Pain

Elves, a race characterized by their longevity, unique beauty, and expertise in weapon making, held a significant position in the power hierarchy. Yet, these blessings came at a harrowing cost: humans. Elves harbored a deep-seated hatred for humans due to their grim practice of hunting and selling elves as slaves. Humans ruthlessly tore off their ears and other valuable body parts, selling them for a higher price.

The elf who had attacked Davy was a victim of this heinous trade. Kidnapped, sold into slavery, she had endured unspeakable mental and sexual abuse. After enduring years of pain and suffering, she had finally seized an opportunity to escape. Though her captors attempted to chase her down, she managed to elude them. Months of running and hiding led her to the forest, where she crossed paths with Davy. Suspicious of all humans, she had attempted to kill him, believing him to be no different from the others. Underestimating his strength, her attack failed, and her chance of escape slipped away.

"Um, Davy, who is this?" Suzy inquired, pointing at the sleeping elf.

"Oh, she's an elf who tried to kill me. I knocked her out for a bit," he replied nonchalantly.

"I'm surprised you didn't kill her," Sakura remarked, gently poking the elf's face.

"Who do you take me for? I don't just go around killing people like a madman."

"Are you sure about that?" they wondered silently.

"But big brother, doesn't she look really hurt?" Ari asked sadly.

"Yes, I assume she's a runaway elf. She has a lot of mana in her body, but she probably can't use it. I'll heal her after she wakes up."

"And then what? Do we just leave her?" Suzy inquired further.

"Well, I'm sure she was heading somewhere. We could help her get there, but only after we're done with the dungeon," he replied.

"Yay, big brother is so kind!" Ari exclaimed, her face lighting up with joy.

He looked at her and smiled, patting her head gently. "I'm not kind, you brat," he said playfully.

"Hehe," Ari giggled cutely.

In her sleep, the elf trembled, tears streaming down her face as she begged for mercy. "No more, Ella will be a good girl from now on, please stop, please…"

"It seems she is having a nightmare about the past. Judging from her appearance, she was definitely abused and she looks to be around 17 years old," he observed, his expression clouded with annoyance.

"Poor miss elf, don't worry, big brother will protect you," Ari said softly as she gently stroked Ella's hair.

"There are trash-like people no matter what world you are in," Suzy exclaimed angrily.

"That is true. The weak will always be preyed on by the strong, especially in a world like this where power is everything," he commented, his gaze fixed on the troubled elf.

After a few minutes, Ella opened her eyes, and the first person she saw was Davy. She immediately jumped back, putting up her guard. He simply looked at her, making no sudden movements. She glanced around and noticed the other girls watching her as well. Suddenly, an intense pain shot through her feet, and she fell to the ground. Ari rushed forward to help her, but Ella refused, managing to get up and retreat slowly.

"Your name is Ella, right? I heard you say it when you were sleeping. It seems you have quite the past," he said, trying to ease her tension.

"Human scum, you're all alike. You treat us elves like tools that can be thrown away," Ella spat out bitterly.

"If I truly felt that way, you would have been dead by now or tied up. As you can see, neither has happened. We have no intention of harming you. Come here, let me heal you," he said, extending his hand in a gesture of goodwill.

"As if I would trust a human scum like you. Humans always sweet-talk people before betraying their trust," Ella retorted defiantly.

"We won't hurt you. We simply want to help. We could have left you here to die, but we didn't," Suzy interjected.

"Shut up! You are also a human scum. There is no such thing as free help in this world," Ella snapped back.

"Sigh, what a pain," he sighed in annoyance. He stood up, disappearing and reappearing instantly behind her. He gently grabbed her clothes and lifted her up.

"HAHAHA, you figured us out. We're going to sell you at a very high price. I just need to heal you up, and you'll be good as new," he said in a threatening tone, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"S-see, I knew it. All humans are scum. They can't be trusted," Ella stammered, trembling in fear, tears streaming down her face.

"Pfft, I'm just messing with you. I don't intend to harm you," he laughed, confusing Ella further.

He healed her wounds, gently put her down, and retrieved clothes from his inventory, offering them to her since her current attire was exposing sensitive parts.

"What, you're really not going to sell me?" Ella asked in shock.

"Nah, you're free to go," he replied casually.

"But I'm an elf."

"So what?"

"What do you mean, 'so what'? I'm worth a lot of money. If you sell me, you can..." Ella began, her voice trailing off as he cut her off.

"Okay, and?" he said, his expression unimpressed.

"You're really weird, mister," she said, a slight smile touching her lips.

"Don't call me mister; my name is Davy. Behind me, the one with blue hair is Ari, the one with yellow hair is Suzy, and the redhead is Sakura." 

"Oh, ah, nice to meet you, everyone. I'm sorry for my rudeness before. I've had bad experiences with the humans I came across," she apologized, bowing down while closing her eyes in shyness.

"It's okay. Ari forgives you," Ari chimed in, her smile warm and reassuring.

"We don't blame you for acting like that. It's understandable," Sakura added.

"Thank you," Ella said, her heart touched. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she started crying.

"Dammit, it's okay, don't cry. You're safe now," he said, gently patting her back to comfort her.

After a few minutes, Ella stopped crying. He handed her some fruits to eat, and she devoured them as if she hadn't eaten for days. Meanwhile, Davy used his appraising eye to check her stats. He disliked the rank system because it didn't accurately reveal someone's level apart from their rank.

"DING, do you wish to use 50,000 points to upgrade the system?" the System asked.

"Upgrade? Well, I have plenty of points anyway, so why not? Yes," he replied through his thoughts.

"DING, System upgrade has been completed. You can now see a character's level within a rank," the System announced.

"Sweet, let's see my level first."

NAME:DAVY

RANK: MID=HUMAN

CA: 85,000

LEVEL: 60

OCCUPATION: NONE

"Hmm, I still can't see skills, but that's not important right now. So, I'm level 60, huh? I must have gained a lot from fighting Charlotte," he mused to himself, contemplating his newfound strength.

Davy studied the stats of the others intently, contemplating their abilities and potential.

NAME: SUZY

RANK: MID-HUMAN

CA: 30,000

LEVEL: 48

OCCUPATION: DUAL MAGE

NAME: SAKURA

RANK: MID-HUMAN

CA: 28,000

LEVEL: 45

OCCUPATION: NONE

NAME: ARI

RANK: MID-HUMAN

CA: 15,000

LEVEL: 30

OCCUPATION: MAGICIAN

NAME: ELLA

RANK: MID-HUMAN

CA: 10,000

LEVEL: 30

OCCUPATION: NONE

"Hmm, they all have decent stats, but we're still too weak. We need to venture into a dungeon and level up," he thought aloud, strategizing their next move.

"So, Ella, we're about to depart. What will you do now?" he asked, his gaze gentle yet probing.

"I don't know. I have nowhere to go. My home was destroyed by humans, my family was killed, and many others have been kidnapped," Ella replied, her voice laden with sorrow.

"Then why not come with us? We're planning to conquer this tower. Will you join us on this dangerous journey?" he proposed, extending his hand in camaraderie.

"You want me on your team? But I'm useless. I can't even cast magic. I was never taught," Ella hesitated, her eyes filled with self-doubt.

"Don't worry. Everyone in our group can use magic. We all taught each other, so teaching you will be easy," he reassured her, his confidence unwavering.

"If you really want a lowly elf like me on your team, then I humbly accept the offer," she said, her smile breaking through the shadows of her past.

"Heh, good. Now, let's go to the dungeon. We've wasted enough time already. We need to level up fast," he declared, taking the lead as they prepared to embark on their next adventure.

As they disappeared behind the trees, a mysterious figure emerged from the shadows, silently observing their departure. What could he possibly want, and more importantly, who was he? The answers remained veiled in mystery, shrouded in the darkness of the forest.