Chapter 37: Humans
byChapter 37: Humans
Wen Ying forced himself to put aside his thoughts and glanced at the cartoon version of the three-headed dog on the bed. He suddenly realized that it was the only remaining limited edition doll he had left. The others, along with the cabinet, had been burned by that demonic mask.
His infatuation with Beros vanished instantly, replaced by the frustration of losing most of his collection. But what exactly was that demonic mask? A demon? Did it possess magic too?
Since the Fireball card of the demonic mask had run out, Wen Ying temporarily replicated one and showed it to Aruda, asking, "Grandma, do you know what this is?"
Aruda took one look and said, "This is a low-level demon. They're very weak, and humans usually can't see them most of the time."
But it was precisely such a weak low-level demon that had destroyed his years of collecting. Blood was dripping from Wen Ying's heart. If he ever saw something similar again, he would destroy it on sight.
"Grandma, how are demons ranked?"
Aruda looked at Wen Ying in surprise. "Old Mirror didn't tell you these things? The previous introductions were also supposed to be taught by elders."
Wen Ying maintained a smile, thinking to himself that his great-grandfather, who couldn't be relied upon, was completely useless. He had simply thrown him into the Demon Realm to fend for himself... except for entrusting him to Aruda, everything else was unreliable.
"We're born as high-ranking demons, capable of thought and physical form. Humans can see us directly. Even at birth, our magic power is stronger than many rookie exorcists."
"The creature you saw was a Lesser Demon. They're born from the dark essence of living beings' emotions and desires. Most don't have a human-like appearance, and their intelligence is limited. They usually inhabit creatures or objects, and while they aren't very powerful, they can still pose a threat to humans. Normally, people can't see them, but they can intimidate their targets, instilling fear, which allows the demons to manifest and feed."
"Upon consuming a significant amount of human life force, Lesser Demons can evolve into Intermediate Demons. These have greater strength and more developed cognitive abilities, similar to us. As long as they consume enough humans, they can advance to become Greater Demons," Aruda explained, then chuckled at Wen Ying's awestruck expression. "Demons don't generate Lesser Demons, but their graves can produce them. In some cases, when a powerful demon dies, the magic within their body can directly birth a Greater Demon, like our Lord Devil himself."
Wen Ying paused, sensing a hidden meaning in Aruda’s tone. Her expression seemed innocent, making Wen Ying wonder if he had misinterpreted her words earlier. The thought was chilling: after the Devil’s death, his magic could create a Greater Demon…
Wait, the Devil currently has two sons. If he were to pass away, wouldn’t there be a possibility of a third “son”? A shiver ran down Wen Ying’s spine as he looked at the kind old woman with a perpetual smile, feeling as though he had fallen into an icy abyss.
His emotions had been on a rollercoaster ride for him this morning, leaving him disoriented. As he entered the classroom, he found numerous demons standing at the entrance, abruptly snapping him out of his daze. All eyes were on him, and for a few silent seconds, someone broke the tension, causing the demons to charge. The scene was terrifying, and Wen Ying retreated, his gaze filled with alarm.
Glancing behind him, no celebrity-level demons were present, indicating that these demons had him as their target. The short distance between them quickly closed, and within seconds, the demonic horde was upon him.
"What are you doing?" Wen Ying asked, confused and startled.
"The Mirror Demon! Three days have passed. Accept my ranking challenge!"
"Accept mine!"
"You think you're capable of reaching the top spot with that? Scram!"
"Scram yourself! What can you do?!"
"Damn it! You son of a...!"
Before Wen Ying could respond, they started fighting, causing a ruckus in the hallway. It was clear to Wen Ying why they had made such a fuss. His lips twitched as he watched them silently slip through the gap and into the classroom.
Soon, Feng Luo's furious voice echoed outside, and the demons scattered like frightened animals.
Wu Fei had just arrived. He smiled at Wen Ying, his expression also showing surprise at the scene. "They're so crazy. Do demons take rankings that seriously?"
Wen Ying shared his sentiment, but looking at Wu Fei reminded him of Aruda's cryptic words that morning. The chilling sensation of being stared down by a giant snake lingered, casting a haunting shadow over Wen Ying. He laid a hand on Wu Fei's shoulder and forced a smile. "The demon realm is different from the human world."
Thoughtfully, Wen Ying asked in a veiled manner, "You're not interested in the top spot, are you?"
Wu Fei shook his head. "Not at all." The memory of being brutally beaten the other day still lingered, and demons were just too damn ruthless.
It seemed that Wu Fei hadn't understood what he was really asking – if he had any interest in the throne of the Demon King. Wen Ying glanced past Wu Fei, noticing Levimo and Lilith sitting not far behind him. Their eyes conveyed a mix of anxiety and frustration, as if they were more concerned than the king himself.
Looking back at Wu Fei, the second prince freshly arrived from the human realm didn't possess the demonic aura. He appeared harmless, like a lamb, without any intimidating presence. In fact, he seemed to lack any sort of charisma.
Well, not entirely. There was something about Wu Fei that gave off a submissive, salaryman vibe. Despite being taller and carrying the bloodline of a black dragon, which should have lent him an air of authority, he still gave off the impression of someone who would readily respond, "Sure, boss. I'll grab that package for you from the front desk," when asked.
It was a delicate balance, and Wen Ying couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic for Levimo and Lilith. Fortunately, his own status wasn't exceptional. As for his great-grandfather's talk of reviving the Mirror Clan and ascending to the throne of the Demon King, well, that old fool didn't have the right to speak on such matters.
Confused, Wu Fei watched as Wen Ying seemingly patted him on the shoulder meaningfully before taking a seat.
"???" Wu Fei lowered his head to look at the shoulder that had just been patted, unsure of Wen Ying's intention.
Lilith let out a deep sigh.
The first class was about the basics of human law, taught by a human instructor – a new face, not Lu Qingtao.
Wen Ying gazed at the teacher on the platform with a slightly concentrated expression. The words Essence had spoken to him yesterday about Feng Luo and another demonic teacher clashing in the staff room echoed in his mind. He tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, turning his gaze to Wu Shaluo on the other side.
Wu Shaluo's uncle was a fallen angel of thunder;
Feng Luo had clashed with Wu Shaluo's uncle in the staff room;
The reason Wu Shaluo reported it was because Feng Luo had stopped him from bullying Lu Qingtao and punished Wu Shaluo;
...
The young man on the platform had undeniable exhaustion in his eyes, his brows perpetually knitted together. A bandage adorned his face, hiding several newly healed scars on his forehead.
Piecing these events together in his mind, Wen Ying quickly deduced a direction. He frowned; it seemed that quite a few demons disliked humans enough to take action.
There might be a reason behind this – Wu Fei was half-human, half-demon. So, the demons supporting the First Prince were using such actions to provoke Wu Fei...
Wen Ying buried his face in his hands, overwhelmed by his thoughts. Aruda’s cryptic words that morning made him view everything as political intrigue now. He sighed.
Muershi had an interest in the laws of the human world and listened attentively to the lecture. Beside him, Wen Ying's continuous sighs finally provoked a response. "You can throw me off a dueling platform, so why should you be afraid of those demons?"
Wen Ying looked at him in surprise and said softly, "You don't understand."
With many demonic students chatting during class, the human teacher on stage had zero authority. Wen Ying turned to Essence and asked, "What did Feng Luo and that fallen angel argue about yesterday?"
Essence blinked. "Didn't I tell you? Wu Shaluo went to tattle on him to his uncle."
Wen Ying pointed at the person on stage. "I have a hunch that our teacher's injuries are also related to their argument."
Scarlet couldn't help but say with a hint of mockery, "You're really out of the loop."
Wen Ying looked over, and Scarlet straightened up.
Li Jie, who was sitting in front, also turned his head and joined in the conversation. "The other nephew of the Thunder Demon is in Class 2. When he went to visit his uncle the day before yesterday, he happened to run into this guy. That guy inherited the lust of the fallen angel, even more so than a succubus..."
Essence interrupted him, narrowing his eyes slightly as he said nonchalantly, "I'm not just any demon."
Li Jie twitched the corner of his mouth, thinking to himself that Essence wasn't exactly casual. However, he didn't dare to offend Essence, so he continued, "He wanted to make a move on that person, but they weren't willing, so he got injured. Coincidentally, that person fled into the office, adding fuel to the fire between Feng Luo and the Thunder Demon."
HuPo, who had been listening all along, couldn't resist joining in the gossip. "Both of the Thunder Demon's nephews caused trouble. I think Feng Luo didn't fight with the Thunder Demon that day because the buildings here are too expensive, and he didn't want to pay for damages."
Wen Ying was startled and leaned closer. "Is Feng Luo a miser?"
Muershi chuckled. "Do you really think he's as simple as he looks? Let me tell you, he gets upset easily, and when he's unhappy, he tends to act out. Plus, he loves money – even though he's just a bird, he's got a dragon-like obsession with wealth."
"Hey, hey, I'm also a dragon, but I'm not as extreme as Feng Luo!" Scarlet protested unhappily.
Beros glanced covertly at the six chattering demons beside him, his lips turning downward uncontrollably. Despite having tugged at Wen Ying's tail, it seemed that Wen Ying had grown closer to the other demons than to him.
Listening to the gossip, Wen Ying's curiosity was ignited, instantly dispelling his gloom. He listened with great pleasure until his student radar started beeping. Instinctively, he placed his hands neatly on the desk, closed his mouth, straightened his posture, and focused his gaze on the lectern.
After a while of gossiping, the other five demons noticed that Wen Ying hadn't spoken for a long time. Huo Po glanced at him quizzically. "Why aren't you talking anymore?"
"What's on the lectern?" Muershi lazily looked in that direction. "Human marriage law?"
Essence chuckled. "Wen Ying, I didn't expect you to be so interested in humans. Are you planning to go to the human realm and marry one?"
Since earlier, Li Jie had felt like he was being stared down by a terrifying beast. He fell silent, feeling uneasy, scanning his surroundings. His body froze, and he secretly kicked both Huo Po and Muershi's calves from under the table.
Scarlet and Essence were too far away to reach.
Tiger Pearl, straightforward as always, turned to ask, "Why did you kick me?"
Muershi had already realized the situation, especially when he saw Wen Ying sitting upright and attentively listening. His eyelids were twitching nonstop; he hadn't held back in exaggerating Feng Luo's quirks just now.
"Feng Luo, keep going," came his voice from the side.
The five demons looked towards the window where Feng Luo was standing silently, seemingly having been there for quite some time. In that instant, they felt their lives were about to end.
Essence grumbled softly to Wen Ying, "You're no good at keeping secrets."
Scarlet blurted out, "Wen Ying was involved too!"
Wen Ying mentally decided to sprinkle Aruda’s specially-made itch powder on them later.
Feng Luo's gaze darkened. "I only see the five of you talking about me."
What did they mean by ‘he would always bargain when shopping’? That he had a pile of magic coins under his bed? That he was reluctant to eat on the second floor and preferred the first floor cafeteria?
After Feng Luo spoke, the entire classroom fell silent. Everyone pretended to be seriously engaged in class. The young man on the lectern gratefully looked at Feng Luo, feeling a sense of support. His teaching voice grew louder.
Essence's gaze was enigmatic as he probed Wen Ying to see if he would carry him away, but before he could discern Wen Ying's stance on the human teachers being bullied by the Devil Prince's nephews and their ilk.
The five Devils were dragged out by Feng Luo for a thorough classroom cleaning, forbidden from using magic; they could only rely on their hands and tools. This punishment, announced in class, intimidated many disobedient Devils who had shown disrespect to the teacher, like Wu Shaluo. The "innocent" Devils were astonished by such an unusual penalty.
Beros watched with delight as the five Devils around Wen Ying slunk off to clean, his lips curving upward. He used the back of his right hand to cover his mouth, hiding his smile.
Wen Ying still felt a lingering fear, having narrowly avoided the cleaning duty himself.
After class, Beros intended to humbly invite Wen Ying to train together in the future. However, just as he was about to stand up, Wen Ying rushed over to the human like a gust of wind, whispering a lot to him, and then they both left together.
Beros' face fell instantly. He had deliberated for a long time before reluctantly reaching that decision!
The Devils sitting around Beros all fled, unable to tolerate the oppressive atmosphere. Only the Nekomata and the Witch Fairy remained seated.
"What's gotten into Beros these past two days?" the Nekomata tilted her head. "Use that crystal ball to take a look."
The Witch Fairy chuckled, her voice rough and mysterious with a melodic cadence, though her words held no mystery at all.
"Is he in heat?"
Cat Demon: "???" His ears perked up as he glanced at Berros and then at the witch fairy, asking, "Are you serious?"
"I rarely jest," the witch fairy patted the cat demon's bare shoulder, "Stay away from him for a while. Male devils in their mating season are incredibly lonely and prone to irritability."
Cat Demon: "... Aren't you afraid that Berros might hear you? But you're not even male, how would you know?"
The witch fairy chuckled softly, her voice echoing mysteriously, "Who knows?"
It was peculiar. Was that Magic Mirror Devil really that charming? Recalling Wen Ying's appearance, the cat demon's expression held a hint of disdain. Although his face was indeed good-looking, the stark white was too glaring. Berros had quite an unusual taste.
Suddenly, a devil entered through the back door. He had large wings, black as raven feathers. This devil's steps were unsteady, and his complexion was pale as he rushed straight towards Wu Shaluo.
"Cousin, where's that Magic Mirror Devil?"
”Hui Guo, do you also want to sit in the first place of the ranking matches?” Wu Shaluo raised an eyebrow.
Hui Guo, another nephew of the Thunder Devil, nodded. A fierce dissatisfaction appeared on his pale face, "The academy allowed a Magic Mirror Devil into Class One and put me in Class Two. I'm determined to seize this chance to teach him a lesson."
Huiguo's voice showed no intention of being softened; instead, it seemed as if he wanted every demon in the classroom to hear him, speaking loudly and clearly.
The cat glanced at Beros’s expression reflexively. In response to Huiguo’s words, Beros remained unperturbed.
"He didn't react," the cat remarked to the fairy witch. "Although you can see through many things, you still can't grasp the essence of male demons."
The petite fairy witch, seemingly unconcerned, gazed at the textbook on mortal world knowledge with casual indifference. "Don't cling too tightly to gender roles; it can lead to misunderstandings."
Beros was indeed unaffected, or perhaps he was anticipating – looking forward to Wen Ying defeating Huiguo. That day, on the arena, Wen Ying had shimmered with brilliance in his eyes.
Wen Ying revealed a strength beyond his expectations. The arrogant demeanor with which he trampled upon the defeated stirred his heartbeat, causing the entire Magic Capital to tremble. That sensation was even more intoxicating than defeating a powerful adversary.
Boros yearned to experience that sensation again, the thrill that made his blood race and his fingertips tremble ever so slightly.
Wen Ying left the classroom alongside Cheng Haoyuan, immediately inquiring about the events of the previous day and the sensation of living in the demonic realm these past few days. To his surprise, besides the HR who had summoned them to the demon world, Feng Luo, there was actually another demon who could speak to them humans with such calmness and without any trace of contempt.
He exuded tranquility, and Cheng Haoyuan didn't sense any demonic oppression from him. Thus, he shared his observation with Wen Ying.
Demons lurked in the hallway, their eyes gleaming with predatory intent as soon as they laid sight upon Wen Ying. Instantly recalling his current status as tantamount to a succulent piece of Tripitaka meat, he tightly grasped Cheng Haoyuan's hand and hastened their escape.
Wen Ying only stopped running once they were outside the school building, in the safety of the woods. Behind him, Cheng Haoyuan's legs were almost giving out. Gasping for breath, he asked, "Wh-Why did those demons chase you?"
With his right hand on his waist, Wen Ying kept a cautious eye on their surroundings as he replied, "It's a long story, and I can't explain it properly right now. It's not a big issue."
Cheng Haoyuan looked at the silver-haired demon before him with a complicated expression. The demon's appearance seemed out of place in the Realm of Demons; would he face discrimination from other demons? Were those demons just now trying to bully him?
"Were those injuries from that fallen angel in Class Two?"
At the demon's question, fear flickered in Cheng Haoyuan's eyes. He nodded silently before continuing, "I don't understand. If you disdain listening to our lectures, why pay to bring us to the Realm of Demons?"
The past few days had been a nightmare. What began as a routine job interview turned into something far more sinister. The teaching position had sounded easy, with double pay, free meals, and a single room dormitory.
Excitement had turned into horror. Something worse than encountering an unscrupulous boss had happened to him – he was transported to another world, one inhabited by demons. To an ordinary human like him, they were terrifying and powerful. The raw malice around him felt like a flowing stream that threatened to drown him, leaving him gasping for air.
Listening to Cheng Haoyuan's tale of despair, Wen Ying remained silent, simply listening quietly.
He used to think himself unlucky, but now he considered himself fortunate. He wasn't an ordinary human like Cheng Haoyuan, nor was he the heavily burdened second son of the Devil King, Wu Fei.
He was free.
Wen Ying held the weeping Cheng Haoyuan in his arms, patting his back gently and whispering, "Don't worry, Feng Luo won't let anything happen to you."
"But... But Feng Luo can't be with us 24/7," Cheng Haoyuan grew more and more frightened as he thought about it. "That fallen angel, that terrifying demon, his gaze was like he wanted to kill me!"
"It's not those demons, it's that teacher!" Cheng Haoyuan trembled all over, feeling as if death was imminent. He clung to Wen Ying even tighter, tears and snot running down his face.
Now, an ordinary human's strength posed no challenge for Wen Ying, but forcibly pulling away might hurt him. Reluctantly, Wen Ying opened his arms. "It's not that bad. The Demon King wouldn't allow such a thing to happen unless he could do it without being detected. Just avoid going to isolated places."
Cheng Haoyuan knew this logically, but the constant threat overhead made him live in constant fear. Demons had magic; who knew if they possessed some mysterious spatial teleportation technique?
Regaining his composure, Cheng Haoyuan felt embarrassed after the outburst of pent-up fear. He sheepishly released his grip and stepped back, not daring to meet Wen Ying's eyes. "I'm sorry... I don't know why I feel so close to you... I'm really sorry for getting your clothes dirty."
As Cheng Haoyuan spoke, something came to mind, and he hastily fished out some cash from his pocket, offering it to Wen Ying. "Your clothes seem of good quality. This might not be enough, but I'll give you more next time..."
Looking at the bills Cheng Haoyuan handed over, something flashed across Wen Ying's mind, sparking inspiration.
"How much does Feng Luo pay you two each month?"
Cheng Haoyuan assumed Wen Ying found the compensation insufficient, so he whispered, "Twelve thousand."
"That's enough."
Wen Ying took out a purple Magic Coin from his pocket and placed it in Cheng Haoyuan's hand. Cheng Haoyuan was baffled; why was this demon giving him money?
Wen Ying then handed him an R-card, the Water Shield, along with the coin, and said with a smile, "Try using the magic power within the Magic Coin to activate the spell on this card."
"…Activate a spell?" Cheng Haoyuan felt as if his mind had turned into a jumbled mess. An indescribable sensation surged through his scalp, causing his hands to tremble uncontrollably.
It seemed like something was truly emanating from the purple coin and flowing into his body. Without any guidance, Cheng Haoyuan instinctively "pushed" these forces out, guiding them into the tightly clenched card in his hand.
Suddenly, the card in his hand glowed, startling Cheng Haoyuan. His hand shook, causing the card to drop. Before he could bend down to retrieve it, the card dissipated into light mid-air, followed by the emergence of a two-meter-tall wall of water.
Cheng Haoyuan's eyes went blank, and his breathing became rapid to the point of suffocation. He was all too aware of the significance of this wall of water!
"Hah, hahaha…" Cheng Haoyuan laughed through his tears, rushing past the water wall to embrace Wen Ying tightly, as if trying to embed this silver-haired angel-like demon into his own body.
Wen Ying smiled too, crinkling his eyes as he gently patted Cheng Haoyuan's back. Unbeknownst to Cheng Haoyuan, the supposed angel now wore a devilish expression.
Wu Shaluo, right? Disdains the Mirror Demons, huh? He would show this guy what a true Mirror Demon is capable of.
Unseen by Wen Ying, a demon stood there, muscular and handsome, with a face as dark as the bottom of a pot.
”Wen Ying…” The word barely squeezed out from the depths of his throat, accompanied by a low, eerie growl.
Wen Ying, basking in the imagined astonishment on Wu Shaluo's and the two Fallen Angels' faces, suddenly felt an uncomfortable prickle. His demonic intuition led him to locate the source of the gaze, his eyes sharp... only to turn to horror soon after.
When had Beros arrived? And why did he look like he wanted to tear him apart?
The sensation on his body snapped Wen Ying back to reality. He pushed Cheng Haoyuan away, who had been holding him tightly, as if he'd just been electrocuted. The action seemed to only draw more attention to their situation.
Thoughtfully, Wen Ying regained his composure and fished out a few cards from his pocket, handing them to Cheng Haoyuan. "Lend me that Magic Coin for now. Remember to return it when you get paid. Take these cards too; they're for defense. There's a brief magic description on each."
"Thank you so much, I don't even know how to repay you..." Cheng Haoyuan was overwhelmed with gratitude, unable to control himself as he hugged Wen Ying again.
Wen Ying: "..." It seemed like Cheng Haoyuan was planning to repay kindness with enmity.
Pushing Cheng Haoyuan away, Wen Ying added, "If anyone else wants one, they can come find me, but don't be too obvious about it. Be cautious."
"Of course I do!" Cheng Haoyuan's brows danced with delight. "I can't let those demons target you."
Seeing that he wanted to do more to express his gratitude, Wen Ying hurriedly pushed him to go first.
Cheng Haoyuan's bouncing and skipping figure showed just how ecstatic he was.
Wen Ying rubbed his forehead and sighed. Just as he turned around, he saw Beros, who had been standing far away, suddenly appear only two meters behind him, his blood-red eyes fixed intently on Wen Ying.
"That human..."
"I conducted an experiment on him, and it was a success," Wen Ying interrupted the demon's thoughts, his eyes curved in a smile, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the air.
Beros was taken aback, his gaze suspicious. “An experiment?”
"It was about the cards I created."
Wen Ying nonchalantly took out a card from his pocket, kissed its corner, and lifted his silver-white eyes, now shimmering with moisture and radiance. Beros suddenly felt that same thrill of excitement he had experienced in the arena that day. His right hand involuntarily rose slightly, and his voice unexpectedly turned husky. “So what?”
Wen Ying was genuinely pleased, his smile akin to that of a fox who had found a sweet treat. "That human just now couldn't use magic, but with a magic coin in hand and one of my crafted cards, he could cast spells."
Beros’s anger dissipated instantly, his tone filled with surprise. “They can use magic?”
"Yes," Wen Ying lifted his chin proudly. "I suspect that fallen angel from Class Two might try to take another shot at that person, so I gave him my card to make them look down on me, hehe..."
Wen Ying’s smile turned cunning, but he remembered Beros was still there and coughed, using the back of his hand to cover his lips, attempting to salvage his image. After all, he still had a little hope of turning Beros into his boyfriend.
"After all, being constantly insulted as an unworthy scumbag would make anyone furious," he said. "I'm a refined and elegant demonic scholar, not a cunning devil."
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