Chapter 93

Level Up Alone: Ragnarok Chapter 92

After a while, a large and majestic building appeared in front of Suho.

It was a coliseum surrounded by high walls, either of demons or skeletons, with a bizarre shape.

"Go in."

The supervisor handed Suho over to the coliseum guards and immediately returned to the labor camp.

Clank!

The solid iron door closed, and Suho lifted his head to look at the new demons he had met.

[Demon Guard]

'Demon guard...'

As soon as Suho saw the new demon, he began to gauge its combat strength.

The name tag's color being orange indicated that they were quite strong, but if they were to fight, there was a chance of winning.

However, the demon guards who received Suho were also gauging him.

The demons began to converse with each other, scanning Suho from head to toe.

"It's been a while since we've had a decent one."

"A bit disappointing that he's so small."

"Actually, that's better. Don't you know that gladiators need a concept these days?"

"True, his single horn is quite unique and distinctive."

"Let's call this guy 'One-Horn' from now on."

Without Suho's consent, a nickname was born on the spot.

[Phew. One-Horn...]

Eshil's voice, trying to suppress laughter, could be heard.

[Congratulations. You have a name now. Among demons, it's rare to have a name.]

Clank!

"Stay put."

"If you cause any trouble, we'll kill you right away, no matter what."

The demon guards locked Suho in a solitary cell surrounded by a dark iron cage.

The moment they left, Ver's face suddenly appeared, baring his teeth fiercely.

[Chirp! Those insolent bastards dare to! Young Master, just give the order, and I'll tear them apart...!]

[Shut up, stupid ant.]

[What! How dare you call a humble bee stupid!]

[Just read the room. Master has a plan. And I'm not a bee...]

Squish. Squish.

[Crunch...]

Suho stepped on Ver and Que, who were only showing their faces and muttering at his feet, and turned his gaze to the outside of the prison.

The demons who were already imprisoned here were watching him with interest from the darkness.

"Hehe. A new one?"

"What a hideous guy. Only one horn."

"How long will this one last?"

The sinister voices whispering about Suho.

However, Suho was carefully examining the dark iron bars that confined him.

Ting.

When he tapped the bars with his finger, he felt a strange elasticity.

'This doesn't seem like ordinary iron.'

[The prison is made of hell iron. It's a metal infused with mana, mainly used to confine demon prisoners.]

'Mana?'

Suho smiled strangely at Eshil's explanation.

If it's mana, it's the energy of demons.

'Then, could this work?'

Suho grabbed the hell iron bars with his hand and his eyes lit up.

Then,

['Title: Demon Slayer' buff effect activated.]

Crack.

The iron bars bent under Suho's grip.

The Demon Slayer buff, which increases all abilities by 40% against demons, was fully applied to the mana-infused hell iron.

"Huh?!"

The eyes of the demons in other cells widened in shock at the sight.

Surprised by the extraordinary strength of the small, one-horned demon.

"How can you bend hell iron so easily...!"

"If you can do this, you can escape whenever you want!"

"Hey! If you're going to escape, open my cell too!"

Suddenly, the demons who were watching Suho started shouting loudly, like a pack of dogs.

However, not everyone was so surprised.

"Tsk. What a bunch of wimps. Who do you think is just sitting here because they can't do that? Even if you escape, you'll just be caught and eaten by the guards outside."

From a corner, someone clicked their tongue, and the nearby demons glared and gnashed their teeth.

"What? Who are you calling wimps?"

"You're just an old man on the verge of death, full of bravado!"

"Can anyone do that? I'll bend your neck like that!"

The prison suddenly became noisy with curses.

"Hope you don't meet me in the next match!"

"I'll eat this old man who only talks big one day."

But the old demon who clicked his tongue dismissed the insults with a scratch of his ear and calmly turned to lie down.

Suho looked at him with a strange expression.

'...Could he have given me advice?'

Crack.

Suho straightened the bent iron bars.

He was just curious and experimenting; he had no intention of escaping.

[What, are you this strong originally? When you fought the mid-level demon earlier, you weren't this strong...]

Suho only smiled at Eshil's surprised voice.

'I've confirmed the title effect.'

Perhaps because of that.

Despite being captured in a den full of demons, Suho showed no signs of tension.

He was even a bit disappointed that he had been transferred from the labor camp to the prison so smoothly.

'If I had caught all the demons in the labor camp, I would have gained a lot of experience.'

But he still had to wait.

If he had caused a commotion there, he wouldn't have made it here so easily.

The slaves in the labor camp were of such a low level that even if he hunted them diligently, the experience efficiency wouldn't have been good.

'But this place is different.'

From the moment Suho stepped into the prison, his sensory stats were tingling with a warning.

It wasn't because of the demons who were just talking nearby.

The real threat was much farther away.

'One big catch is better than a hundred small ones.'

A faint smile appeared on Suho's lips.

A coliseum... I'm looking forward to it.

But why?

Thump thump.

His heart had been racing since earlier.

No, don't get confused.

To be precise, a strange tremor had been coming from the 'Volcan's Horn' on his forehead since earlier.

As if it were a living being.

'What's happening now?'

It was a place of many interests.

* * *

"One-Horn, come out."

The guards came to fetch Suho again.

The iron bars opened, and Suho followed the guards obediently.

However, as he passed the cell of the old demon who had warned him earlier,

[...If you want to live long, don't eat the food the guards give you.]

'Huh?'

When Suho suddenly turned his head at the voice in his ear, the old demon was still lying with his back turned.

Suho pondered the old demon's words.

'Don't eat the food?'

A moment later, the guards placed a dish of roasted monster meat in front of Suho.

"Eat it. It's a special treat for new arrivals in the coliseum."

"It might be your last meal, so don't leave any."

The guards chuckled meaningfully.

Suho stared at the steaming monster meat.

It looked ordinary, but it smelled good.

If he had been a regular slave in the labor camp, he would have flipped his eyes and devoured it greedily at the smell.

But then,

Someone in a distant world of rest slowly opened their eyes.

[The King of Insects, the Lord of Plague, savors the blood venom mixed in the food.]

'Blood venom?'

Suho's eyes sparkled.

The Lord of Plague, Queleza, had awakened from her sleep upon discovering the hidden poison.

And the information window appeared in front of Suho, who had eaten countless of Queleza's venomous insects and obtained the blessing of the plague.

Ding.

[Poison: Blood Venom]

A poison that, when consumed, makes the blood boil, temporarily amplifying strength.

However, it causes extreme pain each time magic is used, and the blood is consumed, gradually reducing the lifespan, a fatal side effect.

'Blood venom... So this is what the old demon was warning about.'

As Suho only stared at the monster meat without touching it, the guards began to urge him.

"Why aren't you eating?"

"Maybe you don't have much of an appetite because you're small?"

"You should eat now to build up your strength."

At that moment, Suho's hand moved and he picked up a piece of the monster meat.

The guards' eyes gleamed maliciously.

Regardless, Suho began to chew the monster meat without hesitation.

'Not bad, actually?'

To Suho, who had eaten Queleza's venomous insects, this was nothing.

Ding.

[Consumed: Poison: Blood Venom]

[Detoxification started.]

[Detoxifying...]

Suho's blood suddenly heated up and then quickly subsided.

[Detoxification complete.]

[Obtained: Poison: Blood Venom.]

Suho continued to devour the monster meat without a care.

The reason for feeding the new arrivals in the coliseum this blood venom was obvious.

'They want to squeeze out the maximum strength from the slaves, regardless of their lifespan, to make the fights more intense.'

However, the problem was that the characteristics of the blood venom were quite similar to something Suho was familiar with.

'Similar to stardust. This can't be... a coincidence.'

The stardust developed by demons in the factory was also a drug that temporarily amplified strength.

Suho asked Queleza, who was watching him.

'Queleza, do you know about stardust?'

After a moment, a response came.

[The King of Insects, the Lord of Plague, scoffs at it, calling it a crude poison developed by demons.]

And a new information window appeared.

[Poison: Stardust]

An incomplete poison that compensates for the drawbacks of blood venom.

By offering the suffering and death of humans as a sacrifice, it successfully removes all the side effects of blood venom.

Like blood venom, it temporarily amplifies magic when consumed, but it has a short duration.

'These lunatics.'

Suho's expression hardened as he read the information window.

The only thing Suho knew about the production process of stardust was one.

Burning living humans in Mist Burn, a magical fuel.

By offering the extreme suffering and boiling blood of those who died in a living hell, the side effects of blood venom were preemptively resolved, creating 'stardust.'

'Extremely demonic.'

Transferring all the suffering to humans to gain strength.

A calm anger began to boil inside Suho.

The demon guards' bodies trembled as they sensed the ominous killing intent.

"What, what's wrong? Why is he reacting so well to the poison?"

"It should start taking effect when he uses magic directly."

"Ahem. Anyway, get up after you finish eating."

At that, Suho quietly stood up.

At that moment,

[Using: Poison: Blood Venom.]

The blood venom that flowed from Suho spread secretly in all directions.

Slowly seeping into the bodies of the demon guards, a cold killing intent flashed in Suho's eyes.

'I'll give it back to you.'

And you will die in the burning pain from within your bodies.