The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 127

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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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Chapter 127. Seol Jihoo (4)

After the tense meeting concluded, preparations moved at lightning speed. The seventy-eight members were divided into seven teams, organized around the most renowned groups, while the thirty-two others were evenly distributed in units of five or six.
They also made sure to separate Odelette Basler and five others, and once the team leaders gathered to select the six members who would enter the Plaza of Twisted Wishes, the strategy session was complete.
Hugo was chosen from the Allied Team, and Ora-hee, as expected, joined the first entry as the responsible leader.
With one combat-specialized Upper Rank and three Level 4 members absent, there was a gap in their fighting strength—but it couldn’t be helped. Everyone had to enter and exit at least once, sooner or later.
Standing before the Plaza of Sacrifice, Seol Jihoo pressed a hand firmly against his chest. He steadied his breathing, focusing on the steady pulse of his heart beneath his palm.
They had barely taken the first step. To reach the scenario he had envisioned in his mind, there were still several hurdles to clear.
In the next assault, they had to emerge with minimal casualties, and all six members entering the Plaza of Twisted Wishes had to return without exception.
Since he couldn’t manage every detail with perfect control, it would be a lie to say some anxiety didn’t gnaw at him.
The die had been cast.
In the end, all he could do was trust.
Seol Jihoo stood gazing at the six members waiting before the Plaza of Twisted Wishes, then stepped forward and walked toward the chasm.

All 104 members entered the Plaza of Sacrifice without exception.
The difference from the first assault was not the chaos and disorder, but the establishment of structure.
It was the effect of having rules.
The seven teams entered in sequence, each marking their assigned doorway, which naturally created a circular formation around the center.
Soon all doors flung open, and dusky shadows gradually took shape. Archers who had already drawn their bowstrings fired, but their arrows flew only to the edge of the circular arena and stopped short.
As they dropped like they’d struck invisible glass, sighs rose from various corners. If they concentrated firepower on the doors before all the monsters emerged, it could be conquered easily.
But the Plaza of Sacrifice seemed unwilling to tolerate such tricks—an unseen barrier was erected before combat began, sealing off any approach at the source.
In the end, they could only watch as the enemy force emerged at leisure and surrounded the plaza.
Seeing the monsters’ appearance, Seol Jihoo furrowed his brow. Each stood over two meters tall, their bodies built entirely from hardened muscle, so imposing that calling them merely “large” seemed inadequate.
Their muscular frames and the thick sinews of necks as wide as logs were enough to make observers wince. And the colorful battle paint adorning their faces, along with the tusk-like lower fangs jutting upward….
Their appearance resembled the Mutant Orcs he’d seen at the research facility. The only difference was their skin color.
Where the Mutant Orcs had been ash-gray, these creatures were painted in a vivid green.
“Orcs?”
It was Kazuki’s voice. He stood with a rare expression of shock, unable to hide his tension.
“That’s impossible. I’ve heard the Orc race went extinct over a decade ago….”
Once, the Orcs were a massive tribal nation that boasted enough power to dominate any kingdom. But a race that had been exterminated by Parasite after the Empire—they were alive?
It made no sense, but the Orcs were not so patient as to wait while they puzzled it out.
Soldiers bearing shields the size of an adult took point, followed closely by those wielding Long Spears, and mixed among the procession were Orc Archers with Longbows held prominently.
Two figures also stood out—massive creatures whose heads appeared a full head larger than ordinary Orc Warriors, with imposing frames to match.
And another caught the eye: one wearing a baggy black robe, raising a weathered Wooden Staff, sporting a long gray-streaked beard.
“I think we should assassinate that one first….”
Kazuki’s muttering drifted over. As Seol Jihoo watched the stream of creatures pour out, he suddenly felt a gentle touch on his back.
“Seol.”
Kazuki, pointing quickly to the opposite entrance, spoke urgently.
“Can I send Cho Hong toward where the Orc Champion is?”
He appeared to be calling the two exceptionally strong creatures by that name.
One had emerged from the entrance the Allied Team was assigned; the other came from a different sector.
The team managing that entrance had several Level 4 members but no Upper Ranks.
The team composition was based on a framework that included the baseline structure while distributing the thirty-two members evenly, but they’d agreed to adjust personnel fluidly as circumstances demanded—so there was nothing preventing it. Yet Kazuki asked directly, and Seol Jihoo understood the meaning behind the gesture.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“If my memory serves, an Orc Champion is the bodyguard unit of the Orc Lord, matching High-Ranked strength. They could be creatures on par with or even exceeding a Leoner Captain.”
“So why should I go? You go instead.”
“Cho Hong.”
Cho Hong, who’d been retorting to Kazuki, faltered when Seol Jihoo called her name softly.
“No. What I meant—”
“It’s a chance we’ve barely earned.”
His tone carried an almost desperate plea, and Cho Hong fell silent.
“Please.”
Cho Hong realized this wasn’t the moment to be stubborn and exhaled a long sigh.
“…I’ll take down just that one and come back.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Why?”
“Because I, Kazuki, and the Priest will catch it first.”
Cho Hong let out a short laugh and turned to look at Odelette Basler, who was watching the Orcs with a shadowed expression.
“Come on. Follow me.”
“……”
“I said follow. What, are your ears clogged? You coming or not?”
Cho Hong’s irritation flared; she smacked the back of the snake-eyed woman’s head. The sudden blow made her turn with an incredulous expression, but Cho Hong only glared harder in return.
“Your eyes always get on my nerves. Didn’t I tell you not to make that face?”
Odelette Basler’s mouth fell open, but Seol Jihoo regarded her with cold eyes. A matter of perspective—if she experienced it once herself, she might understand what emotions the thirty-two people felt when she threw those words at them in the meeting.
“I made it clear. You’re under my direct management until this expedition ends.”
Cho Hong spoke with a growl, grabbed the snake-eyed woman by the throat, and departed swiftly. The team that received them sent back two of their own just as quickly—the nameless giant brother of the white headband girl, and a nimble young man carrying a bow.
“Thank you so much. I was genuinely worried… I really can’t thank you enough.”
Namgung Archer bowed repeatedly in gratitude. He seemed genuinely impressed that they’d sent one of their top combatants, a battle-specialist of Upper Rank.
With the personnel exchange completed smoothly, Seol Jihoo quickly assessed the situation. The door had already closed—either all enemies had emerged, or they were contained.
The number of visible Orcs was roughly one hundred twenty. Compared to the Leoners before, which had appeared in close to one hundred fifty, the count was smaller.
But given the condition that Difficulty Remains Constant, there was no cause for relief.
Unlike the Leoners that had charged in chaotic disarray, each individual Orc was outfitted with gleaming equipment and moved with swift precision—disciplined like a well-trained army in perfect formation.
Soon an elderly Orc wearing only a robe swung a staff left and right in a crossing motion, and the whites of every Orc’s eyes flooded crimson while drool began streaming from their clenched teeth.
Their already hideous faces twisted further with aggression, and they began hammering their weapons against the ground in succession, roaring.
An Orc Champion gripped a massive battle axe in each hand, raised them high with all his strength, and opened his mouth wide.
Kuooooooooo!
A terrifying roar rocked the arena, resonant and deafening. In the enclosed space, the cry echoed back sharply and mercilessly.
It was only a battle cry, yet it tore at eardrums and lashed the skin like a whip; everyone present winced in agony.
Some could barely keep their footing, swaying under the relentless barrage of sound.
Seol Jihoo’s brow furrowed at the unpleasant sensation of his skull vibrating, when suddenly he felt his mind and spirit stabilizing rapidly.
It wasn’t from the Mental Stabilization effect of the Ice Spear. Not the cool flow from the shaft, but a warm current spreading gradually through his entire body, caressing him from within.
As Seol Jihoo released a held breath, a soft chanting drifted to his ears. He turned instinctively and saw a robed Priest extending a hand toward him, quietly murmuring an incantation.
The roar ceased. Seol Jihoo immediately sensed that the barrier had dissolved.
“Here they come.”
Kazuki muttered tersely.
The Orc archers raised their bows in unison, released their strings simultaneously, and the human archers replied without hesitation, launching their own volley. Arrows from both sides crossed paths in the air before cascading down like driving rain.
The Orcs dropped to one knee as one, shields raised overhead, while the Priests unfurled their prepared Protective Barriers. Both sides had already coordinated their defenses; neither took losses. The exchange was merely the opening signal of combat.
Krrragh!
The moment the Orc Champion leveled his battle axes at the humans, the Orc warriors rose to their feet.
They advanced with thunderous footsteps, maintaining their initial formation, and the humans answered with roars of their own, charging forward to meet them. The skirmish had begun in earnest.
Eighteen Orcs came into view. Seol Jihoo, leading the charge with shield raised, extended his spear toward the enemies closing the distance with each passing second.
Just before the spear point landed, an Orc warrior tilted his shield slightly, letting the shaft slip past, and immediately flicked his arm.
Seol Jihoo was momentarily startled by the skill with which the spear was deflected, but his composure returned immediately. In the old days, he might have lost his grip, but not now.
Clenching his teeth, he seized the rising shaft and drew it down with tremendous force.
Crack-crack-crack!
The descending spear blade split the Orc’s helmet and skull in half, and the front warrior dropped his shield.
Before Seol Jihoo could savor the satisfying sensation in his grip, several spears jabbed at him like harpoons from behind the falling Orc.
As he threw himself backward, suddenly brilliant white discs erupted into existence all around him. The spears that had looked certain to skewer him all bounced away harmlessly, and Seol Jihoo jolted in surprise—he’d never seen Protective Barriers multiply like this in a single instant before.
But that wasn’t all. The Orcs who’d been readying their next strike suddenly tensed and froze in place.
‘Freeze Motion!’
Seol Jihoo seized the opportunity.
He drove his spear with precision into the throat of the straining Orc warrior, and without hesitation, swept it sideways to sever the neck of another who had bared his teeth.
Even as Seol Jihoo continued his unbroken assault, he could not help but marvel. Between the Protective Barriers and holding such formidable Orc warriors in place for an extended duration—it would be impossible without immense reserves of Mana.
‘At this rate…’
An enemy standing rigid as a scarecrow was the easiest to dispatch.
Seol Jihoo struck with economy and precision, targeting vital points alone, and the Orcs fell like leaves scattered by autumn wind—a far cry from their initial ferocity.
In the blink of an eye, four of them were sent to the underworld, when suddenly his spear-work met resistance.
Not from any injury.
A piercing gaze had descended upon him. He’d merely caught sight of it with his eyes, yet the weight was unmistakable and impossible to ignore.
He retreated hastily to create distance, and the moment his eyes met the source, his body went rigid.
Not far away, the Orc Champion was staring at him with an intensity that could bore through stone. Up close, his frame looked even more imposing.
It was an aura of overwhelming presence and oppression.
Merely facing him made his knees go weak, his body feeling as though it might crumple. Above all, those mad crimson eyes held a deep, ravenous curiosity toward this human warrior who was slaughtering his subordinates.
The monster’s lips curled into a grin as he leveled both battle axes.
Seol Jihoo reflexively raised his spear in response. The next instant, the Orc Champion planted one foot forward.
Whoosh!
Even the mere act of charging split the air with a thunderous crack. Before Seol Jihoo had even closed his eyes and opened them again, the distance had closed until his fingertips could almost brush his opponent—an instant’s reach away.
The Orc Champion lunged forward with both arms spread wide, tearing through the atmosphere like a prowling panther descending upon its prey.
Crash-bang!
The sharp noise hammered against his eardrums. Seol Jihoo, caught completely off guard, had no choice but to stumble backward in panic. Or rather—being driven back would be the more accurate phrase.
‘How!?’
But the Orc Champion showed no mercy, its charge relentless. What made it worse was that as Seol retreated in a straight line, his attacker pursued in a zigzag pattern—yet the distance between them never grew.
Agility that belied its massive frame.
Moving its feet in irregular patterns left and right, it drove both battle axes forward with reckless abandon. The dazzling glint of the blows distorted his very vision.
‘Gasp—!’
Seol forced intensity into his eyes and finally grasped what was happening. White discs were deflecting the Orc Champion’s attacks, managing to shield him even after the creature should have cleaved him to pieces multiple times over.
The thought of what would’ve happened without them—reduced to minced meat—sent ice down his spine.
‘It’s strong.’
Grrrrr!
The monster suddenly halted its charge, its eyes turning toward the center with obvious displeasure. It could have ended this long ago, but these discs kept interfering at the crucial moments, and frustration gnawed at it relentlessly.
When it looked back at Seol Jihoo, its gaze had turned utterly indifferent—as if appraising some insignificant prey. It had seen all it needed to see from their brief exchange. With visible irritation, it furrowed its brow and suddenly let out a short battle cry.
Whirrrrrr!
From the battle axe gripped in its right hand, wind sharp enough to flay skin erupted outward. Seol, having barely steadied his stance, felt the keen edge of it scrape against his skin, making his flesh shudder. He forced down his fear and kept his focus forward.
But what could he do?
Its physical prowess was beyond question. Even reading its attacks was nearly impossible.
Yet he couldn’t keep being pushed back indefinitely.
Watching the hulking mass bear down on him, he summoned Terra’s grace in an attempt at counterattack, sidestepped, and thrust his spear as if sweeping through water. He’d tried to slip aside and use the creature’s own momentum against it, but the Orc Champion’s eyes flickered with mockery.
Thud!
The impact was so heavy that the moment it struck the shaft, both his arms were yanked to the right and his body lurched violently to one side. Seol’s face went blank with shock.
Forget the searing pain tearing through his palms—he hadn’t been careless, hadn’t held back at all.
A single blow had delivered a shock so vicious it numbed both his arms completely.
Before he could even think to react,
Bang!
An explosion of impact erupted across his face.

(To be 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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