[Rune Of Dexterity]

  [Rune Of Strength]

  [Rune Of Armor]

  [Leather Shoulder Shield][Common] – Made with thick leather, but also to keep its lightweight so as not to disrupt hand movement.

  [Skill Rune]

  [Moving Shot] [Uncommon] – An archer can't expect their enemy to ignore their hiding spot and just fire away. Moving Shot enables mastery in running and shooting with improved accuracy.

  Name: Suna Amor

  Level. 13

  Class: [Archer]

  Rune: 11 → 15

  Feat: 5

  Mana: 277/300

  Class Skill (4/8):

  - Archer Sense [Common]

  - Archer Backstep [Common]

  - Mana Arrow [Uncommon]

  - Moving Shot [Uncommon]

  General Skill (2/8):

  - Quick Draw [Common]

  - Drowfication [Rare]

  Strength: 160 → 180

  Dexterity: 270 → 290

  Vitality: 34

  Arcanery: 34

  Sense: 66

  When is the next skill choice coming? He got his last one at level 5. Maybe Reki knew something about it? He should ask him later.

  “Can you see the graveyard from here?” Suna asked Min. He tried to ignore the dead bodies they had caused. None of these Drow had used the Drowfication; Suna recalled a couple of them probably had the chance too, but they hadn’t come still.

  “Yes, the edge of it at least. Last time I managed to make out a downward slope.”

  “How? You sneaked in?”

  Min nodded, and Suna thought the woman was insane.

  “It's easier when I’m alone; I can use my camouflage skill. I had to direct you earlier, so using it will be a waste of mana.”

  “And you were sure there were two dozen of them?”

  “Of course, I can't be sure, but I did count thoroughly. That did not include the roof area, though. The other side of houses far across us will have another group of Drow Rangers, but this side should be safe for now. Which is why I will hold the roof…” She paused, her eyebrow creased. Min got on one knee, hand laid flat on the edge of the roof. “Get down!” she hissed.

  Suna sprawled beside her. He wanted to ask what was happening, but her yellow eyes stared intently toward the graveyard.

  “Describe to me the Drow matriarch again,” Min ordered.

  And Suna could guess what she was seeing.

  “She was beautiful, very tall too, more so than the usual Drow, maybe close to two meters? Other than that, she looked similar to a female Drow.”

  “Level fifteen,” Min mumbled. “I think I found one, this one with a crossbow and sword similar to yours.” She cursed softly. “She was not here last time.”

  “Can we take her down?” Suna suggested. Min turned her head and just stared at him like he had lost his mind. But, with her camouflage skill, and if the Matriarch alone…

  “Hm,” she hummed. “She was injured,”

  “Injured?” Hope rose inside Suna.

  “Yes, not a grievous wound, but bandaged all over her…” She stopped and stilfled a sigh. “Well, let's forget about that; her cronies just brought her a Health potion.”

  “What did she even get injured from?” Suna wondered out loud. It was probably safe to assume the Drow matriarch was much stronger and had more battle sense than the Drow Rangers. So was there something much stronger than her? What was it? Was something down there in the Downward slope, Min talked about?

  “Let's go back for now. We need to keep everyone clear on what to do.”

  _____

  Suna imagined a scenario where both Reki and Slea screamed at each other, and they had to separate them.

  Because, based on the constant yelling coming from downstairs, that's certainly what was happening.

  He sighed, watching out of the window from the second floor with the rugby player, who seemed intent on not talking to Suna. Both of them leaned on the other side of the window, silently.

  He pitied Min, who went down to act as a peacemaker.

  “Looks like we're not going tonight,” Suna said to Noa.

  Who just shrugged, eyes went out of the window.

  Suna had to battle a sigh. This is not a good start.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  “Something is weird,” Noa said.

  “Yes, both of them are.”

  “No! Look out! The fog dissipated.”

  Suna did, and it was an ethereal sight.

  The fog morphed out from the night, slowly becoming less clear and disappearing like a fading ghost. The moonlight bathed the road as the thick fog vanished.

  Trying to see more, Suna just saw the empty street. Nothing more to it.

  “I'm going to the roof,” Suna said, opening the window. “Tell them to get ready.” Before Noa could offer a complaint, he stepped along the balcony and grasped the ledge tightly and pulled himself up to the roof. And it was very easy. This strength, the system had given him was a marvel; it was like his body had been enhanced in an invisible way deep inside.

  Suna had to steady himself and crouched as the night sky opened up above him, bathing him in moonlight as a golden hue glossed along the roofs like sloshing wine. Infinite stars shimmered among the skies; it was as if no clouds were blocking his view, some of them streaked with a tail of gold, shooting away through the endless night sky.

  Such beauty, however, came with danger. With no more fog to protect him, he kept his body low by the short wall along the roof. Suna moved to the edge, and he peered into the graveyard.

  The Matriarch was there, with tight black leather hugging her body and an identical obsidian sword drawn. Alongside her were perhaps two dozen Rangers and Warriors. The warriors formed a line, facing the graveyard. The ranger had their bow drawn beside to the warrior’s heads.

  They were expecting something.

  Something powerful.

  Suna lifted his head and tried to see if there were any forces in this roof line, but there were none. Min and he had taken care of all of them. So Suna slung off his bow and nocked an arrow. Whatever they were waiting for, he wasn’t going to miss a chance to kill the matriarch should he spot an opportunity.

  “This can’t be…” A voice muttered behind him.

  Suna turned to see Reki, standing carelessly, and his mouth gaped at the army below.

  “They… they shouldn't be capable of doing this. Something must’ve pushed them…” His eye settled on Suna, and he turned to Min.

  Min cracked her knuckle and smiled at the office worker with twitched lips, “Go on, Reki. Why don’t you say it? You’re doubting me and Suna.”

  Reki took a step back, attempting to shield himself, and almost fell to his death.

  Suna reached up, pushing the office worker back.

  “The hell?” He shrugged him off, “Ah, don't scare me like that!” The office worker glared at Min. “Yes, I doubt–”

  Suna ignored Reki, and his eyes were intent on the graveyard. Whatever the Drow were waiting for would come from there.

  Slea and Noa crouched near him, sandwiching him between them.

  “I will never be able to get along with that guy,” Slea grunted in a mumble.

  “He was not that bad,” Noa said. “Should we be here?” he asked Suna.

  “Watch the graveyard, they’re expecting something.”

  The graveyard was full of thick trees that made seeing the ground very hard. Suna could only make out an outline of a stone gravestone through the bramble of leaves. He focused on it, then a flesh of green sauntered out of the tree line.

  The Drows tensed as the new creature, a hulking monster with a horned helmet, stepped out. Its body was bulky, not in a muscular way but in an overgrown, fat way. Its fleshy, stubbed leg supported its huge body, which was about four metersl tall. Green eyes shone so bright that Suna could see the light piercing from up here.

  [Undead Gatekeeper Lvl 25]

  The undead roared, its voice bludgeoning through the sky, and the huge creature began charging. Following its footsteps was a heavy thumping, carrying its body forward with a surprising speed.

  Commanding her soldiers, the Drow Matriarch ordered fire. A dozen arrows streaked through, each landing on the Undead’s body. None missed, all arrows found their mark. The Undead, however, did not stop its charge; it roared and, with a heavy hand, slammed at the Drow Warriors who had landed countless stabs.

  What was that?

  It’s hands carried through, sweeping the Warriors off, sending them flying through the air. Two of them landed headfirst, cracking against the cobbled road. Blood splurted out and was smeared by their brethren, who kept charging at the Undead with their two-handed weapons.

  On first glance, their weapons should be perfect against the Undead. Glaives and Longswords were carved into its skin, and furthermore, arrows kept sinking into the flesh of the giant. But, the most they did was to make it stagger back–eventually the Undead found its bearing and swept at the Drows again, slamming its hand straight down on a Drow, paving the road with its body in a thunderous crash.

  The Matriarch kept screaming, holding her sword up. She did not join the fight, but instead just gritted her teeth in frustration as she watched.

  Suna gripped his bow, drew an arrow, and aimed at the Matriarch. He did not know why he chose to help the Undead, but the Drow… Yes, if he had to choose, he would want the Undead to win.

  “Ah, very devious,” a voice whispered playfully beside him.

  Suna turned to see Min, with her bow ready too. “But, hold on, let them fight it out,” she said.

  The Undead jumped, its stomach flapped upward, and it went pounding down on five Drows, even though the Drows were holding their weapons up. It burst forward, but ultimately stood with five grievous deep wounds. It then hauled the crushed corpses below him and started launching them at the Rangers.

  One Ranger went flying along with the remains of flattened flesh of her comrades.

  The Undead ran forward to the archers. Drow Warriors, stabbing their weapons into it, swarmed like ants trying to bring this huge pile of flesh down, but it just raged forward and eventually, in its last burst of speed, managed to swipe its hand into the archer formation. He flattened two Drow Rangers at once and swept up another three with a great display of power.

  Seeing her soldiers toyed around, the Matriarch screeched, and finally decided to join the battle, after only firing that useless crossbow of hers. She lunged in with the obsidian sword.

  The Undead recognized her and turned to swoop one of its heavy, fleshy hands at her..

  She decided to hold her ground.

  Suna raised an eyebrow, leaning forward so as not to miss the action. That was certainly suicidal…

  Parting her legs, the Drow Matriarch raised her sword. And as the flesh was about to connect, she dove inside and drove her sword straight at the Undead’s throat. Not letting her sword get stuck, she wrenched it free, splaying a green blob of blood downward. That green blood hit the Matriarch, and she howled, staggering about like it had just burned her.

  The undead was not in a better position. It groaned and warded off the Drows around it–bludgeoning them not only with its arm but also its legs as it started to whip them over.

  Some Drows had given up on melee attacks and began to fire with their crossbows. They circled the Undead, hailing it with fast-moving crossbow bolts. The weapons still jutted through the Undead, and green blood pooled beneath its feet. It kept moving, despite the hail of bolts and arrows.

  Fewer than ten Drows remained, marred remains of their brethren littered around them. The Matriarch, whose body burned because of the acid substance of the Undead, stood strong and commanded her soldiers to keep firing.

  Suna heard the snap of Crossbow’s bolts as they sank into the flesh; they twisted inside the Undead, and the creature staggered to one knee.

  The Drow Matriarch, deciding it was time to act, drew her sword. A black dot freckled her skin, and it was hard to tell due to the night. But Suna's eyes saw the charge of power, and her step was no longer hesitant. She charged in, carving through the flesh of the Undead.

  The hulking golem whimpered as the obsidian's sword drew blood in a devastating stroke. It tried to crash its hand at the Matriarch, but she saw this coming and kicked the Undead’s hand, pinning it down under her foot in a surge of power. Her foot sank deep into the arm flesh like mud.

  With one final slash, the Matriarch carved through the Undead's neck, and finally, the monster went down, green blood pooling around its fallen body. The weapon, still embedded deep in each of them, began corroding thanks to its blood.

  The Drow matriarch stepped back, almost falling due to the blood marring the street. Just when she was about to drink a health potion, however, an unexpected, almost bizarre sight happened. A bird…

  A bird swooped down and, with its talon, cracked open the health potion. The red substance fell on the cobbled path, dripping from the Drow Matriarch’s hand

  The matriarch caught the bird and crushed it under her arm.

  Blood dripped from her hand, and the Matriarch turned toward the intersection, where a Drow… A man Drow appeared, a bird flew all around him, and he wore a brown cloak with a staff that looked like a lean tree branch.

  This one did not dress like the Drow usually did.

  Instead…

  “I remember him!” Slea said. An implication rippled through the group.

  Suna let out a long, cold breath. One of them had been turned.

  [Drow Beastmaster. Lvl 20]