The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 134

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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 134. An Unexpected Result

That night.
Even until he’d settled into his sleeping bag after the watch rotation, Seol Jihoo had thought sleep would be impossible. Yet apart from his lingering unease, he drifted off with surprising ease.
When he’d slipped into the first light of slumber, a gentle hand cradled the nape of his neck, and soft warmth pressed against his face—at that instant, his mind surrendered like a lie.
Each time he shifted restlessly, those tender touches would sweep slowly across his back or pat him gently, and breathing in the delicate fragrance drifting through the air, he sank swiftly back into sleep’s embrace.
Cradled in a tranquil quiet as if a meadow flowing with milk and honey had enfolded his entire body, Seol Jihoo slept deeply without waking once throughout the night.
When morning came, the tangle that had occupied his mind had settled considerably.
Seol Jihoo rubbed his eyes in the morning light, then tilted his head in confusion.
‘That’s strange.’
An unidentifiable lingering fragrance clung to various parts of his body. Drawing in the cool, exhilarating scent that set his heart racing, he caught himself burying his nose in his clothes and collar, breathing deeply.
Now that he thought about it, he remembered feeling someone’s care during his sleep. Just like when he’d been tended to at Lushulia Temple….
But that strange occurrence wasn’t the only one.
Throughout meals, while organizing the campsite, and during the march, Seol Jihoo had to endure constant harassment from Sakamoto Jun and Hugo. For instance, Sakamoto Jun would say,
“I’m envious… so terribly envious….”
“?”
“What was it exactly like? Please, won’t you tell me?”
—speaking in such a serious tone that he even abandoned his usual abbreviated speech, while Hugo committed the outrage of attempting to sniff his clothes or rub his face against him.
“Stop—don’t—”
Seol Jihoo struggled mightily to push away Hugo, who kept hurling himself forward like an enraged beast.
“Why are you doing this?”
“You’re a terrible person!”
“What?”
“A traitor!”
Hugo’s expression was marred not merely by jealousy and envy, but by something that burned like fury itself.
Seol Jihoo glanced around with the look of someone utterly bewildered. He caught Kazuki turning to look and sent him a pleading gaze, hoping for rescue.
…….
But Kazuki offered no help; instead, he returned only a curious expression before glancing slyly to the side. Following his gaze, Seol Jihoo could see Seo Yuhee walking with her head slightly lowered.
When their eyes met, Seo Yuhee’s cheeks flushed like the sunset reflected in a river. She deliberately turned away, fixing her gaze on the distant mountains. Though they were in a meadow, there was scarcely anything worth looking at.
The thought struck him forcefully that something must have happened while he slept, but he soon found he didn’t much care. A distant dark speck had begun to appear in his vision.
Before long, as the faded grey stone walls drew gradually closer, Seol Jihoo’s eyes sparkled.
It was Haramag.

The allied team had finally returned to Haramag. It had been exactly two weeks since they departed.
Just before disbanding, Seol Jihoo and Kazuki shook hands.
“You worked hard.”
“You too, Kazuki. Thank you for your hard work.”
At these customary words, Kazuki tilted his head slightly.
“Hmm… I don’t think I really did much. Without you, we might still be stuck in Stage 2.”
Kazuki continued speaking.
“And… I apologize for what I said about stubbornness back at the great stone mountain. I’m sorry.”
Apparently, he’d been holding on to a brief quarrel that had occurred while he was supervising training. Seol Jihoo had completely forgotten about it, but Kazuki was a man who applied strict standards to others while holding himself to an equally rigorous measure.
Seol Jihoo asked,
“Will you participate in the next event?”
“No.”
Unexpectedly, Kazuki answered firmly.
“I’m not sure. Perhaps it’s better to let go now.”
Kazuki’s face, as he spoke quietly, seemed oddly forlorn.
Kazuki would part ways with the Trials after this event. Since he couldn’t manage alone, he would borrow the power of the Triad.
Seol Jihoo, who had been watching him intently, suddenly spoke.
“Kazuki.”
“?”
“Would you ever consider joining Carpe Diem?”
At his sudden proposal, Cho Hong, who had been yawning widely, opened her eyes like a startled rabbit. Even Hugo, who had been clutching Seo Yuhee’s hand and refusing to let go, spun around in surprise.
Seol Jihoo gazed at the wide-eyed Kazuki calmly. It was less a carefully considered proposal than an impulsive thought.
To be more precise, he wanted to try traveling together once more. He was convinced that the man before him might perfectly—no, perhaps even more than—fill the void that Dylan had left behind.
“You don’t need to answer right away.”
“I refuse.”
But Kazuki shook his head.
“If it had been before the Event, I probably would have given it serious thought….”
Kazuki touched his chin and let out a soft laugh.
“Sorry, but I’m not ready to let go of Helmsman’s Control just yet.”
“Helmsman’s Control?”
“You can’t have two captains on the same ship, can you?”
Only then did Seol Jihoo grasp why the other man had refused.
Kazuki chuckled and turned away, raising an arm in farewell.
“See you next time.”
Watching Kazuki recede into the distance, Seol Jihoo scraped his index finger against his cheek—embarrassed like a child caught in his own thoughts.
After exchanging parting words with the others, Seol Jihoo and Cho Hong moved on.
As they approached the building of his dreams, he encountered an unexpected figure. Walking toward them was an elderly man in a dark blue suit—Jangmaldong.
“Master?”
Cho Hong greeted him first.
“You’re still alive?”
Crack!
“Ow-ow-ow!”
Cho Hong clutched her head and tumbled to the ground.
“Ow! Why did you hit me!”
“You little wretch. Here I went and held a memorial service for your death!”
“I was just trying to be friendly!”
“You dare talk back?”
As Jangmaldong raised his staff again, Cho Hong sprang to her feet and bolted. Jangmaldong lowered his arm with a grunt, then noticed Seol Jihoo standing there with an awkward smile.
“So you’re back after all.”
“Yes, Master….”
“I was just meeting with someone interested in joining.”
Seol Jihoo drew a quiet breath. A prospective member meant a new Archer, no doubt. Jangmaldong must have been busy while they were away at the Event.
“I did try to subtly persuade Kazuki to join, but he turned me down.”
“Of course he did. What’s he lacking that he’d want to join this team? But where’s Hugo?”
Jangmaldong clicked his tongue as he watched Seol Jihoo hesitate.
“Predictable. The habit of heading to the tavern the moment he returns—when will he ever break it?”
Seol Jihoo laughed bitterly. He couldn’t bring himself to admit that Hugo had been trailing after Seo Yuhee.
“Let’s head up.”
Jangmaldong didn’t press further and climbed the stairs. Entering the office, he shed his suit and dropped heavily onto the sofa.
“Phew. Feels like I’ve come back from the dead. There were so many introductions, I lost count of how many cities I visited… Hmm?”
He spoke, observing the young man standing motionless.
“What are you doing? Sit down.”
“Thank you.”
Seol Jihoo suddenly bowed deeply, and Jangmaldong blinked.
“What’s all this about?”
“If it weren’t for you, Master….”
Straightening up, Seol Jihoo spoke with genuine sincerity.
“I likely wouldn’t be standing in this office right now.”
It was the truth. Without that brutal training, he might have died or been eliminated in Stage 1, let alone reaching Stage 3.
“Thanks to the training you gave me, I was able to return alive. I truly am grateful.”
At such a formal expression of thanks, the stern face softened. To be honest, Jangmaldong was a man who had little resistance to this kind of straightforward sincerity.
“Well… it’s not… you worked hard, after all….”
His usually solemn lips even curled up with emotion. Quickly collecting himself, he cleared his throat loudly and turned his head away.
“Ahem. You must be tired. Rest for now. We can talk about details tomorrow.”
Yet Seol Jihoo remained where he was. Seeing his hesitation, Jangmaldong recognized that the young man still had something to say.
After a brief pause, Seol Jihoo spoke bluntly.
“I’ve killed people.”
At this sudden confession, one of Jangmaldong’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“…How many?”
“Two.”
“Why?”
“Because they tried to ruin the Event I had barely survived.”
A flicker of something crossed Jangmaldong’s eyes.
“So they deserved to die, in your judgment.”
“By my standards, yes.”
“That’s enough.”
With that, Jangmaldong waved his hand dismissively, and now it was Seol Jihoo’s turn to look startled.
“Why the shock? If they deserved to die, then they should die.”
Jangmaldong snorted.
“If I’d been half-hearted with mercy, I wouldn’t have left them alone at all. I’ll need to hear the full details later, but… well done. Dogs that never learn their lesson need their roots ripped out.”
Understanding that Jangmaldong meant he’d torn out the source of trouble, Seol Jihoo nodded. With those words from the old man, the emptiness in his chest seemed to melt away like spring snow.
“In any case, get going. You just standing there keeps me from resting.”
“Yes, yes!”
Just as Seol Jihoo turned to leave, the sound of someone hurrying up the stairs came suddenly from below.
The door burst open, and the figure who entered was neither Cho Hong nor Hugo. It was Ian, his white beard flowing.
“Is that… you?”
“Horse-dung!”
Ian called out cheerfully and waved his hand at Seol Jihoo.
“It’s been ages, Seol!”
“Hello… hello to you too.”
As Seol Jihoo returned the greeting awkwardly, Ian placed a hand on his shoulder.
“So you’ve just returned from the Event?”
“How did you find out so quickly?”
Jangmaldong asked, startled.
“Don’t underestimate the Kingdom’s intelligence network.”
Ian drew a V-sign with his fingers and broke into hearty laughter. Then he grabbed both Seol Jihoo and Jangmaldong by the arms and forcefully pulled them to their feet.
“What’s gotten into him?”
“Come on, let’s go. Hurry up now!”
“Go where exactly?”
“To the Tavern, of course. Do you have any idea how curious I’ve been about this Event?”
The two struggled against him for a while, but in the end, Ian emerged victorious.
Thus Seol Jihoo and Jangmaldong found themselves dragged along by Ian to eat, drink, and make merry.

After arriving at the Tavern, Seol Jihoo had to recount the story for quite some time.
Ian listened intently throughout, his interest never wavering. When Seol Jihoo mentioned Audrey Bastler, Ian grew indignant—”That wretched woman—is she pretty at least?”—but upon hearing that she’d been beaten senseless, he danced with delight, “That’s so satisfying! But is she pretty?” At last, when Seol Jihoo spoke of how the Event had become worthy of its name, Ian let out a cry of admiration. Even Jangmaldong, whose expression had been stern the whole time, nodded along and smiled with approval.
Seol Jihoo couldn’t speak in detail about Stage 3. There was a restriction in place, and even when he tried, his mouth only moved soundlessly. Since everyone who’d cleared Stage 3 up to now had been similarly bound, Ian didn’t mind much.
After nearly an hour or two had passed that way, the conversation about the Event drew to a close.
Seol Jihoo watched Ian cheerfully drinking, then opened his mouth.
“…Ian. There’s actually something I’ve been really curious about.”
Ian tilted his chin in a gesture inviting him to ask.
“Do you happen to know anything about the term ‘Suk-Un’?”
Ian flinched, set down his bottle, and wiped his beard with the back of his hand.
“Suk-Un… that’s quite a philosophical topic.”
………
“Could you write that word down in a foreign language? Just as you remember it. I can’t fully trust the synchronization, you see.”
Ian handed over some paper and a pen, and Seol Jihoo wrote down what he could recall.
“Suk-Un—the fate that transfers in the number of constellations. This is too broad a concept.”
Ian read it over carefully and spoke.
“What aspect of Suk-Un do you wish to understand?”
Faced with such a sharp question, Seol Jihoo pondered for a moment before answering.
“Choice. Suk-Un and choice. That’s right.”
Ian slapped his knee and smiled broadly.
“First, Suk-Un refers to the predetermined fate one is born with.”
“Predetermined fate?”
“Indeed. In my interpretation, I’d call it yielding to one’s fate.”
Seol Jihoo’s expression grew subtle. Ian’s tone made it sound as though fate could never be defied.
“Don’t make that face. As you live, there will be times—no, countless times—when you must yield to this thing called fate. Even at this very moment.”
Seol Jihoo still looked unconvinced.
“You seem to think fate is something grand. But it’s really not so at all.”
Ian smacked his lips.
“Don’t overthink it. You and I are human, aren’t we?”
“Yes.”
“Being born means living for decades, and when our time ends, death is an inescapable fate. Can you defy this fate?”
“No.”

“Right. So there’s no choice but to accept it.”
Ian chuckled.
“But if a human wants to live, they have to breathe and eat, don’t they?”
“Of course.”
“This is no different. The moment we’re born human, we’re destined to live by breathing and eating—it’s the Suk-Un we carry from birth.”
Seol Jihoo’s face went slack, as if he’d taken a sudden blow.
“But here, we can make one more ‘choice.'”
Ian, giggling, tilted his upper body and spoke in a low, suggestive tone.
“What happens if we don’t eat and don’t breathe?”
“Then we’d obviously di—die?”
Seol Jihoo stammered his reply.
“Exactly. We’d die.”
Ian laughed loudly, his beard bristling with the force of it.
“Here’s the point. Right now, this very moment.”
He rapped the wooden table twice. Tap-tap! And continued.
“By breathing or not breathing—in other words, by choosing one of these two options—we can meet one of the predetermined destinies: life or death!”
Ian had unleashed his tirade, and Seol Jihoo’s mouth fell slightly open. He didn’t grasp all of it, but one thing etched itself clearly in his mind.
Even if we have no choice but to accept, our destiny is not singular.
That is to say—
“Doesn’t it strike you as remarkable? How such a vast fate hinges on something so trivial?”
Even a single small choice could determine the outcome.
Even if one was born under the Celestial Killer Star, there would be no exception.
“You know, humans are always making choices. In the past, in the present, and in the future.”
“Are you saying we should be careful with every choice?”
Ian clicked his tongue.
“My friend, how you interpret it is of course your business, but why rush to such a conclusion?”
He swept his beard aside and shrugged.
“Vast destinies like life and death usually wait at the journey’s end. And life is long. It’s not some game where the ending plays after pressing a button or two, is it?”
With that, Ian burst into hearty laughter.
“…I suppose not.”
Seol Jihoo found himself nodding along unconsciously.
Soon Ian clutched at his throat, coughing and sputtering, then quickly grabbed for a bottle. He grimaced when he found it empty.
“Ah, damn. I need to order more.”
“Enough of that nonsense.”
Jangmaldong, who had been silent until now, spoke bluntly.
“You spout drivel and aren’t even ashamed to drink on someone else’s coin?”
“Drivel, you say!”
Ian protested.
“And how are you so sure I’m planning to mooch?”
“It’s your specialty, isn’t it? Getting drunk, pretending to fall asleep, then actually falling asleep.”
“Tsk. Caught.”
“You can order more.”
Seol Jihoo interjected between the two bickering old men.
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Watching Ian light up with delight, Seol Jihoo finally broke into a bright smile.
He’d happily order a hundred bottles if it meant this.
It was a response that didn’t just chase away worry—it cleansed the soul itself.
“Excellent! Then—”
Ian quickly ordered more drinks, then paused and looked at Seol Jihoo.
“You just got back today, didn’t you?”
“Just now.”
“Then you wouldn’t know?”
“Know what?”
“The memorial service—the one at the Tomb in the Forest of Negation. You asked someone to conduct it, didn’t you?”
That was true. Originally they were supposed to go together, but things got tangled when he decided to enter the Event.
“So the princess went to the Forest of Negation with her retinue….”
Ian’s tone suddenly turned grave, and Seol Jihoo tensed instinctively.
“Did something happen?”
“Well, the thing is…”
A moment passed.
“…What?”
Seol Jihoo found himself doubting his own ears at the explanation.
“The Ghost Saint overturned the memorial table?”

(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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