Dozens of arrows rained from above, blotting out the faint light filtering through the ruined canopy.
"Crap, crap, crap!" Sun Jing yelped, diving to the ground and rolling behind a cracked, moss-covered pillar. The arrows clattered all around her, some embedding themselves in the stone.
Her shoulder burned as she shifted, pulling out the rough wooden bow she'd scavenged from a skeleton earlier. She clenched her teeth, ignoring the sting of sweat rolling into her eyes.
"Okay… let's see if I can actually do this."
She notched three arrows, awkwardly drawing back the string until her arm trembled.
Thwip-thwip-thwip!
The arrows shot out. One snapped against a skeleton's ribs, another missed completely, but the third struck true, piercing an archer's skull and shattering it into bone fragments.
[+10 XP]
"Ha! Take that, you boney—"
Her victory was cut short as pain seared through her left shoulder. She gasped, staggering as an arrow punched clean through her flesh.
"G-gahh!" She fell to one knee, clutching her wound.
Before she could recover, a skeleton warrior rushed in, its bony fist smashing into her jaw. Her head snapped to the side, blood flying from her lip as she crashed against the stone floor.
[HP: 125 → 87]
Sun Jing coughed, tasting iron. Her hands shook as she wiped the blood from her mouth.
"…You think a little arrow and a punch is gonna… stop me?" She glared at the encroaching skeletons, her voice shaking. "No way. Not today!"
She ripped the arrow from her shoulder with a scream, blood soaking her tank top.
Her dagger's blade glowed faintly in her hand.
[Hazy Moon]
A wave of destructive magical power burst from Sun Jing's dagger hilt in a blinding sweep of pink energy.
Bone splintered, skeletons shattered, and dust scattered across the stone ruins. Five skeleton warriors crumbled into nothingness with a sickening crack.
Sun Jing staggered, breathing hard, blood dripping from her lip and shoulder wound. Her chest heaved, her tank top clinging to her skin from sweat.
"Okay… okay…" she panted, crouched behind the broken pillar. "That was bad… but it worked. I can still do this."
She took a deep breath and gritted her teeth. Her fingers brushed over the arrows in her quiver. If I want to survive this, I need to step it up.
Concentrating, Sun Jing channeled a portion of her mana into the arrows, the shafts glowing softly with a shimmering pink aura.
She drew back the bowstring, feeling the vibration of her magic pulse through her fingertips.
Her magenta eyes locked on a group of advancing skeletons. "Alright… let's finish this."
She stepped out from behind the pillar, bow drawn, and loosed three glowing arrows in quick succession. They sang through the air like streaks of light, piercing the skeleton ranks.
Each arrow hit with a thunderous crack of magic, sending bone and dust flying in a dazzling shower of sparks.
[+15 XP]
[+15 XP]
[+15 XP]
Sun Jing staggered back, breathing hard, blood dripping from her shoulder wound.
[Level Up → Level 4]
A new window appeared in front of her with her updated stats.
[Status – Sun Jing]
Race: Fairy/Demon/Human Hybrid
Level: 4
HP: 130/91
Mana: 305/305
Strength: 6
Agility: 6
Endurance: 6
Magic Power: 26
Luck: 6
Charisma: 15
Special Trait: Hazy Moon (Innate)
Unused Stat Points: 12]
Sun Jing blinked at the screen, her jaw slackening slightly. "Twelve stat points…? This is insane…"
She shook her head and ignored the temptation to redistribute her stats mid-battle. She knew she had bigger problems.
Another system notification appeared:
[New Skill Unlocked: Mana Imbued Arrows → Added to Hazy Moon Skill Tree.]
She frowned, eyeing the shattered dagger at her feet. The blade had completely crumbled into nothing but dust and bone fragments. Without hesitation, she tossed the broken hilt aside.
The system chimed again:
[Wave 3 Status: 16 skeletons remaining. Host must defeat all to proceed. Two more waves remain before dungeon reward.]
Sun Jing grit her teeth, raising her bow. Her shoulder throbbed, her muscles screamed, but her spirit roared louder.
"Alright," she muttered, clenching her teeth. "Sixteen skeletons… two more waves after this… and then, hopefully, some kind of prize that's worth all this pain."
She drew an arrow, murmuring softly as she channeled her mana into it. The shaft shimmered faintly pink, humming with magical energy. Her heart pounded with adrenaline as she let it loose.
The arrow soared through the air, exploding on impact in a burst of pink light that blasted apart three skeleton warriors instantly. Bone shards and magic sparkles rained down around her.
[+10 XP × 3]
Her magenta eyes widened. "Ohhh… so this is Mana Imbued Arrows."
She loosed two more arrows in rapid succession, each glowing with the pink aura, each cutting through skeleton after skeleton in brilliant explosions of magic.
Her body moved instinctively—roll, draw, fire—dodging strikes and arrows with the grace of a predator. Photographic Reflexes still helped, but now her own instincts, fueled by growing confidence, guided her attacks.
The skeletons crumbled before her fury, collapsing in pieces as wave after wave fell.
[+10 XP × 10]
The air was thick with dust and magic, the ruins shaking from the chaos of her assault. Sun Jing's breath came ragged as she kept her bow drawn, firing until the last skeleton's bones shattered into glowing fragments.
The system chimed.
[Wave 3 Cleared.]
[Level Up → Level 10]
Her body shivered as her stats updated, her strength, agility, endurance, magic power, luck, and charisma all increasing by 4 points each from her 24 unused stat points. Her health and mana increased as well, now at 175/135 HP and 330/330 Mana.
[Status – Sun Jing]
Race: Fairy/Demon/Human Hybrid
Level: 10
HP: 175/135
Mana: 330/330
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Endurance: 10
Magic Power: 30
Luck: 10
Charisma: 19
Special Trait: Hazy Moon (Innate)
Unused Stat Points: 0]
Sun Jing dropped to one knee, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "Level 10… okay, I can work with this, the boss is also Level 10, so by the time I get there I'll be a little over leveled which is good."