Shadow Slave

Awakened Luster was in a strange mood.

On one hand, his life and career were going better than ever. Not only had he managed to become a member of the special forces, he also received a chance to participate in the most exciting operation of the last several decades!

His status, citizenship rank, and even salary were now higher than he had ever hoped. It was hard to imagine that a guy like him managed to climb so far without being a Legacy or even possessing a combat Aspect. It was certainly better than working in a boring spelltech research facility, which he had been considering before joining the government army.

Plus, he was surrounded by tons of pretty girls every day. There were thousands of them in the port fortress, and even more in the greater encampment beyond. With his dashing uniform, reputation of a valiant elite, and irresistible personality, many of them paid Luster special attention.

Overall, things were great!

…On the other hand, the world seemed to be falling apart. The exciting operation he was so enthused about could very well become his last.

'What a bummer.'

Sitting on a broken panel of a discarded prefab building, Luster watched the swarm activity in the camp below and sipped his coffee. That was another thing… once they shipped to the Southern Quadrant, luxuries like coffee would probably become scarce. He would have to go back to synthetic substitutes, or even worse, drink something as disgusting as tea!

'The horror!'

Luster grimaced, then glanced at the plain-looking young woman sitting next to him.

"What do you think, Kimmy? Are we going to receive our assignments today?"

Awakened Kim hesitated for a bit, then said in an awkward tone:

"I, uh… I don't know?"

Luster shook his head. Kimmy was the strangest person he had ever met. This timid girl was the only Awakened he knew… who somehow managed to not look hot! As far as he was concerned, that was a bizarre accomplishment. Every Awakened was hot. That was just common knowledge.

…Every one except for Kimmy. She single-handedly destroyed Luster's whole worldview. He just did not know what to make of that fact.

Belle, who was perching on the same prefab panel, looked at them and flashed a smile.

"I think we will."

a

you know

leaned forward, then said in a

structure of her unit yesterday. That means they'll start recruiting today. After that

'Hell yeah!'

for a bit, and

know that the chances are slim, but wouldn't it be great to be picked by Soul Reaper's unit?

his sentence, their

it was that all three lit up

read the message. Her eyes

her reaction, Luster felt

"Kimmy? W—what is it?"

a moment, and then showed him

assigned to Soul Reaper's unit! It's

***

spot and headed toward the training facility where they had been ordered

elite, but in usual circumstances, a combat specialist like Belle would not have been keeping company with two younger support operators. Unless

campaign, however, had changed

Awakened assigned to the First Evacuation Army were hastily relocating to larger and better protected Citadels, so that a sudden attack

Bastion or Ravenheart. All across the Dream Realm, thousands of Awakened were participating in this quiet

area of the Dream Realm. The Awakened serving the government banded together to brave the wilderness and reach Bastion, forming a large caravan that only grew bigger as it passed

hundred Awakened all traveled together while their physical bodies were being relocated to various

case, in the month that it had taken him to reach Bastion on foot, he and the two other elite specialists traveling with the caravan had become somewhat close. They were not really friends, but at least knew

be said about the other three Awakened they met after reaching the reinforced

he realized that two of them

'Wow!'

older than him by a good

young

your head out of the gutter,