Motes of light puckered the figure of [Flintwind Archer], each light carrying away part of his body.

  They slowly swayed in circles like curious children, exploring as if they were fireflies above the roofs. They became a warm orange light, comfy and sleepy lights that blanket Suna. He reached up with his hand, and a throbbing hot sensation echoed on his palm.

  Suna tapped into the new power; the light responded to his will. Gathering like a tornado’s end as they swirled on his hand.

  The light teased his skin, seeping in. A pulse of new arcane power entered him.

  This was nothing he had ever felt before. Sure, he had been building toward this, readying his brain so he could welcome it, but the power turned out to be much more than he imagined.

  A plethora of new possibilities went through his eyes, a combination of magic and archery. And it's not just this class. Suna can peek beyond it.

  In fact, perhaps it was not the time to consider this, and he should check his status first.

  A faint tugging drew his attention.

  This was familiar; could it be that it was his other two classes? No, it couldn’t be right? He no longer could feel them.

  He accepted the tugging and the world shifted from the roof.

  The stench of rot decay invaded both his mouth and nose. He covered both with his cloak and shielded his eye as well, because they began to sting.

  Where is this?

  Bluish flame burned bright all around him. But this was not a mess of a battlefield; no, this was perhaps the opposite of a battlefield.

  Flames danced atop a pyre, hundreds upon hundreds of them, arrayed in neat squares.

  Suna crouched and scooped a handful of ashes. The whole ground was covered by these.

  His Archer Sense tapped him. This was a bit familiar. A jolt of fear jumped in him before he calmed himself down and turned.

  A figure, not of bone thankfully–was standing there. Its body was made of shadows, but the most prominent thing about it was its bow. A bow of Pyreflame, just like the Pyrebone Archer. Around the shadowed figure was the bright blue flame shield that caressed the class and intended to protect it no matter what—an incredible defense that can be used as mobility. It was obvious such a skill was perfect for an archer.

  But this figure did not even offer Suna his palm; no, it did not know he existed. The figure merely passed by Suna’s body like he was just an afterimage or a hologram.

  His eyebrows rose, and he tried to call out. But he began to realize something. The reason Suna needed to make certain things as part of his reality to achieve a class upgrade was not just for him, but also for the class to recognize his existence.

  At this point, he couldn’t even get the [Pyrebone Archer] to show him what he would get. If he wanted this class, he had to accept Pyre Shield as part of him. Suna doubted that that was all. There was still a problem with that bluish bow; it was a skill he had to get first before he should even consider this.

  But, he shouldn’t be bogged down by this one choice. He ought to have more later; this was just one of the possibilities.

  Suna closed his eyes, letting himself out of this Pyre world.

  [Feat Earned] [Class Upgrade(1)]—You just upgraded your class. Such a feat was a step to new and incredible power to tap into. This has made it clear that you were committed to diving deep into your power and intent on getting stronger. All Stat + 200

  [Skill Upgrade]

  [Mana Arrow] [Flame Arrow]→[Emberwind Arrow][Rare]--Flintwind Archer arrows contain the speed of wind and deadly searing flame. Pure Mana shall be shaped instead of used in its unrefined shape, wind and flame shall answer [Flintwind Archer]'s call, for he is their conductor.

  [Bow of Wind]→[Gale Bow][Rare]--Gale is unruly and can cut deep as a knife; such power can be wrought into a bow by [Flintwind Archer]. A sickle of wind formed and became [Flintwind Archer]’s bow; any enemy foolish enough to get close will only meet a bow that is much stronger than most swords could.

  [Archer Sense]→[Archer Instinct][Uncommon]--An experienced archer has developed an instinct that is wrought from countless battles.

  [Archer Backstep]→[Gale Backstep][Uncommon]--Creating a space is not only necessary for an archer, but it is also a lifeline. Use the push of wind to carry yourself back and train your bow and arrow on the enemy in one swift move.

  [Quick Draw]→[Swift Draw][Uncommon]--A draw speed is an archer's greatest weapon.

  [Air Pocket]→[Wind Veil][Uncommon]--Gathered wind in your arm and created a pressure of wind to use.

  [Heat Sense]→[Thermal Instinct][Uncommon]--Sensing a heat source has become second nature to you as fitting for a Flintwind Archer

  Name: Suna Amor

  Level: 37.

  Class: [Archer] → [Flintwind Archer]

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Rune: 123

  Feat: 17 → 18

  Mana: 1500/12250 → 8900/14250

  Pyre Flame: 100

  Class Skill (12/15) → (12/35)

  - Archer Instinct [Uncommon]

  - Gale Backstep [Uncommon]

  - Moving Shot [Uncommon]

  - Flint Draw [Uncommon]

  - Arcane String [Uncommon]

  - Gale Bow [Rare]

  - Spell String Mastery [Rare]

  - Hissing Volley [Rare]

  - Drill Arrow [Uncommon]

  - Still Form [Uncommon]

  - Saproot Arrow [Rare]

  - Emberwind Arrow [Rare]

  General Skill (11/15) → (11/35)

  - Swift Draw [Uncommon]

  - Drowfication [Rare]

  - Rune Seeker [Uncommon]

  - Gale Step [Uncommon]

  - Wind Veil [Uncommon]

  - Thermal instinct [Uncommon]

  - Enchanced Sense [Uncommon]

  - Enduring Body [Uncommon]

  - Battle Focus [Common]

  - Eagle Eyes [Uncommon]

  - Pyre Shield [Rare]

  Strength: 957 → 1157

  Dexterity: 1155 → 1355

  Vitality: 689 → 889

  Arcanery: 1225 → 1425

  Sense: 645 → 845

  –

  Suna opened his eyes. Clashes of steel reverberated in a grating and buzzing sound. He groaned, shaking off his drowsiness. Sleeping with a rock as a pillow was definitely not his best idea.

  He woken to see the Tieflings exchanging spear points, rushing at each other, even to the point of drawing blood. Each movement was fueled with desperation, and Suna kept watching, admiring their progress.

  “Strengthen your legs!” Jack screamed at one who had just fallen. “If you fall, then it doesn’t matter how much you practice. Your form is the foundation, remember that!”

  The Tiefling stood and almost stumbled down again. It bowed at Jack and began to attack the Runebearer again. The Runebearer, however, slapped away the spear with the back of his palm and punched deep into the other Tiefling's gut, sending the Tiefling coughing and writhing.

  Suna wondered if he had just tried to kill him; this reminded him of his practice with James.

  He stood and opened his palm.

  Better get to practicing, too.

  Bow of Wind, no Gale Bow began to form. Rushes of wind trembled, each was a sickle of small blades gathered and coalesced into the spell bow. Suna held it, almost translucently. It did look different than the Bow of Wind; it was much curved and quite longer too. He spun the bow around, and it responded nicely in his hand.

  Suna spotted the large rock he was leaning on. He slammed the bow down, and wind rushed through, splitting the rock in a searing cut. The rock splitted with a molten rock cut, and the top half of the rock collapsed in a clean strike.

  This was quite a power. But the most important part was, of course, the bow; Suna took a normal arrow and drew it. An arcane string manifested and welcomed his arrow.

  Wind gathered; Suna could feel it seep to enhance it. Suna then released it, far into the mist. His arrow zipped with a blast of air, pushing the mist around him, banishing it, and clearing the space around him.

  The arrow itself rushed high and was gone from Suna’s vision. In its wake, it pushed the mist apart, creating a line of sight. Soon, the mist returned, however, covering its trail.

  That was fast, far faster than his Flame Arrow enhanced with Flint Draw. His eye fell on this Emberwind Arrow, a combination of Mana Arrow and Flame Arrow. He summoned it, opening his palm. Motes of ember formed like a sudden bright red plasma; they added on to each other and formed into a bright orange arrow.

  The arrow shaft was gleaming with bright crimson that almost bordered pure white, its steel point colored like molten lava. And its fletching was a form of wind, pushing against Suna’s cloak. He drew it, and the arrow grew brighter and brighter every passing moment. His Thermal instinct warned him how hot it was becoming. But Suna did not feel it. Even the bright nature of the arrow was not a problem for him.

  Suna cast Flint Draw. And the wind started to seep with the color of red, splaying behind him in a hot, searing air. The arrow grew brighter, and Suna’s Archer Instinct wept in joy. His mouth wryed in a grin, as he was about to release it, however.

  “Suna! Stop!” A voice called.

  He turned, letting his arrow dim as he removed it from his spell bow.

  Behind him, Jack stood, half crouched, shielding someone else. A Tiefling whose red skin blistered with deeper red.

  Suna’s breath caught in his throat. That was his fault?

  Suna had already made sure to put some distance between them, but that was still not enough.

  He went, kneeling on one leg, inspecting the wound. “Are you okay?” He asked.

  The injured Tiefling just stared at him and let out a soft laugh. “It’s no problem, honorable archer… W–We shouldn’t keep you here. You should go with Runebearer Jack, please bring our Thiefmaster back, and our captured brethren.” The Tiefling spoke quickly, its eyes widening as pure emotion swirled behind them.

  Suna did not know what to answer.

  A hand tapped his shoulder, and he turned to see Jack helping him up.

  “A class upgrade,” Jack said, examining him openly. “I saw Floundea went through the same thing, and the sudden skills she got, too. But, this triumph hers.”

  “It’s probably because of the level,” Suna said. More levels mean more skill slots, and there ought to be a skill that merges them.

  “Good, good,” Jack nodded. “We should go now, Suna, we have already taken so much time.” The Runebearer then turned to the rest of the Tiefling. “I’ve taught you the best I can, now you need to seek the protection of others once you're back in the nest. Make a big group, and protect each other!”

  The Runebearer received a resounding Yes.

  The next ten minutes were Suna and Jack handing most of their potions to the Tieflings group. Suna did not mind, since he would probably encounter more dead bodies sprawling around, but he made sure to chug down on most of the Mana Potion first. He then handed some to one of them who was capable of using magic.

  “Shall we go then?” Jack said, cracking his neck.

  Jack moved, but instead of continuing on land, he made his way onto a boat with one oar ready for rowing.

  “We’re using a boat?” Suna asked.

  “It's much safer,” Jack said, his feet sinking into the shallow water first before pushing himself onto the rowing boat. The boat shook, and Jack let out a grunt before he sat down and picked up the oar.

  Suna jumped in, the boat complained below him, but he managed to steady himself. He drew an arrow with his marrow bow as the boat moved, and tried to let loose. This would require some adjustment because he needed to take in the boat movement, but he will manage.

  Jack volunteered to become the rower; he pushed against the stout rock of the land and launched them off, swaying in the calm water. Then the Runebearer began rowing with a huff of breath every time he plunged that oak in as a swing.

  Suna let the cold wind caress him; this was surprisingly very serene and peaceful, if not for the life-or-death situation, he might have enjoyed it. Actually, why didn’t he enjoy it? Not like it will change anything. Still, though, he should be on his guard.

  “If we encounter an enemy,” Jack grunted as he rowed. “Drop that bow on deck, I have experience. Well, small chance of that happening, I guess.”

  “It probably will happen.”

  “What?” Jack blinked and suddenly stopped rowing.

  “I encountered one from the get-go,” Suna said. “They’re just level 10 though.”

  Jack looked at the island, or the lack of it. They’re already too far away. “Just level 10, huh. Sure, no pressure… just level 10.”

  “We kept going?” Suna asked.

  “Yes, this is much faster.”

  Patreon on the same tiers, too. I only write up to 4 chapters currently and would only upload to RR when I have a considerable backlog.