Nia turned to me with a triumphant smile, her hand resting on the Lunalynx's fur.

"Now it's your turn," she said, stepping aside with a warm, encouraging look. "Let's see what kind of beast chooses you."

I grinned, cracking my knuckles. "Perfect. Where do I start?"

The words had barely left my mouth when something cold and slick coiled around my legs like a serpent.

Before I could react, a thick, black slime surged upward like a rising tide, wrapping around my waist, my arms, then my neck.

"What the—!"

With a wet, slurping sound, the slime swallowed me whole, dragging me off my feet.

My shout was cut off as it covered my mouth and eyes, encasing me in a suffocating cocoon of pitch-black ooze

I could feel the slime's viscous body pressing against me, its acidic surface sizzling against my skin.

My breath caught in my throat from surprise buy I didn't panic. I was rather calm.

Outside, Raven's voice pierced through the muffled silence.

"Archer!" she shouted, stumbling backward in horror. "Nia, what is that thing? Is he okay?"

Nia's eyes widened. "That's a Black Slime," she said breathlessly. "No... no, no. That's one of the most dangerous beasts in the entire realm. It's highly venomous and extremely hostile!"

I could hear her frantically preparing a banishment spell or a barrier—anything to pull me out of it.

She shouldn't have bothered. I was doing quite well.

The slime's corrosive touch should have burned my flesh, but instead, I felt... nothing.

No pain. No melting of bones.

Suddenly, the slime began to shrink, slowly drawing inward like melting tar, draining into my skin, leaving me standing without harm.

The forest was dead Silent.

Nia's mouth hung open. "You… you tamed it," she whispered

Raven looked at me like I'd grown wings. "How did you… that thing should've killed you in seconds!"

I looked between them, then down at my palms again.

"I… don't know," I said honestly. "I didn't fight it. I guess the slime chose me."

Nia stared at me in shock, then she whispered, "No one's ever bonded with a Black Slime before. You're incredible, Archer."

But that wasn't entirely true.

I hadn't just passively bonded with the slime.

The moment it launched itself at me, I felt the presence of its core.

Every slime had one. A small, glowing organ buried deep within its gelatinous body, like a heart beating raw.

While it tried to smother and digest me, I reached out mentally, channeling a binding incantation I had once read long ago in a forbidden section of the Red dragon's library.

My mana wrapped around the core, commanding it to serve my will.

And it listened.

The slime's aggression dissolved. Its body melted into submission and was drawn into me.

I didn't tell Nia all of that.

Instead, I dusted myself off and turned to Nia, offering her a calm smile.

"Well," I said, pretending like it hadn't been anything extraordinary, "that was… something. But I think we've had quite a day. We should head back."

I reached into my pouch and activated the teleportation stone. In a blink of an eye, I activated it, and a soft white light enveloped my body.

The girls activated theirs as well, and in a breath, we were back on the taming grounds.

The air in the real world felt ordinary while the magical hum of the beast dimension was gone.

Nia immediately stepped closer to me, her eyes still filled with concern.

"Are you sure you're alright, Archer?" she asked.

Raven joined in. "That was dangerous, Archer. Really dangerous."

I shrugged and gave them a wry smile. "I'm fine. See?" I stretched my arms lazily. "Nothing happened to me."

They didn't look convinced, but I didn't give them time to press further.

I turned to Nia and gave her a short, grateful nod.

"Thanks for bringing me," I said. "It was… honestly, an enjoyable experience."

Then I turned and began to walk away.

* * * *

Raven watched Archer leave, then turned to face Nia, "Well, I guess I'd better join him."

Nia crossed her arms and looked away.

"You were never welcomed in the first place," she muttered coldly.

Raven froze, eyes narrowing as her tone snapped like a whip. "What's your problem? Do you hate me or something?"

Tension sparked between them like flint to stone.

Nia's hands clenched into fists, her voice trembling with barely contained fury. "You want to know what my problem is?" she snapped, stepping forward until she was face to face with Raven. "Your father. King Harold Lyon."

Raven blinked, caught off guard. "What about him?"

Nia's eyes burned. "He forcefully took my village—Sevinth Hollow—just so he could build one of his precious trade roads to stretch through the mountains and connect to his kingdom, five years ago."

Raven's eyes widened in shock. "But... that wasn't my fault! You can't blame me for something I had no part in!"

"That doesn't matter!" Nia barked, voice sharp. "Because of that decision, because of your father's hunger for more land, my people were scattered. My home was razed. My friends and neighbors became wanderers… many of them fell victim to bandits, to beasts and the cold."

She took a step closer, her next words were a whisper. "And because of the hunger... I lost my parents."

A heavy silence fell between them.

Raven stood frozen, her confidence shattered. "That wasn't my decision. I didn't even know—"

"I don't care if you knew or not," Nia hissed. "You live in the palace. You eat like royalty while my people scavenge for scraps in ditches. I watched my parents wither from hunger. Watched them bury my little brother in a shallow grave because we had nothing. Because of your father's decree."

Raven opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Nia's voice cracked, her bitterness bleeding through every word. "I'll never forgive your father. And I'll never forgive you either. Not for what happened. Not for what I lost."

Then, without another word, she turned and stormed off.

For the first time, Raven felt a rising bitterness she hadn't felt for anyone before.

* * * *

I returned to the Red Dragon's domain and locked myself inside the king's chamber.

I shut the heavy stone door behind me and sealed it with a simple barrier spell. No one would disturb me here.

I moved to the center of the room, took a slow breath, then raised my right hand.

"Come forth," I whispered.

From my palm, the black slime responded instantly. It oozed outward, flowing like liquid and coiling in the air like smoke.

It pulsed once, a slow heartbeat, waiting for my command.

"Let's see what you're truly capable of," I murmured, tracing a finger along its surface.

Magic hummed at my fingertips as I began experimenting.

First, I casted a minor fire spell into it.

The slime hissed but didn't retreat. It absorbed the magic, glowed red for a moment, then returned to black.

Interesting. It can absorb offensive spells. I was now intrigued than ever.

Next, I fed it traces of different elemental energies, watching as it adapted to each of them.

It even recreates it's own elements. How cool is that?

A few more tests later, and I discovered something remarkable.

The Black slime wasn't just a mindless ooze.

It had great potential at being the ultimate weapon.

When infused with healing magic, its translucent body glowed a soft green, capable of sealing wounds with a mere touch.

But when I laced it with toxins, it darkened into a venomous purple, its surface bubbling with lethal potency.

Then came the real breakthrough.

With a focused thought, I hardened its form, molding it like clay.

The slime stiffened, its texture shifting from liquid to something denser—flexible yet durable.

"A bodysuit," I mused, tilting my head. "Or even a weapon."

No sooner had the idea formed than I acted.

Raising my hands, I wove a complex spell, threads of golden energy wrapping around the slime.

It shuddered, then flowed toward me, spreading across my skin like a second layer.

The sensation was strange at first. It felt cool and weightless.

Within moments, the slime had encased me fully, hardening into a sleek, body -fitting armor.

I stood in front of the tall mirror at the end of the chamber, examining my reflection. I barely recognized myself.

The armor was black and flexible, like a second skin.

"A living suit," I whispered, a grin tugging at my lips. "Perfect. Now let's see if it can create it's own weapon."

I willed the slime to shift again.

This time, it formed a blade that sprouted from my wrist.

I was taken aback. The blade edge was razor-sharp. As good as any blacksmith could forge one.

I didn't stop there. I tried forming a whip. Then a shield.

Each transformation was flawless. There were no limit to it's powers.

I exhaled, satisfaction settling in my chest.

This... changes everything. I could share this slime to my warband. They wouldn't need heavy armours or swords to fight.

Imagine wearing an armour that is versatile as well as possess healing properties.

They'll be totally unstoppable.

The Black slime wasn't just a beast I tamed. It was a weapon so powerful it could rival the demon king if used properly.

I couldn't believe my eyes. Indeed, I hit the jackpot with this finding.

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