Ascending the Demon Realm

Why am I so experienced?  

Because a sloth girl was my high school desk mate. Every day I carried her from the school gate to the classroom, then back again.  

Sloths use all their magic to make themselves lighter and smaller, turning into portable backpacks.  

Their biology's special too—going a week without bathroom breaks is nothing.  

So they never need to leave their seats until school ends.  

I sprinted toward the grand hall with him on my back, now packed with demons.  

Jade pillars surrounded the hall, their shimmering veins stretching toward a kaleidoscopic dome.  

Petal-shaped platforms rose in tiers around the chamber—upperclassmen looming higher with each grade, radiating oppressive seniority that ignited competitive fire among newcomers.  

Thunderous music erupted as the dean and teachers descended from above, landing with cinematic grandeur.  

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Each drumbeat timed to their impact shook the hall.  

The crowd roared.  

My pulse quickened. *Finish the speech already—I need to get to the Bureau.*  

Though capybaras have an edge in civil service exams, securing a Bureau position isn't guaranteed.  

Demons live centuries.  

Humans delay retirement now, but here? A hundred years old is still youth!  

Fewer jobs remain for our generation—these days.  

Even if I outcompete every classmate, some nepotism-spawned elite could steal my spot.  

While Eastern Imperial guarantees employment, being stuck as a clerk means never leaving demon realm borders.  

What's the point of all my effort then?  

I *must* claim my destined position!  

"New students," bellowed Dean Azure Ox, his face morphing into a massive bovine head wreathed in ancestral sigils, "I am your dean! *Moo—*"  

His thunderous roar shook the air, horns crackling with primordial energy.  

"Now *roar!* Shed your inhibitions! If you fear embarrassment now, how will you integrate into society? Unleash your feral souls!"  

"Arooo—"  

"Rrragh—"  

"Kreee—"  

The cacophony turned the hall into a bestial orchestra.  

*Hssss—*  

I deadpanned at the willow spirit beside me. *Why are plants hissing?*  

"Good! Never forget we're demons!" The ox's eyes blazed. "Our wildness helped reclaim our dignity! Drove those self-proclaimed 'celestial rulers' back to their heavens!"  

"YES!" The crowd thundered.  

"Ears up! Tails coiled!" The dean's hoof slammed down. "As Eastern Imperial students, crush those immortals in every field! Only through dominance will others fear us!"  

Behind him, teachers face-palmed.  

"CRUSH THEM!"  

"You!" The ox raised a hoof larger than my torso. "Are demonkind's future! Any coward hiding fangs gets kicked out! Understood?"  

Freshmen hastily bared fangs and claws, morphing into ferocious forms.  

"Rule One: This is survival of the fittest! We forge conquerors here—not slackers!"  

"YES, DEAN!"  

Two teachers tried dragging the ox away, but his bulging muscles strained against the suit. Useless.  

A lanky professor with needle-pupiled eyes slid forward. "Times have changed. Harmony now..." His glacial voice doused the frenzy.  

"Our dean fought in the Demon Liberation War. While we reject weakness..." Frost crept into his tone, "...we also ban reckless chaos. Especially *suicidal romantic stunts.*"  

The hall iced over.  

"Such fools don't belong here. The girl who jumped from Clock Tower yesterday—expelled."  

Gasps rippled through the crowd.  

His gaze sharpened. "And those who licked the ground during orientation? Also expelled."  

"NO—" A wail erupted.  

*Whoosh!* Crimson-clad seniors materialized, hauling offenders away like spectral enforcers.  

*So cool!* That's Jade Tu's elite class!  

"Mercy! I'll change—"  

More seniors dropped like raptors, plucking targets from the crowd.  

Chaos erupted as a black jaguar freshman shifted, fangs glinting. "Catch me if you can!" He blurred into shadows.  

Typical demon reaction—fight first, think never. Even against teachers.