Shadow Slave

…The autumn was in full swing. Out in the waking world, the skies were grey and the winds were turning cold. The trees were showering the wet ground with a fragrant carpet of dead leaves.

But under the boundless, lethal expanse of the Sky Above, the world was still warm and bright. On an especially large island, one covered with emerald grass and moss-covered ruins, a frightening Nightmare Creature was stalking its prey.

It had four mighty paws, a lean body covered in black fur, and a wide maw full of sharp fangs. Above it, two furious red eyes burned with hatred and madness.

The abomination noiselessly moved through the tall grass, approaching the source of loud noise. A human's voice was screaming, full of indignation:

"I'm right here! Come and get me, damned bastards! Curse you all!"

The creature snarled and prepared to jump.

…Before it could, however, a slender arrow fell from the sky and hit the abomination right in the eye, instantly killing it.

[You have slain a Fallen Beast, Black Ravager.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

Several hundred meters away, safely hidden in the shadows cast by a fragment of an ancient wall, Sunny lowered his bow and frowned.

The happy shadow jumped up and down several times, then turned to him and applauded.

at it, his frown turning into

great shot? I was aiming for its

head, he threw the bow on the ground

— and promptly lost — the lineage of

his aim wasn't terrible, but it was also not nearly as impressive as what he

if no one except for the terrifying Master knew what exactly that Memory was, people could recognize the brand of clan Valor on its

Sunny was training with the Blackhorn Bow, which Saint had used to wield back when he had been too weak to handle Nightmare Creatures populating the Chained Isles without

he retrieved the Cruel Sight from where it had been thrust into the ground and headed in the direction of

to when he had just arrived on the Chained Isles, Sunny was much stronger now. He had a vastly better arsenal of Memories at his disposal, an additional Shadow Core and a third shadow, and his combat mastery was polished by hundreds upon hundreds

Weaver had swallowed the drop of Shadow God's blood, three of his Attributes evolved. The [Ember of Divinity] was now [Flame of Divinity], rising his divine affinity even

and Bone Weave had not changed in name, but became much more potent. Sunny was now much harder to break and kill. He probably couldn't bleed to death even if he wanted to, and it would

was something, at

hid it on his belt, and walked over to

turned its head and stared at the carcass

'This guy…'

Sunny rolled his eyes.

stand there, pervert, come here

the blade of the Prowling Thorn, which was then

the air and swallowed it with a metallic click. Usually, that would be it, but today Sunny needed to retrieve something else as well. Grimacing from time

"Should be enough… right?"

with the gruesome task, he stood up, picked up the Cruel Sight, and headed toward the