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."

felt a rush of

you

then

means they'll start recruiting today. After that is done, the other elite units will be free to pick out the rest

'Hell yeah!'

silent for a

are slim, but wouldn't it be great to be picked by Soul Reaper's unit? Just

finish his sentence, their communicators suddenly received a

it was

was the first to read the message. Her

her reaction, Luster

"Kimmy? W—what is it?"

for a moment, and then

We've been assigned to

***

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

circumstances, a combat specialist like Belle would not have been keeping company with two younger support

however, had changed a lot

happening in the Dream Realm. The Awakened assigned to the First Evacuation

impregnable Legacy strongholds like Bastion or Ravenheart. All across the Dream Realm, thousands of Awakened were

general 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

a couple hundred Awakened all traveled together while their physical bodies

a weird thing. Luster had fallen asleep in one place, but woke up thousands of kilometers south of it. In any case, in the month that it had taken him to reach Bastion on foot, he and the two

said about the other three Awakened they met after

dim when he realized that

'Wow!'

real bombshell! Sure, she seemed unapproachable and older than him by a good decade… but that only added to

tapped the young man on

out of the