The arrow stopped just a few inches from my face.
A shimmer of air flickered around me — my instinct had triggered a defensive pulse of mana before I could even think.
The glowing projectile hung in midair, trembling, before dissolving into faint blue particles.
Lynelle's emerald eyes widened slightly.
> "You blocked it?"
I didn't answer.
Instead, I raised my hand and summoned my interface.
A faint screen of light appeared before me.
Lines of text scrolled rapidly as I focused on her presence.
[Target Identified]
Name: Lynelle Arven
Race: Elf
Level: 40
Job: Sentinel Archer
Affinity: Wind / Nature
Status: Alert
> "Level forty…" I muttered under my breath. "No wonder your arrow was that fast."
Her bow lowered slightly, but her stance remained steady.
A sudden pressure filled the air — heavy, divine, ancient.
Every leaf around us stilled.
Then a figure appeared from behind the trees — tall, radiant, and utterly composed.
His presence alone made the atmosphere tremble.
Long golden hair flowed like silk, and his robe shimmered with faint runes that glowed in rhythm with the forest itself.
Unlike Lynelle's sharp, youthful aura, this man's energy felt vast… ageless.
I instinctively opened the system again.
[Target Identified]
Name: ???
Race: High Elf
Level: 65
Title: Guardian of the Silver Grove
Status: Neutral / Cautious
He leaned close to Lynelle, whispering something I couldn't catch.
Her eyes widened for a moment, and she looked back at me in disbelief.
> "Are you sure?" she whispered.
The High Elf gave a slow nod, his golden eyes narrowing as he studied me.
Lynelle turned back to me, her bow now lowered completely.
> "Follow us," she said firmly. "Our elder wishes to meet you."
I blinked. "Elder?"
> "Yes," she replied. "
I hesitated, glancing at my bone sword and tattered robe.
For months, I'd fought monsters, slept under trees, and eaten whatever didn't kill me first.
Now suddenly, these two — beings of legend — wanted me to meet their elder.
The High Elf turned, his voice calm and commanding.
> "Do not resist, human. The forest has already accepted your presence. You would not have survived this long otherwise."
I sighed quietly, lowering my weapon.
> "Fine. Lead the way."
Lynelle nodded, gesturing toward a path hidden by vines.
As we walked deeper into the glowing forest, I felt it — faint whispers, gentle lights floating through the trees, the hum of mana stronger than anything I'd ever sensed.
For the first time since I fell into this world, I wasn't surrounded by death.
But I couldn't shake the feeling…
that something — or someone — had been watching me all along.
We walked for what felt like hours.
The air grew thicker with mana the deeper we went — every step humming like the forest itself was alive, whispering through the leaves.
Then, the trees opened.
A vast clearing spread before me, glowing with pale green light.
In the center stood a single ancient tree so large it seemed to touch the clouds. Its trunk was wide enough to hold a small village, roots spiraling through the ground like veins of life itself.
At its base sat an elf — older than time itself.
Silver hair, long and flowing, rested against his shoulders. His emerald robe shimmered faintly with runic sigils, each one pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
Even sitting, his presence felt immense.
Lynelle bowed deeply.
> "Elder Aelthar, we brought the human… the one the forest recognized."
The elder opened his eyes — calm, ancient, and endlessly deep.
Just that one glance made my heart pound.
I opened my system. The familiar blue panel flickered, trying to read his data — and then, lines began to appear:
[Target Identified]
Name: Aelthar Velyrion
Race: High Elf
Age: 1,347 years
Level: ???
Title: Elder of the Silver Grove
Status: ???
My hands went cold.
My instinct screamed at me — this was not someone I could ever cross.
The elder smiled faintly, as if he'd heard my thoughts.
> "Do not worry, human."
His voice was calm, steady, but it carried weight — like the wind itself obeyed him.
> "I do not harm those whom the forest has accepted."
For a moment, his kind tone made me relax.
But then, his expression hardened. His next words made the air around us still.
> "You are not from this world… are you?"
My breath caught in my throat.
I didn't answer — I couldn't.
He continued, eyes narrowing slightly as if peering through me, not at me.
> "Your mana does not belong to this realm. It's foreign — unstable, yet adapting. The world itself struggles to read you."
I clenched my fists. "How do you know that?"
> "Because the forest told me," Aelthar said simply. "The moment you set foot here, the balance shifted. The beasts you fought… the surge of strength within you… those are signs of a foreign soul trying to merge with our laws."
His gaze softened again.
> "But you survived, human. Few could endure that pain."
I swallowed hard, every word sinking deep into my chest.