Chapter 44: Very Criminal

Chapter 44: Very Harsh

Wen Ying didn't know when he fell asleep the previous night. When he woke up, he was still drowsy, but with classes starting soon, he had to drag himself out of bed.

There wasn't much difference between attending school in the demon world and the human world – both had hateful early morning classes and packed schedules. If there was one difference, it was that Wen Ying frequently found himself lying in the school infirmary every other day in the demon world, and his classmates were all rather brutal.

They were also very gossipy. The moment Essence saw Wen Ying arrive, she immediately leaned over and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "Can you tell me what Aruda is up to with his new experiment?"

Yesterday's events had already spread, with ordinary demons gossiping about Wen Ying's apparent lack of intelligence. For them demons, they were more concerned about how Wen Ying's body suddenly absorbed a large amount of demonic energy.

Li Jie turned his head, his eyes wide with curiosity. "I'm also curious."

"How can I tell you something I don't even know myself?" Wen Ying pushed Essence away. "We have a quiz in Basic Demon Plants class today."

Li Jie's lips curled up, his gaze sharp. "I've been studying magic potions since I was young. I'm practically an expert on the characteristics and effects of demon plants in the demon world."

Essence smiled as she introduced Li Jie to Wen Ying. "Li Jie is from the Black Goat Clan. They're renowned for their expertise in creating magic potions."

Wen Ying looked at Essence suspiciously. "What about you?"

Essence pulled out his cheat sheet and announced, "Ready."

Wen Ying remained silent with a blank expression.

During the first history lesson, Wen Ying, as usual, found himself dozing off, yawning endlessly. This old devil never focused on the part about why most humans forget about the existence of devils; instead, he elaborated on ancient battles between devils. The history class was transformed into a strategic warfare analysis session by this old devil. Wen Ying sadly realized that more than half of the class became attentive when the old devil started discussing "warfare strategies."

They listened attentively, asking questions and pointing out their confusion or skepticism about a particular devil's combat approach.

"Teacher, wasn't his failure due to arrogance? I've noticed that many devils have fallen because of overconfidence."

"The other one, though, was clearly too cowardly. He got fooled by the humans' empty city strategy. If he had charged in at that moment, he would've won."

"One should be cautious of lust, how beautiful was that human female for her to bewitch a succubus so thoroughly that she even ended up getting stabbed?"

Sitting in his seat, listening to the heated discussions around him, Wen Ying felt like an outsider in the classroom.

The old devil slammed his desk to regain their attention and said, "So, the point of this lesson is to remind you not to be overconfident when dealing with humans. Don't face them alone. You never know how many they might be hiding, waiting to strike from behind."

Muershi raised his hand lazily, speaking nonchalantly, "Teacher, won't these lessons be ineffective for us? We're not radical extremists constantly plotting to invade the human world."

Wen Ying instantly perked up. Attack the Human Realm? He looked at Muershi, who noticed his gaze and turned his head, asking with a light smile, "What's wrong?"

"The same goes for you all," the old devil slammed the table. "You're all so casual. If there's ever a war with the Human Realm in the future, everything I just said will be invaluable experience!"

Scarlet scoffed and muttered under his breath, "With the state of the Human Realm now, how could they have enough exorcists to wage a war against us?"

Wen Ying poked Muershi. "What's the Extreme Faction?"

Muershi raised an eyebrow, about to say something before he seemed to remember something and changed his words. "They're a bunch of guys who don't know how to enjoy life."

"Don't listen to him," Li Jie turned his head. "The Extreme Faction is a group of radicals. Their goal is to break down the barrier between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm, returning the situation to how it was in ancient times, making the Human Realm a vassal of the Demon Realm."

Wen Ying's heart skipped a beat, but he kept his expression calm as he asked, "Are there many of them?"

Scarlet ridiculed, "Now they're using the human world's pyramid scheme tactics. Back then, they were everywhere on the surface until His Majesty the Devil King led his troops to suppress them. Now they've gone underground, so we have no idea how many there are."

"Pyramid... scheme?"

Muershi shrugged. "Yeah, they've been particularly fond of posting flyers lately. They even imitate humans by printing words on coins. Oh, if you see any, remember to report them."

Wen Ying: "..." It seemed that they didn't have to worry about demons invading the human world anytime soon. Those extremist factions didn't appear to be the brightest.

Essence lounged on the table, playfully prodding Wen Ying's back with his fingers while chuckling softly. "They're all relics of the past, ghosts from a bygone era. They claim to bear the mission of reviving the demon race, but all they know is violence and bloodshed. Times have changed. In my opinion, dealing with humans would be as simple as triggering a financial crisis."

Hupo chimed in naively, "I've heard it's easy to get slaves in the human world. All you need to do is pay, and if the price is right, they'll do anything."

Wen Ying: "..." The corner of his mouth twitched, reminded of a popular internet meme.

Aliens invaded Earth and demanded that humans work only three hours a day, with two days off per week, mandatory weekly psychological counseling, and timely wage payments. The protagonist, who resisted, was defeated by the humans (a joke originating from the internet).

With the grueling 996 work schedule and even more extreme hours, it's possible that in the past, humans might have genuinely welcomed demons with open arms. If they were also offering housing, they might have overwhelmed exorcists with sheer numbers.

Muershi observed Wen Ying as he supported his chin with a smile on his face. His eyes, however, didn't share the same casual mirth; their hue was slightly dimmed as he spoke lightly, "You seem to be quite concerned about humans."

Wen Ying admitted frankly, "Yeah, I find them quite interesting. And don't you like their cuisine and entertainment? TV dramas, movies, novels, all sorts of creative works?"

Lost in thought, Muershi's gaze lost its darkness. He chuckled, "I adore their delicious food."

A few chalks flew over, and Wen Ying, having developed a conditioned reflex from Feng Luo's beatings, swiftly dodged out of the way.

The old demon on the podium slammed the desk in anger, "Don't be too arrogant! I'm still standing up here!"

Muershi raised his hands with a grin, "Alright, alright, we won't talk anymore."

The old demon on stage was nearly driven to despair.

In the second class, Wen Ying finished the quiz with confidence. These were simpler than the practice questions given by Aruda; they were all basics. It was unknown if Si Ya had consulted local teachers in the human world, but as soon as the quiz started, she caught ten cheaters. The scene was impressive, leaving Wen Ying in awe.

Before school ended, Wen Ying glanced at Berlos. Perhaps because he learned yesterday that it was a misunderstanding, Berlos' attitude was entirely different today. Wen Ying couldn't quite describe how he felt, perhaps just a sense of regret.

Wen Ying went to the cafeteria with Muershi and the others. Berlos slowly packed up the items on his desk.

A demon walked over and placed a book on his table. Berlos turned his head slightly to see it was the fairy witch Koroy. Her large hood made her face appear tiny, and her robe draped down past her knees.

Berlos looked at the book on the table. Its title was 'Guide to Love'.

"What's the meaning of this?"

Berlos stood up, his tone indifferent.

"It's exactly as it sounds," Koroy said with a grin, stroking the book's cover. "The crystal ball told me that you'd need it."

Beros' lips curled into a mocking curve, his crimson eyes aloof as he turned and left the classroom.

Wei Er, a cat predominantly dressed in black, agilely leaped over two rows of seats to reach the aisle. Upon seeing the book on the table, his golden feline eyes widened in surprise. "You actually recommended this to him?"

Koroy retrieved the book. "I think he needs it."

Wei Er nonchalantly toyed with the bell on his tail, his feline laziness and slender grace on full display.

"You have high hopes for that Mirror Demon, huh?"

Koroy caressed the crystal ball in his embrace and whispered, "Just now, when he looked at the title, he paused before looking away. He didn't just read the title, he remembered it." The implication being that although he didn't take this one, he might go find another copy himself.

Wei Er's hand stilled in mid-air, his cat ears folding back like airplane wings. His golden cat eyes widened, and he blurted out, "What the hell?"

Today, the second-floor cafeteria on the human realm side had served beef noodles, prepared by a human chef using demonic cattle as the meat source, while the other ingredients were imported from the human realm. Wen Ying indulged in an extra bowl, nostalgic for the taste, and puzzled by his increased appetite.

In the Demon Realm, many ingredients were rich in magic power. Even though their energy requirements increased after becoming demons, they ate about the same amount as they did in the human realm since each ingredient contained more energy than ordinary human realm foods.

Wen Ying walked back to the dormitory in confusion. Halfway through, he still felt only seven-tenths full, so he returned to the canteen for a rice cake.

Every week, the practical lessons scheduled for the afternoon were determined by the current week. Today's class was Wen Ying's favorite, Alchemy, which involved the use of magic. As he practiced, he found himself struggling to control his magic accurately. Last week, he could precisely channel it, but today, it burst forth like a faucet exploding, causing his cauldron to explode.

"Bang!"

Wen Ying emerged from the smoke with a blackened face and a bewildered expression.

Si Ya approached and, after assessing the scene, said, "You've poured too much magic into it. Try again from the beginning."

Si Ya was a gentle and caring teacher, a stunning demon with an admirable physique who loved to smile. Even when her students made mistakes, she would softly... invert them upside down from the ceiling.

So much for the notion of gentle devils; it was all an illusion.

Wen Ying nodded, then tried again. The other procedures went smoothly, but as soon as any step required the use of magic, he failed immediately. Seeing Wen Ying's frustration, Si Ya comforted him gently, standing beside him to encourage another attempt.

Si Ya watched closely as Wen Ying attempted to separate the essence using magic. He exerted too much force right from the start, causing the essence to splatter and once more, resulting in a blown-up cauldron.

Wen Ying wiped his face, perplexed as to why his magic control was so difficult that day. After a moment's contemplation, Si Ya said, "Sometimes, young demons may find their magic harder to control abruptly. It's because their power is constantly growing. Don't be discouraged; it's just a phase during your developmental stage. Things will improve next week."

"Underage?" Wen Ying almost blurted out instinctively.

After holding back his words, Si Ya left, leaving Wen Ying pondering over the issue of adulthood that Si Ya had raised. As a human, he had already passed the age of 18 and was undoubtedly an adult. But as a demon... At what age did demons become adults?

"Wen Ying, at what age do demons reach adulthood?" he asked the demon behind him.

Essence looked at Wen Ying, seemingly stunned into silence by his question.

"...I forgot," Wen Ying averted his gaze.

In a measured tone, Essence replied, "A hundred years old. How could you not know something like that?"

Wen Ying brushed it off with some vague remarks and then inquired, "So how old are you now?"

"I'll be an adult next year," Essence said.

A ninety-nine-year-old grandpa! Wen Ying nearly gasped audibly. His astonishment made Essence puzzled. "What's wrong?"

Wen Ying shook his head.

Speaking of which, Grandfather had mentioned something about demonic ages on the first day they arrived in the Demon Realm. Their average lifespan was roughly five hundred years, which was about five times that of humans. It made sense for their adulthood to last longer.

So, was he considered an adult or not? Wen Ying fell into deep thought. He had been an adult human before his awakening, but his demonic age was much younger than Essence and the others...

Wait, Wen Ying realized he had overlooked something. His lips trembled as he turned to another demon and asked, "Muershi, have you reached adulthood?"

Muershi shook his head. "Not yet."

Wen Ying then asked Scarlet, "Scarlet, are you an adult?"

"It's obvious, there couldn't be any."

"Li Jie, have you reached adulthood?"

Essence swiftly pulled Wen Ying over and declared, "There's no need to inquire further. Apart from Wu Fei, none of the demons in this class have reached maturity. Wu Fei awakened his demonic lineage while still human, hence his body possesses an adult form from the onset. Consequently, his magical power far surpasses that of us underage demons."

Wen Ying's lips trembled even more. He glanced at Beros, who was earnestly brewing his potion beside him. So, Beros was underage? He had originally intended to make a move on a minor? He almost committed a crime.

Essence gazed at the white demon in bewilderment, his sharp claws tracing gently over the other's ethereal countenance. "Return to the present," he whispered.

Initially, he had some doubts about Wen Ying's lack of common knowledge, but now, he believed it.

Boros noticed that Wen Ying was looking at him with a strange gaze again. His right index finger curled slightly, and an itch spread across his entire body.

As Wen Ying swiftly passed by him as if on wings, the book Koroy had given him flashed through Boros' mind. Frustrated, he scratched his head.

Fortunately, Boros had an ill-tempered personality and no interest in romance. Otherwise, wouldn't he be pursuing an underage demon? Wen Ying took a long time to recover, calming himself down with three bowls of rice in the cafeteria.

Recalling his bet with the butterfly merman Phileas from yesterday, Wen Ying finished another bowl of rice. Phileas was underage; wouldn't it be embarrassing if he lost? But if he won, wouldn't that mean he, an adult, was bullying a minor?

With mixed feelings, Wen Ying entered the Arena of Demonic Mountain and Sea.

It was indeed a star-like reception. The countless pairs of eyes staring at him made Wen Ying uncomfortable.

Phileas was already on the arena, sitting on a pillar with his long fish tail hanging down. Under the light, it shimmered gorgeously, and his face was exquisitely handsome. However, no matter how proud he was, he was still an underage demon.

Wen Ying walked over, and the surrounding demons were whispering among themselves. Their voices were loud, creating a lively atmosphere. Some demons even set up betting pools, wagering on whether Wen Ying or Phileas would win.

Upon seeing the bookmaker, the corner of Wen Ying's mouth twitched. He approached and said, "Muershi, weren't you scared enough by Feng Luo last time?"

Last time, Feng Luo had mentioned his disdain for the word "gamble."

Muershi waved his hand. "I'm short on pocket money lately. How about it, do you want to bet on yourself? Look, almost all the demons here are betting on Phelios. If you bet on yourself and win, you'll make a fortune!"

The idea of underage demons running a gambling ring made Wen Ying see them through a different lens now. He shook his head, adopting a teacher-like demeanor. "Minors shouldn't gamble."

Muershi's smile froze on his face, an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

It wasn't until he was faced with Phelios' barrage of dense ice spikes that this filter vanished. The intense cold caused a thick layer of ice to form on the arena, sending a chill down Wen Ying's spine. Defense magic cards floated in front of him, ready to be deployed.

A merman with a long tail sat atop one of the arena's pillars, regarding him with a cold gaze. Around him, a myriad of floating ice formations, in various shapes, encircled him – ready for both offense and defense.

Wen Ying parried the initial barrage of ice spikes with his defensive magic. When the second wave came, he found Feng Luo's training to be unexpectedly effective. His agility had significantly improved, allowing him to evade many of them without even resorting to magic.

The hovering ice spikes missed their target, instead embedding themselves into the ground, creating a pattern that resembled a blossoming flower from a distance.

Wen Ying dashes along the arena, evading the barrage of attacks. He then releases a multitude of vines, overlaying them with spells to reinforce their toughness. Leaping onto one of the vines, he kneels on one knee to maintain his balance.

Strangely, it seemed to require less magic power to activate the spells within these cards. Wen Ying couldn't figure out why, but he didn't have the time to ponder over it now.

The reinforced vines coiled around the ice chunks like snakes, sweeping them away, but they were soon severed by the fierce magic blades flicked out from Phelous's tail, falling to the ground. The first wave of magical attacks ended in a draw.

Phelous thrashed his fish tail again and leaped into the air, swiftly reciting a complex incantation. In a blink of an eye, a massive water column formed and began spinning rapidly under the control of his tail, transforming into a devastating waterspout with tremendous force.

Wen Ying's face was filled with astonishment as he flapped his wings to dodge the pursuing waterspout. Phelous's spellcasting was lightning-fast and flawlessly executed, leaving no chance for Wen Ying to interrupt him.

The suction of the waterspout was immense, and the protective barrier around the arena remained activated, preventing any overflowing magic from affecting the spectators.

Wen Ying's long silver hair danced wildly. Tucking his hair roughly behind his back, he held three cards between his fingertips: "Vines," "Wind Shield," and "Frost Bow."

One end of the vines wrapped around Wen Ying's waist, while the other ends latched onto the arena, securing him in place. The Wind Shield deflected the approaching water and wind, while the Frost Bow, a material magic spell of a simple R-level, created icy arrows. Despite the card being an R-level, its replicated magic effect fell short. However, Wen Ying could manifest the arrows using his own magic on the spot, bypassing the weakening effect.

Today, his magic seemed inexplicably abundant, and Wen Ying didn't hold back. He poured as much power as possible into the spell, and the resulting arrow felt extraordinary even to him.

He heard a cracking sound coming from within the Frost Bow—crack, crack, crack. Startled, before he could properly aim, he accidentally released the bowstring. The crystal-like arrow shot through the air, its piercing sound audible amidst the roar of the waterspout.

The arrow pierced through the waterspout, dispersing the surrounding magical fluctuations and shattering the magic that composed it. The towering water column collapsed with a thunderous boom.

Phelous, suspended in mid-air, watched in shock as the waterspout dissipated, splashing water everywhere and drenching him.

"It's impossible..." Phileas retreated several meters, muttering to himself.

How could it be? The magic in that arrow was so immense that it shattered his water tornado?

"Phileas's water tornado was actually pierced through?"

"Hold on, is this still the Mirror Demon we're talking about?"

"What a tremendous amount of magic power. He didn't seem to charge it much, did he?"

Phileas frowned. "I admit that you have the qualifications to be my opponent."

Wen Ying himself was also bewildered. The Icicle Bow cracked and dissipated into light particles.

The magic power within him was surging. If his original magic power was a gentle stream, then now it was a vast, unceasing river. When had his magic power increased so much?

Could it have been because of what happened in the corridor yesterday?

Phileas somersaulted in mid-air, and with each movement, sharp magic blades rained down, one after another. His magnificent, radiant fish tail had transformed into a divine weapon that could cut through any shield in the world.

Wen Ying dodged several magic blades and, after a moment of hesitation, cautiously used his magic to create a barrier. To his astonishment, the barrier perfectly blocked Felius's magic blades without any signs of cracking.

Surrounding murmurs of surprise echoed once more.

Confusion and gravity flickered in Felius's icy blue eyes. Such immense magic power—could it be that the Mirror Demon had mixed with another bloodline?

In general, offspring from two different races would resemble one race but inherit some abilities from the other. Perhaps one of this Mirror Demon's parents was a powerful devil, which was why he possessed such rare and formidable magic power.

But it didn't make sense. Devils tended to choose strong bloodlines. If one of Wen Ying's parents was a powerful devil, he should have taken on the appearance of that mighty race, not the weaker Mirror Devil.

Felius's ethereal, translucent butterfly pool shimmered gently behind him. Something had infiltrated the air, arriving alongside his movement and the magic blades below.

Magic could be used without spells; it could be directly manipulated. However, this method wasn't efficient and wasted much magic power. That was precisely what Wen Ying was doing now. He wasn't proficient in magic, so he simply released his magic to form a barrier against Felius's attack.

Wen Ying extravagantly enveloped himself in magic, leaving Felius feeling like he was bleeding internally. The powder of the mystic butterflies he'd mixed into the magic blades couldn't reach Wen Ying.

Some devils were beginning to waver in their belief that Felius would definitely win.

Watching the battle, Wu Shaluo was astonished. How could this Mirror Demon be so strong? In terms of strength, he was actually inferior to Felius. If Felius found it so challenging to fight Wen Ying, wouldn't Wu Shaluo fare even worse?

Around Wen Ying, dozens of cards shimmered with light, their electric hum echoing across the entire arena as the currents zigzagged through the icy surface. The simultaneous release of several lightning spells illuminated the platform like the filament of a light bulb.

"Ahhhhhh!"

Phelous was ensnared by the electric current, as all the lightning spells struck him. The agony from his body forced a proud Phelous to howl in pain, plummeting to the ground like a kite whose string had snapped. The edges of his translucent, resplendent butterfly wings were singed black, and the scales on his tail lost their luster, now tinged with gray.

Wen Ying's expression remained calm, though his hands trembled. Most of those cards were R-ranked, with only a few SRs among them. The combined destructive power exceeded his expectations. Was Phelous' defensive ability really that weak? Or was Phelous attempting to feign injury?