I'm a Stingray?

After a bit of dramatic mumbling, Timothy finally ordered the system to simply go ahead with this upgrade. And of course that request was instantly obliged.

[Confirmed]

Hilariously, the hero almost always forgot that upgrades tended to come with pain. This was another one of those moments.

He simply did not expect for a sharp pain to strike against his back. But when it did, the darn thing hurt worse than hell and whatever was below that realm.

The hero almost felt like his back had been broken in half, but the actual pain was worse than that.

Because it spread across every other bone in his body, rather than isolating itself on the spine area. The pain weighed pressure on his fins the most, before moving towards his tail.

As for how uncomfortable the process was, well words were capable of describing it.

It felt as if his bones were being pressured from all directions, and he could swear that they were just a flinch away from completely shattering.

The hero almost thought that the ceiling had fallen over his head, the pressure was simply crushing.

But every bit of pain came with a reward, and thankfully he was conscious enough to enjoy the moment of this process meeting an end.

The system notified, [Upgrade complete]

[Five-hundred system points consumed]

[Two-thousand-and-twenty-three system points remaining]

Well it surely felt like these finances were drastically depleting, but at least he became more capable by the passing moment.

But he still had over two-thousand of these points, so overall this aspect was quite peachy.

And what made this success feel more worthwhile, was when the system brought along a few more details.

[You can now withstand up to five-hundred-and-forty meters of oceanic depth]

"Hell yeah," He lightly celebrated.

Such an achievement was truly worth bragging for, as he could sink over half a kilometer underwater now, without getting his soul crushed.

Surely that seemed like a valuable attribute. And the fact that humans didn't possess such an ability, was pleasing; it felt like an additional win.

For a long time he had felt trapped in this new body, but now he slowly considered himself superior to most creatures, which all-and-all was a great pride to cling on.

He lent a few minutes to his friends, so they could understand what he was so happy about; and it was fair to say that they swiftly shared the same joy.

Such collective happiness helped him feel comfortable that he had friends like these around, their joy was truly genuine and that was what he needed.

However, the system helped the hero remain on track by reminding him of a worthy detail.

[Three upgrade options have been unlocked, would you like to hear them out or see them?]

Such a question forced the sea-pancake to contemplate for a little bit.

Sure these new upgrades sounded painfully attractive, but they would likely take a lot of time. Especially since he was healthy and wealthy enough to buy everything available.

He wanted to approach these decisions a bit more strategically. That was why he peeked at Gerlach, and noticed that he was still analysing the tens of carcasses.

Surely his observation process could take a little while longer? So with that considered, the hero found it truly appropriate to spend some time to analyse these upgrades, if not buy them.

That was why he agreed, "Tell me more about these upgrades, system. Why do you call them a different era?"

[Second era to be more precise,]

[Well they are very different in comparison to any upgrades you have had so far. Of course they fall under the secondary category, but they can prove themselves lethal]

[And since you had undergone enough upgrades so far, you can withstand these purchases without lowering your survival rate]

[The prior upgrades were necessitates, these ones are deadly additions]

"This sounds important," Timmy followed along, as his eyes widened in excitement.

And of course he instantly demanded, "Can I know what these upgrades are? Like, explain my options."

[Certainly,] The system cooperated with no hesitancy whatsoever.

[Note that primary upgrades are always included, no matter what era you're in]

And that was when a red-tab opened up in front of the hero's vision. It began slowly typing out exactly what the system was talking about.

[Purchase option number one = Upgrade barb to level-two]

[Price = two-hundred system points]

"I haven't upgraded my barb in so long, that I don't even know what this upgrade does." He expressed, and didn't quite expect an answer.

But the system decided to bring along some specifics, and it was fair to say that every word of hers made sense.

[Barb upgrades usually affect the tail muscles, as much as they affect the actual barb]

[The tip of your barb would become sharper, tougher and pointier]

[While your actual tail would develop better muscles, so you could stab faster under the one-second-bracket]

"That sounds pretty good actually," He added, and smiled quite like a happy young boy.

It surely sounded like a good attribute. Stings of any volume proved crucial when launched against an enemy. And if it can be launched in larger quantities, its value was truly immeasurable.

But before such a skill could have been pondered on thoroughly, the system moved on with what else should be shown.

[Purchase option number two = Unlock the soul snare attribute]

[Price = Two-hundred system points]

"Now what the hell is that?" Timmy asked. Such a name truly managed to stun him.

[The era I told you about, is primarily related to soul powers]

He didn understand the context, so he had to ask. "So, my soul will be upgraded or something?"

[Technically, yes]

[The soul snare attribute for example, is a one time purchase]

[You won't need to spend more points on it, but yet it can become stronger]

"How?" The latter queried, he was rather lost at the moment.

[There are plenty of other soul-related upgrades. And the more you buy them, the stronger your soul becomes]

[Necessarily, every soul-related upgrade grows equally stronger in the process]