The knight’s armor was not solid; it flared with properties of fire. Black flames hugged the class’s body, forming into a rather elegant armor that blanketed like a river instead of encasing it in shells. Yet Suna could still see the brief outline of armor amid the calm fire.

  He approached closer; curiosity made him skip his steps. As Suna neared the [Nightfire Bowmaster], it lifted a finger. Wind gathered like a small spiral and blasted apart, sending a Suna staggering back.

  Realisation entered Suna as he steadied his footing. An exciting thump drummed inside of him. Suna grinned as the class stood and faced him.

  It recognized him.

  Why so? Was it because the way he used his Shadow Arrow and Pyre-flame as a key to victory againts opponents far higher level than him?

  Also, that wind. Now, the class name made sense. Suna had worried his Wind attribute wouldn’t carry over. But, perhaps ‘Night’ implied sudden wind.

  The [Nightfire Bowmaster] opened a palm, and bluish flame danced upon it.

  “Pyreflame?”

  With its other palm, an arrow of shadow manifested. Then the Class brought the two together. Shadow seeped into the Pyreflame, and slowly the Pyreflame accepted the arrow, in the process turning into dark fire.

  An intent stung Suna’s head. The Class just told him that he had to be able to do what it had just shown.

  Hold on a second.

  All Pyreflame Suna could manage was purely defensive; he could not summon Pyreflame casually like that. Actually… maybe his next skill option would let him choose it? Was that why he could see the class now? Because it tried to steer his skill decision?

  The class was not done yet. It formed a fist and slammed both hands into its chest. The dark flames around the armor disappeared, revealing armor with a clean bluish undertone. It tapped the armor, and bluish flame spread around it. In one second, dark flame overtook the Pyreflame again.

  It showed him control over Pyre-flame. So, just summoning the armor was not enough; he needed to be able to constantly apply Pyre-flame around it.

  Also, what was the deal with those Darkflame?

  His two elements currently were Wind and Fire. If he tried to find a way to summon that black fire, then Shadow Arrow would be integral. The Class also did not use normal flames; it used Pyreflames. Did normal flame not do enough?

  Great, now he needed to find a bunch of bodies to turn into… Wait… He lost his Pyre-necklace! How was he supposed to do this?

  A brief panic went through him; there must be a solution.

  The castle.

  Maybe in the castle, there would be another necklace? Like the queen could keep some jewelry or some kind? He really should asked Slea.

  Things clicked into place.

  First, ensure he picked a skill that will enable him to summon Pyreflame.

  Second, steal the Pyre-amulet, assuming there was one inside the castle.

  Third, find a bunch of dead bodies to turn into Pyre resources.

  Fourth, practice combining Shadow Arrow, Pyreflame, and maybe his Air Pocket.

  Lastly, fifth, summon Pyre-armor, practice to light them up with Pyre-flame, then eventually the dark flames.

  These five steps would be his recipe for his Class upgrade. That damned Rabbit god would love for Suna to pick the Lunarian Archer, but screw that. This [Nightfire Bowmaster] used the Pyre-flame as part of it; heck, it upgraded it. This made the Pyre-archer also gone from his list.

  “I will be back,” Suna told it.

  The Class bowed, and Suna could tell that it wished him luck.

  --

  Suna woke up inside a tent. A boring white canvas greeted him. Groaning as he felt all of his body aching, He tried to stand, and luckily he was able to. The bed he was on had no frame, so Suna used his arm to support him up. The space within was quite small, with two beds taking up most of the tent.

  Snoring near him was Min, who had a bandaged neck. Suna quickly went stiff, and a weight was gone from his shoulder.

  She is alive.

  “Min,” he called, tried to stand, but a jolt went through his body like sudden electricity. Wincing under the new pain, he sat back down. “Where the hell is my cloak?”

  At the very least, it did not looked like he was captured.

  For now, time to focus on his status and make damn sure he does not ruin his build for the [Nightfire Bowmaster].

  [Feat][Banisher of Last Shadow Ember]—You have defeated the Shadow Rebel Assassin, and with it, you completely extinguish the entire resistance of the Ashen faction. No doubt such a feat would be appreciated by the [Necromancer]. As a reward, you may take the power of banisher of fire, or the power to kindle it. And perhaps….for you to correct such things. Grant Skill Choice between the Extinguisher and the Kindler.

  [Sea Pressure Arrow][Uncommon]—The sea was vast and endless. Such wonder can be pressed into an arrow with the full force of water, as pressurized water is much more reliable and cuts deeper than any steelhead.

  A new Spell Arrow.

  “That would be nice to have,” Suna muttered. Obviously, if he faced a being based on pure fire, which he had before, then this would be mightily helpful. This was one of those skills that wouldn’t hurt him if he chose it. But he decided on a class, and this one was quite unashamedly counterintuitive.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  [Pyre Kindle][Common]—A lone fire of corpses full of regret and want nothing more to protect something. Summon a Pyreflame above your palm.

  Okay, this was exactly what Suna needed.

  But still…

  “Common?” he almost balked.

  Suna didn’t think he had ever chosen a lesser rarity before, or he might have.

  Accepting the lower rarity, which in hindsight might actually be a good thing, since that means it might be easier to use. Also, the skill did not mention anything about using Pyreflame as a result.

  He chose Pyre Kindle.

  [Feat][Apex Knight Slayer]—You have slain the strongest knight of the world you are currently in. Such a feat requires unimaginable strength and devotion. Grant +10% All Stat.

  [Feat][Smolderer of Ancient Undead]—You have slain the Undead Godknight, a figure who has held the entire kingdom's symbol of power. The [Necromancer]’s first sword. A Symbol of absolute strength. Despite everything, you bested him. Grant +20% All Stat.

  [Feat][Demi-god Killer]—You have killed a Demi-god. Despite not being a full god, he was still a being with half godhood, no matter how artificial he was. Such a feat cannot go unrecognized. Grant +300 All Stat.

  A bunch of extra stats.

  Honestly, he wished for skills like the Undead Shadow Rebel feat granted, but this increase in stats clearly would give him an advantage over those who are higher-level. Suna could easily imagine he was way more powerful than a lot of beings that were actually higher level than him.

  [Skill Option]

  [Arrow Hearth][Rare]—Wind and Fire got along; the two elements mashed well together, especially under [Flintwind Archer]’s control. An archer needed to be sure of his arrow, as it was his lifeline. Arrow Hearth shall allow [Flintwind Archer] to summon a Hearth of pure Mana, to create more arrows by tying them with Wind and Fire.

  [Piston Wind Arrow][Uncommon]—With the speed and manifestation of a piston. The [Flintwind Archer] could summon an arrow made of wind yet weigh like the heaviest steel. Requirement: Flintwind Archer and Beyond.

  This was exactly why the class showed itself. Between the Pyre Kindle and Arrow Hearth, he could start experimenting with the two.

  As for the second skill, it did not sound bad. Just like the water arrow, this one would be nice to have. An arrow of pure wind. But for the same reason, he had to skip it over.

  Name: Suna Amor

  Level: 52 → 60

  Class: [Flintwind Archer]

  Rune: 135 → 139

  Feat: 23 → 27

  Mana: 28750/25320 → 12557/39950

  Pyre Flame: 83856 → 260

  Pact: 2

  Class Skill (15/35) → (18/40)

  - 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]

  - Ashen Brand [Uncommon]

  - Nil’s Wind [Rare]

  - Shadow Arrow [Uncommon]

  - Pyreforged Armor[ Mystic]

  - Pyre Kindle [Common]

  - Arrow Hearth [Rare]

  General Skill (15/35) → (15/40)

  - Swift Draw [Uncommon]

  - Drowfication I [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]

  - Pyre Flame Starter [Uncommon]

  - Shadow Dagger [Common]

  - Dark Sight [Common]

  - Third Dark Hand [Rare]

  Strength: 2336 → 3750

  Dexterity: 1602 → 2855

  Vitality: 1556 → 2717

  Arcanery: 2875 → 3955

  Sense: 1052 → 1855

  Level sixty.

  Suna wondered if he could take the [Godknight] by himself now.

  “Probably not happening,” he mumbled wistfully.

  That was the creature that killed James and almost all of them, too. In a way, this made Suna wonder, was every tutorial like this? Surely, ninety percent of humanity wouldn’t survive if they decided to dive into the depths or something similar.

  Maybe there were different tutorials out there? He needed to ask that strange creature if they met again.

  “Oh, see, I told you he was awake already,” a voice cheerfully said.

  Slea entered, flapping the tent cloth behind her. With Brimhat clutched by her back, another figure entered behind her. Noa arrived fully armored like always. Reki, meanwhile, had shrugged off his golden armor and wore a bulky cloak, but that did not seem useful as the office worker still shivered.

  “Why do you keep that thing on?” Reki snided at Noa, “Get something warmer.”

  “Well, outside, any fight might break out again,” Noa said, peeking through the tent opening he just entered.

  “Oh, come on now, that wouldn’t happened. You saw the King's face when Floundea presented the Godknight’s head.” Slea said. “What I wouldn’t give for a camera.”

  “Uh, where is my cloak?” Suna asked.

  Slea stepped forward, and turned out that the Spirit Rabbit Cloak was in her hand. “Sorry, but a lot of people need healing.”

  “I get it,” Suna said, putting it on. At once, he breathed a sigh of relief as healing washed over his body, which had been burning because of the Drowfication effect.

  “I got to say, though,” Slea said, sitting on Min’s bed, crossing her leg. “You really come in clutch. Also, what about this Pact Jack mentioned? Something about God?”

  “Oh, that? Did he also tell you about the Moon Altar?”

  “Moon Altar…” Slea's mouth worked silently. “Does it really exist then? Offer corpse to get item?”

  “Like that one,” Noa pointed to his cloak.

  “Yes, we offer corpses of the Undead witches.”

  “And because of that, you made a pact with a god,” Reki groaned out loud, palming his head. “Now you listen here. God is real, and you need to be careful on chosing—.”

  “No, I did not.” Suna cut him off, to Reki's usual scowl. “You're confusing the story. The one I made a pact with is one of the Undead Sisters.”

  “For what?” Slea exclaimed.

  Looked like he had some explaining to do.

  “And there you go,” Suna said. He told them everything, and to their credit, they were a silent audience.

  “I think she thought you would eventually unlock the Drowfication yourself, Suna, that is why she was willing to teach you,” Noa said, the exact thing Suna been thinking about.

  “The Pact, where you demand half of what she gets, is a nice touch, though,” Slea added. “Without it, you will be forced to go to Earth just to save them without gaining anything.”

  “Well,” Suna started. “I mainly did it because I probably could not beat her alone back then. But you driving her dying is helpful,” he said to Slea.

  “Oh, that. Poor Noa here, and I did a Hail Mary, and that caused his face to burn.” Slea said. “But we got close enough, and I applied scale to her. Wait, does this mean you will let us in on this pact—”

  “Not happening,” Suna quickly cut her.

  Slea bit her cheek and crossed her arm.

  “I’m more concerned with the deal with this Rabbit God,” Reki said.

  “Suna!” a new voice came in. Jack let in a hail of snow bite as he entered, causing a sudden cold to draft Suna’s arm. The Tiefling quickly pin the end of his shadow spear to close the cloth again. “Sorry. Also, good you’re awake! I thought we lost you when James passed.”

  A sudden solemn air went through the air. James was dead; he still had not grappled with the reality.

  Jack made a small, sad smile, noticing this.

  “Come on, all of you. The negotiation was about to start. Floundea wanted show strength, so everyone of you should be there.”

  “Negotiation with who?” Suna asked.

  “The Undead King,” Slea stood. A sly smile marred her lips. “With the Moon Altar and all, it’s the perfect time.”

  “For what?”

  “To ask for corpses to offer, of course. The Undead Queen's corpses are mine.”

  Corpses. Yes, he needed corpses and a Pyre-Amulet too.

  This might worked; he could get those two from negotiations.

  “Do you still need more rest, Suna?” Jack asked.

  “No, no I’m coming.”