54% Survival-rate!

Tim finally filled up his pool of mana. It took him about twenty minutes, because the root was degenerating more every second. He also couldn't concentrate all that much either, which stunted his progress, but the important thing was that he succeeded, even if he did so eventually. His pool now had a full, one-thousand points of mana.

With that said, now and onwards, he could decide on two things. He could either save these points up and use them sparingly in the future, or, he could try to upgrade the quality of his mana now, and for good! The latter part seemed more appealing, however it was also the most dangerous option right now!

The latter option had a fifty-percent survival rate, as it was said to be physically and mentally challenging, so it could quite likely kill him. He wanted to have better mana, but the thought of death scared him dearly.

At some point, he decided to ask the system for a second opinion. She was much smarter than him, so it was a good idea to respect her knowledge and experience. Tim didn't typically have any good ideas, but this idea, the one to ask the system about a second opinion, was perhaps his best one for the day.

He asked, "System, am I being crazy? Tell me more about a mana quality upgrade… Do you think I can survive it?"

[The gods punish those of whom they please, as this is what this realm of mana is all about. You have a belly full of mana right now, yes, but do you think you deserve a mana quality upgrade? Your success can depend on what you achieved, or what you think you achieved, and with that said, this kind of upgrade is quite a mental battle. Anyway, I assume that you care more about the numbers? Number-wise, I believe that you have a 54% chance of surviving this upgrade.] She said.

"That's kinda low, it doesn't make me happy." He thought, and then he asked. "What would my survival rate be, if I bought the mana upgrade from you though, system?"

She was quick to follow along, and said. [If you buy it from me, there's a 100% chance that you'll survive. The gods are punishing, yes, but I am not prone to their divinity! My goal is to make an immortal wizard out of you, and that is the same reason why I picked out specific upgrades for you to buy, one at a time. I highly recommend you to trust me and be patient, however, even though I can defy the gods openly, I have no right to taint your free will. So, do as you please, Timothy.]

"Thank you. That wasn't confusing at all, and I definitely don't feel as stressed now." Tim replied to the system, through a thought.

Tim was being incredibly sarcastic, of course, as he was really stressed out. He was even more scared now, because he developed this absurd paranoia that the gods were after him. The system openly refused the decree of the divines, and since he was attached to the system physically, he feared that the gods were out to get him as a response, just because they couldn’t hurt the system herself!

It sounded like a rational fear in the heat of the moment, but in actuality, he was being totally ridiculous. Gods had other mages to look over, and torture, so they could easily miss any fraction of disobedience that was commited across the seas. It wasn't such a big deal if the fish were religious or not, even the gods didn't care all that much about that. Regardless of that fact, Tim was scared straight, and he did not want to risk his life!

For that matter, he muttered. "Guess I can wait… I'll let Ortana use up the rest of the mana roots, cuz my pool is full."

This was his new little idea, but it wasn't set to stone, as the oceans were unpredictable. He suddenly noticed a school of massive fish, for example, and they were possibly sharks too!

Regardless of their species, they were uncomfortably close by. They were about fifty meters away, and they came here for a reason. They were not idiots!

"Maybe they heard all those fucking explosions," Tim thought.

With this situation considered, he was now forced to pick between two options. He could either man-handle the risks of facing these sharks, or he could risk upgrading his mana early. The dilemma was apparent and erect, so he had to pick something!

If Tim was to face these sharks, then he had to be more powerful, for example. These potential opponents were huge, and the reef was an uncomfortable distance away from him and Ortana, so there was no outswimming those who approached! These sharks likely had better quality mana as well, so there was no underestimating them.

"Fucking hell! The things I go through just to survive, this ain't fair!" He complained.

Afterwards, he put a bit of effort to find Ortana. She was upgrading her mana quality right now, about ten meters away from the cluster of mana roots, so it didn’t take long to find her.

However, when Tim found her, he got even more nervous. Ortana was in no state to move around, not because she was injured or anything, but rather, the upgrade took a really big toll on her. Ortana's muscles were twitching, as her veins were being restructured right now, just so she could support and process a better quality of mana.

Tim was baffled, so he panicked. "All this for some rustic mana? For fuck's sake, I don't want to upgrade my shit at all now!"

Ortana was literally glowing as well, far more than a torch ever could, which was what made him nervous the most. The blue light which she unleashed, may have been what was attracting this bunch of sharks as well. It was difficult to miss her, as she looked like a bundled up pile of Christmas lights that exclusively shone blue, so she had been practically begging for trouble!

The situation developed beyond what he had expected, however, he didn’t want to leave her behind either. Tim couldn't fight the sharks, but at the very least, he wanted to get his friend to a safer place! After that, if time allowed it, he was to upgrade his mana as well.

He swam close to Ortana, and then said. "I gotta get you out of here, plant woman! Hang on to me, bite into my skin… I can handle the pinch, let me get you out of here!"