Lying on my bed, I stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
'Who would've thought I'd end up here… in this world?'
If I really stop to think about it, the whole situation is absurd. In my past life, I was nothing but a victim of child abuse.
Powerless. Broken. Forgotten.
So why the hell did I get transmigrated into the world of Shadow Slave ?
And not just as some background extra—but as Sunless, the protagonist himself.
"Whose life is about to go from bad to worse," I muttered.
With a sigh, I got up from the bed… and slapped myself, hard.
Stupid? Yeah. Pretty on-brand for me in both lives, if you ask me.
Why did I do it? Honestly, to see if this was real. Because even now, I still don't believe I've been thrown into this death-world dystopia.
The sting on my cheek confirmed it—really hurts.
"sigh"
'So it's real after all,' I thought, rubbing my face.
I walked over to the mirror and stared at my reflection.
"You're a champion." "You're great." "You're the GOAT."
I kept hyping myself up for a solid thirty minutes. Desperate times call for desperate affirmations. After that mental breakdown disguised as motivation, I took a hot shower, then threw on the white tracksuit the Academy had provided.
I glanced at myself again.
'Hmm... decent.'
Then I stepped out of the room and headed toward the gym. I already knew the way—this commutator device had a built-in minimap and other handy features, which, honestly, was the first decent thing to happen today.
When I arrived, I saw some other Sleepers already there. A few were chatting, others were pumping iron like they were born for it.
I found an empty treadmill and started running. It was my first day, so I wasn't planning on going all out. Just a warm-up to get the blood flowing.
Ten minutes later, I was drenched in sweat—head to toe, soaked.
'Damn!!, feel like i just had a wild sex.'
I moved on to some stretches, sit-ups, push-ups, and even picked up a pair of 5 kg dumbbells.
An hour later, I staggered out of the gym.
'Fuck!… my whole body's on strike.'
Muscles I didn't know I had were screaming in protest. My legs felt like spaghetti. My arms and shoulders were stiff as stone.
'Well, what did I expect ?' I grunted. 'Neither I nor Sunless ever touched a gym before this. All he ever did was run and steal.'
I sighed and was just about to head to the cafeteria when someone called out.
"Wait!"
I turned and saw a man approaching me. He was dressed in the standard white uniform—clearly a staff member from the Academy.
As he got closer, he gave me a polite smile.
"Are you Sleeper Sunless?"
I gave a slight nod. I just come to a realization that whenever someone ask for my name, I have two answers. Alex—the name from my past life, and Sunless—the name of the body I now inhabit.
He gestured for me to follow.
"Please come with me to the administrative office."
'So, the time has come, huh?'
I had half a mind to run, but who was I kidding? I wasn't gonna escape fate. That's why I went to the gym instead of the cafeteria—I thought maybe, just maybe, doing something different would change the script.
I was wrong.
'Fate is a bitch.'
Without another word, I followed the man.
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"I fucked up."
Right now, I was slumped at a corner table in the cafeteria, a small mountain of food laid out in front of me. I ate slowly, mechanically—each bite bringing back the awkward trainwreck that had just happened.
Yeah… I fucked up.
Not in a dead-meat kind of way, but definitely not ideal either.
Twenty minutes ago…
I was sitting across from a charming man—handsome, soft-spoken, the kind of guy who could sell poison with a smile. You'd trust him at first glance. That's the problem.
But I wasn't some naive idiot. I've read the novel. I know the trustworthy-looking ones are the worst—wolves in sheep's skin with a PhD in manipulation.
And this man? Government agent, no doubt. Sent to squeeze secrets from the Sleepers: our Nightmares, our Aspects, and worst of all… our Flaws.
He held a sleek file in his hands, smiling like we were two friends catching up over coffee.
'That file probably has all of Sunless's data—or as far as they've managed to dig up.'
But from my knowledge all they had in that file would be nothing but his name, age, and his origin which is outstirks, another then these three, they have nothing else.
"So, Sleeper Sunless," he began, tone warm and sugary, "would you like something to eat?"
I shook my head immediately.
He didn't push. Just nodded and shifted gears like a true professional.
"Well then, before we begin, would you like to schedule a psychological counseling session? Don't worry—we have some of the best psychologists. They'd love to help."
'Yeah. And I'm sure they'd love to extract every usable piece of intel out of my brain too, you snake.'
I declined again.
His eye twitched, just for a second. Then he sighed and changed tactics.
"So, what are your hobbies? Mine are reading and singing."
'Did I ask for your LinkedIn bio?'
With another sigh, I replied flatly, "I don't have any."
He gasped, as if I'd insulted his mother. "What?! No hobbies? Kid, let me tell you—everyone needs a hobby."
Then came the lecture. A full five-minute TED Talk on the importance of hobbies. I stared at the wall behind him and considered biting my own tongue off.
Finally, he got to the point.
"So… if it's okay with you, would you mind sharing your Nightmare with me?"
At least he _asked_ for permission. That was important. If he had demanded it, I might've been screwed.
"No. I'm not comfortable sharing that," I said, voice flat.
He didn't back down. Of course he didn't.
"I understand. It must be so hard for a child like you. When my own kid got infected by the spell, I was devastated. Any parent would be."
And there it was. The fake sob story.
'Cool. I didn't ask. Also, I genuinely hope your kid died a dog's death in their first Nightmare.'
He saw I wasn't biting. Wiped away imaginary tears, sighed again, and moved on.
"Well, what about your Aspect? Anything you'd like to share there—what it does, maybe?"
Now he sounded like a kid asking about my favorite Pokémon.
'This guy…'
Another denial. "No. I do not wish to share."
He didn't react much—just nodded and tapped something onto his tablet. But I noticed the twitch in his smile. The barely-there crease in his brow.
That's when the unease started creeping in.
'I don't like this. Something's off.'
I couldn't explain it, but I felt it—like a sixth sense screaming at me from the back of my mind.
'Maybe because I changed the original script… maybe because I refused too cleanly… maybe because fate doesn't like it when you improvise.'
He closed the tablet, stood up, and said, "That's all. Thank you for your time, Sleeper Sunless."
I nodded and left.
Back to the present.
And that's what happened. Now, staring at the empty plates in front of me, I couldn't shake the feeling.
'Why does it feel like I did something wrong?'
It wasn't logic—it was instinct. That itchy feeling you get right before something bad happens.
Well, whatever.
I stood up. I'd eaten. That was enough existential dread for one meal. Time to crash and process.
Without another thought, I turned and walked toward my room.
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As I walked down the hallway, lost in thought, I didn't notice the person in front of me.
Of course, I bumped into them.
Classic.
"Ah—!"
A surprised yelp escaped me as I stumbled back, ready to hit the floor—and maybe cry about it later—but I never hit the ground.
Someone caught me. By the waist.
Like a damn princess.
'Whoa...'
And thank all higher powers, it wasn't some crusty old staff member or steroid-addicted gym bro.
No, fate finally decided to bless me.
Because the one who caught me… was a full-on goth mommy.
Black hair. Crimson eyes. Skin pale as moonlight. And a body that could cause a traffic accident.
She smiled down at me like I was dessert—and honestly? I was so okay with that.
'Only an idiot would resist.'
As I gawked like the socially starved gremlin I am, recognition hit.
'Wait… she's the milf from day one.' Second milf, technically.
But memorable. Definitely memorable.
Snapping out of my thirsty daze, I noticed the other Sleepers in the hallway were definitely watching. Judging. Probably recording. 'Great.'
"Ahem… can you put me down now?"
I asked in the meekest voice imaginable—like a kid asking their mom for candy. Except this mom was hot enough to cause war crimes.
"Oh~ right, right~," she replied, her voice practically dripping seduction.
She helped me to my feet slowly, like she enjoyed the whole thing. My face was burning—flaming red with embarrassment.
Now that I was upright, I noticed she was tall.
'Like… noticeably taller.' At least seven inches taller than me.
'Well, I've got seven inches somewhere else, mommy.'
Yeah seven inches bitches.
I was still in my own dumb fantasy when her gloved hand cupped my cheek. Her touch was soft—even through the leather.
"You're not hurt, are you, child?"
She asked sweetly, her crimson eyes glowing with… something that definitely wasn't motherly concern.
I shook my head, heart trying to beat its way out of my chest.
"Good. Next time, try looking where you're going," she said, turning around to leave.
I watched her walk away, my eyes absolutely glued to her hips.
'Damn that ass.'
Just as I saw her begin to turn around, I bolted like a guilty pervert.
Unbeknownst to me, she smiled over her shoulder—like a predator that had just marked its prey.
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Back in my room, I locked the door behind me, stripped off the uniform, and collapsed on the bed.
"Today was… a lot."
With that final thought, I drifted off to sleep, completely unaware of the chaos the next four weeks had in store for me.
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The next day.
"Fuck." i could help but said out loud.
'So that's where the uneasiness was coming from.' i thought as i saw a lot of sleeper looking in my direction, awe stuck, confusion and also hostility.
I couldn't help but feel like putting my head in the wall, and hide.
'Why did this happened to me... just why...'
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