Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 98

At that moment—

Tick.

Suho’s time stopped.

[Passive Skill ‘(Unknown)’ has been activated.]

‘…This again.’

While confirming the quest window, Suho found himself transported to a pure white world.

Before him loomed a massive shadow.

Suho raised his head to look at the towering demon staring down at him.

[Greedy Vulcan]

The name tag floating above it caught his attention.

‘So, you’re Vulcan?’

‘…’

Even at Suho’s words, Vulcan didn’t respond.

After all, Vulcan was a demon incapable of speech.

But his intent was clear.

*Smirk.*

At Suho’s question, Vulcan curled his lips into a sadistic, wicked smile.

Then, patting his bloated belly with both hands, he slowly rubbed it as if to show off.

*Grrrrrr!*

Timed perfectly, a loud groan rumbled from his bulging stomach.

‘…Hah.’

Seeing the obvious message, Suho couldn’t help but laugh dryly.

‘What? You’re hungry?’

*Chuckle.*

Drool.

At Suho’s words, Vulcan eagerly nodded, saliva dripping from his mouth.

‘Seriously.’

No wonder Vulcan’s horn had been whining so much lately…

It seemed the pervasive aroma of demons all around had driven it wild.

Though Vulcan looked more terrifying than any of the dead Monarchs Suho had encountered so far, his presence was far less overwhelming.

Of course, that made sense.

Vulcan wasn’t a Monarch but merely the lingering soul of a demon trapped within an item.

Compared to the dead Monarchs, Vulcan almost felt… cute.

The item, *Vulcan’s Horn,* grew stronger by devouring demon souls.

In life, Vulcan had craved demon blood and flesh; in death, he became an item that consumed their souls instead.

The issue until now was the lack of demons to feed him.

But here, surrounded by swarms of demons, Vulcan’s horn had manifested itself, demanding a proper meal.

‘No wonder Esil called him a fat pig…’

To think he was so hungry that he showed up in person, beyond just issuing a quest.

Still, Suho didn’t like the vague conditions of the quest.

How much would it take to satisfy this guy?

Suho’s gaze drifted to Vulcan’s bloated stomach.

‘So, how much do you need to eat to feel full?’

*Snicker.*

Rather than answer, the gluttonous demon—no, Vulcan—merely drooled even more.

Suho chuckled.

‘Well, whatever.’

After all, there were plenty of demons here to spare.

Looking Vulcan in the eyes, Suho said:

‘Fine. I’ll feed you as much as you want. But…’

‘…?’

‘That horn of yours is pretty nice. Got another one by chance?’

At Suho’s words, Vulcan stared at him with an inscrutable expression.

Then, as his lips curved into a sly grin—

*Ding.*

The quest window before Suho changed.

[Emergency Quest: Vulcan’s Greed]

– Reward: Vulcan’s Horn-2

A new line of rewards had been added to the quest window.

Suho’s eyes sparkled.

“Alright. Deal.”

Negotiation complete.

At that moment, Vulcan’s cruel smile deepened—

*Whooosh!*

Time began to move again.

Back in reality, Suho’s sharp gaze shifted forward.

“Mooooo!”

*Rumble!*

From all directions, the blood-crazed Minotaurs charged, burning the last of their life force in a final assault.

But Suho ignored them, focusing solely on the head warden.

“Detoxify.”

As soon as Suho spoke, a sinister presence stirred from the far reaches of the void.

[The Monarch of Plagues, Nemesis of Insects, salivates at the sight of Blood Madness Venom.]

Then—

[Debuff: Blood Madness Venom is being neutralized.]

[Debuff: Blood Madness Venom is being neutralized.]

[Debuff: Blood Madness Venom is being neutralized.]

…

The demon wardens had long used Blood Madness Venom to control other demons effectively.

Even trying to feed Suho venom-laced food had been part of that plan.

However—

That plan backfired, allowing Suho to dismantle their control method.

Suho had the ability to freely absorb or neutralize poisons he consumed.

“Mooo…”

“Moooor…”

One by one, the Minotaurs charging at Suho collapsed as the madness seeped out of their bodies like smoke.

*Thud!*

[You have defeated a domesticated Minotaur.]

[You have defeated a domesticated Minotaur.]

[You have defeated a domesticated Minotaur.]

…

Burning through the last remnants of their life force, the Minotaurs perished the moment the venom was purged.

*Ding!*

[Level Up!]

*Whish!*

“Perfect timing.”

Feeling fully revitalized, Suho reached out toward the head warden.

“Here, take this back.”

[Debuff: Blood Madness Venom has been applied.]

*Swoosh!*

An intangible venom emanated from Suho’s hand, engulfing the head warden.

“Hah! Petty tricks!”

*Fwoosh!*

The head warden sneered, waving his hand to burn the venom away effortlessly.

The sudden collapse of the Minotaurs had startled him, but by then, he was already within striking distance of Suho.

The warden’s scorching aura lashed out at Suho.

*Boom!*

Instead of retreating, Suho charged forward.

Reaching up, he grabbed the horn atop his head—*Vulcan’s Horn*—and pulled it free.

Like drawing a sword from its sheath—

*Slash!*

The moment Suho pulled it free, Vulcan’s Horn reverted to its original form—a sword—and swung with overwhelming force.

[Skill: Storm Slash activated.]

*Boom!*

A ferocious gale of slashes split the warden’s flames in two, striking him head-on.

The warden’s eyes widened in shock.

“You can even weaponize it? As expected, you truly are Vulcan’s bloodline…!”

“Who gave you permission to decide my father?”

*Slash!*

Suho immediately pulled out *Rakan’s Fang* from his inventory, wielding dual blades in a relentless assault.

*Slash! Slash! Slash!*

[What if they find out you’re human?]

Esil’s worried voice rang out in his mind.

However, the warden was not an opponent who could be underestimated.

The green poison and crimson flames swirling from his body clashed evenly with Suho’s storm of attacks.

Esil clicked her tongue in disapproval.

[How messy. Poison *and* fire? Seriously?]

Poison and fire were opposites, notoriously difficult to use in tandem.

But the warden somehow managed to masterfully combine the two.

Still, to Esil, the highborn demon noble, it was an inefficient and unrefined display.

[Power should be concentrated. Using multiple forces like this is…]

At that moment, Suho shouted with bold enthusiasm:

“Great! Let’s see who can be messier!”

[Hey! Don’t compete on something like that!]

Messy? That word didn’t apply to Suho.

He was a one-man army!

And an army becomes stronger with diverse forces.

“Arise, Quay!”

[I heed my master’s command.]

The shadow beneath the warden’s feet suddenly thickened.

From that shadow emerged Quay, who had been lurking, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

*Shhkk!*

“What?!”

The warden twisted his body in a hurry but couldn’t completely avoid Quay’s lance as it shot upward.

But even a glancing hit was enough.

[Quay uses Debuff: Paralysis Venom.]

“…!”

The warden’s body stiffened as he felt his movements slow.

Suho had absorbed Querehsha’s poisonous insects from the Void, many of which specialized in paralysis venom.

Quay, now a shadow soldier, could coat his weapon with Suho’s venom instead of the queen bee’s royal jelly.

“Poison is useless against me!”

*Fwoosh!*

The warden raised his body temperature, burning away the venom.

[Debuff: Paralysis Venom neutralized.]

But that brief moment was all Suho needed.

His dual blades cleaved through the warden’s neck.

*Slash! Slash!*

“…!”

[You have defeated the Demon Warden.]

[Vulcan’s Horn devours the demon’s soul.]

The warden’s severed head rolled across the ground, eyes wide in disbelief.

‘Oh, ten souls from this one?’

Suho quickly checked the amplification of Vulcan’s Horn.

For a moment, he thought he saw an illusion of Vulcan chuckling and patting his belly.

Then—

*Wooooah!*

The Colosseum erupted in chaos.

“The warden is dead!”

“The one-horned demon killed the warden!”

“A demon noble has appeared!”

“He really was Vulcan’s son!”

[How dare they?! Who’s calling who someone’s son?!]

Beru was furious, buzzing with rage.

Suho turned his gaze toward the remaining demon wardens.

“So, who’s next?”

“…”

The demon wardens froze in terror, unable to respond.

But then—

“…Hm?”

Suho noticed something unusual.

The wardens’ frightened gazes weren’t directed at him but at something else.

At that moment—

*Shiver.*

A chill ran down Suho’s spine as his sensory stat warned him of danger.

He turned to look.

“What the…?”

Suho’s confusion deepened.

The warden’s decapitated body had risen again, headless, standing where it had fallen.

*Fwoosh!*

Flames erupted from within the corpse, consuming it entirely as if the warden’s body were a wick.

[Blood-Maddened Tyrant]

‘The name changed!’

Suho gripped his dual blades tightly, tension visible in his eyes.

*Shriek!*

Screams of terror erupted from the demons around them.

“The Tyrant King has arrived!”

“The Tyrant King!”

The remaining demon wardens dropped to the ground, trembling as they prostrated themselves.

[A parasitic demon!]

Esil’s voice rang in Suho’s mind, filled with alarm.

“A parasitic demon?”

[Yes. I don’t know if it was always inside him or just entered, but… something feels ominous.]

Hearing Esil’s warning, Suho turned his gaze back to the Blood-Maddened Tyrant.

*Fwoosh!*

The warden’s headless body burned fiercely, flames engulfing it entirely.

It resembled a *Mistborne*, which consumed human fuel for its flames.

Although the flame color differed, the basic structure was eerily similar.

‘…A coincidence?’

No way.

Suho was certain.

How many of the strange occurrences he’d experienced so far had been mere coincidences?

Each event felt inevitable.

No, fated.

[This energy…]

It was as if all these events had been waiting for him to arrive.

[Young Lord, prepare yourself.]

Beru stepped forward, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the Blood-Maddened Tyrant.

[The Apostle of the Outer God, Itarim, has appeared.]