Chapter 138: Spirit Zone (1)

Chapter 138: Spirit Zone (1) (Magic Heavy) The trip back from the Northern Territory was short, since Thyra decided to drop Arthur, Amelia, Ellie, Cassie, and Cecilia off herself using her demonic dragon form. Except for the five main academy students who had passed the test to enter the higher institution, Apex, Seraph, who was also in the academy, along with Sarah, who had just transferred, and Echidna, who was now Arthur’s sword, also followed. And after two days’ journey, they all reached Central Academy. Seraph and Echidna were given special privileges to Apex since they were bound to Arthur, while Sarah headed for Central’s main building. "Greetings, my diamond in the rough," Corveth greeted, excitement clear in his voice. "The nine of you will soon see the other gates of the great academy." Before the crew had started their journey back to Central, Isabella had given them a few hints about the academy and how things worked. However, both she and Alicia kept asking Amelia, Ellie, Cassie, and him if they knew about ’that’. And when they answered no each time, they always seemed to get mad at Nathira for not being a good master to him. Even Sylvia was upset that he didn’t know about it. ’Such a stupid way to act mysterious.’ Arthur pulled himself out of his thoughts and faced the man-child in front of him. The great and mighty Corveth Von Ashwraithe. Corveth pointed at each of the nine. Ninth place, Ravian Roderick Valtor. Eighth place, Cecilia Von Arcain. Seventh place, Cassie Val Arcain. Sixth place, Ayla Val Archaian. Fifth place, Ellie Val Arcain. Fourth place, Eric Daemon. Third place, Amelia Val Arcain. Second place, Naza El Salvador. And finally, in first place, Arthur Val Arcain. Corveth smiled. "I would have loved to take all of you in right now, but that seems impossible even for me." His expression turned somber. "The rules of Apex say only those who have learned ’that’ can enter." Arthur’s gaze darkened. ’That? Again?’ Eric raised his hand. "Sir, what’s ’that’?" Corveth gave a soft, genuine smile. "Sorry, can’t tell you." "What?!" Eric yelled but quickly lowered his voice. "If you don’t tell us, then how are we meant to know what it is?" Corveth immediately agreed with his words. "You are indeed right. You can’t do anything with a vague word like that." He turned to Arthur. "The man with many wives, why don’t you come up and spar with me?" He grinned. "It’s just a small spar." ’What is this man up to?’ Arthur questioned, returning the grin. ’Is he planning to use me as a test subject?’ Yeah, there was no way he would allow that. Arthur shifted his stance slightly. Corveth, on the other hand, didn’t move. "I heard you were called the man that walked an original path. It does seem true in some regard." Arthur’s eyes narrowed. "In some?" Corveth nodded. "You are indeed impressive for creating a unique energy, but that’s where it stops." His gaze grew darker. "What is the difference between rank and spirit?" "What?" ’Is this some kind of riddle?’ It didn’t make sense for the word ’rank’ and the word ’spirit’ to be put in the same sentence. Regardless, he still answered: "Rank is the linear progression of strength, and spirit is the strength one can wield even within that rank." Corveth’s eyes widened, then he smiled like his child had just won an award. "You’re really a genius, aren’t you?" ’Wait, that was correct?’ Arthur thought, masking his surprise. The Dean gave a nod. "Indeed, aside from experience and rank, there is another factor that affects strength, and that is spirit." He gestured lightly with his hand. "Spirit could be courage, bravery, or things like that, but in the case of awakened’s spirit, it’s a whole different concept." His continued his lecture: "When an awakened tries to use his or her powers, three things are needed, spirit, soul, and body." "The soul represents that person’s energy, the body is the means to that end, and the spirit is the route that leads the soul to the body." He raised a finger. "So, Arthur Val Arcain, what do you think will happen if a person can’t use their spirit?" Arthur’s eyes widened. ’What the hell is this old man even saying?’ Spirit? Body? Soul? None of those words ever came up in the game. Wasn’t using powers about just getting the feel of it and throwing out all the spells you could with your mana? No... Arthur remembered clearly the sensation he felt the day he used God’s ability to the fullest. It wasn’t like he just reset the world or created magic spells in it. No, he ’became’ the world itself. Everything seemed so small, like he was nothing and everything all at once. Arthur didn’t even realize when his mouth opened: "They won’t be able to erase themselves and become one with the world." ’How? Even if he is considered a genius, isn’t this too much?’ Corveth’s thoughts were partially correct. It was true Arthur was a genius, but the reason he understood his words so much was because he had played so many games that knowledge of power systems was ingrained in his mind. Plus, it felt a bit like physics. If the particles of a human body were able to split into tiny atoms, then a whole new world would be available for them. Corveth wanted to say more. At that moment, he didn’t care about the others who were listening. He just wanted the genius in front of him to shine. He continued, letting the wind flutter around them: "Arthur Val Arcain, do you know that when the awakened use energy, they are meant to become one with the world? They should be able to sense, see, and breathe everything around them." He shifted his stance, and without being told, Arthur mirrored him. "That super-sensitive state is what your spirit is." Golden light that moved like slime formed around Arthur. It glowed faintly, but before it could stabilize into a spell, it vanished, dissolving into sparks of energy. Arthur’s eyes darted to Corveth, who was grinning. ’How did he?’ he panicked slightly. ’My spell got deactivated? Was it antimagic? No, it... just vanished.’ Corveth’s voice snapped him back into reality. "Do you have the time to be overthinking, Arthur Val Arcain?" Corveth formed a massive fireball in one hand and crackling lightning in the other, then fused them together into a huge orb. ’A Tier 8 spell?’ It was the lowest tier of spells, so why? Arthur shook his head, leaping into the air to make some distance. ’I can’t let him deactivate my spell again.’ He wasn’t sure how Corveth had done it, but he wasn’t about to lose. Using Blue, he cast a Tier 6 flame spell that shimmered with azure light and hurled the blazing mass toward Corveth. The man-child smirked. "Smart... But." He compressed his magic to the tip of his index finger and launched it toward Arthur’s spell. This was literally a hydrogen bomb vs. a coughing baby, right? So why... Before Arthur could process his thoughts, the Tier 8 spell shattered his Tier 6 spell and slammed into his gut, twisting it. There was no way it was because of a rank gap. Since he had the highest rank in the world, so how? Corveth grinned as if he had given him the answer. Arthur’s eyes widened as he was hurled toward a tree. And only a single word echoed in his mind: "Spirit." It was definitely a unique concept. But what if what he knew as the normal way of mana flow was actually wrong? What if moving mana from the brain core through the veins and out of the body was flawed? What if the world needed to react to mana first to draw out its fullest potential? In physics, there were experiments with closed systems versus open systems. For example, if fire was lit in a closed system without oxygen, it wouldn’t ignite. If it was in unfiltered oxygen, it would create too much carbon dioxide. However, in an open system where one could spread their consciousness and filter the air around them, the fire produced would burn blue and hotter, and the spells born under such conditions would be stronger. ’But how?’ Arthur had only one thought then. Spread your consciousness. Spread your mana. Spread your spirit. A zone created just for him. A zone where he could wield mana with clarity. A zone where he could sense everything and anything. ’What am I? What is mana or force?’ Even if he asked himself a million times, his brain would conjure its own answers. But he wasn’t his brain. His brain was only one organ in his body. That meant he had to... feel it. Instead of thinking, he needed to ’feel’ what he was, and what energy was, only then would he be able to spread his consiousness. Energy was the ability to do work, and if he ’became’ that work instead of merely performing it, Then he could spread himself across the world. Not his soul, but his mind. Arthur opened his eyes as cold sweat trickled down his temples. He remembered Nathira once asking him if he knew why all awakened’s eyes glow when they use energy. And when he answered no, she seemed pleased. ’So this is why?’ Behind the question of who he was lay a different world. The world beyond human perception. Spirit Zone. ─── ✦ End of Chapter ✦ ───