CH617

“Dang, they cut it pretty close getting these to us,” Ben said as he looked over and sniffed the same bar of food they’d gotten during the first wave, made by the divine chef and imparting incredible buffs even to someone like him who didn’t have the sort of constitution to let him enjoy them to the same extent as so many others.

“At least we got them at all,” Thera said with a shrug, about to eat hers but watching as Ben slipped his into his ring. “Not going to have it right now?”

“Saving it for a special occasion,” He told her as he instead took out and downed one of his mana regeneration potions. “This should do for now.”

After having experienced its effects during the first wave, he’d decided it was the sort of thing that would be best saved for a low point, with Thera following his lead after hesitating a second.

“Just don’t go trying to make me take yours if things look bad,” She warned, getting a smile for her efforts.

“Would I do that sort of thing?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, well I won’t this time. Anyway, what do you think the odds are that Falk could get me a meeting with the divine chef now that he’s at the third tier? He could probably set up a meeting for me, right? Maybe score me a snack or two too.”

He’d be happy to get any scrap she cooked, if only because that meant he’d be able to replicate it with his actualization in Myriad’s realm to enjoy at his leisure, but Thera just shook her head.

“I feel like your odds would have been best asking before this wave, there’s no way she’s going to have time to entertain you after, even if it’s only for a few minutes.”

“Lame, but likely correct. Ugh, okay, now I’m fully motivated for this world to win. We’ll do everything we can to make it happen.”

“Please be fully motivated about that because of your own survival, not your stomach.”

He grinned as she sighed, having lightened the mood just a bit before the final flare went up, telling them there was only a minute left as he couldn’t help but take her free hand as part of him counted down.

All of the mages around were holding out their staves, already preparing to cast as he wondered if he should have made himself the same before ultimately shaking his head. He’d had the glove he’d made himself in the dead god’s trial to channel his mana through but hadn’t even really felt the need to use that after awakening his magic, his control was simply too good at that point to require an additional aid and he couldn’t imagine a proper staff making too much of a difference for him when it was something he wasn’t used to. If anything, he was more likely to fumble with it unless he’d take a couple days to practice first. Even if not for everyone, the way he did things is what suited him most in the end.

Forty seconds.

He could feel the potion taking effect as he casually burned some of his mana, manipulating a piece of stone in his pocket by breaking it into its composite parts and remaking it before letting his mind linger on some of what filled his spatial ring.