Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 91

Among the lower-ranking demons who served the demon nobles, some pledged loyalty not out of fear of power but out of genuine devotion. These were known as *Demon Attendants*.

“An attendant? That horse?”

“Yes. That’s the demon I used to ride all the time. It’s a shapeshifting demon that can take the form of a horse when needed.”

Esil’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“Could it be… it’s pretending to be a horse to avoid becoming a slave like the others?”

“If that’s the case, it’s still bound in shackles like the rest,” Suho pointed out.

“At least this way, it might avoid being used and discarded like a consumable.”

As if to prove her point, a slave demon collapsed and died under the relentless whipping of an overseer in the distance.

In contrast, the beasts pulling the carts were fewer in number and seemingly more valued than the expendable demons.

Listening to Esil’s explanation, Suho scanned the area and nodded.

“Alright, let’s get closer to that horse. It can talk, right?”

“Of course. We need to find out what’s going on here.”

Stealthily, Suho and Esil moved toward the demon horse. Thankfully, the number of overseers wasn’t overwhelming, making the approach manageable.

“*Nukira.*”

“…?!”

At the soft whisper from Esil, the horse’s eyes widened in recognition.

It quickly looked around nervously before speaking in a low voice.

“Lady Esil! You’re alive! I heard long ago that you had passed away…”

Tears welled up in Nukira’s eyes, and it looked as though it might burst into sobs. Yet, it kept pulling the cart at the same steady pace, wary of drawing the overseers’ attention.

Given the circumstances, its urgency was palpable.

“Lady Esil! It’s dangerous for you to be here! Why have you returned to this place?”

“Nukira, what’s going on here?”

“Well…” Nukira glanced around again before answering quickly.

“After the nobles all perished, it wasn’t long before another demon took control of this place.”

“Another demon? One that isn’t a noble?”

“Yes. Rumor has it that it’s a demon who consumed the corpses of those who died in the Monarch War and gained power.”

“Consuming the dead from the war… A remnant who fled during the war?”

“That’s most likely the case.”

*Clank!*

At that moment, the cart Nukira was pulling came to a stop.

“Lady Esil, hide somewhere quickly. The overseer will be here soon.”

Suho and Esil swiftly concealed themselves in the shadows.

A massive overseer demon approached, inspecting the ore Nukira had delivered. After a quick nod, it issued its order.

“Empty the cart and return.”

*Neigh!* Nukira let out a horse’s cry, tilting the cart with its back legs to dump the ore onto the ground. It then turned and began pulling the cart back the way it came.

Once the overseer left, Nukira glanced back at Esil, who was still hidden in the darkness.

“Lady Esil, you must flee this place. If the Tyrant learns that a surviving demon noble exists, it will be catastrophic.”

“I see. And where is this Tyrant?” Suho asked, stepping forward.

Nukira’s eyes turned to Suho, clearly unsettled by the human’s lack of fear.

“And who might you be…?”

Before Nukira could fully question him, Esil pressed, “Another overseer is coming. Answer quickly.”

“L-Lady Esil. The Tyrant never comes to this labor camp. Afraid of betrayal from other demons, it stays in its dwelling most of the time and only appears occasionally at the Colosseum.”

The *Colosseum*—a legendary arena where demons once indulged in blood and battle for entertainment. Now, it served as a grim stage for the public execution of demons who defied the Tyrant.

“The Tyrant grows stronger by devouring those killed in the Colosseum. It only appears when there’s prey worth consuming.”

At the mention of the Colosseum, Suho’s eyes gleamed with interest.

Just then, another overseer began approaching.

“Nukira, keep working. We’ll talk again later.”

“Lady Esil…”

Nukira’s gaze lingered on Esil as she disappeared into the shadows, its eyes filled with worry.

—

Esil assessed the situation and spoke to Suho.

“It’s not just the overseers we have to worry about. If the slave demons spot us, it could cause a huge uproar.”

Esil, as a demon, could blend in more easily. The problem was Suho.

“If the demons here realize a human has infiltrated the demon realm, every demon in sight could attack us at once. Suho, you’ll need to pretend to be a demon—”

Turning to look at him, Esil stopped mid-sentence.

Suho had already stripped off his upper clothing.

His muscular physique, sculpted to perfection from Ammit’s relentless training, was now fully visible. His body, which had endured countless cycles of tearing and rebuilding, radiated raw power.

He stored his clothes in his inventory and draped himself in rags found nearby.

Many demons in this realm resembled humans, much like Esil, so his appearance wasn’t entirely out of place.

But there was still one issue.

“Weak demons won’t notice, but stronger ones will sense you’re not radiating demon energy.”

“How about this?” Suho asked, raising *Vulcan’s Horn*.

The weapon, which had absorbed over 40 demon souls, was brimming with demon energy.

Realizing Suho’s intent, Esil hesitated.

“Are you suggesting I go in there again?”

“If you wander around, you’ll draw attention too, right?”

“Well… that’s true.”

When Esil entered the *Vulcan’s Horn* in spirit form, she could manipulate the weapon’s size. If she reduced it enough for Suho to conceal it on his person, it would appear as though the demon energy was coming from him.

“Shrink it, hide it on me, and anyone sensing me will think I’m a demon.”

“…Fine. That’s the cleanest solution.”

Esil sighed and reluctantly nodded.

For a demon noble like her, hiding inside the horn of a lesser demon was humiliating.

But after all she had endured, pride seemed a distant memory.

When Esil finally nodded in agreement, Suho asked a follow-up question.

“Oh, by the way, do you think you can change more than just the size of the horn?”

“Change its form? Like what…?”

“Something like this…”

Suho smirked meaningfully.

Beru had once mentioned that *Vulcan*, the demon, was massive, and naturally, his horn was colossal as well. However, due to the nature of demons capable of spiritual embodiment, their physical forms could be altered freely, allowing Vulcan’s horn to be compressed into its current size during its crafting.

This flexibility meant one thing:

“Maybe this is possible too.”

*[Vulcan’s Horn devours the souls of demons.]*

*Swoooosh…*

As Esil’s ethereal form entered the horn, its shape and size began to shift.

Moments later, Suho’s experiment bore fruit.

“Just as I thought.”

The *Vulcan’s Horn* had morphed into the form of actual demon horns, seamlessly attaching to Suho’s head.

*[You’ve been summoning and transforming a lot lately, but now you’re even attaching demon horns to your head? What’s next?]*

Esil’s voice sighed in exasperation within Suho’s mind.

“If I’m going to impersonate a demon, I might as well do it right.”

Suho grinned, adjusting the horns on his head.

Now he truly looked the part of a demon. Even Beru peeked out with an approving gesture.

*[Master, you look absolutely convincing! Truly, our young master never ceases to amaze!]*

*[Enough with the theatrics. Now act like the other slaves and start mining. Don’t get caught slacking or you’ll get whipped.]*

—

*Clang! Clang!*

‘Well, looks like I’ve ended up as a mining slave.’

Suho purchased a pickaxe from the system shop and blended in among the other slaves, diligently mining ores.

Thanks to his high strength stat and prior experience as a miner, the work was hardly challenging.

‘Honestly, the daily quests are tougher than this.’

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

However, an unexpected issue arose.

Suho’s efficiency with the pickaxe was so exceptional that other slave demons began glancing his way.

“Who’s that one-horned demon? He’s got some serious strength.”
“Look at him go. That pickaxe work is brutal.”

Despite Suho deliberately holding back, his speed and strength were astonishing to the other demons.

While the whispers continued, Beru reappeared, speaking softly to Suho.

*[Master, you’ve blended in well, but shouldn’t we focus on finding the Colosseum?]*

“Relax. I’m working on it.”

*[For someone ‘working on it,’ you’re awfully committed to this mining role…]*

Suho’s relentless efficiency soon led the group of slaves to finish their daily quota much faster than usual.

“Wow!”

“We’re done!”

“Finally, we can rest!”

“It’s all thanks to you!”

The slave demons gathered around Suho, cheering and celebrating their unexpected freedom from endless toil.

Their noise drew the attention of a nearby overseer, who stormed over with a scowl.

“You useless scum, slacking off again—hmm? What’s this?”

“Overseer, we’ve finished our quota!”

“Can we rest now?”

The demons proudly showed the overseer the pile of ore Suho had mined.

However, instead of being pleased, the overseer’s expression twisted into an ugly frown.

“You arrogant wretches! Already asking for rest? If you could work this hard all along, you’ve been slacking off till now! Gather twice this amount immediately!”

“Th-that’s unreasonable!”
“This is absurd!”

“You dare call me unreasonable?”

*Boom!*

One of the protesting demons was kicked by the overseer, sent flying into a wall.

Frightened, the other demons quickly picked up their tools and scattered back to work.

Suho, too, subtly began moving away, trying to avoid the overseer’s attention.

But then—

“Hey, one-horn. Stop right there.”

The overseer’s voice cut through the commotion.

Turning around, Suho saw the overseer glaring at him with undisguised malice.

‘Did he figure out I’m human?’

*[No. He looks more annoyed that you caused the other slaves to ask for rest. Overseers like this one are usually the most petty and authoritarian. Plus…]*

Before Esil could finish, the overseer sneered, looking Suho up and down.

“You’ve got some decent strength, don’t you? I’ll send you to the *Colosseum* personally.”

*Gasp!*

The slaves around them reacted with shock.

“You can’t send him there! That’s cruel!”

But here, the overseer’s word was law.

“Follow me.”

Without waiting, the overseer turned and began walking away.

Suho silently followed, his face betraying no emotion.

Meanwhile, Beru, in a voice only Suho could hear, couldn’t contain his excitement.

*[My lord, was this all part of your grand plan from the start? Truly, your strategic brilliance knows no bounds!]*

“……”