A sudden flash of magic erupted. Light coiled around Rene, consuming her body, peeling back scales and shape alike.
Zen watched with a quirked brow, arms folded, lips curved in silent amusement.
When the light faded… the snake was no more.
In her place knelt a girl — no, not a girl. A vision.
Long obsidian-black hair cascaded to her waist, melting into shimmering green at the ends. Her features were delicate, wickedly soft, and kissably sharp. Crimson-tipped wings unfurled on her back like a whisper of heat. Her tail, still long and sinuous, slid across the floor with a languid hiss.
She wore a tribal priestess's robe — if you could even call it a robe. The loose fabric barely held together across her chest, which now bore the fullness of all her previous chubbiness, breasts threatening to spill from the overworked seams.
Around her pale neck, the collar gleamed like a brand of ownership.
[Female Lead Rene Binding: Success!][First time binding a female lead — initiate contact immediately!]
Options Appeared:[Hello, Rene, I look forward to our partnership.][Holy hell, those are some aggressive pectorals.][You're my weapon now — let's play.][Little snake… let's see if your blood still runs cold~]Rene's eyes opened, dazed and feral, bright green and shining. She gasped.
"Huh? Huh-huh-huh—HUH?!"
She patted her body — her soft thighs, her too-large breasts, her smooth skin. Her pupils trembled in panic.
"I—I turned into a human?! Wh—what did you do to me?!"
She stumbled to her feet and pointed accusingly at Yarrow, the weight of her breasts jiggling with the motion. Her blush ran so deep it reached her collarbones.
"You monster! This is some sick kink of yours, isn't it?! You collared me like some… some toy! Change me back!!"
She flailed, tiny fists pounding against Yarrow's chest.
"I told you," he said smoothly, catching her wrists and holding them effortlessly, "Obey me, and I'll fulfill your wish. You want your pure bloodline? Then submit."
"You're lying! You humans always lie!" she sobbed, her voice cracking.
Then her gaze darted to Zen, watching in silence.
"Wait… wait… don't tell me—Zen was also…!"
"Heh. What do you think?" Zen's chuckle was cold. "He promised me everything too. And now look at me — stuck like this. You're just the latest addition to his collection."
Rene's legs buckled. She fell to her knees, trembling. Her heart felt heavier than ever.
Deceived… defiled… turned into this… and collared like some pet…
"I never thought I'd fall this far… My lineage, my dignity… all gone."
Yarrow crouched before her again, his fingers lifting her chin. His eyes locked on hers — steady, smoldering.
"I told you… this form is temporary. I meant what I said. I'll make you pure again. You just have to trust me."
The low cadence of his voice, the soft stroke of his fingers across her cheek — it stirred something inside her. Shame, heat, longing — all tangled into one.
"…Really?" she asked, voice like a thread of wind. "You're not lying?"
"I've trusted you from the beginning," he said with a soft smile that made her breath catch.
[Rene's Favorability +10]
She looked down, biting her lip.
"Then… fine. If you can make me whole again… I'll do anything you want."
The collar warmed slightly — a sign of submission sealed.
She had made her choice.
Even if she had to endure being his pet, his plaything, his weapon — she'd grit her teeth and take it. Because somewhere beyond this humiliation… lay the glory she longed for.
Yarrow stood.
"Tch. Only +10?" he muttered. "This little snake's favorability is hard to raise…"
Zen stepped forward, smirking.
"Good. That means we can train her properly now."
Rene's entire body shivered.
"Yarrow! Yarrow! We found it! Look—!"
Tao Hu's voice rang out as he burst into view, leather briefcase clutched in his arms like a trophy. He was panting, eyes wide with excitement—until they landed on Zen and Rene, standing far too close together for comfort.
"Huh? Why's Zen here too? And…" His gaze fell on Rene, and his voice faltered. "Who… Who's that?"
The girl standing beside Yarrow barely turned her head, but the way her hips cocked, tail lazily coiling around one leg, made the air feel hotter than it should've. Tao Hu swallowed hard.
Yarrow stepped forward. "The briefcase—where did you find it?"
"Uh, yeah, actually we were all looking in the wrong place. It wasn't in that junk pile. I tripped on something — turned out to be this," Tao Hu said, puffing out his chest as he handed it over.
Yarrow took the briefcase, his fingers brushing against Tao Hu's—still gentle, but with that latent force that always made people aware he wasn't to be taken lightly.
He ran his hand along the stitching, tested the lock. Definitely the original. He could feel it in the craftsmanship, the weight, the subtle energy it emitted.
"Nice work, Tao." Yarrow's voice was warm, and he ruffled Tao Hu's hair in a rare gesture of affection.
Tao Hu flushed and grinned like a child who'd been praised by his favorite teacher. "Hehe…"
The mood lightened, if just for a moment. With the real briefcase secured, the mission was a full sweep: Laurence's objective achieved, a handful of high-tier artifacts secured, and—most mysteriously—he'd acquired the Wish-Granting Jar.
Even if he didn't fully understand its power yet, the system's response told him it was no ordinary relic.
He tucked the last few items into his dimensional storage, but Zen was already tapping her foot, her gaze filled with unmistakable annoyance — and something else. A primal impatience. She didn't like being caged in for too long.
Yarrow caught the warning in her body language. Before her temper could spike into something explosive—or seductive—they activated the teleportation crystal.
A shimmer. A pulse. Then that sickening spin of dimensional dislocation.
When they opened their eyes, they were back in the underground tomb. The rift behind them flickered, sealing itself like a wound closing over bone.
Yarrow exhaled in relief—until a sudden thought hit him.
"…Wait. Zen." He turned to her, narrowing his eyes. "How the hell did you get in there? Weren't there guards stationed outside?"
Zen tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Hmm? No one stopped me. Are there even people still stationed here?"
Yarrow's blood ran cold. A gut-deep dread crawled up his spine.
The moment shattered with a grinding rumble. The stone doors at the far end of the tomb ground open, revealing a flood of armored figures and robe-clad mages.
Tao Hu jerked back. "What the—?! Who are these guys?!"
A squad of warriors fanned out, weapons drawn and staves glowing. Then three figures stepped into the dim, torch-lit chamber.
First came a sharp-eyed middle-aged man with a nobleman's air. Behind him followed Hunt—the withered old butler with razor-sharp eyes—and finally, dragging his bandaged arm and glaring beneath gauze-wrapped cheeks, the Third Young Master himself: Dick.
Yarrow's lips thinned. Of course.
But the tension in the room wasn't directed at him. Every eye zeroed in on one person — Zen.
The atmosphere thickened.
Zen didn't flinch. She met their gazes with a calm, predatory smile that said try me. Her wings twitched once, deliberately. A subtle threat.
Yarrow sighed internally. It all made sense now.
This damn dragon did something again…