Chapter 42: Taming the aftermath
Up until now, Tim had spun about 50 times at full speed, giving in his most work just to burn out food.
One thing that came as an advantage after experiencing what felt like pregnancy, was that food burned out in his gut quicker than usual.
Although it was difficult for Timmy to understand the context at first, the system repeated a few times just because the guest's brain is small.
[Having the benefits of a gut whom capacities have been doubled, means that you have to eat twice as much.]
[And that's not because you can fit more food through those little guts, but because your body burns out the nutrients twice as fast.]
[So don't be surprised if you poop again in this same hour. Because with double stomach capacities comes a doubled metabolism.]
Well Tim could understand half of that at least, all he understood after taking every word into consideration, was that he had to keep moving.
Swimming in circles over and over, just to use this temporary upgrade to its utmost advantage. At this point the young boy didn't mind, even if he had to poop every few minutes.
As a reward to such attempt, he heard the system announcing. [Hunger bar = 20/35]
"Nice nice nice." Tim repeated slowly over and over, as he laid over the sand in this room.
And this is where further thoughts decided to conquer his piece of being, raging in his mind. "I did all of this and the reward is just... surviving."
By now those thoughts planted like a seed, he continued. "I swam in here with a lot of health and now? I almost died for something that's like, useless. This task was supposed to be short, how did it lead to me almost dying. The dungeness crabs aren't even so important, they can't kill big sharks."
Breaking the confusion and the odds of luck, the system interrupted his thoughts. [The odds you took were transparent when you swam in here and saw that tiger grouper.]
[Stingray before you who had the system and even were bigger and stronger than you, failed in such battles.]
[So take this as a large win, every odd was against you.]
Surprised that the system gave such a constructive praise, Timothy asked just to be sure. "So you're saying that I'm a good survivor? You sound just like Marlo."
[You're not just a good survivor, you're a prodigy.]
Trying to sound smart, the boy here mumbled through his words and thought out what was discriminated by tone. "Prodigy... right. That word, same as probably... which means I'm probably. Wait, what?"
[It means you're out performing every other stingray at least, that had the system before.]
[Your IQ is low, but in battle you use every bit of it to your utmost advantage. Which makes me ask you this question. Were you a war lord in your previous life? Or did you do anything that included strategy?]
"My past life? Oh right I wasn't born a stingray. Well in my past life I was... can't remember." In this new body, his memory felt like that of a pickle's.
Short, slim and sometimes juicy. Although he can't go in his brain and see if it had a green colour as well.
[It had to be strategy related. Because your ways of using all the weapons that you have are in all ways, extra ordinary.]
Smart enough to be sarcastic, Tim replied. "Yes, that's why I'm dying."
[You're dying because of the ego in your little brain. This battle could have been fled without any serious repercussions, but you chose to bite fish that are far beyond your level.]
"Oh, well thank you." He replied sarcastically, not knowing what else to say at this point.
And then heard familiar tones, screaming their own names as they rushed through the two small entrances here.
Afterwards they dropped a couple of beings that seemed oddly familiar, it's surprising how they rushed their fins through the water while carrying such shipment.
"Leggy crabs!" Timmy yelled out and rushed towards the already dead pieces of merchandise.
Although they were small, eating these things bring down good memories. At least the good stuff can be remembered easier.
He saw the two needlefish swimming in after, carrying the same merchandise.
Munching on all of them, Tim noticed that his statistics aren't good enough. So he asked them, "I need you to bring me more of these, that fish messed me up a little and this helps me heal."
Amie gazed at the tiger grouper that had its head eaten, couldn't help cringing a bit due to such a graphic scene but yet was great that a bully of the far north was gone.
Before they left, Tim requested. "Can you carry these small dungeness crabs out of here? My fins aren't on a good shape to carry them."
"Of course." Amie answered as her brother provided proper translations to the 5 little ones, assuring safety.
...
About an hour had passed by now, the time Tim had spun ranged countless. But yet the progress was decent enough.
The allies have bought 3 more rounds of marble shrimp. Where they got it and if it breaks solitude, Tim did not know and at this pace, didn't care either.
He had eaten about 16 marble shrimps until now, but yet since each part didn't give much health, he only got 8 points out of it.
That wasn't exactly large but yet it wasn't small either, his health was 50/100 points by now.
Amie, however, brought good news. "The dungeness crabs appreciate your deed and are stunned by your bravery. 10 of their finest crabs will join the reef."
Although a good result, he felt far too sleepy, and therefore only replied with. "Okie dokie pokie."
To that of which, Amie the needlefish had no way of replying. And instead directed everyone else, "Our warrior has to sleep now, we will stand guard here until he wakes up."
And then continued by translating it to the pufferfish, the amount of languages they know was stunning but it worked out well. "Pipipipipi, pipi!"