Until finally, in the distance, Finn caught a glimpse of movement.


    Something was rolling across the green grass—not walking, but rolling, like an object rather than a living creature.


    As it came into clearer view, he took in its bizarre form: a small, sphere-shaped head with two tiny black eyes, connected to a long, tube-like body. At the other end of the tube was another identical sphere, giving it an almost dumbbell-like appearance. Its entire body was milky white, gleaming under the skylight.


    Above it, hovering in a green glow, was its name: [Screamer Lvl. 20]


    The moment it spotted them, it halted its rolling motion and balanced itself upright on its lower sphere. Though its blank eyes lacked irises, it was unmistakably staring in their direction.


    Then, something shifted.


    Just below its eyes, a hole began to form—widening and stretching until it nearly consumed the upper sphere. At the same time, the lower sphere expanded, as did the connecting tube, its entire body swelling unnaturally like rubber.


    Is this its attack stance?


    Yukha had said its body was as hard as metal, yet it stretched effortlessly, defying logic. Finn barely had time to ponder this before a powerful vibration surged through his body.


    A silent scream.


    Even with the earplugs blocking the sound, the force rattled his bones, a gale of pressure slamming into him. He could only imagine how devastating it would be at close range—disorienting, if not outright rupturing someone''s eardrums.


    Without hesitation, Yukha acted.


    He hurled his greatsword in a spinning arc, striking the Screamer directly inside its gaping mouth. The blade split it in half.


    The creature dispersed like mist in the wind, vanishing in a burst of air that sent grass whipping in all directions.


    A system message flashed in Finn’s vision.


    Yukha: That''s how you kill them.


    With the threat gone, they resumed their journey. The realm''s sky was still bright, showing no signs of evening approaching.


    As they neared the mountain, Finn noticed something… off. Its appearance had changed somehow. He couldn’t quite place what was different, but the closer they got, the more unsettling it felt.


    The earplugs made for an odd sensation. Finn had worn them back on Earth before, but here, the effect was amplified. Perhaps due to his heightened Perception, it felt as if part of his surroundings had been erased—throwing off his sense of space.


    Eventually, he decided to remove them, figuring he could put them back in at the first sign of another Screamer.


    That moment came within minutes.


    A piercing shriek echoed through the air. Without hesitation, Finn replaced the earplugs and rushed toward the sound.


    Finn: Let me handle this one.


    Yukha: Alright.


    As the Screamer opened its gaping maw, Finn focused on Betelgeuse.


    The small red flame responded instantly, feeding on his mana. Its heat surged, radiating not just against his skin, but through the space around it—as if he himself were the flame.


    This was different from before. When he summoned flames as projectiles, he had always felt a connection to them, but with Betelgeuse, that connection was tenfold.


    Then, without his command, Betelgeuse summoned four more copies of itself. Five flames in total, with it at the center—like a soldier surrounded by his troops.


    Finn gave the order.


    In perfect sync, the four flames shot forward, diving into the Screamer’s open mouth.


    The moment they entered, they detonated.


    A fiery explosion erupted from within, consuming the creature instantly. The blast scorched the grass, mixing with the wind and leaving behind only drifting embers.


    Finn pulled out his earplugs, turning his attention back to his small flame.


    "Nice job, Betelgeuse," he said.


    The little red flame flickered excitedly, bouncing up and down in response.


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    "You named yourself?" Yukha asked, raising an eyebrow. "I do not even know what to say to that."


    "Technically, it’s not me—just a part of my subconscious," Finn replied. "Besides, it’s much easier to give commands with a name. Isn''t that right, Betelgeuse?"


    The red flame bounced in the air as if nodding in agreement.


    Yukha sighed, shaking his head. "It’s going to take me some time to get used to this. But if that is how you want to do things, I guess there is no harm in it."


    "You''ll get used to it. And this is just one flame—for now. It''ll get even weirder once I add and name more of them," Finn said with a smirk.


    "You plan to add more?" Yukha asked, eyes widening.


    "Absolutely. Betelgeuse can''t handle everything on his own, can he? I need to assign roles to each of them so they’re easier to command. Since Betelgeuse is the only one right now, let’s see…" Finn paused, then nodded to himself. "You’ll handle attacks I’ve already done before. Since you''re part of my subconscious, they should be stored in your memory too, right?"


    Betelgeuse bounced excitedly, confirming his words.


    "Good boy," Finn said, grinning.


    "This is the strangest thing I have ever seen in my life," Yukha muttered, eyeing the two of them. "Just don’t overdo it, alright?"


    "You got it."


    "When I taught you that training regimen, I only meant to improve your fire control little by little," Yukha added. "I had no idea it would escalate to this."


    "Well, thanks for teaching me anyway," Finn said, grinning.


    They continued their journey, encountering more corrupted wind elementals along the way—Floaters and Screamers.


    The Floaters—whose names had turned gray instead of green—were no longer a challenge. Finn didn’t even need to form drill-like flames to pierce their bodies like he had the day before. Now, a simple burst of fire was enough to take them down.


    The task didn’t even require much focus anymore, so he let Betelgeuse handle them instead.


    Just like before, Betelgeuse effortlessly created multiple copies of itself, intensifying their heat before launching them at the targets. It required no verbal command, as if it instinctively knew what Finn wanted.


    That’s my subconscious for you.


    The Screamers, on the other hand, were a different story. Their scream attacks were dangerous, but a simple pair of earplugs rendered them harmless. This gave Finn the perfect opportunity to test out another technique—one more suited for larger enemies.


    It was a classic fire spell, simple yet effective.


    A vortex of flames erupting from the ground, engulfing the target in an intense blaze.


    A fire pillar.


    His fire projectiles were powerful, controlled like missiles, but they were better suited for small targets. And according to the big red dots on the map, there were definitely larger enemies ahead.


    Bigger projectiles could work, but the larger they were, the easier they’d be to spot—making them easier to dodge or repel.


    Surprise was crucial in battle. That’s where the fire pillar came in.


    A sudden burst of flames from beneath the target? That had an element of unpredictability.


    Luckily, Screamers always stopped rolling before they attacked, making them easy prey. But Finn knew that relying on unmoving targets wouldn’t help him improve. Higher-level enemies wouldn’t wait around for him to land an attack.


    That’s where their next opponent came in.


    A new monster, one he hadn’t seen before.


    [Zipper Lvl. 22]


    Its name hovered in bright green—just the right level for Finn to test his new technique.


    The Zippers were small, white, floating spheres surrounded by a constantly rotating ring of wind. They looked almost like miniature planets with orbiting rings.


    Like the Floaters, they hovered in the air, but that was where the similarities ended. While Floaters drifted lazily until they spotted a target, the Zippers were fast. They zipped through the air unpredictably, moving like insects in erratic patterns.


    But that made them the perfect challenge.


    To make the fire pillar work, Finn needed to predict their movement—placing the attack in just the right spot, so when the flames erupted, they would hit the target point blank.


    He had to stay on constant alert, dodging the Zippers'' relentless assaults. Unlike the Floaters, which needed to pause after a charge, the Zippers had no such limitation. The moment they missed, they came to an abrupt stop—already preparing to attack again. It was as if they had no concept of momentum.


    The first time he encountered one, it nearly struck him square in the head.


    Thankfully, Betelgeuse was there. The moment the spinning creature closed in, the flame suddenly expanded, zipping around Finn’s back to build momentum before intercepting the Zipper’s direct attack. The impact threw the monster off course, buying Finn just enough time to step sideways and avoid the next strike.


    As the Zipper recovered and began its mad dash toward him again, Finn took the opportunity to focus on his new attack.


    Knowing Betelgeuse had his back gave him confidence. He could focus entirely on constructing the fire pillar.


    He turned his attention inward, envisioning the mana coursing through his veins. As before, he felt it stir within him, a heat source waiting to be unleashed.


    Just like back at The Threshold, he imagined a mouth inside him opening, releasing waves of fire.


    Then, shifting his focus to the space ahead, he pictured his mana spinning violently, spiraling into a vortex. A tornado of fire.


    Tiny flames flickered on the ground where he envisioned the pillar emerging.


    A circular trail of fire began to burn, twisting in place. More flames flickered to life, following the spiraling motion. Once the structure was set, he poured more of his mana into it, fueling its intensity. The flames roared higher and higher, until finally—


    A blazing pillar erupted.


    An orange inferno, spinning like a tornado. Flames licked outward, flickering and vanishing in an instant. Even from a distance, Finn could feel its scorching heat.


    He had done it.


    But by the time he completed it, Betelgeuse had already repelled the Zipper multiple times—enough that it had actually killed the creature before Finn had even finished casting.


    That took way too long.


    Still, now that he knew the motions required, all he had to do was replicate them until they became second nature.


    And that’s exactly what he did.


    Spotting another Zipper, he flicked a small flame in its direction. The creature immediately went on high alert, zipping toward him at breakneck speed.


    This time, Finn began constructing his fire pillar the moment it moved.


    But he was still too slow.


    By the time the flames fully emerged, the Zipper had already zipped past the spot where the fire should have engulfed it.


    Still not fast enough.


    Ducking sideways, he added a small burst of fire beneath his feet to propel himself further.


    But unlike before—when he’d used this technique to dodge Yukha’s attacks—this time the shockwave was stronger than he expected. Instead of a quick push, the force launched him, sending him tumbling across the grass. He rolled over small rocks and patches of dirt, finally skidding to a stop.


    "Are you alright, Finn?" Yukha called.


    Finn felt a few scratches from the rough landing, but they were nothing serious. He ignored them, quickly nodding to acknowledge Yukha before turning his attention back to the Zipper—


    Which was already barreling toward him again.