Chapter 151: Breakthrough (2/2)

Li then placed the sword on his shoulder as he pointed with his thumb to his chest. They then pointed with their chin toward the mana room. Despite how chaotic these gestures were, Arthur understood the meaning.

”You stand guard?” Arthur asked and received a nod. ”Alright, thank you.” He laughed before turning and heading into the mana room. As he opened the door, he was met with a rich air of mana. He closed the door behind him as he breathed in and out.

He felt his mana increasing by simply breathing in this room. This was probably the way people trained and hunted. In areas with a highly-condensed amount of mana. Arthur sat down in a lotus position as he prepared himself to merge with existence again.

Like a rolling tape of a film, every memory he created since he awakened played in his head. Avarice dungeon, Master Ronin, the trial, the goblins, Alfred, the Runes Cup, and the fortress. So many things changed and now they would change once more.

Unlike normal arts, the Art of Creation used existence as a mana condensing agent. It pulled on every law of existence to create something from ethereal energy. This was the first step as an evolved human.

This was normally produced by an agent that would provide a medium for the mana to manifest into the world. For example, the Maiden's Tear is a material that allowed mana to take a physical form by inhabiting it.

However, Arthur was about to turn mana into a purely physical form. No medium would limit the mana into a lesser form, one with impurities. He would use the laws to create pure manablood.

He breathed in. He breathed out. The moment he thought about the art, every word in it appeared in his mind, telling him the secrets of creation. Mystical, poetic, domineering, and pure they were. His mana followed the paths, created new ones, and molded his body into a new vessel.

His sense of self was fading but a thin connection remained. He was becoming one with the earth, one with air, one with space, one with the flickering flames, one with everything.

Like a distant crunch of leaves, he heard his bones crack and grow. He felt his muscles drink mana like a starved soul. Every cell in his body used mana to create newer cells as the weaker ones died.

Using the slim connection in his mind, Arthur opened his legacy. With his own eyes, he saw the numbers change. The stats rose and his runes also started evolving.

His state of existence became more prominent, closing in on something far greater. Something nostalgic and familiar. Something akin to a home he always lived in. The first change happened in his strength stats.

[Strength: 101.]

He broke through the limits of neo-rankers. Then came agility, stamina, perception, and mana. All of them started rising.

101. 102. They didn't stop. 103, 104, 105… 110. They showed no signs of stopping. Arthur didn't plan on stopping the use of his Art. He knew it was dangerous to indulge in such certainty, but he needed it. His stats broke through 120. They kept rising until they were 130, but they didn't stop.

Then, his runes began evolving as well. Every rune that could evolve rushed to do so. His Strength-II became Strength-III. His Teleport-I rune became Teleport-II.

As these changes kept happening, Arthur's consciousness slowly faded as he felt that he no longer existed. A certainty he missed pulled him as he felt himself oblige. However, there was a wall that stopped him. It was the last piece of fabric separating him from that familiar place.

”Arthur,” A voice spoke to him. Arthur turned to see Jizo standing beside the wall like a gatekeeper. ”It's time you wake up. You can't go any further.”

”Where… am I?” Arthur asked, his voice traveling like waves of ethereal through space. It was the first time he talked to Jizo after he saw the dream in the trial.

”This is everywhere,” Jizo looked at the ethereal world full of white. ”And this is you.”

”Me?” Arthur asked with confusion. He looked at the thin wall separating him from the light. ”I yearn to go there, Jizo.”

”I know.” Jizo nodded in understanding. ”However, it's too early for you.” Arthur turned to look at him and nodded in understanding.

”The seven families are coming for me,” Arthur said to him. ”I don't know if I'm enough.”

”They need you as much as they fear you.” Jizo shook his head. ”You're their only way to survive later on.”

”I don't understand.” Arthur felt his voice turn heavy as if it was sinking, unable to reach. ”Why did you choose me to be the outsider?”

”I never chose you. You were the outsider all along.” Arthur felt himself being pulled back, away from the light and Jizo. ”You'll understand everything later on. For now, get stronger.” These were the last words Arthur remembered before the world went black.