Shadow Slave

Well then, where should I start? First of all, I apologize for my poor English — I am not a native speaker and I’m using a translator. This review is both my personal evaluation of the novel and a response to several other reviews which, to me, seemed unfair and inaccurate regarding the story.1) First, let me respond to the review in which the user identified four “flaws” of the novel.Quoting:“Role of governments: The plot does not mention any governments, which seems unrealistic. Considering the scale of the Nightmare that emerged during the global dark wars, powerful nations should have been the first to investigate it, gather data, and dominate the initial expeditions. It’s hard to believe that they didn’t produce a single Lord. Either the governments collapsed and feudal clan-like structures emerged, or they formed coalitions. A centralized government seems implausible under such global conditions.”My response:"The novel clearly and explicitly stated that when the Nightmare and the Spell first emerged, chaos reigned. Countless people infected by the Spell failed their Trials, became Corrupted, and returned to reality as slumbering beasts — letting even more such creatures through the Gates. Governments did everything within their power to prevent the apocalypse, but in the end, it was the first Awakened who became the deciding force in resisting the Corrupted. The governments had no power over the Awakened and eventually collapsed. Power passed to the strongest of the Awakened — those who formed the Legacy Clans, such as Valor, Song, House of Night, and Immortal Flame. All power belonged to them, until they abandoned the world, believing it doomed. Then, the current government gained power, and the Holy King signed a treaty with the Great Clans — an unclear one, at that — and established a form of neutrality.As for the centralized government: why is it so implausible if it’s ruled by several Saints? Who besides the Legacy Clans had the power to oppose the government, especially in a world where there were no neutral Saints outside of any faction? The centralized nature of the government is based on the power of the Saints and the inability of lesser Awakened to oppose them. Where is the implausibility?2) Quoting:“Neglect of technology. Humanity is known for improving weaponry and destructive technologies, especially during world wars. The lack of technological advancement or integration in the fight against Nightmares contradicts this. It doesn’t make sense that researchers made no progress, despite the existential threat.”My response:Interesting. Did we read the same novel? What kind of weaponry are you talking about when it is explicitly said multiple times that conventional weapons are ineffective against Nightmare creatures? The higher the rank and class of the creature, the more “Will” is needed to damage it. Weapons stop being effective from the moment you face Fallen beings, let alone Transcendent ones. Take the Winter Beast, for example — it covered the entire Antarctic facility with cold that penetrated all forms of protection. What kind of weapon could possibly help in such a situation? And when it comes to conceptual entities — creatures that exist as ideas — there’s no point even discussing traditional weapons.Furthermore, the Antarctic Campaign did showcase advanced tech — such as the Leviathan, the Rhino, and Mobile Combat Platforms that allowed ordinary soldiers to face Awakened threats. There was also the Obel Scale, used to predict Gates and their Classes (albeit with some margin of error), and Dreamscape, which allowed Awakened to gain battle experience.Don’t forget: over 50 years passed since the Nightmare began. Countless people died — including scientists — infrastructure was ruined, and resources were critically limited. What scientific progress do you expect? 50 years is hardly enough for breakthroughs in weapons development — or any other area — under such circumstances.3) Quoting:“Underuse of utility-focused Awakened: Even if humanity failed to develop effective weapons, it would have made sense to invest in utility-focused Awakened, especially Saints, to build infrastructure, create artifacts, develop agriculture, and support logistics. The near-complete absence of such people, especially in the government, seems serious.”My response:Where does this idea come from, that utility Awakened were underused? Regarding investment into Saints — it’s made quite clear that there were only a few dozen Saints before the Antarctic Campaign, and only two of them were in the government. So what “use” are we talking about?The novel repeatedly says that the Great Clans had better resources than the government — naturally, they also had the best Awakened. Those who joined the government often had no offers from Legacy Clans. Take Valor, for example — didn’t they create weapons? Artifacts? Amulets? Armor? Echoes? That is the proper use of utility-oriented Awakened. In the Sword Domain, such Awakened were very much appreciated.I agree that the author didn’t delve deeply into this aspect, but it certainly wasn’t ignored.4) Quoting:“Flawed premise of suppression by Lords: The idea that existing Lords automatically hunt anyone attempting the Fourth Nightmare is flawed. The Dream Realm is vast, and almost impossible to track. How would Lords even know who’s trying to ascend? Saints can hide in the waking world, make secret expeditions to lost continents, or tie themselves to Citadels in Death Zones to grow stronger. They can even ascend in places like the Nightmare Desert or the Storm Sea — places even Lords avoid. Take House of Night — if their Saints ascend in secret, who could stop them?”My response:The problem is, defeating the Fourth Nightmare requires not just an organized cohort, but a perfectly complementary one — or the members must be as unique as Sunny’s or Broken Sword’s cohort. That’s not something you just decide to do.Let’s take the Saints of House of Night. First, they would need to find a Tier IV Seed — which is not easy. Even if they do, conquering it requires the best of the best. Even assuming they succeed, it can take years. Saints have families, friends, and allies who would be endangered by such actions. The Clan itself could be destroyed. The risks — to the Saints, the clan, their loved ones — are immense.Even if they succeed in ascending, what next? If the Lord’s Aspect isn’t unique like Sunny’s or Asterion’s, their Domain will likely be territorial. Lords need Great Citadels, lesser Citadels, and Awakened and Saints to command them. All known Great Citadels are already claimed. Finding a new one isn’t easy, and if one exists, you still need to defeat its Guardian. Opposing the established powers without being as unique as Sunny or Nephis is a death sentence. Living permanently in Death Zones, where death is always near, is madness — better to bend a little and live in peace.I think this is more than enough as a response.Next review:Quoting:“If you like anime, this is a perfect introduction to web novels. This novel is almost perfect except for one thing — there’s too much filler. Honestly, the filler isn’t bad — sometimes you don’t even notice it — but in the final arcs, there are almost 200 chapters of pure filler. I don’t mind wasting time like this, I enjoy watching them do fun stuff, but if that’s not your thing, it might be a deal breaker.”My response:What exactly was filler in the novel? Sunny and Nephis’ relationship? Sunny’s development as the Shadow Sovereign? Or the so-called “dragged-out” War Throne arc?The novel has had the romance tag from the start, so I don’t understand the complaints about their relationship. And let’s be honest — not that many chapters were focused on it. Sunny was an unknown variable — forgotten by all — and stood on a power level above nearly every Saint besides Nephis. Exploring his character was a necessary part of the story.As for the War Throne arc — it feels slow only to those reading daily. This arc decided the fate of all humanity. It was a war between the two greatest powers of the world, separated by thousands of kilometers. Logistics, battles, supply chains, exploring unknown areas, conquering Citadels, strategic decisions — this kind of war in a cruel world like the Dream Realm can’t be quick. Every chapter can’t be just plot and action — we also need to see the daily lives and relationships of the characters. After all, they may be fictional, but they’re alive within the story.Next review:Quoting:“The MC is the biggest idiot in the world. Every time an almost-invincible monster shows up, that white-haired idiot just says, ‘Let’s defeat it,’ for no reason. Worse, the MC agrees, as if that’s the most logical thing ever. One of the most — if not the most — frustrating novels I’ve read.”My response:Dear reader, it’s clear you’re not an analytical person, nor do you understand what you’re reading.The “white-haired idiot” never said “let’s defeat it” without reason. Each of these moments had important narrative justification. I’ll give just one example: the Forgotten Shore and the “invincible” Gunlaug.Let’s analyze Nephis’ decision to challenge Gunlaug. What did she want? Revenge on the Lords and the Spell. What did she need to do that? To survive — and for that, she had to overthrow Gunlaug. Why? Because he refused to attempt escape from the Shore, and Nephis needed an army to conquer the Crimson Spire. To do that, she needed the first king’s memory — and so on. Every decision to challenge an “impossible” foe can be explained logically — you just need to think.Final review:Quoting:"This novel is so d*mn overrated; the MC is stupid and pathetic, and the characters lack intelligence. I regret reading 1,000 chapters of this dragged-out story. I expected it to improve, but it never did. Same old plot and power system as every other novel these days. This review is written from the pain I felt reading this garbage. F*** you, Sunny, I hope you die a dog’s death, and I’ll read the ending just to see you suffer.”My response:And what exactly is “stupid” about Sunny? That he uses every tool and ability at his disposal to survive? That he manipulates others? That he doesn’t trust everyone? That he’s ready to kill anyone who threatens his freedom — even Nephis? That he prepares meticulously before battles? That he uses the environment and even his enemies’ abilities against them?This is some of the most absurd criticism I’ve seen. Sunny is one of the smartest MCs I’ve ever read. He always learns from his mistakes and relies not just on brute force, but on intellect and strategy.What’s “pathetic” about Sunny? I would have agreed with you if he had remained Nephis’ slave in Ariel’s Tomb — but instead, he betrayed his cohort and chose freedom. That makes him a living, complex character.If Shadow Slave has an “overused” plot and power system, then name five web novels with a better story and power system. This novel has one of the most compelling plots, a unique and well-built world, an elegant and understandable power system, a deeply developed protagonist with immense growth, rich secondary characters, great lore, strong dialogue, and much more. If all these traits are supposedly “common these days,” where are those novels? Why are most of them garbage compared to Shadow Slave?I’ll end here. I just ask one thing: when writing reviews, try to be more objective. Just because something isn’t to your taste doesn’t mean it’s objectively bad.If you’d like.

Fucking goated 

No words can describe it so i ain't wasting my time writing about this goat.

Just read it you won't regret it.  I was so hooked that i finished it in less than a month,  my fastest record,.

The fact that this has kept someone like me, who has a terrible attention span, engaged for almost 2 months at this point says A LOT about how great this novel is. I've read a lot of manga and watched a ton of anime as well but none of them are of the same caliber as Shadow Slave. G3 the goat

My favourite novel (alongside TAPOV). Sunny is a relatable MC who is easy to identify with and the sidecast is great (although I'm currently stacking so idk what the situation is). Power system, lore and worldbuilding are F*CKING PEAK. This is the benchmark i measure all other novels against. 

If i ever had the chance to write a novel in my life, best believe it would be like this one and I'm finding it pretty hard to find a better piece of fiction. . EVERYTHING IS AMAZING LETS BE HONEST

It's peak from start to latest chapter, the story flows really well and both fighting chapters, slice of life and romance are all very good in their own way

The story never gets repetitive even if sometimes the chapters are a bit bloated but nothing egregious

Absolute 10/10 read

Really easy to read, beginner friendly, action packed, great story, I really hope this be animated into an anime's with great animation cause I can see this being better than one piece

Easy to remember names.

Original story. Amazing world building.

This is the best novel you can read in online novel genre.

I wish I could buy a hard copy of this novel in paper form but alas... maybe on a one merry day.

This is definitely my favorite novel of all time. I absolutely love the characters and the world. This novel always keeps me coming back for more. Highly recommend 

It's really good till vol7 but after that when Sunny no longer gives a f*** about how strong Nephis is, It gets much better vol8 and onwards are simply out of this world you can't stop till it's 3AM in the morning 

The first arc is probably the best arc in all of webnovel, the writing is peak and has a little romance but not much. it's the best webnovel I've ever read and has lots of peaks 🫡