"..."
"..."
A strange atmosphere hung over the black market's gambling den. The excitement about humans fighting each other and placing bets was gone. The demons in the VIP room, no longer interested in the matches, were solely focused on the sudden appearance of the demon noble, 'Vulcan'.
'Oh my god. Vulcan is alive.'
'A real demon noble...'
'If only I could learn how to make Bloodstone, I could become a demon noble too...'
Countless gazes glanced at 'Vulcan'. The pure desire evident within them. The primal and blatant need to pursue power was akin to hunger for demons. But amidst this tense atmosphere, Suho himself remained relaxed, merely watching the underground fights. He looked like a lion lying in the middle of the jungle, basking in the sun. The dignified appearance of a true demon noble. At least, that's how he appeared to the other demons.
[Are you sure this is okay?]
'What is?'
[I'm asking if it's necessary to take such a risk.] Esil had been worried sick since earlier.
[Don't forget. The reason our family was annihilated was entirely due to the rebellion of the low-rank demons. They might be momentarily swayed by the sight of the Bloodstone, but they could turn on you and attack at any moment.]
'Yeah, that's exactly it. I've been curious about this for a while...' Suho continued to watch the underground fights with a leisurely gaze and asked Esil,
'In the demon world, where the hierarchy based on power is so clear, how could the low-rank demons annihilate your family?'
[Well, the numerical disadvantage was overwhelming...]
'Are you sure? Is that really possible?'
[...What are you trying to say?]
Esil was a bit irritated. His words sounded like he was blaming the Radiru family for being so weak that they were devoured by such low-rank demons. But Suho wasn't finished yet.
'I've become quite strong compared to before, right? So I've realized something...' Suho's gaze swept over the surrounding demons, and they flinched at his glance.
'...No matter how many of these guys attack me, I don't think I'll ever lose.' His eyes turned cold. Like a lion gazing at a flock of hundreds of sheep.
[What are you trying to say? The Itarim…? Are you saying the Itarim were behind the low-rank demons even back then?]
'Doesn't that make more sense than them suddenly devouring the demon nobles?'
Suho was almost certain. It had already happened with the Mad Tyrant, and demons were the perfect race to become slaves of the Itarim. They were souls corrupted by mana, so even the Shadow Authority didn't work on them. From the Itarim's perspective, what better race was there to fight against the Shadow Army?
[...Indeed.] Esil couldn't help but nod at Suho's persuasive words.
'So.' Suho smiled meaningfully and opened his inventory.
'Let's take everything these guys have.'
Thump!
"I'll bet on that human."
Lotto, who received the bundle of Stardust Suho suddenly handed him, was taken aback by its weight.
"Lord Vulcan, are you really going to bet all this on one match?"
"Why? Is there a problem?"
"There's no rule against it, but if the stakes get too high, the other guests need to agree..." At Lotto's words, Suho's gaze swept over the other demons. Even without him saying anything, they all nodded eagerly.
"W-we agree."
"Ahem. Why would we be bothered by such a small wager..."
As expected of demons with a strict hierarchy, they had automatically switched to honorifics the moment they saw Suho making Bloodstone. Lotto could only smile bitterly at the sight.
'This... isn't good.'
After all the nobles disappeared, the demon realm had become a truly egalitarian society. Of course, it was quite different from the democracy humans spoke of. It was a fair world where anyone could devour or be devoured. The weak were preyed upon, and even the strong had their throats bitten and blood sucked if they showed any weakness. It was a complete pandemonium. In this chaotic disorder, demons were scrambling to create a new order by any means necessary. And one of the representative parties was this place, the black market.
'...But a demon noble, thought to be extinct, suddenly appears?'
Just when a new order was about to be established, the old order was making a comeback. And there was nothing they could do. They had already witnessed him creating Bloodstone right before their eyes. And he had hinted at the possibility of teaching everyone here how to make it..
'Psychologically and realistically, it has become an absolutely unbalanced relationship.' In this situation, a fair gamble couldn't take place. And the wariness Lotto felt soon became reality.
"...Ahem. Then I'll also bet on the human that Lord Vulcan chose."
"I also think that human looks stronger."
"Then me too..."
The demons rushed to the same side as Suho. No one dared to bet against him. As a result, the wager was canceled. Lotto sighed, rubbing his throbbing forehead.
"Guests, we can't start the match if everyone bets on the same side."
But his words fell on deaf ears.
"I am certain that human will win, so what can we do?"
"Exactly."
"Besides, we can't doubt the discerning eye of a demon noble like Lord Vulcan."
"..." Lotto gritted his teeth inwardly, watching the demons shrug their shoulders shamelessly as if there was no problem.
But then.
"Tsk. How boring." Suho, who had been leisurely observing from behind, suddenly clicked his tongue. Then, with a faint smile on his lips, he muttered softly.
"Hmm. Maybe this will make things more interesting."
Then a shocking declaration suddenly burst from his mouth."I'll teach the Bloodstone creation method to the one who wins the most Stardust from me here."
"...?!"
At that moment, the demons' eyes, stiff with shock, were filled with astonishment. And then, an overwhelming desire began to boil within them.
"A-are you serious?!"
"No, of course, we don't doubt your words, Lord Vulcan, but...!"
"Wait a minute! Guests! Please calm down...!" Lotto struggled to cool down the heated atmosphere but it was already too late. Even he couldn't help but feel greedy. The offer Vulcan had made was incredibly tempting.
"Now this is getting interesting." Suho, pleased with the heated atmosphere, opened his inventory.
Thump, thump, thump!
"...!"
"...?!"
Suho piled up pouches of Stardust on the table and said with a meaningful smile. "Let the games begin…"
* * *
And so, the biggest gamble of the demons' lives began. What was needed to win here? Incredible luck? A massive wager? Or perhaps, a keen eye?
'No.'
In fact, they were confident they could beat Vulcan. This underground fighting ring. This wasn't just a place to watch humans fight and place bets. They were merely the VIPs here. The real customers, or rather, the suckers, were the human guests.
Roar!
The audience seats surrounding the VIP room below. Hunters who used the black market gathered there, predicting the outcomes and placing their bets. The odds were essentially 50/50. Win or lose, one of the two would definitely win. It was a simple bet. But those were just the superficial chances. What was a gambling den, after all? It was a place that trapped people in the illusion that they could win money, the illusion that they had narrowly lost. That was the mechanism of a gambling den.
'The outcome of the matches can be easily manipulated.'
The moment he heard Vulcan's shocking declaration, Lotto had to struggle to suppress the blatant smirk that was about to appear on his face. And he secretly gave instructions to the attendants in the underground fighting ring.
'Use the Mad Blooded Poison.'
Nod.
Looking at the demon attendants nodding, Lotto smiled meaningfully, hiding it from Vulcan. This was the reason why he had gone through the trouble of digging under the gambling den to create the underground fighting ring. The distance between the VIP room and the arena was considerable, so it was easy to deceive the demons' eyes and manipulate the fighters.
'Even a demon noble can't detect the Mad Blooded Poison from this distance.'
Lotto instructed the attendants to subtly manipulate the matches without being too obvious, then approached Vulcan with a friendly smile and sat beside him. Suho looked at him with an amused expression.
"Are you planning to participate in the gambling yourself?"
"Yes. It's rare, but honestly, what demon wouldn't be tempted when Bloodstone is at stake? Ah, don't worry too much. Even though I'm the manager here, the human participants in the underground fighting ring change every time."
"So you're saying there's no way to rig the matches."
"That's right."
At Suho's words, Lotto grinned and added his own wager to the table. He tried to remain calm, but his eyes were already burning with ambition.
"I will obtain the Bloodstone creation method."
"Well, I like your honesty." On the other hand, Suho chuckled and glanced back at the underground fighting ring, muttering,
"Yes, this will be another amusement."
Just then.
[The Queen of Insects and the Monarch of Plagues, smells the Mad Blooded Poison and licks her lips.]
'They're using the Mad Blooded Poison, as expected.' Suho smirked inwardly at Queresha's timely message.
'Detoxify it.'
[Debuff: 'Mad Blooded Poison' detoxified.]
The side effects were removed from the Hunter who had been poisoned by the demon attendants.
'Beru.'
[You called?]
'Let's use it too.'
[Kehehe.] At Suho's words, Beru's eyes gleamed maliciously, and he stealthily descended to the underground fighting ring.
He hid in the shadow of the Hunter Suho had bet on. And coincidentally this Hunter who had lost all his money earlier had the Beast Transformation skill.
[Beru uses Skill: 'Harsh Command'.]
[Skill: 'Harsh Command' increases the target's stats by 50%.]
[Skill: 'Harsh Command' inflicts the Curse of Madness on the target as a side effect.]
"...Grrr."
The hunter's eyes gradually became clouded with insanity.