The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 140

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

Episode 140. Every Rose Has Its Thorns

Seol Jihoo had been sighing for quite some time now.
He glanced left, then right, then up at the ceiling again. Around Gulla’s stone statue he paced, back and forth, edgy and restless.
The reason for this meaningless repetition was obvious: a silent, frantic plea for someone to fix his job title already.
But no matter how long he waited, no such offer came. Eventually, thoroughly exasperated, Seol Jihoo gripped the Ice Spear so hard that he brought it down against the floor with a resounding clang.
Considering that the Temple was each deity’s private domain, it was an act for which he deserved to be struck by lightning for sacrilege.
Of course, he had his reasons.
Sure, at lower levels, but Level 4 was a tier at which you could strut around anywhere, claiming to have had a sip of Paradise water, and even if conscription orders came down, you’d be classified as combat-ready immediately. In other words, it was a level with genuine influence in Paradise.
And yet others had names like Barbarian Warrior and Pathfinder—names that sounded halfway respectable—so why was he stuck with Expert?
‘That cursed mana pool.’
Had he asked for anything grand? A fortune? Glory? Was it really so difficult to just give him a proper job title? After he’d crawled and scraped and clawed his way through everything, was this one small thing too much to ask? Such bitter thoughts spiraled endlessly through his mind.
[Sigh…]
Gulla lamented.
[How can he be so childish. I thought he’d gotten better…]
The sound of a tongue clicking in disappointment echoed through the Temple.

Seol Jihoo left the Temple more or less ejected, regained his composure, and confirmed his Level 4 abilities, checking what had changed.
His remaining Body Points had increased to 10. One more level would grant him a full 15 points to spend, but that was still a distant dream.
Two new abilities had become available.
As Agnes had said, there was the Heart Method—an evolved form of the Qi Circulation Technique. And then,
‘Flash Lightning?’
Literally, the glyph for flash and the glyph for thunder. A direct translation would be “shining thunder.”
Reading the description, it said it was an ability that awakened the body through Thunder Resonance.
Even watching the demonstration video, all he could see was brilliant light flickering in all directions, leaving him none the wiser.
In any case, it was a new ability at Level 4, so it was bound to be formidable.
He would have loved to set everything aside and head straight to the great boulder mountain, but he couldn’t. Before Seol Jihoo could even broach the subject, Jangmaldong had preempted him, announcing that White Rose had arranged an opening.
Even though acquiring a new ability was important, recruiting the siblings took priority. So Seol Jihoo prepared to leave that very day.
Cho Hong and Hugo complained about why he was asking for trouble, laughing about how with their new leader working so hard, they could just take it easy. Their merriment earned them a vigorous beating from Jangmaldong’s staff.
Seol Jihoo boarded the carriage bound for Sheherazade, leaving behind Cho Hong and Hugo groaning on the ground.

“They’ve made a request from that side.”
As they were passing through Zahra Village, Jangmaldong opened the conversation.
“They want today’s arrangements kept secret.”
“It’s not like I was planning to spread it around town anyway.”
“That’s a given. White Rose is also keeping the siblings in the dark, strict information lockdown.”
Seol Jihoo’s brow furrowed. That sounded like they’d arranged the recruitment without the kids knowing about it.
“Don’t take it the wrong way. A guild doesn’t usually concern itself with the feelings of a player they’ve decided to release.”
That was fair enough, in its own way. After all, White Rose had thrown out two Same-color Seals for nothing.
“Still, doing it behind their backs… I wouldn’t feel good about it, if I were them.”
“Why.”
“The gap between Carpe Diem and White Rose is significant. The kids might prefer to be somewhere with more resources and stability.”
“That’s not wrong.”
Jangmaldong, who had been nodding, suddenly asked,
“Why did you turn down Shin Young?”
Seol Jihoo flinched. He’d never mentioned it—how did he know?
“Conventional logic isn’t always right. Everyone has their own circumstances.”
Jangmaldong smiled faintly.
“I understand what you’re worried about, but don’t. Those two seem eager to leave the team, apparently.”
“Lee Seol-ah and Lee Seongjin?”
“They can’t bring themselves to say it, watching how things go. But they made it clear—certain about it. Above all, they said they’d follow you to the ends of hell if you were the one bringing them over.”
So White Rose didn’t want to throw them out—the opposite?
“That’s why they asked for secrecy. If they get their hopes up and it falls through, the disappointment would be crushing.”
Seol Jihoo, thinking it over, suddenly asked,
“What kind of organization is White Rose?”
“Didn’t I already tell you? Did you forget already?”
“No. I want to know more—their internal dynamics, major issues related to them, things like that.”
“Issues?”
Jangmaldong turned around with a reluctant expression.
“Why?”
“Excuse me? Why do you ask, sir?”
“No. I mean, what made you suddenly curious about that?”
A hint of surprise crossed his face, though he didn’t seem to object. Seol Jihoo scratched his head.
“Was I not supposed to ask?”
“That’s not it. I know something about White Rose, but you know nothing at all.”
“That’s true.”
“So how could you—”
Jangmaldong, who had been rambling on, fell silent.
“…A curious one you are….”
He shook his head slowly, then stared out the window.
“I have my suspicions, though.”
A long sigh followed.
“Something doesn’t sit right with me. There’s something murky tangled up behind those siblings, and it makes my skin crawl.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Seol Jihoo swallowed hard.
“You’re saying they’re bait.”
“I can’t be certain.”
Jangmaldong spoke flatly.
“If it were truly about internal circumstances, he’d offer normal terms in negotiations. But if not, he could propose unusual conditions instead.”
“Unusual conditions?”
“For instance, something like taking into account the Carpe Diem Team’s circumstances… Hmm. Since he’s a cunning one, he’s likely to propose conditions we’d accept without suspicion. And he already has the perfect excuse.”
That excuse being the siblings’ desire to leave White Rose.
“If that’s the case, then perhaps….”
Jangmaldong trailed off, then glanced sideways at him.
“I can’t rule out the possibility that you were the target from the start.”
Seol Jihoo’s eyes widened at the unexpected accusation.
“In any case, let’s go hear what he has to say. Speculating like this between ourselves won’t get us anywhere.”
“…We’ll only know once we hear the conditions.”
Seol Jihoo agreed, but an uneasy feeling wouldn’t dissipate. A corner of his chest felt tight and irritated, as though a pebble had been lodged there. His eyes itched.
As he rubbed the back of his hand across them, Kim Hanna’s words suddenly flickered through his mind.
[There are plenty of people who’ll try to exploit you however they can.]
‘…….’
Unless White Rose was collectively mad, the odds of them freely handing over two people with the same-color seal approached zero.
Seol Jihoo’s eyes narrowed.

The carriage arrived in Sheherazade around noon the next day.
Seol Jihoo watched with envious eyes as Flone flew ahead excitedly at the sight of the new city, then hurried after Jangmaldong.
The White Rose building was located to the west, slightly removed from the central business district of the city. While the Shin Young building rose like a towering skyscraper, White Rose’s exterior looked like a beautiful penthouse, living up to its name.
Still, it was several times larger than the Carpe Diem Office, and Seol Jihoo kept glancing around nervously as he followed the man who’d come to greet them.
Whether they were being discreet, the man led them not through the main entrance but through a relatively quiet rear gate. After climbing the stairs and opening the door at the far end of the corridor, a gaunt man wearing glasses rose from his seat.
“Sir.”
When the slender man smiled, fine lines formed around his mouth—a face that looked somewhat aged despite that.
“Thank you for taking the trouble to come.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s no distance at all.”
“Still, I should have gone to meet you myself… Ah, and who is this young man?”
“You know full well, so why ask?”
Jangmaldong replied curtly, and the man gave an awkward smile before extending his hand. Seol Jihoo clasped it.
“Pleased to meet you!”
“Yes, I’m—”
“I actually already knew. You’re Seol Jihoo, aren’t you?”
He’d been about to say ‘It’s Seol,’ but ended up nodding instead.
“I’m Bok Jeongsik, the leader of White Rose.”
Bok Jeongsik, still holding his hand, gestured toward the long table.
“Please, sit down. There’s one more person coming.”
“Who?”
Jangmaldong asked as he took a seat.
“Who else? You know them well, sir.”
“What? What’s he doing here?”
“That’s just it. She kept insisting so stubbornly I had no choice. Even when I begged her not to come, she wouldn’t listen. So I was hoping you might give your permission beforehand….”
Bok Jeongsik smacked his lips and glanced suddenly toward the door.
Tap-tap.
Sharp, distinct footsteps echoed down the corridor. Seol Jihoo, sitting quietly beside Jangmaldong, also fixed his gaze on the door.
“Speak of the tiger and it appears.”
Jangmaldong muttered.
“A tiger?”
Bok Jeongsik gave a bitter smile.
“A flower with thorns, rather.”
The door swung wide open.
“Who’s a thorny flower?”
A radiant voice preceded a strikingly beautiful woman into the room.
“My, my—our leader has grown quite bold. Gossiping behind people’s backs now, are we?”
“So—Sora, that’s not what—”
“Never mind that.”
The woman swept her flowing hair—cascading to her chest—back over her shoulder with the back of her hand, then glanced at Seol Jihoo before her gaze settled on Jangmaldong, her smile deepening.
“Grandfather?”
She strutted forward, showing off her long, elegant legs, and gave him a playful wink.
“It’s been forever, hasn’t it? Have you been well?”
“I’ve been fine.”
“Fine? We haven’t seen each other in years and all you’ve got for me is ‘fine’? How cold.”
She draped her upper body across the table and leaned against him. Jangmaldong wrinkled his nose and pushed her away.
“It’s uncomfortable. Back off. There are people watching—what do you think you’re doing?”
“Oh, come on. A granddaughter can’t show her grandfather a little affection?”
‘Granddaughter?’
Seol Jihoo stared at Jangmaldong in shock.
“That’s not it!”
Jangmaldong protested urgently.
The woman giggled, then turned to the bewildered young man with an alluring smile and a sultry gaze. She peeled herself away slowly and sauntered toward the seat beside him, her footsteps deliberate.
Seol Jihoo was just rising from his chair when he felt a warm hand press against the back of his neck. The woman had draped her arm there and leaned against him.
“This man, is he—?”
She even gave the crown of his head a light, playful tap.
Bok Jeongsik, staring blankly, gasped in alarm.
“Hey, hey now!”
“Now?”
“Sora! You, you—!”
“What? Oh, this?”
“Let go right now!”
When he shouted, the woman blinked and obediently withdrew her arm. But her body remained leaning against the back of Seol Jihoo’s chair, and Bok Jeongsik buried his face in his hands.
“Oh my… I’m so sorry. Truly, I apologize.”
Jangmaldong shook his head.
Seol Jihoo drew in a slow breath. The rich scent of roses lingered in the air.
Then a hand suddenly thrust toward his chest.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Piso Ra.”
The woman continued.
“It’s rather an unusual name, isn’t it?”
Piso Ra waved the hand she’d offered playfully up and down. Seol Jihoo, grasping it almost reflexively, flinched.
‘It’s rough.’
Her palm was as coarse as sandpaper. Beyond the calluses, there were scars—quite a few of them—scattered across its surface.
Only then did Seol Jihoo understand the relationship between Jangmaldong and Piso Ra.
‘She’s strong.’
His mind snapped into focus.
“So, where were you in the story? I came running the moment I heard you’d arrived.”
Piso Ra withdrew her hand first and plopped down—not on a chair, but on the table itself.
Though mildly disorienting, the aura flowing from the Ice Spear steadied his thoughts.
Counting silently to himself, Seol Jihoo observed Piso Ra calmly.
What caught his eye first was her brilliant scarlet armor, as striking as her appearance. Now that he looked closer, even her hair—flowing like a waterfall—seemed to hold a subtle red shimmer.
Sitting there on the table with that cocky tilt of her head, she bore the proud, vivid air of a full-bloomed red rose in its glory.
Bok Jeongsik spoke as if exasperated.
“Are you really going to do this?”
“What now?”
“Because you don’t know that… why won’t you sit properly? I told you not to come for exactly this reason!”
“Come on. I’m close with your grandfather, you know?”
Piso Ra snorted and turned to look at Jangmaldong.
“Right?”
Jangmaldong closed his eyes slowly.
“Um, sir.”
“I had no expectations from the moment I heard you were coming.”
“I am truly, deeply sorry.”
Bok Jeongsik apologized repeatedly, turning between Jangmaldong and Seol Jihoo. Piso Ra voiced her displeasure, apparently unconcerned that the team captain was being worn down.
“Enough already—just tell us. Don’t you know how your grandfather is?”
“You.”
Bok Jeongsik, who had been glaring at Piso Ra, took a deep breath and asked carefully.
“Sir. Should we proceed as planned… or should I forcibly remove her?”
“Who? You?”
“…….”
“I don’t want to see more commotion.”
“I will certainly apologize for today’s rudeness.”
Bok Jeongsik rubbed his temples and sat down.
“First.”
“To get to the point.”
“May I assume that the two of you have come today because you’re interested in recruitment?”
“Mm.”
Jangmaldong, who had been nodding, gave a subtle signal with his eyes. Seol Jihoo cleared his throat.
“I.”
“Then… yes? Ah, please go ahead.”
“How are Seol-ah and Seongjin doing?”
Seol Jihoo asked with a gentle smile. Bok Jeongsik closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.
“Yes… they’re doing well.”
He smiled awkwardly. To anyone’s eye, it was a clumsy smile.
Before arriving at Sheherazade, Jangmaldong had made two demands.
The first was that Seol Jihoo show interest in the siblings’ recent circumstances—make it clear that he had come out of personal connection.
The second was that under no circumstances should he ask why they were trying to send the siblings away, unless the other party brought it up first.
Seol Jihoo smiled brightly.
“That’s a relief. Would it be alright if I saw them for just a moment?”
“What?”
“We parted in the Neutral Zone and haven’t seen each other since. I’d like to grab a meal with them and catch up… would that be possible?”
Bok Jeongsik was flustered by the earnest request.
“Well, of course. Let’s finish talking first….”
He smoothly changed the subject.
“As you know, sir, what matters in the Transfer Market is money, nothing else.”
He broached the topic with a measured opening.
“But from what I hear, your funds are rather limited.”
He continued, looking at Seol Jihoo.
“So I wondered if you might have some decent items to show us? Perhaps something like a Desire from an Event reward?”
Seol Jihoo understood what Bok Jeongsik was asking.
“The Matching Desire isn’t a physical item, so that would be difficult.”
“Of course, a Twisted Desire would be fine too. Event rewards are known to be of excellent quality. They say they’re worth their weight in gold.”
Bok Jeongsik, speaking with glib eloquence, broke into a broad grin.
“I don’t have a Twisted Desire either. I already used it.”
His smile died.
“You’ve already used it?”
“Yes. I only had one to begin with. And it was consumable.”
“Ah….”
Bok Jeongsik looked taken aback, apparently having assumed Seol Jihoo had brought multiple Twisted Desires with him.
“What do we do about this….”
Yet it seemed like he was making an effort to appear that way, as if caught in his own preconception.
“I had heard that you’d cleared the Event brilliantly, so I’d expected you to have secured a decent quantity… My mistake in judgment.”
Seol Jihoo barely held back a bitter laugh.
“Actually, Seol-ah and Seongjin have been missing you terribly.”
“It sounds like the children told you quite a bit about me.”
“Yes. Though Seol-ah showed interest in many different places, so I wanted to send her wherever she wanted, if at all possible….”
That was when it happened.
“Tch.”
A scoff cut through the air. Not from Seol Jihoo—from Piso Ra.
“How much longer are you going to keep this up?”
“Hm?”
Bok Jeongsik turned to look at her, and Piso Ra continued in a bored tone.
“How much longer are you going to keep tugging back and forth? You called us all here knowing everything already, didn’t you?”
“Sora, now—”
Seol Jihoo didn’t show it on his face, but inwardly he felt considerably taken aback.
‘Weren’t they from the same organization?’
It felt like Piso Ra had suddenly cut in just as Bok Jeongsik was steering the conversation where he wanted it to go.
Was it an illusion, or did Piso Ra’s authority seem greater than Bok Jeongsik’s, the captain?
“Forget it. Let me tell him. What are you doing in front of our grandfather?”
Piso Ra waved a dismissive hand and descended from the desk with practiced grace.
“The thing is, me—”
She began walking around the table slowly, carrying herself with deliberate weight.
“I’m not the type to speak in roundabout ways or hide things. I don’t even like to.”
Then she fixed her gaze directly on Seol Jihoo.
“You’re a problem solver, aren’t you?”
What was she getting at?
Seol Jihoo was caught between objecting to her calling him “you” and questioning the “problem solver” remark when a crisp voice rang out again.
“Or so I’ve heard? Never failed a single job you’ve taken on.”
The sound of footsteps ceased.
“And you’ve even got a track record of landing a clean hit on a Parasite, no less?”
Seol Jihoo studied Piso Ra as she ran her tongue lightly across her upper lip.
The reasonable conditions he couldn’t accept had been laid out.
So then.
The unreasonable conditions worth accepting would come next.
Piso Ra’s hands pressed slowly against the desktop.
“You.”
And she spoke.
“Want to take on a job with me?”

(Continued in the next episode)

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