Just as time passed, the devil eggs started to crack open and hatch. This reminded Arthur of movies like Jurassic Park, where dinosaur eggs hatched and the whole scene turned into a place where these strange creatures were born.

The newly hatched demons came in various forms. Some looked like little humanoids, similar to Arthur himself. Others resembled small animals that walked on all fours. There were even some that seemed like insects, and some of them even had wings, which made them look like they could fly right away.

These demons didn't just differ in shape; they also had different skin colors. Most of them were either black or red, but some had gray, blue, or scaly skin.

It was clear that the term "demon" covered a wide range of creatures within their species.

However, these newly born demons didn't seem to have any particular plan. As soon as they came out of their shells, they just started eating the eggshells. The whole beach was filled with the sound of thousands of little demons munching on their eggshells at once. It was a bit creepy, to be honest.

Arthur watched this cautiously, not feeling any connection with these creatures. But he couldn't help but notice that these demons were different from him in some key ways. They looked drier, with less goo on their bodies compared to his messy birth. And they were generally larger and stronger than him.

Could this be because he was born prematurely?

After some time, these newly hatched demons did something that shocked Arthur even more. About twenty meters away from him, a demon with four eyes on its forehead, a short tail, and black, greasy skin used a stone as a weapon.

It went over to an area near the sea where there were still unhatched demon eggs. The demon picked one of these eggs and started hitting it with the stone until the eggshell cracked open.

As the shell broke, the goo inside spilled out, and a little demon in the eggshell started to wake up and realize that it was in danger. It tried to escape, but the four-eyed demon kept smashing it with the stone.

The poor little demon screamed in pain, but it couldn't defend itself because it was trapped. As the stone kept falling, the screams grew weaker until they stopped completely.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Helplessly, Arthur realized that this demon, just like him, wouldn't make it out alive.

And it wasn't just this four-eyed demon; many others were doing the same thing. They seemed to have agreed to destroy unhatched eggs and ruthlessly kill the newly hatched demons. It was a gruesome scene, made worse by the fact that the killers celebrated their actions, clapping and laughing as if it were a game.

Even the weakest ones, the newly hatched larvae, showed a cruel and merciless side. As Arthur watched, he couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine.

Was this how things worked in the demon world?

Arthur, despite being a fake demon, didn't consider these strange little demons his kin. But it was clear that even the real demons didn't see their fellow demons as allies. Arthur looked around and saw that most of the demons, after killing others, were jumping around in joy, laughing as if it were all a game.

One of the four-eyed demons near Arthur had just finished its horrible task. From the bodies of the demons it had killed, small balls of light started to float out. But before they could escape, the four-eyed demon caught them with its hands.

Once it had them, the demon threw them into its mouth and swallowed them. Immediately, the demon started to tremble and seemed to be in some strange state of ecstasy.

Seeing this, Arthur remembered a song with the lyrics, "Oh, hi, I feel that life has reached a high laugh…"

"That light ball is... a soul?" Arthur realized. He looked around and saw that the demons that had hatched earlier were collecting and eating the souls of the demons they had killed.

This seemed to be a sign of madness in the nature of demons. It explained why legends often connected souls to demons.

Watching this, Arthur saw a chance to get his first soul. The opportunity was with the unhatched demon eggs that were still trapped in their shells.

As a weak, premature demon, Arthur couldn't afford to take it easy. From his birth until now, everything pointed to a harsh rule in this demon world – only the strong survived. He couldn't be sure that the other little demons wouldn't see him as an easy target. To improve his chances of survival, he needed to gather more resources.

So, Arthur picked up a rock and rushed towards a demon egg.

With determination, he struck the eggshell and cracked it open. He continued hitting it until the eggshell finally broke. Egg liquid spilled out, and from inside, a demon that looked like a sharp, worm-like creature emerged, struggling as it realized it was in danger.

The creature's gruesome appearance made it easier for Arthur to hit it with the rock, and he did so with determination. The demon's body turned into a white mess mixed with purple demon blood, creating a nauseating sight.

With a feeling of disgust, Arthur had completed his first act of killing. He collected a ball of light that represented the demon's soul. Although it looked a bit dim and small, indicating it might not be of high quality, it was still a step forward.

Now that Arthur had his first soul, he met the requirements to enhance his abilities.