His body moved before the guilt could even set in. Suna ran, and he wrenched open the master bedroom door–settling on the second-floor gallery, training his bow at the door.

  Suna's eye did not leave the doorknob. The moment it went down…

  He adjusted his aim.

  The Drow was too far back then for him to make out her expression, and in a cruel way… that made this easier. He shoved down everything. His entire being was trained on where he would shoot.

  The doorknob went down, and he released an arrow. The arrow pierced just above the knob. A wail resounded outside. The shaft of his arrow shuddered before a wrenching sound echoed, followed by a scream.

  He took another arrow, ready to shoot it again. But the wooden door burst apart. The Drow entered with a curved long sword drawn and eyes slit thinly, intent on murder. The Drow rushed straight to the stairs on Suna’s left. His bow moved, tracking the Drow.

  He let his arrow fly; his heart leaped as he thought it would be an easy shot straight down. But, in the last second, the Drow crouched with hand tightened on the stair railing–the arrow passed by, and the creature sprang forward with a powerful leap. Suna stepped back, and he shot. The arrow missed completely; it went down the stairs. He released it in a hurry.

  Backing away through the small hallway, Suna drew again. His heartbeat drummed in his head. If not for his Shadow Gauntlet, this bow would stutter in fear. His body shook, and Suna's mind went reeling.

  What if he missed the next one? What was the Drow waiting for? Where was he?

  Then he appeared, surging straight at him with a sword ready to cleave down. Suna let out a cry. He backed away and hit a wall. His arrow went flying, and it hit the Drow right at his shoulder, snapping his body back. The Drow gritted his teeth, his red-eyed gaze fixed intently at Suna in pure rage.

  That should have been an easy shot. But Suna messed that up badly.

  With his left hand only usable, the Drow pounced forward. Curved sword scythed straight down at Suna–he reeled sideways, and the sword wrecked the wooden floor where he had been.

  The Drow wrenched its sword back and started to swing again. But it took him a couple of seconds. Suna punched the Drow straight in his face. Shadow Gauntlet made Suna’s hand lighten, and he smashed the creature's face again. Blood exploded up from the Drow's nose.

  Before Suna could connect another punch, the Drow grabbed his left fist and twisted it. He cried out, and straight after, a kick sent Suna flying back into the gallery. Crushing pain blared in his stomach, and he drew a sharp gasp as air refused to come out. He breathed a lungful before barely being able to stand and rolled away from the next slash. Wind whooshed near his neck. The Drow had an advantage because of the open space. So Suna glided back, eyes carefully watchful of its strike.

  He entered the other end of the hallway, his breathing still ragged. His bow was gone.

  The Drow awkwardly forced the long curved sword into a lunge with his left hand. Suna raised his gauntleted arm. The first thrust did not have much power behind it; Suna blocked it with a fist. He kept backing away until his back met the other end of the corridor.

  Panic bloomed in his chest. This was stupid; he did not think much aside from limiting the Drow’s swing.

  Seeing his prey trapped, the Drow screamed, sword thrust out, then charged at Suna.

  Suna tried to bring his fist to ward off the sword again, but this time it skidded off his gauntlet, up to his shoulder. Pain blossomed the moment, the Drow’s sword pierced through him. Suna screamed–a hot, wet sensation blanketed his neck. He gasped–brought both of his gauntleted hands to catch the sword. But the sword rattled, and he gritted out another scream.

  He heaved in and out. His vision was now full of red clouds.

  A foot rose and slammed down on his head.

  Suna gasped, and pain exploded in his vision, blanking.

  “Aiyifeh!” The Drow screamed. He was about to bring his foot down again. In a sudden motion, his body jerked. A curved blade impaled the Drow through his armor. The Drow coughed up blood; a smear of it landed on Suna's cheek. His body was wrenched, and life was gone from the Drow's eyes.

  Suna looked up to see the red demon. The Tiefling held a glaive, the weapon of the woman Drow.

  The red creature knelt. Disregarding any sense of respect, it started to rummage through the Drow's body. It pulled out a red vial, the one the female Drow had fed to the male Drow. Suna had thought of it as a potion; it might have been.

  “Trade, human,” the Tiefling spoke. “I will feed you this. I get everything. Both the male and female Drow bodies”

  Its voice got weaker in Suna’s ear. Not his voice… Suna got weaker; his life was fading. Why would you even offer a dying stranger this? Unless there’s some sort of tradition or something.

  “No,” Suna croaked. “Half, I get the man body”

  “Half? Half! Stupid human! You’re dying, I want everything, or you die here.”

  “Then let me,” Suna grunted. He coughed, and blood pooled around his mouth. He wanted to live so badly, even though he did not know what kind of world awaited him.

  It might be mad to make this kind of bet. But, because he didn’t know what to expect, he prepared to risk it all.

  “No! Not half! I got the woman's body and her equipment, and half of what the man has.”

  “Deal,” Suna said weakly. “The male Drow Rune is mine, and his sword. Others are yours…”

  The Tiefling growled at him, bringing its head close to Suna. Its teeth were completely yellow, and the creature's breath reeked of decayed fish.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Is this supposed to be intimidating? It might be if I’m not dying.

  The Tiefling poured the potion into Suna's mouth. As the substance slithered down his throat, his vision went to darkness.

  [Feat Earned: Brink of Death]

  You have survived the unthinkable. Your body kept going and beat the odds of death. Such a feat is worthy of a warrior. +50 Strength.

  Suna was a simple guy; he used to hate work. He despised it.

  But two years ago, he was lost. With the savings from his part-time job, he decided that he’d had enough and wanted to take a year off from college and work. So Suna did. And the first month was a blast. He played games, watched anime, and slept. Again and again for an entire month. But as time passes, his excitement about the new episode dimmed. Farming in Dota became a slog and soon turned into a bother.

  So he decided to play support, a role to set up rotation. And it was fun not having to farm the entire game. But after a week, it became a bother to play. After the weekend, he noticed he hadn’t started any new anime episodes. That was concerning, considering the season full of anime he had been wishing for.

  So Suna was about to watch it, but he couldn’t be bothered to open the website.

  The entire day passed by with him just scrolling endlessly through anything he could find.

  A month passed, and he decided to find work. And sure enough, he hated it. The twelve-hour shift for the first day was hellish, but after he got home, he began to watch anime again. And he had so much fun.

  Suddenly, color started to fill the blankness he had been experiencing. Perhaps it was bizarre, but he genuinely believed nothing should be earned without an appropriate effort behind it. His body had told him that. The taste of food was more delicious if he was hungry. Water tasted like soda when he was thirsty. And entertainment became more colorful after he worked his butt off.

  Which was why this new world… A world that rewarded your effort with these level-ups, these new powers surging through you, this magic called skills, and equipment came in the form of runes. A world that blatantly rewards you through a system. It scared him. It scared him that everything thrusted into the open field, yet bizarrely it excited him as well…

  —

  Suna woke to no sunlight; the window still showed the depressing fog, so thick that it slowly fluttered down ashes into the white, soaked city.

  Spiraling buildings pierced the fog in great numbers; he briefly remembered the tallest one. Surely, no one expected to climb it? What should he do now?

  Suna’s hand moved to his shoulder, and he prepared for the pain, but none came. He squished it, and sure enough, it was just his normal, everyday shoulder. He looked around the room; it was familiar. His bow and cloak lay neatly along with his knife. And a curved long sword smeared with his blood was there. Suna trailed his finger along the steel; this thing almost killed him. Neatly arrayed beside the sword was the sheath.

  He stood, rolling his shoulder. Where was the Tiefling? Did it leave?

  Suna kinda wished it did. He still needed to process everything.

  He donned the ranger cloak, sheathing his new sword with its sheath clasped against his hip. Then he slung his bow and picked up an arrow, ready to draw it.

  Suna left the room, and to his right, the end of the hallway was a wall smeared with blood—His blood. Realization dawned on him; he was still inside the same house. But that means…

  He ran toward the gallery and looked at the door that had splintered open. He needed to leave fast. If any Drow patrols the street again…

  Suna rushed down the stairs, and he noticed a door was open—the one leading to the bathroom.

  Should he just run? No, no sense in wasting his element of surprise. Suna drew an arrow and surged into the room.

  Inside was a sight he wished he could immediately banish from his head.

  Both dead Drow were lying in a pool of blood. Their equipment was all removed and arrayed on the bathroom tile. The Tiefling, like a devil it was, with its thin dark tail swaying around…It stabbed deep into the Drow's body.

  “What are you doing?” Suna let his words out.

  “Whoa! Human! Put that down! Now!” The Tiefling stood abruptly and screamed. “Now!”

  “What?” Suna looked down at his bow and at the Tiefling. His hand shook, such debauchery… He lowered bow down, and the Tiefling relaxed, his feet swaying as he dipped in the pool of blood.

  “W—Why are you doing this!” Suna demanded.

  “Fool human!” The Tiefling growled.

  “Answer me!”

  The creature opened his left palm, and two yellow-coloured crystals shone in it.

  “Runes?”

  The Tiefling nodded.

  Runes, harvested from a creature's heart.

  “R—Right…” Suna muttered, still repulsed by the gory sight.

  “Fool human! I’m harvesting both. And one is for you!”

  “I-I’m sorry,” Suna said. “I am new here… Right, can you tell me where this is?”

  “No! No such deal!”

  “Please?”

  “No, please! Trade. I will tell you for this Rune and the sword.”

  “No! Absolutely not!” Suna scowled; it was, without a doubt, too expensive for the information. Suna already felt like he had been cheated. Granted, without the Tiefling, he would die, but still, those crossbows…

  The Tiefling clicked its tongue, then threw one of the Runes to Suna. He caught it and squished it in his hand.

  [Skill Rune]

  [Archer Backstep] [Common] – An archer requires a certain degree of safety. Create this distance by sliding back across the ground and bring your bow and arrow up in an instant.

  Name: Suna Amor

  Level. 3

  Class: [Archer]

  Rune: 2

  Feat: 1

  Mana: 120/120

  Class Skill (2/5):

  - Archer Sense [Common]

  - Archer Backstep [Common]

  General Skill (0/5):

  Strength: 39 → 89

  Dexterity: 33

  Vitality: 12

  Arcanery: 12

  Sense: 24

  Pushing Suna aside, the Tiefling carried its newly gained armor, crossbows, and glaives. It expertly carried them in both hands.

  Suna glared at the creature. Why would it need two crossbows?

  “Human,” it turned. “I recommend that you move, for obvious reasons,” he motioned to the broken door.

  “Right,” Suna said. “Uh, thank you for everything. I would die without you.”

  The Tiefling held his gaze, then with its head it motioned to the back of the Drow's dark leather armor. There was a water skin. “Take it”

  Suna's eyes widened. Did it just give him this because he thanked him? He took it and said another thank you. “Can we stick togeth—”

  “No,” the creature denied.

  “Right…” Suna’s eyes twitched.

  “Good luck, human. And don’t feel guilty killing them. They’re crazy.”

  “Crazy? In what way?”

  “In ritual crazy! They would tie someone up and corrupt them. That is how they multiply! Don’t believe me? Try going to the plaza. Some of my poor brethren fell to their dark magic! Anyway, good luck, human!” The Tiefling left. It jumped on a box and propelled itself onto a rooftop. Then, just in a second, the red creature was gone, leaving Suna alone.

  “Plaza…” Suna muttered. Maybe he should check it. If any human met an unfortunate end so early… He needed to be sure