With his newfound knowledge from Slea in tow, Suna burst forward, sprinting after Desha, who targeted another Undead on the left side of the huge chamber.

  “Wait, you two, I can’t keep up—” Pito complained; Slea also running after them before stopping and huffing.

  Their grumbles become background as wind swirled–propelling Suna forward. He kept going. They could just join another fight. He tried to take over Desha, but was unable to do so. The Tiefling was always a step ahead.

  After he had taken down that one Gatekeeper; he had freed quite a lot of Tieflings, so they could join other battles. Desha had finally chosen her target, she veered sideways without breaking her speed. Suna had to undo his gale step first before bursting forward again.

  Desha waited until the Gatekeeper wrenched its fleshy arm through five Tieflings before launching herself on it. She skidded below its legs and carved green blood through its legs with her wind enchanced sword. The undead stumbled, and the moment it raised its head, he looked straight at Suna’s Mana arrow.

  The bluish arrow still hummed with power within his obsidian bow; he did not release it yet. Suna peeked at his mana pool—It was clear now he had to watch over it, much to his annoyance. He pushed more Mana, and the blue light cranked up, blinding the bottom left of his vision.

  The Undead Gatekeeper roared and began charging at him as it stumbled forward awkwardly.

  Can they recognize danger to themselves?

  Pito arrived, and the [Monk] was panting as he finally entered the battlefield near Suna.

  “Okay… Okay…” He huffed. “I will trip it.”

  “No, just make sure it did not run or anything. I'd rather it stand so it's easier to shoot at,” Suna said. He half-closed his left eye as the light blazed even through his eyelid.

  “Gotcha,” Pito charged, and opposite to him was Desha carving into the Undead’s leg–the Undead groaned in pain. It tried to slam at Desha with its overbearing arms, but Desha merely propelled herself up and gouged through the Undead’s chest in a flurry of wind cutter. Blood spurted out, but she couldn’t kill it. If things continue like that, she would eventually run out of mana.

  As the Gatekeeper tried to keep its focus on Desha, Pito clenched his fist and slammed into the wounded Undead's legs.

  The Undead stumbled again, and its body started to collapse.

  Suna clicked his tongue. He would like to charge more, but he might literally blind himself if he kept going. He let the Mana Arrow go, blinded by the light as it took away his vision—they blared as they zipped forward, punching through the Undead neck. A burst of bluish motes grated in aftershock, and the second undead fell headless.

  [You Have Slain Undead Gatekeeper. Lvl 25]

  [Level Up]

  [Level Up]

  Mana: 336/1450

  His sweat dripped down. That took way too much Mana. But at the very least, he had freed another group of Tieflings to aid another area.

  “Suna, can we keep going?” Desha asked. The female Tiefling eyed him with a slight new respect. She had been beating his and Pito's asses in their practice the whole bloody time.

  “I think I'd be better off, just joining another battle, rather than trying to keep up with you freaks,” Pito said.

  Desha nodded, “Yes, you do that, go, we don’t need you,” she merely said.

  Pito slumped and grumbled. The [Monk] hailed a group of Tieflings they had just freed. “I'm coming with you! Deneyh!” he called and ran after them.

  Suna turned to spot the supply group, they were a bunch of Tieflings who carried potions in a basket, weaving in and out of the battlefield. Suna raised his arms, and one of them ran to him. He drank five Mana Potions.

  Mana: 1235/1450

  More support Tiefling arrived, and in their baskets were five blue and red vials.

  “I only need the blue one,” Suna said. He took it and stored it in his hip pocket.

  The Tiefling nodded, no, it was bowing deeply to Suna’s confusion. “I shall arrange for more Mana Potion, human.”

  “Yes, please do,” Desha was the one who answered him, “Please dedicate a carrier for both of us, I’d also like some Mana Potion”. The Tiefling bowed again to her and started running back to where they had set up the support area. That area was now crowded with injured Tieflings.

  Desha scanned the battlefield, and Suna did too.

  The left side had mostly finished, thanks to Suna taking down two of them; now the last two were swarmed by the Tieflings like ants trying to bring down Goliath.

  But the middle and right side were not over yet. Suna only spotted perhaps two Death Undead in the middle and one on the right side. That was strange, he had thought the first Tiefmaster would have an easier time handling this undead.

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  I guess, being stuck at level 3 must have some sort of limit to what you can do.

  “Can you just shoot them from here?” Desha asked suddenly.

  “From here?” Suna murmured. “It should be possible,” he had no reason not to be able to do that.

  “Good, I will guard you then,” Desha said, as she stood stoutly.

  Suna manifested another Mana Arrow. Thinking back, he didn’t think he needed to worry that much if his Mana even got to zero. His training with James isn’t all for naught after all.

  He was able to fill anyone with a dozen arrows, even at close range, like he did the Matriarch. What he was doing now was just another possibility, one filled with magic.

  He adjusted his brimhat so it loosened to his right side. Light of Blue blared, and Suna shuddered as he pushed more Mana. His Archer Sense screamed at him to use Flint-draw too; it might work. Especially with his brimhat flame control.

  But as each second passed, the Undead was killing the Tiefling, and the thump of the cave floor burst along with an explosion of blood. Which is why Suna would rather rely on something that works.

  He released his arrow, a blue trail of mana bursting along the Mana Arrow’s trajectory.

  Suna watched as Pito held a Gatekeeper’s arm, pinning it down. He shouted at the Tiefling around him to go in. By then, however, Suna’s arrow had burst through the Gatekeeper's gut, gushing a wide open wound.

  The Undead Gatekeeper toppled forward, sending a heap of pebbles bursting around it.

  “It's not dead yet…” Suna muttered. He drew another arrow, but Pito had already finished the Gatekeeper by himself.

  So Suna aimed at the other Gatekeeper. Close to the one he had taken down. As he poured Mana into the spell arrows, he sensed Desha stiffen.

  “Suna, can you make it faster by any chance?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure. What is it?”

  “They’re coming after you.”

  Cold realization dawned on him as the Undead Gatekeeper he targeted—darted forward, leaping across the Tiefling line that had been trying to block it. Pito and five Tieflings chased it, but it was too late as the gatekeeper scrambled forward, leaving them behind.

  They?

  Suna peeked at where Desha was looking, only to wince as his eye took in the bright light of his arrow. But he was able to see them through the haze of blue. About three… no, four of them charging at him, trampling the Tiefling based on the thumping.

  He darted his eyes and focused on the leftmost, as it was the closest.

  Suna could understand wanting to take him down. But, by doing so, these Undead were just making themselves a big, giant target with that body.

  He discharged the arrow, and his shoulder twisted. Blare of light rushed. Before the Undead Gatekeeper could bring its hand for a shield, his arrow blasted through its chest.

  [You Have Slain Undead Gatekeeper. Lvl 25]

  [Level Up]

  [Rune Of Dexterity]

  Suna glanced at his status. Only plus twenty dexterity? It's not even palm-sized? He had been looking forward to the Gatekeeper Rune… Why? Isn’t it absolutely stronger than the Drow? Does strength have nothing to do with Rune size?

  “Suna, Suna!” Desha shook him. “To the pass! Go!”

  He glanced at her, then behind them, were the undead golem racing unsteadily at him.

  Without another word, he ran back along with Desha. They both used the Gale step, and Desha overtook him quite fast.

  It's not just the center’s Undead Gatekeeper; the right side’s Gatekeeper, where Slea and most of the humans were–about three Gatekeepers, all of them sprinted at him. They even passed by the support group, who fell in relief as they were not targeted.

  Suna arrived at the passage that led to the gate room. He and Desha breathed in a raspy gasp. Supporter Tiefling gave them a blue vial. Suna thanked one as he downed it. He looked behind, only to see the Undead Gatekeeper still running at him.

  Well, Aren't I popular?

  With the Gale step, they had created quite a distance from the charging golem. But they were approaching fast, and Suna did not plan to let them keep him running.

  In his hand, motes of blue light danced, and they formed into an arrow. He drew it, and in the small space where he stood, it blossomed with bright blue light. A Tiefling cried, and Suna also positioned his brimhead down to cover his eyes more.

  How is he supposed to shoot like this?

  Someone took his Brimhat, and just when Suna was about to shout at whoever did it… his face was covered by a comfortable shadow. He looked up at Desha, covering his face with the hat.

  He nodded in thanks, and Suna snapped loose his arrow, puncturing one of the Undead's legs in a snap, sending it crashing down into green blood pooling around its feet.

  He did not waste another second, and he drew again. The moment he drew, he looked at his Mana, now halved again, even though he had just drunk a potion. He let it fly, and this time he hit a Gatekeeper straight in the head. Killing it instantly with a sizzle of smoke in place of its blasted head.

  [You have Slain Undead Gatekeeper. Lvl 25]

  This is working; they can do this.

  Suna drew again. But this time, however, a hand crushed through the passages they were at. That fat, gigantic hand opened its palm and consumed Suna’s vision. He released instantly, not letting his mana build up.

  A force of blue impaled the green hand, tearing it apart in an explosion of green blood.

  The blood spread like sudden rain, and Suna used Archer Backstep and zoomed backward. As his feet dragged, however, he bludgeoned through something, something glassy.

  He cursed softly when he realized he had just destroyed a bunch of potions.

  Desha was beside him; the Tiefling had also escaped with Gale Step, but others were not so lucky. They screamed as their skin burned like acid, their eyes bulged and exploded—what was left of these poor support Tieflings were husks of bodies with ashes still rising from them.

  It was cruel and brutal.

  A reminder of what Suna and the humans had tried to make the Tiefling achieve. Now that the fourth, second, and fifth Tiefling warriors were gone, their job would be much harder. James had promised the Third would help in exchange. And Suna had agreed. This was why he needed to be stronger, so there’s no longer any need for too many dead.

  Or maybe he didn’t need the Tieflings’ help any longer? He could take down this Gatekeeper by himself. But, he still needed support from a team like these Tieflings who handed him a mana potion.

  Either option still required him to get stronger, which was why Suna kept drawing. As the Flesh golem kept coming, as its hand crawled and body slunk into the pass, Suna did not back down.

  Desha rended her sword down, and wind followed, cutting through the Undead, sending them back a bit, and she bought Suna time.

  A shrill of magic danced in his hand, and he snapped it free. Killing one after another. As his spell arrow blew through the Undead’s neck.

  More Tieflings arrived from behind them, and they brought a Mana potion.

  Suna's mind went into a state of a void where his body kept repeating the movements.

  Manifest arrow, release it, and back away. Adding a drink mana potion if his Mana gets below half.

  When the last of the Undead Gatekeepers fell, Suna glanced at his level. Despite the death, he grinned. He had surpassed the Gatekeeper levels.