Chapter 185

Suho followed the demons into the black market’s gambling house. As he had already heard outside, the gambling that was going on inside wasn’t of the card game or poker variety.

“Ugh!”

“Die! Die, damn it!”

This “gambling house” was a broad underground arena that stank of blood and sweat. There, two hunters who had removed all of their equipment were fighting to the death. The malice and desperation in their eyes made it easy to see what was going on.

“Hehe... Quite the entertaining sight, is it not? All these humans are desperate to pay off their gambling debts,” said one of the gatekeeper demons with a grin.

In Suho’s head, Esil said cynically,

“Tsk.

Trashy low-rank demons...”

Demon nobles, with their absolute rank, no longer existed. The low-ranked demons that lived in various parts of the world seemed very eager to mimic their obsolete nobility.

At least the demons I encountered in the previous demon realm fought each other, rather than enlisting humans. It seems that these demons are not even doing the fighting themselves.

A cold glint appeared for a moment in Suho’s eyes. He was well aware of coliseum fights, which had been enjoyed by the demon nobility. He himself had become a demon gladiator and taken part in a fight. As it happened, however, the situation was reversed this time.

Moments later, Suho arrived at a terrace-like location with a great view of the arena.

“This is the VIP room,” one of the guards said. “Humans cannot access this place, so please enjoy yourself at your leisure. If you wish to partake in the games, please feel free to tell us at any time.”

“All right.” Suho sat on a plush sofa and looked around him with a leisurely air.

A few demons were already watching the fights in the VIP room. They all looked quite similar to each other, wearing crow masks that hid their faces and Stardust necklaces around their necks. Their attention was diverted to Suho as soon as he entered the room, however.

“Ah, a newcomer.”

“I haven’t seen him before.”

“What... amazing horns.”

They were interested only in the horns that were growing out of Suho’s head. Some looked curious, others looked servile and terrified, and some even seemed to watch him with admiration. The eyes that peered out at him from the various masks made it clear what complicated emotions the demons were feeling. None of them seemed willing to come over and speak to him, however.

“This is natural,”

Esil explained.

“Vulcan’s Horn is completely different now from what it was like when you were a gladiator.”

Vulcan had originally been a shoddy noble who hadn’t been able to create bloodstones, the luxurious objects demon nobles fed on. That was why he had devoured more of his own kind than any other noble. He was now dead, and his horns were all that remained of him, but he was still eager to devour the souls of other demons. Suho, who was a human, could not see it, but the other demons could sense the terrible and greedy demonic energy that burned in the horns, which had consumed their fill of demonic souls.

Terrible...

How many demons do you have to devour to produce that sort of energy?

Don’t tell me he devoured every demon in his own factory?!

Though none of the demons in the VIP room said anything out loud, their thoughts were mostly along the same lines.

Suho suddenly clicked his tongue, making them flinch. “What is everyone looking at?” he asked.

The demons quickly averted their eyes, looking embarrassed. There was one who did not do so, however.

“My goodness, please, forgive them if they seemed rude. I’m sure they were all just happy to see you. I don’t know if you’re aware, but this is also a place for meeting new friends.”

A demon suddenly came up to Suho, making friendly conversation. He seemed no different from the others, but on closer inspection, there was something that set him apart.

“He’s not wearing a necklace,”

Suho remarked telepathically.

“Could he be the host?”

Esil quickly asked.

The demon drew close, smiling awkwardly when he realized that Suho was simply staring at him without saying anything. “Haha! Well, I see that you are the reticent type. Let me introduce myself. I am Lotto. I run this establishment.”

“That isn’t a common demon name.

Either he has no name in the first place, or it’s a random alias,”

Esil explained.

Suho considered this for a moment.

Hmm... What should I do here?

This demon was demanding to know his identity. Since Lotto was going by a fake name himself, Suho could provide any alias he wished. Doing so would not allow him to find out much, however. By avoiding this encounter, Suho would only be killing time with nothing to show for it.

Suho finally spoke. “My name is... Vulcan.”

Every demon in the VIP room went wide-eyed at that moment, staring at Suho with shocked looks on their faces.

“S-Suho?!”

Esil exclaimed. It seemed she was startled as well.

“That... seems to be a dangerous alias to go by,” Lotto said.

“Alias, you say?” Suho responded, smiling in amusement. He looked right into Lotto’s eyes, and the friendly smile on the demon’s face was replaced by a frown. Suho grinned and asked, “What makes you think I’m using an alias?”

“As far as we know, there are no demon nobles left in the world.”

“All except me, that is.”

“Do you mean to say that you... really are one?” The look in Lotto’s eyes was growing colder and colder during the short conversation. The other demons also seemed to have suddenly turned hostile, directing immense malice toward Suho.

However, Suho had faced far too many strong opponents to be cowed by the likes of them. He relaxed even more, crossing his legs and leaning back in the sofa. Raising one of his hands and reaching toward the gatekeeper demon beside him, Suho spoke to Esil.

“Esil, can you create a bloodstone for me?”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, ‘Vulcan’... Well, all right.”

Esil did as he requested, even though she did not understand what Suho was up to. In the worst-case scenario, they could simply destroy this place and run, or perhaps fight back.

Dark blood was drawn out of the gatekeeper demon’s body, traveling toward Suho’s hand. All the demons who saw this shot to their feet, shocked expressions upon their faces. The blood formed a round ball on Suho’s palm and began to turn into a dark bloodstone.

“I-is that a bloodstone?”

“It is!”

“Unbelievable! He’s really a demon noble?”

Suho released an aura of malice at that precise moment.

[Skill: “Bloodlust” has activated.]

The demons were rendered speechless as the energy filled the entire VIP room as well as the rest of the establishment, forcing them to instinctively get down or back away. They had witnessed a bloodstone being created, as well as felt an amount of energy that surpassed their own. The combination forced even Lotto to grow pale with fear.

“Th-this can’t be...”

“I-is it really Vulcan?”

“But he looks different...”

“Maybe he possessed this human.”

Hmm... Seems effective,

Suho thought.

Listening to the muffled murmuring from around the room, Suho and Esil spoke to each other in Suho’s head.

“What in the world are you thinking?”

Esil asked.

“What else?

They are playing at being nobility, so I’m teaching them a thing or two.”

“You know

that Vulcan was a noble who could not make bloodstones.

They probably know it, too.”

“Yes.

That’s what makes this meaningful.”

Suho smiled faintly and withdrew his Bloodlust spell. He looked at Lotto again. “So, was that enough to convince you?” he asked.

Lotto did his best to stay calm and erase the confusion in his face. “That is very surprising. A real bloodstone!”

Lotto’s eyes were still on the bloodstone that was in Suho’s hand. He simply could not believe what he was seeing, but that bloodstone was evidently real. This only confused him more. “But... as far as I know, Vulcan was unable to make bloodstones at all,” he said.

“That’s true. Once I learned how, however, it really wasn’t all that difficult.”

“Not all that difficult?” Lotto repeated, his eyes wide.

Avarice filled the eyes of the demons present. Suho’s words had been more than enough to excite them. The reason that the demons had developed Stardust in the first place was to mimic the creation of bloodstones, which was a power unique to their nobles. Bloodstones were proof of a real noble’s identity, and demons could only efficiently grow their power and become nobles through bloodstones. Only by becoming actual nobles could they be qualified to become the successor of Baran, the Monarch of White Flames, who was now dead.

If the newcomer’s words were true, then Vulcan—the demon noble who had been dismissed by others for being unable to create bloodstones on his own for the longest time—had finally gained the ability. It suddenly didn’t matter to the demons whether Suho was actually Vulcan or not.

“Don’t tell me you figured out how to create bloodstones on your own?” Lotto asked.

“Why do you ask? Do you want to learn how?”

Lotto’s eyes bulged from his head. Every word that Suho now spoke seemed to shake up the demons.

Esil muttered disbelievingly in Suho’s thoughts,

“Oh, Suho...”

But anyone—even a demon—would be eager to believe another who claimed to have something they were desperate for.

Lotto stammered, “I-is that an ability that can be learned?”

“No. No!”

Esil exclaimed.

“It’s not something you can learn, ever. Bloodstones are—”

“Why not?” Suho said.

“You fraud!”

Ignoring Esil, Suho spoke in the most serious and genuine tone he could muster. “However...”

The demons flinched.

However?

However, what?

The demons, who had been on their guard against Suho at first only to be overcome with shock and awe, were now hanging on his every word.

Enjoying their intense gazes leveled at his face, Suho leaned back languidly. “I thought this was a gambling establishment. Go about your business, everyone.”

“W-wait, Vulcan, sir! That’s not what’s important right now—!”

Crack.

Suho suddenly crushed the bloodstone in his palm. The demons watched, distraught, as the stone turned to dust and dissipated.