Suna quickly passed the wagon cell; he shielded his nose with his cloak from the putrid rot of the bodies.

  When he opened the metallic door, ten corpses tumbled down like an unruly stack of paper. The foul reek rolled up, making Suna retch in disgust. He swallowed the bile rising in his throat, and with teary eyes, he tried to pull on the Tiefling, who was hopefully still alive.

  I will never get used to this, he thought with a grunt.

  He reached the corner–stepping on a dead body–and pulled based on his memory. A slight twitch greeted him. The Tiefling's eyes widened with pale color, but its eyes dimmed.

  In its last moment, it mouthed a ‘thank you’ to Suna.

  Suna let go of his handhold and stood motionless before searching for any survivors. He laid the corpses out, checking in vain. None were alive. He went on to the other wagon; by his count, each held about thirty Tieflings, brimming to full, even causing some to hold the marred press of the prison cell.

  Still, none were alive on the other wagon either.

  Suna sat by the wagon. The metallic cage door touched his knee; it was cold, but he barely felt it. Sixty-eight bodies lay before him. He crouched, eyes intent on the Tiefling's chest.

  He let out a muffled gasp, as each body still held its runes, revealed by his Rune Seeker skill. Including the dead knight.

  Suna drew Umbralline. Under normal circumstances, he would not do this. They were not his enemy; these Tieflings were part of the Third. But the idea of leaving such a precious power-up was so ridiculous that it triumphed over any shame he had.

  They probably would understand.

  He angled his sword and lanced down upon the dead bodies.

  [Feat Earned] [Runic One (2)] – You just consumed over fifty Runes. Such strength is almost unimaginable. All Stat + 50.

  [Feat Earned] [Harvester] – You just harvested more than fifty Runes. Such hunger for power will serve you in the future. All Stat + 10.

  Name: Suna Amor

  Level: 31.

  Class: [Archer]

  Rune: 121

  Feat: 16

  Mana: 2777/3150→ 2777/7250.

  Class Skill (12/15)

  - Archer Sense [Common]

  - Archer Backstep [Common]

  - Mana Arrow [Uncommon]

  - Moving Shot [Uncommon]

  - Flint Draw [Uncommon]

  - Arcane String [Uncommon]

  - Bow of Wind [Uncommon]

  - Spell String Mastery [Rare]

  - Hissing Volley [Rare]

  - Drill Arrow [Uncommon]

  - Still Form [Uncommon]

  - Flame Arrow [Uncommon]

  General Skill (10/15)

  - Quick Draw [Common]

  - Drowfication [Rare]

  - Rune Seeker [Uncommon]

  - Gale Step [Uncommon]

  - Air pocket [Common]

  - Heat Sense [Common]

  - Enchanced Sense [Uncommon]

  - Enduring Body [Uncommon]

  - Battle Focus [Common]

  - Eagle Eyes {Uncommon}

  Strength: 535 → 925

  Dexterity: 555 → 812

  Vitality: 285 → 655

  Arcanery: 315 → 725

  Sense: 325 → 615

  Maybe about forty-five stat runes?

  Suna could feel new power creep inside him; his body ached, and his mind convulsed for a moment. Standing shakily and leaning against the wagon, he read over his status. These stats. So much had increased.

  Ten Strength runes. Seven Dexterity runes. Ten Vitality runes. Ten Arcanery runes. Eight Sense runes.

  On top of that, there were an additional seven skill runes and eight equipment runes, and an extra feat.

  Suna's eyes went to the skills he was interested in.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Hissing Volley [Rare] – Archery does not always focus on power, but drawing speed is also critical. Create a force of wind that stacks up every time you release an arrow from a position.

  Drill Arrow [Uncommon] – An arrow meant to kill in one shot. Your arrow shall spin faster the longer it hovers through the air, enhancing its potency and distance.

  Still Form [Uncommon] – Taking down a foe from one position would be ideal for the archer, so he can focus on his shot. By maintaining a still form, focus will come to your mind much more easily.

  Flame Arrow [Uncommon] – Arrows are an archer's lifeline; as such, they should evolve. Conjure a flaming arrow with mana.

  Flame arrow… Just how lucky was he to get this one? Or maybe it was not luck? Suna's heart quickened; this might be the result of him getting close to [Flintwind Archer].

  However, with all of these sudden stat increases, would he need to get used to them? As he did when his Arcanery broke the hundred threshold? That would be annoying.

  Suna looked down at the eight equipment runes, two bows, one common, and the others uncommon. He had also gotten three quivers and three pieces of various armor. They did not excite Suna, though he might take the uncommon bow.

  He gazed upon the sea, and still couldn’t believe he had just thrown his bow like that. But that was necessary; if that hadn’t happened, his mind would have relied on a physical bow in the fight.

  He eyed the new bow, wondering if he should take it or not.

  [Marrowbow] [Uncommon] – Made with freeing trapped souls in mind. Souls were called, and by an incredible injection of Mana, the necromancer was able to tie souls into a dead body, denying the chance of an afterlife. This bow was created to release souls by focusing on undoing the necromancer’s spell instead of damaging the body

  Interesting. This might help him quite a lot in this underworld. Suna peeked at his now very large mana pool, which would take a ton of mana potions to recover fully.

  He really should have a normal bow to carry around still, just in case…

  Suna thought his mind might already be starting to trust his Spell Bow now, at least. He would keep in mind not to rely on this Marrowbow too much.

  As for the other equipment, Suna spotted a coif mail. But it was just common; his Brimhat was much better, and he needed it for his flame control.

  There were also a couple of gloves that he would not take; his Shadow Gauntlet had been a trusty friend for quite some time.

  But, there was one that made Suna wonder why it was only uncommon.

  [Deadbane Pendant] [Uncommon] – Made to be the bane of death, this pendant was made to offer an enhancement to resist the power of death. The pendant will lends its enhancement to one limb, and any spell or attack that originates from the limb the pendant is assigned.

  The pendant was a dark gem centerpiece with a dimly glowing chain. Suna wrapped the pendant around his right hand. The dark gem gleamed with its midnight color.

  One thing he noticed about runes was that they held some aspect of the dead they came from. Like the obsidian bow he got from killing the Drow Ranger. These wind abilities he got from the Tiefling. And the future class he was trying to reach, perhaps also shape it, like this flame skill he got.

  Deciding the rest of the equipment was not worth it, Suna began to leave. He wished for more quivers that also held the same effect as his new bow and pendant, but oh well. He would not complain that much.

  Before he fully left, something caught his eye.

  On the bottom of the wagon, there was a satchel tucked in just below with its own plank to hold it.

  Suna reached down, and a familiar clacking sound greeted him. He pulled it open and was greeted by a treasure trove of potions.

  --

  He almost retched after drinking thirty mana potions. His stomach might be a little bloated. Suna tried to stand, but he burped and almost collapsed to his knees. He wiped away the remnants of the blue liquid.

  ”That was bloody stupid,” he muttered. Well, at least…

  Mana: 7250/7250.

  Perfect, just like what he wanted to see.

  He tucked the remaining potions into his various pouches; some he forced between his belt straps.

  Suna began his journey again. In his hand, he manifested the Flame Arrow. Fire bloomed and merged into a single arrow. Then, as if finding Suna’s face offensive, it started to roar into a burst of crimson, unruly flames.

  His Heat Sense went off, and he did not plan to let this magic be broken apart.

  Suna focused his mana into his Brimhat. He conjured an image in his mind of the shape of the arrow. The flame settled at his command; it still hissed like a snake, but had turned docile. Suna summoned his Bow of Wind and nocked the arrow. Wind and fire met. Flame began to whisk away, but Suna forced them still, forcing them to resist the torrent of the wind.

  Enchanted Sense, Heat sSense, Battle Focus, and Archer Sense told him which needed to be controlled and which needed to be let loose. His Enduring Body was able to hold this arrow, and all its power.

  Still, it still took Suna considerable concentration to maintain the flaming arrow. He needed to see it work, to register it in his brain, to hammer it deep down. He needed to make it part of his reality, just like he did with the Bow of Wind.

  In a forgotten boon to him. He drew the flaming arrow, the Arcane String pulled taut, welcoming it. At once, his Spell String Mastery cried out, embracing the newfound power.

  No–it was excited, excited about the two elements coming together, wind and fire. And Suna’s new passive that supported it like a pillar, soon, his Archer Sense also followed in jubilation, pushing Suna to use it immediately. It was happy now that Suna had many great arrow options. From his Grave Vine Quiver to Mana Arrow, and now this Flame Arrow.

  Suna turned with his arrow still drawn. He aimed at the mound of corpses he had stacked up.

  Lightly, out of respect for the dead, even for the undead knight. He let his arrow go. But the result was anything but light.

  His arrow soared through and pierced the bodies of Tieflings in a sizzling burst.

  “No!” Suna exclaimed, uselessly running as if he could correct that. However, before he even reached the mound, flames burst up. That was not a normal flame–it spread too quickly.

  He mouthed an apology to the dead body he had just desecrated and quickly left the place.

  Suna still had many arrows to test, namely his Grave Vine arrow with his Flint Draw, and of course, his Mana Arrow, also using Flint Draw. But he was worried that he had been standing still far too long. This fire was meant to attract the movement of the undead; this way, he could imagine their path if they responded.

  And sure enough, above him, a winged creature zoomed across and streaked to where the fire was. Three gargoyles. Suna crouched, observing the creatures as they went past him.

  Another two followed, pushing mist with every flap of their wings. There was no Lush Undead Gargoyle, to his relief. But of course, fate threw him a curveball. With his new eagle eye, which he still hadn't used yet.

  His new eyes zoomed way too far the moment he used them. But Suna did see an outline of mist being pushed away strongly. And the system told him what it was.

  [Undead Lush Gargoyle. Lvl 35]

  Sweat dripped down his forehead. And a soft laugh almost escaped him. A thought invaded his mind–why should this be unfortunate? This was actually a chance, wasn’t it?

  Suna stood, and with his Bow of Wind, he drew his flaming arrow. Arcane string drawn to his ear, he let out a breath as he aimed at the upcoming boss gargoyle.

  He had a theory about runes.

  The Drow Matriarch had bigger runes than its underlings, which made sense. The Undead Lush Gargoyle also had bigger runes. On the day James handed Reki a palm-sized rune, he hadn’t thought much about it at first. The Tiefling must’ve slain plenty of Matriarchs to get those… But would he really wait that long until someone came with their class and cracked his runes?

  Suna knew he wouldn’t. With his [Thief] class, there were still plenty of good weapons–the wind sword and midnight cloak, for example. So, could he conclude that James got that palm-sized rune from the night attack? When one of the Thiefmasters attacked Suna, Pito, and Reki.

  Suna still remembered Pito called one of them a Thiefmaster. That one was so weak, Suna had forgotten all about it. But perhaps James harvested the Thiefmaster rune, and the runes were palm-sized.

  It did align.

  Leadership position creatures held bigger runes. Maybe it wasn’t exactly the leadership position that decided it. It could be the sense of respect others had for them. Or the number of people who trusted them. But at the very least, Suna could conclude that some kind of high position would result in bigger runes.

  Then would the Matriarch with the strongest army have colossal runes? What about the necromancer? He was curious. So much so.

  The Undead Lush Gargoyle burst into being, its eyes fell on Suna, and it began to sweep down. Suna felt a bit honored when its skin started to turn black and mottled.

  He released his arrow, and wind whispered behind him in a snap. The flaming arrow lanced through the Gargoyle, parting its skin in a definite sizzle. Its body split into two, as the outline of red heat separated its halved body.

  Ashes had already started to disintegrate even before the body fully fell.

  [You Have Slain Undead Lush Gargoyle. Lvl 35]

  [Skill Rune]

  [Rare]