Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 97

“W-Why, why are they acting like this?”

“What is this Vulcan they’re talking about?”

The young demons reacted in bewilderment to the sudden tension.

In contrast, the older demons, born before the Monarch Wars, clicked their tongues and rebuked them.

“What? You don’t know about the Greedy Vulcan?”

“Ah, youngsters these days!”

“If Vulcan were still alive, do you think we’d be stuck doing something as trivial as pickaxe work?”

“No way! We’d have been devoured long ago without a trace left behind!”

“…?”

Seeing the young demons grow even more puzzled, the old demons began recounting the dreadful and fearsome past, each vying to speak first.

Demons are broadly classified into two categories: intelligent demons and unintelligent demons.

The intelligent ones did not even consider the unintelligent ones their kin; they regarded them as insignificant pests.

And yet…

“Vulcan, too, was once nothing more than a nameless pest.”

He was a lowly creature crawling in the depths of the Demon Realm, licking up the blood and scraps left behind by other demons after their hunts.

“A mere worm writhing on instinct.”

In the hierarchy of the Demon Realm, Vulcan’s position was no higher than that.

But the Demon Realm was a brutal hellscape where devouring and being devoured was the norm.

In such a world, true strength was not about raw power or magic but about enduring and surviving.

“In that sense, Vulcan was truly a strong demon.”

Born weak and lowly, Vulcan learned to flatten himself to the ground during the day and hide underground at night to avoid becoming prey.

Living in obscurity, he scavenged scraps, demon blood, and flesh left by others, slowly building his strength in secret.

Then one day, purely by chance, Vulcan discovered “it” while hiding endlessly from stronger demons.

‘Grugh…?’

At the time, Vulcan lacked the intelligence to comprehend what “it” was.

But even without intelligence, his instincts made the right decision.

Crunch!

Vulcan latched onto the massive object and broke off a small branch.

He then ravenously devoured the leaves attached to the branch.

At that moment—

Crack!

‘…Gragh?!’

A change began to occur in Vulcan’s body.

Snap! Snap!

‘Graaaaaagh…!’

Writhing in excruciating pain, Vulcan’s body started to grow larger.

Simultaneously, a glimmer of intelligence sprouted in his once-vacant mind.

And he realized what stood before him.

The [World Tree].

“Vulcan had stumbled upon the furthest edge of the World Tree that extended into the Demon Realm.”

By sheer chance, this lowly demon had eaten the leaves of the World Tree and was given the name “Vulcan.”

Wielding a club crafted from the World Tree’s branch, Vulcan began to hunt and devour the strong demons who once looked down on him.

‘Graaaaaah!’

No demon could withstand the attacks of Vulcan’s weapon made from the sturdy branch of the World Tree.

Feasting on the blood and flesh of defeated demons, Vulcan grew stronger and stronger.

“When we encountered Vulcan, we were forced to make a choice.”

Either become his food or bow down and submit as his subordinate.

Thus, Vulcan eventually became the ruler of a region, a demon noble.

However, perhaps due to his grotesque evolution, Vulcan never developed the ability to speak, even as a demon noble.

Although he gained minimal intelligence, it was no more than that.

He remained a predator driven by instinct and couldn’t produce the [Bloodstone], the symbol of demon nobility.

But Vulcan didn’t care. He found it far more satisfying and enjoyable to devour demons whole instead of worrying about Bloodstones.

“And so, even after becoming a demon noble, Vulcan reigned as a relentless predator, devouring lower demons without end.”

[The Greedy Vulcan.]

At the time, demons trembled in fear as they called him by this name.

“Until he was finally killed by the Shadow Legion during the Monarch Wars.”

“…”

Hearing the old demons’ tale, the young demons swallowed dryly.

They understood how monumental it was for a lowly demon to rise to the status of a demon noble through sheer force.

“H-How many did he have to devour for that to happen…?”

It was a feat impossible even if one devoured every demon filling the Colosseum here.

And now—

At this very moment, in the center of the Colosseum…

Rooooar!

Boom!

A massive demon with Vulcan’s horns was locked in a bloody battle with Minotaurs.

Watching the scene, the old demons nodded with certainty.

“The appearance is slightly different, but it’s unmistakable.”

“That’s Vulcan’s horn.”

“It carries Vulcan’s energy.”

“If it isn’t Vulcan reborn, then it must be his bloodline…”

Regardless of which was true, the situation was undeniably shocking.

—

Meanwhile, amidst the commotion, Suho was incredulous even as he fought.

“Did you hear that? They’re saying I’m Vulcan’s son.”

[Congratulations! Your secret lineage has been revealed.]

“Stop joking. Who was Vulcan anyway, to cause such a reaction?”

[Just a gluttonous fat pig. A big, bloated one.]

“That doesn’t resemble me at all.”

[It’s likely that eating the Bloodstone in here triggered something of Vulcan’s within you.]

Vulcan had never consumed a Bloodstone during his lifetime as a demon noble.

Now, having tasted it (even if indirectly through his horn), Vulcan’s dormant energy surged within Suho.

Like fresh rain on parched land causing new sprouts to emerge.

[Your horn is now exuding Vulcan’s unique stench.]

“Stench? I don’t smell anything.”

[Only demons can sense it. More importantly, behind you!]

“I know!”

Heeding Esil’s warning, Suho stopped speaking and turned around.

He grabbed the charging Minotaur’s horn and slammed his fist down.

Boom!

“Rooooar!”

The Minotaur retaliated fiercely, enduring Suho’s powerful strike and countering with its own brutish punch.

Boom!

The tremendous impact resembled an exploding bomb, shaking Suho’s entire body.

However…

[‘Skill: Resilience’ reduces incoming damage.]

“I’m pretty tough myself.”

Suho endured the blow and kept swinging his fists.

“Moo!”

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

[This… such a brutish way of fighting…]

Esil clicked her tongue in disbelief, her expression showing utter disdain.

A fight like this—where both sides completely abandoned defense and focused solely on attacking—was something that no demon noble could ever stoop to imagine.

Well, with one exception.

That one was Vulcan.

Boom!

“Moooo…”

Finally, the victor and the vanquished were decided in this brutish brawl.

Under Suho’s relentless violence, yet another massive beast lost its strength and collapsed.

“Damn, these guys sure can take a beating.”

Suho remarked in genuine admiration.

The five Minotaurs he had defeated were still alive, struggling on the ground, gasping for breath.

Even though the battle was over, the demons watching from the stands were too shocked to cheer.

“Oh my god…”

“He took down five Minotaurs by himself…”

“As expected of Vulcan’s son…”

Yet, there was one individual whose reaction differed from the rest.

“…Hah.”

The head warden’s eyes gleamed with greed as he stared at Suho.

‘What a windfall! Vulcan’s offspring!’

Slurp.

Saliva pooled uncontrollably in his mouth.

Of course, it made sense—it was Vulcan, after all.

The very symbol that even lower demons could rise to become nobles!

The warden’s curiosity burned.

‘If I devour him, how much stronger could I become?’

As that thought flashed through his mind, an overwhelming hunger surged within him.

The head warden quickly scanned the Colosseum.

‘Still not here!’

Despite the chaos, the Tyrant King had yet to appear in the Colosseum.

All thanks to that one-horned demon wrapping up his battle so quickly.

Realizing this, a sense of urgency flashed across the head warden’s face.

‘If I eat him before the Tyrant King gets here…?’

What would happen then?

‘Could I possibly become stronger than the Tyrant King?’

The moment the warden allowed such an audacious thought to take root, a powerful shiver ran down his spine from head to toe.

‘Stronger than the Tyrant King? Me? The ruler of this place?’

The heart of the greedy demon pounded like thunder, filled with unrestrained desire.

And as a demon, ignoring such desire would be an unforgivable insult to his nature.

Whoosh!

“Huh?!”

“W-Warden?!”

The head warden abruptly leapt into the arena, leaving the other demon wardens wide-eyed in shock.

Yet none of them dared to stop him.

In the absence of the Tyrant King, the warden held the highest authority among them.

Suho noticed the warden charging straight at him and smirked.

“A big fish, huh.”

[Don’t get cocky! His magical power is far beyond yours!]

“Magic isn’t everything.”

Besides…

‘It’s way more efficient to take out the boss first than to fight them all at once.’

Suho immediately readied himself for battle.

But the head warden, while acting on impulse driven by greed, was far from a fool.

His cunning gaze shifted to the five fallen Minotaurs lying near Suho.

‘Never underestimate your opponent.’

After all, this one-horned demon had single-handedly defeated five incredibly tough foes.

And if he truly was Vulcan’s son, the warden knew better than to let his guard down.

The warden stretched out his hands toward the Minotaurs and shouted:

“Rise again, Blood-Crazed Beasts!”

[Kyak?! How dare you speak those words first!]

Beru, hiding within the shadows, was furious.

But it was too late. A venomous aura was already spreading from the warden’s hands, poisoning the fallen Minotaurs.

“Moooo…!”

Writhing in immense pain, the Minotaurs began to rise again.

Their bodies burned fiercely from within, every drop of blood in their veins boiling.

To use such a venom on creatures already on the brink of death was essentially a death sentence.

Had the warden used this venom from the start, the Minotaurs would have refused to fight, valuing their lives too much.

But now, things were different.

“Moooooo!”

With all their pain and rage, the Minotaurs unleashed their fury upon Suho.

[The domesticated Minotaur succumbs to madness.]

[The domesticated Minotaur succumbs to madness.]

[The domesticated Minotaur succumbs to madness.]

…

The head warden laughed wickedly as he gave his command.

“Yes! Kill him! Burn your lives to ashes and tear that bastard to pieces!”

“Moooooo!”

“Haha! Vulcan’s spawn! I’ll consume every last drop of your blood, every piece of your flesh, and even your bones!”

With a manic grin, the warden charged at Suho, accompanied by the maddened Minotaurs, ready to devour his heart.

“Vulcan’s power will be mine…!”

At that moment—

Vrrrmmm—

As if responding to the warden’s words, Suho’s horn—or rather, Vulcan’s horn—began to vibrate, emitting a strange hum.

And then—

Ding!

[A new emergency quest has been issued.]

‘An emergency?’

Before Suho, a quest window suddenly unfolded.

[Emergency Quest: Vulcan’s Greed]

The demon soul slumbering within Vulcan’s horn has awakened due to an intense hunger for power.

The “Greedy Vulcan,” awakened from his long slumber, feels a tremendous hunger.

Satisfy Vulcan by feeding him demon souls and obtain a special reward.