The cells were filthy, reeking of dung and sweat. Was some of it come from me? Maybe. I won't confirm nor deny.

In the corner, I heard my best friend scratching the walls with its claws. Yeah, that's right—a scrawny, half-starved rat. What a sad life, huh? My best friend is a gosh darn rat. We had an understanding: it didn't bite me, and I didn't try to eat it. It was our pact—a true sign of friendship!

The slave dealer's ugly voice grated on my ears as he haggled with another fool outside the bars. His greasy laugh cut through the thick air like a knife, oily and rancid. Couldn't he just shut up? What? You're asking how bad it was? Hmm... it was like listening to a pig choke on its own filth.

I shifted from sitting cross-legged to sprawling on the floor—way more comfortable than you might think! You know, feeling the cold, ,piss smelling, hard bricks on my back… Okay, maybe it doesn't sound enticing, but hey, it's the best I've got.

The annoying voices grew louder. No surprises there; the "valued goods" were deeper in this labyrinth of cages and despair. I'm proud to say I'm one of those high-value goods. Am I happy about being a slave? Of course not. But being "worth more" gives me a better shot at getting bought... and maybe, just maybe, escaping this hellhole.

And here they were—the slave dealer and his merry band of idiots. He banged on the bars, his voice as grating as ever, telling me something along the lines of, "Hey, handsome slave! Your dumb buyers are here for your chance to escape!" Did he really say that? Of course he did; I have an amazing memory.

I looked up, and wow, they were an adventurer group—a rare band of idiots this time.

The leader—a blonde guy in his stupid shiny armor—was probably some sort of narcissist or something. What's with the shiny armor? I don't know; ask him. He's the kind of guy who polishes it for hours and admires his reflection.

The tall, buff man beside him had a scary look, with an axe and shield on his back, but I wasn't scared one bit! You don't believe me? Fine, maybe I was a little bit scared.

Then there was the redhead—an "average" sized beauty, but don't let her looks fool you. She's a bitc...let's just say a female dog. A crazy female dog with the ability to burn you alive with a swing of her staff.

And finally, the tall girl in the back—definitely the hottest of the bunch. Her long, green hair was silky and smooth. Her slim, toned body was noticeable in her tight clothes, and whatever skin was revealed looked soft and radiant. Seriously, you could see her legs shine in the dim light of this hellhole. And I assure you that the light there was terrible. She carried a bow and quiver that only added to her charm. Her purplish-red eyes? Captivating.

Do I like her? Pffft. No... maybe a bit. Okay, fine. Maybe a lot.

But hey! Can you blame me for it? All I have with me here is a half-starved rat. No offense, Ratatouille, but green-haired Katniss Evergreen takes the win here.

Mister Pig Snout Slave Dealer told me to sit up and meet the group, but hey, I'm not about to get up from my favorite dung-smelling, piss-soaked, dirty-as-hell floor. Seriously, can you believe that guy?

Well, the group looked at me with interest. That's to be expected; I'm quite the hot-looking guy myself, you know. You don't believe me? You're crazy.

Then the pig-snouted slave dealer started talking to them about my abilities and, of course, my high quality. But since I'm a slave, they don't pay attention to the finer details, which makes his description of me inaccurate! He's just trying to sell my rare skill, "Heal," the ability to mend wounds and physical damage. Seriously, selling me off like some two-bit item. What about my charisma? My stunning good looks? No one's mentioning that!

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It's blasphemy! He didn't even mention my ability to bond with monsters! What's my proof? For starters, my best friend here can shrink its body at will. I mean, I've seen it devour a loaf of bread faster than a greedy goblin. If that's not monstrous, I don't know what is!

That slave dealer seriously had no taste I tell you.

Then, of course, they bought me just for the healing skill. Honestly, I think the slave dealer got ripped off here—I'm a much higher quality slave than he sold me for, but oh well, sucks to be him. I mean, who wouldn't want all THIS? A guy with charm, looks, a rat, AND the ability to heal? It's basically a steal!

I then became the ace of the entire party.

I was quite the asset, you know. Picking up their loot, healing them every time they got hurt, carrying all their heavy equipment, being bait for their strategies, and even relieving their stress by, well, getting hit. Oh, and let's not forget—surviving on absurdly small amounts of food. A real multitasking genius, right?

Aenwyn was an absolute angel during those hellish times! She gave me extra food, but don't tell her I shared it with my little friend. She might get pissed that the food she shared with me went to a rat. What? Why did I bring the rat? Well, here's a question for you! Will you leave your half-starved rat best friend in a slave dealership? Yeah, didn't think so.

Who's Aenwyn? Oh, no one other than the sexy, green-haired archer, of course.

Now, among the four of them, I would say Ezatha, the crazy female dog, is the absolute worst. She's an absolute spoiled brat who would burn you with her magic if you didn't do what she wanted. Absolutely unacceptable! I mean, a bit... crazy girl like her ordering me around?

Next would be Aaron. The guy literally waxes his armor every chance he gets, just for it to get a speck of dirt a few seconds later! Absolute narcissist, that dude. What? I'm a narcissist? No, I'm not! Don't compare me to a guy who looks at his reflection mid-battle.

Then there's Jake. He's okay and doesn't order me around; despite his big, buff, and barely scary form, he's a softie who only punches me when he feels like it!

Well, let's skip the specifics and just get to the juicy parts. No, I'm not just doing this because I forgot what happened—what do you take me for?

I was getting back to camp after a grueling exercise that I kept from them. Huh? Of course I exercise! How else will I be able to tank Jake's punches like nothing and then roll on the ground in pain? Isn't that right, Remy?

Remy just twitched his little nose, as if to say, "You're crazy." But hey, someone's gotta keep up with this motley crew, and I'm not about to let a rat outshine me! No matter how close I am to it! I still have some pride as a human, after all!

And wow, what I found that day was—how do I put it—unexpected.

Three out of four of my subordinates were sprawled on the floor, blood pooling around them. I'm literally shuddering just remembering the metallic smell. Well, they weren't the best of subordinates, so I didn't really care, but woohoo, the scene was still not what I had expected after I just played tag with Remy. And yes, that's his name now; I figured out he's a guy. What? You try tagging a rat and see how many calories you burn! It's a proper exercise, you know!

Okay, back to the main topic! Standing on top of those bodies was none other than... drum roll please... Miss Green-Haired Archer! But wait, there's more! She's actually an elf! No wonder she was so hot! With her graceful movements and that confident smirk, she looked like she owned the place. I couldn't help but gawk a little; it was hard not to when someone so stunning was casually perched among the gore around her.

Just to be clear, I'm not into yanderes. I was shocked, yes; I was scared, yes. But at the same time, elves have every reason to do this. After all, humans destroyed their ancestral homes, killed thousands of their kind, burned down forests, and much more. If you want to know more, just ask the elves themselves—I'm an uneducated slave, after all! Am I proud to be an uneducated slave? Once again, my answer is YES!

Did she try to kill me? Of course!

But then came the true hero—Remy! It turns out he was some sort of spirit of the sewers or something, which was important to the elves. What? Okay, fine—Remy, spirit of cleanliness and purity. That explains how he was able to devour that loaf of bread so fast! But seriously, why a rat?

I honestly didn't think Aenwyn could speak rat, but wait... doesn't this prove my point about how great I am? I literally became best friends with the spirit of garbage—I mean, cleanliness and purity! Told you that my true power was in my ability to control monsters!

Then this and that happened and now I'm inside elven territory! Honestly way better here than back in human lands.

Will I stop pursuing Aenwyn? NEVER! Oh, Aenwyn just did a face palm. Well, I'll leave it at that, see ya!