Chapter 87: The Successful Loser: The Beast God

A shiver ran through him, and Little Will woke up from the cold. Was he dreaming again? Sure enough, he still couldn’t escape this dream. It was a somewhat familiar stone corridor, but this time the corridor seemed much wider, and the style of the lamps was extremely wild and unrestrained, shaped like various fierce beast skulls, looking particularly menacing, yet with a special beauty amidst the ferocity.

Rubbing his arms, Little Will stood up and stretched his limbs a bit. Then, he assumed a stance and slowly began a set of the “Imitation Demonic Ox Body Tempering Fist.” Little Will didn’t notice that as he practiced the fist art, specks of light sprinkled down from a huge ox skull, made into a lamp in the corridor, and merged into his body, quickly warming him up and restoring much of his energy.

If it’s a blessing, it’s not a curse; if it’s a curse, there’s no escaping it. Since staying up all night didn’t work, then he should bravely face it. Little Will looked back at the wall behind him; there seemed to be nothing there, but he always felt there should be one door, or perhaps two. But never mind, as long as he walked around the hall, he would eventually wake up. For now, he should go see what good things lay ahead.

The ever-burning lamps crackled, burning as if not with lamp oil but with the marrow of those ferocious skulls. A faint scent of blood lingered in his nostrils; with every breath, he seemed to feel a burning sensation in his lungs, and a strange feeling of his blood wanting to boil throughout his body. These skulls didn’t seem simple at all; they were as translucent as jade, not at all like biological bones, but rather like exquisitely carved jade. Yet, Little Will still trusted his intuition: these were beast bones, and very high-level demonic beast bones at that.

This one is an ox, this one is a tiger, this one is a snake, this one looks like a wolf, and this one should be a mammoth, though its size is a bit off, as if it had been shrunk. And this one is actually an eagle from the sky. As he looked at each skull, Little Will felt neither fear nor boredom; instead, he found it fascinating. He had seen images of animal skeletons in books, but pictures were always just pictures, far less intuitive and impactful than real objects.

This hall was somewhat different from the others. The walls were no longer adorned with simple bas-reliefs, but with colorful murals. The vibrant colors were filled with a wild, untamed aura. Various demonic beasts ran rampant everywhere, while groups of humans or tribes with orcish features struggled desperately. Then, a special group of people appeared. They were tall and mighty, tearing apart demonic beasts with their bare hands, eating raw beast meat, and drinking fresh blood. They imitated every movement of the demonic beasts, trying to gain their power. To obtain this power, they mimicked all the beasts’ behaviors, even reproduction. To become as much like the demonic beasts as possible, they swallowed raw demonic beast meat, bathed in demonic beast blood, and even integrated the beasts’ flesh and blood into their own bodies. Many died, but some survived. Those who survived actually developed slight mutations, exhibiting certain characteristics of demonic beasts on their bodies. Their strength, speed, physique, and other aspects were enhanced to varying degrees, and even their appearance underwent subtle changes.

Those who gained a portion of the demonic beast’s power could pass it on to their descendants. They discovered that after acquiring demonic beast bloodlines, imitating the beasts bestowed incredible power. People with the same power gathered together, and their offspring, produced through intermarriage, had a greater chance of inheriting the demonic beast power. However, combining with others would cause the extraordinary bloodline to diminish and weaken. Thus, tribes, bound by demonic beast bloodlines, began to form.

After countless sacrifices, the tribes gained a slight ability to resist demonic beasts, enhancing their survival. However, the demonic beasts were still stronger than them, and they remained at the bottom of the food chain. Countless pioneers, one after another, researched the development of demonic beast bloodline power, while also continuously slaughtering demonic beast groups to open up larger living spaces for their people. Demonic beasts also had levels, and powerful demonic beasts also possessed their own intelligence. The battle between the tribes and the demonic beasts continued.

Countless years passed.

The strength of the tribes fluctuated, and the battles with demonic beasts never ceased, until a man appeared. He was tall and burly, possessing unparalleled talent. Wielding an axe, he severed the heads of demonic beasts. Ferocious and cunning wolf packs were beaten into dogs by him, eagles in the sky were shot down and captured with his arrows, giant mammoths became his mounts, and pythons capable of swallowing hundreds of people became his food. He traveled through mountains, grasslands, forests, swamps, and deserts; wherever there were demonic beasts, he appeared.

He taught body tempering fist arts to various tribes, sought out and tamed guardian demonic beasts for them. He cleared out disobedient evil beasts, carving out vast territories for the tribes. He traversed mountains and rivers, bringing his knowledge to countless tribes, slaying innumerable powerful demonic beasts, and dyeing his battle robe with their blood. He possessed a war horn made from a dragon’s horn, capable of commanding demonic beasts. He had a war drum made from the hide of a Mammoth King, capable of repelling demonic beasts and preventing them from approaching tribes. He wielded a spear crafted from a thunderbird’s beak, capable of casting lightning spells, against which even birds in the sky dared not contend.

He fought from south to north, and traveled from east to west. Wherever he went, thousands cheered, and thousands of beasts wailed. Gradually, he gathered loyal followers who accompanied him on his campaigns. Dressed in beast hide armor and wearing beast bone helmets, they galloped across the land, invincible. While possessing powerful and unmatched martial prowess, he also had admirable wisdom. He learned from nature, studying the movements and behaviors of birds and beasts. He taught the tribes to leave their caves and live in nests built in trees. He taught them how to build houses, cultivate plants, raise livestock, make weapons, and cook with fire.

He studied and imitated demonic beasts, creating various fist arts and distributing them to different tribes. In gratitude, the tribes carved statues of him and offered daily worship. He was generous and magnanimous, wise and valiant, optimistic and resilient. No one knew where he came from, but they knew where he ultimately went.

After pacifying the Orcish Wasteland, he built a massive palace on a high mountain, stationed his army there, and left behind all the spoils of war he had acquired throughout his journey. Amidst the gaze of all, he ignited the divine flame, becoming the first human to ascend to godhood, historically known as the God of Ten Thousand Beasts, the God of Orcs.

The origin of orcs had been a subject of contention and debate long ago. The idea that orcs originated from humans and demonic beasts was a taboo topic. Humans were unwilling to admit it, and orcs themselves were unwilling to admit it. They both believed themselves to be separate races, powerful and noble existences. Humans were unwilling to acknowledge orcs as a branch of humanity, unwilling to let these barbarians defile their civilization, and even more afraid of orcs interfering in human affairs. Orcs were unwilling to admit they were mutations, an impure race. While gaining the strength of demonic beasts, they gradually abandoned their human identity.

“You are a powerful warrior, a wise sage. You are creating history, and you are also witnessing it. You brought vibrant colors to the wilderness and the light of civilization to the world. Although you failed, you were a successful failure.” Little Will seemed to see the Beast God’s final helpless expression. Perhaps your initial intention was to integrate the orcs and maintain human orthodoxy. But you overlooked the inherent flaws of humanity; it is extremely difficult for those with altered bloodlines to coexist peacefully with ordinary people. This is not something that can be solved simply with force.

“You are benevolent, protecting the descendants of these historical heroes with your own hands, providing a haven for them. You are powerful, your spine still stands tall and proud, deterring countless powerful demonic beasts, guarding the peace and tranquility of both orcs and humans.” Little Will was different from ordinary people; he understood many secrets that ordinary people could not know. Although he initially thought they were just myths and legends Professor Weiser gave him to pass the time, he now realized that they were probably true history.

“You are not only the Beast God, but also the God of War. Your glorious achievements will be passed down for all eternity!” Little Will exclaimed in admiration, yet at the same time, he felt a sense of pity for the Beast God. In fact, if you had completely integrated the orcs and the entire human race back then, your divine position could have been elevated even further, and it would have reduced some of the current conflicts and friction between humans and orcs.

Little Will suddenly noticed that the Beast God in his eyes actually showed a faint smile, as if he had found a kindred spirit, as if he had a thousand words he wanted to pour out. A scroll of beast hide in his hand seemed to be slowly unfolding, and countless images of demonic beasts flashed before his eyes, with the shadows of divine beasts dancing alongside them.

“Ding~, Apostle observed the original divine image of the divine beast and gained insight. Mental power increased, comprehension increased, Eye of Appraisal automatically activated, relevant information recorded.”

“Ding~, Apostle observed the original divine image of the Beast God, obtained the Beast God’s legacy “Myriad Beast Compendium,” rewarded three thousand eight hundred contribution points.”

“Ding~, Apostle observed the original divine image of the Beast God, obtained the Beast God’s legacy “Myriad Beast Fist Manual” (Junior Version), rewarded three thousand eight hundred contribution points.”

“Ding~, Apostle observed the original divine image of the Beast God, comprehended battle, creation, and destruction, obtained the Beast God’s residual divine power, mental, physical, comprehension, and willpower increased, bloodline strengthened, bloodline shackles further unlocked.”

“Ding~, Apostle observed the original divine image of the Beast God, received the Beast God’s blessing, increased resistance to demonic beast aura, increased damage dealt to demonic beasts, increased affinity and taming ability towards demonic beasts.”

Little Will felt as if he was in a dream. In the dream, he transformed into the Beast God, leading the Beast God’s legion in campaigns across the land, slaying countless demonic beasts, using their flesh and blood to nourish the growth of the orc race, and also promoting the growth of civilization. Vaguely, he seemed to see the Beast God looking up, his gaze cast towards the distance. The world was vast, and there seemed to be many other powerful beings. Demonic beasts were not the strongest; behind them, there seemed to be even more powerful orchestrators. The Beast God’s blood-stained battle-axe was raised high, pointing towards the boundless sky, as if proclaiming his existence to someone.