The death of warriors from three Tieflings' factions would not be ignored. James knew what it meant and what kind of resistance he would encounter. When Suna heard about this contingency plan, he thought James was insane. It did not make sense at first, but as they went, James had shown him how dysfunctional the Tieflings are. Each Thiefmaster held absolute control, and the contest of Runes was like a game or some sort of contest to win the general support.

  James was only able to nudge the security detail on the scope of his authority, which he planned to use to its full potential until the Seeker Drow grew too strong for him to contain its movement.

  Now that their plan was successful, James insisted that Suna and the others wait in the upper world. James and Floundea had agreed that it was better to hide the human involvement in the battle, namely, Slea killing the second Thiefmaster. They planned to make it sound like the other three factions committed a coup, and the presence of humans might make things more complicated.

  Suna agreed rather easily; he would leave the Tieflings' business to the Tieflings. As long as they continued to send help against the undead, then he would have no complaint. Apparently, James and Floundea were planning to also have a strategic meeting; they planned to conquer both the underworld and the upperworld, which was music to Suna’s ear.

  Currently, Suna sat, meditating, in a room separate from other humans. No–he also lived in a different house, a street away. Being farther away would help his mind detach; a sprinkle of truth would do that.

  He had closed his eyes for ten minutes, yet his mind had wandered to the Tieflings. It was a huge problem; he worried about James' next moves. But Suna shut such a thought off; he tried to attain absolute nothingness. As time passed, the only distraction was his breath, and slowly it became a part of his meditative stance; he did not feel them anymore—they were just a necessary bit of distraction to keep him alive.

  Class Skill (7/15)

  - Archer Sense [Common]

  - Archer Backstep [Common]

  - Mana Arrow [Uncommon]

  - Moving Shot [Uncommon]

  - Flint Draw [Uncommon]

  - Arcane String [Uncommon]

  - Bow of Wind [Uncommon]

  General Skill (6/15)

  - Quick Draw [Common]

  - Drowfication [Rare]

  - Rune Seeker [Uncommon]

  - Gale Step [Uncommon]

  - Air Pocket [Common]

  - Heat Sense [Common]

  Suna saw a figure in the absolute darkness.

  An archer

  And he knew what it was.

  The figure wore a strapping belt all over his clothes, a myriad of arrows placed so he could reach them. Suna knew each arrow was meant for something different. Some were heavier, some lighter, and even some were especially made for different effects like fire or sleep.

  This figure’s bow was rather short, a perfect one to sneak in with.

  In his vision, suddenly there was a tower. And Suna could see inside.

  The figure climbed up the tower. Suna followed flying as he curiously gazed at it. The archer opened the window with a hook and silently entered, slinking immediately under a table. The archer was in a room full of masked figures; the unidentified individuals were patrolling and did not notice the archer had entered among them.

  The archer then threw some kind of bomb. A smoke bomb. That drew the shadows' soldier's attention. Not only that, but the archer kicked the table he was under and began drawing in less than a second. Arrow flew, and three shadow soldiers died. After another second passed, all the shadow figures on that floor died.

  This was a vision of what Suna tried to achieve with his training with James. Above the archer, there was a name.

  [Snap String Marksman]

  The [Snap String Marksman] looked at him. A class that was not afraid to face a swordsman, because of its confidence to draw and release before a swordman can. Suna could do this too, and he might even be able to select this class upgrade already…

  Suna appeared on the same floor as the [Snap String Marksman]. The class opened its palm and invited Suna to shake its hand.

  He could do this, but another was pulling at him—tugging at his mind.

  Suna shook his head. The class bowed, and the tower and the class disappeared. Suna once again hung in the air. He could summon the [Snap String Marksman], he knew he could. He could still get the class again if he wished.

  But Suna accepted the tugging.

  And another archer appeared. This time it stood in the arena.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  The archer wore a cloak of darkness akin to James’ cloak. Suna caught a glimpse of a sword peeking from the cloak, stored in a slit made for the scabbard. In its hands was a bow, and on its hip was a quiver.

  [Bowblade Strider]

  What was this? Did sword usage affect his class somehow? Slea did not mention this. Heck, what Slea said about this ‘Sphere’ and how you were supposed to connect to it was completely false. Perhaps it was different for each class or individual?

  Slea did change a lot; maybe she messed with him to make it confusing. No, why would she do that?

  Retaining his focus. Suna saw the same shadow figures appear from the chain gate opening into the arena. About a dozen of them were there.

  The fight started.

  [Bowblade Strider] launched itself straight at the center figures. Arrows rushed in greeting. The class drew its sword and parried the arrows; it spun—its midnight cloak whirling as it launched itself in one rushing leap. Decapitating a shadowed figure in one motion.

  It then proceeded to take the body of the shadow and use it as a shield while shooting an arrow. Two arrows flew, each killing another shadow. Then, in quick motion, it switched into sword mode again. The [Bow Blade Strider] blitzed through the ground. Some shadows were frustrated and decided to meet him. The class, however, was superior. Parrying and pivoting, guiding its sword into the opponent's throat. When all opponents around him were dead, it quickly switched to bow and fired away a barrage of arrows.

  The fight ended with [Bow Blade Strider] uninjured.

  This was a class that promised a mixture of blade mastery and archery. Suna dropped into the arena. He faced the [Bowblade Strider]. Earning a look, confused and hesitant.

  The class then manifested his equipment from thin air. It dropped to the ground just around Suna’s feet.

  The class pointed at the weapons.

  “You want me to show you? That I can do this too?”

  The class nodded.

  Hmm–just what are these things? They must be Suna’s imagination, right? One that was formed by his skills. Maybe ‘imagination’ isn't accurate; these are his class possibilities, so this is real.

  He picked up the weapon, and conveniently, the same cloak appeared around Suna, along with a scabbard for the swords and a quiver already attached to his hip.

  “Start it,” Suna said.

  The [Bowblade Strider] nodded.

  Figures of Shadow appeared, the same dozen as before. Already knowing what to expect, Suna moved. He drew an arrow and let it loose on one of the figures. His arrow struck through the figure's head, and instead of rushing into a sword fight like his possible class would. Suna drew another arrow, and he let two fly before the shadows could even shoot at him.

  He killed another two, and he watched as the figures finally shot at him.

  Arcing back with an Archer Backstep, he fired away. His arrow streaked true–only if it was not stopped mid-air.

  His arrow hung in the air, and the shadow figures also stopped. As if the world had suddenly frozen.

  “What's happening?” Suna turned toward his future class.

  The [Bowblade Strider] shook his head. For some reason, Suna could read what was on its mind.

  “I did not do it right? You want me to use the sword too…” He muttered. Sure, the [Bowblade Strider] used its sword to parry the arrows rather than relying on its dodging ability. But can you call yourself an archer anymore like that? To Suna, it felt like a mess. Yes, he did want to be good at swords as well, but mixing classes with completely different weapons like these did not sit right with him.

  It felt like he could lose complete mastery of what a class can truly offer.

  The world fractured. And [Bowblade Strider] bowed its head.

  “I will still consider this,” Suna said. Just then, he felt something else tugging at him. It was weak and faint and gave off a small hum.

  Curious.

  The world disappeared again, and this time he was in a city…

  Wait… This city is the upper world. An exact replica. Did he awaken somehow? He could even feel the wind caress his body.

  Suna stood on the rooftop, and the familiar opening of the sky almost consumed him like the first time he saw it.

  A trail of golden stars streaked through the night sky. Infinite stars glimmered above him like they were giggling with each other. Moonlight bathed everything in glittering silver, especially the tower right in front of him, which was separated by a huge plaza.

  Beside Suna was a figure sitting on the edge of the roof with one of its legs dangling. This figure did not hold a bow, yet he has it. Suna senses it. It did not need to hold a bow to prove it was an archer.

  [Flintwind Archer]

  The figures stood, and he drew one finger down through the air. A bow made out of wind manifested; and it wielded the bow. The string conjured out of Mana which detached itself from the bow.

  The figures then summoned an arrow of blue, in another second, however, the bluish arrow burst into a flaming one. Suna watched as the arrow grew in size and started to take the shape of wind.

  Was that the effect of the Bow of Wind? Suna couldn’t help but wonder.

  The mana arrow resonated into an arrow of wind, and the wind took in the fire, making it look like a fiery tornado-like arrow. The arrow then grew into the size of a thin spear blazing in the sky, still not released yet.

  Suna took a step back as he felt the heat searing through the stone roof. A quick beat of excitement rippled through him. Anticipation thrummed as he kept observing.

  As if it hadn't impressed him enough, however. The [Flintwind Archer] tapped his foot, and just like James and the Seeker Drow, it propelled itself upward. It was like watching the sun rise. The flaming arrow burst forward in a sizzling ripple of the air.

  The arrow blasted through the tower, into melting obliteration. The grand tower structure rumbled and slowly, in searing sizzles, it toppled into two, its upper part crushing through dozens of poor houses, sending a great whine across the city.

  Is this his possibility?

  A power he could reach?

  His body was cold despite the now-burning city. Such power was within his grasp.

  The [Flintwind Archer] landed right next to Suna. It opened its palm and motioned to him.

  Suna chuckled at it. A tingling of annoyance blasted through him.

  It just challenged him to do the same, knowing full well that Suna still could not connect two magics together. He never even really used that Bow of Wind. All his fight were done with his obsidian bow.

  He realized he had not even taken a single step toward it. Well, maybe he did, considering he used plenty of Mana Arrow and had been practicing spinning it around his fingers. In fact, his fights against the Gatekeeper Undead might be the reason this class path was shown to him.

  Suna summoned his bow of Wind. And holding it, it was strange and not right. Holding this elemental bow. He missed the resolute and cold texture of his obsidian bow, so reliable and stout…

  But Suna decided to summon his Mana Arrow; instantly, a pang stung his head. The world crumbled, and the classes looked at him with unreadable, shadowy faces.

  Suna quickly drew his mana arrow and let it fly through the string made out of wind. He did not even use the arcane string.

  The Mana Arrow flew true, adding to the destruction of the burning tower. It was nothing like what the [Flintwind Archer] had shown. He still needed much more practice, so much more.

  But would he be willing to skip over other class upgrades for this?

  The answer was yes. Suna knew he wanted this.

  “I will be back.”

  The [Flintwind Archer] smiled, knowing it had won over the other two classes.