"Hello, motherf***er."
The words slithered through the quiet of the Elfen Forest, carried on Dominic's amused tone. His grin widened as the elf in front of him flinched, stumbling out of the brush. In a heartbeat, three more emerged, bows drawn and glowing faintly with nature's mana.
Dominic landed lightly from the tree branch above, dusting off his hoodie as if he'd just stepped out of his living room. His sneakers barely made a sound against the moss-covered ground.
The lead elf narrowed his eyes, his bowstring taut.
"What is a human doing here?" His voice was firm, filled with a mixture of disdain and suspicion. "Speak quickly. If you are lost, we may yet spare you and let you live."
Dominic sighed and waved lazily, the hem of his hoodie swaying with the motion.
"Oh, c'mon. Don't be like that. And for the love of God, stop pointing that thing at me. Arrows make me itchy."
The elf didn't lower his weapon. Instead, his stance sharpened. "Answer. Now."
A smirk spread across Dominic's face. Then he started chuckling.
At first, it was quiet. Then his hand came up to cover his mouth, his shoulders trembling. Finally—
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
It echoed through the trees, bouncing off the towering trunks of the world's edge forest. His laughter dripped with mockery. "Spare me? SPARE me?" He pointed at himself like it was the funniest joke he'd ever heard. "Man, you guys are adorable."
The elves bristled. Their knuckles whitened against their bows.
Dominic's golden eyes burned faintly, and his grin dropped into a cold smirk.
"I'll make this simple. I'm here to clear the dungeon that's been giving your oh-so-mighty king and queen a hard time. The one even they couldn't handle."
The air grew heavier in an instant.
"You dare speak of Queen Mother so lightly?!" one of the elves roared, his mana flaring. The arrow on his bow glowed brighter, thick with condensed energy. Without hesitation, he released it—
SHNK—!
The mana-forged arrow screamed through the air toward Dominic's chest.
But Dominic had been waiting for that exact moment. His smirk widened.
Finally.
With a snap of his hand, he caught the arrow midair, the shaft quivering between his fingers. The mana burned against his skin, but it fizzled out like a candle flame under his grip.
"You know…" he said, twirling the arrow like it was a twig, "just 'cause you're favored by nature and mana, you think you can shoot at me and walk out free?" His voice dropped, low and dangerous. "That's something only the weak believe."
The elves snarled. One shouted, "Kill him!"
Mana exploded as all four released arrows at once. Fire, lightning, and wind-tipped projectiles streaked through the air like meteors.
BOOOOM!
The blast ripped through the clearing, flames and smoke rising high into the canopy. Birds scattered from the treetops in a frenzy. The elves shielded their faces from the shockwave, the smell of scorched earth burning their noses.
When the dust finally settled, one of them smirked.
"What an arrogant human."
They began to turn away—
FWOOSH!
A fire-shaped arrow hissed past their heads, grazing so close the heat singed their hair.
The lead elf's eyes went wide as he turned back. Standing casually amidst the smoke was Dominic, unscathed, his hoodie still spotless. His eyes glowed like molten gold. And in his hands—
A bow of pure flame, shimmering and unstable, pulsing with impossible heat.
Dominic tilted his head, grinning like a predator.
"Nice reflexes you got there. But see… I didn't come here to play dodgeball." He nocked another blazing arrow, its string drawn back with ease, though the sheer pressure of its energy cracked the ground beneath him.
He spoke almost casually, like they were old friends.
"It took me ten minutes to get here from my house. Ten minutes. You know how long I've spent just babysitting you guys?" He tilted the arrow upward, his grin vanishing. "Eight minutes. Eight."
The elves' mana wavered. They felt it—the suffocating weight of his aura bleeding into the forest, bending the very air.
Dominic's voice dropped cold.
"So let me give you some free advice. What I'm about to do isn't for you. It's for me. So if you want to keep breathing—" His golden eyes narrowed, the bowstring pulling taut. "—dodge this."
THRUMMMM—!
The fiery arrow shot forth.
The world lit up.
The explosion swallowed the forest ahead, vaporizing trees in a brilliant wave of searing light. A wall of flame tore through the undergrowth, and for a moment, it was as though a miniature sun had detonated in their midst. The ground quaked, leaves caught fire, and shockwaves rippled through the forest like an angry god's roar.
Far off in the Elven Village, the Queen's guards stiffened. The vibrations rattled through the roots of the World Tree itself. Alarm bells rang in the distance as mana sensors lit up like fireworks.
The elves nearest Dominic were thrown back, rolling through the dirt as the blaze singed their armor. Their ears rang, their eyes wide in disbelief.
When the dust cleared, Dominic stood exactly where he had been. His bow of fire dissipated into sparks, leaving only the quiet creak of burning wood and the crackle of flames licking the air.
He dusted his hoodie again, unbothered, and flashed them a mocking grin.
"I told you to dodge."
The elves coughed, gasping for air, their pride broken more than their bodies. They struggled to their feet, but Dominic was already walking past them, hands in his pockets like it was just another stroll.
"I'll catch you guys later." He waved lazily over his shoulder. Then his voice shifted, dripping with playful arrogance. "And hey—tell your queen I'm coming. Hope she's a slaymama, 'cause I don't like wasting my time."
The elves could only stare, wide-eyed and trembling, as Dominic disappeared deeper into the forest, his figure swallowed by the glow of the burning horizon.
For the first time in centuries, the Elfen Forest felt fear.