The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 129

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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 129. The Nature of the Banquet

Seol Jihoo’s eyes were still wide open.
Gradually the fierce light faded, and his consciousness drained away with it.
‘Did I win?’
He checked again. The head lay far distant, severed by a blow that had drained him down to his very last reserves, and the massive body without a neck sprawled face-down on the Plaza floor.
‘I actually won?’
No matter how many times he verified it, he couldn’t quite believe it. Dazed, Seol Jihoo noticed a message displayed in the air before him.

[Class Ability ‘Bow Body Bullet Shadow (Lowest Tier)’ has been generated.]

‘…So that’s how it is.’
He had learned Bow Body Bullet Shadow.
Seol Jihoo exhaled a breath of relief and fixed his gaze forward once more.
The Orc Champion had fallen. He had severed its neck with his own hands.
Seol Jihoo had to strain hard to keep his drooping eyes open. The moment he let them slip, tears would spill over.
‘Since when did I cry so easily?’
Ever since entering Paradise, he’d been weeping at the slightest provocation. He knew it, yet he wanted to cry anyway.
He had thought he couldn’t win.
He had thought he would die.
Truly.
Then a tremendous roar struck his ears. Seol Jihoo sniffled sharply and spun around in alarm.
The humans in the Plaza were raising their voices in jubilation, now pushing back the Orcs who had lost their will to fight.
Snapping to attention, Seol Jihoo forced strength into legs that threatened to give way beneath him.
The battle was not yet over.

Seol Jihoo came up to the Meadow with Kazuki’s support. He had scraped together every last shred of strength to face the Orc Champion, and continuing combat in a Groggy State meant exhaustion was only natural.
Still, the effort had borne fruit. All 110 people had survived—a result worth celebrating. Most carried injuries, of course, yet it was nothing short of remarkable.
The reason was twofold. Kazuki’s quick assassination of the Orc Shaman had been crucial, and above all, Seol Jihoo’s early defeat of the Orc Champion had made the decisive difference.
More precisely, the enemies’ internal hierarchy—structured like a military—had proven devastatingly effective against them.
With the commander-figure dead, morale crumbled. The combat effectiveness of nearly half the Orc warriors visibly plummeted.
Quick to recognize the shift, Kazuki had pressed his advantage, rushed to support Cho Hong as she struggled, and once the remaining Orc Champion fell, the rest became a mopping-up operation.
At first, seeing how methodically the enemy moved, he’d thought themselves unlucky. But this battle had taught him that strategy could turn the tide another way.
Once the stage was cleared, priests moved busily about. Those with relatively light wounds drank healing potions, while the seriously wounded received priestly incantations and spellwork.
The atmosphere wasn’t bad. At least compared to how they’d eyed one another with suspicion before, sometimes as if they wanted to kill each other, it was tremendous progress.
‘Not yet.’
Yet Seol Jihoo did not release his grip on caution. He couldn’t afford to relax—not here, not in this wretched Banquet, a space where safety was a luxury.
Only when this cursed Banquet ended and they returned to Paradise could he finally sleep with his guard down.
Seol Jihoo gazed toward Distorted Wish Plaza with anxious eyes. The six who had gone in first were nowhere to be seen. It hadn’t taken that many hours to clear the stage, but he’d expected them to emerge and be waiting by now.
“Don’t show your worry so plainly.”
As Seol Jihoo paced back and forth, Kazuki offered a quiet suggestion.
“Just sit and wait with a calm demeanor.”
It struck him as odd that he’d said “show a calm demeanor” rather than “just wait,” but something about the advice felt genuine, so he settled quietly in place.
After anxious moments of waiting, the sound of a door opening reached Seol Jihoo’s ear.
He set down the healing potion he’d been drinking and rose to his feet. Every instinct screamed to rush toward them, but remembering Kazuki’s words, he remained still and watched.
People emerged from Distorted Wish Plaza.
‘One, two, three, four….’
Six. Exactly six of them walked out, each clutching cloth bundles of varying size.
Relief washed over Seol Jihoo, but then he detected a strange current enveloping the six.
Ora Hee looked deeply displeased, and Hugo’s mouth was clenched shut in an expression of complete disgust. The two selected from the 32 also seemed utterly deflated.
Without even asking, one could sense: ‘Something happened.’
Seol Jihoo managed a bitter smile. Though he rejoiced now that not a single person had died—that they’d all emerged alive—Stage 2 had always been like this.
And his own team would likely fall back into that same atmosphere soon enough.
Hoping for laughter and merriment over one successful battle, for them to hold hands and celebrate—that was a distant dream.
“Hugo.”
“Ah, um… Why do you look so worn out? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. It just took longer than expected?”
“Ah. That’s….”
Hugo glanced at Ora Hee several times before letting out a long sigh.
“The distance was pretty far.”
“Distance?”
“Yeah. The passage to the reward space was really long, and once we got there, there were so many rooms….”
Hugo shook his head emphatically.
“Man. Just finding your own room was a task, but with six of us all moving together at once, and having to keep watch over each other on top of that… ugh!”
He even shuddered as if utterly exhausted.
Cho Hong slipped in a comment.
“Listen to him whine. What’s so hard about being rewarded?”
“Hey. Don’t go running your mouth like that. Someone might try to escape. You could get stabbed from behind without warning. I was on edge the whole time—it was serious. I felt like my energy was being drained dry.”
Hearing this, it became clear that Ora Hee had created an atmosphere of fear more intensely than necessary, and one could easily guess the air must have been quite hostile.
“Forget it. What did you get?”
“Damn it.”
“What?”
“Don’t ask. It’s depressing.”
Hugo waved his hand dismissively. Cho Hong laughed.
“Why? Did it open up?”
“No. Look at this. It’s not even mocking a person or—”
Hugo unwrapped the bundle and lamented while showing it off. Seol Jihoo examined the contents and carefully surveyed the surroundings.
Somehow, they’d made it this far.
He had forcibly gathered one hundred and ten people, achieved better-than-expected results in the first clear attempt, and all six members had returned safely.
That meant they’d crossed the hardest stretch.
If things continued smoothly from here, it would be perfect—but Seol Jihoo believed the odds of that were slim.
You could see it if you looked back at how Stage 1 had unfolded. He’d convinced seven people to cooperate, yet midway through, hadn’t Ora Hee suggested abandoning them and moving on?
In other words, things might coast along for now, but there was no guarantee they’d hold together to the end.
Great or small, discontent would definitely emerge. He had a strong premonition that trouble would strike at least once more.
So what should he do to prevent problems before they arose?
Seol Jihoo found the answer in making the banquet live up to its name as a banquet.
Seol Jihoo’s eyes flashed with interest when he spotted Ora Hee crossing the meadow.
“Ora Hee?”
His voice didn’t reach her—her steps didn’t slow.
“Ora Hee!”
Even raising his voice brought no response. Whether she didn’t hear him or was ignoring him, the way she walked with arms folded so proudly suggested the latter.
Seol Jihoo cleared his throat and threw his arms up. Then he shouted loudly.
“Oraaaaaa!”
Ora Hee’s footsteps stopped. The stiff, creaking way she turned her head gave him a sinking feeling, so he hastily added, “—hee!”
In the end, Seol Jihoo found himself face to face with Ora Hee against a backdrop of bitter cold wind and snow.
“What did you just say?”
He’d never seen Ora Hee’s emotions flare so intensely before, so Seol Jihoo hurried to speak.
“Ah… Your name is Ora Hee, isn’t it?”
“Your surname—forget I heard it from Kazuki or someone else. You just called my name?”
“Yes. I kept calling, but it seemed you didn’t hear….”
“…….”
Ora Hee’s eyes narrowed. She tilted her head, seemed uncertain for a while, then exhaled a short breath as if accepting it.
“Anyway, you defeated an Orc Champion, I heard?”
“Yes? Oh.”
Seol Jihoo scratched his head.
‘It’s already spread?’
“I didn’t do it alone. My allies helped, so it was possible.”
“What are you saying? That thing was barely manageable even for me—how did you pull it off?”
Surprisingly, her tone wasn’t critical or mocking. That was just how she spoke; her reaction was closer to genuine astonishment.
“It’s quite remarkable….”
Ora Hee murmured to herself, casting him a curious look, then spoke.
“Anyway, why?”
Seol Jihoo had been about to say ‘What did you get?’ but since he’d already seen it and called her over, he changed his words.
“Were you hoping for a weapon?”
He said this upon seeing the unusually long and large bundle.
“…That’s right.”
Ora Hee nodded slightly. As she untied the knot, a large Battle Axe was revealed.
The engraved flower patterns on the axe head and the soft white light flowing from the blade to the butt harmonized beautifully, making it appear both lovely and sacred.
“A Battle Axe?”
“Who are you mocking?”
Ora Hee smacked her lips, her disappointment evident.
In Paradise, acquiring quality weapons and equipment was difficult. Part of it stemmed from the empire’s collapse, but prolonged warfare had depleted supplies so severely that material shortages had become endemic.
Every time a Level increased, equipment prices in the corresponding tier jumped tenfold—a consequence of this very scarcity.
Obtaining a weapon befitting an upper-rank position was like plucking a star from the sky. If a Long Sword with identical performance to this Battle Axe had appeared, there would be cause for celebration, but such was life.
After all, Stage 2’s rewards granted one’s personal wishes in a Distorted form.
“If that’s all, shall I be going?”
“No, you can’t.”
“What, what?”
“Just a moment.”
Seol Jihoo dragged forward Hugo, who had fallen silent as a dormouse, and deliberately raised his voice with a subtle smile.
“What if the two of you traded?”
“?”
“Huh?”
Ora Hee’s face registered confusion at the sudden proposal. Then her eyes caught the blood-crimson Long Sword in Hugo’s grip, and they began to flutter. A soft “Ah” escaped her lips as her hand drifted to her chin.
Hugo’s eyes widened upon seeing the Battle Axe in Ora Hee’s possession.
“Could I… take a look?”
Ora Hee spoke first.
“Me too.”
Hugo stammered his agreement.
Before long, the two began examining their exchanged weapons from every angle.
“You didn’t see each other in there?”
“I told you. We didn’t exchange a single word.”
When Seol Jihoo asked casually, Hugo replied with rare focus.
“We were too preoccupied to notice.”
Hugo murmured vacantly to himself.
‘Fair enough.’
When they’d been sizing each other up with such tension, it would’ve been awkward to casually ask to peek at the goods.
In any case, looking at their entranced expressions, the Battle Axe had clearly won them over.
Ora Hee was no different. She kept running her hands up and down the Rapier, which gleamed with an ominous blood-red hue like some cursed Magic Sword.
The corners of her mouth were lifted in clear satisfaction.
The performance difference didn’t seem substantial, and besides, a trade was valid once both parties consented.
“First impressions weren’t great… but somehow everything he does appeals to me.”
“Hmm?”
“Never mind, never mind.”
Ora Hee shook her head and glanced sideways at Hugo.
“You there.”
“Yeah?”
“What do you think?”
Hugo gave a thumbs up without hesitation.
“Deal!”
“Good.”
The trade was sealed.
Ora Hee spun the Rapier in circles, running her fingers along the blade with satisfaction. Hugo bounced like a child on Christmas morning, swinging the Battle Axe this way and that.
The four others who’d entered together didn’t remain idle. On the chance there might be something worth exchanging, they began unpacking their rewards without ceremony.
Before long, people had gathered in small clusters, unable to contain their amazement at the bounty the six had received.
Rewards—the paramount concern of every Paradisean.
And a Banquet that magnificently satisfied that concern.
A short while later.
“Um.”
One person who’d been gauging the mood finally spoke up, swallowing hard.
“When will the next group of entrants be selected?”
Seol Jihoo felt a quiet smile of triumph blossom within him.

At last, the momentum of conquest had ignited.
On the second attempt, not a single person died thanks to Ora Hee’s prowess. She threw herself into killing more enemies than anyone else, and while he’d harbored suspicions, her intentions proved anything but pure.
It turned out the Rapier grew stronger the more blood it drank, and restored its user’s vitality in the process—which made him wonder if it truly wasn’t some cursed Magic Sword.
In the end, they managed four successful Clears that day, and six the next. In just two days, they’d advanced halfway through.
And on the sixth night.
“Remarkable.”
Kazuki marveled as he achieved his sixth successful clear of the day.
“I couldn’t have imagined this on the first day.”
Despite the late hour, dozens of people had gathered in the Meadow.
Some watching, others being cornered and earnestly persuaded, some wavering over a trade, still others haggling….
Chaotic and bustling. With bonfires lit here and there, it looked almost like a festival from a distance.
“Now that I think about it, I never even considered trading.”
Not couldn’t—didn’t. Kazuki chuckled, and Seol Jihoo laughed along.
“It wasn’t a particularly profound thought.”
“Still, it’s impressive that you saw that far in such a situation.”
True enough. While everyone else was desperate to sacrifice others just to save themselves, Seol Jihoo alone had conceived the idea of converting a Distorted Wish into something approaching a genuine desire.
“I simply… wondered why this space was called a Banquet when it first opened.”
Seol Jihoo continued.
“A Banquet is supposed to be joyful.”
A Banquet was originally a gathering where many people assembled to celebrate or welcome something. Seol Jihoo had interpreted it through Paradise’s lens.
“When I thought about why Distorted Wishes were given, I had this sense that it was meant for people to interact and grow closer….”
Seol Jihoo’s words trailed off. He exhaled softly and crouched down. Kazuki tilted his head.
“Why the sigh?”
“Because it’s difficult.”
“But it worked out the way you intended?”
“It did, but….”
Seol Jihoo smacked his lips.
“When I really think about it, I was lucky.”
“Lucky?”
“Yes. The conditions were right, so I could force it through. If our allied team hadn’t been the largest faction….”
Truth was, Seol Jihoo’s best plan from the start had been to play the trade card and persuade.
But seeing how things were spiraling, he resorted to force first, using brute strength to impose the situation, then played the trade option.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t have stuck at all.
Kazuki shrugged.
“If you’d been the cunning agitator type or a flowery orator, maybe you would’ve gotten what you wanted. Or if you’d had the kind of charisma that dazzles at first sight.”
“If such a person existed, I’d envy them.”
“Still, I don’t think you were wrong. No need to blame yourself.”
“I feel the same way.”
With that, their conversation fell silent.
It was Seol Jihoo who spoke first again.
“By the way, what did you get from the Distorted Wish, Kazuki?”
“Me? Well… what did you get?”
Kazuki deflected with a question of his own. Seol Jihoo answered directly.
“Competence.”
Kazuki’s eyes widened, then he burst out laughing.
“Ha. You’re something else. What on earth were you wishing for….”
Then he paused, something seeming off, and considered it seriously.
“Wait. It’s supposed to be distorted… but you don’t look particularly twisted to me.”
“Right?”
“Can you show me?”
Seol Jihoo shook his head firmly.
“I can’t.”
“You can’t?”
“I traded it.”
Seol Jihoo gave up his Competence? A hard claim to believe.
“I don’t know how efficient it was, but it didn’t seem bad. What did you do with it?”
Seol Jihoo gave a knowing smile.
“That’s a secret.”
Kazuki looked as though he’d been caught off guard.
“You didn’t tell me what you got either.”
…….
Kazuki raised both hands in surrender, chuckled softly, and walked away toward the people still absorbed in trading. Watching him go, Seol Jihoo stood and turned.
It was the direction of the Campsite.
In the Tent lay Maria, sleeping soundly after finishing treatment of the wounded, and Hugo, sitting motionless like a corpse.
Seol Jihoo clicked his tongue at the sight of Hugo, grunting as he wielded the Battle Axe he’d traded for from Ora Hee.
‘That weapon really is something else.’
He knew why. It was flawless in every way, and yet—
Crack-snap!
“Uhhhhgh.”
Strange. Every time Hugo tried to channel mana into it, a repulsion phenomenon erupted.
According to Kazuki, some weapons among the armed ones rarely possessed a will of their own, and some of those were particular about their wielders.
In other words, the Battle Axe was rejecting Hugo’s nature and refusing to acknowledge him as its master.
“Sigh…”
Watching Hugo heave a sigh that seemed to make the earth cave in, Seol Jihoo patted his back.
“Still no luck?”
Hugo nodded limply. For the past four days he’d done nothing but talk to it, coax it, treat it like a sacred treasure, yet it remained nowhere near swayed by the weapon’s temperament.
Hugo, who’d been simmering quietly, suddenly burst.
“Damn it all! I must be insane, doing this nonsense.”
“Why not just swap it out cleanly? You might find an even better axe if you look around, and there are still people who haven’t entered yet anyway.”
It was sound reasoning all around, but Hugo shook his head firmly.
“No. I’m using this one. I’ll make it work, no matter what.”
Seol Jihoo had thought he’d given up, but Hugo’s eyes blazed with fire.
“Think about it—isn’t this just a blade? Isn’t it?”
“Well, that’s—”
“What’s this thing doing, picking its owner? If you’re born as a weapon, you should be grateful someone uses you! That’s how it should be.”
Whoooosh!
The Battle Axe flared with vicious light.
It seemed to be angry.
“Huh? Look at this thing. Hey, you axe bitch. You hate me that much?”
Whoooosh.
“Oh yeah? Wow… I’m a gentleman to my partners, but not to you apparently. Since you won’t listen to words, I’ll have to train you my way.”
Seol Jihoo, who’d been watching with interest, couldn’t believe his eyes. Hugo had suddenly hurled the Battle Axe to the ground and then slammed his bare rear end down on it with force.
Settling himself in a firm seiza position, Hugo spoke with a grave expression.
“Last chance. Look, I’m going to use you no matter what. So either stop being difficult, or keep resisting—your choice.”
Whoooosh-whoooosh!
“Ohhh, so that’s how it is, is it? Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Grinding his teeth, Hugo suddenly snapped his eyes wide open. Then he bellowed, “Hyah!”
Splort!
It sounded like a bomb had gone off. Or rather, until Seol Jihoo saw Hugo’s rear end heave violently, he could have sworn a grenade had detonated.
So much so that even Uriel Maria, who’d been sleeping soundly, jolted awake in absolute panic.
“Wh-what!? What is it!?”
Her face still half-asleep, Uriel Maria whipped her head around. Then her nose twitched. As a foul stench began wafting through the Tent, her face crumpled in disgust.
“Oh for shit’s sake!”
She shrieked, clamped her nose shut, and bolted out of the Tent. Outside came the sound of her retching violently. “You asshole!”
“What. It’s just fragrant, that’s all.”
Hugo laughed heartily as he rubbed his rear end all over the Battle Axe.
“You little bastard. How’s the taste? Huh? That’s four days of aged shit-farts.”
Uuuuuuuuuuuh!
Watching the Battle Axe rage and flail about, Seol Jihoo quietly slipped back into his Sleeping Bag with a heavy heart.
‘Tomorrow, then.’
Stage 2 would be over. Perhaps this tedious Banquet would finally end too.
Staring vacantly at the canvas ceiling, Seol Jihoo thrust his hand into his pocket. He smiled at what he’d taken out.
‘I never thought I’d actually find something like this.’
The Competence’s efficiency really was extraordinary. He’d thought long and hard about it, that was certain.
But after much deliberation, Seol Jihoo had chosen the exchange. Because he believed—without a shadow of doubt—that he could put this item to far greater use.
‘Will she be happy?’
Once they returned to Paradise, he’d have to visit the Forest of Negation, Seol Jihoo thought as he closed his eyes, lulled to sleep by the Battle Axe’s anguished screams.
Dawn passed, and morning broke the next day.
The remaining four Clears were finished in no time. After succeeding in twenty consecutive Clears in succession, the Distorted Wish Plaza—exactly as the conditions specified—became permanently active and unlocked.
Stage 2 was finally over.

(To be continued)

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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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