No matter what desperate strategies the remaining six warriors devised, the hunt had already begun—and for Su Hao, it was open season.
Their fate was sealed. Only by eliminating every one of them could he truly feel at ease, secure in the knowledge that no one was left to track him.
Then, and only then, could he find a safe place to rest and finally get the sleep his weary body craved.
High above in the sky, Su Hao circled like a hawk, his sharp eyes scanning the ground below. Through the clouds, he spotted his next target: the fourth target.
With precise intent, Su Hao tucked his wings and descended in a sharp dive, angling at a steep 60-degree trajectory. Wind roared past him as he picked up speed, the ground rushing up to meet him. At the last moment, he leveled off, skimming just three meters above the earth, his blade poised for the kill.
In a fluid motion, Su Hao shot past the unsuspecting warrior, the edge of his blade finding the exposed neck.
Before the man even realized death was upon him, his head was severed cleanly from his body. Blood sprayed into the air in a mist as Su Hao climbed swiftly back into the clouds, disappearing like a shadow. Below, the headless body collapsed, lifeless.
"Old He's dead too..." one of the remaining warriors muttered, his voice trembling with fear.
Panic rippled through the group as they stared at the spot where their comrade had fallen. The silence of the night, once soothing, now pressed down on them with suffocating weight.
"What should we do?" another asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
"Maybe we should just split up and scatter," one of them suggested. "If we run into the wilderness, we might stand a chance. Anything is better than waiting to be picked off like this."
"You can't be serious! Are you suggesting we betray the human race?" one of the others retorted, though fear had begun to creep into his eyes as well.
"No, I just don't want to die here for no reason. If I'm going to die, I'd rather it be fighting fierce beasts than like this—hunted in the dark by a phantom," the warrior replied, his voice gaining a note of defiance. "Besides, what has the 'Traveler' done that's so wrong? I've read ≤The Path of the Warrior≥ and ≤Comprehensive Guide to the Worlds of Runes≥. I fully support his actions."
There was a brief, stunned silence. Then, one by one, they nodded.
"Then let's go," another whispered. "If we meet again in the wilderness, so be it."
Without another word, the five remaining warriors scattered in different directions, using every ounce of strength they had left to flee. Fear fueled their flight, and each man ran as though the shadows themselves were chasing him.
Su Hao, now perched high above in the clouds, watched them scatter like frightened prey.
His sharp senses tracked each one, and he chose his next target without hesitation. Dropping silently from the sky, he descended upon the fifth warrior like death itself.
Another swift, unseen slash, and another head rolled into the dirt. The man hadn't even had time to scream.
As for why Su Hao kept decapitating his enemies, he mused grimly that it wasn't exactly by choice. Each one was clad head to toe in Rune armor, leaving only their necks exposed—a small, but fatal weakness that he was more than happy to exploit.
Next was the sixth target.
Frowning slightly, Su Hao adjusted his course. He knew that after dealing with the sixth target, the remaining three would be on the verge of slipping out of his [Radar]'s range. He didn't have much time.
With his mind sharp and focused, he memorized the escape directions of the last three warriors, then swiftly ended the sixth man's life with the same lethal precision. Blood stained the ground where he fell, his lifeless body collapsing under the moonless sky.
"Are they really running for it?" Su Hao wondered if they were genuinely scared for their lives but didn't dare relax. If they managed to escape with something that could track him, next time, it wouldn't be just ten warriors sent after him.
Determined to prevent that possibility, Su Hao dropped his stealth mode and accelerated into full-speed flight, keeping only the ‹Light Absorption› rune active for some measure of invisibility.
"Boom∼—"
The sudden shift in speed was explosive. With a loud boom, the air behind him cracked, sending shockwaves echoing through the night like distant thunder.
The seventh target, hearing the sonic boom, tried to run faster. But it was futile. Su Hao descended upon him like a hawk upon a mouse, ending his life before he could even register the danger.
The eighth took a bit more effort to find. The warrior had managed to put a significant distance between them, running over 3,000 meters (1.86 Miles) and changing direction in a clever attempt to throw Su Hao off his trail. But cleverness wasn't enough. Su Hao tracked him down, cutting through the night with deadly efficiency. The eighth warrior fell, just as the others had.
Finally, the ninth target had run the farthest, but Su Hao, relentless in his pursuit, eventually tracked him down and claimed his life as well.
With this, Su Hao had successfully annihilated all ten of the Grandmaster-level warriors, securing a decisive victory.
Su Hao landed smoothly on the ground, surveying the battlefield. The ten Grandmaster-level warriors, all of them seasoned and battle-hardened, had been utterly defeated. It was a decisive victory, but it hadn't come without effort. Su Hao flexed his fingers, feeling the slight tremor in his hands—a sign of both exertion and adrenaline.
"Finally..." he murmured to himself, taking a long, deep breath. The danger had passed, but the lessons from this battle lingered in his mind.
This fight had exposed his weaknesses—valuable insights he wouldn't soon forget.
"Now I need to find a place to rest, and carefully rethink my combat system. I can't let another chaotic situation like today happen again."
With that, Su Hao activated the ‹Burst› rune on his feet, a sharp crack of energy propelling him skyward. His wings sliced through the night air as he soared over the wilderness, heading toward an unknown destination—a place where he could rest, regroup, and prepare for what lay ahead.
....
Two weeks later, deep within the wilderness, a secluded cave glowed softly under the flicker of a small fire.
Inside, Su Hao stood before a pair of gleaming, lightweight, full-metal wings, the culmination of days of intense labor. He set down his polishing tools, nodding with satisfaction. The wings had a sleek, aerodynamic design, lightweight but sturdy, perfect for his new combat style
Carefully, Su Hao lifted the wings and approached a suit of armor resting against the stone wall of the cave. The armor, a marvel of his own creation, was unlike anything this world had ever seen—an intricate blend of runes and steel, designed for both flight and combat.
He picked up the first wing, guiding its base into a slot on the back of the armor. The wing slid smoothly into place, locking in with a sharp "Click∼!"
Su Hao tightened the screws, ensuring the connection was secure, then folded the wing inward.
The wing folded neatly, resembling a cape that extended diagonally from his back. Su Hao repeated the process with the second wing, attaching it with meticulous care.
Once both wings were folded, the armor transformed, its sharp lines and silver gleam reminiscent of a sleek, cutting-edge fighter jet. The wings, now snug against the armor, gave it an almost predatory look, as though it was a creature ready to strike from the sky.
Admiring his creation under the soft light, Su Hao's eyes sparkled with pride. The armor gleamed with a sharp metallic sheen, exuding an aura of both elegance and menace.
It was a masterpiece—a perfect fusion of form and function. Every curve and plate was designed with precision, maximizing both aerodynamics and protection.
As night fell, Su Hao could barely contain his excitement. He reached for the helmet, its streamlined, pointed design crafted to minimize air resistance. With practiced ease, he fastened the helmet, feeling it click into place. Fully suited, Su Hao no longer looked like a man—he had become something more, a humanoid aircraft, ready to dominate the skies.
He moved around in the armor, testing its flexibility, and found that the wings on his back didn't interfere with his movements in ground combat.
He tested the armor's flexibility, moving his arms and legs in a series of combat motions. Despite the added weight of the wings, his movements were fluid, unimpeded. Su Hao grinned as he unlocked the mechanism on his back, pulling the wings outward..
"Click∼! Click∼!"
The wings extended with mechanical precision, spreading wide behind him.
Without further hesitation, he dashed out of the cave. In one smooth motion, he leaped into the air, activating the ‹Burst› runes embedded in his feet and wings.
"Boom∼!"
A powerful explosion of energy propelled him skyward, and within seconds, he pierced through the clouds, disappearing into the vast night sky.
The sonic boom echoed across the wilderness like a roll of thunder, a testament to his speed.
Soaring above the treetops, Su Hao marveled at the smoothness of his flight. He activated the ‹Hardening› and ‹Sharpness› runes on the wings, followed by ‹Wind Resistance Reduction›, and added ‹Coordination› to his body, further refining his movements.
He was now a master of the sky, performing complex aerial maneuvers—spins, rolls, and sharp turns. He even attempted wave-like flight patterns, breaking the sound barrier effortlessly, each motion executed with precision.
The wind roared in his ears, but Su Hao's control over his new wings grew more refined with every second.
He flew sideways, spiraled through the clouds, and executed maneuvers that pushed the limits of his armor's design.
But as exhilarating as it was, Su Hao reminded himself that this was only a test flight. The real goal was to gather data for further refinement.
After a long while, Su Hao descended from the sky, landing smoothly back in front of the cave.
His boots touched the ground with a soft thud, and he retracted the wings, folding them neatly against his back once more.
He entered his Marbel space, reviewing the flight data, analyzing every nuance of the wings' performance. The results exceeded even his own lofty expectations.
The flight flight test was a resounding success.
Feeling pleased with himself, Su Hao gave his first flight armor a name: [Winged Armor MK1].
But this was just the beginning. Now that he had mastered flight, Su Hao turned his attention to his next challenges—long-range attacks and explosives.
For long-range combat, his first thought was to design a sniper weapon.
The idea of creating a precise, high-powered rifle that could strike from afar was tempting. However, Su Hao quickly realized that the materials available in this world weren't up to the task. The accuracy needed for a sniper rifle couldn't be achieved with the current craftsmanship. Even with reinforcement from ‹Hardening› runes and the use of ‹Burst› runes in place of gunpowder, the precision of the barrel remained an insurmountable issue. The bullets would veer off course, making it useless at long distances.
Even with runes, this issue couldn't be solved immediately.
Frustrated but pragmatic, Su Hao set the sniper idea aside for now. There would be time to revisit it once he had gathered more resources and knowledge.
Next, Su Hao turned his attention to the problem of explosives...
The key to creating a powerful bomb lay in releasing as much energy as possible in the shortest amount of time. From his research, he knew that blood Qi, when converted through the ‹Burst› rune, produced the highest explosive force. The challenge was maximizing that explosive potential.
"The ‹Burst› rune will act as my bomb's gunpowder," Su Hao muttered to himself. But one rune alone wouldn't create a strong enough explosion. A single ‹Burst› rune, even fully charged, wasn't enough to break through heavy armor.
"Then I'll need more runes," he concluded. "If one isn't enough, I can create a qualitative change by increasing the quantity."
Su Hao's calculations were simple. If one rune produced a force of 1, then a bomb packed with 10,000 runes could, in theory, create an explosion with a force of 10,000.
But this raised a new problem—how to activate so many runes simultaneously? If they triggered sequentially, the first explosion would destroy the remaining runes, wasting their potential.
This was a structural problem that needed solving.
Su Hao paced in the cave, his mind racing with possible solutions.
"How should I approach this?"
As he pondered, an idea suddenly lit up in his mind—a possible solution.
....
Meanwhile, far from the wilderness, back in He'an City, the air inside the royal palace's Eternal Harmony Hall was thick with tension. The massive stone columns loomed over the throne, casting long shadows. In the center of the hall, a man in dark robes entered quietly and knelt before the King, his voice low and filled with urgency.
"Great King, the mission to capture the 'Traveler' has failed. All ten Grandmasters we sent were... killed."
The King's eyes snapped open, and in that instant, an overwhelming aura of fury and dread swept through the hall, causing everyone present to shiver.
A faint golden glow began to pulse from the intricate runes etched into the King's skin, shimmering like threads of divine power.