Shadow Slave

The problem was, he just didn't know enough to make a good decision. And even then… was he even qualified to make it?

Sunny had a lot of experience dealing with various situations, possessed a quick wit, and was street smart, as well as having a real talent for killing things and remaining alive.

Without wasting time on false modesty, he could admit that he excelled at many things.

But were the things he excelled at even applicable to training a young girl for the Nightmare Spell? After all, what he wanted to give her were not combat skills or survival tactics… those she was being taught already, in an elite school that someone like him would have never been able to attend.

What he wanted to give her was a mindset that would allow her to survive in the unforgiving hell of the Dream Realm. And mind… mind was a delicate thing.

If he went about it in the wrong way, he could bring more harm than good.

Not to mention that everyone was different, and what worked for him was not guaranteed to work for someone else. Take his own friends, for example… all of them had wildly diverging mindsets, but each had been able to thrive even in a place as dire and harrowing as the Forgotten Shore.

'So… what the hell do I do?!'

Sunny massaged his temples, then sighed.

First… he had to observe more and understand more. Whatever he wanted to decide, it was stupid to try and base that decision on observing Rain for a single day as she went about her classes.

'Maybe I'll get inspired. Or my intuition will give me a hint…'

With that thought, he frowned, finished his tea, and went inside.

***

his house early and used the transit system to reach the

he went ahead, returned to the cafe he had hidden in the last time, and sent one of his shadows to keep watch on the entrance of the school as it waited for the

an hour later, he noticed her figure and silently ordered the

am going to have to keep studying her demeanor for a while… a few weeks, at least. By then, it is going to be clear if my initial impression was right, or if I need to reconsider my evaluation. I'll also

had to stop himself

going to suffer. Which was such a shame. Recently, he was starting to feel a

capable of only straightforward thrusting attacks. And on the surface, it was… more than that, this was actually one of

effectiveness. That was why it ruled the battlefield for thousands of years — unlike the sword, a person didn't need endless hours

and unpredictable, capable of a vast variety of attacks at a wide array of ranges. It was a truly versatile weapon capable of dealing devastating damage to anyone who would dare to approach its wielder. What Sunny liked the most, though, was how deceiving a spear

both piece and slash. Not to mention the

was still much more comfortable with swords, though. Especially familiar ones, like the Midnight Shard of the great odachi form of the Soul Serpent. He was growing rather fond of the ability to keep his enemies further away from his body

amount of time he trained by a lot. That was not even the main reason why

reason was…

making life difficult for both themselves and the teachers. Even after having to fall into an endless abyss while eating the rotten meat of a devil and burning in the ocean of divine flames, he

Well, almost.

Not really…

of him and prepared for a long and arduous day. That pastry alone made his mood better, simply because of the fact that it

incredibly misguided, and infuriating. Luckily, Rain was also the same —

Rain… that's right, disregard all the nonsense and learn as much as you can. Knowledge is a privilege… these classmates of yours are too stupid to value

as though they were some delinquents, either. Academic achievement was the cornerstone of the social hierarchy in this elite school, so the competition among the students was fierce. It was just that most saw learning as a tool to earn

their priorities were

hour, and at some point, he decided to leave the