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

mean, great shot? I was

the bow on

— and promptly lost — the

but it was also not nearly as impressive as what he had seen Kai do. The fact that his

awarded to Mongrel — even if no one except for the terrifying Master knew what exactly that Memory was, people could recognize the brand of clan Valor on its surface, which

to wield back when he had been too weak to handle Nightmare Creatures populating

and suppressed the desire to give it a good kick. Dismissing it with a sigh, he retrieved the Cruel Sight from where it had been thrust into the ground

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

his Attributes evolved. The [Ember of Divinity] was now [Flame of Divinity], rising

harder to break and kill. He probably couldn't bleed to death even if he wanted to,

was something,

up from the ground, hid it on his belt, and walked over to the carcass of the

slowly turned its head and stared at the carcass with disturbing

'This guy…'

Sunny rolled his eyes.

stand there, pervert, come here

the Prowling Thorn, which was then used to cut the tough hide of

it with a metallic click. Usually, that would be it, but today Sunny needed to retrieve something else as well. Grimacing from time to time, he cut several large slabs of meat off the carcass, wrapped them, and threw the

"Should be enough… right?"

stood up, picked up the Cruel Sight, and headed toward the southern