Shadow Slave

Even though there was a considerable chunk of the colossus left uneaten, Sunny ordered Imp to return. By the time the small creature climbed back to the surface of the island, the members of the cohort had gathered around Sunny.

"Huh? Wait... the little rascal looks different!"

Indeed, Effie was right. The scrawny fiend was different from how he had been before. Firstly, he had grown - just a few days ago, Imp was barely as tall as Sunny's knee, but now his head was on the same level as Sunny's abdomen.

The vital areas on his wiry body were now covered by black plates that resembled a suit of light armor, each glinting with a dark metallic sheen. The same went for his long, sharp claws and triangular teeth..

Imp's face twisted in a grotesque grin, and he raised his chin with pride. After that, the little fiend threw a furtive glance at Nephis.

Sunny smiled. "Congratulations, ugly. You have officially graduated from an unseemly gremlin to an unsightly goblin."

Imp's grin grew a bit forced. He glared at Sunny and hissed.

Nephis looked at them for a few moments. "...I don't know. I think he is a little cute."

The little fiend froze, then swelled with smugness.

Sunny shook his head and sighed. "Are you blind? Well, whatever. Let's see what exactly changed..."

He summoned the runes, waited for the shimmering symbols to reveal themselves, and studied them with a focused expression.

Most of the runes seemed the same:

Shadow: Ravenous Fiend.Shadow Rank: Transcendent.Shadow Class: Devil.

changed. So, the evolution must have been tied strictly

he was not too disappointed.

creature...]Shadow Attributes: [Lucky], [Marvel], [Ravenous], [Shadow

head a little.

possessed an Attribute called [Lesser Iron Body]. Sunny had expected one epithet to change, but not both of them. Not

'I wonder...'

of the [Lesser Iron Body] had implied that Imp's body possessed qualities of

concentrated on the shimmering symbols

Steel Body] Attribute Description: "This Shadow's body is akin to

'Jackpot!'

replaced by blessed steel - thanks to the Sun Prince, no doubt - but Imp's body had gone from merely possessing qualities of metal to being entirely like metal. What did it mean? It meant that the

was very satisfied. He had achieved his initial goal of toughening up the Ravenous Fiend. However, he still wanted to know just how tough his Shadow had become... There was only one

was puffing out his chest, Sunny smiled pleasantly and gave him a

and a piercing shriek. "Ah! Goddammit! What the hell?! That hurts so

foot, Sunny cradled his other one and glowered at the scrawny fiend, who had fallen on his butt with a startled expression. "Argh! Effie,

no such thing, you heartless despot. Come here, poor

of him with wide eyes. What the

'D-don't tell me...'

influence how people felt about him,

'That must be it!'

scrawny fiend, meanwhile, glanced at Sunny with a vindictive grin. ...But

against the black metallic sheen of his face. Imp's sharp steel teeth had also been black a few moments ago, but now they were shining with a red-hot

'What the...'

then