The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 102. Threads of Fate Weaving One by One (4)

Thud.
A dull tremor swept lightly past the spot where Cho Hong stood, then faded.
By sheer magnitude, it was nothing to speak of. Yet Cho Hong’s sharp senses detected that this faint shaking was not a direct strike against the office, but rather a vibration caused by indirect impact.
In other words, the aftershock of that collision was affecting the entire building.
‘What in the world is happening?’
The moment Cho Hong, who had been glancing about nervously, hastily craned her neck out the window,
Bang!
A far more distinct explosion pierced her ears, and static crackled into her eardrums.
“Ugh—!”
Cho Hong’s face twisted in discomfort, and she clapped both hands over her ears.
‘Damn it. Did someone set off a grenade?’
As she grumbled and looked down, her irritated eyes went wide as a startled rabbit’s.
“Are you alright!”
A young man calling out with hands clasped together, genuine concern evident in his voice.
‘Seol?’
And then,
“What are you worried about! Never mind that—just throw it already!”
An elderly man wielding a massive shield, bellowing in a raspy voice. As Cho Hong caught sight of a familiar dark-blue suit, her mouth fell open.
The old man’s gaze lifted at the sound, and his stern features softened slightly.
“Is that you, Cho Hong?”

“Would you like me to brew you some warm tea?”
“Never mind the tea.”
“I’ll bring you something cold to drink.”
“Mm. I’d appreciate it.”
“Yes. What should I get for Cho Hong?”
Seol Jihoo asked with a cheerful smile—and when Cho Hong, watching her colleague-turned-errand-boy with a blank stare and the stern-faced old man exchange words, finally answered late: “Anything’s fine.”
The moment Seol Jihoo stepped out, saying he’d be back soon, the old man let out a small groan and rubbed his hand.
“Damn it. That hurts.”
Cho Hong let out a dry chuckle.
“Yelling so loud to hurry up and throw it, and here we are.”
“You brat. I didn’t expect a Level 2 to pack that much punch.”
“If it hurts, you should say so. You’re already past the age to be bluffing like that. There are plenty of people who’ve died showing off.”
“What did you say?”
Crack!
The edge of the Wooden Rod struck the top of her head with precision. Of course, it was Cho Hong who took the hit, and she cried out, clutching her skull.
“Ow! Why’d you hit me! I’m just worried about you!”
“Worried? Is that how you talk when you’re worried? That’s like chanting a death prayer, you brat!”
“What good is a death prayer anyway! It never works!”
Her matter-of-fact tone about having tried it before made the old man’s face darken.
“Right. Now that you mention it, we did that, didn’t we? I just remembered.”
It was ancient history. Under the old man’s training regimen—which resembled Spartan military drills—both Cho Hong and Hugo had gritted their teeth, pooled their resources in secret, and scraped together every coin they could.
Unaware of their scheme, the old man had been delighted, thinking ‘Heh. These two have finally quit frequenting those taverns they’re so fond of? They’re finally getting some sense.’ He even prepared to add a bit of his own money to buy them good equipment.
But when they went to purchase it, there was no money left. It turned out they had sought out a priest at Lushulia Temple and given it all as a ritual offering.
Later it was revealed they had begged and pleaded for anything—an accident, a mishap, anything—just to do something about the old man. They had literally commissioned a ritual asking for his death.
“Ungrateful wretches. I wondered why flowerpots kept falling on my head and why I was always tripping over my own feet. It was all your doing.”
As the old man grumbled, Cho Hong burst into giggles.
“That’s not it! We got conned too! Maria, that woman—she wasn’t even done with her probation, but she claimed to be a High Priestess and lied without batting an eye.”
“Your mouth runs like a sieve! You’re so proud of it, too! Brat!”
“I’m joking. Joking. Even if I say it poorly, try to understand me properly. Anyway, old man, that stubborn streak of yours hasn’t changed one bit, has it?”
Crack! Crack!
Sharp sounds rang out in quick succession. Cho Hong whimpered “Ohhhhh!” and crumpled, pressing her head against the sofa.
“How else could we have endured it! You grab us like catching rats every other day—what else were we supposed to do?”
“If only you two were as smart and diligent as Dylan! Your skulls are too thick to understand anything even after being told a hundred times—so your bodies need the lessons instead!”
“Dylan is—!”
Cho Hong suddenly fell silent. The old man, who had been pointing with the Wooden Rod, also steadied his ragged breathing and sat back down on the sofa.
While Cho Hong fidgeted, the old man opened his mouth softly.
“I’ve heard the gist of it. You’ve accomplished quite a feat.”
“…Why didn’t you come a little sooner? Do you have any idea how much Dylan wanted to see you?”
Cho Hong’s voice dropped as well.
“That brat. Your disrespectful tongue hasn’t changed one bit.”
The old man, speaking bluntly, sighed quietly. A flash of affection crossed his weathered face, creasing the lines of age.
“At any rate, you did well. From what I hear, the Parasite had hatched quite a terrifying scheme. Not only did you save Dylan—you managed to stop them altogether. You’ve done something truly magnificent.”
“I didn’t do much of anything. All the hard work fell on him alone.”
“Him?”
“Seol Jihoo. You know, the one I was teaching before. But what sort of wind blew his way to make him do such a thing? The man’s already retired.”
Since the old man had not heard all the details of the situation, this revelation about Seol Jihoo doing everything himself was news to him.
“Well… he begged so earnestly, you see. And when I looked at what he was doing, it all seemed so frustrating somehow. So I thought I’d just idle away the time until you all arrived.”
“Good grief. An old codger with hidebound conservative beliefs through and through—since when does he act like this? In the old days, he wouldn’t have even looked back… Ah! I can’t say another word!”
The old man raised a Wooden Rod, and Cho Hong, startled, stepped back.
The old man clicked his tongue and tilted his chin upward, gazing at the ceiling.
“This is troublesome. A serious problem indeed. I could entrust things to Dylan precisely because I trusted him. Now that he’s gone, Carpe Diem’s collapse is only a matter of time.”
It was a concern that naturally arose from the death of the team’s Leader and pillar. Cho Hong twisted her lips.
“Don’t underestimate me. I’ve reached Upper Rank now, you know.”
The old man’s expression suggested he’d suffered cultural shock.
“What? What? You, of all people, reached Upper Rank?”
“That’s right. I’m a Templar now.”
As Cho Hong boasted, the old man pressed further.
“Is that so? How?”
“Well… I’m a warrior, so experience points accumulated more than enough while I was at a plateau. As for Enlightenment…”
As Cho Hong brought up the word “Enlightenment” and hesitated, looking for the old man’s reaction, he asked:
“It’s not a mandatory condition. After all, you’re a priest—weren’t you planning to get through by workaround all along? More importantly, what about the Royal Mission?”
“How is Divine Possession a workaround? It’s a legitimate class ability of mine.”
Cho Hong protested with an aggrieved expression, then continued.
“I satisfied the Royal Mission by participating in the rescue operation. I risked my life and came back—if they ask me to do it again, that’s just cruel.”
To ascend to Upper Rank, one must complete the Royal Mission as a rite of passage. However, the mission content is invariably connected to the Parasite without exception. Moreover, given its astronomical difficulty level, there were not a few Earthians who harbored resentment.
But it was unavoidable. After all, in Paradise, merely reaching Level 5 granted both the authority and status to have one’s voice heard to some degree.
In fact, the Royal House’s intervention in Earthians’ advancement to Upper Rank stemmed from their declaration: “We cannot condone granting power and strength unconditionally to those who have not contributed even the minimum merit to Paradise.” The Seven Divine Ones accepted the will of the Seven Nations.
Consequently, the birth of Upper Rank beings became far less frequent. In other words, many Earthians remained at Level 4, having run into practical barriers.
In a sense, it was a lamentable reality.
The power of Upper Rank was a well-established fact. Yet how much must Earthians’ conduct have been so odious and repugnant that even the Royal House, which loathed the Parasite, directly intervened to apply the brakes.
“Then it’s worthy enough.”
The old man nodded matter-of-factly.
“Still, it’s fortunate. Now that you’ve reached Upper Rank, you at least have the minimum qualification to take on the role of Leader.”
“Huh? Leader? I hate that. I can’t do that. I don’t even want to.”
Cho Hong waved her hands dismissively, looking appalled.
The position of a team’s Leader is not something anyone can assume. One needs not just strength but also a keen intellect capable of reading circumstances and making sound judgments.
Dylan was certainly an ideal Leader, but the fact that Cho Hong was nothing more than a fool who fought well was something the old man knew and she herself acknowledged.
“Well… if you’d had the makings of a Leader, I’d have chosen Crusader over Templar for you.”
The old man spoke with a tone of genuine regret.
“In any case, I absolutely have no intention of doing it. I know my own nature well. If I become Leader, the team falls apart.”
The old man murmured as if in complete agreement, yet spoke with earnest conviction.
“There’s no help for it. Still, it looks better if an Upper Rank member takes the Leader position. And surely you’d be better than Hugo, wouldn’t you?”
“Damn it. You’re right, so why does it make me angry?”
As Cho Hong wore an expression of subtle frustration, the old man shook his head ruefully.
“What would you have me do? Are you thinking of entrusting it to that Level 2 boy instead?”
Cho Hong’s complexion darkened. The old man was right—she couldn’t continue to avoid the problem.
Setting aside the matter of filling the void left by Dylan’s death, first they had to stabilize the team’s deflated morale by establishing a new Leader.
Yes. I understand what you mean.
‘There’s no one else to do it.’
Cho Hong knew her own limitations well. Hugo was out of the question.
Seol Jihoo showed some promise, true, but his lack of experience was problematic.
A sigh escaped her lips.
Glancing sideways at the old man, Cho Hong smacked her lips. She scratched the back of her neck and opened her mouth.
“I’ll give it some thought. It’s not a decision I should make alone anyway.”
“Hmm…”
“The three of us will handle it. Don’t worry about it. You’ve already retired—why do you insist on meddling? I’m not your mother-in-law.”
The old man broke into a knowing smile. Cho Hong’s voice was gruff, but he hadn’t grown so dull that he couldn’t read beneath her words.
“Remarkable.”
“What is?”
“That foolish colt who once knew nothing of the world now thinks of others. She’s learned the ways of Paradise, it seems.”
“You said Upper Rank, didn’t you?”
“Hmph. Even so, she’s only half-grown. Full of hot air and no substance.”
Watching the old man pivot from praise to reproach in a single breath, Cho Hong lowered her head with a sigh.
“Enough of that. Like I said, don’t trouble yourself anymore. Since you’re here, go see the people you came to meet and then head home quietly. Stop sticking your nose in.”
“When will Hugo arrive?”
“Soon. And besides, there are plenty of other people I know.”
“I only need to see Hugo.”
At the old man’s words, Cho Hong struck her chest in exasperation.
“No—you need to tie up your loose ends properly before you go. Do you have any idea how long the three of us suffered after you left? Everyone we met kept asking when you’d return, whether you’d really retired…”
“All right, all right. I understand.”
The old man stirred his wooden rod and offered a bitter smile.

Hugo returned five days after Cho Hong arrived.
In that time, the Carpe Diem Office had seen more visitors than ever before. Without exaggeration, it was fair to say that Seol Jihoo had now met nearly everyone he’d come to know since arriving in Haramag.
“My old friend Jangmaldong!”
Strangers came first,
“Long time no see, old friend.”
then Cheonji and Agnes arrived,
“I trust you’ve been well all these years, Elder Jangmaldong.”
and Kazuki came as well,
“I’ve missed you, Master Mallon.”
Even Priehi, the King of Haramag himself, made a personal visit.
Witnessing such an extraordinary network, Seol Jihoo was able to glean, over those five days, a considerable picture of this man called Jangmaldong.
First, that he was from the same Area 1 as them. Second, that despite not being a mage, he held considerable prestige. And third, that he was the founder of the team that would become the predecessor to the current Carpe Diem.
Of course, that wasn’t all there was.
“Goodbye to worries, hello to happiness!”
Hugo came bounding in with his arms spread wide, and he’d been grinning ever since his return.
“Ehehe! It won’t be long before we make our grand comeback as Haramag’s finest team!”
Watching Hugo speak with such fervor, Seol Jihoo approached him eagerly, like a fish drawn to bait.
“He must be incredibly impressive.”
“You bet he is!”
“Is he Upper Rank? Or a Leader?”
Hugo’s head, which had been bobbing up and down enthusiastically, went still.
“Oh—no, actually. He’s Upper Rank.”
Seol Jihoo doubted his ears. A Level 5 was far from someone to dismiss, but he couldn’t help finding it unexpected.
“Don’t underestimate him. His worth can’t be measured by Paradise’s rankings alone.”
“What do you mean?”
Seol Jihoo’s eyes gleamed with curiosity as he asked, and Hugo’s mouth opened and closed before settling into an expression of frustration.
His brain seemed to strain at the effort of explanation. After a good deal of groaning, he managed to open his mouth.
“At the start, there are only four jobs to choose from, right? Archer, Mage, Priest, Warrior.”
“Yes, there are no exceptions.”
“But the path of growth doesn’t have to lead only to combat roles!”
Seol Jihoo, pondering this, spoke up.
“Come to think of it, I’ve heard that some people specialize in Production Jobs.”
“Exactly! But non-combat professions aren’t just Production Jobs, are they?”
“They aren’t?”
Hugo’s mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. He cradled his head in both hands, then suddenly let out an “Aha!”
“Miss Foxxy!”
“Kim Hanna!”
Feeling obligated to match his tone, Seol Jihoo shouted back just as loudly.
“Right! You know—the person you have a contract with!”
Hugo pressed on excitedly, delighted to have found such a perfect example.
“She’s just the same. She started as an Archer but rose to Upper Rank through a different path!”
What on earth was he talking about?
“Kim Hanna was an Archer?”
“You didn’t know?”
Hugo seemed to assume Seol Jihoo would naturally be aware of it, which made his expression all the more startled.
“I’ve never heard of it. What exactly is this other method?”
Hugo fell silent. It wasn’t so much that it was hard to say—he looked distinctly uncomfortable.
“Well… in a good light, you’d call it resourcefulness.”
“And in a bad light?”
…….
“Never mind, I won’t ask.”
“No, well, if that’s how it is…”
Hugo only spoke after securing his assurance two, three times over.
“Faker.”
Seol Jihoo had started to ask why, but the memory of the early dream stopped him short. Hugo cleared his throat and continued.
“Getting back to the main point—I believe everyone has a talent. But you can’t say those talents are strictly limited to combat, right?”
“So if someone has a knack for deception or trickery, the gods will develop their talent in that direction as well?”
“Bingo. For instance, if Kim Hanna is one of the most famous brokers around, then the old man is Paradise’s greatest trainer. Even Lushulia’s daughter has her reputation, but she can’t hold a candle to our stubborn old timer.”
Hugo gave a thumbs up. Suddenly, the old man’s roar echoed through his mind.
[You idiot! You’ve got an engine this good and you don’t know how to use it? What a waste of Mana!]
Thinking about it now made his skin crawl. Because the moment he started Mana training under Jangmaldong’s guidance, he couldn’t help but acknowledge the truth of those words.
In fact, he’d only spent a few days with the old man. But in those five days, thanks to the old man’s instruction, he’d gone beyond simply evolving Spear Throw—he’d even picked up a brand new ability.
What was even more terrifying was that he’d awakened the new ability during training to evolve Spear Throw into Mana Spear Throw. On top of that, he’d gained proficiency in the Qi Circulation Technique as well. How could he not be amazed?
‘I just did whatever he told me to do.’
Having experienced it firsthand, he couldn’t help but sympathize.
“And that’s not all. His judgment is incredible too.”
“Really?”
“Just wait. In a few days, he’ll bring over a skilled Archer, or maybe even raise one himself.”
Hugo, who’d been grinning merrily, suddenly clapped his hands in realization.
“Hey! Perfect timing. You should ask the old man to train you too.”
That was frankly the thing he wanted most. If he could reach this level with just a few days of instruction, what if he kept training? Just thinking about it….
“To be honest, the training’s going to be brutal. You might wish he’d just kill you sometimes. But if you tough out the hellish regimen….”
“If I do?”
Seol Jihoo swallowed hard, his eyes gleaming. Hugo opened his mouth with a serious expression. That was when it happened.
“No.”
A firm voice cut between them. Both men turned their gazes at once.
“Don’t fill his head with useless hopes, Hugo.”
Cho Hong, who’d been doing sit-ups at an angle on an exercise rig, was staring daggers at Hugo.
“What’s useless about it?”
Hugo, disappointed by the interruption to his rising excitement, shot back with a cold expression.
“You asking because you don’t know?”
“What do you mean?”
“You have no right to ask for his help—not you, not Dylan. I don’t either.”
The bluntness made Hugo wince and shrink back.
“He barely managed to let go and come back to Earth. And you want to hold him back because of our desires?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Let him go in peace. Let’s be grateful for the occasional visits. He’s already too soft-hearted as it is. You know he’ll agonize over this if you keep pushing, so why?”
“But our situation—”
Hugo tried to push the argument further,
“Keep your word.”
When Cho Hong’s distinctive icy gaze flared, Hugo froze like a stone monument.
“Do you want to see him disappointed again?”
The sharp edge to her words made Hugo’s brow furrow hard. Grinding his teeth and glaring at Cho Hong, he let out a growl of “Ugh” and stormed out.
The buoyant atmosphere turned cold in an instant. Unable to do anything, Seol Jihoo crept cautiously toward Cho Hong, who’d snorted and resumed her sit-ups.
“I said no.”
But before he could even reach out his hand, Cho Hong warned him. Seol Jihoo, feeling oddly guilty, pouted.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“I know exactly what you’re about to say!”
Cho Hong forced her upper body up with effort. As Seol Jihoo gazed at her smooth abdomen, he extended his index finger and poked her abdominal muscles and navel repeatedly.
“It tickles, you bastard. Stop it. What’s wrong with you?”
“Cho Hong.”
“No matter how much you sweet-talk, this is the one thing I won’t allow.”
Seol Jihoo’s shoulders sagged. Her voice was unwavering—she’d made up her mind.
“Why won’t you let me?”
The answer didn’t come at once. Cho Hong simply devoted herself to the exercise, silent and focused. After a while, she descended from the equipment and draped a towel around her shoulders.
It was as she half-turned her body to reach for the water bottle that Cho Hong finally spoke.
“Jangmaldong. He’s been in Paradise for an incredibly long time.”
“How long?”
“I don’t know the exact details.”
Cho Hong murmured as she unscrewed the cap.
“But he’s been here longer than anyone I know. You could say he’s been active since the very earliest days.”
“Really?”
“Surprising, right? The thing is, staying active for more than ten years in Paradise time isn’t exactly ordinary—”
Gulp, gulp. She drained half the bottle in one breath with a satisfied exhale, then continued.
“There’s no way you could endure it without genuine love for this world, wouldn’t you say?”
Seol Jihoo nodded.
“No matter how many times I think about it, he’s truly remarkable. To enter at that age, then put his talent as a trainer to use and contribute to Paradise—good on him. Who could fault him? Personally, I’d like to give him a standing ovation.”
But then Cho Hong trailed off, uncertainty creeping into her voice.
“It’s just… not everyone is as noble and admirable as Jangmaldong, you know?”
Her tone carried a hint of guilt, as if seeking reassurance. Rather than agree outright, Seol Jihoo chose to ask a question instead.
“What do you mean by disappointment?”
Cho Hong hesitated. But then she quickly wiped her face with the towel, as if trying to hide it.
“In the early days when Paradise first opened… things weren’t like this.”
Things weren’t like this. Vague as the words were, their meaning came through.
“We genuinely helped Paradise, and the Paradiseans gave us their full support—those were hopeful times.”
There had indeed been such days. Times when Paradiseans and Earthians didn’t even harbor resentment beneath the surface.
“But it’s different now. Everything’s changed. There have been various incidents and… anyway, it must have been a terrible shock for him.”
Seol Jihoo wanted to ask what had happened, but he forced himself to stay quiet. It was clear Cho Hong didn’t want to talk about it.
Yet perhaps sensing his gaze, she hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking.
“Just think about it.”
“?”
“The disciples he raised with such devotion and care, so they could benefit Paradise—they ended up fighting each other over profit like they wanted to kill one another, and then, to top it off, they joined forces and staged a rebellion. Many Paradiseans were killed in that conflict.”
Suddenly, memories surfaced of the strife and civil war that had erupted in Haramag.
“If you were in his position, how would you feel? Really think about it.”
Cho Hong left those words behind and departed the training ground.
But Seol Jihoo remained in place for a long time afterward.
“…….”
The figure of Nobel suddenly overlapped in his mind with Jangmaldong. A scientist who had invented dynamite, that momentous explosive, only to regret watching it used not for humanity’s benefit but in warfare.
Though the circumstances were different, Jangmaldong must have felt something similar.
With that thought, Seol Jihoo raised both arms. As he concentrated his mana, a vivid blue energy began gathering intensely in his hands.
Whirrrrrr!
It was still a remarkable development no matter how many times he witnessed it. To have already mastered the materialization of mana—Aura—a technique normally acquired at Level 3.
But now that he understood the full context, he couldn’t push further.
‘It’s a shame, but…’
This is where it ends.
The hurdle was cleared. He’d heard he should continue training, but by now he’d grown comfortable enough with this. He’d kept his promise to himself.
Seol Jihoo dispersed the energy and turned his steps toward the Temple.
Wondering, perhaps, if he could fully open the Nine Eyes.

(Continued in the next episode)

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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