Shadow Slave

In a dark underground chamber, a metal sarcophagus stood shrouded in silence. Nothing had disturbed the silence and no light had penetrated the darkness in a long, long time.

Until now.

Suddenly, the sarcophagus came to life, and a scattering of lights ignited on its surface. A crack appeared on the smooth alloy surface, revealing where the edges of a heavy lid were. The lid smoothly slid away, and a flood of radiant light chased away the darkness of the underground chamber.

Cold vapor shined as it rose from inside the sarcophagus. Then, a pale hand rose from within it and forcefully grabbed the metal lip, easily bending its armored alloy.

Sunny struggled to climb out of the sleeping pod for a few moments, then lowered his feet to the cool plates of the dojo's floor. A moment later, he swayed and fell down with a yelp.

"Damnation!"

Sunny remained sprawled on the floor for a few seconds, trying to understand what had happened and why he suddenly lost balance. Then, his eyes gleamed.

"Wait… I can speak again? I can speak again!"

A happy smile slowly appeared on his lips.

Of course… he was back to being a human! He had returned to his own body. Trying to move like a towering demon was not going to do his sense of balance any good…

With a mad grin, Sunny nimbly jumped to his feet and looked down, enjoying the sight of his slender, pale body. Then, he suddenly spun and performed several lightning-fast strikes and kicks.

"Ah, it is good to be home!"

of all, so himself. It was as though a giant weight fell from his shoulders, quite literally —

Sunny much lighter, but he also presented a much smaller target for the enemies to stick their blades in. And although having only two hands seemed rather inconvenient and silly, shedding

slender body packed more punch than the shadowspawn could ever hope to muster. Not to mention how in tune it was with shadow essence now, and how explosive the

turned into a lumbering monstrosity did he learn to appreciate

of the sleeping pod. He had inadvertently damaged the armored alloy by simply grabbing it too hard. Getting used to his new strength was

done to the expensive machine. Replacing the bent panel was

tilted his head

do

would he worry about

need it

Realm, he would travel there physically. His body would not be left empty and defenseless in the

He could just remain in the comfort and safety of the real world, enjoying all that it offered thanks to his wealth, citizenship,

the first time after becoming infected by the Nightmare Spell, Sunny was free to refuse it. He had won his

For now…

open a true Memory shop, just like he had wanted. With his accumulated arsenal and knowledge of sorcery, creating a thriving enterprise would not be a problem. Sunny would be able to grow filthy rich and enjoy a lavish or even decadent lifestyle without having to risk

could even sleep in an

be a beautifully happy ending for a homeless street rat from the

distance. Slowly, a pale smile appeared on his

if that

if he learned how to

Clans would leave him be… especially the latter.

Now that he proved his mettle and elevated himself to the venerated status of an Ascended, the clans would

message that trying to become a Saint without pledging allegiance