Chapter 7: Born as a Demon, How Unfortunate
An entire sleepless night.
The next morning, the Tiger Demon eagerly jumped out of bed. “Second Bro, hurry up! I don’t believe it! If that Demoness really dares to deceive and manipulate right in front of us, I’ll show her the power of my fists, even if it costs me my life!”
The Wolf Demon ignored him, instead taking the time to disguise him. However, due to the Tiger Demon’s large frame, he ended up draping a black cloth over him, turning him into a makeshift Bull Demon.
The Second Demon hunched over in the crowd of Little Demons heading to the meeting place, hiding his identity quite well.
The meeting spot was a simple wooden shed on the side of the stronghold.
With so many Little Demons, they had to split into four separate venues.
The Second Demon carefully squeezed into the back of one of the venues, blending in without standing out.
The Tiger Demon waited for a while but still didn’t see the Cold Moon Witch, only to be confronted by a frail, green-skinned Little Demon stepping up to the crowd.
“What’s going on? Who is this Little Demon?”
The Wolf Demon muttered, “Seems like he’s the cook from Tiger Wolf Cave. I have a faint recollection.”
The Tiger Demon blinked, not recalling many of the Little Demons inside the cave—maybe two or three dozen at most. He didn’t recognize this green-skinned one at all.
“And what’s with this guy?”
The Wolf Demon shushed him, focusing intently on the stage.
Seeing this, the Tiger Demon had no choice but to hold his tongue, wondering what this Little Demon would say, hoping it wouldn’t be too boring.
“My name is Cook, because I’m a chef.”
“Ha! There’s actually a guy named Cook?” The Tiger Demon couldn’t help but laugh, clutching his stomach.
But as soon as he laughed, several Little Demons in the front row turned to glare at him, prompting the Tiger Demon to quickly cover his mouth and stop.
Ugh, these brats! If this were any other day, they’d all be acting obediently in front of me and wouldn’t dare stare!
I’d have snapped their little limbs like twigs!
The Cook took a deep breath, calmly continuing:
“Like many of you, I was born in the Chaos Forest. It wasn’t until I transformed that I realized I was a mantis. Just as I thought I’d start enjoying life, I was snatched up by the patrol from Evil Merman Cave and, pretty cluelessly, ended up as one of their subordinates.”
“The next ten years were the darkest days of my life. Those Little Demons who came in with me, during the first couple of years, due to backbreaking labor and unbearable burdens, either died from illness, got caught trying to escape and were beaten to d*ath, or committed s*icide. In the end, barely one in ten survived.”
“I’m the type with no guts, forced to be as humble as dust, just scraping by, only wishing to stay alive.”
“But even so, I couldn’t escape the old demons’ insults and punishments.”
“I was born with four arms, but now…”
Only then did the Tiger Demon notice that the extra two arms had been completely severed, leaving behind only two circular stubs.
The crowd was silent; many Little Demons were starting to tear up.
“During the worst time, I was knocked unconscious and thrown into a graveyard. They all thought I was dead.”
“A heavy rain woke me up. My whole body was in pain, and I wanted to cry but had no tears.”
“I thought, why not just d*e already? At least I wouldn’t have to suffer like this anymore.”
“I originally thought that after transforming, my life would change. But it was worse than before—I was struggling on the edge of life and d*ath every day.”
At this point, many Little Demons couldn’t help but wipe their eyes.
This was even after several Little Demons had shared their own backstories, which had already raised the emotional stakes in the room.
“So, I decided to find a place where no one would bother me, to spend the rest of my days in peace.”
“I ran in the forest for three days and three nights, thinking I was safe, only to be captured again by the patrol from Tiger Wolf Cave.”
I later learned there are monster caves all over Chaos Forest, and our existence as Little Demons is solely to serve the Great Demons. Beyond that, we have no other way out.”
“Fortunately, they needed someone in the kitchen at Tiger Wolf Cave, so they took me in. Even though the unfair treatment and oppression of Little Demons by older ones still exist, at least in the kitchen, I can fill my belly, which is a lot better than being cannon fodder when the Great King and Second Great King go out to fight.”
“To be born as a demon, how unfortunate! If heaven had eyes, I’d rather never have transformed at all, living my life according to my true nature, so all this pain would have nothing to do with me.”
The Tiger Demon was baffled. What… was this all about?
Sharing past sufferings? What’s the point, and why are all of them so engrossed?
Is this really how meetings go?
For the first time, the Tiger Demon felt his worldview take a hit.
Tigers are already at the top of the food chain in the forest; transformed, they remain strong and powerful. Even if recruited into a cave, they wouldn’t face such a pitiful fate as the Cook.
So, the Tiger Demon couldn’t fully grasp the Cook’s feelings.
But emotions connect us all, especially in this setting, and he felt a twinge of oppression.
After the Cook stepped down, a few more Little Demons took turns sharing their tales of woe.
Their experiences varied, but as long as they had survived in Chaos Forest for years, escaping oppression from Great Demons and their minions was virtually impossible.
Their lives and dignity were as insignificant as grass in the eyes of those in power.
Just because the Great Demon had a bad day, a whole batch of Little Demons could end up suffering.
To be able to live until now was considered fortunate, as most of their peers from the same time had vanished.
Because of their shared experiences, every time a Little Demon finished their story, tears flowed freely from the audience.
Looking back at their own meekness and forced smiles, the immense suffering hidden behind was staggering.
Sitting in the back, the Tiger Demon and Wolf Demon were silent.
They were not born as Great Demons; when they first transformed, they had gone through hardships somewhat similar to those Little Demons sharing their sad histories on stage.
They just happened to survive, with a bit of luck that one day granted them the strength to transcend ordinary Little Demons and become Great Demons.
Maybe they had forgotten how tough things were in the past. They had become blind to the upsets and struggles of Little Demons, convinced it was the natural order of the monster race—the strong thrive, while the weak perish or submit.
Hasn’t the monster race survived this way for centuries?
That’s why, initially, the Tiger Demon thought the sobbing Little Demons were being overly dramatic.
Blame it on his own inability to become a Great Demon, thinking the world shows no sympathy for the weak!
But gradually, he felt the atmosphere in the venue shift.
While most Little Demons were crying, unusual expressions began to appear in their swollen eyes.
“Time’s up!” In another corner of the venue, the Cold Moon Witch signaled to Little Drill Wind.
Little Drill Wind immediately stood up, raising a fist with determination.
“Down with the Evil Merman! Down with White Feather City! Down with tyrannical oppression!”
All the Little Demons, having bottled up their emotions for so long, found a release, and they erupted alongside Little Drill Wind.
“Down with the Evil Merman! Down with White Feather City! Down with tyrannical oppression!”
Little Drill Wind shouted again, “We want equality! We want freedom! We want happiness!”
“We want equality! We want freedom! We want happiness!”
With the chants echoing, the Little Demons’ expressions turned resolute.
It seemed they had found their purpose moving forward: to create a world free of oppression, humiliation, and fear for themselves and their future generations.
Even if the road ahead was fraught with difficulty, their hearts burned brightly with courage, unafraid.
Not just in the Tiger and Wolf Demons’ venue, but the same calls resounded in all the other venues too.
In an instant, the shouts rang out across the stronghold, reverberating through the heavens!
