"I think this might be the best perk of having you as a companion," Finn said, sinking deeper into the hot spring. "Hot springs on demand wherever we go? Can’t beat that."

  Yukha chuckled, his tone light. "I appreciate it, but I’d rather you praise my fighting skills or training methods. Nice job keeping your fire alive when you fell earlier, by the way."

  Finn glanced up at the small flame hovering above him, its flickering light reflecting in his eyes. The flame darted back and forth as if excited, seemingly celebrating its survival. He smiled. "Yeah, thanks. No way I was letting my little buddy here go out after it’s been with me all day."

  "You’ve got quite the attachment to it," Yukha said with an amused smile.

  "Of course I do," Finn replied, leaning his head back. "By the way, this is actually my first time in a hot spring. I’ve never even been to a public bath back on Earth."

  "So Earth has hot springs too? Fascinating," Yukha said, leaning forward with interest. "But why haven’t you tried one before, if you don’t mind me asking?"

  Finn hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I kind of had my reasons. Remember how I was hesitant the first time you asked me to use my fire? I wasn’t sure if it would even work back then, despite already having the system."

  "Why not?" Yukha asked.

  "I almost died because of it once," Finn began, his tone subdued. "Back when I was a kid, I fell asleep while using my power. On Earth, fire wasn’t as easy to control as it is here—it drained me completely. One day, I made the stupid mistake of using it when I was already exhausted." He paused, tracing his hand on the scar on his cheek. "I ended up burning down our house. If it wasn’t for my father, I wouldn’t be here. He saved me, but... I didn’t come out unscathed. This scar is a reminder of that day." He gave a small, self-deprecating smile. "Sorry to disappoint—it wasn’t from some epic fight with a phoenix or anything cool like that."

  Yukha chuckled softly. "A phoenix or a blazing inferno, it doesn’t matter. Surviving a brush with death is nothing to be disappointed about. Still, I can see how an experience like that would make you hesitate to use your power again."

  "Yeah," Finn said, exhaling. "After that, it got worse. The fire would appear randomly, even when I wasn’t trying to summon it. It was like... something inside me broke."

  "You lost trust in your fire," Yukha said, nodding thoughtfully. "That makes sense. For naturals like us, control over the elements is deeply tied to our emotions. Confidence is everything. Without it—and without the system to stabilize things—your element can turn against you."

  Finn tilted his head. "So it was about trust... I started seeing fire as something dangerous, something I couldn’t control. That explains a lot."

  "And I assume you isolated yourself because of it?" Yukha asked.

  "Yeah," Finn admitted. "I was scared of hurting people. And it seemed like the right decision too. When you first found me, remember how dirty I was? That’s because I’d just come from another burning house. I’d given up, Yukha. I was ready to die. But then I got lucky—transported to The Threshold before the flames consumed me."

  Yukha’s gaze softened. "So that’s why. I remember the look in your eyes when I first saw you. You looked like you were on the verge of breaking."

  Finn blinked at him, startled by the observation.

  "Geez, is that really how I looked? Well, thanks for approaching me back then—and for sticking around. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably have died a few times over by now," Finn said with a wry smile.

  Yukha nodded, his expression soft. "And thank you for sharing that with me. It couldn’t have been easy."

  "Actually, it wasn’t so bad. Getting it off my chest felt... liberating. And, honestly, looking back on the bad times when things are better now? It’s strangely satisfying," Finn admitted.

  "That’s true," Yukha said with a thoughtful smile.

  "Still, it’s hard to believe, considering how freely you were using it earlier, like you had full confidence on it," Yukha said. "But after hearing your story, it all clicks. It’s like you’ve been released from a cage—like a prisoner savoring their newfound freedom. For you, that freedom is wielding your fire without limits."

  Finn chuckled lightly. "You’re not wrong. Back on Earth, there’s a word for people like me: pyromaniac. It’s considered dangerous there—and I’m guessing it’s the same on your planet. Fire, when uncontrolled, leaves nothing but destruction in its wake. But here, learning I could not only control it but use it to survive? It really was like you said—freedom."

  "Pyromaniac," Yukha repeated, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "Interesting."

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  Finn stretched, letting the warmth of the water relax his muscles. "You know, this hot spring is amazing, but it feels like it’s missing something."

  Yukha raised a brow. "And what would that be?"

  "Wait a second," Finn said, opening his system interface. He navigated to the shop, typing a few words into the search bar. He didn’t expect to find what he was looking for, but considering even firewood was an option, he figured it was worth a shot.

  "Got it," he said with a grin. "I can’t believe they actually sell these here."

  Finn purchased the item and pulled it from his inventory, tossing it to Yukha. "Here, catch."

  Yukha caught the strange object and turned it over in his hands, inspecting it. "What is this?"

  "It’s a flotation device," Finn explained. "Find the small, harder part—like a nub or a cap—then open it. Once it’s open, use your wind powers to blow air into it until it fully expands and feels firm. After that, just seal it back up."

  Yukha looked skeptical but did as instructed, fiddling with the object until he located the cap. With a practiced motion, he summoned a controlled gust of wind, inflating the device.

  Finn’s eyebrows shot up. "Huh, first try. Color me impressed."

  "You underestimate me, Finn," Yukha said with a smug grin, holding the now fully expanded device.

  "Alright, now place it on the water," Finn instructed.

  Yukha set the flotation device on the surface, watching as it bobbed gently. "This is fascinating. Is it something from Earth?"

  "Yeah," Finn said, leaning back. "It’s usually used to help people float, but this one’s designed to hold food and drinks while you’re relaxing in the water."

  Without hesitation, Yukha summoned a wooden tray onto the device, followed by a bowl containing a reddish, oblong fruit. With a wave of his hand, the fruit hovered and split neatly into slices, dropping back into the bowl.

  Finn blinked. Using wind to slice fruit? That’s clever. I wonder if I could do that with fire... If I use minimal heat and go fast enough, it might work.

  A second later, a mug materialized on Yukha’s tray, the rich scent of booze wafting through the air. Yukha took a long sip, letting out a contented sigh. "This taste never gets old," he said, grabbing a slice of fruit and crunching into it with relish.

  "Don’t forget about me," Finn said, summoning another flotation device. He tossed it to Yukha, who inflated it with ease and returned it. Finn added his own tray, filling it with a mix of apples, grapes, pears, and other fruits. He skipped the booze, opting for warm milk instead—alcohol was never his thing.

  As the two of them lounged, the scene felt surreal, almost royal. Finn glanced at his spread and chuckled. "I feel like a medieval king in a five-star resort."

  "Let’s do a toast," Yukha said, raising his mug. "To you getting stronger!"

  Finn raised his own mug. "It’s just milk, but sure. To both of us getting stronger!"

  Their mugs clinked together, and they drank, savoring the moment.

  "Now this is the life," Yukha said with a satisfied sigh. "You’ve got to enjoy it like it’s your last—because it just might be."

  They spent nearly two hours soaking in the makeshift hot spring, talking, laughing, and relishing the view. When they were finally satisfied, they warmed themselves by the bonfire Finn had lit earlier, letting the last remnants of the day fade into a tranquil night.

  "My clothes don’t stink at all," Finn said, slipping them back on. "Pretty sure they were drenched in sweat earlier."

  Yukha smiled. "Our clothes are enchanted with self-cleaning and self-repair functions. Just stash them in your inventory for a while, and they’ll be good as new when you take them out."

  "Huh. Another convenient feature," Finn muttered, inspecting the fabric.

  "Speaking of convenience, I’ll teach the technique I told you about earlier for faster mana recovery," Yukha said, sitting on a wooden chair by the fire, its warm glow reflecting in his eyes.

  "Hold on. I need to allocate my free points first," Finn replied. "They’ve been sitting there unused since earlier."

  "Fair enough. Let me know when you’re ready," Yukha said, settling into a more relaxed posture.

  Finn opened his stats menu, glancing over his progress. The glowing sensation he’d felt earlier confirmed he’d leveled up, but the specifics still made him pause. Those floaters had been strong—levels 10 and up—so the experience gain was substantial.

  Name: Finn Hayes

  Level: 7 → 12

  "Not bad," he murmured, a faint grin tugging at his lips.

  Next, he checked his elemental affinities:

  Elemental Affinities:

  Stone: 0

  Water: X

  Fire: 169 → 184

  Wind: 0

  Free Points: 10

  His fire affinity had surged more than expected—likely from the sheer amount of fire manipulation during the last fight. Modifying the mini fireballs and experimenting with the fire thread must’ve pushed it further.

  Without hesitation, he dumped all ten free points into fire, boosting it to 194.

  Finally, he moved to his attributes:

  Attributes:

  Constitution: 5

  Strength: 7 → 10

  Perception: 17 → 23 (x2)

  Wisdom: 33 → 52

  Free Points: 10

  He hesitated here. Constitution was painfully low, and while his Mage class naturally boosted Wisdom, survivability felt more pressing. The Keenweave Coat was already doubling his Perception, so he distributed carefully: +5 to Constitution (10), +3 to Perception (26), and +2 to Wisdom (54).

  I definitely don't want to get one shotted by monsters.

  The change in Perception hit immediately. His senses sharpened, detecting faint rustles in the distance. The spatial awareness was almost dizzying, but what struck him most was the newfound precision over his fire. The connection felt... deeper, more instinctive, as though the little flame was an extension of his mind.

  "All set," Finn said, excitement tingling through his veins.

  "Good. Ready for the mana recovery technique?" Yukha asked.

  "Yeah, but my mana’s already full. That bath earlier was too relaxing." Finn paused, a spark of curiosity lighting in his eyes. "I’ll drain some mana first—better to test the technique and my upgrades at the same time."

  "Logical," Yukha said, nodding. "Go ahead."

  "That won’t attract corrupted elementals, will it?"

  "Not at night," Yukha reassured him. "They’re less active now. Besides, I’m not sensing any in the area." He closed his eyes briefly, his breathing slowing. When he opened them, his tone was steady. "No mana signatures nearby."

  "You did that with your Perception?"

  "Yes. It becomes second nature as you grow stronger. Soon, you’ll detect presences without even trying."

  "That’s something to look forward to," Finn said, stepping away from the camp.