I broke into a run without another word.
Behind me, the System interface vanished.
No guidance.
No map.
Just one truth burning in my chest—
I was already late.
POV: RIO
Branches tore at my sleeves as I sprinted through the forest. The slime—Slime—bounced ahead of me, never slowing, never hesitating. It didn't need to look back. Somehow, it knew I was following.
My lungs burned.
"Tess… hang on."
The air grew wrong the deeper we went.
Compressed.
Heavy.
Like the forest itself was holding its breath.
Then I felt it—mana twisted unnaturally, layered and folded over itself.
Silence magic.
I burst through the last line of trees.
And saw her.
Tess was on the ground.
Bound.
Blood stained her boot, soaking into the grass beneath her calf. Wind bands pinned her arms, invisible pressure forcing her flat. Her staff lay several meters away, snapped clean in two.
My vision narrowed.
Between us stood a man in dulled guild armor, one hand raised casually, fingers still glowing with wind mana.
"Ah," he said, turning. "You made it."
The silence field shattered the moment I crossed its edge. Sound rushed back in like a wave.
"Tess!"
Her head snapped toward me. Relief flashed across her face—followed immediately by fear.
"Rio—don't—!"
The man sighed. "Should've finished this quicker."
Wind screamed.
I threw myself sideways as a blade of compressed air carved through the space where my head had been. The ground behind me split open.
Fast.
Too fast.
My body moved before my thoughts caught up. Earth mana surged instinctively—raw, unshaped.
The ground buckled beneath his feet.
He clicked his tongue and jumped back, boots barely touching the dirt. "So you're the problem child."
I didn't answer.
I couldn't.
If I spoke, I'd scream.
Slimebounced forward, swelling slightly—drawing mana.
The man noticed it and frowned. "That thing again?"
He flicked his wrist.
A wind lance pierced straight through the slime.
My heart stopped.
But instead of bursting, Slime collapsed—then reformed behind him, slamming into his ankle.
"—Tch!"
That was all I needed.
I rushed him.
Fire wrapped my blade, unstable and wild. He parried with wind, sparks exploding between us. The recoil tore my arm numb—but I didn't stop.
One step.
Two.
I forced him back.
Earth rose at my command, locking his footing. Water condensed midair, freezing around his knee.
His eyes widened.
"Multiple affinities—?!"
I drove my shoulder into his chest.
He flew back, skidding across the ground, barely rolling aside before a spike of stone erupted where his head had been.
He didn't get up smiling this time.
"Annoying brat," he spat, blood at the corner of his mouth. "You're not worth this."
Wind surged beneath him.
He launched himself backward—straight into the trees.
I chased.
Too slow.
The forest swallowed him whole.
Gone.
X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X
Brett fled.
He didn't scream. Didn't threaten. The moment the balance tipped against him, he chose survival over pride. Wind flared beneath his boots, dirt exploding as he retreated into the forest, spell after spell layered purely for escape.
My eyes were on Tess.
She was sitting against a tree, breathing hard, dirt on her clothes, one hand pressed against her injured leg. Alive. Conscious.
Relief hit me so hard my knees nearly gave out.
"…You okay?" I asked.
She looked up at me, eyes wide. "You—how did you—"
Before she could finish, something bounced against my boot.
The slime.
It wobbled happily, then hopped closer, stopping right in front of me.
"…Hey," I said quietly. "Thanks."
It froze.
Then—slowly—it flattened itself against the ground.
Lower.
Lower.
Until it was almost… bowing.
I frowned. "What?"
[Notice.][Target entity has expressed intent for subordination.][Request: Contract formation.]
My breath caught.
"…Subordination?"
The slime pulsed faintly, pressing closer to my foot.
Please.
The intent came through clearly—not fear, not coercion.
Choice.
[Skill available: MONSTER TAMER.][Accept?]
I hesitated.
Tess was watching now. I could feel her gaze, sharp and confused.
If I accepted this—
"…You're sure?" I whispered.
The slime bounced once. Firm. Certain.
"…Alright."
I exhaled. "Accept."
Blue light burst outward, not violently, but gently—flowing from my chest, down my arm, and wrapping around the slime like water finding its shape.
A surge tore through my arm—burning, carving.
I screamed.
A mark seared itself into my palm: a circular sigil etched with intersecting lines and runes, sharp and absolute—like a contract burned into flesh.
Eri pulsed once.
Then settled.
[Contract established.]
[Designation required.]
"…A name," I muttered.
My mind raced.
Short. Soft. Simple.
"…Sui."
The light flared once more—then vanished.
A faint mark appeared on the back of my hand: a circular sigil, thin and elegant, intersecting lines like flowing water sealed within a ring. It felt warm. Alive.
Behind me—
"R-Rio…?" Tess whispered.
I turned.
She was staring at my hand. At the slime. At me.
"…You were hiding things again," she said softly.
"I—"
[Warning.][Due to current restriction on host's body, system will enter power-saving mode.][Voice command and auxiliary functions disabled.]
Pain slammed into me.
Not sharp—overwhelming.
My vision blurred. My legs buckled.
"Rio!" Tess shouted.
The last thing I felt was Sui pressing against my chest.
Then—
Darkness.
X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X
"…He's awake!"
I blinked.
The ceiling above me was wooden. Familiar.
The inn.
"Oh thank the gods," Mrs. Perl said, rushing to my bedside. "You scared us half to death, boy. Tess stayed up all night watching you breathe."
She crossed her arms, pretending to scold me. "Even dragged you to a proper healer, just in case."
"…She did?" I muttered.
"Yes, she did."
I turned my head.
Tess stood near the door.
Her face was red.
"…S-She didn't need to say it like that," she said quickly, then turned and fled down the hallway.
Mrs. Perl laughed. "Young love, hm?"
"…It's not like that," I mumbled.
She just smiled and left.
I sat up slowly.
No pain. Just soreness. A few small cuts—nothing serious.
Then I saw it.
A translucent screen hovered above my lap.
[Due to current restriction on host's body, system will enter power-saving mode.][Voice command and auxiliary functions disabled.]
"…So you're really gone," I whispered.
The screen faded.
I exhaled.
And then—
"Master."
My blood ran cold.
I looked around the empty room.
"…Who said that?"
"Master."
A small voice.
Clear.
Close.
I swallowed.
"…Sui?"
Silence.
Then—
Bounce.
Something blue peeked out from beneath the bed.
And smiled.