Cassana’s cheeks flushed as pain shot through her. She cried out, “Ow, ow, ow!”

  She yanked out the arrow and glanced down.

  “So it was you, you filthy goblin! I’ll get you for this!”

  Furious and embarrassed, Cassana quickly drew her bow and fired at Tian.

  He never expected that instead of running away, she would try to take down the goblins herself.

  Tian darted aside. Cassana gave chase.

  Moving nimbly among the treetops, she felt completely at ease.

  She chased him deep into the settlement, glaring down from above. “A bunch of weaklings like you dare ambush elves? What a joke—you don’t even have brains to fry!”

  “Swoosh swoosh!”

  As she spoke, she drew her bow and shot arrows.

  Every arrow hit its mark.

  But none of the goblins she struck went down—they were only wounded.

  Cassana frowned in surprise. “Why aren’t they dropping with one shot? Fine, I’ll use two!”

  “Enemy invasion! Up above!”

  One goblin sounded the alarm, and the rest scattered in all directions.

  They couldn’t reach the elf up in the trees and could only scurry around uselessly.

  Cassana watched proudly. “Hmph, now you see how strong I am! I’ll take all of you down today. Mother is sure to praise me for this!”

  In the minds of the elves, goblins were the lowest form of life, utterly evil.

  If an elf encountered a goblin, they were expected to kill it on sight.

  It was as natural as humans crushing a cockroach.

  “I’ll shoot you, I’ll shoot you! Where’s the one who hit me just now? You’re not getting away!”

  Flushed with anger and embarrassment, Cassana fired arrow after arrow, the bowstring singing with each shot.

  Several goblins took arrows.

  Tian decided the moment had come. He stepped out slowly and stood in plain view.

  Cassana, seething with rage, nocked another arrow and took aim at Tian’s head.

  She let the arrow fly.

  The goblins watched, holding their breath. “Boss!”

  Swoosh!

  The arrow whistled past, grazing Tian’s head but missing.

  Cassana’s face changed. “How is that possible? Wait, my hands... I can’t move them. What’s happening to me?”

  She clutched her head, suddenly dizzy and weak, and lost her balance, tumbling from the tree.

  The fall from over ten meters didn’t kill her, but she was badly shaken and looked utterly defeated.

  Her stealth cloak snagged on a branch, exposing her completely.

  She stood about 5’3”, extremely slender, her skin pale as jade—ethereal was the only word for her.

  Her long legs seemed carved by an artist, and the silk clinging to her body traced every graceful curve.

  With her desperate expression, she looked like a fairy cast down to earth.

  At the sight, a mob of goblins surged forward, their eyes gleaming with excitement, barely able to contain themselves.

  They had fantasized about elves for as long as they could remember, and now one stood before them in the flesh.

  But with Tian standing there, none of them dared rush in.

  Tian approached, unable to hide the spark of interest in his eyes as he took in her form.

  He sneered coldly. “Finally caught you. You’re the one who kept shooting arrows at me just now, right?”

  “I... I... You filthy goblin, what did you do to me?”

  Cassana summoned all her strength, but her body refused to respond. She was completely paralyzed.

  Tian didn’t bother to explain. He muttered, “You tried to shoot me down—so now it’s my turn. I always settle the score.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  As he spoke, he pressed her pale face roughly into the ground with his foot.

  The once-noble elf was now utterly humiliated.

  “Help! Mother, brother, father—how could this happen? They’re just goblins! How did I get caught by such weak creatures?”

  Overcome with terror and helplessness, Cassana broke down in tears. Her body trembled as she realized she was powerless to stop what was happening to her.

  Tian tossed her into the cage and slammed the door, the clang ringing out like a death knell.

  Cassana crashed to the wooden floor, pain shooting through her bruised body. She scrambled back on her elbows, silk clothes bunching up her thighs and exposing skin never meant for such eyes. Her long legs kicked helplessly against the bars as she tried to curl into herself.

  The goblins crowded the bars, eyes gleaming hungrily in the dim light. Their breaths fogged the air as they stared at her, taking in every detail of her trembling form.

  One goblin reached through the bars, claws brushing her cloak. Cassana recoiled, hitting her head against the wall and sobbing, “No—stay away! Don’t come near me!”

  Tian stepped forward, his shadow looming over her. He crouched until his face was level with hers through the bars.

  “You put an arrow through my armor,” he said quietly, voice almost gentle. “Tried to kill me. Now look at you—trapped, shaking, caught in your own snare.”

  Cassana flushed, glaring at him through tears. “You’re a monster… a filthy, disgusting—”

  Tian reached through the bars, grabbing her chin and forcing her to meet his eyes. She tried to pull away, but his grip only tightened.

  Cassana’s breath stuttered in her chest. A cold shiver of fear ran through her, and she pressed her knees tightly together, struggling to contain her panic and mounting shame.

  “Please…” she whispered, voice trembling. “Don’t… don’t do this…”

  Tian grinned, releasing her chin. His hand lingered for a moment before drawing back, his eyes never leaving her.

  Cassana shuddered, biting her lip in a desperate attempt to keep from making a sound, the effort betraying how frightened and vulnerable she felt.

  Tian leaned in close. “You’re scared, little elf. But you’re strong, too.”

  Cassana squeezed her eyes shut, tears slipping down her cheeks. “No… please, stop…”

  But her body gave her away—she trembled once, exposing her deep fear despite her efforts to control it.

  Tian stood abruptly, turning to the horde. “No one touches her tonight. She’s mine first. Let her stew in it.”

  The goblins growled in frustration, but they backed off—though their eyes never left her.

  Cassana curled up tightly, her forehead pressed to her knees, arms hugging her legs. Silent, wracking sobs shook her shoulders as she tried desperately to shut out her fear and the taunting world around her.

  She bit her lip, whispering broken prayers to a mother who could no longer hear.

  Yet no matter how tightly she tried to hold herself together, the fear inside her only grew, tightening its grip with every passing moment.

  And somewhere deep inside, beneath the terror and shame, a tiny, horrified part of her wondered how long she could keep pretending.

  “Ding! Congratulations on gaining Level Cap +30! Since your aptitude has reached maximum, it has been converted to HP +50, Strength +10, and Defense +10.”

  Tian was slightly stunned. This counted as unlocking the elf race and raising his level cap.

  But what was this about maximum aptitude? How did it get converted into attribute points? Logically speaking, doing this kind of thing shouldn’t increase attributes.

  He didn’t think too much about it. His mind wasn’t in the mood to think about these things right now.

  At least he could immediately convert any future children he had into level caps and attribute points.

  This was the powerful aspect of combining with the life simulation system—he could control the future.

  “Mother, what should Cassana do? What is all this?”

  Her sobs and cries blended with the goblins’ mocking laughter, echoing endlessly.

  The once-innocent elf girl who once blushed at a kind word was now barely recognizable, tormented by fear for hours.

  She was nearly driven mad with fear.

  Seeing that the time was about right, Tian ordered, “Alright, stop scaring her for now. We still need to go attack the elf tribe. You’ll have to wait on this elf. After tonight, you can have your fun!”

  Though impatient as hungry wolves, eager to attack, they still held back.

  After readying the army, they set out, leaving Moon behind to guard the camp.

  Cassana lay weak and alone in the cage, sobbing softly.

  Moon, feeling a pang of sympathy, brought her water on a leaf.

  “Filthy goblin! Stay away! Don’t touch me!”

  As Moon approached, Cassana panicked, knocking the water aside and curling up in the corner, trembling.

  Moon sighed, “Calm down. The boss is different from the others. I promise he won’t hurt you.”

  “I don’t believe your goblin lies! My mother, brother, and father will come and rescue me!”

  Cassana insisted, picturing her mother’s gentle smile.

  She was freezing and just wanted to go home.

  Seeing she couldn’t reason with her, Moon gave up and climbed the tree, retrieving Cassana’s cloak. “Put your cloak back on.”

  “You...”

  Cassana suddenly froze, feeling that this goblin in front of her seemed a bit different.

  But she didn’t say anything more.

  She prayed in silence.

  The Forest of All Things was deathly still, the silence so thick it was suffocating.

  Looking up, not a star could be seen—the massive banyan trees blocked out the sky.

  Tian led his goblins forward, moving silently through the night.

  Each goblin carried a dagger, perfect for ambush.

  Their mission was clear: kill the males, paralyze the females, and bring everyone back.

  Staring up at the houses perched high in the trees, Tian couldn’t help but marvel. These elves truly knew how to live.

  Without climbing skills, attacking them would be impossible.

  The elves had coated the tree trunks with slick wax, making them nearly impossible to climb—even monkeys would struggle.

  At Tian’s signal, the goblins began climbing.

  Using their skills and stabbing daggers into the trunks for support, they scaled the trees with ease.

  They crept to the entrances of the wooden houses and waited for the perfect moment.

  Tian made his way to the highest house—the matriarch’s dwelling.

  With the tailless cat’s ‘Silent Step’ skill, even elven ears couldn’t pick up his approach.

  Peeking through a crack in the door, he spotted the elf matriarch sleeping soundly inside.

  [Elf Matriarch: Lv30

  Class: Archer

  Title: Mother of Elves, Boundless Maternal Love

  HP: 280

  Strength: 43

  Defense: 39

  Skills: Keen Senses, Precision Eye, Archer’s Focus

  Equipment: Short Sword

  Overall: 370]

  Her stats were impressive, but Tian’s own were even higher—he felt no fear.

  He slipped in through the window, planning to poison her quietly—no need for a fight.

  But the elf matriarch was far more alert than he expected.

  “Who are you? Wait—you’re a goblin? What are you doing here?”

  Tian looked up to see her drawing a short sword, her gaze icy.

  Realizing he’d been caught, Tian roared, “Attack!”

  “Ahhhhh!”

  The goblins, waiting in the shadows, rushed into the houses at once.

  Male elves were cut down before they could react—a blur of blades and no chance to fight back.

  “Argh!”

  “What the hell is this!”

  “No! Wife, run!”

  Wood splintered. Doors burst open. Male elves awoke to daggers at their throats, silenced before a scream could form. The women shrieked as darts hit their necks, collapsing mid-struggle.

  Screams echoed through the Forest of All Things, chilling as ghostly wails and wolf howls in the dead of night.