The girl stood right in front of him, aiming a bow straight at his face, the arrow so close it nearly brushed Velt’s nose.

  “Who are you?” she asked, pulling the string even tighter.

  Velt didn’t answer immediately. He stood there, surprised—almost hypnotized—by the girl’s clothing: something resembling a leather bra made of tanned hide, arm bracers, and a short skirt that barely covered just below her navel.

  His mind wandered for a few seconds until she, clearly irritated, spoke again.

  “Are you not listening, or are you an idiot?” she snapped, bringing the arrow even closer.

  “U-uh…” Velt stammered, searching for words.

  She’s beautiful, he thought.

  Then Cero’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

  “Warning: hostility detected from the female life form.”

  “Yes, I know, she’s pointing a bow at me… and please call her a woman, not ‘female life form,’” Velt replied mentally.

  “…Acknowledged,” Cero answered.

  At that moment, Velt noticed something strange. The girl’s skin had a grayish tone.

  That’s odd. That’s not a normal color for a human, he thought.

  “That is because she is not human,” Cero replied.

  “What do you mean she’s not human?” Velt asked.

  “Based on analysis: skin tone, nearly pink hair, and clothing style… she is classified as a dark elf,” Cero explained.

  A dark elf? Velt repeated mentally, surprised.

  Without realizing it, he spoke out loud.

  “She’s beautiful…”

  She heard him, frowned, and asked more firmly,

  “I’ll ask again: who are you, and what are you doing here?”

  Velt raised his hands slowly, trying to calm her.

  “I was just sleeping, I swear!” he replied nervously.

  She didn’t lower the bow. In her mind, doubt crept in.

  That’s impossible. A mere adventurer couldn’t reach this deep into the forest so easily…

  Finally, she pressed again.

  “Answer properly. Who are you, and why are you here?”

  Velt thought quickly and lied.

  “I’m just an adventurer. I came to hunt animals, nothing more,” he said, trying to sound convincing.

  She stared at him with suspicion, her finger still tense on the bowstring.

  An uncomfortable silence settled between them—until something broke it.

  Her stomach growled loudly, echoing through the cave. The dark elf blushed slightly in embarrassment.

  Velt spoke before he could stop himself.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked calmly. “I’d offer you some of what I ate… but there’s nothing left,” he added, glancing around.

  After a second of thought, he proposed something else.

  “If you want, we can go hunt something and cook it together.”

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  She didn’t respond right away, instead locking eyes with him, as if trying to read his intentions.

  Maybe I said too much… Velt thought.

  Finally, she broke the silence.

  “Why would you do that?” she asked, still not fully lowering the bow.

  Cero intervened.

  “Distrust detected. Hostility remains present.”

  “You were aiming your bow at me,” she continued. “Why would you help someone who could have killed you?”

  “True… but in the end, you didn’t shoot, did you?” Velt replied, shrugging slightly. “I get the feeling you just wanted answers, not to actually kill me.”

  She lowered the bow a little, though she remained cautious.

  “Warning: hostility has slightly decreased. Distrust remains,” Cero reported.

  “I…” she murmured, somewhat embarrassed. “I only have a few squirrels and some plants… that’s all I managed to get.” She checked her bag as she spoke.

  “That’s fine,” Velt replied. “May I see?” he asked, extending his hand.

  After hesitating for a few seconds, she handed him the bag.

  Velt checked its contents.

  “Two squirrels… and these?” he thought, looking at some reddish fruits. “Tomatoes?”

  “I think we can make something decent,” he said out loud.

  She looked at him, not quite understanding.

  “Could you wash these tomatoes?” Velt asked, handing them to her.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked, taking them.

  “Nothing complicated. Just meat with a bit of tomato for flavor,” he replied, picking up the squirrels.

  “…Flavor?” she murmured, confused.

  “It’s nothing. Go on, wash them,” he insisted with a slight smile.

  She hesitated once more, but eventually obeyed and left the cave in search of water.

  Once alone, Velt sighed.

  “Alright, Cero…”

  “Go ahead,” the voice replied.

  “I’ve never cooked squirrels before… how do you skin one?” Velt asked, staring at the animals.

  “Acknowledged. I will provide instructions.

  First, rinse the squirrel thoroughly to moisten the fur; this will help it stick together and make removal easier.

  Then, make a cut along the belly beneath the ribs and carefully remove the bladder to avoid contaminating the meat.

  Next, peel the skin toward the front legs, cutting where necessary.

  Finally, remove the head and limbs, and extract the organs as soon as possible to prevent unpleasant flavor.”

  “…Understood,” Velt nodded, bracing himself.

  Carefully, he followed the instructions step by step.

  After about an hour, the squirrels were ready to be cooked.

  “Alright, that’s done,” Velt said, looking at the cleaned carcasses.

  But when he looked up, he frowned.

  “She’s taking too long…” he murmured, glancing toward the cave entrance.

  He remembered that when he went to the lake to clean the squirrels, he hadn’t seen her there.

  “The water wasn’t that far… did she leave? Or did something happen?” he thought, growing uneasy.

  He waited a little longer, but she still didn’t return.

  “Alright…” he decided, grabbing his knife before leaving the cave.

  When he reached the lake, she was nowhere to be found.

  Instead, he saw something lying on the ground: the leather garment she used as a skirt, her bow… and something else—a small puddle of pinkish liquid.

  “What is this…?” he muttered, kneeling down to take a closer look.

  “If you taste it, I can analyze it,” Cero suggested.

  “Seriously? Fine… here goes,” Velt replied, touching the liquid with his finger and licking it.

  A metallic taste spread across his tongue.

  “It tastes like iron…”

  “Complete analysis: this is goblin blood,” Cero reported.

  “Goblin?!” Velt exclaimed, frowning.

  A chill ran down his spine, like a bad premonition.

  “That feeling…” he murmured, looking toward the forest.

  Without thinking, he grabbed the bow and the girl’s skirt and sprinted in the direction where he sensed danger.

  “Goblin DNA acquired. Do you wish to process it using your unique ability?” Cero asked.

  “Yes!” Velt replied without hesitation, running at full speed.

  “Warning: multiple life forms detected ahead.”

  “Understood…” Velt leapt into the tree branches to get a better view.

  From there, he saw her.

  The girl was tied to a tree trunk, fear on her face, surrounded by a group of goblins moving restlessly around her.

  “So they kidnapped her…” Velt muttered through clenched teeth.

  “Goblins use females of other species for reproduction,” Cero stated coldly.

  “Tsk… We’re saving her,” Velt replied.

  “Do you wish to use the goblin form?” Cero asked.

  Velt hesitated for a second, then noticed the girl still had her quiver of arrows.

  “Yes. Use it,” he said firmly.

  “Acknowledged. Switching appearance to goblin form…”

  Velt’s body began to change. His height shrank, his hands twisted, and his bones cracked softly until he fully took on the form of a goblin.

  “This feels weird…” he muttered, staring at his green, four-fingered hands. “Alright. Let’s get those arrows.”

  He moved silently through the branches, approaching the clearing where the goblins laughed and screeched.