Su-ho entered the gambling hall of the black market guided by the demons.
As I heard from outside, the gambling going on inside was not something like Hwatu or poker.
“Kwaaak!”
“Die! Die!”
A vast underground fighting arena where the smell of blood and sweat vibrates.
There, two hunters stripped off all their equipment and engaged in a fierce fight.
Looking at the venomous look in their eyes and the expressions of evil, it was obvious what the situation was.
“Hehe. Doesn’t it look really fun? They’re all people who are trying to pay off their gambling debts.”
As the demon gatekeeper who was guiding Suho spoke with a snicker, Eshil’s cynical voice could be heard.
[Tsk. Lower level demons… … .]
Now that all the demon nobles with absolute status have disappeared.
The lower-level demons scattered here and there seemed to be desperate to imitate the demon nobles.
‘At least in the demon world, they made demons fight each other, but here, they’re making humans fight each other and they’re just watching.’
A cold light flashed through Suho’s eyes for a moment.
Suho also knew about the culture of the demon nobles, the Colosseum duels.
Haven’t you ever fought as a demon gladiator yourself?
But somehow this time, I found myself in the exact opposite position.
After a while, Suho arrived at a terrace-like place with the best view of the underground fighting arena.
“This is the VIP room. This is a space where humans are not allowed to enter, so you can watch comfortably. If you want to join the game, please call us at any time.”
“Okay.”
Suho sat on the soft sofa and looked around leisurely.
In the VIP room, several demons who had been watching the underground fighting arena were sitting.
They looked almost the same, but they had crow masks covering their faces and stardust necklaces around their necks.
But from the moment Suho entered the VIP room, their attention was focused on Suho, not the underground fight.
“Wow. I haven’t seen you before.”
“Are you a new customer?”
“The horns are really… … cool.”
Horn.
Their attention was focused solely on the Volcan horns sprouting from Suho’s head.
Curious eyes.
A cowardly look mixed with fear.
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Looks that go beyond fear to awe.
Beyond the crow masks covering their faces, the complex emotions they felt towards Suho were clearly felt.
But no one was willing to step forward and speak to Suho first.
[That’s a natural reaction.]
Esil explained.
[The horns of Volkan now are completely different from when you were a gladiator.]
Originally, Volkan was a clumsy noble who could not create bloodstones, the high-class diet of the demon nobles.
That is why he was the demon who devoured more of his own kind than any other noble.
Even when he was dead and had only horns left, he was desperate to eat the souls of other demons.
So, even though it is not visible to the human Suho’s eyes, it is visible to the eyes of the other demons.
This vicious and greedy demonic aura blazing from the horns of Volcan, who has feasted on demon souls.
‘… … This is terrible.’
‘How many of my own kind do I have to eat to get this kind of energy?’
‘You didn’t eat all the demons in your factory, did you?’
Even though they didn’t say it out loud, the thoughts the demons in the VIP room were having while looking at Suho were almost identical.
That was then.
“Tsk.”
Suho suddenly clicked his tongue, waking them up.
“The view will be over there.”
Shudder.
The demons who came to their senses at those words suddenly took their gaze off Suho with embarrassed expressions.
But not everyone was like that.
“I apologize if this is rude to you at first. I’m just glad to see you all. I don’t know if you know this, but this is also a place to make new friends.”
Suddenly, a demon approached Suho and spoke to him in a friendly manner.
He looked similar to the others, but when I looked closer, I saw one thing different.
‘There’s… no necklace.’
[Could this be the organizer of this place?]
Suho and Eshil had a quick conversation.
The devil, who had come closer in the meantime, smiled awkwardly and opened his mouth again when Suho just looked at him without saying anything.
“Haha, you seem a bit reserved. Let me introduce myself first. My name is ‘Lotto’ and I run this casino.”
[It’s not a demonic name. It seems like the demon didn’t have a name to begin with, or it’s just a made-up name.]
Suho thought for a moment while listening to Essil’s explanation.
‘Hmm. What should I do?’
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This demon named Lotto was now demanding his identity straight out.
Since the other person was also a pseudonym anyway, it didn’t matter if I said anything like my name.
But that won’t help you find out anything.
If you just avoid it, won’t time just pass by in a stagnant manner?
“My name is.”
Finally, Suho opened his mouth.
“It’s Volcan.”
… … !
That moment.
The eyes of all the demons in the VIP room widened and they looked at Suho with astonishment.
[Soo, Suho?]
Eshil called out to Suho in a voice that clearly showed his confusion.
“… … I think it would be a bit dangerous to use a pseudonym instead.”
“It’s a pseudonym… … .”
Suho looked straight into Lotto’s eyes, smiling as if he had heard something truly amusing.
Lotto’s expression, which had been friendly and smiling the whole time, became stiff.
Suho snickered and asked him back instead.
“Why should I use a pseudonym?”
“… … It is known that there are no demon nobles left in this world.”
“I guess that’s the case with other demon nobles.”
“Volkan… … are you saying that you are not that?”
During the short conversation with Suho, Lotto’s eyes were getting colder.
Similarly, the other demons’ tremendous killing intent was focused on Suho.
But there were too many strong people that Suho had faced in the past to be crushed by such a ridiculous life force.
Rather, Suho leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs in a more relaxed posture.
Then he raised one hand slightly, reached out to the demon gatekeeper standing next to him, and called out to Essil in his mind.
‘Eshil, is bloodstone possible?’
[I don’t know what he’s thinking, but Volkan… … I get it.]
Esil did not know what Suho’s intentions were, but she obediently accepted the request.
Anyway, if it came down to it, I would have just destroyed everything and run away or fought.
Saaaaaa-
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“… … Huh?!”
Suddenly, following the hand of the guardian, black blood began to be forcibly extracted from the body of the gatekeeper demon.
All the demons who witnessed this sight could not help but jump up from their seats with expressions of shock.
The demon’s blood that had just been drawn from Suho’s hand began to pool and turn into black bloodstone.
“Tongue, Bloodstone?!”
“It’s a bloodstone!”
“Oh my god! Are you really a demon noble?!”
That moment.
Suho emitted life energy from his entire body with perfect timing.
[Use ‘Skill: Survive’]
“… … !”
“… … !”
Kugugugugugugugu-!
As Suho’s killing intent filled the entire casino beyond the VIP room, the demons instinctively had no choice but to lower their bodies or step back.
The bloodstone that appeared before their eyes and the tremendous murderous intent that surpassed their own aura.
When these two combinations came together, even Lotto, who had confidently appeared in front of Suho, couldn’t help but turn pale.
“Oh, this can’t be… … .”
“No way, it’s really Volcan… … .”
“They look different… … .”
“Human possession… … .”
‘Hmm. Good reaction.’
Suho and Eshil had a conversation in their hearts as they listened to the mutterings coming from all directions.
[What exactly is your intention… … .]
‘What are you planning? You’re playing the real noble in front of those who are playing the noble.’
[You know. Volkan was a noble who couldn’t make bloodstones. They probably know that too.]
‘Yeah. That’s why it makes sense.’
Suho smiled faintly and took back the murderous aura he had been spewing out.
Then he turned his gaze back to Lotto and asked.
“What do you think? Was this more convincing?”
At that question, Lotto wiped away the puzzled expression on his face and tried to calmly respond to Suho’s words.
“I was really surprised. It’s a real bloodstone.”
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His gaze was still fixed on the bloodstone in Suho’s hand.
I couldn’t believe it even when I saw it.
But no matter how you look at it, isn’t that ‘real’?
That made it even more confusing.
“But… … I originally thought that Lord Volkan was not capable of making bloodstones.”
“That’s right. But once I got the hang of it, it wasn’t that hard.”
“… … It’s not difficult, is it?”
Lotto’s eyes widened at those words.
Moment,
Immense greed spread across the eyes of all the demons here.
Suho’s words were enough to arouse the demons’ desires.
Why did the demons develop stardust in the first place?
Isn’t it because you want to imitate the bloodstone, which is the unique power of the nobles?
Bloodstone is the true proof of nobility and proof of existence.
Only by being able to create bloodstones could demons grow their powers more efficiently and become nobles.
And furthermore, he had to become a true nobleman in order to be qualified to succeed the now dead demon king, Lord Baran of the White Flame.
But you were able to create bloodstones?
And ‘Volkan’, who was ignored by his fellow nobles because he couldn’t make bloodstone for an incredibly long time?
At this point, it no longer mattered to the demons here whether the guardian was a real Volcan or not.
“Did you figure out how to make bloodstones yourself?”
“Why? Do you want to learn?”
“… … !”
Lotto’s eyes are bulging out.
Now, whenever a word came out of Suho’s mouth, the demons’ expressions changed from moment to moment.
Esil muttered as if she was tired of seeing those reactions.
[You really… … .]
But everyone… … .
No, even if they are demons, anyone… … .
When someone tells you what you want to hear, you want to believe them.
Lotto groped and asked Suho.
“Ship, can you learn?”
[No, no. I can’t learn. Absolutely not. Bloodstone is… … .]
“There’s nothing you can’t learn.”
[You swindler.]
Esil’s words fell on deaf ears, and Suho held onto his weight as much as possible and spoke to Lotto in a serious and sincere voice.
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And then suddenly.
“But.”
Shudder.
‘But?’
‘But what?’
At first, it was a borderline.
Then came shock and horror.
Now the demons are listening to every single word of Suho… … .
Suho said, leaning back on the sofa leisurely, enjoying the gaze of the demons who were excessively focused on him.
“Isn’t this a casino? If you’re here to gamble, let’s have fun gambling.”
“Now, just a moment. Lord Volkan… … !”
Gambling isn’t the point right now… … !
Crack.
At that moment, Suho crushed the bloodstone he was holding with his fingers.
‘Ahhh… … !’
The demons looked longingly at the sight of the bloodstone scattering like powder from the guardian’s hand.
