I Contracted a Demon, but It Turned Into My Pet

The solid ground instantly turned to a slick, marshy wetland. Lucian leapt clear of the affected area just as the Furious Bear barreled past the fallen tree—landing squarely in the center of the swamp.

Tier 3 magic, Sinkhole Swamp—it could only slow the bear down for a moment, but a moment was all Lucian needed.

While the beast's massive paws slipped on the soggy terrain, its momentum faltering, Lucian shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Flame Serpent Bind!"

A crimson magic circle, nearly fifteen meters wide, appeared in the air above the Furious Bear. In the next instant, three blazing serpents erupted from the array and coiled themselves around the creature in a fiery grip.

Not only did the fire serpents restrain its movement, but their scorching bodies continuously burned the Furious Bear, inflicting relentless damage.

Driven into a frenzy, the beast let out a maddened roar. Its bloodshot eyes twitched with fury as it thrashed with brute force, ripping the flaming serpents apart one by one.

Lucian's brows furrowed in disbelief.

A Tier 7 spell—Flame Serpent Bind—was only able to restrain a Tier 5 creature for ten seconds?

Normally, that level of magic would be enough to immobilize a Tier 5 beast for ten minutes or longer!

"This thing's strength is absolutely monstrous…"

But then again, it wasn't surprising. The Furious Bear's inherent power was already overwhelming, and with Bloodlust Frenzy activated, its raw strength had surged to unnatural levels. It was only natural that it could break free from restraints that would have held even a typical Tier 7 beast in place.

Still, while the bear's body and strength surpassed that of ordinary Tier 7 monsters, it lacked their magical capabilities. Most Tier 7 creatures could unleash devastating area-of-effect spells—something that would've left Lucian with no chance to even run. One good hit, and he'd be vaporized.

In that sense, the Furious Bear's reliance on physical combat gave Lucian room to strategize.

"Ten seconds… not enough!"

Even though he could fully control the copied spells and cast them instantly, Firestorm Descent was a damage-over-time spell. It wasn't a one-shot nuke—it needed time to build up and accumulate enough damage to kill.

And the real problem? After casting Flame Serpent Bind, Lucian had no mana left to use Firestorm Descent.

He needed at least eight seconds to recover enough mana to cast it—meaning, he'd only have two seconds of actual damage output. And that wouldn't be enough to bring down the Furious Bear.

Sure, he could cast over a hundred low-tier spells in ten seconds, but what good would that do? To a creature like this, it would be like getting tickled.

Quantity might produce quality in theory—but only if the quantity was large enough. One hundred was nowhere near enough.

Which meant… Firestorm Descent was his only real option.

Lucian clenched his jaw, spun on his heel, and took off running again.

He had a plan now.

If one Flame Serpent Bind wasn't enough—then he'd use two.

Seconds later, the Furious Bear shredded the last of the fire serpents and roared back into motion, charging after Lucian once more.

Mana pulsed rapidly through Lucian's veins as his reserves began to recover. His eyes gleamed with cold determination, and his heart thumped with exhilaration.

There wasn't much time. And only one shot at this.

Finally—his mana was ready.

"Flame Serpent Bind!" he bellowed, preemptively casting the spell ahead of the bear's path.

As expected, the Furious Bear tried to dodge, but with its immense bulk and forward momentum, it couldn't stop in time. It plunged straight into the magic circle—where flaming serpents erupted again, wrapping around its limbs.

But Lucian wasn't done.

Before the first binding had even finished taking hold, he cast the second Flame Serpent Bind without hesitation.

Six blazing serpents now coiled around the Furious Bear, locking it in place.

Casting two Tier 7 spells in a row left Lucian visibly drained. His face turned pale, and a frigid chill seeped through his body. His head spun with dizziness, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to falter.

He stood his ground.

Overhead, Elvira Sol watched with a faint frown.

"Is he giving up?"

At this point, the bear was less than thirty meters away. If it broke free, it would be on him in under two seconds—and if she didn't intervene, Lucian would be dead where he stood.

But then, she sensed it—his mana, surging rapidly within.

"What a terrifying recovery rate…" Her eyes widened with surprise, but then a grin tugged at her lips. "So that's what you're trying to do?"

"Impressive little boy."

The Furious Bear, sensing the overwhelming threat building, roared with fury and managed to wrench one arm free. With a savage grunt, it hurled a massive boulder straight at Lucian.

Lucian ducked and rolled, narrowly avoiding a direct hit, though shrapnel from the shattered rock cut across his arms and shoulders.

But the bear wasn't done.

It began grabbing everything it could—stones, branches, even uprooted trunks—and flung them with terrifying force.

Lucian weaved and dodged desperately. Any direct hit could cripple him—or worse.

"Faster… come on, faster!" he screamed inwardly, adrenaline pounding through his veins.

He was pushing the limit—risking it all.

Firestorm Descent required full mana. Right now, he had about one-fifth. He still needed to recover the remaining eighty percent—without stopping to meditate.

Only natural regeneration could help him now.

Twenty seconds. That was how long it took for him to fully recover. And he'd already made it through four.

If two back-to-back Flame Serpent Binds couldn't buy him twenty seconds, then nothing would.

Sixteen more seconds. Then cast. Then pray.

Would four seconds of Firestorm Descent be enough to kill the Furious Bear?

Could it?

He was gambling everything on that answer.

The bear's bellowing echoed all around him. The sheer force of its roars made Lucian want to turn and run—but he held his ground. He focused, dodging the bear's attacks with narrow margins.

Sixteen seconds… and done.

Mana fully restored.

Lucian's lips curved up into a grin.

"Don't let me down now…"

"Firestorm Descent!!!"

…

"Holy shit, I'm gonna die!"

Lucian shot upright with a start, drenched in sweat.

The last thing he remembered was the Furious Bear charging at him, fully engulfed in flames, shrugging off the inferno with unnatural ferocity. His mana had been drained. He couldn't move. All he could do was watch as the beast's claw came crashing down to shred him apart…

He quickly patted himself down.

Not a scratch.

"It was… a dream?"

No, not a dream—more like a vivid memory.

Because he remembered everything.

When he'd cast Firestorm Descent, the inferno had blanketed over a hundred meters of forest. The sky had rained fire like a vengeful god, tearing the landscape apart. The Furious Bear had been caught dead-center in it.

Four seconds of unrelenting destruction turned the creature into a living bonfire. It screamed. It thrashed. It rolled. But it couldn't put out the fire.

And then—nothing but ash.

Lucian had carefully measured the distance before casting. He hadn't been inside the storm's radius… but the searing heatwave had still nearly knocked him unconscious.

Tier 8 magic—Firestorm Descent.

Absolutely terrifying.

And then… he'd blacked out.

He hadn't just drained his mana—he'd overdrawn his very spirit. The mental strain was far greater than he'd anticipated.

Turns out, his mana reserves weren't truly enough for Tier 8 spells. Forcing them out would leave him completely defenseless.

If the bear hadn't died… he would have.

Close. Too close.

He exhaled in relief and glanced around.

"Gujyu?"

Nobu, the little slime, bounced onto his chest with a worried look.

"I'm okay," Lucian said with a weak chuckle, gently rubbing its round, squishy body. Then he conjured a small Fireball and fed it to Nobu like a snack.

"Nobu, did you see Elvira Sol?" he asked.

"Gujyu." The slime nodded, then stretched its soft body into the shape of an arrow pointing outside the cave.

Lucian nodded in return and placed Nobu on his head.

He took a step forward—and stumbled.

His eyes widened in shock.

"My strength… it's increased a lot!"

That's when Lysera's figure shimmered into view.

"Of course it has. You killed a Tier 5 beast despite being lower tier yourself. You absorbed its life force and soul essence. Your physical and spiritual attributes have both been enhanced. Right now, your physique is comparable to that of a late-stage Tier 3 warrior."

Lucian's eyes lit up with joy.

Before, even after advancing, his body was just a notch above a normal human—barely Tier 1. But now, he'd reached Tier 3.

That meant he'd officially stepped into the realm of true magic-warrior dual cultivation.

All that effort to defeat the Furious Bear… had been more than worth it.