The number of rings increased as a mage progressed towards ascension. They could have as many as 3 rings before increasing their rank.
Michael marveled at the sight, still in disbelief. Who would have thought that his terrible fate would turn around after dying on almost 3 separate occasions. Just thinking about this made his skin crawl.
"I need to make a move." Michael told himself. Judging by the moonlight entering the crater, there was probably a few hours before daylight.
With some effort, he was able to climb out of the crater, using the boulders that had collapsed as footholds. By the time he arrived at the surface, his body had shaken any soreness from his earlier plight.
Is this what higher tiered mages feel like all the time? He thought, once again inspecting the two yellow rings on his wrist. He had always felt sickly and weak, yet now he felt full of energy.
Michael shook his head, he didn't have time to marvel at his newfound power. All his suffering would be for naught if he couldn't make it out of the Mana Scarred Lands.
But as he raised his gaze, he suddenly felt there was a problem. Looking left and right, he began to panic a little.
The mana storm has destroyed or moved most of the boulders. I don't know which way to go…
Faced with such a situation, Michael could only leave things up to fate once more. He selected a direction without much thought and moved forward with purpose. His body which felt far more durable, allowed him to cover a lot more ground in a shorter amount of time.
Without the sweltering sun, he was able to make good ground, guided by the cold rays of moonlight shining down from the sky.
Things seemed to be going well for Michael, but he didn't let his guard down. At any moment, another mana storm could appear within the wasteland. Although he'd been able to survive the first one by some miracle, there was no point in testing his fate once more.
Hours passed as he trudged along through the wasteland, but it wasn't long until he became thirsty. With a sense of expectation, Michael invoked the same water elemental spell he'd used earlier, only to almost drown from the downpour that was released from his fingers.
He spluttered, trying to remove the water from his nose, only to begin laughing a few moments later. Michael felt his cheeks begin to hurt as he laughed, his child-like mirth echoing across the wastelands.
A quick check of his rings showed that he had barely touched his mana reservoir despite using the same chore magic as earlier. This was something Michael could have only dreamed about in the past, yet it was now his reality.
"I probably don't even need to replenish my mana." Michael stated, unable to remove the grin on his face. But as this thought flitted across his mind, his expression changed.
If he needed to absorb the chaotic mana again, would he survive it this time? That was even if there was more of that stuff lying around to begin with.
Michael shook his head, It's safer to avoid absorbing such mana in the future he decided. Even if the chaotic mana was the thing that had helped him ascend to a yellow ringed mage, he wouldn't be able to enjoy its effects if he died in the process.
"Back to it." He mumbled, beginning his trek once more. A quick glance at the sky told him that the sun would rise soon, meaning he would need to look for shelter from the intense sun before long.
An hour later, the moonlight retreated, replaced with the rays of the burgeoning sun from the sky. Michael spotted a few boulders in the distance, something that he might be able to use for temporary shelter.
There were also some more craters nearby, but he had already dismissed them. Fool me once… he mused.
By the time he arrived at his potential campsite, the sun had already fully appeared over the horizon. Even though it was still early, Michael was already sweating from the heat.
He surveyed the area, looking for a spot that would shield him from the sun for the longest. Eventually, he settled for a nook on the other side of the boulders. Not only would he be able to avoid the sun for a good 6 hours, his chances of being crushed again were small.
"I should try get some sleep." He muttered, lying down upon the hard ground. While it might have been uncomfortable, Michael was mentally exhausted from what had happened last night.
After a few minutes, he drifted off to sleep, ignoring the grumbles of his stomach.
What felt like only a couple of seconds later, the sound of an explosion rocked his body awake. He sat up instantly, going on alert.
What the hell was that?! He subconsciously placed his back against the boulder and looked left and right, trying to locate the source of the sound he'd heard. But upon doing so, his eyes opened wide in shock.
What greeted him was not the wastelands where he'd fallen asleep, but something else entirely. The once arid environment was filled with rolling hills of grass and flowers, painting a beautiful landscape.
At least that's what it could have been if it weren't for the giant balls of fire raining down from the sky onto the land below. Once again, Michael's body shuddered as the explosions rang out, kicking up dirt and debris into the surroundings.
A horrifying pressure left him gasping for air as he witnessed what he'd only heard in legends play out before him. Instinctively, Michael knew that whoever was casting these spells were far stronger than even his father.
A sense of hopelessness crept over him as he stared at the carnage taking place in front of his eyes. Mages appeared, wielding their magic from far away, reeking destruction upon their enemies.
Mountains were crushed and seas moved as these figures fought to the death, disregarding anything else in the vicinity. Michael could feel just how insignificant he was in that moment.