Solo Leveling- Ragnarok-Chapter 91

Since ancient times, there were lower demons who served demon nobility, not because they were submitting to power, but because they felt genuine loyalty to their overlords. They were referred to as “fallen servants.”

“That horse is your servant?”

“Well, he used to be. I rode that horse often. He’s actually a shapeshifting demon capable of transforming into a horse.” Esil’s eyes sparkled with intensity. “Maybe he’s maintaining his horse form to avoid enslavement like the other demons...”

“But he’s already shackled up. I don’t see much of a difference.”

“At least he won’t be used like some disposable object and die that way.”

Just then, a slave demon was whipped to death by an overseer in the distance. Compared to the number of demons, fewer beasts were pulling the carts. It seemed like magic beasts were a rare commodity down in the dungeon, so the horse demon that was once Esil’s servant was wise to stay in his horse form, which improved his chances of survival.

Suho nodded and made a suggestion, “Let’s get closer to that horse. He can talk, right?”

“Yes. Of course. We need to ask what exactly is going on here.”

The two discreetly approached Esil’s former servant. Fortunately, there were few overseers around, so it wasn’t too difficult.

Esil neared the horse and whispered softly into his ears, “Nukira.”

The horse recognized her, and his eyes widened in shock. The creature hastily surveyed its surroundings, and then whispered back, “Lady Esil! You’re alive! I heard you had perished a long time ago.” Tears welled up in Nukira’s eyes, but the horse continued pulling the cart at the same pace, as to avoid attracting the nearby overseer’s attention. “My lady, it’s dangerous for you here. Why have you returned to this place?”

“Nukira, what exactly is happening here?”

“Well...” the horse demon glanced around again. “Not long after the nobles perished, another demon took control here.”

“A common demon?”

“Yes. Rumors say that this demon grew strong by devouring demons killed in the Monarchs War.”

“Consuming demons slain in the war... Perhaps this demon returned after having fled from the Monarchs War.”

“That’s likely the case.” Suddenly, The cart Nukira was pulling came to a halt. “Lady Esil, hide somewhere, quickly. An overseer demon is about to come.”

Suho and Esil swiftly moved to a dim corner, concealing themselves in darkness.

A gigantic demon soon approached. He inspected the ores Nukira brought and nodded in approval. “Empty the cart and return.”

Nukira neighed in response. Using his hind legs, the horse tilted the cart to spill the ores onto the ground, before returning to his station. Once the overseer was distant, he looked toward Esil’s hiding spot. “Lady Esil, you must leave this place. If the tyrant who rules this place hears about the existence of a noble demon, you’ll be in grave danger.”

“I see. Where exactly is this tyrant?” Suho asked.

“Who are you...?” The horse was surprised by the determination in his eyes. The human looked ready to confront the tyrant immediately.

Esil pressed for an answer, “The overseer is returning. Answer quickly.”

“L-Lady Esil... Yes. The tyrant never comes down to the labor camp. He fears being betrayed by the other demons, so he usually stays in his residence. When he does make an outing, he occasionally attends the coliseum.”

The coliseum was always a playground for demons who reveled in blood and battle, but now, it had transformed into a place for publicly executing demons who defied the tyrant’s orders.

“The tyrant continues to grow stronger by feeding on the demons killed in the coliseum. He only shows himself when there are demons worth devouring.”

A coliseum... Suho pondered.

At that moment, the overseer from before began to approach them.

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

“Lady Esil...” The horse looked anxious as he watched Esil retreat into the darkness.

***

“It’s not just the overseers we have to be worried about. If the enslaved demons see us, it’ll cause a major uproar.” Esil had assessed the situation, and she knew blending in wouldn’t be a huge concern for her. The problem was Suho. “If the demons here find out that a human has infiltrated the demon realm, every demon here will attack us at once. You’ll need to act like a demon as much as possible... Got it?”

Suho had already started undressing to resemble the other slaves, revealing his well-defined muscles. Due to Ammut’s rigorous training, His body had undergone extreme development—muscles repeatedly been torn and rebuilt. He stored his clothes in his inventory and draped a rag he found nearby over himself. Given that many demons resembled humans, this disguise made Suho appear somewhat similar to them. However, a critical issue remained unresolved.

“Weak demons might not notice, but stronger ones are better at sensing demonic energy. Those with keen senses will quickly realize that you don’t exude our energy.”

“How about this?” Suho raised Vulcan’s Horn. Thanks to his recent demon hunt, the sword had absorbed over forty demon souls. The weapon was once a demon’s horn, and thus it was brimming with demonic energy.

Esil looked hesitant. “You’re not suggesting I go back inside, are you?”

“Well, if someone recognizes you, we would be in even more trouble, right?”

“That’s true...”

Esil could alter the size of Vulcan’s Horn once inside, making it larger or smaller.

“If you shrunk the sword and I hid it somewhere on my body, wouldn’t they mistake the demonic energy as mine?”

“Yeah, I guess. It sounds like the best option.” Esil sighed and reluctantly nodded. She was a demon noble, so retreating into a lesser demon’s horn was a blow to her pride, but having come so far, she quickly accepted her role.

“Oh, I have another question. Can you also change its shape?” Suho asked.

“The shape? What do you mean?”

“For example...” Suho smirked.

Beru had once mentioned that Vulcan was one of the biggest demons he’d seen. Naturally, his horn was enormous. But since demons capable of spirit transfer could freely alter their size and shape, Vulcan’s Horn had been compressed to its current size during the forging process.

Which means something like this could work.

[Vulcan’s Horn devoured the demon’s soul.] 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

As Esil’s spirit merged with the sword, it began to change shape.

“I knew it would work.”

The sword had transformed into a horn, and it clung to his head, making him look like a real demon.

“All those Divine Possessions lately have given you ideas. Who would have thought you’d think to stick a demon’s horn on your head?” Esil’s resigned voice echoed in Suho’s mind.

“If I’m going to mimic a demon, I might as well do it right.” Suho chuckled, feeling the horn on his head.

Beru peeked out and enthusiastically gave a thumbs up. “You look incredibly authentic! Our Young Monarch is truly something!”

“Okay, enough. Let’s get back to work like everyone else. Don’t slack off, or else you’ll get whipped by the overseer,” Esil warned.

***

I’ve become a slave, toiling down a mine. Suho bought a pickaxe from the store window to blend in with the other slaves. With his high strength and mining experience, the work wasn’t hard. My daily quests are much harder than this.

But an unexpected problem arose—he was too good at mining, and this drew the attention of the other demons.

“Who’s that strong, one-horned demon?”

“He’s one hell of a miner.”

Suho wasn’t trying to, but his speed amazed the other slaves.

“Young Monarch, you’re well-disguised, but shouldn’t we be heading to the coliseum?” Beru whispered.

“Give me a second. I’m thinking.”

“Well, you are putting an awful lot of effort into mining for someone who is meant to be planning our escape.”

Suho was so productive that the slaves managed to complete their daily quota much faster than usual.

“Wow...!”

“W-we’re finished!”

“Finally, we’ll get a break!”

“It’s all thanks to you!”

Thanks to Suho’s exceptional efforts, the enslaved demons were liberated from their day’s toil, and they erupted into cheers.

Amid the noisy commotion, a distant overseer quickly approached the scene and gave them a stern warning, “You lot! Why aren’t you working? Huh? What’s going on?”

“Sir, we have completed our assigned quota!” a slave demon shouted.

“May we rest now?” another asked.

The enslaved demons proudly showed the overseer the ores Suho had mined.

The overseer’s expression turned sour, clearly displeased with their request for rest. “How dare you ask for rest? You slackers! You could have worked this fast from the beginning! Now, go mine twice as much!”

“B-but we’ve already fulfilled our quota. This seems a bit unfair...”

“Unfair?!”

“Ugh!”

In response to a slave’s protest, the overseer kicked him with great power, sending the slave crashing against the wall. Terrified, the other slave demons scattered, and they hastily grabbed their tools to resume work. Trying his best to avoid the overseer’s attention, Suho quietly blended into the crowd.

“You with the single horn, stop!” the overseer shouted.

Suho stopped and turned around to find the giant demon glaring at him with deep resentment. Has he figured out that I’m human?

“No. He’s probably annoyed because your work allowed the other slaves to ask for rest. He’s a slightly stronger lesser demon, and those types tend to be more drunk on authority. Also—”

Before Esil could finish, the overseer walked over to Suho and scanned him from top to bottom. “You’re quite strong. I’m going to send you to the coliseum,” the demon said with a malicious grin.

The nearby slaves were shocked by the news.

“This can’t be... He deserves a reward, not cruelty!”

“Follow me.” The overseer, having singled out Suho, turned around and walked off.

Suho quietly followed without objection.

Then Beru, in a voice only Suho could hear, said, “My goodness! Was this your plan all along? You always had a knack for digging your way out of trouble!”