The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 157

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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 157. Destiny Calls to Destiny

Seol Jihoo, hauling his worn log bundle up the Peak as he had every day, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“?”
His ears perked forward, alert and twitching, as he scanned the surroundings.
A strange sound kept needling at his senses—something like quiet, muffled sobbing.
Following the noise, he found exactly what he’d suspected.
A girl crouched between two massive boulders.
Lee Seol-ah sat with both hands clamped over her mouth, crying without sound. She was fighting desperately to hold it in, but with each stifled hiccup—*hic*, *hic*—tears spilled steadily from eyes wide and dark as a deer’s.
Seol Jihoo thrust his hands into his pockets and watched quietly.
He didn’t need to ask why. Jang Maldong’s basic training was designed to drive a person to their absolute limit and force them to break through it—which meant it was grueling and agonizing by design.
So it was only natural that trainees cursed him for it. No wonder Cho Hong and Hugo had practically prayed for his demise.
Seol Jihoo had been through it himself, and he understood their pain.
He’d thanked Jang Maldong the moment he returned from the banquet—proof enough that the whole ordeal had been meaningful. If anyone knew that, it was him.
‘Hmm.’
Come to think of it, he’d brought her all this way only to throw himself into personal training without sparing her much attention.
True, enduring the training was his and his sister’s responsibility alone—but he could have managed a word or two, at least.
The thought stung a little, so Seol Jihoo withdrew his hand and stepped forward.
He’d meant to approach carefully, but he’d forgotten about the log, and the noise it made was harsh and loud.
Lee Seol-ah’s head snapped up.
“O-older brother?”
“Ah.”
Seol Jihoo gave a wry smile and hurried to unknot the rope.
Lee Seol-ah watched with tired eyes as he methodically cast aside the split logs and sand bags, and the moment he came and sat down heavily beside her, she quickly bowed her head.
She didn’t want him to see her crying.
“I’m s-sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“Well… you went to all the trouble to bring me here, and here I am just pathetically crying….”
As she mumbled in that small, ingratiating voice, Seol Jihoo realized she was burdened by some kind of compulsion.
He clicked his tongue and pulled out a cigarette, tucking it between his lips.
“It’s okay to cry when things are hard. I cried too.”
“You… did?”
“Yeah. And ‘crybaby’ is actually one of my nicknames.”
Though it was hardly something to brag about, Seol Jihoo flashed a bright smile and made a V-sign with his hand.
Lee Seol-ah looked skeptical.
“You’re just… trying to cheer me up….”
“Not a chance. If you don’t believe me, ask the master yourself.”
“You’re… serious?”
“I am. It was when climbing that hill in front of the cave, I think. I was so exhausted I couldn’t take another step, and the master started barking at me—hurry up, are you giving up? And suddenly the tears just came pouring out.”
“What did you do then?”
“Gritted my teeth and dragged myself up, barely alive. The moment I collapsed, a message appeared saying my stamina had increased.”
Seol Jihoo’s face softened with the memory, a satisfied smile playing across it as he lit his cigarette. Lee Seol-ah’s mouth fell slightly open.
She’d trained without missing a single day, so she knew exactly how grueling it was to push your body past its limits through pure conditioning alone.
“That’s just how the master’s training works. He’ll drive you to the brink of death, but he won’t actually let you die. You think, ‘This is it, I’m really dying now. Right to the edge.’ You know?”
Seol Jihoo turned to her with a slightly serious expression.
“And when that moment comes—when you find the wall—breaking through it is your job.”
Lee Seol-ah absorbed the advice like a precious gift, hanging on his every word. Seol Jihoo smiled and exhaled smoke.
“Anyway, all that aside… the point is, you can cry if it’s hard. So what if you do? Honestly, I found it better to cry until I felt cleansed, until my chest felt light.”
Then Lee Seol-ah wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and finally broke into a bright smile.
“So what Pi Sora said was true, after all.”
“Pi Sora?”
“Yes. She caught me crying a few days ago too.”
“What did she say? Don’t tell me she brought up that whole theater time nonsense—”
“No, no.”
Lee Seol-ah shook her head. She scratched her cheek with her index finger, then folded her arms loosely across her chest.
And then, as if mimicking her, her expression turned somewhat arrogant.
“She was like, ‘Well, whatever. I cried too, so I’m not in a position to judge.’ And just left it at that.”
“Wow. Pi Sora cried too?”
“Why?”
“Well, actually….”
It was something Seol Jihoo learned later, but Agnes had apparently cried within a single day when she was being trained by Jang Maldong as well.
Kazuki, who had told him this, said he’d wept after just half a day.
When he mentioned that Cho Hong had even sobbed uncontrollably and rushed at Jang Maldong saying she’d kill him, Lee Seol-ah clapped her hands and laughed.
She seemed genuinely cheerful now, so Seol Jihoo stubbed out his cigarettes and rose from his seat.
“The instructor is strict during training, but he has high expectations for you, Seol-ah.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I do too.”
Seol Jihoo fastened the Sand Bag around his waist and wound the rope around his middle as he spoke.
“I want to see you grow quickly so we can run Missions together and go on Expeditions.”
“Brother….”
Throwing a stone thoughtlessly and killing a frog—he never considered how a single word might affect the other person. Seol Jihoo spoke encouragingly, tying the rope snug.
“I have a feeling we’d work well together.”
He winked and said, “Well then, work hard,” before resuming his training.
Lee Seol-ah stood motionless, watching his retreating figure, her face flushed with emotion.
The words of expectation, the desire to be together soon—they remained in her mind, stirring the heart of a young girl.
Lee Seol-ah sprang to her feet.
“Limit….”
Though her eyes were wide, they regained their characteristic brilliance, shining clear and bright.
Lee Seol-ah clenched both fists tightly.
“…Breaking.”
And in this moment.
“Limit Breaking. Limit Breaking!”
Lee Seol-ah’s path of growth had been decided.

As evening fell, Pi Sora sought out Seol Jihoo.
“Take this.”
What Pi Sora handed him was a Communication Crystal. The faint glow flowing through it was proof that a message had arrived.
“Oh. Thanks for taking the trouble to bring something like this.”
“My grandfather told me to give it to you. Don’t get the wrong idea.”
Pi Sora spoke curtly and departed with an air of haughty dignity.
‘Why did she even come….’
She wasn’t here to train, and there didn’t seem to be anything particular she needed to do.
Puzzled, Seol Jihoo poured Mana into the Crystal.
A moment later, the light burst forth, revealing Cho Hong and Hugo laughing loudly.
– Hey. How’s everything rolling along?
– We’re eating here, buddy!
Hugo waved meat and alcohol about playfully. Seol Jihoo watched quietly, then tilted the Crystal to show the profile of Seo Yoo-hee, standing nearby and gazing silently up at the sky.
Hugo shrieked.
– Waaaaaah!? What, what’s this? Why is my future wife there?
“She had business at Big Stone Rock Mountain. We decided to go together while we were at it.”
– No! I didn’t know? You should’ve told me!
“You two ran off. How was I supposed to tell you when I couldn’t even see you?”
– Ahhh, ahhhhh!
Hugo wailed miserably before vanishing from the Crystal.
– …What’s going on?
Cho Hong’s laughter had vanished completely; her expression was thoroughly displeased. She brushed her bangs back roughly and opened her mouth.
– Anyway, I called because….
Seol Jihoo’s eyes widened as he listened to Cho Hong’s explanation.
– We were shocked too, right? A guy we thought was dead just showed up out of nowhere asking if anyone’s ever gone alone into the Forest of Negation and come back.
“Sounds like he’s asking about me… Why is he looking for me?”
– I have no idea. I told him you were around, but then he asked where you’d gone and just left.
Cho Hong shrugged.
– He’s a funny bastard anyway. The guy’s terrible at tracking in the first place, but he actually hired a guide to search.
Seol Jihoo’s expression grew complicated. He couldn’t think of any good reason why someone would search for him so urgently.
Cho Hong spoke in a hushed tone.
– Whatever the reason… Hey. Think about his offer carefully, yeah?
“What offer?”
– Recruitment, recruitment! That bastard Gio is a Level 4 Archer, you know?
“Gio? Level 4?”
– Don’t underestimate Level 4. He’s considered heir to the Haramag archer lineage—Dylan and Kazuki’s bloodline. That was true then, and it’s true now.
Seol Jihoo studied the crystal with fresh eyes. It was the first time he’d ever seen Cho Hong, who had such a strongly exclusionary nature, throw so much enthusiasm into someone else’s affairs.
– Why else would he already have a nickname? Dylan even desperately wanted to recruit him. Though he turned him down flat.
“Dylan did?”
– Yes. His scouting skills are just average, but his combat prowess more than compensates for that weakness. For an archer, you’d call him a rare asset.
“I don’t know. I’d need to see him for myself. And even if I asked him to come, I doubt he would.”
Cho Hong let out a short laugh.
– Of course you’re right. I know it won’t happen. But whatever that bastard Gio is lacking, recruitment offers must be pouring in at Carpe Diem by the bushel.
“Why?”
– His original team was shattered in the war against the Parasites. And he lost whatever remaining comrades he had. He’s been cut loose—no ties, no threads left.
“Hmm.”
– In any case, it wouldn’t hurt to broach it. If we could recruit just Gio, Carpe Diem reclaiming its former glory would only be a matter of time, don’t you think?
Cho Hong ended the call there, adding, “Anyway, do your best! And unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t come back early!”
‘Gio… Gio?’
Since he’d never heard the name before, Seol Jihoo tilted his head repeatedly in confusion.
He told himself that since the man was apparently heading his way, he’d find out soon enough. He resumed his training.
And the next morning.
Just as Cho Hong had said, a stranger arrived.
Seol Jihoo, who’d been training on the Peak just in case, spotted a figure loitering in the nearby distance and drew closer.
The lean man, armed with a tall frame and sculpted muscle, fixed sharp eyes on Seol Jihoo as he approached.
“I beg your pardon, but I have a question.”
The words came out in a husky voice.
“Do you know anyone in this area named Seol?”
“That would be me.”
Having already heard the story, Seol Jihoo answered at once. A flicker of emotion crossed the pale grey eyes.
“…Finally.”
He muttered softly, then exhaled a short breath.
Seol Jihoo observed the man carefully, noting traces of him having lost his way in places. The man bore signs of difficulty finding his path without a guide.
Though his gear looked somewhat sparse, the bow he carried marked him unmistakably as an archer.
His hair was striking—ash-grey, almost white, combed straight back at the sides in a neat volume-permed style.
‘He’s handsome.’
If Kazuki was like a cold urban man, this one carried the refined air of a medieval nobleman.
Yet the scattered scars visible on his body prevented him from looking like mere nobility’s spoiled heir.
If Kazuki was a bird of prey soaring freely through the sky, the man before him resembled a solitary white wolf prowling the Snowy Plain—noble and withdrawn.
Most striking were his sharp grey eyes, which held an undisguised hatred whose target Seol Jihoo couldn’t quite place, radiating such a palpable chill that it was almost unsettling to behold.
“Are you… Gio?”
The man, who’d hesitated, opened his mouth quietly.
“…So you knew of me already. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, might I ask you a few questions?”
Seol Jihoo nodded at his unfailingly courteous manner.
“Cho Hong mentioned that you recently went through the Forest of Negation alone.”
“Yes.”
“On your way back, did you engage in combat with the Tarnera Tribe?”
“The Tarnera? I’m not sure.”
Seol Jihoo fingered the necklace hanging at his chest.
There was no response. Recently, Plone had been seldom returning to the pendant, as she’d been occupied with exploring the Big Stone Rock Mountain.
“I did fight a group of cannibals though….”
“Might I ask how many times you engaged them?”
“Twice. I drove them off once, then they ambushed me at dawn the second time.”
The man let out a small exclamation.
“The Tarnera have an inclination toward cannibalism. The combat traces I’ve confirmed also number exactly two.”
“Then that was me. But I still don’t understand why—”
“Did you happen to know there was a Tarnera settlement in that area?”
“No.”
“Then you must be unaware that because of you, there are people who were imprisoned and forced to live like livestock, yet were freed.”
Seol Jihoo’s eyes hardened. An old news article he’d read some time ago suddenly surfaced in his memory.

– …On the way back from Horn Hill, attacked by the ‘Tarnera’ tribe….
– …Miraculously survived with three others….
– …The Iron Archer’s return has sparked fierce competition among numerous factions offering extraordinary terms, but true to his unbending nature, he has rejected them all….
— …they say they’re tracking the traces of their benefactor….

“Ah.”
‘Not Gio, then….’
At that moment, the man quietly lowered himself to his knees. Seol Jihoo’s expression flickered with confusion, but he pressed on regardless.
“Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Marcel Gioinea.”
He pressed both fists into the ground and slowly raised his head.
“I greet my benefactor.”
And then, suddenly.
[The cannibals have been dealt with, then.]
[Well done. It pained me how uselessly Evangelina Rose fell, but this fills the void nicely.]
Gula’s words flashed through his mind.

***

On the Empire’s corrupted throne sat the Parasite Queen, as always.
Of course, that was merely how it appeared to a third party—the world as she saw it was altogether different.
Having devoured the Main Deity who governed this celestial body, she had recovered the divine power she’d been driven toward extinction to lose, and claimed new strength into her hands.
One of those powers was the ability to perceive the Destiny Stars that existed on this world.
But today, as she observed the movement of the stars, something about her bearing seemed decidedly amiss.
Her usual languor had vanished entirely; she leaned forward slightly, her eyes slitted wide and fixed with unusual intensity on a single point.
[It’s strange.]
Her penetrating gaze swept carefully across the surrounding expanse.
[Strange. Very strange.]
The Destiny Stars exhibited unique orbits according to the fate each possessed.
Yet, as always, exceptions existed.
Radiant stars appeared exceedingly, rarely—celestial bodies twice the size of ordinary stars, their brilliance twice as fierce.
The moment such a star transcended a certain ‘threshold,’ it underwent rebirth into something that could no longer be called a mere star.
With each orbit, it drew neighboring stars toward itself, or the stars themselves entered willingly into the embrace of the luminous one.
And it shared its light with the stars surrounding it.
In other words, it became a Fixed Star.
Planets orbit their Fixed Star, just as moons orbit planets.
[Why…?]
One of two insignificant stars clinging tightly to each other was thrashing about, writhing.
The intensity of its luminescence blazed as if testing its own limits, heralding a growth almost incomprehensible in its magnitude.
[Why…?]
Just recently she had been relieved when a star that had glowed with terrible brilliance vanished—yet a new star had appeared in its place.
And now it was showing signs of moving deliberately toward a specific direction.
But that was not all.
An already-transcended Fixed Star, a massive celestial body radiating brilliance surpassing all others,
cradled the dead star at the center of all these anomalies in its grasp, as a mother beast shields her young from predators.
Around an already-dimmed, dead star, such a gathering was forming?
The very destiny orbit of a force that should inevitably collapse into self-annihilation was wrenching itself chaotic, as if twisting free of its fated course?
It was impossible.
Yet that impossibility was occurring.
Before the eyes of the Parasite Queen.
[Ssshhhhh….]
The moment the Parasite Queen, having gazed intently for so long, finally reached a ‘decision’,
Bang!
She struck her throne with savage force and rose powerfully on both hands. Simultaneously, the fourteen pairs of bone wings sprouting from her back unfurled wide with a resounding snap.
The Parasite Queen, whose eyes had been fixed unblinking on the dead star, opened her mouth wide.
[Come forth—Industria, the Undying Diligence—!]
Her wrathful cry rippled far and wide, shaking the entire region with its resonance.
Industria.
The name given to the one who commanded the Nosferatu, those more commonly known as the Parasite Queen’s personal guard.

(To be continued in the next installment)

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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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