In the morning, Sunny was woken up by the gentle rustling of leaves. Opening his eyes, he saw rays of sunshine falling through the scarlet crown of the Soul Tree, painting the world in soft shades of pink. The sight was beautiful and tranquil. It felt as though none of the dangers and terrors of the Dream Realm could reach him here.
A soft breeze touched his skin, bringing with it coolness and the smell of fallen leaves.
For the first time in a long while, Sunny felt at peace.
'Is this what a vacation feels like?'
If so, their decision to have one was the best decision ever.
He sat up with a yawn and lazily looked around. Cassie and Nephis were already awake. Seeing them put a smile on Sunny's face.
'Why the hell am I grinning?'
Shaking his head, Sunny put on a serious expression and said:
"Good morning."
The girls greeted him. Then, Nephis slightly tilted her head and asked:
"Hey. Do you remember why we didn't leave anyone to keep watch last night?"
Hey, it’s my birthday! Yeah, I’ve been born on April Fool’s Day. Being born a fool is a big responsibility, if you ask me. One might even say that it’s a calling ;) Coincidentally, the first volume of Shadow Slave is about to be finished. I’d say it will come to conclusion in around a week, provided everything goes well. Since there’s such an occasion, I’ve decided to say a few things.
First of all, I would like to thank all my readers for following the story and supporting it with their time, attention and comments. Thank you, guys! Knowing that there are people waiting for me to continue really helps my motivation. I’ve been pushing myself hard to post a chapter every day for these past two months, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see your response. Reading the comments and interacting with readers is genuinely the best part of my day.
Secondly, I want to announce a couple of things about the novel’s future. Due to the intricacies of Webnovel’s ranking and feature system, the next two months will be extremely important for its overall standing. It’s the “make it or break it” moment. As the author, I naturally really want to see Shadow Slave succeed and prosper, staying alive for a really long time. To make sure that I’ve done everything in my power to make it happen, I’ve decided to increase my output and commit to posting two chapters every day, at least in April.
This decision was not an easy one, since as far as authors go, I’m really slow, writing with the speed of a dying turtle. That poor creature… uh, where was I? Oh, right — despite that, I believe that I can write more without sacrificing quality. Whatever happens, I will sleep easy knowing that I gave it my all.
If you also want to support the novel, there are a few things that can help it a lot. For those readers who have the opportunity to spend coins, please consider becoming a participant in the “Win-Win Mission” by purchasing privilege. Currently, it only costs one coin and gives you access to two additional chapters in advance. Depending on how many of such chapters will be unlocked by the end of the month, Shadow Slave might be featured by Webnovel and receive more attention.
For those readers who don’t have such an opportunity — your time, votes, comments and reviews are more than enough! Thank you for sticking with Sunny on his tumultuous journey and enjoying the twists and turns of the story with me. I hope you’re having a wonderful time :)
That’s all.
Happy April Fool’s Day!