightfully so, but that wasn’t nearly the case!When they got there, the team got really disappointed, Timothy especially! He noticed that the ‘demon’ didn't even have any horns, so it was inappropriate to call it a
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Chapter 92 - 0.12 ton Stingray!
Arvena and the team started shifting. It came to them as a bit of a surprise when she asked them to shift, because they were very deep underground right now, so it simply was the worst place to turn into a fish! Their utter confusion was mostly Arvena’s fault, because she hadn’t been too specific so far, regarding why this pool of water would be helpful to them. She didn’t explain it to them yet, but just told them that their visit here would be a great check-point in their journey to mana quality ascension! It might be a great check-point, however, they were yet to discover the pool’s contents.The team was cooperative, but then the most annoying part about her idea was that they had to disrobe first, in order to shapeshift afterwards! This was really uncomfortable for them, socially speaking at least. As goblins, neither of them wanted to walk around naked in front of their friends, even if it was for just a minute, so they dimmed their torches while they took their armor off, for t
