The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 146

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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 146. A Night Like a Dream

She’d scratched it, creased it, torn it to shreds with her teeth and nails—even if you’d soaked paper in water and ripped it to tatters, you couldn’t destroy something this thoroughly.
Seol Jihoo watched Flone’s frenzied destruction with an odd sort of relief. Normally she seemed so innocent and unworldly, almost painfully pure—but once she snapped, she didn’t hesitate for a moment before revealing her cruel side.
Yet here, in this place, that contradiction felt oddly reassuring.
[You must have been terrified.]
At her worried tone, Seol Jihoo exhaled the breath he’d been holding.
“I’m fine. But what was that, just now?”
[A Kindred Spirit.]
“A Kindred Spirit? You mean a ghost?”
[Yes. Probably someone who died in this Villa.]
Seol Jihoo’s shoulders tensed as his gaze fell. The torn portrait—no, the shredded fragments of paper scattered everywhere—stayed with him.
‘So it was real.’
Likely someone murdered for political reasons, or dead from an attempt at quick fortune. The thought that this Villa might actually be a haunt sent ice down his spine.
[Are you alright? Can you keep going?]
Seol Jihoo closed his eyes.
[Are you angry?]
“Give me a moment.”
He spoke with his eyes still shut.
“I’m practicing Mind Control.”
[Mind Control?]
“Yes. Someone I know taught me. You just keep repeating it to yourself—that you can do this, that you have to do this.”
[Why do you do that?]
“Because I’m scared.”
He continued quietly.
“When I’m scared but have to do something anyway… when I don’t want to but have to… I just make it a habit. I’ll focus, just a little more.”
Flone tilted her head, murmuring softly to herself.
[People terrify me far more than ghosts.]
It was a fair point, and despite his concentration, a quiet laugh escaped him.
About five minutes passed before Seol Jihoo let out a long breath and opened his eyes.
As calm returned, his mind finally began to process yesterday and today with clear sight.
‘I was careless.’
Seol Jihoo smiled bitterly.
He’d thought he was prepared, but looking back, he’d been reckless. The empire’s histories were detailed enough to record the death of a noble family’s daughter from centuries ago—there’s no way they wouldn’t have documented famous tales about an ancient emperor’s Villa.
If he’d stopped by the library and sifted through even a few historical documents, he might have found useful information and prepared more certain countermeasures.
At the very least, he should have explained the situation and brought along one trustworthy Archer.
He’d wanted to avoid being a burden and moved alone, but would there truly have been no one willing to help without question?
“…….”
Still, everything had been mere speculation, and regretting it now was pointless.
What mattered was that the place where he stood was extremely dangerous.
The thought that he’d essentially embarked on this Expedition alone finally made him feel the full weight of his recklessness.
He wasn’t without resources, certainly. But he couldn’t simply rely on them or depend on them entirely.
“Sigh….”
As Seol Jihoo ran a rough hand through his hair, his gaze caught on the Golden Orb he’d forgotten to pick up. He hesitated to touch it, having nearly burned himself badly once.
“Flone. Did I make the woman in the portrait angry by touching that carelessly?”
[No. That’s not it.]
“Then why did she….”
[Because she was happy.]
“Happy? So she smiled?”
[A living human walked in here of their own will.]
Understanding what Seol Jihoo was worried about, Flone calmly explained why she thought otherwise.
[Not all the Deceased are this way, but most spirits, when they see life moving and breathing, instinctively want to cling to it blindly.]
Seol Jihoo nodded. The Deceased held blind hostility toward all living things.
It was something he’d learned during the Tutorial.
[Out of envy, wanting to make their grievance known… so they torment and reach out, trying to bend things to their will.]
“I’ll be careful.”
[You should be. But don’t worry.]
Flone planted her hands firmly on her hips.
[As long as I’m here, you won’t lay a finger on her!]
Seol Jihoo nearly let out a “Girl crush!” at the sight of her stamping decisively on the scrap of paper, but settled for the faintest smile instead.
“You’re doing this because you’re afraid I’ll leave?”
[!]
“Don’t worry. If Flone says something like that, I have to believe her.”
[Not really… but, yeah. I suppose you can believe me.]
In any case, the conclusion was clear: the decorations on the drawer were fair game to take.
The grotesque smile of the portrait’s subject lingered unpleasantly in his mind, yet it seemed a shame to leave such valuables behind.
And so Seol Jihoo carefully gathered twelve golden orbs the size of grape seeds, a broad Emerald Cup, and a Crystal Candelabra, then paused thoughtfully before speaking.
“Flone.”
[Yes?]
“I’m taking back what I said about leaving after just an hour.”
[All of a sudden… ah, I see.]
Flone smirked and rolled her eyes elegantly.
[You got tempted by the decorations, didn’t you?]
“No.”
Seol Jihoo shook his head.
“You came here for a clear purpose, not just to sightsee.”
At his sudden sincerity, Flone tilted her head slightly.
“If time’s running short and we haven’t achieved our goal, we might act rashly. I’ve been there before.”
[That’s….]
“That’s why I’m canceling it. Let’s take our time.”
Don’t rush because of the clock. Instead, be thorough and certain.
Flone was no fool—she understood perfectly what he meant—and offered a bright, genuine smile.
[Yes!]
She’d been feeling guilty about dragging him along, and his words lifted that weight considerably.
[Great!]
“Wait, wait just a—”
[Great! I really do!]
“Flone—”
Before he could finish, she threw her arms around his neck with such force that she began rubbing her cheek against his, and Seol Jihoo found himself flustered all over again.

The expedition proceeded smoothly without incident. During their sweep of the first and second floors, they didn’t encounter a single creature.
Despite the temptation to grow complacent as everything went according to plan, Seol Jihoo had steeled himself and kept his vigilance sharp.
He knew their smooth progress owed entirely to Flone’s efforts.
But that didn’t mean he took the lead or orchestrated things from the front.
As the old saying goes, stay still and you’ll muddle through.
Even if he couldn’t remain perfectly seated, constantly pressing the emergency bell or opening windows to escape would only disrupt the driver—a burden neither could afford.
So he adopted the mindset of being on an expedition, took care in all things, and resolved to be extraordinarily cautious with his movements.
Riding a bus properly was its own skill, after all.
Having safely surveyed the first and second floors, Seol Jihoo discovered yet more valuables on the third floor—or more precisely, a figure that resembled a person, armed from head to toe in Helmet and Armor.
Moreover, it was gripping a Long Spear whose blade had gone black with what looked like dried blood, and the sight was arresting.
When Seol Jihoo cautiously turned his gaze away, Flone shook her head.
[I don’t think you should touch that.]
“Why not?”
[Something’s wrong. The sinister aura is so… no. I’d call it an Original Grudge.]
“Can’t you purge it for us?”
[It’s not that a ghost is attached to it—that spear itself seems cursed. Taking it will bring nothing but misfortune.]
Hearing that, Seol Jihoo’s desire to touch it vanished instantly.
If something shouldn’t be done, then don’t do it—that’s always the wisest course.
[How many people do you think died by that spear… for them to leave armor behind too….]
He could see traces of the Expedition Party having swept through and taken what they wanted, so the fact that only this remained struck him as strange enough to abandon the idea.
Though he felt some regret, Flone compensated for his disappointment by carefully plucking Jewels one by one from a Chandelier far above them, and together they headed toward the Staircase.
With the third floor cleared, only the fourth floor remained.
[The haul’s smaller than I expected. I thought we’d find mountains of gold and silver.]
“Other people came before us. Would a sparrow pass by a mill for free?”
[Hmm. Do you think they even touched the emperor’s bedroom or private vault?]
Understanding why Flone was so focused on treasure, Seol Jihoo offered a wry smile and replied.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m satisfied with this much. There’s a saying about excess being no better than deficiency, after all.”
[Excess and deficiency are two sides of the same coin… wise words indeed.]
“Isn’t that right?”
The moment Seol Jihoo stepped onto the Staircase leading up to the 4th Floor.
“I’m really fine, so Flone—?”
A sharp sound scraped against his eardrums.
It was a trivial stimulus, barely a brush of contact, yet Seol Jihoo halted his steps on sheer intuition.
Suddenly his body was seized by an inexplicable sense of wrongness.
It was a sensation difficult to name, but it felt as though he’d crossed some invisible threshold at the Staircase.
[Ah…!]
Flone quickly moved in front of Seol Jihoo, her gaze rising toward the upper level.
“Flone?”
[Don’t look.]
Seol Jihoo, about to raise his eyes in turn, stopped himself at once.
[Close your eyes.]
“What?”
[Even just looking at it might bewitch you. Close your eyes. Now!]
Flone’s voice was so urgent that Seol Jihoo obeyed without hesitation, shutting his eyes.
His heart lurched at the sudden situation, but as he focused on the Clear Qi flowing from the Ice Spear, he managed to calm himself.
[What are you?]
Flone’s voice rang out sharp and cutting.
[Why are you hiding there? What’s this nonsense?]
‘Nonsense?’
[…Is this one different?]
[I don’t like it. He’s mine.]
Voices continued to ring out as if she were speaking with someone.
Flone, who typically acted first and asked questions later when facing an enemy, was having a conversation—what did that mean?
[What? You’ll tell me if I let you go? Don’t push your luck. Before I tear your mouth apart.]
[Get out. I’m being nice about this.]
As this incomprehensible exchange continued.
[You seem to be under a serious misunderstanding.]
Flone’s voice suddenly dropped lower.
[…Right. You really want to try, don’t you.]
The next moment,
Crackle-crackle—! Snap-snap—!
The sound of teeth grinding violently erupted from beside him, and Seol Jihoo felt a chill run down his spine.
A sound he’d heard before. Not something an unidentified creature was making.
The wisps of smoke that had brushed past him transformed into hundreds, thousands of needles, pricking his skin—a clear sign that Flone was furious.
[I’ll kill you.]
The moment her voice, dripping with murderous intent, resonated through the area,
[…….]
The sound that had been scraping at his ears abruptly ceased. The sensation of something piercing his flesh vanished without a trace.
[…It’s gone.]
“Can I open my eyes now?”
[Yes. You can open them now.]
He opened his eyes, and the landscape remained unchanged. Nothing had shifted in his field of vision.
Only the sense of wrongness had vanished as if it had never been.
“What was that?”
[A Kindred Spirit.]
Flone answered exactly as she had on the 1st Floor.
Her voice held a note of excitement.
[It seems… like someone who lived in the same era as me. Their resentment was no small thing.]
In other words, a spirit hundreds of years old at the very least.
“Can you defeat it?”
[It’s nothing special.]
Flone spoke with perfect composure.
[I tried reaching out through the Consciousness of the Dead because there was something I wanted to know….]
“The Consciousness of the Dead?”
[The consciousness of the deceased. Anyway, it just kept spouting strange things.]
Seol Jihoo had a good idea what those strange things were, so he didn’t press the matter.
[That’s why I made up my mind to get serious about it, but it ran away immediately.]
“That means your grandfather really could exist after all.”
‘I’d half given up on this, if I’m honest… but now a sliver of hope is stirring.’
It was her way of gently hinting that she wanted to continue.
Seol Jihoo glanced upward briefly. The emptiness above suggested he’d truly escaped.
And Flone didn’t seem to be lying.
“Let’s go up.”
With the Nine Eyes trained in careful observation, Seol Jihoo climbed the staircase step by methodical step.
Just before reaching the 4th Floor, he glanced back over his shoulder to be safe.
…….
The staircase was still there.
Committing the path to memory, Seol Jihoo at last ascended to the final floor.
The 4th Floor seemed unusually dark compared to the others.
The moment he surveyed his surroundings by the light of Luminescent Stones, Seol Jihoo’s breath caught instinctively.
‘This smell….’
His eyes sharpened.
[Blood. I smell blood.]
Flone’s voice echoed.
[Very strong….]
Seol Jihoo exhaled slowly. The moment he drew breath, the stench hit him like a blade—blood permeated everything around him.
And it was fresh, relatively speaking.
‘Could it be the Expedition Party…?’
One particular direction reeked far more intensely than the rest.
Seol Jihoo knelt and rubbed his fingers against the blood pooling on the floor. When he lifted his hand, the substance clung stickily to his skin.
‘Perhaps….’
The fact that the blood hadn’t fully dried meant—
‘—someone might have survived.’
He swallowed hard, saliva pooling beneath his tongue, and studied the scene with rapt attention.
The trail of blood stretched across the floor and into the corridor. Following it methodically, Seol Jihoo suddenly furrowed his brow.

(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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