The Phantom Whale's stomach, with its unique spatial properties, began to burn the instant it lit up.
It burned XP as fuel.
[Phantom Stomach] burned.
In fact, it was not just [Phantom Stomach] that was burning. Arthur's entire body was burning too.
At first, only his heart burned. Then, from the heart, burning blood was pumped into his other internal organs, his bones and muscles, and finally every part of his body.
Arthur could clearly sense his [Physique] rising sharply with every breath, while his [Spirituality] became more active than ever before.
And beyond [Physique] and [Spirituality], a trace of an exceedingly unusual energy appeared.
It was the transformation that came after [Golden Thread] had grown to a certain pinnacle over the long years, as the [Cat's Orange] ritual maintained the effects of [Ascetic Vow].
It was like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon!
More than that, it was an evolution!
And it was not just [Golden Thread] that evolved!
[Feast], [Self-Healing], and [Adaptive State] all evolved along with it.
That evolution fed back into Arthur's body once more-
Crack, crack.
Sounds like beans popping in a pan came from the bones inside Arthur's body.
The sounds grew faster and more frequent.
Once the vibrations of his bones reached their peak, his blood began to vibrate as well.
Thump, thump, thump!
His heart beat again and again.
Each beat was stronger than the last.
With each heartbeat, his unique [Spirituality] traced out the power exclusive to advancing [Great Orange] to its ultimate form, and Arthur could sense his heart suddenly lighting up.
Not the entire heart, but a tiny spot on it.
First, one tiny spot.
Then another.
In the space of a breath, those tiny lights spread like sparks, joining into a dense mass that became a ball of