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.

the Class had changed. So, the evolution must have been tied strictly

so he was not too disappointed. Curious, he continued to read the

Description: [A pitiful little creature...]Shadow Attributes: [Lucky], [Marvel],

tilted his head a little.

Attribute called [Lesser Iron Body]. Sunny had expected one epithet to change, but not both of them. Not only had "lesser" changed to "great," but "iron"

'I wonder...'

Body] had implied that Imp's body possessed qualities of metal. What about the [Greater Steel

the shimmering symbols

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

'Jackpot!'

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 little fiend's whole body was now as resilient as a

up the Ravenous Fiend. However, he still wanted to know just how tough his Shadow had become... There

Sunny smiled pleasantly and gave

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

glowered at the scrawny fiend, who had fallen on his butt with a startled expression. "Argh! Effie, whack this little

a moment, then gave him a composed look. "...I'll do no such thing, you heartless despot. Come here, poor thing... shall we bully your

front of him with wide eyes. What the hell was happening? Why was everyone treating

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

[Lucky] Attribute influence how people felt about him, as

'That must be it!'

fiend, meanwhile, glanced at Sunny with a vindictive grin. ...But there was something wrong with

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 glow and radiated scorching heat. It was as though there was an immolating

'What the...'

blinked a couple of times, then shifted his