As they traveled, Finn noticed scattered monsters along the way. When he glanced at their names, most were already gray, a clear sign they were much weaker than him now. His recent level gains had widened the gap.
Even though they posed no threat, Finn didn’t let them go. He hadn’t forgotten Julian’s quest, and clearing them out barely required any effort now. The monsters fell easily to his attacks, speeding up their journey considerably.
While they ran, Finn opened his stats:
<hr>
Name: Finn Hayes
Level: 12 → 20
<hr>
Eight levels gained. He’d expected more, considering he’d fought through nearly a hundred floaters and the higher-leveled Shredder. But somewhere during the battle, his level must have increased enough to diminish the experience he earned. Still, an eight-level jump was significant.
Next, he checked his Elemental Affinities:
<hr>
Elemental Affinities:
Stone: 0
Water: X
Fire: 194 → 212
Wind: 0
Free Points: 16
<hr>
He quickly allocated all 16 free points to Fire, pushing it to 228.
Then he moved to his Attributes:
<hr>
Attributes
Constitution: 10 → 15
Strength: 10 → 20
Perception: 26 → 36 (x2)
Wisdom: 54 → 80
Free Points: 16
<hr>
To his surprise, Constitution had increased alongside his other stats. It must have been due to the injury he’d sustained and Yukha’s healing afterward. The memory of that wound sent a faint shiver through him, prompting him to invest 10 points into Constitution, raising it to 25. The remaining 6 points were split between Perception and Wisdom, bringing them to 39 (x2) and 83, respectively.
Finn distributed his points as they ran, conserving time. By now, he’d grown used to the process and no longer needed full concentration. He even managed to snipe a few stray monsters with projectile attacks while allocating points. His heightened Perception allowed him to detect their movements clearly, and he struck them without needing to look directly. Still, he stayed vigilant. Even if the monsters were weaker now, the itching memory of his injured arm kept him cautious. He wouldn’t let the same mistake happen again.
Before long, they reached their destination—the second teleport point.
From the outside, it looked just like the first one: an ordinary shed. But unlike before, Finn now noticed something his increased Perception allowed him to feel—a subtle barrier surrounding the structure. It was likely there to prevent enemies from entering the teleport radius.
As they stepped inside, a familiar pop-up appeared:
REGISTER TELEPORT POINT [GALEGRAVE EXPANSE]?
Finn mentally confirmed, and the lock icon vanished.
He quickly opened the first quest to check its progress:
<hr>
Quest #1: Unlock all teleport points in the first realm.
Teleport points unlocked: 2/4
Rewards: 20000 VP
<hr>
Two down, two to go.
The fog surrounding the teleport location began to lift, revealing the terrain around them. Finn’s eyes shifted to his map, where a new red dot appeared to the north. Just like the first one, it loomed near the teleport point, ominous and foreboding, as if waiting for their arrival.
But something about this red dot was different. The map showed lines surrounding it, giving the impression of elevation. Finn frowned, lowering the map as realization struck.
He looked ahead, toward the direction of the red dot. That’s when he saw it—a massive green landform towering in the distance.
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"A mountain," Finn murmured, understanding now why the terrain on the map looked jagged near the dot. Though it appeared small from where they stood, it would undoubtedly grow larger as they approached.
“So that’s where the second one is located,” Yukha said, his eyes fixed on the same distant peak.
Finn’s heart raced at Yukha’s words, a surge of exhilaration coursing through him. It reminded him of the thrill he felt before fighting his first boss in the games he used to play.
Like the first red dot, Finn deduced this one was tied to a strong corrupted elemental, likely the strongest in this area.
From what Yukha had said back at the first teleport point, the first was most likely a corrupted water elemental. That meant this one had to be associated with a different element.
"A second one appearing after we unlocked the second teleport point," Yukha noted, his tone thoughtful. "It’s likely there’s a correlation between the strongest corrupted elementals and the teleport points. If that’s the case, there are probably two more of them, corresponding to the two teleport locations we have yet to unlock."
"Four teleport locations, and one red dot near each," Finn echoed. "You said the first was the strongest water elemental in that area, right? If we follow that logic, maybe these red dots represent corrupted elementals tied to the four elements. Which means this one could be wind, stone, or fire."
"Good deduction," Yukha said with a nod. "And judging by its location—a mountain—it’s probably wind. If I’m right, it’s likely sitting at the peak of that mountain."
Finn furrowed his brow. Yukha was probably right. After all, this world operated like a game, and placing a boss at the top of a mountain made perfect sense. But that also meant they’d have to climb it.
"Mountain climbing, huh?" Finn sighed. "Sounds like a pain. I wish we could just fly straight to the peak. Though, I’ve started enjoying running lately, so maybe this will grow on me too."
"That’s the spirit," Yukha said, a faint grin on his lips. "Besides, didn’t you say you wanted to eliminate every corrupted elemental? Isn’t a mountain the perfect path for that? We’ll clear them out as we climb, you’ll gain levels along the way, and when we reach the summit, you’ll be ready to face the strongest one."
"That’s a good way of looking at it," Finn admitted.
The idea reminded him of dungeon raids from the games he played, but instead of an enclosed dungeon, the mountain was the battleground. The comparison gave him an unexpected jolt of excitement.
"If I manage to beat it, I’ll probably gain a ton of levels," Finn said.
"You will," Yukha replied confidently. "But we should not start climbing today. Judging by the size of that mountain, it will take a while to reach the top. And it’s already afternoon. Climbing unfamiliar terrain at night is a terrible idea."
"Fair point," Finn agreed. "But it’d feel like a waste to just sit around until tomorrow. What if we clear all the monsters on the way to the mountain today? That way, we won’t have to deal with them tomorrow."
"Good thinking," Yukha said, then smirked. "But not before we eat. After all that ruckus earlier, I’m starving."
"But we just ate before we left," Finn pointed out.
"That was hours ago," Yukha shot back. "And you can’t fight properly on an empty stomach."
"Fine," Finn relented. "But you eat alone. I don’t have much of an appetite after everything that happened."
"Suit yourself," Yukha said, already digging into his first plate.
<hr>
Once Yukha finished eating, they set off toward the mountain, ready to execute their plan of clearing the path before their climb the next day.
As they walked, Finn’s mind kept returning to what Yukha had told him earlier—how his small flame had acted on its own during his breakdown, saving his life.
Now, that same flame hovered in front of him, flickering steadily.
"Expand," Finn commanded.
To his surprise, the flame obeyed, swelling slightly as a faint trickle of mana left his body.
"It actually worked," Finn muttered, his eyes narrowing. "I didn’t even consciously inject mana into it."
The flame danced in response, as if acknowledging his words.
"Now shrink back," Finn said.
Just like before, the flame obeyed, returning to its original size.
"This is amazing," he muttered.
"You know you''re just talking to yourself, right?" Yukha said, raising an eyebrow.
"Maybe," Finn admitted, "but it''s kind of like having a magical pet."
"Treating your subconscious as a pet? That doesn’t sound normal," Yukha replied.
Finn had to agree, but he wasn’t about to let normalcy get in the way of turning his own subconscious into a weapon. The flame responded to his commands far quicker than his regular summons, whether spoken aloud or just thought.
"You know what? I’m giving you a name," Finn decided.
He paused, mulling it over. "You''re red, round, bright, and always hovering above me… That’s it—I’ve got the perfect name for you. Betelgeuse, just like the red star."
The tiny flame flickered and spun in place, sending a faint, tickling sensation through Finn’s mind.
Was that my subconscious responding? He hesitated, suddenly wondering if naming it was a bad idea. Hopefully, I don’t end up giving myself some kind of cognitive issue.
A sharp, piercing sound suddenly interrupted his thoughts. It came from up ahead, in the direction they were heading. They had sensed a corrupted elemental nearby, and now it was making itself known.
Finn could feel the creature’s presence, but it remained out of sight. However, the sheer volume of its screech made him freeze. A noise that loud could only come from something big.
So far, none of the corrupted creatures he’d encountered had been particularly large—most were about the size of small animals. That made them much less intimidating.
The biggest one, the Shredder, had been stationary, which probably made it seem less threatening than it actually was. Maybe that was why he had let his guard down.
A second screech ripped through the air, even louder than before, sending a painful, grating sensation through his skull. It was like nails on a chalkboard—multiplied by a thousand. Finn clenched his teeth, hands flying up to cover his ears.
Beside him, he saw Yukha’s mouth moving, but the pain ringing in his head drowned out whatever he was saying.
"What?" Finn shouted, lowering his hands.
"It''s a Screamer," Yukha said. "Easy to kill, but a nightmare for warriors and anyone fighting in close combat."
"Screamer?" Finn repeated.
"They use wind to manipulate their voices, focusing and amplifying their shrieks to disorient their targets," Yukha explained. "Once you''re stunned, they spin their bodies—hard as metal—and slam into your head to cave it in."
Finn winced. "How big are these things?"
"About the size of a floater," Yukha said.
The fear that had been creeping into Finn’s gut evaporated almost instantly. He had been picturing some massive monster, but now all he could imagine was an overgrown floater screaming at the top of its nonexistent lungs.
So, they just had loud voices, not big bodies.
"Fortunately, there’s an easy countermeasure," Yukha said.
He opened his palm, revealing two tiny, bean-sized objects.
Finn smirked. "Earplugs, of course."
He took them and fitted them snugly into his ears.
A third scream rang out, but this time, Finn felt nothing—just a faint vibration on his skin.
Yukha gave him a nod. Finn understood the signal. Move in.
He nodded back and sprinted forward, Yukha following close behind.
A notification appeared in front of him.
Yukha: They have hard bodies. Wait for them to open their mouths, then strike inside.
Finn mentally responded.
Finn: Got it.
Just like before, he could reply without speaking—another useful system feature.
Another vibration ran through his body, stronger than before. They were getting close.