- Shadow Slave Chapter 1 Nightmare Begins
- Shadow Slave Chapter 2 Slave Caravan
- Shadow Slave Chapter 3 The Strings Of Fate
- Shadow Slave Chapter 4 Mountain King
- Shadow Slave Chapter 5 Broken Chains
- Shadow Slave Chapter 6 Confronting The Tyrant
- Shadow Slave Chapter 7 Three Slaves And A Hero
- Shadow Slave Chapter 8 Nothing At All
- Shadow Slave Chapter 9 Wishful Thinking
- Shadow Slave Chapter 10 First Man Down
- Shadow Slave Chapter 11 Crossroads
- Shadow Slave Chapter 12 The Smell Of Blood
- Shadow Slave Chapter 13 Moment Of Truth
- Shadow Slave Chapter 14 Child Of Shadows
- Shadow Slave Chapter 15 Shadow Slave
- Shadow Slave Chapter 16 Rebirth
- Shadow Slave Chapter 17 Three Simple Words
- Shadow Slave Chapter 18 Absence Of Light
- Shadow Slave Chapter 19 Crossing The Bridge
- Shadow Slave Chapter 20 Outcast Once Again
- Shadow Slave Chapter 21 First Performance
- Shadow Slave Chapter 22 Corpse Corner
- Shadow Slave Chapter 23 Dreams And Nightmares
- Shadow Slave Chapter 24 Moving Up In The World
- Shadow Slave Chapter 25 Wilderness Survival
- Shadow Slave Chapter 26 Changing Star
- Shadow Slave Chapter 27 Measure Of Power
- Shadow Slave Chapter 28 Training Montage
- Shadow Slave Chapter 29 The Last Day On Earth
- Shadow Slave Chapter 30 Starless Void
- Shadow Slave Chapter 31 Low Tide
- Shadow Slave Chapter 32 Making A Choice
- Shadow Slave Chapter 33 Carapace Scavenger
- Shadow Slave Chapter 34 Only Steel Remembers
- Shadow Slave Chapter 35 A Shadow, A Star And An Oracle
- Shadow Slave Chapter 36 Bonfire
- Shadow Slave Chapter 37 Getting To Know Each Other
- Shadow Slave Chapter 38 Questions In The Dark
- Shadow Slave Chapter 39 Journey To The West
- Shadow Slave Chapter 40 Weak Point
- Shadow Slave Chapter 41 Strength In Numbers
- Shadow Slave Chapter 42 Essence Of Combat
- Shadow Slave Chapter 43 Repetition
- Shadow Slave Chapter 44 Cassie’s Dream
- Shadow Slave Chapter 45 Sound Of Laughter
- Shadow Slave Chapter 46 Experience
- Shadow Slave Chapter 47 Echo
- Shadow Slave Chapter 48 The Storm
- Shadow Slave Chapter 49 Natural Element
- Shadow Slave Chapter 50 Death Trap
- Shadow Slave Chapter 51 Carapace Centurion
- Shadow Slave Chapter 52 Clarity
- Shadow Slave Chapter 53 Immortal Flame
- Shadow Slave Chapter 54 Spoils Of War
- Shadow Slave Chapter 55 Lucky People
- Shadow Slave Chapter 56 The Heaviest Thing In The World
- Shadow Slave Chapter 57 Use Of Weapons
- Shadow Slave Chapter 58 Survival Of The Fittest
- Shadow Slave Chapter 59 Shadow Of The Crimson Spire
- Shadow Slave Chapter 60 Bone Ridge
- Shadow Slave Chapter 61 Sea Of Ash
- Shadow Slave Chapter 62 Hide And Seek
- Shadow Slave Chapter 63 Lord Of Ashes
- Shadow Slave Chapter 64 Pursued By Demons
- Shadow Slave Chapter 65 Lights In The Darkness
- Shadow Slave Chapter 66 First Part Of The Plan
- Shadow Slave Chapter 67 Racing Against Time
- Shadow Slave Chapter 68 Beacon Of Death
- Shadow Slave Chapter 69 The Guest
- Shadow Slave Chapter 70 Judgement Of The Blade
- Shadow Slave Chapter 71 One Small Mistake
- Shadow Slave Chapter 72 Demon Slayers
- Shadow Slave Chapter 73 The Circle Of Death
- Shadow Slave Chapter 74 Midnight Shard
- Shadow Slave Chapter 75 Broken Dreams
- Shadow Slave Chapter 76 The Abyss
- Shadow Slave Chapter 77 Enthralled
- Shadow Slave Chapter 78 Bliss
- Shadow Slave Chapter 79 Twist Of Fate
- Shadow Slave Chapter 80 Spirit Of Exploration
- Shadow Slave Chapter 81 Weaver’s Eye
- Shadow Slave Chapter 82 Fear Of The Unknown
- Shadow Slave Chapter 83 Five
- Shadow Slave Chapter 84 Black Seed
- Shadow Slave Chapter 85 One Step At A Time
- Shadow Slave Chapter 86 Final Clue
- Shadow Slave Chapter 87 Plan Of Escape
- Shadow Slave Chapter 88 Boat Builders
- Shadow Slave Chapter 89 Demon’s Bones
- Shadow Slave Chapter 90 Nightfall
- Shadow Slave Chapter 91 Escape
- Shadow Slave Chapter 92 Journey Into The Night
- Shadow Slave Chapter 93 Black Water
- Shadow Slave Chapter 94 Battle In The Depths
- Shadow Slave Chapter 95 Starlight
- Shadow Slave Chapter 96 Exile
- Shadow Slave Chapter 97 Hunter’s Dream
- Shadow Slave Chapter 98 Uninvited Guests
- Shadow Slave Chapter 99 Pursuit
- Shadow Slave Chapter 100 Clear Conscience
- Shadow Slave Chapter 101 Turf War
- Shadow Slave Chapter 102 Stone Saint
- Shadow Slave Chapter 103 Coup De Grace
- Shadow Slave Chapter 104 Soul Arsenal
- Shadow Slave Chapter 105 Living Stone
- Shadow Slave Chapter 106 Creating A Monster
- Shadow Slave Chapter 107 Growing Shadow
- Shadow Slave Chapter 108 Test Dummy
- Shadow Slave Chapter 109 Soulmates
- Shadow Slave Chapter 110 Memento
- Shadow Slave Chapter 111 Lesser Creature
- Shadow Slave Chapter 112 Duel Of The Monsters
- Shadow Slave Chapter 113 Dark Well
- Shadow Slave Chapter 114 Voice Of Darkness
- Shadow Slave Chapter 115 Nightingale
- Shadow Slave Chapter 116 Deal With The Devil
- Shadow Slave Chapter 117 Cruel Injustice
- Shadow Slave Chapter 118 Mirror Image
- Shadow Slave Chapter 119 A Fistful Of Soul Shards
- Shadow Slave Chapter 120 Approaching The Castle
- Shadow Slave Chapter 121 Graveyard Of Hope
- Shadow Slave Chapter 122 Four Months Ago
- Shadow Slave Chapter 123 Helping Hand
- Shadow Slave Chapter 124 Desolation
- Shadow Slave Chapter 125 A Feast In Time Of Plague
- Shadow Slave Chapter 126 Effie
- Shadow Slave Chapter 127 Abandon All Hope
- Shadow Slave Chapter 128 King Of The Hill
- Shadow Slave Chapter 129 Solace
- Shadow Slave Chapter 130 Strength Of A Dozen Men
- Shadow Slave Chapter 131 Traversing The Dark City
- Shadow Slave Chapter 132 End Of The Line
- Shadow Slave Chapter 133 Farewell
- Shadow Slave Chapter 134 Bright Castle
- Shadow Slave Chapter 135 Cohabitation
- Shadow Slave Chapter 136 Reflection
- Shadow Slave Chapter 137 All Eyes On Me
- Shadow Slave Chapter 138 Unexpected Reunion
- Shadow Slave Chapter 139 blame everything on Nephis
- Shadow Slave Chapter 140 True Legacy
- Shadow Slave Chapter 141 Golden Serpent
- Shadow Slave Chapter 142 Behind The Scenes
- Shadow Slave Chapter 143 Gunlaug
- Shadow Slave Chapter 144 Right Of Challenge
- Shadow Slave Chapter 145 Justice
- Shadow Slave Chapter 146 Power
- Shadow Slave Chapter 147 Guild Hall
- Shadow Slave Chapter 148 Last Harvest
- Shadow Slave Chapter 149 Dark Diver
- Shadow Slave Chapter 150 Hunting Party
- Shadow Slave Chapter 151 Head Hunting
- Shadow Slave Chapter 152 There And Back Again
- Shadow Slave Chapter 153 Guiding Star
- Shadow Slave Chapter 154 Light Of The Seven
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 155 First Recruits
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 156 Free Lunch
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 157 Wind Of Change
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 158 Invisible
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 159 Revelation
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 160 The Future
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 161 Rubicon
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 162 Lost From Light
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 163 The Past
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 164 Farewell
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 165 Power
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 166 Light And Shadows
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 167 Unforgivable
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 168 Outside
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 169 Back To The Future
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 170 Star-Crossed
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 171 Tether
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 172 Memory Market
- Shadow Slave Chapter 173 Black Armor
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 174 Shopping Spree
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 175 Reunion
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 176 Coming Clean
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 177 Cloak And Dagger
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 178 Lost Expedition
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 179 New Generation
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 180 Break Point
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 181 Rules Of Hospitality
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 182 Dinner Time
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 183 Learning New Tricks
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 184 Value Of Humility
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 185 Battle Master
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 186 Eureka
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 187 Trial Of Strength
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 188 Of Heaven And Hell
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 189 Sunny’s Brilliant Emporium
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 190 Point Of No Return
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 191 Pursuer
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 192 Lighthouse
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 193 The Catacombs
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 194 Aching Bones
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 195 Rolling Battle
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 196 Divine Lntervention
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 197 Ultimate Test
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 198 Last Stand
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 199 Cliffhanger
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 200 Descent
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 201 Lord of the Dead
- Shadow Slave Chapter 202 Risk and Reward
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 203 Corpse Eater
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 204 Mysterious Key
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 205 Journey to the South
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 206 Triumph
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 207 Beach Episode
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 208 Something Productive
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 209 Fireside Banter
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 210 Shadow of the Past
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 211 Game of Lies
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 212 Knights and Knaves
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 213 Sword Saints
- Shadow Slave; 214 Transient Shadow
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 215 Shapeless
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 216 Tacit Understanding
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 217 Origin
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 218 Shadow Dance
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 219 Relics of the Past
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 220 So You’re a Spider So What?
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 221 Zenith
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 222 Clearing the Nest
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 223 Natural Selection
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 224 Pyre
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 225 On the Shoulders of Giants
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 226 The Fool
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 227 Comparatively Safe
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 228 Crossing the Canyon
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 229 The Passenger
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 230 Precarious Battle
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 231 Stone Giant
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 232 Before The Storm
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 233 Swarm
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 234 Horde
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 235 Flower Boy
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 236 Ex Machina
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 237 Wall of Darkness
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 238 lnto the Storm
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 239 Clash of Titans
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 240 Shadow Slave
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 241 Halfway
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 242 New Toys
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 243 Fangs Of A Dragon
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 244 Death Zone
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 245 Theatre of Giants
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 246 lrrefutable Proof
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 247 The Mist
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 248 Those Who Survived
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 249 Curse of Darkness
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 250 Defiant Oath
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 251 Boundary of the Underworld
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 252 Unseen
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 253 without a Master
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 254 The First Lord
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 255 Dawn Shard
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 256 True Reason
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 257 Nightmare Champion
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 258 Herald of the Crimson Terror
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 259 Bloody Mayhem
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 260 How to be a Hero
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 261 Moon Shard
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 262 Path to Damnation
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 263 The Beginning of the End
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 264 First Things First
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 265 Hateful Shadow
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 266 The Devil You Know
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 267 Let There Be Light
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 268 Clash
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 269 Incarnation Of Death
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 270 Runaway
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 271 Insurmountable
- Shadow Slave Chapter 272 Shadow And Darkness
- Shadow Slave Chapter 273 Chrysalis
- Shadow Slave: Chapter 274 Salvation
- Shadow Slave Chapter 275 Secrets of the Ruined Temple
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 276 Black Door
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 277 Demon of Fate
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 278 Weaver’s Mask
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 279 Guilty Conscience
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 280 One Last Job
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 281 Seven Heroes
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 282 Sacrifice
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 283 Final Piece of the Puzzle
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 284 Nothing Serious
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 285 Kill Order
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 286 Blessings of the Fire
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 287 Lonely Star
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 288 Progress Report
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 289 Start of the Play
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 290 Judgement Day
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 291 Eye of the Storm
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 292 Just Cause
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 293 The Challenge
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 294 Song of Steel
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 295 The Duel
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 296 Creature of Light
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 297 Red Flower
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 298 Fire and Blood
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 299 Twisted Reflection
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 300 Bright Lord’s Slave
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 301 Heirs to the Throne
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 302 Status Quo
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 303 Helpful Shadow
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 304 Hunting for a Big One
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 305 Trail of Blood
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 306 Final Confrontation
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 307 Throne of Light
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 308 Handmaiden
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 309 Where Dreams May Come
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 310 Shadow Demon
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 311 The Last
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 312 lnvisible Chains
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 313 Starlight Shard
- Shadow Slave; Chapter 314 Leaving the Dark City
Turning in the direction of the thundering noise, many slaves rose their heads — only to see rocks and heavy shards of ice raining on them from above. They instantly panicked, lurching away in a cacophony of screams. Shadows happily danced on black stones as, entangled by the thick chain, those slaves fell to the ground and pulled others with them.
Sunny was one of the few that remained upright, mostly because he was ready for something like this to happen. Calm and collected, he gazed at the night sky, his Attribute-enhanced eyes piercing the darkness, and took one measured step back. In the next second, a piece of ice the size of a man’s torso hit the ground right in front of him and exploded, showering everything around with sharp shards.
Others weren’t that quick. As ice and stones continued to rain, many were wounded, and a few even lost their lives. Agonizing wails filled the air.
“On your feet, fools! Get to the wall!”
The veteran soldier — the one who had whipped Sunny a few hours before — was shouting angrily, trying to get the slaves to move towards the relative safety of the mountain slope. However, before anyone could heed his command, something massive came crashing down, sending a tremor through the stones beneath their feet. It fell right between the caravan and the mountain wall, plunging everything into silence for a few seconds.
At first, it looked like a lump of dirty snow, roughly round in shape and as tall as a mounted horseman. However, once the creature unfurled its long limbs and rose, it towered over the stone platform like a nightmarish omen of death.
‘That thing must be at least four meters tall,’ Sunny thought, a bit stunned.
The creature had two stumpy legs, an emaciated, hunched torso and disproportionately long, multijointed hands — two of them, each ending with a set of horrifying bone claws, and another two, these ones shorter, ending with almost human-like fingers. The thing that at first glance looked like dirty snow turned out to be its fur, yellowish-grey and ragged, thick enough to stop arrows and swords.
On its head, five milky, white eyes regarded the slaves with insect-like indifference. Beneath them, a terrible maw crowding with razor-sharp teeth was half-open, as though in anticipation. Viscous drool was running down the creature’s chin and dripping into the snow.
What unnerved Sunny the most, though, were the strange shapes endlessly moving, worm-like, under the creature’s skin. He could see them clearly because, unfortunately, he was one of those unlucky souls closest to the monstrosity, getting a nauseating first-row view.
‘Well, that is just… too much,’ he thought, stupefied.
As soon as Sunny finished that thought, all hell broke loose. The creature moved, slashing its claws in his general direction. But Sunny was one step ahead: without wasting a single moment, he jumped sideways — as far as the chain allowed — conveniently placing the broad-shouldered slave between himself and the monster.
His quick reaction saved his life, as those sharp claws, each as long as a sword, sliced through the broad-shouldered man a fraction of a second later and sent streams of blood flying through the air. Drenched in the hot liquid, Sunny hit the ground, and his fellow slave — now simply a corpse — fell on him from above.
‘Damn! Why are you so heavy!’
Temporarily blinded, Sunny heard a chilling howl and felt an enormous shadow passing over him. Immediately after, a deafening chorus of screams filled the night. Not paying it any attention, he tried to roll the corpse to the side, but was stopped by a forceful lurch of the chain that twisted his wrists and filled his mind with white-hot pain. Disoriented, he felt himself being dragged a few steps, but then the chain suddenly slackened, and he was able to control his hands again.
‘See, things could have been worse…’
Putting his palms against the dead man’s chest, he pushed with all the strength he had. The heavy corpse stubbornly resisted all his attempts, but then finally fell sideways, setting Sunny free. However, he didn’t get to celebrate this newly found freedom, as his blood suddenly turned to ice.
Because at that moment, with his palms still pressed against the broad-shouldered slave’s bleeding body, he clearly felt something wriggling under the dead man’s skin.
‘You just had to think about how things could get worse, right, you idiot?’ he thought, and then flinched back.
Pushing the corpse with his legs, Sunny crawled as far away from it as he could — which was about a meter and a half, thanks to the ever-present chain. He quickly glanced around, noticing a mass of dancing shadows and the silhouette of the monster rampaging amidst the screaming slaves on the opposite end of the stone platform. Then he concentrated on the dead body, which was starting to convulse with growing violence.
On the opposite side of the corpse, the shifty slave was looking at it with slackened jaw and a horrified expression on his face. Sunny waved to get his attention.
“What are you staring at?! Move away from it!”
The shifty slave tried, but immediately fell down. The chain was twisted between the three of them, pinned down under by the broad-shouldered man’s weight.
Sunny clenched his teeth.
Right under his eyes, the corpse was going through a nightmare-inducing metamorphose. Strange bone growths pierced its skin, extending like spikes. The muscles bulged and wriggled, as though trying to change shape. The fingernails were turning into sharp claws; the face cracked and split, bearing open a twisted mouth with one too many rows of bloodied, needle-like fangs.
‘This is not right.’
Sunny twitched, feeling a strong urge to empty his stomach.
“Th— the chain!”
The scholarly slave was just a few steps behind the shifty one, pointing at his shackles with a face as pale as a ghost. That remark was far from helpful, but given the circumstances, his shock was understandable. Being shackled was bad enough, but being shackled to such horror was truly unfair.
But Sunny’s conclusion that things weren’t right did not come from self-pity. He just meant that this whole situation was literally not right: the Spell, mysterious as it was, had its own set of rules. There were rules for what type of creatures could appear in any given Nightmare, too.
Nightmare Creatures had their own hierarchy: from mindless Beasts to Monsters, followed by Demons, Devils, Tyrants, Terrors and, finally, mythical Titans, also known as Calamities. The First Nightmare was almost always populated by beasts and monsters, rarely with a demon mixed in. And Sunny had never, ever heard about anything stronger than a single devil appearing in it.
However, the creature had clearly just created a lesser version of itself — an ability that belonged exclusively to tyrants, the sovereigns of the Nightmare Spell, and those above them.
What was this tyrant even doing in a First Nightmare?
How powerful was that damn [Fated] attribute?!
But there was no time to ponder.
Unfair or not, there was only one person now who could save Sunny — himself.
The broad-shouldered man — what was left of him — slowly rose, his mouth producing strange clicking noises. Without giving him time to fully come to his senses, Sunny cursed and jumped forward, grabbing onto the length of the slackened chain.
One arm of the monster, now fully equipped with five jagged claws, shot forward to meet him, but Sunny sidestepped it with one calculated movement.
What save his skin this time was not quick reaction, but simple presence of mind. Sunny might not have learned any fancy combat techniques, since his childhood was spent on the streets instead of a school. But the streets, too, were a kind of teacher. He had spent his whole life fighting for survival, quite often literally. That experience allowed him to keep a cool head on his shoulders in the midst of any conflict.
So instead of freezing or being consumed by fear and doubt, Sunny just acted.
Stepping close, he threw the chain around the monster’s shoulders and pulled, pinning its hands to its body. Before the creature, still slow and groggy from its transformation, could properly react, Sunny wrapped the chain around it several times, barely saving his face from being bitten off by the creature’s terrifying maw.
The good thing was, the monster couldn’t move its hands now.
The bad thing was, the length of the chain he used to immobilize it was gone, leaving almost no distance between them.
“You two!” Sunny screamed, addressing his two fellow slaves. “Pull on that chain as though your lives depend on it!”
Because they were.
The shifty slave and the scholar gaped at him and then, understanding what he was thinking, started to move. Grabbing the chain from the opposite directions, they pulled as hard as they could, tightening its grip on the monster and not letting it shake loose.
‘Great!’ Sunny thought.
The monster bulged its muscles, trying to break free. The chain creaked, caught on the bone spikes, as though slowly breaking apart.
‘Not so great!’
Without wasting any more time, he threw his hands in the air and caught the creature’s neck with the short, thinner chain connecting his shackles together. Then he circled the monster with a quick step and pulled, ending up back to back with it — as far away from its maw as he could.
Sunny knew that he wasn’t strong enough to strangle a man with his bare hands — let alone a weird, terrifying mutant like the one trying to eat him. But now, using his own back as a lever and the weight of his whole body to pull the shackles down, he at least stood a chance.
He pulled down with all his might, feeling the monster’s body pressing against him, bone spikes brushing against his skin. The monster continued to struggle, clicking loudly and trying to break the chain tying him down apart.
Now it was just a question of what would break first — the chain or the monster itself.
‘Die! Die, you bastard!’
Sweat and blood were rolling down Sunny’s face as he was pulling, and pulling, and pulling down with as much force as he could muster.
Every second felt like an eternity. His strength and stamina — what little he had to begin with — were quickly running out. His wounded back, wrists, and muscles pierced by the bone spikes were in agony.
And then, finally, Sunny felt the monster’s body go limp.
A moment later, a faintly familiar voice rang in the air.
It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.
[You have slain a dormant beast, Mountain King’s Larva.]