I became the slime toy of the evil dragon girl?

Phoebe was the first to step into the valley, passing through a thorny path scorched by some kind of intense heat.

Her red hair remained vibrant in the thin moonlight filtering through the tree canopy.

The weapon in his hand, which was more like a warhammer than a staff, was held warily in front of him.

Then she froze.

"This is……"

Nicole followed closely behind, her small figure almost completely hidden behind the shield. Her blonde hair was stuck to her forehead with sweat, and her emerald eyes scanned her surroundings.

Fragments of the rock monster lay scattered on the ground, scorched marks extending towards the spring. A crack appeared in the ground near the spring, and a giant tree, half-withered and half-grown, stood silently.

Nicole whispered, "There are signs of a fight, and it just happened."

Barbara was the last to enter. The white-haired priestess held the heavy holy book, her blank eyes looking around aimlessly.

"In this spring..." Barbara pointed to the pool of water that emitted a soft white light, "it's warm, but there are shadows clinging to it, and they're fighting."

Phoebe rolled her eyes: "Barbara, speak like a human being."

"I mean..."

"Who cares!" Phoebe strode towards the pool. "See that? That white light! That magical fluctuation! This is definitely the treasure those monsters found!"

Nicole hurriedly followed: "Phoebe! Be careful! There must have been a monster fighting here just now, what if..."

"What if they both get badly hurt?" Phoebe turned around, her face beaming with barely suppressed excitement. "Then we'd be the ones getting the best deal! Just think, Nicole! How much could we sell a sample of this quality for? We'd be rich!"

She squatted by the spring and reached out to touch the water.

A warm touch spread through her fingertips, a gentle energy coursing up her skin. Phoebe felt some of the fatigue from her days of travel dissipate.

"So...so comfortable!"

"Phoebe!" Nicole's voice was unusually stern. "We should get some water and leave. This place is too eerie, that tree...look at that tree!"

The half-withered giant tree stood silently.

Half of its branches and leaves are lush and green, and the leaves shimmer in the moonlight.

The other half was a charred, withered branch, as if it had rotted from the inside.

The most bizarre thing is that on that dead tree, there is a faint image of a human face screaming in pain.

Barbara drew closer, the holy book slightly warm in her hands. She turned to a page, on which was written a stark warning: "The breath of the abyss corrupts all things, even the source of life itself is not immune..."

But before she could even utter the words, Phoebe had already let out a joyful cry.

"Look! There's something at the bottom of the spring!"

At the bottom of the clear spring water, a few translucent crystals lay quietly.

They were about the size of a fingernail, with liquid flowing inside, radiating a life force even stronger than the spring water itself. Light shone from within the crystals, turning the surrounding water a pale emerald green.

"Life essence?! And it's high purity! I knew it! This is the treasure the monsters found!" Phoebe's eyes lit up.

"Wait, Phoebe!" Nicole tried to stop her.

But Phoebe's hand had already reached into the water.

Just as Phoebe's fingertips were about to touch the crystal.

"Woohoo~"

From outside the valley, the howls of wolves echoed in the distance.

Then came a second and a third sound, coming from different directions and rapidly approaching.

"Monsters!" Nicole instantly raised her shield and drew her short sword. "They've spotted us!"

Barbara quickly retreated behind Nicole, and the Bible turned its pages rapidly.

Her fingers traced the pages of the book, and a pale golden light shield faintly appeared, enveloping the three of them, though it was so thin it seemed as if it might break at any moment.

Phoebe gritted her teeth.

The howling of wolves outside grew closer; she could tell there were five or six of them, and their howls carried an abnormal frenzy.

Their team consisted of only three people: Nicole was a third-tier warrior, she herself was... well, a violent mage who could cast Light spells, and Barbara was a novice priest.

We can't beat them.

This decision frustrated Phoebe, but as the captain, she had to make the decision.

"We need strength," she whispered, as if speaking to herself, "right now."

"We can retreat," Nicole suggested.

"We'll be caught on the way back! This is deep within the Monster Forest!" Phoebe retorted. "Besides, look at this crystal. Swallowing it will definitely temporarily boost your strength! That's how it's written in stories! When heroes encounter danger, they swallow secret treasures and unleash their power!"

"Those are stories! In reality, eating random things can kill you!" Nicole practically yelled.

"That's better than being torn to pieces by monsters!"

Phoebe plunged her hand into the water and grabbed a crystal. The crystal pulsated warmly in her palm, like the heartbeat of a living thing.

"Phoebe! No!" Nicole lunged at her.

But it's too late.

Phoebe tossed the crystal into her mouth and swallowed it, tilting her head back.

Phoebe felt a surge of energy rush into her throat, not liquid, but pure energy. It washed over her veins, coursing through her limbs and bones, every cell rejoicing.

"Ha! Hahaha..." Phoebe stood up straight.

A faint emerald green halo appeared on her skin, as if she were draped in a thin veil. Some abrasions on her arms healed and disappeared at a visible speed.

The fatigue vanished, replaced by boundless energy.

"See that?" Phoebe turned around, smiling at the stunned Nicole and Barbara. "You bet right! I feel like I could take on ten of them!"

Barbara opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

It wasn't because she was shocked by Phoebe's change, but because she saw something else.

Behind Phoebe, her shadow twitched abnormally, twisting and stretching on the ground before returning to normal in an instant.

Even more terrifying, as Phoebe blinked excitedly, Barbara caught a glimpse of black threads flashing past her eyes, as if something was growing deep within her pupils.

But the next second, Phoebe blinked, and her emerald green eyes returned to normal.

"Alright!" Phoebe grabbed her giant staff. "Now let's go deal with what's outside..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

She suddenly swayed.

"Phoebe?" Nicole stepped forward.

"N-nothing...it's nothing." Phoebe shook her head. "I'm just a little...dizzy."

That's not dizziness.

Something seemed to wriggle and whisper deep within her consciousness. The voice was indistinct, yet carried a chilling malice that instinctively filled her with fear.

No, it's not fear.

It's anger.

"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking!" Phoebe suddenly yelled at Nicole, her voice so shrill it startled even herself.

Nicole was stunned. No, I didn't say anything!

Barbara whispered, "Phoebe, your hand..."

Phoebe lowered her head.

On the back of her right hand, fine black lines emerged beneath the skin, like blood vessels, but the color was so dark, as dark as ink. The lines writhed and extended toward her wrist.

"What is this?" Phoebe rubbed it with her left hand, but the lines didn't disappear; instead, they became clearer.

Just then, the barrier at the entrance to the valley was blocked.

Five demonic wolves, their mouths dripping with foul-smelling saliva, glared menacingly through the barrier.

Phoebe quickly said, "We need to take advantage of the spring's duration to quickly deal with the monster blocking the door."

After saying that, the three of them quickly returned to the entrance of the barrier through the thorny corridor and confronted several demonic wolves.

"Wind Wolves, Tier 3 monsters, five of them..." Nicole's voice trembled slightly, but her body quickly thrust forward, and at the same time, Barbara's [Blessing of Power] landed on Nicole.

Push the shield forward to activate the [Shield Slam] combat skill.

With a "bang," the first wolf that pounced at them was knocked away.

Another wind wolf, its ferocious mouth wide open, was already close at hand.

The fishy smell made Nicole frown slightly.

[Thrust], a flash of cold light appeared on the short sword!

It precisely pierced the neck of the second one.

With the sound of flesh being torn apart, dark red blood splattered onto Nicole's blonde hair.

Nicole's movements were clean and efficient, demonstrating a fighting spirit far beyond her years.

But there were five wolves.

The other three bypassed her and pounced on Barbara and Phoebe.

"Get out of my way!" Phoebe waved her staff.

The Flash spell activated, and an abnormal blackish-green light suddenly burst forth from the tip of the staff, flashing the wolf's eyes.

"Woo!" With a whimpering scream, the demon wolf flew backward, its chest dented by the massive magic wand.

Phoebe was stunned.

She looked at her hands, then at her staff.

That flash spell just now was very strange; it felt like something cold and filthy.

"Watch out behind you!" Barbara screamed.

Phoebe whirled around, and another wolf pounced on her. She didn't have time to swing her cane, so she could only raise her left hand to block.

The wolf's fangs bit into her arm.

Pain came, but even clearer was a cold sensation that surged from the wound and flowed throughout the body with the blood.

Phoebe felt a wave of dizziness, and the whispers in her mind grew louder.

Slaughter, destruction...

"Aaaaaah!"

Phoebe screamed, not from fear of injury, but from some kind of explosive rage.

She suddenly grabbed the wolf's head with her left hand, her fingers tightening.

Click.

The sound of a skull cracking.

She threw the wolf's carcass out, hitting another one.

Then she turned around and looked in Nicole's direction.

Nicole had just dealt with the second wolf and was turning around, panting, when she saw Phoebe charging towards her.

"Phoebe? Wait a minute!"

Phoebe didn't wait.

She swung her staff, and a dark green light burst forth from its tip once more. Nicole instinctively raised her shield to block.

boom!

The shield had a dent, and the surface had turned somewhat black.

Even more terrifying, a strange magical force was transmitted through the shield, and Nicole felt a stinging pain in her arm.

"Phoebe! It's me!" Nicole stepped back, fear finally showing on her face.

But Phoebe's eyes were no longer clear.

Her left eye remained emerald green, but her right eye began to turn inky black from the pupil, with black lines spreading across the whites of her eyes. Grayish-black patches began to appear on the right side of her face, and her nails grew longer, sharper, and blacker.

With each breath she took, a faint wisp of black smoke emanated from the corner of her mouth.

"My head hurts so much! Give me..." Phoebe's voice became hoarse, as if someone else's voice was superimposed on her original tone.

Barbara tried to help.

She turned the pages of the holy book, found the chapter on dispelling evil spirits, and began to pray: "Merciful God of Light, please dispel the darkness, purify the defilement, Holy Light!"

A pale golden light fell on Phoebe.

"Ughhhh!" Phoebe screamed in pain.

Under the holy light, Phoebe's flesh and blood seemed to melt away like ice and snow.

But when she drank from the Fountain of Life, a powerful surge of life energy erupted, repairing her body.

However, the life energy was mixed with some dark magic, and her body was instead repaired into a corrupted state, her skin turned completely gray-black, and her nails grew into sharp claws.

"No, no, how could this be..." Barbara stared blankly at the holy book.

Nicole shouted, "Don't use divine magic! It will upset her!"

But it was too late.

Completely driven to a state of semi-madness, Phoebe turned around and looked at Barbara.

The human expression on her face is disappearing, replaced by a pure and primal desire for destruction.

"They all...must die!"

She rushed over.

……

……

At the same time, in the Monster Forest.

Lilith weaved through the forest, with Kiki carrying Ian beside her, and the rock monster slowly moving behind them.

It's less than an hour's drive to the camp.

While adjusting her backpack straps, Kiki asked, "So you're saying that tree was actually an ancient druid? Then why didn't it just speak? Why did it attack us?"

"Corruption." Ian nestled comfortably in Kiki's arms, shifting his body slightly. "He bound himself to the Fountain of Life in an attempt to purify the corruption, but ended up being corrupted himself instead."

"A tragic hero," Qiqi commented.

Ian suddenly sensed that the magical mark left at the Fountain of Life had been triggered.

"Someone has come into contact with the Fountain of Life, right there at the spring."

Lilith and Kiki exchanged a glance.

"A half-elf?" Lilith guessed.

"I don't know, but I have to go check. I should have left the rock monster behind." Ian regretted taking a chance. After all, if the Fountain of Life was lost, all the work done before would have been for nothing.

He also had a slight concern that the intruder might be tempted to drink some of the Fountain of Life.

The current state of the Fountain of Life is that it appears pure on the surface, but is actually quite unclean underneath...

"Turn around," Ian said. "Go back immediately."

"But what about the camp..." Lilith hesitated.

Taking advantage of Lilith's momentary hesitation, Ian jumped from Kiki's arms onto Lilith's head and said, "Let's make things difficult for Charles first."

Kiki shrugged: "Okay."

The three of them turned back at full speed.

Lilith was the fastest, she moved through the forest like a shadow, Ian perched on her head, and Kiki followed closely behind with her explosive thrusters, leaving the Rock Monster far behind.

The closer Ian got to the valley, the stronger his unease became.

He could "smell" the stench of decay, not an actual odor, but a magical filth.

You can also hear the sounds of battle: wolf howls, the clanging of metal, and... human screams.

"Speed ​​up!" Ian said.

Lilith gritted her teeth, unleashed her full shadow magic, and increased her speed by another 30%.

When they rushed into the valley, they witnessed the final scene:

Nicole's shield was knocked away by Phoebe's claw, and the heavy shield crashed against the rock wall with a loud thud.

The short, blonde girl fell to the ground, her arms covered in black, corrosive marks.

Barbara lunged forward, trying to shield Phoebe with her body.

The thick holy book in his hand fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Phoebe, on the other hand, is no longer very human.

Half of its body was decaying, its skin covered with black lines, its right eye was completely black, and its right hand had turned into a ferocious claw.

She raised her claws high, aiming them at Barbara's back, her eyes devoid of reason, filled only with a destructive desire.

Black light gathered at the tips of her claws.

Nicole screamed in despair.

"No!"