I Contracted a Demon, but It Turned Into My Pet

"Come on, little kitty, hit me!" Lucian tapped Nobu onto his head and shouted at the charging Sabertail Beast.

Sure, the beast didn't understand his words—but the taunt was unmistakable. It snarled in rage and lunged straight at him.

Lucian didn't hesitate—he bolted.

His Magic Mobility Harness activated!

His speed surged, matching the beast's, and once again man and monster weaved through the forest in a wild chase.

"This is awesome!" Lucian whooped in mid-air. "Come get me, kitty!" He spun, flipping off the beast with a grin.

The Sabertail Beast snarled, testing its intelligence. Being mocked while chasing down its prey… That pushed it over the edge. Its claws glowed with molten gold.

Lucian's eyes narrowed. Here it comes—Empowered Goldblade!

The beast leapt and slashed: four crescent-shaped golden blades arced through the air—each at least ten meters long. Trees in their path were sheared apart; even two-meter trunks groaned and cracked. A direct hit would smite Lucian straight to his grave.

He inhaled deeply.

Nobu, don't let me down now!

"It's on you, Nobu!" Lucian shouted.

"Gujyu!" Nobu bloomed, cocooning Lucian completely.

Inside Nobu's translucent form, Lucian could breathe and see the world around him. The golden blades struck Nobu's surface—and instantly, they disintegrated like marshmallows dropped in water.

Lucian exhaled in relief. Nobu had absorbed that magical assault effortlessly. He'd even prepared defenses in case Nobu faltered—but clearly, Nobu's magic absorption was far stronger than he'd imagined.

"Awesome! Now it's our turn!" Lucian cheered. With Nobu perched above, they charged the beast in reverse.

The Sabertail Beast froze, stunned that its main skill had done nothing. But the sight of Lucian charging left in its eyes a deadly glint.

"Unbelievable two-legger!" it snarled, unleashing another wave of sound.

Its Gilded Roar had two effects: it shattered inferior metal spells and could stun nearby foes. One moment's hesitation, and Lucian would be split in two.

But Lucian had a plan. As Gilded Roar blasted out, Nobu inflated again—this time covering Lucian's head like a soft helmet. The magical resonance was absorbed with ease, turning that devastating roar into nothing more than a loud growl.

Lucian roared back.

"Dreadclaw Slam!"

He'd prepared that spell by copying Dreadclaw Bear's power before he fought the Sabertail Beast. Now, two massive golden claws formed in his hands.

He lunged forward, and six intersecting golden blades shot toward the beast with thunderous power—surpassing even the beast's own strike.

The beast landed just in time, but its defenses were already being fashioned.

Golden Beast Armor!

Armor plates coated its head, shoulders, back, and claws in crystalline golden stone the color of brass.

The Dreadclaw Slam hit with a deafening crash. The beast staggered back, its golden plates fractured along the edges, but it still stood—albeit wounded.

That was exactly what Lucian expected. His real goal had been to close the distance.

With the beast reeling, Razorbind fired from his waist and his flame thrusters gave him momentum. He charged forward.

"Golden Beast Armor—copied!" he cried, and glowing armor erupted across his own body.

This armor, forged from that same tough golden-steel substance, enveloped him entirely—from head to toe, even molding into a tiger-face helmet that left only his eyes visible, claws glinting from his gauntlets. It looked deadly but felt as light as air.

Not only did the armor greatly boost his defense—it multiplied his strength. Lucian, already at early Tier 5 strength, surged to Tier 6 levels instantly.

He was ready to kill the Sabertail Beast.

Tenfold Blastfire Orb!

Five blazing arrays erupted behind him, shooting equal pillars of fire that kept his posture stable even at high speed.

He became a golden-red blur, hurtling toward the beast. Too fast to see, he aimed purely through mana sense.

In a heartbeat, he was there.

The beast, still dazed, didn't even have time to react. Lucian slammed two golden claws into the beast's chest.

"Die."

"DIE!!!"

BOOM!

A shockwave erupted, cracking the earth and sending up dust so thick you couldn't see. When it finally settled…

Lucian wavered at the center of a shattered crater.

Lying before him was the Sabertail Beast—its skull crushed, eyes sprayed across the clearing, its death rattle silent.

Lucian's body trembled. That strike had been lethal and instantaneous. The beast never stood a chance—but neither did his body.

His arm was twisted at an impossible angle—fractured. His shoulder dislocated. His mana was drained to nothing. The golden armor faded, revealing his mangled flesh.

The acceleration from the tenfold Orb, the strength behind Dreadclaw Slam—it all smashed his arm until it nearly broke the bone.

Pain shot through his body.

"Ow… that hurts like hell…" Lucian gasped.

Lysera's apparition floated nearby.

"You smiling while bleeding?"

Lucian grimaced through the pain. "No rule says I can't smile while hurting."

He flexed his lips but winced as the broken bones shifted.

"Gujyu…" Nobu chirped, hopping onto his shoulder and gently nudging him, as though comforting him.

Lucian managed a soft smile and nuzzled the little slime's plush body.

"I'm okay… Thanks to you, Nobu."

He meant it. Without Nobu's two perfect saves from the Sabertail Beast's attacks, he never would have closed the distance—never beaten the beast.

Today, the little angel Nobu was the real hero.

…

After killing the Sabertail Beast, Lucian felt his physique surge once more—from early Tier Five to mid-Tier Five. He was just a step away from breaking into the late stage.

Using the arm that still worked, he dug out the beast's crystal core, then limped back toward the center of the formation. Sitting cross-legged, he began to recover his strength.

As for the remaining two Tier Six magical beasts… In his current state, there was no way he could handle them.

"Gujyu~ Gujyu~" Nobu squirmed beside him, attempting to heal his arm with its condensed liquid—but Lucian gently pushed it away.

Even healing a small wound on his finger earlier had nearly forced Nobu back to its base form. Trying to mend an entire arm—fractured bone and all—would cost the little slime dearly. Even though Nobu had grown a fair bit, it would still consume too much energy.

Lucian wouldn't allow it.

After all, energy for a slime was no different from a human's life force.

Nobu was literally spending its own life to heal him—and Lucian couldn't bear to let it.

Besides, Elvira Sol was terrifyingly capable. If she could restore his hands after they'd been burned to a crisp, surely a fractured arm was child's play.

In front of Lucian now lay a small pile of crystal cores.

From the eighteen Tier Three magical beasts, he'd harvested eight Tier Three cores.

From twelve Tier Four beasts, he'd obtained nine Tier Four cores.

From six Tier Five beasts, five crystal cores.

And then, the most recent addition—a single Tier Six core from the Sabertail Beast.

Oh, right. There was still one more Tier Five core from the Furious Bear that Elvira Sol had taken earlier.

"These cores should be enough to boost you to early Tier Five," Lysera remarked calmly.

Lucian nodded. Just as he was preparing to absorb the crystal cores, a figure dropped from the sky, stirring up a cloud of dust upon landing.

"Cough, cough…" Lucian waved his hand, brushing away the dust as he looked up at the figure.

As expected—it was Elvira Sol.

She cast a glance at the crystal cores piled neatly before him, then smiled approvingly.

"Not bad. I thought you'd top out at taking down a Tier Five beast."

Lucian blinked, then stretched out his injured arm pitifully.

"Shouldn't you be a little more concerned about my injuries first?"

Elvira marched over to him and grinned mischievously. Without warning, she slammed her fist onto his wounded arm.

"This little scratch? Come on, be a man. Suck it up."

The jolt of pain made Lucian shudder all over. He stared at her in disbelief.

And then he kept staring.

He said nothing.

Just stared… and stared… and kept staring…