The warmth prig Finn's skin was a stark trast to the cool, otherworldly sensation of the space-like Eternal Realm he'd just left. Here, the air was humid, thick, and ging, also far different from the ethereal calm of The Threshold.

  The moment Finn opened his eyes, he was nearly blinded by the intense light. pared to the Eternal Realm's engulfing darkness, this pce was dazzling. A gring ray of sunlight pierced straight into his eyes, f him to take a step bad shield his face.

  Once his vision adjusted, the se came into focus. What y before him was a world of greenery, but uhe expansive fields of grass at The Threshold, this pce brimmed with trees, pnts, and moss—a sprawling forest.

  Now this feels like a First Realm.

  Rays of golden light filtered through the opy, painting the forest floor in dappled patterns. At first g seemed like an ordinary forest, but something about it was subtly wrong. The leaves of the trees were unfamiliar, their shapes strange and alien. The pnts and vines looked almost familiar yet distorted, as if someone had reimagih’s flora with a surreal twist. Even the chirping of the wildlife was off—melodic yet dissonant, like a symphony of creatures he’d never entered.

  Is this pce artificial? Or are these just alien species of pnts and animals?

  A sudden hand on his shoulder made him flinch.

  “You look distressed, Finn. Just rex,” Yukha said. “Since you’re from Earth, you’re probably not used to being in such a different enviro. Take it in slowly. You’ll adjust.”

  “Yeah… good idea,” Finn replied, though his voice wavered slightly.

  Before he could fully rex, a searing pain exploded in his right palm, sending him to his knees.

  “Ahhh!” Finn cried out, clutg his hand. The blue dash that the Water God had marked on his palm was glowing intensely, the pain almost unbearable.

  “Finn! What’s wrong?” Yukha shouted, rushing to his side.

  “I… I don’t know,” Finn gasped through gritted teeth.

  Then, the system message appeared before him in glowi:

  NEW BLESSING GAINED

  WATER GOD'S BLESSING #2

  And just like that, the pain subsided, leaving Finn panting and clutg his still-glowing palm.

  “What happened?” Yukha asked, his tone urgent.

  “There was a sudden pain… and then a system message,” Finn expined, shakily rising to his feet.

  Before either of them could process further, a loud rustling in the nearby bushes made them both freeze.

  Finn's mind raced. Please let it be something harmless, like a rabbit or a frog… But he knew better. This wash, and this wasn’t a movie.

  “Prepare for battle, Finn!” Yukha warned.

  The bushes parted, revealing a strange creature. Finn barely had time tister its form before a massive metallic sb—Yukha’s on—crashed down, redug the creature to a sizzling puddle of water.

  “I expected this, but not so soon,” Yukha said, shaking his head. “The momeep into the tower, we’re already utack.”

  “What was that thing?” Finn asked, still wide-eyed.

  “A blob,” Yukha replied, his voice calm but serious. “Weak enemies, but dangerous if left alive. They spit toxic water. If it hits you, it’ll start dissolving your skin.”

  Finn shuddered. “That sounds horrifying. Is that a corrupted elemental?”

  “Yes,” Yukha firmed. “A corrupted water elemental, specifically. Are you alright now?”

  Finn nodded hesitantly, but more rustling cut their versation short. This time, five more creatures emerged from the underbrush.

  Now Finn could see them more clearly. They were amorphous blobs of bluish-green water, faintly translut, with two tiny horns protruding from what might’ve been their heads. Above eae floated a glowing name:

  [Blob lvl. 5]

  The names were green. Does the ean something? Finn wondered, but his thoughts were interrupted as one of the creatures aimed a small, on-like tube at him and spewed a jet of green liquid.

  “Dodge it, Finn!” Yukha shouted.

  Finn sidestepped just in time, the liquid sizzling as it hit the grass where he’d been standing.

  “Summon your fme!” Yukha called out. “These are low-level enemies. You take them out easily if you’re effit with your mana!”

  Finn took a deep breath, visualizing his fme. This time, it came to life effortlessly—a glowing sphere of fire h before him.

  I o serve mana, Finn thought, keeping the fme small. He adjusted its size until it was about half the size of the blob, hoping it would be just enough to take them down without overexerting himself.

  "Alright," he muttered, steadying himself as the blobs began their attack.

  In front of Finn, Yukha skillfully parried the streams of green fluid the creatures spat at them. Each impa his greatsword sizzled menagly, but the on remained unscathed, defying Finn’s expectation that the corrosive liquid would eat through it.

  Yet, Yukha wasn’t attag—he was merely defending.

  Is he giving me a ce to hahem myself?

  Steeling his focus, Finn directed the ball of fire h before him. It swept forward with a sharp whoosh, cirg toward the blob. The instant the fme touched the creature, it hissed violently. The blob's watery form quivered as the fme carved through it, sluggishly melting its body like heated metal slig through getin. When the slug evaporated into nothingness, the fme extinguished with it.

  “gratutions on your first kill, Finn! But don’t rex—try it again!” Yukha shouted.

  For a brief moment, a fsh of light coursed through Finn’s body, vanishing almost as quickly as it appeared. He reized it as a signal ress—a level-up, perhaps—but there was no time to dwell on it. The threat of beied alive demanded his full attention.

  Summoning another fme, Finn steadied his breathing. The fireball hovered, awaiting his and, but doubt g the edges of his mind. The st fme had vanished along with its target—was he too weak, or had his fmes cked the necessary iy?

  What am I missing?

  An idea sparked. “Do these things have a core? Something I target directly to kill them faster?” he called out.

  “Yes!” Yukha yelled back, fending off another barrage of toxic fluid. “It’s in their ter—look for the most densed, greenish part of their bodies!”

  Finn squinted, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the remaining blobs. After a few seds, he spotted it—a faint, denser green orb suspended in the ter of their translut forms.

  Got it.

  He trated on the fme before him, shrinking it to the size of a marble. Smaller and more focused now, he eled additional mana into it, feeling its heat intensify. The once-red fme deepened into a fierce e, its heat almost palpable even at a distance.

  Let’s if this this works.

  With a flick of his fingers, the fme shot forward like a bullet. It pierced the first blob’s core with surgical precision, redug the creature to a sizzling puddle. The fme didn’t stop; it zipped to the arget, repeating the process with ruthless efficy.

  Two down.

  As the fme reached the third blob, its power faltered, vanishing just outside the creature’s core. Finn’s heart sank, but Yukha dashed forward, his greatsword crashing down on the remaining blob with a resounding impact. Water sprayed across the grass, sizzling where it touched the ground.

  “I thought you were letting me hahem?” Finn asked.

  “I was, but we’ve got bigger problems,” Yukha replied grimly, gesturing toward the bushes. “More are ing.”

  Finn turned, spotting a fresh wave of creatures emerging from the undergrowth. His t tallied ten—twice as many as before.

  “This isn’t normal,” Yukha muttered. “Why are so many of them targeting us? It’s like we’re being hunted.”

  “Aren’t they always hostile?” Finn asked, summoning another fme.

  “Yes, but not in these numbers. Even ierritory, there shouldn’t be this many going after us. Something’s wrong,” Yukha said, his tone dark. “I’ll handle half; you take care of the rest. If you get hit, use a health potion immediately!”

  With that, Yukha charged, his greatsword cutting through the first blob in a single, devastating blow. The impact sent tremors through the ground, leaving a scar in the dirt beh.

  Finn didn’t hesitate. This time, he started small, f a fme the size of an ant. He steadily fed it mana, expanding it until it matched the size of the blobs’ cores. The fme’s color deepeo an intense e, radiating blisteri.

  Time to end this.

  The fme zipped through the air, striking the blob’s core and disiing it instantly. Without pausing, it streaked to the , then the , evaporating four blobs in rapid succession. Eae dissolved into harmless puddles, the grouh them hissing and steaming.

  It was like watg a bullet shred through fragile water balloons, each impact precise aating. Finn exhaled, his chest tight from the exertion.

  Four down. Oo go.

  Finn’s fme held strong against four blobs this time before flickering out—a noticeable improvement from his earlier attempts.

  He g Yukha, who was already done, his handiwork evident in the scorched grass and charred remnants where the creatures oood.

  With one blob remaining, Finn decided to try something new.

  He waited as the lone creature began adjusting its on-like mouth, aiming directly at him. Moments ter, a glob of green fluid shot out, streaking toward his head.

  "Let me hahis!" Finn shouted.

  Yukha nodded, stepping bad gripping his greatsword, ready to interve holding off.

  Halfway through the attack, Finn summoned his fme, this time molding it into the shape of a shield wall. He wao see if the fire could act as a barrier—perhaps evaporate the acidic fluid before it could reach him.

  The green glob puraight through the fme like it wasn’t there, f Finn to sidestep at the st moment. The fluid sizzled ominously as it spttered onto the ground.

  "Guess I wasn’t fast enough to heat the fme," Finn muttered, frustrated.

  I need more speed.

  He g his mana bar, relieved to see he still had a little under half left.

  "That’s seriously impressive, Finn," Yukha said, stepping closer. "To have that much trol of fire at your level… Maybe fog on your fire attribute was the right call after all."

  "Thanks. I pn to make it even stronger," Finn replied, his frustration tempered by Yukha’s praise.

  A sudden whooshing sound cut through the air, narrowly missing Finn’s head. Yukha grabbed him by the shoulder, yanking him into a crouch just in time.

  Looking up, Finn spotted the source.

  H ominously ahead were three creatures with mushroom-shaped heads. Beh them dangled tless writhiacles. Their glowing names floated above in a foreboding red:

  [Tentacles Lvl. 25]

  amon23