Chapter 16: Cheating

Chapter 16: Cheating

Beyond the forest lay demons, wandering in pairs or alone, their scent of medicine intermingling with the stench of blood. Amidst the roars of various magical beasts within the woods, it all created an atmosphere akin to a frontier's grim tension.

Wen Ying stayed beside Aruda, who was attending to his external injuries. The only internal injury Wen Ying had might be the force transmitted to him when Beros kicked Levimo.

"Ouch..."

As Aruda treated one of Wen Ying's wounds, the young man let out a series of gasps, a stark contrast to the demons around them.

"Who's that? Why is he so fearful of pain like a little cub?"

"I remember him, the rookie who couldn't even leave a scratch on the adamantine rock during the first round."

"And next to him seems to be that devil..."

"Shh!"

Aruda glanced at the whispering demons, some of whom were not even attempting to keep their voices down. She appeared like a typical elderly woman, her expression kind, “Little Yin, do you find those demons noisy?”

Wen Ying didn’t answer immediately. Aruda’s casual demeanor was misleading, but his intuition warned him that if he answered “noisy,” the situation might escalate dramatically.

In a very bloody way.

So, Wen Ying instinctively tilted his head to nod, then shook it, his voice muffled. "I remember their faces."

Aruda was relieved. “Good, you did the right thing. Remember their faces.”

This was like a parent who encouraged their child to fight.

The corner of Wen Ying's mouth twitched as he pondered the "devil" he had just heard. He glanced at Beros, who was leaning against a tree three meters away with his eyes closed and arms crossed, and then at the kindly old woman applying medicine to him.

The adjective "devil" must have referred to Beros.

The devil in charge of recording the scoreboards had marked them down for Wen Ying. It was a plain black-horned devil that matched human imagination of what a devil should look like. The devil seemed a bit wary of Aruda and didn’t get too close. After respectfully greeting Aruda, he turned his attention to Wen Ying.

Upon noticing him, the black-horned devil froze. Wen Ying took all the scoreboards hanging from his waist and placed them on the ground, asking cheerfully, "Should I count them or will you?"

The black-horned devil opened his mouth in shock, his gaze flickering between Wen Ying and the scoreboards on the ground. "You got all of these?"

He stole a glance at the proud Aruda and thought to himself, indeed, as expected of the Devil researcher Aruda, she’s managed to achieve such outstanding results with a seemingly weak devil.

He smiled, somewhat ingratiatingly, "I'll count for you then..."

"He cheated!" A devil nearby shouted, drawing the attention of all the devils in the vicinity with his loud voice.

The designated testing area of the forest was vast, and its perimeter was long. The devils only needed to run out of the woods, not return to their starting point. Hence, there were devils scattered along the curved outer edge of the forest. As the commotion grew louder, some idle devils from afar came over to watch the spectacle.

Scarlet had initially come merely to be an onlooker. But upon catching sight of the central figure in the incident, that glaring white, his anger flared, and he impulsively wanted to rush over and give Wen Ying a lesson he'd never forget.

After taking only three steps, he saw the kindly-looking noblewoman standing beside Wen Ying, and he sucked in a sharp breath, taking four or five steps back. The spots where his scales had been plucked hurt subtly.

Why is Aruda here? And she's next to that kid? Scarlet was deeply shaken.

The black-horned devil in charge of recording seized the opportunity to look at the devil who had spoken. The young devil was bound with several bandages, reeking of blood. Clearly, he had suffered significant injuries within the forest. Despite his injuries, he protested indignantly, "He cheated! He brought enchanted items inside! Even if he's a junior of Lord Aruda, he can't just disregard the rules like that! Not even Lord Aruda can violate the rules set by His Majesty the Devil King!"

The bandaged devil's indignation stirred the sympathy of the surrounding devils, who collectively gasped. Individually, the gasps weren't loud, but en masse, they created quite a din.

This was a crazily brave warrior who revered His Majesty the Devil King! To dare speak up like that in front of the devil Aruda, wasn't he afraid of being captured for experimentation?!

The surrounding demons regarded the bandaged devil with looks akin to those reserved for heroes.

The recording horned devil hesitated, inwardly cursing the bandaged devil dozens of times. Why drag me into your death wish? Who is Aruda? She’s a devil that can scare children into silence! He cautiously glanced at Aruda while subtly shifting one foot back, ready to bolt at any moment.

Aruda remained unbothered and smiled amiably. "I haven't violated His Majesty the Devil King's rules. Come on, little one, tell us what enchanted item you're referring to."

Wen Ying also looked at him curiously.

The bandaged devil declared confidently, "It's a card! An enchanted item in the shape of a card. Back then, our group of devils was under attack by a giant python. He arrived later and used a strange card to heal us. I was so grateful that I wanted to help him conceal the fact that he secretly brought enchanted items in. But then, he took all my score cards!" The devil grew more agitated as he spoke, seemingly filled with regret.

Wen Ying: "...."

Surrounding Devils: "...."

Well, despite everything, it sounded a bit amusing.

Other victims who had suffered the same fate nodded in agreement, but they lacked the courage to speak up. Some were even kneeling on the ground due to Beros' oppressive presence.

Scarlet thought about the bizarre cards Wen Ying had used and grew even angrier. This guy actually brought enchanted items in, and they were all ridiculous!

A disdainful scoff sounded from behind Wen Ying, and Beros, standing three meters away, had somehow approached without notice. His formidable magical aura exerted pressure that forced weaker demons to kneel on the ground, while those slightly stronger could barely move their stiffened bodies, let alone clench their fists.

At this moment, the strength of the demons present became clear. Wen Ying quickly glanced around, pleased to see that all the devils he had marked in his mental notebook were kneeling.

As long as they were kneeling, they weren't much of a threat.

The bandaged devil’s body was rigid under the bloody and aggressive magic. He trembled as he spoke, “B-Beros, even if it’s you, you can’t go against His Majesty the Devil King!” The last part of his words were spoken with a heroic valor, akin to a warrior who knew he would never return.

Wen Ying scratched his cheek and said calmly, "Is there a possibility that those cards aren't enchanted items?"

"How could they not be?"

"You left, but the healing magic continued. They must be enchanted items."

Levimo had intended to speak up for Wen Ying, but Beros’s oppressive aura crushed everything, friend or foe, leaving him gasping for air and holding onto a demon behind him. He temporarily lacked the strength to speak.

During the journey out of the forest when Wen Ying carried him, Levimo had been healed by those cards. Later, when they encountered the bird monster, Wen Ying used some odd cards as well. Even though he was blindfolded, not dead, he could sense the connection between Wen Ying and those cards at such close proximity – it was not the same as the connection between an ordinary enchanted item and its user.

On those cards, Levimo sensed Wen Ying's own magic. Or perhaps, those cards were Wen Ying's magic itself.

”A waste is a waste, making excuses even after losing his scorecard,” Beros scoffed. “He’s a Mirror Demon.”

Whispers instantly grew louder.

"A Mirror Demon? That wretched race?"

"Could that card be the medium for his replication magic?"

"That can't be. I saw him heal all the demons around him in one breath using that card. Are Mirror Demons that powerful now?"

Scarlet was stunned, his golden eyes wide with disbelief. He had witnessed Wen Ying's unconventional maneuvers firsthand, having his scorecard stolen by a series of peculiar cards, those instant spells, and the last one... No wonder it felt familiar, it was a Succubus's charm spell. This Mirror Demon's replication ability wasn't as strong as that.

Tiger Essence, who had been brutally beaten by Wen Ying, was even more shocked, his eyes widening into perfect circles, transforming his tiger-like gaze into a feline one. His ears and tail stood stiffly on end.

What? He had been defeated by some demon? Did he hear wrong? A Mirror Demon? That bastard was a Mirror Demon??!!