Alex stared intently at the elf girl before him, his heart pounding as if trying to burst from his chest. The arrow on her bow glinted under the faint moonlight, the sharp arrowhead pointed directly at his chest, just a few feet away. The surrounding forest seemed to fall silent, with only the whisper of the breeze through the leaves, carrying the metallic scent of blood from the vanished Goblin King's corpse. The darkness around him began to writhe, like half-dead tentacles, spreading from his feet and crawling into the air, creating a hazy black mist. "Wait! Don't shoot! I'm not an enemy!" Alex raised his hands, his voice shaking from exhaustion and the pain of the wound on his shoulder, which was still bleeding.
The elf girl – with her lustrous silver hair falling to her waist, and emerald-green eyes flashing with vigilance – did not lower her bow. Her face was sculpted and beautiful, but etched with determination and fear. "You lie! I saw it – that shadow power, the way you devoured the Goblin King like a monster from the abyss. The Shadow Sovereign... The ancient curse has returned! You came here to destroy the forest, didn't you? The elders warned us about your kind!" Her voice was sharp, yet held a slight tremor, as if she were trying to conceal her fear. She took a step back, her foot crunching on dry leaves, the bow drawn tighter.
Alex swallowed, trying to remain calm. In his mind, the System flashed a new notification: [Warning: Shadow is losing control. Stability: 70%. If it drops below 50%, a backlash may occur.] He clearly felt it – the dark energy was surging, not summoned by him, but acting like a living entity craving fresh blood. "I... I know nothing about the Shadow Sovereign! I just woke up here. I came from another world – an accident, then this system... It granted me this power. I don't want to hurt anyone!" He tried to explain, but the words sounded clumsy, like a complete outsider in this strange world. In his mind, memories of Earth resurfaced: the days in front of the computer screen, reading isekai novels, dreaming of heroic power. Now, a hero? He was just a guy who nearly died to a monster and was now facing an arrow.
The elf girl frowned, her eyes glancing at the wound on his shoulder and the glittering crystal shard in his hand. "From another world? Do you think I'm a fool? The Shadow Sovereign's lies have deceived countless peoples! This forest is the domain of our Elf tribe – the Shadow Forest, where the ancient curse was sealed. If you carry that curse, I must kill you immediately!" She pulled the bow harder, the string creaking, green magic shimmering around the arrowhead, as if it could pierce the darkness itself.
Suddenly, from deep within the forest, howls echoed – not one, but dozens of growls merged, drawing closer and closer. The ground beneath their feet vibrated slightly, and the rustling leaves signaled an impending storm. Alex turned his head, his eyes widening. "Damn it... What is that?" he whispered, and the darkness around him reacted instantly, surging more violently.
"It's the Goblin pack! The Goblin King is dead; they will be enraged and seek revenge. You've awakened them!" the elf girl screamed, but she didn't lower her bow. Instead, she glanced toward the sound, her face pale. From the bushes, dozens of small but vicious figures charged out – common Goblins, green-skinned, red-eyed, armed with crude spears and wooden shields. They growled, rushing forward like a tide, their numbers easily reaching thirty. "Grraah! Kill the outsider! Avenge the King!" they shouted in hoarse voices, rushing straight toward Alex and the girl.
Alex had no time to think. Survival instinct kicked in; he activated Shadow Dominion. The darkness beneath his feet exploded, forming black tentacles that lashed out, wrapping around the first few Goblins. They shrieked miserably, their life force sucked dry, their bodies shriveling before dissolving. "Shadow Strike!" he yelled, the dark blade flying swiftly, decapitating two more Goblins. Experience poured in: [Experience +200. Level up: Level 5 → Level 6.] But the Goblin pack was too numerous; they rushed in from all sides. One leaped onto his shoulder, clawing him with sharp talons. Pain spread, and fresh blood flowed again. "Aargh! There are too many of them!"
The elf girl, despite her suspicion, couldn't stand idly by. She released the arrow; the green bolt flew, piercing three Goblins at once, exploding into blue fire that incinerated them. "I don't trust you, but we must survive now!" she yelled, retreating close to Alex, firing arrows rapidly. But the Goblins were relentless; they encircled the two, spears pointed, their eyes gleaming with madness. A larger Goblin, perhaps a temporary leader, roared: "Kill the Elf first! They killed the King!" It lunged at the girl, its axe swinging down.
Alex saw the scene, and a strange feeling surged within him – not fear, but protection. "No way!" He activated Shadow Cloak, turning into an invisible phantom, rushing to shield her. The axe slammed down, but only passed through the darkness, while Alex materialized and stabbed the Goblin directly in the chest. Blue blood splattered, but the darkness backfired – he felt a horrifying headache, as if his soul were being ripped apart. [Warning: Shadow Stability: 55%. Backlash imminent.]
The elf girl's eyes widened in surprise. "You... saved me?" she whispered, but there was no time to think. The Goblin pack rushed in more fiercely, a few leaping up, biting and tearing. Alex whipped the shadow tentacles, eliminating several, but his body was exhausted, and his old wound reopened. "I can't last... They're too many!" he thought, blood flowing freely.
In a moment of desperation, the elf girl touched his hand. "Use my magic! Combine it!" she yelled, and green magic spread from her hand, merging with his darkness. Suddenly, power erupted – the darkness transformed into blades of dark-green energy, wiping out half the Goblin pack in a flash. [New Skill: Shadow Fusion – Combine shadow with other magic to enhance its power.] Experience flooded in: [Experience +800. Level up: Level 6 → Level 8.] The remaining Goblins panicked and fled, leaving corpses scattered.
Alex collapsed to his knees, panting heavily, the darkness retreating but still whispering in his mind: "More... More blood..." The elf girl lowered her bow, looking at him with complex emotions. "My name is Elara, Guardian of the Elf tribe. You are not the monster I thought you were. But the Shadow Sovereign curse is real – it will consume you if you don't control it. Follow me back to the village; the elders might be able to help."
Alex nodded, but in the distance, from deep within the forest, an earth-shattering roar echoed – not Goblins, but something much larger, much older. The ground shook, and trees crashed down. "What... what is that?" Alex asked, his heart turning cold. Elara's face went pale: "That's the Ancient Treant – the Gatekeeper of the Shadow Forest. It has awakened because of your power! We have to run!"
The two rushed into the forest, but the colossal figure of the Treant – a living ancient tree with a trunk dozens of meters high and root-like tentacles – lunged toward them, roaring: "Curse-bearer... You must die!"