Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Suho, being supported by the Monarch of Plagues, was practically unstoppable.

[Que’s “Debuff: Paralysis Poison” has activated.]

[Que’s “Debuff: Sleep Poison” has activated.]

Now that Suho had started manipulating the odds in earnest, the games in the underground arena began to take a decidedly unfair turn.

“Wh-what?! Why is that man suddenly limping?!”

“Hmm. He must’ve sprained his ankle somewhere. Humans are so weak.”

“Wait! He was fighting just fine! Why does he suddenly look so sleepy?”

“Ah… I would guess he didn’t get enough sleep last night. Humans really are pathetic.”

“Well, it looks like I win again.” Suho maintained a shameless expression as he pulled the bets that had been piled on the table toward him. The demons watched as more and more bags of Stardust gathered in front of him.

“I-impossible!”

The demons who had lost their bets were staring in shock. Suho remained calm as he studied the situation.

“Surprisingly, they aren’t making the humans fight to the death, like at the coliseum.They even have a healer ready,” Esil remarked in Suho’s head.

“Of course, they do.If anybody dies here, rumors will spread that hunters are disappearing in Yangpyeong.The black market probably doesn’t want that happening.”

“Then what do these demons really want?If they’re not using the hunters’ bodies as material for Stardust…”

“Well, that’s what we’re here to find out, and why we’re going this far.”

In the end, the demons here were all low-ranked individuals who were much weaker than Suho. The reason that he didn’t kill them right away and instead chose to go about this in such a bothersome manner was that a demon’s soul could not be extracted even if they were killed. He could not employ the tactic that he had used with Que and Harmakan, which involved killing them and conversing with their souls afterward. This was why he had to keep the demons alive and create a mood in which they would willingly offer information.

He had one more purpose alongside this. While the attention of the demons in the black market was being drawn to this gambling establishment, Beru was avidly searching for Sung Ilhwan. Every now and then, he would swipe a mana crystal from one of the stalls when nobody was watching.

“Huh? Where’s the crystal that was here just a moment ago?”

“I-is there a thief?”

I think I’m starting to get a reaction now, Suho thought as he watched the demons.

He was right. Lotto, who had been observing the situation, was chewing his lip with a worried look on his face.

How can this be? the demon wondered. He couldn’t help but feel confused. The hunters who participated in the matches always fought those of a similar level without the help of any equipment. This made for more intense fights, and the slightest distraction or fluctuation in a fighter’s condition could change the outcome. But there seemed to be something amiss. ṚΆNỐΒĚş

Why are the ones Vulcan bets against always faring poorly? Lotto wondered. Can this be credited to the true sharp instincts of a demon noble?No, it can’t be… There’s something more at play here…

“Now, then. Go on, everyone. Make your bets,” Suho said.

In fact, Suho had never once chosen who to bet on first. He always waited until all the other demons had placed their bets before making his own, and he always bet against the majority so he could win even more money. Oddly enough, it almost seemed as though he knew perfectly what the result of each battle would be. As a result, he now had before him more than three times as much Stardust as he had walked in with.

Lotto gritted his teeth. It’s clear that he is cheating somehow… What does he really want?This “Vulcan” is definitely trying to pull something… If he’s going to cheat, the least he could do is to mix up the results so it’s not so damn obvious. But he’s winning game after game!

There was a problem for Lotto, however. There was no way that he could accuse the newcomer, since it was his establishment that had started cheating first. Even though Lotto was set on winning, going so far as to use mad blood poison, it was always Vulcan who won his bets. And what’s more, the humans that I ordered to be poisoned are all somehow being cured.I never heard that Vulcan had such an ability, Lotto thought.

At this point, Lotto was forced to admit something. This Vulcan could have torn the demons apart and devoured them at any time he wished, without the need for such shenanigans. This only made Lotto even more doubtful.

Wait… Don’t tell me he knows everything? Lotto’s eyes narrowed more and more as he watched Vulcan. According to widespread rumors in the demon world, Vulcan had originally been a lowly creature who could not even speak. He was lucky, however, to encounter a leaf of the World Tree, devour it, and suddenly morph into the ruler of a region—a demon noble. That was who Vulcan was, and that worthless demon noble was supposed to have died in the war. But he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, able to create bloodstones, and even able to speak.

He didn’t simply gain the ability to talk.His intelligence has increased. He was crafty enough to show up here and control the entire gambling establishment, manipulating it as he desired.

Don’t tell me he’s still growing. Was he able to survive the war because of the protection of the World Tree? Lotto wondered. I suppose that would not be surprising, since the World Tree gave rise to the Rulers…

All kinds of thoughts floated about in Lotto’s head. In the end, he was forced to give Vulcan the win for now. “Phew. All right, Vulcan,” he suddenly said.

“Hmm?” Suho, who had been excitedly gathering up his winnings again, turned his head.

“You want us to show our hand first if we want the bloodstones.”

Suho watched Lotto silently.

The demon smiled bitterly, watching the mountainous pile of Stardust in front of Suho. “If that were the case, you could’ve told us so from the start, without having to play this silly prank. The Star Fragments… Those were what you were after from the start, were they not?”

“Star Fragments?”

“Star Fragments?”

Esil and Suho had the same thought. Suho wasn’t sure what this was about, but he maintained a poker face.

Lotto suddenly tore his shirt, showing Suho a blue gem that embedded in the center of his chest. “You’re right. As you guessed, the real thing that we trade are these Star Fragments. These are a league apart from Stardust, which is an incomplete product.”

“So what are Star Fragments?” Esil asked Suho.

“I have no idea.I don’t think he would sound so confident if it was just hardened Stardust,” Suho replied. He did his best to maintain a nonchalant expression. He was finally getting to the good stuff. This was where the real fun began.

Suho said in a languid tone, “Star Fragments… They are nothing more than a substitute for bloodstones.”

“Hehe… Do you really think so?” Lotto asked. “From that question, I gather that I was right in thinking you are curious about the performance of these fragments.” He boastfully stroked the gem that was implanted in his chest. “If you have come here thinking this is the same as the Stardust necklaces we distributed among the humans, then you are gravely mistaken. Those necklaces are simply made from the waste product generated by purifying Star Fragments. Though it is useful in its own way, of course.”

Stardust is useful in its own way?So, the necklaces aren’t just passes that grant entry to the black market? Even though Suho maintained an outward calm, his brain was working at full capacity.

“Well, at first, we did begin our research simply to mimic bloodstones,” Lotto continued. “I’m sure that every demon would want to know what kind of synergy would be created when the blood of a demon is imbued with the divine power of the Outer Universes.”

The divine power of the Outer Universes? This was a reference to the blue mist that flowed out of gates, which was mana sent from the Outer Universes to melt the dimensional barrier. In other words, it was the power of the Outer Gods.

“Well, all right.” Suho leaned back again, gesturing to the Stardust in front of him with his chin. “Then I will bet everything I have here. You are now to bet that amazing Star Fragment you have just told me about.”

“Haha! I don’t think that will be possible. No amount of Stardust can compare to the value of a Star Fragment,” Lotto said. “The unit of exchange is completely different.”

“Exchange?” Esil said, sounding insulted.

Suho decided that he would humor Esil’s opinion since she was the demon noble here. “An exchange, hmm? What an interesting way to put it.” He gave a nasty smile.

[Skill: “Bloodlust” has activated.]

The incredible energy that emanated from Suho’s entire body forced Lotto to step back, the blood draining from his face. The other demons were also shocked and quickly bowed in obeisance. Some of them were even completely prostrating in front of Suho.

“Despite the world having become what it is today, some things never change.” Suho slowly got to his feet. He walked over to Lotto with no emotion at all on his face. “Nobles do not trade. We simply command.”

Lotto shivered. Suho was poking the Star Fragment that was embedded in his chest, but he couldn’t move, completely immobilized by Suho’s energy. He felt as though this newcomer would tear the fragment from his body at any moment and devour it.

Suho did no such thing, however. He didn’t want the demon dead. The moment Lotto died, he would no longer be a source of further information.

Suho drew back his hand. “I am simply playing along here for fun. If I was hungry, on the other hand…”

As it happened, Suho’s stomach growled. Every demon present shuddered with fear.

O-oh no!

Vulcan is hungry!

He will eat us alive!

The appetite of Vulcan, the Demon of Greed, terrified them.

Suho, on the other hand, was feeling something slightly different. Hmm… I did skip a meal today because I was busy. I didn’t intend for my stomach to growl like that. He had been immersing himself in his method acting, but now he felt a little embarrassed. He decided to double down and lick his chops for the sake of his audience.

Lotto had to fight a powerful urge to immediately run away, even though he was the owner of the establishment. N-no!If he intended to eat me, I would already be dead!Surely there is something that this demon wants.

Lotto gulped. Surely… He gulped again, thinking. But is there really? Demons like Vulcan, always ate first and thought later.

“O-okay! Fine!” Lotto shouted, clamping his eyes shut. He gripped the Star Fragment in his chest as if it was a lifeline. “How about a battle between enhanced warriors, with a Star Fragment on the line? I am sure that you will find this amazingly entertaining as well!”

“Enhanced warriors?” Suho withdrew his malicious energy.

“Yes. We have experimentally embedded Star Fragments in some hunters. You can choose one of them to be your champion and—”

“You embedded Star Fragments in humans?” Suho shouted, angrily gripping Lotto by the collar.

The demon yowled as if he had been hit by lightning. “I-I know it was wasteful, but it was for research! The Church of the Outer Gods agreed to it as well!”

Suho stopped short. Aha, I found the bastards. His eyes glinted.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!