I became the slime toy of the evil dragon girl?

Just as the claws fell.

A deep blue tentacle pierced through the air, so fast that it left afterimages.

Instead of attacking Phoebe, it precisely wrapped its arms around her wrist and pulled her sharply to the side.

The claws grazed Barbara's shoulder, tearing through her leather armor and leaving three shallow bloody marks—luckily, they were just superficial wounds.

Phoebe turned her head to look in the direction the tentacles had come from.

Her face was contorted in a grotesque manner of decay, while her uncorrupted left cheek showed a blank expression.

Ian slid out of Lilith's shadow and materialized.

"As expected..." Ian sighed.

Then he looked at the half-corrupted human girl and said to the crowd, "Hold her down first, before she completely turns into a monster."

Lilith nodded, transforming into several shadowy figures that entangled with Phoebe.

Ian's magical tentacles wrapped around Phoebe's wrists, while Lilith's shadow bindings coiled around her limbs like chains.

The corrupting magic continued to spread through Phoebe's body.

Phoebe's strength is abnormally high; corruption has made her already superhuman strength even more terrifying.

"Ugh!"

Phoebe let out an angry roar, her body struggling violently. Her corrupted right half flailing wildly, while her uncorrupted left half trembled. Lilith's shadow restraints were broken slightly.

Ian had to add a dozen more magical tentacles to restrain the berserk Phoebe.

"I'll do it!" Kiki pulled a metal rod from the side of her backpack and attached it to the rune glove with a click.

She pressed several runes onto the rod, and intense arcs of electricity began to dance on the metal rod. Kiki then pressed the metal rod onto Phoebe's firm, straight thigh.

A surge of electric-like magic flowed through, accompanied by a crackling sound. Phoebe's thighs were charred from the electric shock, and even emitted a meaty aroma.

"Ugh!"

Phoebe let out incoherent moans, her body convulsed, and her struggles noticeably weakened.

Nicole struggled to her feet and tried to get closer, but Lilith stopped her.

The shadow fairy said coldly, "Damn human, get out of my way!"

"But she..." Nicole's voice caught in her throat.

"Now, let's talk about your spying on us, and..." Ian interrupted Nicole, then looked at the Fountain of Life. "...and your theft of the Dragon Territory's treasures."

Ian had already spotted the long telescope hanging beside Phoebe and knew that the three girls in front of him were the ones who had been secretly watching from afar. He had seen the light reflected from a great distance more than once.

Ian himself harbors no hostility towards humans, after all, he was once human, but now he is no longer human and stands on a different side. Therefore, anyone who hinders his development, whether monster or human, Ian will simply slaughter them all equally.

"Perhaps I can extract some value," Ian thought, forming a smiling face with points of light within his body as he looked at the members of the Gilded Rose Squad.

"What are you going to do..." Nicole's face turned pale instantly.

She instinctively took a step back and reached for the short sword at her waist.

"I suggest you don't do that," Ian said calmly.

Ian didn't even move, but the moment Nicole's fingertips touched the hilt of the sword, she froze, not because she was restrained.

Phoebe watched helplessly as her teammate's face turned from pale to ashen, her hand slowly sliding off the hilt of her sword and falling to her side. Barbara's holy book fell to the ground with a "thud." Phoebe saw that the priest, who was always a step behind, now had wide eyes, his pale blue pupils reflecting the deep blue outline of the slime, and his own half-corrupted reflection.

Under the moonlight, the deep blue slime stood there quietly, its gelatinous body emanating magical fluctuations that made everyone somewhat uneasy.

The slime, composed of points of light and sparks, had a seemingly comical smiling expression, but Phoebe felt it was the devil's grin, and her hair stood on end involuntarily.

She had seen monsters. Goblins, wind wolves, and even gargoyles from afar.

But the threat from those monsters was direct—their fangs and claws. This slime before her, however, with its seemingly cute appearance, concealed terrifying magical energy, making Phoebe feel as if she were facing a high-ranking archmage.

Ian was already prepared to unleash dragonfire, followed by several combination spells. He also wanted to experience the combat power of human adventurers of the same level.

I didn't do anything special, just mobilized some magic power to prepare for possible attacks, after all, the opponent was a third-tier warrior.

But suddenly, the other party stopped resisting. Ian let it go, and he casually pointed a tentacle at Phoebe, saying, "Value. Proving your worth in life is more useful than turning into corpses. Otherwise... Lilith."

The Shadow Fairy silently took half a step forward, the short blade in her hand, formed from shadow, reflecting the faint light of the spring water.

"Wait! We can...we can..." Phoebe managed to squeeze out the words through clenched teeth.

She got stuck.

The pride of warriors, the skills of adventurers, and the wisdom of humanity all paled in comparison at this moment. They were faced with an being capable of calmly assessing situations, commanding high-ranking monsters, and holding their lives in the hands of its tentacles.

She may be useful, but not much.

The images seen through the telescope flashed through Phoebe's mind.

The slime directed the rock monsters to move stones, and the slime used its tentacles to draw intricate patterns on the ground. The slime stood on a high place, and a group of monsters below looked up and listened.

At the time, she found it laughable—what could a slime, so weak that even a half-grown child could easily crush it, possibly do? Now she understands.

He could decide their life or death with the most indifferent tone.

Ian waited five seconds. During those five seconds, the only sound in the valley could be the increasingly rapid breathing of the three girls.

"Can you read?" Ian suddenly asked.

"...I know." Nicole answered instinctively.

"How do human towns function? How are resources allocated? How do adventurers' guilds issue quests?"

Nicole was stunned. These questions were too specific, too unlike what a monster should be concerned with.

"I know some," she replied cautiously.

"Alright, now, choose. You still have a little bit of value that I can save. One, sign a short-term service contract, and I'll try to devour her corruption. Two, be hung on a street lamp."

Ian's tentacles moved through the air, gathering magic, and a parchment scroll shimmering with a pale blue light slowly unfurled, hovering in front of the three.

It's not just a few lines of text.

It was a contract filled with tiny, densely packed clauses, almost covering the entire scroll from top to bottom. The clauses were harsh, cold, and full of one-sided restrictions, leaving no room for negotiation. At the bottom, there were three signature slots and a peculiar magical mark.

Phoebe struggled to look up and read with difficulty, but after scanning the first few lines, her heart sank.

Phoebe saw Nicole's lips moving silently, as if she were reading the articles aloud, and her expression grew more unpleasant with each one she read.

Barbara lowered her head, her fingers twisting the edges of the Bible pages so hard that her knuckles turned white.

This is not a short-term service contract at all.

This is practically a contract of servitude. The only two words that are implied between the lines are: cannibalism.

She could even picture the scene: endless labor, being whipped until they couldn't stand, driven to work without any dignity. And when they were no longer needed... perhaps they'd be thrown into goblin lairs to breed for the monsters? What would those filthy green-skinned monsters do? Would she become a tireless breeding machine?

Meanwhile, Ian was thinking: "Hmm, that's pretty much it for the terms. Working hours, compensation, scope of activities, confidentiality obligations, joint liability... these are all basic terms."

"Oh right, let's add a disclaimer, since treatment carries risks. Let me see... Hmm~ This is much more reasonable than the employment contract from my previous company, with meals and accommodation provided and weekends off."

He didn't actually think that much about it.

These terms are a "temporary employment contract template" that he pieced together based on his memories from his previous life.

In his view, this was a normal labor contract, with the service provider offering services and the employer providing treatment and basic security, which was reasonable.

As for the terrifying scenarios the Gilded Rose Squad imagined...

If Ian knew, he would probably complain: What are you thinking? What bad intentions could a cute and bouncy slime have?

……

Phoebe's right eye vision has been blurred by corruption.

But with his left eye, he could still see Nicole's clenched fist, Barbara's trembling shoulders, and his own corrupted right hand, with black lines slowly creeping up his shoulder.

Looking at the contract before her, Phoebe said hoarsely, "A year... is that all there is to it?"

"One year is too short? You want to sign for several more years?" Ian almost laughed. He sounded like a college student applying for a job.

Sure enough, this slime even wanted to control us for many years!

Phoebe was starting to regret her actions. The slime in front of her was truly unfathomable. His words were like a noose around her neck, tightening with each utterance.

Phoebe saw Nicole suddenly raise her head, as if she wanted to retort, but she swallowed the words back.

Nicole, who was always cautious and always considered her options, now had a look of near despair in her eyes for the first time.

Barbara kept making prayer gestures in front of her chest, her lips silently praying, but Phoebe knew it was a habitual action that represented her inner struggle.

"What if we don't sign?" Barbara asked in a low voice, almost inaudible.

Ian's dots of light formed a small figure hanging on a pole, and he said, "I just said, hang it on a street lamp."

Lilith cooperated, causing the shadowy dagger to flash with a cold light. Kiki also pulled out a bomb, muttering, "Maybe cremation is an option too?"

They are threatening us in the most direct way.

If they don't sign, they'll die right now, and the two sisters will be implicated. If they sign, they'll be slaves to monsters for a year.

Phoebe closed her left eye, and when she opened it again, only a weary resolve remained: "I'll sign. But the two of them..."

"You have to stay together. If you're going to stay, then you all stay together. It's fair to all three of you," Ian interrupted again.

fair?

Phoebe almost laughed. How could this be fair? But the words stuck in her throat, unable to come out.

She looked at Barbara. The white-haired priest was now looking down at the holy book, his fingers unconsciously tracing the edges of the pages.

Ian was getting impatient and was starting to wonder, "Why haven't you signed yet? I'm arranging jobs for you and giving you the 'Slime Health Insurance.' You've fallen into the hands of monsters. Only someone like me, a former human, could arrange such a good thing for you. Why are you hesitating?"

"Barbara?" Nicole asked softly.

The pastor looked up, her pale blue eyes now filled with a resolute determination, the usual confusion gone. She nodded gently. "Phoebe needs treatment... We can't abandon her."

Nicole took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Her last shred of hope vanished. She walked to the contract, bit her fingertip, and blood seeped out.

"In the name of Nicole, the captain of the Gilded Rose Squad." She pressed her bloodied finger onto her signature spot.

Barbara also bit her finger to sign the contract.

Phoebe used her still-functioning left index finger to dab some blood from the wound and pressed it onto the wound.

Finally, Ian also left his magical mark.

The scroll burst forth with a blinding blue light, and then a pale blue magic rune appeared on the back of the three people's hands, slightly warm.

The contract is established.

"Now, the first purification." Ian stopped talking and his gelatinous body expanded, swallowing Phoebe into his body in one go.

Before Phoebe could react, a cold sensation enveloped her entire body.

"Ugh...!"

A gasp was muffled by the soft, gelatinous substance.

The gelatinous wrapping was so fine it was unsettling; every inch of the body's contours were laid bare. A strange feeling of being completely seen through washed over me.

"What... what is this...?"

At this moment, Ian also began to [devour] the corrupting magic power in the girl's body, and incidentally activated [Analysis].

He had already noticed that the girl pretending to be a mage was incredibly strong; the enormous wooden warhammer (staff) she wielded probably weighed several hundred pounds, and she swung it with great force.

Sure enough, Ian was pleasantly surprised by Phoebe's talent display.

[Titan Might LV.3]

Pure physical talent, and it sounds amazing—we definitely need to investigate this thoroughly. It seems the future of [Mimicry] is bright!

Ian began to slowly study Phoebe's body.

The gel-like substance spread upwards along her firm, shapely legs. When it finally covered her feet, Phoebe's breath caught in her throat.

Her arches resembled taut crescent moons.

As the cool, gelatinous substance slowly seeped into her toes, her toes trembled: "...Don't touch there."

Ian had now completely covered the other person, even the gaps between the clothes and the body were filled with glue.

They were just about to secretly analyze the other person's body and take away this precious talent.

Suddenly, he sensed something unusual about the girl inside his body.

Phoebe tried to resist.

"Stop...please..."

Consciousness groans in despair, yet a surge of betrayal wells up within the body.

For an instant.

From toes to hair, every inch was stretched to the limit.

Then, in the next second, it completely loosened, and it fell into unconscious trembling.

The lingering effects hadn't faded; only the warmth slowly spreading within Ian's gelatinous body proved the defeat.

Ian was shocked!

No? What kind of sensitive skin is this?!

That's incredibly rude! Going out of control inside a slime's body without permission!

Ian felt like he had turned into a ball of ocean-flavored jelly...