Suho, guided by the demons, entered the black market's gambling den. As he had heard outside, the gambling here wasn't about playing cards or poker.
"Kaaagh!"
"Die! Die!"
In the vast underground fighting ring, filled with the stench of blood and sweat, two Hunters, stripped of all their equipment, were engaged in a fierce battle. Their eyes filled with venom, their expressions twisted in rage, it was obvious what was happening.
"Hehe. Doesn't it look exciting? They're all humans fighting to pay off their gambling debts."
At the words of the demon guard who was guiding Suho, Esil's cynical voice could be heard. [Tsk. Low-rank demons...]
Now that the nobles, who held absolute authority, were gone, it seemed the low-rank demons scattered around were all eager to imitate them.
'At least the ones in the Demon Realm made demons fight each other. Here, they're making humans fight and just watching.' A cold glint flashed in Suho's eyes for a moment. He was well aware of the Colosseum duels, a cultural practice of the demon nobles. He had even participated as a demon gladiator himself. But somehow, he found himself in the opposite position this time… A short while later, they arrived at a terrace-like area overlooking the underground fighting ring.
"This is the VIP room. Humans can't enter this space, so you can watch comfortably. If you want to participate in the games, feel free to call us anytime."
"I will."
Suho sat on the plush sofa and leisurely looked around. A few demons were already in the VIP room, watching the underground fights. They all looked similar, with crow masks concealing their faces and Stardust necklaces around their necks. But from the moment he entered the luxurious lounge, their attention shifted from the underground fights to him.
"Ooh. A new face."
"A new guest?"
"Those horns are truly... magnificent."
Horns. Their interest was solely focused on the Vulcan's Horns protruding from Suho's head. Curious gazes. Servile gazes mixed with fear. And even gazes filled with awe beyond fear. Their complex emotions towards Suho were blatantly evident from behind their crow masks. But no one dared to approach and speak to him first.
[That's a natural reaction.] Esil explained.
[The Vulcan's Horns you have now are completely different from when you were a gladiator.]
Originally, Vulcan was so incompetent that he couldn't produce Bloodstone, the exclusive food of the demon nobles. Therefore, he was the demon who had devoured the most of his own kind, more than any other noble. He was so obsessed with devouring the souls of others that he couldn't control himself even after being reduced to just horns. So, although Suho, a human, couldn't see it, the other demons could. The sinister and greedy aura emanating from Vulcan's Horns, which had feasted on the souls of countless demons.
'...Horrifying.'
'Just how many of his own kind did he have to devour to emit such a presence?'
'Surely he didn't eat all the demons in his own factory, did he?'
Even though they didn't say it out loud, the thoughts of the demons in the VIP room upon seeing Suho were mostly similar. But then…
"Tsk." Suho suddenly clicked his tongue, snapping them out of their trance.
"The spectacle is down there."
Flinch. The demons, startled by his words, quickly averted their gazes from Suho with embarrassed expressions. But not everyone...
"Oh, I apologize if I offended you. Everyone was just excited. You see, this place is also for making new friends." A demon suddenly approached Suho and spoke to him in a friendly manner. He looked similar to the others, but upon closer inspection, there was one difference.
'He doesn't have a necklace.'
[Could he be the organizer of this place?] Suho and Esil quickly exchanged thoughts.
Meanwhile, the demon who had approached him smiled awkwardly and spoke again. "Haha, you're a man of few words. Then allow me to introduce myself first. I'm Lotto, the one in charge of running this gambling den."
[That's not a demonic name. Either he doesn't have a name, or it's a made-up alias.] Listening to Esil's explanation, Suho pondered for a moment.
'Hmm. What should I do?'
This demon named Lotto was directly asking for his identity. But since the other party was also using an alias, he could just give any random name. That however wouldn't get him anywhere. If he kept avoiding the question, he would only waste time.
"My name is." Finally, Suho opened his mouth.
"Vulcan."
"...!" At that moment, all the demons in the VIP room widened their eyes and stared at Suho in shock.
[S-Suho?] Even Esil called out to him in a clearly flustered voice.
"...It seems you've chosen a rather dangerous alias."
"An alias, you say..." Suho grinned, as if he had just heard something amusing, and looked directly into Lotto's eyes. Whose expression, friendly until now, stiffened.
Suho chuckled and countered with a question. "Why would I need to use an alias?"
"...It's said that there are no demon nobles left in this world."
"That may be true for others."
"Are you saying that you, Vulcan... are...?" Lotto's eyes grew colder as he exchanged brief words with Suho. Similarly, an immense bloodlust from the other demons also focused on him.
But Suho had faced too many powerful opponents to be intimidated by such trivial aura. Instead, he crossed his legs in a more relaxed posture and leaned back on the sofa. Then, he casually raised a hand towards the demon guard standing nearby and called out to the 'real' demon noble inwardly.
'Esil, can you make a Bloodstone?'
[I don't know what you're thinking, but Vulcan... Alright, I understand.] She readily complied with his request, even not fully understanding his intentions. After all, if things went south, they could always smash everything and run or fight their way out.
"...Gasp?!"
Suddenly, following Suho's touch, black blood started to be forcibly extracted from the demon guard's body. Everyone who witnessed this scene couldn't help but stand up in shock. The freshly extracted blood began to gather and solidify into a black Bloodstone on Suho's hand.
"B-Bloodstone?!"
"It's a Bloodstone!"
"Oh my god! Is he a real demon noble?!"
At that moment, Suho unleashed his own bloodlust with perfect timing.
[Skill: 'Bloodlust' activated.]
"...!"
"...!"
As Suho's intimidating aura filled the entire gambling den, beyond just the VIP room, the demons instinctively crouched down or retreated. The Bloodstone that appeared before their eyes and the overwhelming bloodlust that far surpassed their own. The combination of these two made even Lotto, who had confidently approached Suho, turn pale.
"Th-this can't be..."
"Could he be the real Vulcan...?"
"But he looks different..."
"Possessing a human..."
'Hmm. Good reactions.' Suho and Esil conversed inwardly, listening to the hushed murmurs from all around.
[What are you really up to...?]
'What do you mean? I'm just showing off what a real noble is in front of those who are merely playing the noble game.'
[You know, Vulcan couldn't create Bloodstone. They'll know that too.]
'Exactly. That's why it's meaningful.' Suho smiled faintly and withdrew the bloodlust he had emitted. Then, he turned his gaze back to Lotto and asked,
"How about it? Is this convincing enough?" At the question, Lotto erased the bewildered expression from his face and tried to answer Suho's question calmly.
"I'm truly surprised. A real Bloodstone."
His gaze was still fixated on the Bloodstone in Suho's hand. He couldn't believe it even as he saw it. But no matter how he looked at it, it was the 'real thing.' That's why he was even more confused.
"But... as far as I know, Lord Vulcan couldn't create Bloodstone."
"That was true. But once I mastered it, it was no longer that difficult."
"...Not difficult?" Lotto's eyes widened in surprise. At that moment, an immense greed spread across the eyes of all the demons in the room. Suho's words were enough to ignite the demons' desires.
What was the reason the demons developed Stardust in the first place? It was because they wanted to imitate the Bloodstone, the unique power of the nobles. The Bloodstone was the true proof of nobility, a testament to their existence. Only by being able to create Bloodstones could demons efficiently grow their power and become nobles. And furthermore, only by becoming a true noble could they qualify to succeed the deceased King of Demons, the White Flame Monarch Baran. But to be able to create Bloodstone? And that too, by 'Vulcan,' who had been mocked by his fellow nobles for being unable to do so for countless years? At this point, whether Suho was the real Vulcan or not didn't matter to the demons here.
"Did you perhaps awaken the ability to create Bloodstones on your own?"
"Why? Do you want to learn?"
"...!" Lotto's eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out. Now, the demons' expressions changed with every word that came out of Suho's mouth.
Seeing their reactions, Esil muttered in disgust. [You really are...]
But everyone... No, even demons… When someone appears who tells them what they want to hear, they want to believe it.
Lotto stammered and asked Suho, "C-can we learn it?"
[No, no. You can't. Absolutely not. Bloodstones are...]
"It's not impossible to learn."
[You scammer.] Ignoring Esil's words, Suho spoke to Lotto in a serious and sincere voice, maintaining his composure.
"But."
'But?'
'But what?'
At first, it was caution. Then shock and fear. Now, the demons were hanging onto his every word… Suho, thoroughly enjoying the demons' excessive attention, leaned back on the sofa leisurely and said,
"Isn't this a gambling den? If we're here to gamble, let's gamble."
"W-wait a minute. Lord Vulcan...!"
"Gambling isn't important right now...!"
Crack! Suho crushed the Bloodstone he was holding with his fingers.
'Ah...' The demons stared longingly at it crumbling into dust and scattering from Suho's hand.