Chapter 20 - Refining The Flames

After a few seconds, the floater charged at them in a blur, moving with jet-like speed. Finn barely had time to react.

But Yukha was faster.

With a practiced motion, Yukha drove the tip of his greatsword into the ground, the blade sinking with a heavy thud as chunks of soil and grass scattered. He angled the sharp edge outward, positioning it directly in the creature's path.

The floater collided with the greatsword, and its translucent body burst apart in an explosion of air. A powerful gust slammed into them, rustling their hair and clothes. Finn felt the wind sting his face like a thousand tiny needles, mixed with a fleeting warmth.

It was as though Yukha had predicted the creature's every move, planting his weapon in the precise spot where it would hit.

"It's fast," Yukha said, brushing dirt off his blade, "but its movements are incredibly predictable. Once it locks onto you and charges, it can't change direction."

Finn frowned, still replaying the earlier exchange. "I don't get it. Its body looked fragile, like the blobs. My flame should've pierced through it easily, especially after I leveled up. But it didn't even scratch its surface."

"There's a reason for that," Yukha replied. "The blobs' bodies were mostly water—soft and pliable, like jelly. The wind drifter is different. Its body is made of compressed wind. The outer layer consists of countless tiny gusts spinning at high speeds, like miniature blades. Anything that touches it is ground down instantly."

"So when my flame hit it, those wind currents shredded it until it was snuffed out?" Finn asked.

"Exactly," Yukha said with a nod. "Your attack did hurt it, but the flame didn't last long enough to finish it off. If your fire had been more durable, it could have overwhelmed the winds protecting its body and destroyed it."

"Or," Yukha continued, "if your flame had been fast enough, it could've pierced through the currents before they extinguished it and hit the core directly."

Finn sighed, his gaze lowering in thought. "So basically, my firepower wasn't enough."

"That's one way to look at it. But the way I killed it with the greatsword should give you some ideas. Let's keep moving—if we encounter another one, we can try something different."

Finn's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Agreed. I think I've got an idea."

The pair resumed their spiraling path, and it wasn't long before they spotted another floater drifting lazily ahead.

"I need you to keep it distracted," Finn said. "Don't kill it yet—I need time to set something up."

Yukha nodded and strode forward. Standing like an immovable tree, he baited the creature into attacking. Each time it charged, he shifted just enough to avoid the impact, never breaking his stance or taking a step.

Amazing.

Finn turned his focus inward, summoning another flame. It started as a small flicker in his hands but quickly grew, swelling into a massive sphere. He concentrated, feeding the flame more energy until it reached the size of a boulder, its fiery surface swirling like molten lava.

Once he felt it reach its size limit, Finn began to flatten it. Slowly and carefully, he compressed the sphere downward, shaping it into a wide, flat circle hovering in the air. It resembled a molten disc, radiating waves of heat that distorted the air around it.

But he wasn't done. Gritting his teeth, he compressed the circle further, condensing it into a thinner and thinner form. The edges shrank inward, the heat intensifying with every second, until the once-massive disc was reduced to a single, impossibly thin line of fire. It hovered before him, glowing with a searing orange intensity.

From a distance, the flame resembled a gash in reality—a jagged wound of heat cutting through the air.

"Yukha! Can you see it? Lead it here!" Finn shouted.

Yukha glanced back and saw the glowing thread. "I see it!"

Finn smirked, steadying his focus. "Good. Bring it closer!"

With a sharp turn, Yukha redirected the creature toward Finn's trap. The floater hurtled forward, unaware of the fiery thread lying in wait.

As the creature closed in, Yukha positioned himself directly in front of the trap, standing firm. "How much fire did you compress into that single line?" he asked. "It's blisteringly hot even from here."

Finn grinned, sweat beading on his brow. "Enough to make sure it cuts right through."

When the creature charged at full speed, Yukha dodged, letting it hit the fire thread dead-on.

The impact was immediate—a small explosion as fire and wind collided, creating a fiery whirlwind. Flames danced in chaotic spirals, consuming the wind drifter's form.

"That stung!" Yukha exclaimed, flinching as stray embers grazed his arm.

Without hesitation, he summoned water from his palm, quickly soothing and healing the burn. "Fire and wind—a dangerous combination," he muttered, shaking his head.

The fiery tornado raged for a few seconds before dissipating, leaving behind faint scorch marks on the ground.

"That was an impressive trap," Yukha said, inspecting the aftermath. "I didn't know you could generate flames with such intense heat at your level."

Finn nodded. "There's a trick to it. Even when I hit the limit of how much mana I can channel into the flame, compressing it further makes it denser—and hotter. It's like bypassing the natural cap."

"Powerful, yes," Yukha admitted, "but it's slow to set up and only works in specific situations."

Finn frowned, unsatisfied. Using the wind drifter's speed against it had been satisfying, but the method was too complicated and time-consuming. If only he could create those threads faster… or even make multiple traps at once. Or better yet, control them like a fiery web, slicing through enemies.

"But if you refine it," Yukha said, "it could become an extraordinary weapon."

"That's the plan," Finn replied, determination gleaming in his eyes. "I'll work on my speed and control. For now, I want to focus on my mini fireballs. There's got to be a way to make them faster and strong enough to pierce through those windy bodies, even with my current limitations."

Yukha stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You know what your greatest strength is, Finn? Your imagination. Fire is adaptable—it can take on any form you think of. Add your quick thinking, and it's a deadly combination."

"Really?" Finn asked.

"Yes. It's like you see possibilities in any situation. That's what makes you strong," Yukha said. "With that mindset, you'll push your flames beyond their limits—and maybe even imitate what other elements can do."

Finn clenched his fist. "No. Imitating them is not enough. I'll surpass them. I'll prove it. No matter what, I'll push my fire to its peak."

"And your belief in your element..." Yukha chuckled. "It's refreshing. You remind me of my late wife. She had the same fiery determination. She would have loved helping you. Since she's not here, I'll take her place and do what I can to help you grow stronger."

Finn smiled at the compliment, noticing how Yukha's face lit up when he mentioned his wife. It was clear she had been someone he deeply admired. Being compared to her... perhaps that's why Yukha was helping him.

Respecting that, Finn silently vowed not to waste this chance. He'd use it to grow even stronger.

"Come on," Yukha said, turning toward the path. "Let's finish this route before it gets dark."

As they continued, Finn kept the small flame hovering above his head, shifting its speed and focusing on it now that he was no longer in the middle of fighting. While walking, he also practiced recreating the thread-shaped flame on a smaller scale, expanding and compressing it repeatedly above his hand like a fiery rubber band.

Their approach to wind drifters evolved with each encounter. Yukha would drench the creatures with water, their windy bodies dispersing it evenly, creating a layer Yukha could freeze with ease.

Finn followed up by launching his small fireball, their impact piercing the now-vulnerable creatures.

He also tried throwing larger flames on the creatures, with it spreading across their gusty forms, igniting small infernos that consumed them entirely, until their health reached zero. From a safe distance, the fiery spectacle was not a problem.

But the routine was becoming monotonous, almost mind-numbing. Repeating the same steps over and over felt too easy. Finn knew he wouldn't grow by just coasting through battles or simply leveling up. He craved a challenge—something that would push him to his limits.

"Can we rest here for a bit? I want to try something," Finn asked, glancing at Yukha.

"Alright," Yukha replied, settling down. "I could use a snack anyway."

From thin air, Yukha summoned a piece of something that looked hard and crispy. It smelled faintly like jerky, but Finn couldn't quite place what it was. Yukha bit into it with a satisfying crunch, munching away.

In his other hand, a massive cup appeared, five times the size of a normal one in Yukha's grasp. Finn instantly recognized the rich aroma of coffee wafting from it, and his mouth watered. Yukha had grown quite fond of the drink, it seemed.

"Want some?" Yukha offered, catching Finn's longing stare.

"Nah, I'll have some later back at camp," Finn replied, shaking his head.

Refocusing, Finn checked his mana. It was almost full, thanks to a low-tier mana potion he'd taken earlier. They weren't near their destination yet, and the road ahead was still teeming with monsters.

He summoned a small flame—the one he'd been refining as a projectile. This time, he enlarged it to its limit, then compressed it back to its original size. The flame burned brighter, its orange hue more intense, radiating palpable heat against his skin.

The next challenge was speed. How can he make it faster?

An idea struck him: instead of a spherical shape, he could add a tail—a flame propeller to propel it forward. Then, shape the flame into a cone and make it rotate, like Yukha's icicles or the spinning motions of the tentacles. On top of that, he could extend its launch distance to maximize acceleration.

With enough speed and force, it should pierce through the wind drifters' gusty bodies and destroy their cores.

"Man, I should've studied pyrotechnics back on Earth. Or at least taken a physics class," he muttered. Despite his love for fire, his understanding of its mechanics was purely instinctual. He loved how it burned, how it glowed, how it consumed and left behind nothing but ashes. His current experiments were driven by intuition alone.

"Well, I've got all the time in the world to figure it out. Maybe going by feel is enough for mastery—especially with the system backing me up."

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Author's Note

Read up to chapter 32 on Pat reon:

pat reon. com/Cinnamoon23