Torchlight spilled dimly into the darkly lit cave. His step hesitated as he saw the light did not extend farther. Suna had been looting the dead Tieflings, and to his luck, he had obtained three potions.

  He reached up, taking the torch. This forced him to sling his bow and use Umbralline in one hand–a fighting style he did not practice often, which caused a suffocating dread to rise inside him.

  Can these undead see well in the darkness? They probably can…

  He continued his descent, eyes wary of each patch of darkness his torch banished. He decided it was better to move quickly than risk the Pyrebone Archer spotting his light, so he rushed forward. Feet sliding down, pushing pebbles that rolled down, their clatter made Suna draw a sharp, cold breath.

  But they weren’t the only reason behind his breath.

  Had it gotten colder?

  A cool draft of air fanned against him, chilling the surrounding air. Suna hesitated again. He tried to recall the information he had gotten from James. The first depth was a vast lake…

  The slope ended, and he was enveloped in a stream of mist. This mist was cool and refreshing to breathe, unlike the thick fog in the upper world.

  The cave opened up into an entirely new world. A lake of dark blue water stretched across. He could see islands of varying sizes, each leading deeper into the depths.

  Luminous formation rose into the darkness above him, as if it were a starless night.

  The dark blue lake glowed with shimmering, clear blue. It lapped gently, calm and rhythmic.

  A large island lay close by. Suna recognized an earthen path where the cave ground curved around the island, and a thin strip of earth connected it conveniently to where Suna stood.

  He knelt, tapping his hand on the earth. Was this human-made? Well, undead made. Regardless, he didn't trust it. The good news was that he didn't need his torch anymore. Suna spotted a raft with a log resting on it, swaying peacefully on the lake–it looked inviting. He half-expected there would be some hidden trap on it.

  He didn't feel confident about it either. But this earth path would make him vulnerable to anyone who waited across.

  So he decided to get on the raft, and it rocked slightly as he stepped onto it. Suna moved the log, and he began swaying silently, with the sound of water rippling around him.

  He purposefully steered away from the main earth path. Mist closed in, and Suna couldn't even see if anything was ahead.

  He rowed with a powerful force, propelling his boat forward as the hull scraped against the landing. Suna drew his bow and arrow, realizing the boat would soon be swamped without him continuing to row.

  But then, emerging from the mist to his right, was another boat. His bow shifted, and he waited for whatever was on it.

  Suna hesitated, unsure whether to summon his Mana Arrow or not. The light would make him a glowing target.

  Probably not a good idea.

  Glancing back, there was no sign of the Pyrebone Archer. Still, Suna would rather err on the side of caution.

  But, he still recognized the importance of training his arcane power–to help his mind accept it fully.

  Name: Suna Amor

  Level: 28 → 30.

  Class: [Archer]

  Rune: 53

  Feat: 12

  Mana: 2350/2900 → 2350/3150

  Class Skill (9/15)

  - 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]

  General Skill (6/15)

  - Quick Draw [Common]

  - Drowfication [Rare]

  - Rune Seeker [Uncommon]

  - Gale Step [Uncommon]

  - Air pocket [Common]

  - Heat Sense [Common]

  Strength: 515 → 535

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Dexterity: 540 → 555

  Vitality: 255 → 285

  Arcanery: 290 → 315

  Sense: 312 → 325

  Suna summoned the Bow of Wind. It manifested in a rapid air current above his hand, pushing his cloak against his shoulder.

  The bow formed and tingled his hand. How was he supposed to grab this thing?

  Suna touched it, then gripped it, and his hand found the grip. He twirled the bow around and tried to draw it. The air string was replaced by a refined, thin blue string that devoured the former air current. He recognized that the strain on his Mana had lessened, and it required far less focus to wield.

  He faced the boat, where the outline of rotting skin was finally revealed.

  Drawing an arrow to his cheek, Suna decided to go for a normal one instead of one enhanced by his Grave Vine Quiver. The reason was pretty simple. His opponent's level was low; using an enchanted arrow on it felt like a waste, especially since it was still unclear if these arrows were already enchanted.

  [Undead Flesh Archer. Lvl 8]

  [Undead Flesh Archer. Lvl 8]

  [Undead Flesh Archer. Lvl 8]

  Three of them were on the raft, with one rowing. Each wore an open-capped helmet and a dark cloak that looked like it was made of cheap wool. Two of them stood with arrows already nocked, their quivers hanging tied against their ribs in almost a comedic fashion

  Huh, so they had an archer variant.

  Suna pulled his arrow to his cheek and was immediately grateful for how easily he could draw it. But that couldn't be the full effect of the Spell String, surely. And he was right—wind flowed into the bluish string and coalesced around his arrow. Suna could feel it gathering at his fingertips; his archer's sense begged him to release it.

  The string held everything together.

  Suna’s thoughts were still all over the place; he had opened the floodgate, and his mind was scrambling, unable to focus. Manifesting the Bow of Wind had caused a brief throbbing pain in his head. Yet, the moment this string appeared, his pain eased.

  He huffed, his eye zeroing on his target. It was unfortunate that their backs were not against each other.

  Suna let loose an arrow, and it zipped with the rush of wind. A breeze fluttered as the Spell String thrummed. One skeleton’s head was blown apart in a burst, its green blood splattering down as its body fell dramatically, toppling over its brethren.

  The other archers finally noticed him. The moment it turned, however, a hole opened in its chest, and it fell into a wooden heap, crashing against the raft hull.

  The last undead was the rower. It tried to lift its bow, but Suna blew a hole through its chest too, just like its fallen brethren.

  [You Have Slain Undead Flesh Archer. Lvl 8]

  [You Have Slain Undead Flesh Archer. Lvl 8]

  [You Have Slain Undead Flesh Archer. Lvl 8]

  These three did not have runes either. There must be some reason behind that.

  His raft finally reached land, and Suna drew another arrow–this time, he drew from his enchanted quiver.

  The enchanted arrow glowed with a faint green pulse. This amount of light shouldn’t be too much of a problem, unlike his Mana Arrow. Thinking back, he realized he could feed a small amount of Mana.

  Suna ambled forward, leaving the raft. The chill deepened the cold sweat at the nape of his neck.

  He spotted a red figure, sprawled nearby. It was a Tiefling–dead. Above the Tiefling was a four-legged abomination. Their eyes were so sunken that their eye sockets bulged inside, and their legs were disproportionately small at both the front and back. Its mouth watered as its fangs crunched through the dead Tiefling bones.

  [Undead Hound. Lvl 8]

  [Undead Hound. Lvl 8]

  Their bodies were white and blue with jagged spikes just below their knees.

  Suna did not wait for them to notice; his arrow was already flying before he could even register it. Two greenish arrows pierced just below the hound's neck; they collapsed into a rolling heap from the sheer force of his arrows.

  The hounds writhed. From where his arrow had pierced, a green vine lurched up and began to wrap itself around the hound’s neck, then it tightened, cutting its cries with a rasping breath.

  Their necks broke, bones crunched.

  [You have Slain Undead Hound. Lvl 8]

  [You Have Slain Undead Hound. Lvl 8]

  That was rather horrifying, even for Suna’s liking. He approached the hound corpses, poking the vine with an arrow. It was still tangled in a horrid vine. He could no longer retrieve the arrow—the vines had grown into it, making it part of the vines’ base.

  Suna did not know if that was a bad thing or not.

  On one hand, it was impossible to heal through normal means, since you can’t stabilize the arrow. But this also means he couldn’t retrieve it.

  Well, for now, that drawback wasn’t really a problem as there would be an undead archer with a full quiver around. He could just kill it and get more arrows.

  Suna pushed his boot, kicking the hound corpse so he could angle his arrow deep into its chest. After a minute of jabbing in and out, it was clear these creatures also did not have any runes.

  He replaced the two arrows with two normal ones in his Grave Vine quiver.

  Suna searched the Tiefling’s standard pocket bag that they carried. He tried to do it as respectfully as possible. He searched until he found a piece of paper– sandy, with a coarse texture.

  He opened it and let out a thin smile in this fogged, full world. It was a map, and Suna recognized it. James had taught him how to read it and what the symbols by the Tiefling meant.

  He was able to pinpoint his location.

  The Tiefling had not fully mapped out the first depth. So far, they had only found three huge islands, and he was on one of them—the one shaped like an L. Around him were a myriad of small islands. Suna had to cross three medium-sized islands and one more to reach the middle of the map, where a huge island shaped like an armadillo lay. An X mark was marred with blood, and one of these X marks was very close. The Tiefling must’ve been ambushed right after marking the map.

  Suna tapped his finger and bit his thumb as he was unsure what to do.

  There were about six paths leading to the exit. He could try searching for his friend by sneaking around. However, the path where they were likely to come out would also be the most dangerous. The Gargoyle and the Pyrebone Archer… If they survived, then they would need to cross deeper. If Suna went back, then the best result he could hope for would be perhaps only their corpses.

  He had to go forward. An X was placed on a route that the human would take. An X meant an unfortunate battle, where the Tieflings had lost to their foes.

  There were a dozen X’s.

  The battle seemed very scattered. Suna knew he couldn’t rely too much on what he had seen. This was not a real-time radar, after all. There was also a chance that the Tiefling group, led by James or Floundea, would be able to fight their way through. But the question still stood: why the hell did they come down here? They even battled past the gatekeeper.

  With a greenish arrow nocked, Suna began walking. He planned to reach the edge of the L-shaped island where the X was.

  There was a collection of small islands leading from one of the exits–the one the humans were most likely to use.

  Suna kept going.

  Mist whispered around him as he finally made out a faint outline of a figure. The figure was red and sprawled against a rock.

  Suna approached carefully.

  A Tiefling breathed deeply, producing a croaking sound. A deep gash crossed its body. Its eyes opened, but the light behind it was very weak.

  Suna knelt quickly, almost crushing the empty vials lying around its feet. It had used five potions… This wound must’ve been quite severe, but it hardly looked deadly now.

  He fed the Tiefling, letting the red potion slither down its throat.

  “Thank you…” It croaked and coughed.

  Suna nodded. Behind the Tiefling was a spear, and his eyes widened, recognizing it.

  “You’re a rune bearer,” Suna said. “Personal bodyguard of Floundea.”

  The Rune bearer examined Suna with a sidelong glance, then said. “That's rather insulting. I'm her fifth husband. Have some respect, human.”