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Shadow Slave #1
Shadow Slave Volume 1: Child of Shadows
Volume 1 (Chapters 1 - 95)
Growing up in poverty, Sunny never expected anything good from life. However, even he did not anticipate being chosen by the Nightmare Spell and becoming one of the Awakened - an elite group of people gifted with supernatural powers. Transported into a ruined magical world, he found himself facing against terrible monsters - and other Awakened - in a deadly battle of survival.
What's worse, the divine power he received happened to possess a small, but potentially fatal side effect...
Growing up in poverty, Sunny never expected anything good from life. However, even he did not anticipate being chosen by the Nightmare Spell and becoming one of the Awakened - an elite group of people gifted with supernatural powers. Transported into a ruined magical world, he found himself facing against terrible monsters - and other Awakened - in a deadly battle of survival.
What's worse, the divine power he received happened to possess a small, but potentially fatal side effect...
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Published January 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
December 20, 2024
Shadow Slave Volume 1
95 capítulos lidos de uma novel de mais de 2000 capítulos, para ser mais exato 2040 capítulos até a última vez que olhei no dia de hoje.
Esse é o primeiro volume dessa novela gigantesca que eu já tinha ouvido falar há um bom tempo e fui procurar pra ler e me assustei com a quantidade de capítulos e pensei em ler o primeiro volume inteiro pra ver se prendia porque senão eu leria só esse pararia mas é claro que isso não aconteceu porque eu fiquei fascinando por essa história e agora terei que ler mais de 2000 capítulos para saber o desenrolar kkkkk. Essa história basicamente acontece no nosso mundo e em outro ao mesmo tempo, conhecemos o protagonista Sunless ou para os íntimos Sunny de 16 anos que descobre que é um adormecido pessoas que quando atingem idade entre 16 e 21 anos senão me engano e vai dormir vão para um mundo dos pesadelos e também o mundo dos seus sonhos mundos de fantasia medieval na qual eles tem que sobreviver a todo custo e coletar fragmentos chamados memórias para irem ficando mais fortes dentre outras coisas que não vou falar aqui pra não dar spoiler pra ninguém mas cara que nível sensacional eu simplesmente fui ficando mais intrigado a cada capítulo que passava em ver a forma em como autor desenvolvia aquele mundo os personagens o sistema de magia e os mistérios que vai sendo apresentados são muito bons e as profecias uma em particular me deixou intrigado pra saber oq eu vai acontecer no futuro 👀 e um dos pontos fortes desse primeiro volume é o relacionamento do Sunny com outros personagens principalmente com duas personagens femininas que eu gostei muito Nephis e Cassie a dinâmica do trio é maravilhosa e espero que mantenha esse nível por toda a obra e tô curioso pra ver como o Sunny vai desenvolver os poderes dele por assim dizer e pra onde essa história vai encaminha mas no geral primeiras impressões muito positivas recomendo pra quem gosta de animes e mangás e também de livros de fantasia é uma novel para todos os gostos e vamos pra essa jornada gigantesca.
95 capítulos lidos de uma novel de mais de 2000 capítulos, para ser mais exato 2040 capítulos até a última vez que olhei no dia de hoje.
Esse é o primeiro volume dessa novela gigantesca que eu já tinha ouvido falar há um bom tempo e fui procurar pra ler e me assustei com a quantidade de capítulos e pensei em ler o primeiro volume inteiro pra ver se prendia porque senão eu leria só esse pararia mas é claro que isso não aconteceu porque eu fiquei fascinando por essa história e agora terei que ler mais de 2000 capítulos para saber o desenrolar kkkkk. Essa história basicamente acontece no nosso mundo e em outro ao mesmo tempo, conhecemos o protagonista Sunless ou para os íntimos Sunny de 16 anos que descobre que é um adormecido pessoas que quando atingem idade entre 16 e 21 anos senão me engano e vai dormir vão para um mundo dos pesadelos e também o mundo dos seus sonhos mundos de fantasia medieval na qual eles tem que sobreviver a todo custo e coletar fragmentos chamados memórias para irem ficando mais fortes dentre outras coisas que não vou falar aqui pra não dar spoiler pra ninguém mas cara que nível sensacional eu simplesmente fui ficando mais intrigado a cada capítulo que passava em ver a forma em como autor desenvolvia aquele mundo os personagens o sistema de magia e os mistérios que vai sendo apresentados são muito bons e as profecias uma em particular me deixou intrigado pra saber oq eu vai acontecer no futuro 👀 e um dos pontos fortes desse primeiro volume é o relacionamento do Sunny com outros personagens principalmente com duas personagens femininas que eu gostei muito Nephis e Cassie a dinâmica do trio é maravilhosa e espero que mantenha esse nível por toda a obra e tô curioso pra ver como o Sunny vai desenvolver os poderes dele por assim dizer e pra onde essa história vai encaminha mas no geral primeiras impressões muito positivas recomendo pra quem gosta de animes e mangás e também de livros de fantasia é uma novel para todos os gostos e vamos pra essa jornada gigantesca.
February 17, 2025
Beste introductie van een wereld en power-system die ik ooit heb gelezen. Alle characters hebben unieke krachten maar ook zwaktes. World-building is ook echt fantastisch
June 3, 2024
Yes yes yes. No complaints about this first volume. Straight into the next
March 20, 2025
3.5
Lo leí rápido (1-2 días), por lo que puedo asegurar que es entretenido... Pero no diría que va más allá de una historia de acción y fantasía promedio (incluso carece un poco según otras webnovels que he leído).
No es tan sorprendente como las recomendaciones me sugirieron, sin embargo, creo que es un problema de ritmo y extensión: el crecimiento del protagonista es lento según los estándares de los shonen coreanos (género al se asemeja más), aunque tiene sentido según la lógica interna; por otro lado, hubo momentos en que el autor añadió capítulos sobre lo que sucedía cada día o momento que experimentaba el protagonista que pudieron se resumidos en párrafos, a pesar de que añadirlos no es relleno, suprimirlos tampoco parecen hacerle mucho daño al desarrollo (si se consideran todos los guiños ocultos que me prometieron, entonces tal vez esta extensión sea necesaria).
Solo cuando avance más allá sabré si este lento progreso de la narración es justificable, no obstante, parece ir por buen camino... Aunque sin duda esta no es la joya que me prometieron, todavía espero que me demuestre que sí lo es.
Lo leí rápido (1-2 días), por lo que puedo asegurar que es entretenido... Pero no diría que va más allá de una historia de acción y fantasía promedio (incluso carece un poco según otras webnovels que he leído).
No es tan sorprendente como las recomendaciones me sugirieron, sin embargo, creo que es un problema de ritmo y extensión: el crecimiento del protagonista es lento según los estándares de los shonen coreanos (género al se asemeja más), aunque tiene sentido según la lógica interna; por otro lado, hubo momentos en que el autor añadió capítulos sobre lo que sucedía cada día o momento que experimentaba el protagonista que pudieron se resumidos en párrafos, a pesar de que añadirlos no es relleno, suprimirlos tampoco parecen hacerle mucho daño al desarrollo (si se consideran todos los guiños ocultos que me prometieron, entonces tal vez esta extensión sea necesaria).
Solo cuando avance más allá sabré si este lento progreso de la narración es justificable, no obstante, parece ir por buen camino... Aunque sin duda esta no es la joya que me prometieron, todavía espero que me demuestre que sí lo es.
October 1, 2025
that is one of best (if not the best ) light novels
and the audiobook was insanely good
and the audiobook was insanely good
May 17, 2025
This would be four stars if G3 wouldn't lean on the main character's [Fated] attribute as a way to explain how Sunny can escape all these ludicrous scenarios. "He was about to die but he kept persisting" gets a touch tedious and unintuitive after 60 chapters or to rationalise plot conveniences, such as in the case of 'Blood Weave' (but I hope it will be put to good use soon, I do not underestimate G3's hold on foreshadowing, more on that later). I understand Sunny is quick-witted as he grew up on the outskirts and is also innately such, but feasible lines of logic on how he would reach this goal would be great compared to sheer grit 70% of the time. I also understand that G3 does provide these strings of reasoning I mentioned and I am being nit-picky, but it personally ruins my immersion when I see someone cheating death so often. You could make the argument that it's a testament to Sunny's character, his unwavering resolve to see his way through, his animalistic desire to survive he gained from his harsh upbringing melded with his humanity he has developed over the course of the First Nightmare which creates conflict as to what is the right thing to do vs what does he want to do, and how far is he willing to go to achieve it. An improbably designed person to tackle the Dream Realm, one might say it was... fate? To that I say - you are absolutely correct, but I'd like to add that Shadow Slave prides itself on its realism. Its survival, people, manipulation, history, geography, politics, they all mimic reality. I personally do not find it realistic he would live through this ordeal, but maybe that's just me.
However, I will say that, in particular, the worldbuilding and foreshadowing, two elements I'm a sucker for, are written, paced and placed well for a first volume. G3 manages to give you an adequate taster of his world whilst not revealing too much leaving you with enough mystery to question the nature of the spell, the gods and the unknown, the Shadow Core, the Dream Realm, etc. It leaves readers hungry for more, he manages to call back to previous vague mentions only people who dearly cherish their work could remember, leaving little room for plot holes. I do want to say that the story only begins to pick-up after the First Nightmare so it might be a bore for 20 chapters or so, but the subsequent 76 chapters are solid, especially considering English is not G3's native language. Looking forward to Volume 2.
However, I will say that, in particular, the worldbuilding and foreshadowing, two elements I'm a sucker for, are written, paced and placed well for a first volume. G3 manages to give you an adequate taster of his world whilst not revealing too much leaving you with enough mystery to question the nature of the spell, the gods and the unknown, the Shadow Core, the Dream Realm, etc. It leaves readers hungry for more, he manages to call back to previous vague mentions only people who dearly cherish their work could remember, leaving little room for plot holes. I do want to say that the story only begins to pick-up after the First Nightmare so it might be a bore for 20 chapters or so, but the subsequent 76 chapters are solid, especially considering English is not G3's native language. Looking forward to Volume 2.
July 25, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
LOVED THIS. Mainc characters are amazing especially our main mc Sunny. I just have to jump straight to the second volume. The character development was everything
LOVED THIS. Mainc characters are amazing especially our main mc Sunny. I just have to jump straight to the second volume. The character development was everything
November 29, 2024
Forgotten Shore - Absolute Cinema
8.9
One of the best beginnings I've read this year. Forgotten Shore is certainly one of the best beginning arcs, full of twists and turns and an excellent exploration of the world. The power system is very interesting and makes the reader want to know more about how it works. The main characters have developed a lot, each showing their own personality and mysteries that they don't want to tell because they are on the Forgotten Shore. In short, this first volume was excellent and I hope it maintains the level of this first arc.
8.9
One of the best beginnings I've read this year. Forgotten Shore is certainly one of the best beginning arcs, full of twists and turns and an excellent exploration of the world. The power system is very interesting and makes the reader want to know more about how it works. The main characters have developed a lot, each showing their own personality and mysteries that they don't want to tell because they are on the Forgotten Shore. In short, this first volume was excellent and I hope it maintains the level of this first arc.
May 10, 2025
Grounded Dystopia
I don’t usually enjoy dystopian fiction, especially post-apocalyptic Earth, because of the tired tropes and lazy world-building. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and detail in the opening of Shadow Slave.
From the beginning, Shadow Slave establishes an immersive world through grounded economic and environmental details. We’re told about luxuries like coffee and the scarcity of real meat, highlighting how dramatically society has changed in a world plagued by a magical pandemic.
Rather than relying on exposition dumps, the novel introduces its protagonist, Sunny (Sunless), as an orphan from the outskirts who contracts the magical virus “the nightmare spell.” His visit to the police station serves as a natural means of introducing the world’s social structure. Knowledge of surviving the spell and gaining magical abilities is held tightly by society’s elite. Sunny’s ignorance is not unreasonable—it’s a realistic product of his environment and a strong justification for why the reader learns the rules of the world alongside him. The police officer’s statement that “The spell sets up trials, not executions” establishes the law for the events to come
Earned Character Development
Sunny’s entry into the First Nightmare begins with him chained in a slave caravan, climbing a snowy mountain—a poetic and symbolic image. Discovering his aspect, [Temple Slave], which offers him no special abilities, he realized he entered the nightmare the same way he left Earth: bound and powerless.
However, he receives the most brilliant narrative device I've ever seen. Sunny is granted the attribute [Fated], which predisposes him to unlikely scenarios—sometimes astonishingly lucky, sometimes disastrously unlucky. The description reads: “There are those who are blessed, and there are those who are cursed… but rarely both.” Combined with his [Mark of Divinity], this doesn’t just explain “plot armor”—it justifies it. It feels natural that this kid would stumble into god-tier chaos. It’s divine mischief, but rooted in the logic of the magic system.
The remainder of the nightmare offers a vivid introduction to Sunny’s character. His behavior doesn’t display superhuman intellect, but rather the cunning and survival instincts we’d expect from someone who’s lived his whole life on the streets.
His deep mistrust of others is not only believable—it’s necessary. Sunny’s decision to poison his temporary allies before they could betray him was ruthless, but logical. It was a move born from the realities of the outskirts, and from a lifetime of being forced to rely on no one but himself. That move—cold and calculated—was immensely satisfying because it solidified Sunny’s character: a devious underdog who survives not by brute force, but by letting others underestimate him.
Sunny’s occasional references to webtoons broke the story a little bit. These self-aware, fourth-wall-adjacent comments feel out of place—especially for a character so poor he is malnourished its unlikely hed have access to media but it's a minor complaint.
Living World
Even within the confined space of this first nightmare, Shadow Slave plants deep roots for its lore. The [Temple Slave] was met with unease by other characters in the dream, hinting at a buried cultural or religious significance that even Sunny doesn’t understand. The world feels ancient, and the people within the nightmare seem to live lives with their own histories. It doesn’t feel fabricated; it feels remembered.
At the arc’s climax, Sunny stumbles into a nameless temple—an entry permitted by his [Temple Slave] aspect—and collapses onto an ancient altar. What follows is not metaphorical but literal: an unnamed god answers. This moment reframes the entire arc. The forgotten dead gods are not so dead. This divine intervention not only saves Sunny’s life—it retroactively reveals that the nightmare realm is not merely a trial, but a gateway to an expansive mythology that, felt unimportant as a result of the surreal, game-like nature of the setting.
Conclusion
Sunny’s appraisal is shocking both for Sunny and the reader due to receiving a divine rank and his aspect evolving from [Temple Slave] to [Shadow Slave]. Then, in perfect tonal whiplash, the spell announces his flaw: [Clear Conscious]—a trait that makes it impossible for him to lie. For someone who has survived through necessary wit, deception, and street-level cunning, the inability to lie is both tragic and hilarious.
The first mini-arc of Shadow Slave delivers an impressive amount of narrative weight in a short span. The world-building is dense but digestible. The character development is natural and earned. The magic system is intricate without being overwhelming. Above all, this arc sets a precedent: this is a story where consequences matter, and every scrap of luck has a price.
I don’t usually enjoy dystopian fiction, especially post-apocalyptic Earth, because of the tired tropes and lazy world-building. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and detail in the opening of Shadow Slave.
From the beginning, Shadow Slave establishes an immersive world through grounded economic and environmental details. We’re told about luxuries like coffee and the scarcity of real meat, highlighting how dramatically society has changed in a world plagued by a magical pandemic.
Rather than relying on exposition dumps, the novel introduces its protagonist, Sunny (Sunless), as an orphan from the outskirts who contracts the magical virus “the nightmare spell.” His visit to the police station serves as a natural means of introducing the world’s social structure. Knowledge of surviving the spell and gaining magical abilities is held tightly by society’s elite. Sunny’s ignorance is not unreasonable—it’s a realistic product of his environment and a strong justification for why the reader learns the rules of the world alongside him. The police officer’s statement that “The spell sets up trials, not executions” establishes the law for the events to come
Earned Character Development
Sunny’s entry into the First Nightmare begins with him chained in a slave caravan, climbing a snowy mountain—a poetic and symbolic image. Discovering his aspect, [Temple Slave], which offers him no special abilities, he realized he entered the nightmare the same way he left Earth: bound and powerless.
However, he receives the most brilliant narrative device I've ever seen. Sunny is granted the attribute [Fated], which predisposes him to unlikely scenarios—sometimes astonishingly lucky, sometimes disastrously unlucky. The description reads: “There are those who are blessed, and there are those who are cursed… but rarely both.” Combined with his [Mark of Divinity], this doesn’t just explain “plot armor”—it justifies it. It feels natural that this kid would stumble into god-tier chaos. It’s divine mischief, but rooted in the logic of the magic system.
The remainder of the nightmare offers a vivid introduction to Sunny’s character. His behavior doesn’t display superhuman intellect, but rather the cunning and survival instincts we’d expect from someone who’s lived his whole life on the streets.
His deep mistrust of others is not only believable—it’s necessary. Sunny’s decision to poison his temporary allies before they could betray him was ruthless, but logical. It was a move born from the realities of the outskirts, and from a lifetime of being forced to rely on no one but himself. That move—cold and calculated—was immensely satisfying because it solidified Sunny’s character: a devious underdog who survives not by brute force, but by letting others underestimate him.
Sunny’s occasional references to webtoons broke the story a little bit. These self-aware, fourth-wall-adjacent comments feel out of place—especially for a character so poor he is malnourished its unlikely hed have access to media but it's a minor complaint.
Living World
Even within the confined space of this first nightmare, Shadow Slave plants deep roots for its lore. The [Temple Slave] was met with unease by other characters in the dream, hinting at a buried cultural or religious significance that even Sunny doesn’t understand. The world feels ancient, and the people within the nightmare seem to live lives with their own histories. It doesn’t feel fabricated; it feels remembered.
At the arc’s climax, Sunny stumbles into a nameless temple—an entry permitted by his [Temple Slave] aspect—and collapses onto an ancient altar. What follows is not metaphorical but literal: an unnamed god answers. This moment reframes the entire arc. The forgotten dead gods are not so dead. This divine intervention not only saves Sunny’s life—it retroactively reveals that the nightmare realm is not merely a trial, but a gateway to an expansive mythology that, felt unimportant as a result of the surreal, game-like nature of the setting.
Conclusion
Sunny’s appraisal is shocking both for Sunny and the reader due to receiving a divine rank and his aspect evolving from [Temple Slave] to [Shadow Slave]. Then, in perfect tonal whiplash, the spell announces his flaw: [Clear Conscious]—a trait that makes it impossible for him to lie. For someone who has survived through necessary wit, deception, and street-level cunning, the inability to lie is both tragic and hilarious.
The first mini-arc of Shadow Slave delivers an impressive amount of narrative weight in a short span. The world-building is dense but digestible. The character development is natural and earned. The magic system is intricate without being overwhelming. Above all, this arc sets a precedent: this is a story where consequences matter, and every scrap of luck has a price.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2025
A pleasure to read for anyone interested in progression fantasy. The world's system is unique, with plenty of exploits available to an extremely intelligent MC. What the story lacks in linguistic flair, it makes up for in a clear vision of where the story should go. There are certain chapters where it feels like a slog to get through due to some heavy narration, but bits of dialogue between well-fleshed out characters give the reader some much-needed respite from the wall of text detailing the MC's thoughts.
August 11, 2025
It is a gritty look into LITRPG/Progression stories.
Sunny trusts no one, and I enjoy the way that comes across. It isn't ever obvious he trusts no one, until of course, the person trying to backstab him has the tables turned.
The world is well thought out, and the author seems to have a handle on what is going on in the economics and politics of their world.
Always looking forward to the next one of Shadow slave I consume.
-Listened to the book, so I can't comment on the grammar.
Sunny trusts no one, and I enjoy the way that comes across. It isn't ever obvious he trusts no one, until of course, the person trying to backstab him has the tables turned.
The world is well thought out, and the author seems to have a handle on what is going on in the economics and politics of their world.
Always looking forward to the next one of Shadow slave I consume.
-Listened to the book, so I can't comment on the grammar.
December 4, 2024
I believe that this was an amazing opening volume to Shadow Slave as a whole. The world is very interesting and the power system is interesting and vague enough to leave a lot to the imagination for future volumes. The characters in this series are amazing and so interesting to read about. Overall I loved this volume and everything about it
February 25, 2025
I read a number of web novels over the years. One consistent thing about them is they are long due to the medium it’s published in. This novel is no exception. With the first book we go along and discover the world Sunless has been thrust into and slowly the truths of the world unfold. The main character is from a street rat background and has lot of knowledge missing that he needs to survive.
This novel shines in the world building category as well as plot. The whole novel and the reasons for everything feel connected to each other. With a lot of web novels and light novels one of the problems is the plot becomes predicated and the characters flat. I am currently at chapter 500 and this story hasn’t suffered from that yet. I have no idea how the either will torture the protagonist in the next chapters and an intresting support cast is gained over the chapters.
This novel shines in the world building category as well as plot. The whole novel and the reasons for everything feel connected to each other. With a lot of web novels and light novels one of the problems is the plot becomes predicated and the characters flat. I am currently at chapter 500 and this story hasn’t suffered from that yet. I have no idea how the either will torture the protagonist in the next chapters and an intresting support cast is gained over the chapters.
August 18, 2025
pretty mediocre litrpg/isekai fantasy novel. there's a lot of pretty original and interesting worldbuilding in here, but the plot and prose are so juvenile that it doesn't matter. the writing style implies that the author reads more amateur translations of mediocre korean webnovels than actual English-language books and decent English translations of non-anglo books
October 31, 2024
Absolutely hooked ! The world building and character development is so good honestly I’ve been looking for something to hyperfixate on and I think I’ve found my next thing 😭 it’s 3am rn but I’m starting volume 2 idc 🫣
January 11, 2025
The arc that started it all, many people’s favorite and extremely strong. The first nightmare especially immediately pulls the reader in. If you finish the first Nightmare and are not intrigued, then I’d say maybe the book is not for you.
July 4, 2025
First part is shaky and uneven tonally, I think author is figuring things out. Not really a fan of video game-like mechanics. However, Crimson Shore world is very cool and has a vaguely Greek mythology feel.
November 8, 2024
Short king finds his stairway to heaven.
February 2, 2025
Great start to the light novel.
February 27, 2025
Best webnovel i've ever read! Really funny and engaging
April 8, 2025
This is a story full of tension and misfortunes that grips your chest tightly.
May 23, 2025
140K Words
May 30, 2025
Excellent, read everything available (5k+ pages) in a week, the tomb of Ariel arc was a masterpiece, as well as the horror of LO49.
June 26, 2025
This volume gets you to raise and eyebrow and wonder what all could happen with the story.
July 25, 2025
Oh I can definitely see where all the hype comes from....
Great introduction to a gloomy and fascinating world
Great introduction to a gloomy and fascinating world
August 5, 2025
Holy hell I'll never look down on a light novel ever again. I still have thousands of chapters to go and I'm gonna devour them all.
October 12, 2025
this the ducking peak
peak 🤌
peak 🤌
October 17, 2025
Peak Fiction
November 21, 2025
I randomly found this on web novel and I'm hooked. This is sucha good story! I found a free epub of this and have been devouring it ever since. It's the best thing I've read all year. 10/10.
August 18, 2025
reco de mon frère et je ne suis pas déçu
j’adore le système de défaut pour contrebalancer les avantages des aspects
3,5/5
j’adore le système de défaut pour contrebalancer les avantages des aspects
3,5/5
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews