I Contracted a Demon, but It Turned Into My Pet

Elvira Sol felt a pang of guilt as she met Lucian's wounded gaze. With a sigh, she gave in.

"Fine, fine. I'll heal you," she said, reaching out her hand.

At her gesture, a soft flame ignited around Lucian's arm. It didn't burn—instead, it radiated a gentle warmth.

Lucian's bones began to reset with a subtle crack, his injuries rapidly regenerating.

He wasted no time and activated [Analyze] immediately.

"Seventh-tier Fire Magic: Breath of the Undying Phoenix!"

He had to analyze it now and think later.

As long as someone cast a spell, Lucian could instantly analyze it—no need to copy it first.

In less than thirty seconds, his arm was as good as new. Even some of his other lingering wounds had healed completely.

Lucian stretched, eyes lighting up with joy.

"So this is the power of seventh-tier healing magic?"

Lysera's voice chimed in with a real-time explanation.

"Seventh-tier healing spells are especially effective on targets below their tier. The lower the target's strength, the more dramatic the healing. Of course, the caster's own power plays a part too."

Lucian nodded. It probably had to do with physical toughness—the stronger the body, the more mana required to restore damaged cells.

"You'll be facing many more battles ahead," Elvira Sol said, her tone turning serious. "If you can't endure minor injuries like this, you won't last long."

"I wasn't even scared of the pain!" Lucian protested. "Really!"

Elvira Sol stared at him silently.

"If I believed that, I'd be the idiot," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

Lucian just laughed, saying nothing.

"Hey… what's that?" he suddenly asked, eyes drifting toward something behind Elvira.

It looked like… a creature bound by Scorching Claw's restraints?

Wait—why did this feel familiar?

Somewhere in the afterlife, the Furious Bear trembled.

Elvira waved her hand, pulling the creature toward her.

It resembled a beetle, but massive—over two meters long, more than a meter tall, with a shiny black carapace, antennae, and four crimson compound eyes.

Strangely… it looked kind of cute.

"You were right," Elvira said. "Something interesting did sneak into the forest."

Lucian chuckled.

"That's why it pays to be cautious and prepared."

Elvira gave an approving nod and explained,

"This is a Darkfiend Larva—one of the lowest-tiered creatures from the Demon Realm."

Lucian blinked.

"And what makes it so interesting? Is there something special about it?"

Honestly, Lucian preferred Elvira's explanations over reading through the system logs.

"Because this one is a Broodmother," Elvira said. "Darkfiend Larvae are weak and rely on overwhelming numbers. A single one isn't a threat—but a Broodmother can produce hundreds of eggs per day. In five days, those hatch."

"As the Broodmother grows stronger, not only does her reproduction rate increase, but she can also start producing lesser Broodmothers—multiplying the production rate exponentially."

"Give her a few months, and she'll have tens of thousands of Larvae under her control."

"Darkfiend Larvae eat everything. They're absurdly hard to kill and evolve fast when well-fed. Once a swarm forms, it's basically unstoppable."

"If left unchecked, this entire stretch of the Savage Wilds would've been wiped out."

"When I found her, she'd already reached Tier 3 and birthed quite a few offspring. I wiped them all out."

Lucian's expression turned serious.

That… that's basically the Zerg!

Just like in games—Zerg were all about overwhelming numbers. Their swarms numbered in the billions. Once they hit critical mass, it was over.

"This Demon Realm is terrifying. All their monsters are like endgame bosses," Lucian muttered.

A Demon Slime, now a Darkfiend Larva queen—every creature that matured turned into a walking catastrophe. The Demon Realm might as well be a hell-mode dungeon.

Elvira nodded.

"Exactly. If the Demon Realm ever invades Velmira, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Velmira. That was the name of this world—a world of countless races and kingdoms.

"But why didn't you just kill it? Why bring it back?" Lucian asked.

Elvira grinned and looked at the slime on Lucian's shoulder.

"You already managed to contract a Demon Slime. I thought maybe… you could do the same with this one."

"If you could form a contract, it—and everything it births—would fight for you. A powerful asset."

"You can't do it yourself?" Lucian asked. Given how powerful Elvira was, it seemed odd.

She shook her head.

"I can't. Or more accurately—no native of Velmira can. Demon Realm creatures instinctively reject us. They'd rather die than be bound by a contract."

"Forcing them into servitude triggers a soul backlash. They self-destruct."

"If I hadn't sealed its core, it would've already exploded."

"But you're different. You're not from Velmira. That may help you bypass their instinctual rejection. You already succeeded with Nobu—so I wanted to see if it could work again."

"If not, we can always kill it later."

Lucian gave an enlightened nod.

"Alright, I'll give it a shot."

He tossed an [Analyze] at the creature—then blinked, confused.

[Darkfiend Broodqueen: Demon Realm Creature. Tier 3 (Early). Can produce 100,000 Darkfiend Larvae per month. Capable of spawning Darkfiend Broodmothers and special Larvae. Possesses superior reproduction and evolution abilities.]

"Darkfiend… Broodqueen?"

Stronger than a Broodmother?!

Holy crap, this bug was hiding its true form the whole time! Even Elvira didn't notice!

It could spawn a hundred thousand Larvae in one month?! That's literal non-stop egg-laying! Even farm pigs weren't this efficient!

And if it produces more Broodmothers, the rate would increase exponentially.

If Lucian hadn't pushed Elvira to catch it, the Savage Wilds would've been doomed!

But could he really contract something like this?

"Wait, how do I actually form a contract?" Lucian asked.

"Huh?" Elvira looked surprised.

"You don't know contract magic?"

Lucian shook his head.

"Nope. Nobu was the one who contracted with me on its own. I never learned the spell."

Elvira nodded thoughtfully, then cast the spell for Lucian to see. He immediately analyzed it.

[Slave Contract: Tierless Contract Spell. Used to enslave lower-tier creatures. Grants complete control over the target's life and death.]

Because it was tierless, both copying and analyzing took only one second. Lucian instantly completed it.

He then turned to the Darkfiend Broodqueen… and grinned wickedly.

…

The Darkfiend Broodqueen, Specimen 520, was feeling especially unlucky today.

She had barely managed to slip past that terrifying woman's detection, found a quiet place to build a nest, and even laid a satisfying batch of eggs to begin the invasion plan.

But then that woman showed up out of nowhere—burned every single egg and larva to ashes, and even captured her alive.

Tch. Ignorant humans. So what if you've caught me?

I serve only the great Demon Lord. My loyalty is unwavering, even in death. You will never get anything from me!

Specimen 520 had made up her mind—if given the slightest chance, she would self-destruct. No human would gain an inch from her existence.

Hmm?

What is that human doing?

Coming closer? If you take one more step, I swear I'll spit right in your face!

Lucian stepped toward the Broodqueen, curiously eyeing her grotesque form. Then, with a cheeky grin, he said in a teasing tone, "Hey, little bug mama… how about becoming my loyal dog?"

The Broodqueen: "…"

Well, wasn't that subtle.

Wait—why the hell could she understand what this brat just said?

Become your dog? Why don't you eat shit instead?!

Her mandibles snapped open wide, and without warning—

PFFFTH!

Lucian barely dodged in time. That glob of toxic spit landed on a nearby tree and immediately hissed through the bark, leaving a gaping, corroded hole.

"Make me your pet? Hah! Over my dead eggs!" the Broodqueen hissed, her voice screeching with fury.

Lucian blinked in surprise.

Did… did he just understand what she said?

Then it hit him. Probably the system's automatic translation feature. Which meant—this thing was intelligent. A sentient species.

Well, that simplified things.

Lucian didn't get mad. Instead, he just smiled wider. "Come on now, don't be so hasty. I treat my subordinates well, y'know. There are perks~"

"Silence, foolish human!" the Broodqueen shrieked. "The Demon Lord will conquer this realm! The Demon World will descend in waves beyond counting! We shall raze your world to ash!"

"The Demon Lord is supreme! Eternal!"