Chapter 25. Changes in the Spiritual World

As Arthur approached the remnants of the village, the air was thick with the smell of smoke and ash. Destroyed buildings and charred remains were everywhere. He stepped cautiously through the ashes, listening intently to ensure that no gnolls had survived. The silence around him was broken only by the occasional crackling of smoldering embers.

Arthur felt exhausted, but also satisfied—his plan had worked. The gnoll village lay in ruins, their numbers reduced to a minimum. However, he knew he had to remain vigilant. Even a single surviving enemy could cause trouble.

Making his way through the wreckage, he noticed the remnants of a fortress at the village center. The walls had collapsed entirely, and the roof had turned into a heap of charred wooden beams. This was the place he hoped to find any remaining gnoll resources or information about their tribe.

When Arthur stepped inside, his eyes fell on a large stone staircase leading to the basement. The surviving steps were covered in ash, but they still looked sturdy enough. With some hesitation, he descended, entering a small stone chamber. Scattered across the floor were metal fragments, remnants of weapons, and bones—most likely trophies taken by the gnolls.

Suddenly, he felt movement behind him. He barely had time to turn before a massive figure emerged from the shadows. It was the gnoll chieftain.

He looked terrifying—his body was covered in deep burns, patches of his skin were charred, and his fur had almost completely burned away. His eyes burned with fury and pain, and his breathing was heavy and ragged. Despite his injuries, he still looked formidable. In his hands, he gripped a massive club, still stained with blood.

Arthur froze. He hadn't expected the chieftain to survive the fire, let alone escape the burning village. But now, he stood before him, and there was nowhere to run.

"You..." the chieftain rasped. "It was you… who destroyed…"

He didn't finish his sentence before launching himself at Arthur with surprising speed for someone in his condition. His club crashed against the floor just as Arthur dodged at the last moment.

Wasting no time, Arthur activated a stone barrier, creating a protective wall around himself. But the chieftain's strike was so powerful that the rocks shattered upon impact, barely shielding him. Arthur realized that even in his weakened state, this enemy was too strong to fight in direct combat. His body was already beginning to be covered by tree bark.

He attempted to use a spike barrier, summoning sharp stone spires from the ground beneath the chieftain's feet. The spikes shot up instantly, aiming to impale his enemy. But despite his injuries, the chieftain displayed remarkable agility. He leaped over part of the spikes, suffering only minor scratches, and charged at Arthur once more.

Every strike he delivered was heavy and relentless. Arthur barely managed to evade them, trying to maintain distance. A thought flashed through his mind—if the fight dragged on, it wouldn't end in the chieftain's favor.

Finally, Arthur noticed that the chieftain's breathing was growing heavier. The burns were clearly taking their toll, draining his strength. Arthur decided to take advantage of this. He began moving faster, forcing the chieftain to chase him, dodging his attacks. Gradually, the gnoll leader slowed, his swings becoming less accurate.

As Arthur parried another blow, the chieftain missed and struck a rough stone wall with all his might. Cracks spread across the ceiling, and with a thunderous crash, part of it collapsed, burying the enraged chieftain beneath the rubble.

The gnoll roared in pain, his body weakening further. Arthur gathered the last of his magical energy and summoned another set of spikes, which this time pierced the chieftain's legs, pinning him down.

Seizing the moment, Arthur delivered the final strike—channeling all his power into a sharp stone spear that impaled the chieftain's chest. The massive creature froze before collapsing to the ground with a final, ragged breath.

Arthur stepped back, breathing heavily, watching as the chieftain's body lay motionless among the debris. It took him a few moments to process that the battle was finally over.

He stepped closer, surveying his fallen enemy with relief.

Emerging from the underground chamber, he cast one last glance over the burned village. This place was no longer a threat to his spiritual world. But Arthur couldn't shake the feeling that this victory had come at a steep cost.

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Afterward, Arthur returned to the central part of his spiritual world. At first glance, everything seemed calm, but deep inside, he felt that something had changed. His spiritual world seemed to take on a life of its own—somewhere beneath the surface, from its very foundation, a powerful surge of energy began to rise, spreading to every corner of his domain.

The sensation was both eerie and exhilarating. Arthur climbed the hill near his tower, from where he could oversee his entire realm. The floating island, which had previously hovered at a slight distance, now slowly began to merge with his spiritual world. He watched as the boundaries between his domain and this new land blurred.

At first, they appeared as faint, almost invisible energy lines stretching like bridges between the two spaces. But with each passing hour, these lines grew brighter, pulsing like magical rivers.

The island, once foreign and disconnected, was now becoming an integral part of his world. Arthur could feel the transformation—its lush forests, towering mountains, and even the charred remains of the gnoll village were seeping into his domain, reshaping and conforming to the rules of his world. The forests grew denser, the soil brimmed with vitality, and even the scorched land began to sprout new life, filling the air with fresh energy.

The process of absorption took several days. Each day, Arthur sensed how the massive island embedded itself deeper into the structure of his world. It felt like breathing—every night, as he closed his eyes, he could almost feel his world "inhaling" the new land, and by morning, the energy around him became richer and more vibrant.

The merging of the two worlds was not just a physical change. It was a process filled with intricate magical interactions, which Arthur could observe and even partially control. When he focused, he could sense the smallest details—how the energy flowed from pink-tinged clouds, wrapped around forests and mountains, reshaping them to fit the laws of his world. Even the ruins of the gnoll village, which had initially seemed like a dark stain on the land, began to be covered in moss and plants, as if nature itself was erasing the scars of battle.

When the process was complete, Arthur stood atop one of the new island's hills. Here, at the boundary between old and new, he felt an immense surge of power. His spiritual world had grown significantly. It felt as if every piece of land, every leaf in the new forest, and every rock formation was now connected to him on a deeper level.

His reserves of spiritual energy had nearly doubled. Before, casting spells had felt like draining a limited well of power. Now, energy flowed through him like a mighty river. This meant he could experiment with magic more freely, train for longer periods, and even attempt new spells that had once seemed unattainable.

Moreover, the space for new spell models had expanded several times over. Previously, he had been forced to choose carefully between defensive, offensive, and support spells. Now, he could inscribe far more runes into his world, unlocking entirely new possibilities.

This victory wasn't just about practical advantages—it symbolized his growth. Arthur recalled how other students often complained that their spiritual worlds expanded too slowly, even after long hours of meditation or using expensive magical elixirs. For most, expanding a spiritual world was a painfully slow and costly process. But for him, it had happened naturally, as if his world was adapting to the challenges he overcame.

Climbing the slope, Arthur paused to survey his surroundings. The new island was vast, with dense forests swaying in the wind and mountain ridges stretching toward the sky. He knew there were still unexplored corners, hiding both opportunities and dangers. But now, this island belonged to him.

Looking toward the horizon, Arthur felt not only joy but also gratitude. His hard-won victory over the gnolls had led him to this moment.

Yet, despite his newfound strength, unresolved matters remained. The most pressing was his debt—he still owed Alice borrowed points, with interest, and he needed to thank Anya for her help. This made him consider how to earn points, but before that, he had to decide how to develop his magic.

Surveying his domain, Arthur noticed that most of the new island's territory was covered in dense forests, brimming with life. The trees seemed to breathe energy, filling the air with vitality. The roots of massive oaks stretched deep into the earth, while their canopies formed a thick cover, blocking out the sky. Arthur realized that he could now harness this environment as a vast potential for developing wood-based magic. The forest was a living source of power, which, if used correctly, could become a formidable tool in his hands.

"I need to think of a spiritual rune that can enhance tree-based spells," he mused while walking through the woods. He felt that while his transformation spells and stone spikes were useful, they couldn't fully unlock the potential of this new space. He needed something that would harmonize with the nature of his spiritual world—something that would draw upon the energy of the trees and transform them into either a weapon or a defense.

Arthur knew that there were many runes associated with nature magic, each with its own unique properties, making the choice a difficult one.