The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 161

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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 161. Contact in the Dead of Night

Whether Seol Jihoo’s resolve had any influence, the body ultimately accepted Soma’s decision as family.
Once the decision took root in the Dantian as an Internal Elixir and the integration process concluded, the body improved markedly.
By evening, movement became possible again, and Seol Jihoo considered resuming training, but Seo Yoo-hee’s firm opposition left him with no choice but to watch the others train.
Watching had its own charm.
Lee Seongjin was quite literally rolling—and rolling, and rolling still. And Pi Sora, remarkably, was helping him with his training.
Though it amounted to little more than standing on a small hill and rolling a boulder of appropriate size, her reluctance showed plainly enough that Jang Maldong had forced her into it, yet the mere act of helping was progress in itself.
As the boulder bounced down the hillside, Lee Seongjin hoisted a shield as tall as his own body and charged at it with a roar, hurling himself against the stone. The slightest misstep that threatened to send him flying brought an immediate barrage of orders from Jang Maldong.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Marcel Gioinea and Lee Seol-ah were deep in conversation.
“Tracker, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right!”
“I’m not sure why you’re asking me. Strictly speaking, I’m a sniper—an archer specialized in the shooter line. Tracking isn’t my forte.”
“Even so, I’d like to learn the basics….”
“I’m busy enough recovering my senses. Don’t get in my way.”
Marcel Gioinea turned away coldly, but Lee Seol-ah called out urgently.
“W-wait! But my brother and the master both insisted you teach me….”
“The lord?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s begin at once.”
“?”
“It’s not my specialty, but I’ll teach you what I know. There are two kinds of hunters: Rangers and Trackers. You’re the latter, so I’ll treat you as a tracker. Now, what a true tracker is….”
Watching Marcel Gioinea shift his attitude so readily, Seol Jihoo let out soft, amused chuckles. By the time training ended, he volunteered to prepare dinner.
They’d eaten supper earlier, but after grueling training, hunger always returned.
Seol Jihoo’s choice for a late meal was Ramen.
He’d brought it along thinking to cook it whenever he felt like it, but it had been overshadowed by Seo Yoo-hee’s late-night snacks and never saw the light of day—until now, when he finally remembered it.
He kindled the fire, boiled the water, added noodles and broth, cracked in an egg….
Bubble-bubble.
As the rich, spicy aroma of Ramen drifted out, both those who had been resting and those who’d just washed up by the lake drifted over in clusters.
Seol Jihoo held up the paper cups and chopsticks he’d prepared in advance.
“Would anyone like some? I’ve made plenty.”
“Ramen in the middle of the night? And when this one’s still not well—won’t you rest properly?”
Jang Maldong grumbled quietly,
“Me, me! I’d like some.”
For some reason, Seo Yoo-hee raised her hand with bright, eager eyes—even drooling a little.
It was a sight almost impossible to imagine from her usual self, and everyone stared in bewilderment.
Be that as it may. Seol Jihoo handed her a paper cup brimming with Ramen, and Seo Yoo-hee accepted it with reverent care, drew a single slurp of noodles through her chopsticks,
“Mmmmm!”
and clasped her hands tightly, her shoulders shuddering as her whole body trembled.
“Really, just one bowl of Ramen! How much I’ve—!”
She exclaimed without thinking, then suddenly became aware of everyone’s gaze and offered an awkward smile.
“It’s, it’s cooked really well. I’ve been craving Ramen so badly lately….”
Her voice grew softer, and she quietly returned to eating her noodles.
“Well, well. Now you two are even dropping formal speech with each other.”
Pi Sora snorted and nudged Seol Jihoo.
“Can I have some too? I helped with training today, after all.”
“You can have some even if you hadn’t helped.”
“Still, thanks for the thought.”
When Seol Jihoo handed her a cup of Ramen, Pi Sora accepted it with a rather haughty air. Yet it didn’t take long before her expression changed entirely from ‘Let me just taste this.’
One slurp and her eyes went wide. Two slurps and disbelief blazed across her face.
Soon enough, she was tilting the entire cup into her mouth.
“Haah~.”
She exhaled hot breath, then her chopsticks extended almost instinctively toward the pot where Ramen still remained. At that very moment, Seo Yoo-hee’s chopsticks—already stretching forward—collided with hers.
The gazes of the two women tangled in the air with electric tension.
Pi Sora’s lips curved upward.
“Noona, didn’t you already have a cup?”
“And you just finished yours, didn’t you.”
“Would you mind sharing? My body type needs me to gain a little weight. But you….”
The way Seo Yoo-hee’s eyes swept from Seol Jihoo’s crown to his toes was so deliberate that she broke into a light laugh.
“Don’t worry. The way I’m built, it all tends to go to my chest anyway.”
“…Ah, I see.”
Clink, clink—even as they talked, chopsticks clattered against each other without pause.
Just as Seol Jihoo found himself wondering how chopsticks could produce such a sound, Jang Maldong cleared his throat.
“What’s going on?”
“Oh? We decided to be like close siblings.”
“That so? Well, I suppose that’s fine. Say, think I’ll have a cup myself.”
It seemed the last remark was his real intention. Seol Jihoo smiled and handed over a paper cup.
Soon, as Jang Maldong slurped the noodles, his eyes went wide before he burst into a hearty laugh.
“Ha ha! This stuff is good enough to sell.”
“You like it?”
“It goes down smoother than I expected.”
“It’s really delicious.”
Lee Seol-ah drew the noodles up with a satisfied slurp, grinning broadly.
An impromptu ramen feast had begun.
The night was peaceful.
“Jihoo, I want another pack…”
“I’ll make it right away.”
Under the serene night sky.
“Come on, hurry! I’m starving!”
“Yes, yes. Just wait a moment.”
“Goodness. I don’t usually eat ramen much, but why is this so delicious? Did you put drugs in it or something?”
“Of course not.”
Huddled close around the crackling campfire,
“That’s right. The noodles have that chewy bite and umami, and the broth is just… how do you make it taste this good?”
“I just follow the instructions on the back of the package.”
“Come on, don’t say that. Tell me your secret.”
“I’m serious. Nobody knows ramen better than the person who made it, right? Just follow the developer’s instructions and you’ll be fine.”
Everyone laughed and chattered, sharing the ramen together in warm contentment.
Watching everyone enjoy the ramen he’d made, Seol Jihoo felt a sudden surge of happiness. These simple moments—a mere bowl of ramen bringing smiles to everyone’s faces—felt deeply precious to him.
He almost wished he could save the present, to retrieve and relive it whenever he felt the need.
‘If only it could be like this every day.’
How wonderful it would be to live each day carefree, doing what he wanted, taking joy in the simple passing of hours.
Of course, they couldn’t stay on Big Stone Rock Mountain forever… but Seol Jihoo secretly hoped this moment might stretch a little longer.
‘Maybe I should open a ramen shop later.’
Encouraged by the fact that his ramen was appreciated even here, Seol Jihoo lay down in his sleeping bag with vague dreams of finding a shop location in Haramag when they returned, his mind already settling into contentment.
Soon, as Seol Jihoo breathed steadily in sleep, his face looked genuinely happy—and he was.
At least until dawn arrived.

Deep in sleep, Seol Jihoo’s eyes snapped open at the feeling of someone shaking him. Seo Yoo-hee, still drowsy but clearly urgent, was shaking him awake.
“Jihoo. Jihoo!”
“…What is it?”
“Wake up. Hurry!”
Seol Jihoo scrambled out of his sleeping bag only to have Seo Yoo-hee thrust several Communication Crystals into his hands. The crystals were flashing with incoming signals.
Seol Jihoo had brought four Communication Crystals in total: one for Kim Hanna, one for Sicily, one for the Royal House, and one for Carpe Diem.
The problem was that all four crystals were blinking at once.
Four places calling simultaneously was not a common occurrence.
‘What’s happened?’
Whatever it was, something serious had clearly taken place.
His drowsiness vanished in an instant.
After a moment’s hesitation, Seol Jihoo began channeling mana into them one by one. As he did, the Communication Crystals flickered to life in no particular order, activating haphazardly.
– Seol!
Teresa spoke first,
– You’re awake now, I see.
then Agnes,
– You’re finally up?
followed by Cho Hong,
– Hey! Is that—?
and finally Kim Hanna.
Kim Hanna yelped and glanced left and right before spotting the three Communication Crystals, her expression turning to disbelief.
– That idiot…
Snap.
Kim Hanna’s connection cut out. The other three women exchanged bewildered glances until Teresa spoke.
– Agnes. Cheon Cho-hong. I’ll explain to him. You two can disconnect.
– Understood.
– …Mm.
Snap, snap.
Two Communication Crystals went dark simultaneously.
One remained. Teresa took a breath, her voice carefully composed but trembling faintly at the edges as she spoke.
– Where are you right now?
“At Big Stone Rock Mountain.”
– There… ah.
“A new recruit came in, so I came along to oversee the training…?”
Seol Jihoo’s brow furrowed mid-sentence. A siren wail echoed faintly from the Communication Crystal.
– I see. I thought… well, never mind. That wouldn’t be like you.
‘Wouldn’t be like me?’
Seol Jihoo tilted his head, confused.
“Your Highness. What’s happened?”
– Seol. Listen carefully to what I’m about to tell you.
Teresa straightened her posture, her expression hardening. Seol Jihoo grew serious in turn, suppressing an inexplicable dread as he listened intently.
Soon Seol Jihoo’s face twisted in horror as he cried out.
“What, what did you say?”
– Not just us. The entire Royal House, excluding Scheherazade, has issued a Mobilization Order.
“Why so suddenly…”
Seol Jihoo closed his gaping mouth and worked his jaw in silence.
“Understood. I’ll return as fast as possible. Today, if I can.”
– …Thank you.
The connection ended.
Seol Jihoo and Seo Yoo-hee stared at each other for a moment, then without a word, both began rousing the sleepers.
“What is it…”
Jang Maldong, mumbling in his sleep, jolted fully awake the instant he heard the situation.
“What, what? The Parasite raised an army?”
His drowsy voice sharpened abruptly, shock plainly evident.
“Not just Haramag. They’re pouring in across all human territory, encircling it.”
“So, it’s finally…”
Jang Maldong glanced at Seo Yoo-hee and asked again.
“What about the Federation?”
“I don’t know. I only heard to return urgently… We’ll have to find out the details once we’re back.”
“Training stops now. Pack immediately, and contact Cho Hong.”
“Yes, sir.”
All at once, circumstances accelerated into crisis.
The quiet Cave erupted into frantic activity.
As packing drew to a close, Floné—who had been conspicuously absent of late—returned, having sensed the ghost-like stirring of departure.
‘Well, a ghost is what she is.’
Floné, upon hearing the explanation, wore a distinctly wistful air.
– I see. I wanted to go exploring with you all.
“Exploring?”
– The Pendant, remember?
The Pendant hanging from her neck swayed with a soft clink.
– Grandfather told me the secret.
‘A secret?’
– Do you remember how Grandfather said he hid all the family’s wealth before going to his villa?
“I do remember.”
– Don’t be shocked. Grandfather said this Pendant contains the coordinates of where the wealth was hidden!
The buried treasure of the entire Loshesuart estate—once renowned throughout the Empire as one of its greatest merchant houses—and its location would be knowable?
It was certainly compelling, but now was hardly the time for such matters. With the Parasite raising a vast army, an Expedition or treasure hunt seemed trivial by comparison.
“I’m sorry. Not right now.”
– But aren’t they attacking right now, you said?
“Yes.”
– So if we kill all of them, we can go, right?
Seol Jihoo laughed quietly as he watched Floné snap necks and wrists.
At least thanks to her, he could smile.
Then, for a moment, a premonition struck him intuitively—that the pendant’s secrets ran deeper than this—but all at once the Communication Crystal he’d been steadily trying to reach flared with light.
“Cho Hong!”
She’d answered quickly before. He’d been worried the moment she didn’t respond.
– Yeah, yeah. You called because of the carriage, right?
“Did you send it?”
Cho Hong, who’d been cleaning her ear with her pinky finger, shook her head.
– I went to the Stable to send it, but then I thought—never mind, there’s no point sending it, so I came back.
“What are you talking about?”
– Forget it. You know that spot where we always get off when we head to Big Stone Rock Mountain? Go down there early in the morning and wait.
Seol Jihoo didn’t understand what she meant until morning came.
Just to be safe, he’d come down at dawn and was waiting when—like something out of a dream—a carriage arrived.
The man stepping down from it was Hugo.
“I’ve come to meet the woman who will be my wife. Or rather, to save her.”
“…….”
“I’ve deliberated at length, but for the sake of my future’s first wife, I fear neither hell nor—what? Why is everyone out here with their bags packed?”
Hugo, speaking with great gravity, paused as he noticed them all standing there laden with supplies. He seemed not to know what had happened yet.
Likely he’d left Haramag just before the crisis broke.
In any case, Seol Jihoo figured it was nice timing, made a new contract with the driver, and climbed into the carriage with Seo Yoo-hee.
Jang Maldong patted Hugo’s shoulder—which had gone rigid as a stone statue—and walked past him.
“Even dung has its use as medicine. Well done.”
“…Pardon?”
Moments later, someone outside started making a terrible racket. Though the commotion didn’t last long once word spread, Hugo had no choice but to climb right back into the carriage.
His face caught between laughter and tears.
The driver cracked his whip with all his might.
Thud-thud-thud-thud, thud-thud-thud-thud!
Having requested maximum speed and paid a whole silver coin, the carriage bolted forward as if possessed.
The interior fell silent as a tomb. Jang Maldong, who’d been fiddling with his staff, finally broke the hush in a low voice.
“Something feels wrong.”
Lee Seol-ah, already uneasy, gripped her younger brother’s hand with white knuckles.
“Most Parasite invasions we’ve faced have been surprise attacks. But this time….”
Jang Maldong trailed off, but there was no need to listen to know that something felt different this time.
Seol Jihoo was equally unsettled by word of this thunderbolt assault, but he steadied the churning in his stomach and stared into empty space.

[Personal Status Window]
[3. Physical Status Level]
Strength: Middle-Middle ↑1
Endurance: Middle-Low ↑1
Agility: Middle-Middle ↑1
Stamina: Middle-Middle ↑1
Mana: Middle-High
Luck: Middle-Middle ↑1
Remaining Physical Stat Points: 10

His stats had climbed considerably.
In Seonak terms, it was as though he’d consumed five of them; in Physical Stat Points, he’d spent the equivalent of ten.
Looking at his Physical Status Level alone, it was fair to say he now matched or exceeded the caliber of ordinary High-rank fighters.
But that wasn’t all.
He drew up a thread of Mana and a golden aura began to pool slowly in his palm. The electricity-crackling golden light looked both immensely strong and beautiful.
Not like when he was Level 1, naive and heading off to Aden Gorge without a thought. Completely different now.
His stats were incomparable to before, he’d gained the power to hunt Parasites, and above all, he’d gained steadfast allies.
‘I have to win.’
No.
‘I will win.’
Seol Jihoo’s eyes blazed with resolve as he gazed at the golden light of his Mana.

(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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