Chapter 96
[Cultivated Minotaur]
“Moooo!”
Huge roaring cow was standing on two legs in the center of the Colosseum.
In front of him stood the small and fragile one-horned demon, Suho.
He looked even more shabby because he was facing such a gigantic beast.
[… Did they just bring the mage beast from the workhouse?]
“I know, right.”
In terms of the human world, it would be a situation in which a cow was brought from a plowing field to a bullfight.
However, the cow was now very muscular and walked on two legs like a human.
If the magic shackles that bound him were freed, he would run at Suho right away at full momentum.
[Would you be okay?]
“Who? Me?”
When Suho smiled and asked, Esil repeatedly emphasized it with a voice of concern.
[No matter how well bred it is, the power of the Minotaur is beyond imagination. Above all, its skin is thick and very tough. If necessary, summon us all out.]
If the shadow soldiers were suddenly summoned there, it would mean the end of Suho’s imitation of demons.
All the demons there would surely attack Suho at once if it was revealed that he was a different race than demons.
Of course, if it was the usual Suho, he could fight while replenishing his strength from the corpses of the enemies he had slain.
However, things were different if his opponent were demons.
[The mana is contaminated and so shadow release is not possible.]
Demons could not be released as Shadow Soldiers.
That meant that if he was attacked by all those demons, he would have to fight single-handedly.
Despite Esil’s repeated worries, Suho only smiled meaningfully.
“Don’t worry. I will try to endure as much as I can until the tyrant king crawls out.”
Even if it would be really hard, there was no way it would be worse than Ammut’s daily quest.
The fact that he had to do another daily quest upon returning to the shadow dungeon made him feel goosebumps.
The demon guards were smiling meaningfully, wondering how the battle would look from a distance.
“Right, it doesn’t matter whether or not he is a noble demon survivor. He looks so weak.”
“Seeing that he has only one horn, his blood must have been sucked profusely by other demons, or he must have undergone a deformed mutation after a few lucky drops of a demon noble’s blood.”
Behind them, the warden was just staring at Suho with a careless gaze.
“First one.”
He gave the order.
“Two in five minutes. And after another five minutes, let the four out.”
“Chief, will he hold out until then?”
“Stupid bastards. That’s why we’re going to use the Minotaur.”
The demon guards nodded.
Minotaurs were thoroughly bred by demons and raised in the workhouse, eating dung, but when they lived in the wild, they were not the same as they were now.
“Minotaurs are inherently terribly cruel and savage. It crushes all the bones of its prey with overwhelming violence, and only then eats its prey until the flesh is mushy.”
Whatever Suho’s identity was, the demon guards were obliged to stage the execution ceremony in the longest and most brutal way.
“You waited a long time-! The execution ceremony resumes!”
Just in time, with the shout of the host, the shackles that had been holding the Minotaur were released.
“Mooooo!”
The huge monster rushed towards Suho with terrifying momentum.
‘It’s fast!’
An enormous amount of sand rose up, and in an instant, his big fist slammed into Suho’s head.
The common notion that it would be as dull as it was large was undoubtedly wrong.
Bang-!
The ground where Suho stood was crushed by the tremendous destructive force.
Starting with that, the Minotaur’s fists began to swing randomly.
“Mooooo!”
Even the slaves in the stands were stunned by that sight.
They realized anew that the stupid cattle they used to pull carts in the workhouse were originally so terrifying.
‘Yes, this is the reaction we want.’
Satisfied expressions appeared on the faces of the demon guards at the slaves’ reactions.
But that was then.
“Mmmmm?!”
The Minotaur, suddenly noticing something, raised his head with his fists in the ground.
On the thick sand dust, Suho was striking his sword high in the sky.
Swoosh-!
The, the Minotaur also swung its arms vertically toward Suho.
Blag-!
The shockwave created by his enormous muscles rips through the wind and soars aiming at Suho.
[Move out..!]
With Esil’s warning, Suho twisted his body in the air, lightly stepped on the beast’s fist, and jumped high again.
‘Its reaction speed was also amazing.’
Suho’s eyes flashed in the air.
Those eyes looked like choosing meat at a butcher shop.
“Oooh!”
“How did he avoid that?!”
Cheers erupted from the audience.
As Suho struggled quite a bit despite the overwhelming difference in size, the slaves were cheering for him.
Slash-!
Just in time, Suho went behind the Minotaur and thrust his sword into the Minotaur’s shoulder.
The hell iron longsword crumpled unsightly.
“Puhahaha! Look at that!”
The demon jailers burst into laughter.
That worn-out sword could never pierce the Minotaur’s thick skin.
Wasn’t he given that weapon in the first place just for such a kind of clowning?
Suho, who had already foreseen all of that, calmly turned the crumpled sword in the opposite direction, and caught the eye of the Minotaur right next to him.
Stab.
“Aaaacckk!”
In the end, the Minotaur struggled and let out a roar mixed with pain.
Swoosh!
It struggled violently to shake off Suho, but Suho managed to cling to it with one hand by its large horn.
Suho raised his other fist and made a meaningful expression.
“It will hurt a little.”
[The ‘Title: Wolf Slayer’ buff is used.]
Wolf slayer.
A buff that increases all stats by 40% against beast-type monsters was wrapped around Suho’s fist.
He put all that power into the Minotaur’s face.
Slam!
“…!”
The Minotaur felt dizzy.
“Nice toughness!”
As the Minotaur endured, Suho slammed his fist again.
Again and again, as if estimating how far the beast would last.
Slam!
“Moo-!”
Overwhelming violence with such endlessly pouring attacks!
Soon after, the face of the Minotaur mercilessly caved in and began to crumble slowly.
“W-What was that…!”
The demon guards jumped up from their seats in astonishment.
The Minotaur was dying without even being able to counterattack properly!
“H-Hurry up and send out two more! No, send out four!”
Clank!
At the order of the warden shouting out in panic, the doors that were imprisoning the beasts were opened all at once.
[Whew.]
The eyes of the little ant looking at them from the shadows were narrowing like the crescent moon.
[Looking at it now, they were special ones. Young Master will be pleased.]
Beru was right.
Suho, who was still holding onto the horns on top of the fallen Minotaur, suddenly raised his head.
Then he grinned at the four beasts that were running this way.
“Great. The more the better.”
At that moment, Suho also began to use his strength.
“Blessing.”
[‘Pet: Gray’ Blessing is used.]
Swoosh!
At that moment, Suho’s hair turned silver.
“Oh no! He…!”
“Was he a transforming demon?!”
“This is the first time I’ve seen a skill in which only the hair color changed…!”
However, the commotion that arose in the audience stopped in an instant.
Suddenly, a huge presence that felt like a halo behind Suho opened his eyes.
[The King of Beasts, Fang Monarch, salivates as he sees his prey jumping at his feet.]
Chills!
“Mooooo?!”
The Minotaurs who were running towards that unknown gaze were seized with an instinctive sense of fear.
[‘Effect: Fear’ is activated.]
[All stats of the targets are reduced by 50% for 1 minute.]
The speed of the Minotaur, who had been rushing madly, noticeably slowed down.
Was it because they had suppressed their wildness for too long and had been bred by demons?
“Mooooo–!”
The Minotaurs didn’t even notice that their stats had decreased, and they threw their fists at Suho even more desperately in order to forcibly shake off the unpleasant feeling.
Ruthless rampage.
Shockwave created by randomly striking two thick muscular arms.
A hazy dust cloud followed, filling the Colosseum.
The heat in the audience seats grew even hotter.
Swoosh!
Then…
[Use ‘Skill: Strong Body Manifestation’.]
Bang!
“What?!”
Through the dust, a Minotaur suddenly bounced back.
And…
Bang!
“…!”
Another bounced off and crashed into the wall.
“Moooo-!”
Bang!
The third Minotaur also slammed into the wall and shook his dizzy head.
“What’s in there…”
“What is happening ?!”
While all demons were curious, the dust settled slightly and One Horn- no, Suho’s gigantic silhouette was revealed.
“W-What is he?!”
The eyes of all demons, slaves and jailers, widened in astonishment.
Before he knew it, Suho even used ‘Skill: Giant’s Armor’ and grew to a size similar to that of the Minotaur.
In addition, his two hands covered with black energy were holding the Minotaur.
Damn.
With fierceness, Suho looked straight into the Minotaur’s eyes and raised the corner of his mouth.
“Are you using your strength?”
“Mooo!”
“But, sorry.”
Suho smiles, showing his white teeth.
That moment.
“Mooooo?!”
As Suho’s power became stronger, the Minotaur was frightened and his knees broke on the spot.
“I’ve been working too hard at the gym lately.”
Suho raised his fist and crushed the beast’s body.
Blag!
“…!”
A silent scream erupted from the Minotaur’s mouth.
Suho straightened his back and started turning the beast into a porridge.
No more cheers came from the audience watching that.
Seeing Suho’s overwhelming and thrilling battle, a long-forgotten entity emerged from an older demon’s mind.
“V-Vulcan…”
A small voice came out of someone’s mouth.
That short word started to spread everywhere like wildfire.
“Vulcan?”
“V-Vulcan?!”
Belatedly, astonishment filled the eyes of the startled demons.
“Come to think of it, that one horn…!”
“It looks just like the horns of Vulcan, the demon of greed!”
A giant silhouette passed through the demons’ minds.
Intimidating size, destructive and tyrannical force.
Vulcan, the demon noble who was greedy more than anyone else!
“Oh my God. It’s true…”
The demons who had seen Vulcan at least once were shocked to see Suho now.
“That is Vulcan! Mr. Vulcan has returned!”
“No! No, you idiots! Vulcan is dead! He died a long time ago in the War of Outer Gods!”
“Ha, but…!”
“They seem similar but they’re different! Very different! First of all, that guy has only one horn…!”
The demon jailers whacked the distraught slaves to calm them down.
But then.
“Oh God…”
A sigh escaped from the mouth of the warden behind.
“I never thought Vulcan had a hidden son…!”
“…!”
Chapter 97
“W-What’s wrong with him?”
“What the hell is Vulcan doing?”
The sudden atmosphere puzzled the young demons.
Then the old demons born before the War of Outer Gods clicked their tongues.
“What? You don’t know the greedy Vulcan?”
“Young people these days!”
“If Vulcan was still alive, do you think we would have done nothing but pickaxe?”
“Tsk tsk. We must have been eaten right away, and not even a piece of bone would be left!”
“…?”
For the younger ones who were even more puzzled, the old demons started scrambling to open their mouths.
It was a terrible and terrifying past.
… Demons were broadly classified into two.
Demons with intelligence and demons without intelligence.
Demons with intelligence did not regard demons without intelligence as their kind, but treated them as insignificant creatures.
And…
“Vulcan was just a nameless creature a long time ago!”
He was just a small creature that crawled servilely at the very bottom of the demon realm, licking the blood and flesh left on the floor after other demons had finished hunting.
“Like a worm wriggling by instinct.”
Vulcan’s position in the demon realm was just that.
However, the demon realm is a hell of a place where fierce fighting between ghosts is common.
A truly strong demon could be said to be a demon that somehow endured and survived to the end, not a person with strong power or mana power.
“… In that sense, Vulcan was a truly strong demon.”
Although Vulcan was born weak and lowly, he crawled flat on the ground during the day and hid in the ground at night to avoid being preyed on by the strong.
Then, by picking up food waste, blood and flesh of demons that other demons ate and spilled, he gradually grew stronger in a place where no one knew.
Then one day.
It was extremely coincidental that Vulcan, who had been hiding endlessly from the strong, found ‘it’.
‘Ehh…?’
Unfortunately, Vulcan at the time did not have the intelligence to recognize ‘its’ identity.
But even without intelligence, his instincts made the most correct decisions.
Vulcan clung to ‘it’ and snapped a small branch, breaking it.
He devoured the leaves hanging from its branches.
That moment.
Swoosh!
‘… Huh?!’
A change occurred in Vulcan’s body.
Vulcan’s body, struggling with extreme pain, began to grow.
At the same time, intelligence bloomed in his empty head.
He then recognized the identity of what was in front of him.
[World Tree]
“… What Vulcan found was a world tree that was branching out into the demon realm.”
The lowly devil who happened to pick up and eat the leaves of the World Tree at such a chance got the name ‘Vulcan’.
He began to hunt down and eat the strong demons that had looked down on him.
‘Haaaa!’
There was no demon that could block Vulcan, who had the hard branches of the World Tree as a weapon.
Vulcan chewed and swallowed the flesh and blood of the demons defeated by him.
“The moment we encountered Vulcan, we were forced to choose.”
Either become Vulcan’s prey, or lie flat in front of him and volunteer to become his subordinate.
Vulcan was eventually able to become a demon noble and the ruler of a region.
Was it because of his deformed growth?
For some reason, even after becoming a demon noble, Vulcan still lacked the ability to speak.
A minimum intelligence was created, but that was it.
He was still only a predator who lived by pursuing his instincts, and even the method of creating ‘bloodstone’, the symbol of demonic nobility, was not that great to him.
Even if he couldn’t make bloodstone, it was enough to chew and swallow the whole demons he hunted anyway.
Besides, it was much more delicious and enjoyable to Vulcan.
“So even after becoming a demon noble, Vulcan reigned as a predator who constantly ate low-level demons.”
[The Greedy Volcan]
The demons called him by that name in fear.
“Until he was killed by the Shadow Monarch during the War of Outer Gods.”
“…”
The young demons swallowed hard at the old stories told by the old demons.
They knew how devastating it was for a low-level demon to reach demonic nobility on their own.
“Wait, how much did he eat…”
To do so, it was impossible even if Suho ate all the demons that filled the Colosseum.
At that moment, in the center of the Colosseum…
Mooooo…!
Blag!
A huge demon with Vulcan’s Horn was fighting a bloody battle with the Minotaurs.
Seeing that with their eyes, the old demons nodded their heads with confidence.
“His appearance is a little different, but it’s certain.”
“That’s Vulcan’s horn.”
“It’s Vulcan’s energy.”
“If that’s not Vulcan resurrected, then it’s from Vulcan’s blood line…”
Whichever of the two is true, it was a shocking situation.
* * *
On the other hand, Suho couldn’t help but fight at the sounds coming from here and there.
“What did they say? I’m Vulcan’s son?”
[Congratulations. The secret of your birth has been revealed.]
“Don’t play around. What kind of guy was Vulcan to get such reactions?”
[He was just a fat pig with a good appetite.]
“That doesn’t seem like me at all?”
[I think I stimulated something in Vulcan while eating bloodstone in this place.]
Vulcan was a demon noble who had never eaten bloodstone in his life.
That kind of guy (even if it was through his horn) suddenly tasted bloodstone like that, so suddenly the energy he had before life suddenly exploded.
It was sprouting after rain fell on dry ground.
[Now, the stench unique to Vulcan is leaking from your horns.]
“Stink? I don’t smell anything though?”
[That’s because it’s a smell that only demons can smell. But before that…!]
“I know!”
At Esil’s warning, Suho immediately stopped talking and turned around.
Then, grabbing the horns of the Minotaur that was attacking from behind like a mad bull, he slammed his fist down.
Bang!
“Mooooo!”
The Minotaur against him was tough indeed.
It took Suho’s blows with his bare body, and at the same time returned Suho’s violent punches.
Blag-!
A huge shock wave, like a bomb exploded on Suho’s body.
But…
[‘Skill: Endurance’ reduces damage.]
“I’m pretty tough too.”
Suho also continued to swing his fist while receiving the attack with his bare body.
“Moooo!”
[S-Such a futile battle…]
Esil was fed up.
Such a fighting method of giving up defense and only attacking each other like that was a vulgar method that demon nobles could not dare to imagine.
No, there was only one noble like that.
Vulcan.
Bang!
“Mooo…”
In the end, the winner and the loser of that ignorant fight were decided.
Another giant monster lost its power and collapsed due to Suho’s ruthless violence.
“That one’s toughness is amazing.”
Suho was sincerely impressed.
The five minotaurs he had defeated were still undead, wriggling on the floor gasping for air.
Even after the winner was decided, the demons were stunned and unable to even shout.
“Oh my God…”
“He single-handedly defeated five Minotaurs…”
“As expected, Vulcan’s son…”
However, only one person, the chief jailer, was different.
“… Keuh.”
The warden’s eyes were shining with greed as he looked at Suho.
‘What a windfall. Vulcan’s flesh and blood!’
Slurp.
His mouth kept watering.
That was natural, because it was none other than Vulcan.
A symbolic existence that showed how a low-level demon can become a noble!
He was curious.
‘How strong can I become if I eat him?’
An enormous appetite surged up.
The warden quickly scanned the Colosseum.
‘He hasn’t come yet!’
Despite that uproar, the tyrant still hadn’t appeared at the Colosseum.
That was all thanks to the one-horned man ending the battle too quickly.
Realizing that fact, the warden’s expression flashed with urgency.
‘What if I eat that guy first before the tyrant king arrives?’
‘Maybe I’ll become stronger than the tyrant king.’
The moment he thought of such an outrageous thought, a tremendous sense of shudder penetrated his entire body, from head to toe.
‘Stronger than the tyrant king? I can? Will I become the ruler of this place?’
The demon’s heart, full of desire, began to pound like thunder.
Wouldn’t it be a great disrespect for a demon to ignore this desire?
Poof!
“Oh!”
“C-Chief Warden?!”
Suddenly, when the jailer jumped into the arena, the eyes of the demon guards nearby widened.
None of them dared to stop his sudden action because he was a demon of the highest rank in that place where the tyrant king was absent.
When Suho saw the warden running after him, his eyes flashed.
“Great.”
[Don’t be careless! He’s a guy with much higher mana power than you!]
“Mana power isn’t everything.”
Also…
‘It’s much more efficient to catch the captain first than go for them all at once.’
Suho quickly prepared for battle.
However, the guard was never a hard-headed man, even if he was driven impulsively by desire.
His vile eyes quickly turned to the Minotaurs lying around Suho.
‘Don’t let your guard down.’
After all, the one-horned man was the one who single-handedly knocked out five of those tough ones.
Also, Vulcan’s son couldn’t be more vigilant.
The warden stretched out both hands and shouted at the minotaurs.
“Rise again, madmen!”
[Eh?! How dare you say that first!]
Beru, who was hiding in the shadows, was very angry.
Light-blooded poison had already spread from the jailer’s hand and was poisoning the fallen Minotaurs.
“Moooooo!”
The Minotaurs writhe in great pain and rise again.
Their bodies were terribly hot.
The blood in their veins was boiling.
It was practically a death sentence to use light-blooded poison on those who were already exhausted and dying.
If the poison had been used from the beginning, the Minotaurs would not have even fought to save their lives.
But it was different now.
“Moooo!”
The Minotaurs took all that pain and anger and directed it to Suho.
[The Cultivated Minotaur is contaminated with madness.]
[The Cultivated Minotaur is contaminated with madness.]
[The Cultivated Minotaur is contaminated with madness.]
…
The warden gave orders to them with the most evil laugh.
“Great! Kill him! Tear that bastard limb from limb, even if it means at the expense of your lives!”
“Moooo!”
“Hahaha! Blood and flesh of Vulcan! I will eat all of your blood, flesh, and bone fragments!”
The warden rushed to eat Suho’s heart with the mad-blooded Minotaurs.
“Vulcan’s power is mine…!”
It was then.
Bzzzzt-
As if answering the warden’s words, the horn of Suho- No, the horn of Vulcan vibrated and began to emit a strange cry.
Ring!
[An urgent quest has occurred.]
‘Urgent Quest?’
A quest window suddenly opened in front of Suho’s eyes.
[Emergency Quest: Vulcan’s Greed]
A powerful thirst for power awakened the demonic spirit that slumbered within Vulcan’s horn.
Awakening from a long slumber, ‘Voracious Vulcan’ is feeling extreme hunger.
Feed Vulcan his fill of demon souls and earn special rewards.
Chapter 98
That moment.
Tick.
Suho’s time has stopped.
[Passive skill ‘(Unknown)’ is activated.]
‘… Is it this again?’
While checking the quest window, Suho was already in a world of pure white.
And a huge shadow was cast in front of him.
Suho raised his head and looked at the colossal giant demon looking down at him.
[The Greedy Vulcan]
The name tag floating in front of him caught his eye.
‘Are you Vulcan?’
‘…’
Despite Suho’s words, no answer came from Vulcan, because Vulcan was originally a demon who couldn’t speak.
But it worked.
Sigh.
In response to Suho’s question, Vulcan smirked with an expression of cruelty and evil.
He then patted his full belly and gently rubbed it as if showing off.
Rumble!
A loud sound was heard from within his belly, as if it was about to explode at the right time.
‘Pft.’
Suho couldn’t help but laugh at the obvious appearance.
‘Why? Are you hungry?’
‘Kehehehe.’
Shiver.
Saliva dripped from Vulcan’s mouth as he nodded coldly at those words.
‘What the…’
Somehow, Vulcan’s Horn keeps whining lately…
Maybe it was because there was a delicious smell all over the place.
If you simply look at the visuals, he looked much scarier than the dead monarchs Suho have met so far, but the sense of intimidation was much weaker than the monarchs.
Obviously, it was because Vulcan wasn’t even a monarch, he was just a remnant of the soul left in an item.
Compared to the dead monarchs, he feels relatively smaller.
‘Item: Vulcan’s Horn’ was a weapon that became stronger as it ate the demon’s soul after all.
Vulcan, who coveted the flesh and blood of demons while alive, has now become an item that devoured the souls of demons after death.
Previously, even if Suho wanted to feed Vulcan, there was little to no presence of demons.
‘As Esil mentioned, just like a fat pig…’
‘Were you hungry enough to appear right in front of my eyes because there were not enough quests?’
Suho didn’t like the ambiguous standards for a quest.
‘How much do I need to feed this guy to be full?’
Suddenly, Suho’s gaze stayed on Vulcan’s full belly.
‘How much do you need to eat to be full?’
‘Kehehe..’
Vulcan didn’t respond and only drooled.
Suho shook his head.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
After all, demons were everywhere there.
Suho made eye contact with Vulcan and said.
‘Okay. I’ll feed you without hesitation. But…’
‘…?’
‘Your horn is nice. Do you have another?’
Vulcan stared at Suho with an incomprehensible expression.
Then, the moment the corners of his lips smirk up…
Ring.
The quest window in front of Suho changed.
[Urgent Quest: Vulcan’s Greed]
– Reward: Vulcan’s Horn – 2
A line of rewards has been added to the quest window.
Suho’s eyes sparkled.
“Okay. Deal.”
Negotiation complete.
Vulcan flashed the cruelest smile…
Swoosh!
Time, which had stopped, began to move again.
Returning to reality in an instant, Suho looked forward with a flashing gaze.
“Moooo!”
From all sides, maddened Minotaurs were running, burning their last remaining lives.
However, Suho did not even pay attention to them and focused only on the demon’s chief.
“Detoxify.”
As soon as those words were spoken, someone in the distant world of emptiness raised their eyes insidiously.
[The Queen of Bugs, Plague Monarch, licks her lips while looking at the light-blooded poison.]
Then.
[Detoxifies – ‘Debuff: Light Blood Poison’.]
[Detoxifies – ‘Debuff: Light Blood Poison’.]
[Detoxifies – ‘Debuff: Light Blood Poison’.]
[Detoxifies – ‘Debuff: Light Blood Poison’.]
…
The demon guards there have been effectively controlling other demons using light-blooded poison.
Trying to feed Suho with food mixed with light-blooded poison was part of that.
However, it rather led to allowing Suho to break down their means of control.
Suho could freely decode and detoxify the poison he ingested.
“Mooooo…!”
“Mooooo…!”
In an instant, madness escaped from the bodies of the Minotaur like smoke, and they began to fall down on the spot.
[You have killed a Cultivated Minotaur.]
[You have killed a Cultivated Minotaur.]
[You have killed a Cultivated Minotaur.]
…
They lost their lives the moment the light-blooded poison escaped.
Ring!
[Your level increased!]
Swoosh!
“Good timing.”
Just in time, Suho, who had recovered to the peak of his condition, reached out to the warden.
“Take this.”
[Use ‘Debuff: Light-Blooded Poison’.]
Swoosh!
The intangible poison that stretched from Suho’s hand hit the warden.
“You are performing tricks!”
Roar!
The warden then swung his arm as if it were ridiculous.
It was embarrassing that the Minotaurs suddenly collapsed, but he had already arrived right next to Suho.
The scorching heat of the warden hit Suho.
Swoosh-!
Rather than backing down, Suho rushes forward.
He raised his hand, grabbed Vulcan’s Horn that was on his head, and pulled it out.
Like pulling a sword out of a scabbard.
In his hand, Vulcan’s Horn returned to its original form as a sword and was swung.
[Use ‘Skill: Blade Storm.]
Slash-!
A fierce storm of blades attacked, cutting the warden’s flames in half.
The warden’s eyes widened.
“I can’t believe you can even use weapons! ! As expected, you are the blood of Vulcan…!”
“How dare you change my Dad as you want!”
Suho immediately took out the ‘Item: Rakan’s Sword’ from his inventory and swung his twin swords fiercely.
[What are you going to do if he finds out that you are human?]
Esil’s voice was mixed with concern.
However, the warden was not an easy opponent to the extent of saving his strength.
The green miasma and red flames he expelled raged, fighting the blade storm.
Esil clicked her tongue.
[He’s a really messy guy. Does he handle fire while using poison?]
In common sense, poison and fire are incompatible, so it was a difficult combination to use together.
The warden was doing the difficult thing himself.
In the eyes of the lofty demon noble Esil, it was nothing but useless.
[Efficiency comes out when power is concentrated into one. Using multiple powers at the same time…]
Suho exclaimed excitedly.
“Nice! Let’s see who’s more promiscuous!”
[Hey…! Don’t compete with that!]
Messy?
Such an expression did not apply to Suho in the first place.
He was truly a one-man army!
Also, his army was stronger as various types of shadow soldiers were gathered.
“Come out, Quay!”
[I accept Master’s command.]
Suho’s shadow was thick under the feet of the warden.
In the shadows, Quay’s eerie spear blade, which was only looking for an opportunity, rose vertically at the same time as he answered.
Slash-!
“Ack!”
The warden hurriedly twisted his body, but was unable to completely avoid Quay’s spear.
That was enough.
[Quay uses ‘Debuff: Paralysis Poison’.]
“…!”
The warden was startled and felt his body suddenly dull.
The most common type of Querehsha’s poison that Suho consumed in the death realm was those with paralysis poison.
As Quay became a shadow soldier, he was able to apply Suho’s poison to his weapon instead of the queen bee’s royal jelly.
“Poison doesn’t work on me!”
Roar!
The warden blew away the paralysis poison by heating up his whole body with fire.
[‘Debuff: Paralysis Poison’ is canceled.]
But that fleeting moment was enough.
Suho’s twin swords decapitate the warden.
“…!”
[You have defeated the demon Warden.]
[Vulcan’s Horn devours the demon’s soul.]
The warden’s head rolled on the floor with his eyes wide open.
‘Oh. They’re giving me 10 souls?’
Suho quickly confirmed the amplifying power of Vulcan’s Horn.
Perhaps because of the atmosphere, the illusion of Vulcan giggling and tapping his stomach passed by.
That moment.
Uproar-!
A great uproar filled the Colosseum.
“T-The warden is dead!”
“The one-horned man killed the warden!”
“A demon noble has appeared!”
“He was really the son of Vulcan!”
[Khiiick! These bastards are to rip! How dare you say who is whose son!]
Beru couldn’t hold back his anger and went wild.
Suho turned his gaze and glared in the direction of the demon guards.
“Okay, who will come out next?”
“…”
The demon guards were frozen on the spot with stiff expressions, unable to answer.
“… Hmm?”
Suho suddenly realized that the guards’ frightened eyes were looking somewhere other than him.
Chills.
Suho turned his head towards where he felt his senses stat warning.
Right there…
“What?”
Suho couldn’t help but put on a puzzled expression.
The body of the dead warden was getting up again on the spot with its head cut off.
Roar!
Suddenly, the hot flames that rose from inside the warden’s body began to burn, using his entire body as a wick.
[Mad-Blooded Tyrant]
‘The name has changed!’
Suho fixed his twin swords with nervous eyes.
At that moment, horror-soaked screams of demons erupted from all directions.
“T-The tyrant king has arrived!”
“Tyrant king…!”
The demon guards trembled.
[It’s a parasitic demon!]
At that moment, Esil’s voice, which penetrated Suho’s head, contained tremendous caution.
“A parasitic demon?”
[Yeah. I don’t know if he’s been hiding here since the beginning or if he just got in… something’s off.]
Suho raised his twin swords and glared at the mad-blooded tyrant.
Roar!
The entire headless body of the warden was burning hot.
Like… Like a ‘Mist Burn’.
Although the colors of the flames were different, the basic structure was so identical that it gave Suho goosebumps.
‘… Is it a coincidence?’
No way.
Suho could have predicted it.
How many of the strange things he had experienced so far were by chance?
All of those things were like coincidences.
No- like fate.
[This energy…]
All of those things were waiting on the road ahead of Suho as if it were natural.
[Young Master, please prepare.]
Beru appeared in front of Suho. He squinted his eyes and glared at the mad-blooded tyrant.
[Outer God, an apostle of Itharim has appeared.]
Chapter 99
Solo Leveling : Ragnarok Chapter 99
Outer Gods.
Absolute beings who created countless universes since their existence.
ITHARIM
[… At one time, the ‘God’ of our world was one of them.]
The conversation he had with Beru the other day passed through Suho’s mind.
The god who created the world to which Earth belongs was also one of the Itharim.
However, there was one thing that even such an absolute existence could never avoid, and that was ‘death’.
The end was truly devastating.
Rebellion of Angels
The angels who were born as God’s apostles realized the truth one day that the God they served was neither good nor righteous, but rather, a cruel being who enjoyed creating and destroying.
Realizing that, the angels rebelled against God and succeeded.
[So God died in the end. That too, by the hands of the angels he created.]
The problem started.
A world without God.
Land without an owner.
The vast amount of mana remaining in the world would go to the one who picked it up first.
That was noticed by the outer beings and other Itharims scattered across the faraway dimension.
[From then on, outer beings began to turn their eyes to our world.]
At first, it was a first-come, first-served fight.
The key was who arrived first and planted a flag on that land, no matter who lived there… whatever the Itarim who died there had created.
It was a very simple running race where all you had to do was destroy and eat everyone.
But when they arrived, an unexpected variable awaited them.
That variable is…
[His Majesty, your father.]
The God of that land was dead, but there was a new king there who ruled over death himself.
A fragment of the greatest brilliance, Sung Jinwoo, the Shadow Monarch.
In other words, Suho’s father led a large army and went out into space to stop Itharim’s apostles.
… It was the beginning of the ‘War of Outer Gods’.
[Our war was fiercer than ever, and it lasted without end. Even at this moment.]
No one could predict the outcome of that war.
Their side had an existence that endlessly repeated creation, and our side had an immortal army that would rise again no matter how many died.
No one knew how long that tight balance would last.
It was an endless fight.
[Then, Itharim tried another move to break the balance.]
They took a different approach.
The front line guarded by Sung Jinwoo was so hard that it was impossible to break through, so Itharim decided to turn around and attack the back line.
[… which was Earth.]
In fact, Earth was the most unpleasant area for Itharim.
Compared to other dimensions, the remaining mana power on Earth was too weak, so there was not much to eat.
But at the same time, it was also a place where there were many loopholes to penetrate.
The apostles of Itharim, who set Earth as their target, immediately began to seep through the dimensional rift to open paths to Earth.
As a result, the rifts in the already incomplete dimension began to twist arbitrarily, and gates began to appear on Earth.
Unexpectedly, those who invaded Earth from those gates were not Itharim’s army, but dimensional refugees.
After being defeated in the War of Outer Gods, the races of the dead Monarchs who had been torn apart and wandered around began to invade Earth.
[I thought the apostles of Itharim were acting secretly after that, but…]
“Were they in this form?”
Suho glared at the mad-blooded tyrant with terrifying eyes.
Mist Burn.
A roaring flame demon that burns with dead humans as its wick.
The corpse of a demon who had died in exactly the same way was blazing.
Still, there were obvious differences from Mist Burn.
The wick made of humans is quickly burned and turned into ashes, but the wick made of demons was much stronger than that of humans.
Roar!
The flame fluttered over the neck cut by Suho’s sword, creating a face-like shape.
The figure was as if the demon in the flame was wearing full-body armor called a Demon’s Body.
[He’s really like a snail.]
Beru clicked his tongue thinking it was ridiculous.
“Tyrant king!”
“The tyrant king!”
At the appearance of the mad-blooded tyrant, the demons all trembled in fear and bowed down.
In that heated atmosphere, they were like fanatics who met a pseudo cult.
However, the mad-blooded tyrant was only showing interest in Suho as he was the only one there who didn’t bow to him.
“… Interesting.”
Eventually, the mouth of the mad-blooded tyrant opened and a bizarre echoing voice came out.
“I never thought I would find someone like you in a place like this.”
Gulp.
Suho’s expression became tense.
‘Could he have noticed my true identity?’
It wouldn’t do any good if Itharim’s apostle knew that the shadow monarch’s son is right there in front of him.
‘Because I’m my father’s only weakness.’
Suho swallowed deeply at the sight of the mad-blooded tyrant who seemed to have noticed something.
It was obvious what it would lead to if the identity of the power he used was revealed to “Itharim,” more than anyone else.
Suho didn’t expect that he would run into Itharim’s apostle in a place like that, so he couldn’t help but be perplexed.
“Kehehehe!”
The tyrant burst into a roar of laughter, tearing his mouth wide open.
“I never thought there would be a demon noble still alive!”
… Hmm?
Suho’s tense expression relaxed.
Beru, probably thinking the same thing, whispered softly in the shadow of Suho.
[Kuhm. I think it’s because the energy of Vulcan and Esil is too strong right now. This is rather good…]
The mad-blooded tyrant’s eyes shone insidiously.
“Amazing. An heir who even inherited the power of a monarch.”
[…!]
“…!”
At those words, Suho and Beru’s eyes widened at the same time.
Thud!
Suho was ready to move and cut the tyrant king down.
In his head, he already had 13 ways to kill the tyrant as quickly as possible.
[Young Master! We must kill him here! If we lost sight of him, information about Young Master might spread among…!]
Right then…
“How the hell did a demon become the heir of the Fang Monarch?”
[Ehhh?]
“How did you know? Quite impressive.”
[… Young Master?]
Suho nodded his head coldly to the mad-blooded tyrant’s question.
He felt Beru’s gaze staring at him with a puzzled expression from under his shadows, but he ignored it.
The tyrant smiled meaningfully.
“Did you think I’m an idiot? There’s no way I wouldn’t know the smell of animals coming out like that from your body.”
[The King of Beasts, Fang Monarch, looks at the mad tyrant with pity.]
It felt like he could hear Rakan’s tongue clicking from a distance, but Suho maintained a stern expression.
He rather proudly revealed his identity (?).
“You are right. I am a demon noble who inherited the power of the Fang Monarch.”
“I knew it. Haha. Good, good! I never thought I would find someone like you in a place like this!”
The mad-blooded tyrant laughed satisfactorily, as if his intuitions were nothing but correct.
As the laughter echoed through the Colosseum, the demons shrank even more.
He wasn’t wrong though. Suho was currently in the state of ‘Blessing’ with Gray in his body.
Also, he held Vulcan’s Horn in his hands rather than on his head, so it was natural to think of him as a demon who could weaponize his own horns like Esil.
‘Great. I managed to hide my identity.’
[Everything’s fine, right?]
Suho heard Esil’s voice, but he just smiled contemptuously and pretended not to hear it.
During the battle, Quay and Beru appeared outside, but fortunately, the mad-blooded tyrant didn’t seem to have noticed that.
[So, what is your plan?]
When Esil whispered in Vulcan’s Horn, Suho asked the same exact words to the mad-blooded tyrant.
“So, what is your plan?”
Suho threatened the tyrant with his arrogant gaze, as if he were a real demon noble.
The tyrant found those words ridiculous.
“Weren’t you the one who came after me from the beginning?”
“Stop talking nonsense, tell me why you collect hell iron by driving slaves on the outskirts like this.”
Many demons were enslaved there, but all they did was dig up hell iron in the mines.
What on earth was the tyrant trying to do with so much hell iron?
There was only one reason that came to Suho’s mind.
“You’re not thinking of preparing for war, are you?”
As Esil once said, hell iron was most often used to make weapons in the demon realm.
Hell iron imbued with demonic energy was not only hard, but it was also an ore that responded best to demonic energy. It could lead to a significant increase in mana power.
At Suho’s question, the tyrant opened his blazing arms and pointed at the demons in the vast Colosseum.
“Look! Can’t you see? This place is completely under my control. But as you know, this place is nothing more than a fragmented demon realm.”
In the dimensional rift, there were countless demon realms scattered here and there, wandering aimlessly, and that place where they were was just one of those.
“I intend to train these guys and conquer all those demon realms. Also…”
The expression of the mad-blooded tyrant looking at Suho deepened.
“I will put all other dimensions under my feet. I will kill and kill and eat everyone.”
That was it.
The mad-blooded tyrant, no, the apostle of Itharim, had the goal of using the demons to take control of the demon realm, starting with that place.
After conquering other dimensions one after another…
‘They’ll eventually reach Earth.’
After learning what Itharim’s apostle was planning, Suho twitched his brows.
On the other hand, the tyrant smacked his lips.
He directed his energy towards Suho.
“That’s why I was looking for someone like you.”
“Like me?”
“Yes. If I wear the body of a demon noble like you as armor, how strong will I become? Woah. Just imagining it is thrilling.”
The tyrant wearing the demon’s jailer’s body like armor looked as if he had already obtained Suho’s body.
It was by no means a bluff or an illusion.
Because all the demons that filled the Colosseum were his slaves.
But even in that overwhelmingly dangerous situation…
‘Beru.’
Suho was throwing a question to Beru with a calm look.
‘My father… Has he been fighting these guys all along? Alone?’
[Yes.]
Beru replied.
[His Majesty had always fought alone. In a place no one knows, in a time no one remembers.]
Even at that moment…
Suho’s father, Sung Jinwoo, was still fighting a battle alone at the end of a distant universe that no one can reach.
‘… I see.’
Suho silently nodded. This chapter is updat𝓮d by nov(e)(l)biin.com
His eyes began to glow quietly.
“My father must be very bored.”
Well, then…
“I will go see him in person.”
To be honest, he didn’t know how helpful he would be.
Still, as an only son, shouldn’t he go and massage the shoulders of his father who was struggling alone in a foreign universe?
“… It would be better to pack some presents on the way.”
Suho’s gaze turned to the mad-blooded tyrant who exuded a sense of intimidation.
Yes, a gift.
This one’s good as gift.
‘For now, I’ll start by solving the small things in front of me by myself.’
“Arise.”
Chapter 100
At the end of the vast universe, on the far side of the darkness, a black hole connected to the outer universe was opening.
[A new gate has occurred!]
[All troops! Prepare for enemy raids!]
Goooo-!
At the command of the Rulers, the heavenly soldiers spread their brilliant wings all at once.
The aura of brilliance they exuded collided with the aura of an Outer God emanating from the black hole.
At the heart of that fierce battlefield…
“… Was it just my imagination? I think someone called me.”
A man wrapped in black energy, Sung Jinwoo, suddenly turned his head with a frown.
[Isn’t it Beru?]
High Commander Bellion, who was preparing the battle line, suddenly appeared and replied to that.
When he brought up Beru, Sung Jinwoo’s eyebrows furrowed.
“Come to think of it, Beru is really…”
Sung Jinwoo asked him to come back quickly, but he still had not heard from him wherever he was playing.
Did he do what he was told to do or did he do it right?
[Shadow Monarch, by any chance, if something happens to Beru, then Young Master…]
“That’s unlikely.”
Sung Jinwoo shook his head resolutely at Bellion’s concern.
“I would have noticed right away.”
If something went wrong with his Shadow Soldier, Sung Jinwoo would know it immediately.
So far, he has not felt any sign of it from Beru.
On the way to Earth, he must have suffered some damage from fighting the remnants of Itharim, but there was no way that Beru would face extinction against just those guys in the first place.
Besides, Beru has a special ability that other shadow soldiers didn’t have.
‘Predation’.
Beru is basically a bug-type monster with excellent survivability.
He was a shadow soldier that could replenish his own strength no matter how far away from the monarch he was.
[With all due respect…]
Just in time, High Commander Igris appeared next to Sung Jinwoo and opened his mouth.
Igris had always quarreled with Beru, but because of that, he knew Beru very well.
[No matter how stupid that worm is, he should have finished their mission by now. What we should be concerned about is…]
[He seems to have settled down on Earth.]
Recalling Beru’s personality, Bellion and Igris looked at each other and sighed at the same time.
Even within the Shadow Corps, Beru was known for being the strongest and overprotective.
If Suho’s memories that have been sealed so far were released, Suho would recognize Beru right away.
There was a very high probability that Beru, who had been waiting for that moment, would stay on Earth.
He was the kind of guy who would run amok out of excessive loyalty, asking who would protect his Young Master if not himself.
That was also the instinct Beru had as an ant.
‘… Well, that might be good enough. I sent Beru considering that.’
Sung Jinwoo smiled and looked away from the direction of Earth and looked forward again.
It was a tense battle that had been going on for several years.
‘I don’t think it will end easily.’
Looking back, it was rather comfortable to deal with the one back then.
It was simply a clash of power and strength.
However, the war with Itharim now was completely different from that time.
Itharim enjoys creation and destruction.
The apostles created by their hands have been fighting each time with bizarre forms and irregular strategies, and because of that, unpredictable situations continue to occur.
It was now a battle of strategy and tactics, not a clash of strength and power.
In order to deal with them, the most important thing was case-to-case impromptu judgment.
‘That’s why… I’ll leave it to you.’
Sung Jinwoo’s eyes flashed.
Suho, who has been unsealed, and High Commander Beru, who has risen to the level of the enemy beyond class.
With the combination of those two, he would be able to entrust the backline to them.
It would be quite burdensome for Itharim to take strong people from the frontline and go around the long way to send them to Earth.
If they did, the balance that was held tight would tilt right away.
That means, only small apostles of Itharim were currently aiming for Earth.
But…
There was just one concern.
‘Actually, the balance has already been broken.’
It was from the moment he sent Beru, a frontline High Commander, to Earth.
Similarly, Itharim would also have enough resources to send a guy the size of Beru to Earth.
‘The key is if Itharim will get to notice that fact.’
The moment they do, they would definitely send an apostle with power similar to Beru’s to Earth.
It would be alright if Beru could directly deal with that apostle, but what if Beru’s condition was different from usual?
… There would be quite a problem.
However, knowing that their backline would be at risk, there was no way not to send Beru.
Otherwise, sooner or later, Earth would surely perish.
‘So, Suho…’
Sung Jinwoo opened his mouth thinking of his only son struggling alone on Earth.
“You have to.”
‘Be strong.’
‘My son.’
* * *
“Arise.”
The moment Suho gave out that order, Beru recalled the Shadow Monarch, Sung Jinwoo.
A solemn requiem brought about by the shadow army that covered the vast and distant universe.
The immortal army, led by Beru himself, were invincible warriors who transcended even death, and were messengers of hell who would burn their souls to complete their mission if their master commanded them.
… But.
The army led by Suho consisted of only one guy, Quay.
The shadow mercenaries for one day had already gone back to nothing.
[Ohhh! Master is calling me!]
Hearing Suho’s order just in time, Quay stood up in the shadows.
Seeing that, Beru suddenly realized the situation and shouted at Suho.
[No, Young Master! If you use that skill right now…!]
He needed to stop Suho right away.
The opponent is an apostle of Itharim.
If Suho summoned the shadow soldier now, the apostle of Itharim would find out Suho’s true identity.
[Your identity will be revealed…! Ehh?]
However, before Beru could even finish his words, something unexpected happened.
“Arise, Quay.”
Suddenly, Suho’s hand grabbed Quay and pulled him out.
[If it’s Master’s order…!]
Quay’s body soared along Suho’s hand.
Swoosh!
It looks like…
A lance.
Suddenly, Quay’s body was transformed into a lance shimmering with black energy.
[I am the lancer Quay! According to my Master’s order, I will become a lance that pierces the enemy’s heart!]
He was in the same shape as the giant bee stinger he usually held in his hand.
Ring!
[The level of ‘Skill: Shadow Release’ has increased.]
The skill window automatically opened in front of Suho.
[Shadow Release Lv.2 – Shape Change]
Shadow power.
No mana required.
Randomly changes the shape of a shadow soldier.
[Ehhh?!]
Beru was genuinely astonished.
[Oh my God! Weaponizing the Shadow Soldier! I’ve never seen anyone do this before!]
“Really?”
At Beru’s fuss, Suho lifted Quay, who had turned into a lance, in the air and his eyes lit up.
“I was just pretending to be Esil.”
[M-Me?!]
Esil’s surprised voice echoed from Vulcan’s Horn.
Spiritualization of a Demon Noble.
Through spiritualization, Esil was able to turn her horn into a weapon and even nestle directly in Vulcan’s Horn.
Suho, who had witnessed it several times now, realized it intuitively.
Although the transformation into a spiritual body looks great at first glance, the shadow soldiers were basically spiritual bodies anyway.
Just looking at Beru right now, his size or shape also changed here and there as he intended.
‘So of course I thought I could do it, too.’
It actually happened.
[Oh, my…]
Beru was greatly moved.
Talent.
This is what talent is.
Unique and admirable.
[As expected, Young Master is a prodigy! From the time you first realized the Ruler’s Power before you could even walk, I knew that from early on…!]
Sung Jinwoo, a shadow monarch far beyond class, has been at a level where he could handle all shadows freely.
On the other hand, Suho was like an ant larva- a kid who had just awakened with shadow power.
Beru couldn’t believe that the little one taught himself and learned everything on his own.
“Whew. Vulcan’s son, I wondered why you had only one horn, but it turned out that such a great horn was hidden separately.”
The mad-blooded tyrant was still firmly misunderstanding the identity of Suho.
He thought that the ‘Shadow Lance’ that suddenly emerged from Suho’s hand was a weaponized demon horn.
“So, are you really going to try to defy me with that lance? Do you know many demons I’ve eaten so far? Do not resist uselessly, and surrender…”
Slash-!
“…!”
Thunk!
The mad-blooded tyrant could not finish his words and hurriedly turned his head, barely avoiding the shadow lance that was shot like a thunderbolt.
“How dare you!”
The moment he turned his head and glared at Suho with a scary expression…
Slash-!
The shadow lance that flew back turned like a thunderbolt as if it had wings and hit his shoulder.
Stab!
“Ack!”
Surprised, the tyrant hurriedly pulled out the shadow lance from his body.
“How dare you do this trick!”
Roar!
Ominous flames erupted from his raging body.
“A gap.”
Suho moved immediately.
Swoosh!
[The ‘Title: Demon Slayer’ buff is activated.]
[All stats increase by 40% when dealing with demon type monsters.]
Swish!
Suho’s twin swords swung and created a storm of blades overlaid with Rakan’s divine wind.
[Use ‘Skill: Blade Storm’.]
The tyrant who countered him wickedly raised the corners of his mouth and released his power.
“Hahaha. Great! Struggle as much as you can! It would be nice to see how hard the Demon Noble’s body is!”
His flame opposed Suho’s Blade Storm, creating a massive chain of explosions.
However, Suho’s twin swords persistently pushed the tyrant, tearing even the explosion.
“Woah. That’s commendable. After all, no matter how young you are, a demon noble is still a demon noble.”
The mad-blooded tyrant was a little taken aback.
Compared to the low energy he felt from Suho, his attack power was beyond imagination.
All the ominous flames he now ignited were fueled by the blood and flesh of the demons he had eaten.
On the other hand, Suho’s demon slayer title was the buff that showed the most certain compatibility against the demon’s power.
“… But that’s just it.”
An immense power burst out from the entire body of the mad-blooded tyrant who glared at Suho.
“Because your body was already poisoned by a cursed blood that would make you crazy!”
He stretched out his hand toward Suho and unleashed his power.
“Run out of control with that cursed blood!”
Swoosh!
“…!”
An ominous cursed fog covered the entire area where Suho stood.
In front of him, the mad-blooded tyrant burst into laughter.
“Haha! Did you know?! The first meal given to all the demons here was mixed with light-blooded poison!”
If he wanted to, he could make the poison in the opponent’s body go wild at any time!
But then, in the ominous fog that covered all sight…
Thud!
“…!”
Suho jumped out without hesitation and plunged his twin swords into the mad-blooded tyrant’s body.
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