The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 166

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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 166. Skirmish

The morning sky was clear and quiet, but Haramag churned with activity.
Jang Maldong watched with worried eyes all through breakfast, yet said nothing out of the ordinary.
“Never let your guard down.”
He offered only his usual brief, weighted counsel.
“Yes.”
Seol Jihoo replied with crisp certainty, then flashed a smile at his siblings.
“You two keep up with your training, all right? Listen well to what he says.”
Lee Seongjin bowed stiffly from the waist, tense despite the fact that he himself wasn’t the one heading to war.
And Lee Seol-ah…
“Stop looking at me like that. I’m not marching off to my death.”
Her lower lip trembled so pitifully that one touch would surely spill tears, so Seol Jihoo swallowed his embarrassment and forced a laugh.
“Don’t worry. That gorge is my domain. You know the legend of Aden Gorge?”
Lee Seol-ah managed a smile at last, though her nose flushed deeper by the moment.
One more minute and she’d launch into full melodrama, so Seol Jihoo turned quickly and headed for the door.
His teammates were waiting outside anyway—he needed to leave soon.
“Come back safe.”
Jang Maldong saw him off with calm composure.
“I will.”
Seol Jihoo replied as casually as if he were just stepping out for a stroll.
Sure enough, he slipped out of the building quickly, leaving his siblings to their whimpering behind him.
The streets were chaos incarnate—a throng of bodies so dense that walking felt like wading through a human river. Seol Jihoo pushed through the crowd toward the city gates.
Over a thousand Earthians were departing from Haramag alone, making even a simple cart hire a serious undertaking.
Despite the Royal House supplying horses at maximum capacity, the competition for contracts was fierce.
He could have walked, but after no small effort, Seol Jihoo finally managed to secure one cart.
And Ora Hee, showing her usual shrewdness, had successfully extended the contracts for the two carts they’d ridden from Sheherazade, sparing them the exhaustion of marching all the way.
With three carts total, there was more than enough room for their party of fourteen.
After confirming his attendance, Seol Jihoo headed for the carts, preferring to wait inside rather than amid the chaos outside.
Hugo happened to yank open the cart door and came scrambling out in a panic.
“Hugo?”
“Help! Somebody help!”
He cried out and bolted, as if his life depended on it. Seol Jihoo stared blankly at Hugo’s rapidly retreating figure, then tilted his head and opened the door.
And immediately froze.
Maria, Cho Hong, Pisora… and for some reason, Ora Hee as well.
All four women stood with their arms crossed, each gazing in a different direction.
His momentum faltered. Sensing the charged atmosphere, Seol Jihoo’s expression darkened.
A dangerous, nameless scent wafted from ahead, and his instincts screamed danger.
Cho Hong, who had been sitting in sullen silence, turned slightly.
“What are you doing? Get in—”
Bang! Before she could finish, Seol Jihoo reflexively slammed the door shut.
Suddenly the other carts seemed far more appealing.
Just as he turned to escape, the door swung open and someone grabbed the back of his neck.
“Ugh!”
“What are you doing? Why’d you slam the door like that? I was talking!”
“Ch-Cho Hong—”
“Get in. We’re leaving soon.”
“Wait, I—”
“Just get in!”
Cho Hong snapped irritably and yanked him forward with brute strength. Seol Jihoo thrashed, but it was no use—he was dragged inside.
And from departure until arrival, he never set foot outside that cart again.

The cart came to a halt at the Gorge Entrance.
Though the Royal House’s military horses were hardy and well-trained, ordinary carts navigating such rough terrain was simply impractical.
Hugo, who had spent days bonding with his Blood Line teammates during the journey, stepped out with a bright expression.
“Ah! Feels good to stretch after so long—”
But his cheer faded when he spotted Seol Jihoo emerging from the cart with an unsteady, precarious gait.
“Seol… you all right?”
“…….”
“Why. Are they acting up again?”
“…Don’t ask.”
His voice was hoarse. Seol Jihoo’s hollow eyes narrowed as if he didn’t want to think about it even.
Hugo patted his back with an expression that said he understood everything.
The march began. A long procession stretched out, led by the cavalry unit commanded by General Yan Santus, who guided the way.
When they finally entered the gorge, Seol Jihoo’s expression grew complex. Memories stirred of when he’d followed along at Level 1, not knowing any better.
It was less a fresh sentiment than something like the feeling he’d had when he received his military conscription notice and reported to the replacement battalion.
Despite having steeled himself and gone through psychological adjustment several times, his frown kept returning. His chest was already beginning to flutter, and a tingling sensation spread through the backs of his knees.
The battle cloud that hung over the gorge pressed down heavily on every corner of his body.
‘Things might be different once actual combat begins.’
Rather than struggle to overcome this sensation, Seol Jihoo decided to accept it without reservation and let himself grow accustomed to it naturally.
Having lived twenty-six years on Earth, it was hardly strange that stepping onto a battlefield as a soldier still felt unfamiliar—especially in a large-scale war like this.
The path was flatter than he’d expected. Before, he’d gone toward the peaks of Dawn Ridge to check the battle situation first, but this time there was no need.
The fortress wasn’t being driven to the brink of collapse, and the enemy’s advance was proceeding at a steady pace.
Of course, situations were always fluid. Even now, scouts were risking their lives to gather intelligence with nothing but a Communication Crystal in hand, so the possibility of an abrupt forced march had to be kept in mind at all times.
How much time had passed?
Around sunset, as Seol Jihoo carefully descended a rough, sloping surface,
“Hey there!”
he turned his gaze at the sudden sensation of something lightly striking his shoulder.
He saw Ian, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead and grinning widely.
“Ian.”
“There you are. I’ve been looking all over. *Cough, cough!*”
Ian broke into a fit of dry coughing.
“Damn it. I should’ve built up my stamina through training back when I was a low level. *Hack!*”
He spat out thick phlegm and then gasped for breath.
“Where’s the princess?”
“Phew… Huh? She’s up ahead, doing fine. I barely managed to escape, honestly.”
“?”
“She won’t stop showing off her new longsword and shield every ten minutes. I felt like my ears were starting to itch from listening to it.”
Ian glanced sidelong while he griped.
Seol Jihoo scratched his head.
“I just gave them to her. I remembered the assignment you’d given me, but the situation being what it is….”
“No, you’ve already solved that assignment brilliantly.”
“What?”
“If I were a professor, I’d have given you an A+.”
Ian winked.
“But I’m curious how it feels to be back in the Aden Gorge.”
It seemed like a deliberate change of subject, but Seol Jihoo went along with it.
“It’s just… the same, I suppose.”
It was a lie. In truth, the closer he got to his destination, the worse the flutter in his chest became.
He couldn’t tell anymore if it was just simple nervousness, or if his hands were itching because he wanted to fight already.
He couldn’t even distinguish between the two.
Though Seol Jihoo tried not to show it, Ian observed the young man’s face from various angles and then smiled warmly.
“You don’t seem particularly worried, but if you happen to be nervous, put your mind at ease.”
Seol Jihoo gave him a look that said he didn’t understand.
Put his mind at ease against the Parasite? As if he didn’t know how formidable an enemy it was.
Ian chuckled.
“Of course, some level of tension is necessary. But I have a feeling this war will be no different from the usual. In fact, I don’t think there’s reason to make such a fuss about it.”
“Why?”
“Though they call it a siege strategy, when you calculate it, the number of troops each city has to bear is roughly comparable. On the other hand—”
Ian glanced around.
“The participation rate of Earthians stationed in Haramag is higher than ever. There are probably some who aren’t participating, but most of the famous figures will have shown up. Do you know why?”
Seol Jihoo answered based on what he’d heard from Kim Hanna. Ian stroked his beard.
“Sharp as expected. That’s right. But I think there’s one more reason, at least for Haramag.”
“Specifically for Haramag?”
Seol Jihoo asked with a bewildered expression.
Ian burst into hearty laughter.
“In a way, you deserve the most credit. Yet you’re the one who doesn’t know it—that’s what makes it funny.”
“I’m not sure what you mean….”
“This man. Aden Fortress—did you hear me? Aden Fortress!”
Just then, someone’s voice rang out loudly from ahead.
Seol Jihoo hadn’t noticed while they were talking, but the path’s incline had grown steep again.
Ian strode ahead, climbed to the top of the hill, and pointed forward. He looked down at the young man standing motionless below, lifting his shoulder.
As if to say: come see it yourself.
Seol Jihoo, bewildered, climbed the slope.
The moment he reached the summit, his eyes went wide as lanterns. His face drained of color, his jaw falling open.
He was overwhelmed by the vast landscape that sprawled before him.
“This is….”
“Aden Fortress. The one you defended.”
Ian’s face broke into a satisfied smile, as if he were proudly showing off a child who had grown splendidly.
Aden Fortress, nestled deep within a gorge, looked utterly transformed from what it had been before.
Needless to say, the fortress walls had risen higher. From the defensive structures spanning the treacherous cliffs to the watchtowers standing tall on the highest peaks.
Moreover, the fortress had expanded. The new, enlarged sections were intricately connected to the main compound, forming what was truly an impregnable wall.
The natural fortress, now transformed into a colossal, formidable citadel carved from the cliff face itself, presented a sight of pure grandeur.
Seol Jihoo had been gazing at it all in a daze when he felt Ian’s gaze and felt a touch of embarrassment.
“What do you think?”
“It’s magnificent. Truly magnificent.”
Seol Jihoo wasn’t the only one amazed; exclamations were erupting from all around.
“You have me to thank for it.”
Ian continued.
“Not only did you save the fortress—you also provided the very foundation for it to flourish like this.”
“No. The Princess and you put in the effort.”
“Even if it were just the two of us, we wouldn’t have completed even half of this fortress, no matter how hard we labored.”
Ian spoke with finality. He looked around as if searching for someone, then suddenly threw his arm up.
“Hey there!”
Reflexively turning his eyes, Seol Jihoo caught sight of someone on the hill slowly raising his arm in return.
The moment he confirmed the face of the one waving both arms slowly, Seol Jihoo’s expression lit up with sudden warmth.
The village elder of Raman Village, and a mage of the Delphinion Principality.
Arbor Myuto.

The forces that had departed from Haramag finally entered Aden Fortress.
Seol Jihoo made time to meet Arbor Myuto. The old man stood where he had been, waiting as if he’d known he would come.
“It’s been a long time.”
The elder extended his hand, his voice weathered with age. Seol Jihoo smiled and clasped it.
“You look well.”
In fact, as the fortress had evolved, so too had Arbor Myuto changed almost beyond recognition.
In Raman Village, he had coughed frequently and seemed frail from illness. But now, his frame had filled out, his eyes gleamed with clarity—he looked healthy, as if he’d reclaimed the vitality of his youth.
“Do I? Someone exposed my true nature, and before I knew it, I was dragged here and saddled with being a commander—something I was never meant for.”
“Ah.”
“Only joking, only joking. The Haramag Royal House has been more supportive than expected. Thanks to them, my livelihood has improved, and for the first time in ages, I feel like I’m living with purpose.”
Arbor Myuto chuckled and gestured toward the outer fortress.
“Care for a walk? I’d like to show you around a bit. What do you say?”
“I’d like that.”
The old man and the young man walked slowly through the fortress. As they climbed the city walls, Seol Jihoo couldn’t stop marveling aloud.
“I’m not sure if this is even the same Aden Fortress I knew.”
“Heh heh. In what way?”
“I don’t even know where to begin.”
Seol Jihoo looked around with wondering eyes, then suddenly fixed his gaze outward.
Only then did he understand why the landscape felt so unfamiliar.
“The terrain.”
He spoke as if entranced.
“You’ve altered the terrain itself.”
There was no missing it—this was a place where he’d once run for his life.
Arbor Myuto clapped his hands with delight when his observation was appreciated.
“Sharp, very sharp. You live up to your title—Hero of Haramag.”
How did this old man learn that epithet?
“You must have endured so much hardship.”
“Hardship? When the enemy is a Parasite? If anything, it wasn’t enough.”
His tone suggested that this level of effort was only what should be expected.
“The Parasite is an enemy that cannot be withstood by defense alone. Not ever.”
Arbor Myuto placed heavy emphasis on the word “ever,” and Seol Jihoo found himself uncertain.
He’d assumed they would hold their ground inside this magnificent fortress, but defense alone wasn’t enough?
Perhaps reading the confusion in Seol Jihoo’s expression, Arbor Myuto continued.
“When the Parasite first appeared… do you know how they fought in those early days?”
“No, sir.”
“Nothing special about it. They just pushed forward relentlessly. Tactics, strategy—none of it mattered. They simply overwhelmed everything with sheer numbers.”
……
“It wasn’t stupidity. The Parasite army has three defining characteristics: they need not eat or drink, they obey command absolutely and know no fear, and they are immortal—capable of resurrection so long as host bodies remain. Given these traits, their strategy was actually quite rational.”
Arbor Myuto’s voice grew quieter as he drew upon those memories.
“It’s horrifying.”
“Horrifying at first, yes. But eventually it becomes tedious. Of course, the Empire didn’t simply accept it. They raised the walls higher, dug trenches deeper, and devised numerous defensive installations. Yet even those reached their limits.”
“Come to think of it, I’ve heard that the Parasite themselves evolved over time.”
“Precisely. The first evolution was the emergence of the Nest.”
‘A Nest, then….’
“Do you know what the Nest’s greatest power is?”
Seol Jihoo shook his head.
“The spawning of lesser castes by higher ones—that’s merely a fraction of its abilities. The truly terrifying aspect of the Nest is that the moment it takes root in a region, it corrupts and decomposes everything around it.”
“Decomposes?”
“By absorbing the nutrients of living things, it rots and crumbles the surrounding matter. The Empire didn’t wake up to this threat until they’d lost twelve cities.”
Seol Jihoo recalled the landscape he’d witnessed fleeing the Delphinion Principality.
Not a single blade of grass, not a single tree—a dead world stripped bare.
He’d wondered why everything was so ashen and grey. Now he understood.
“Then if a Nest were to appear here….”
“That’s precisely why defense alone won’t suffice.”
When Seol Jihoo fell silent, Arbor Myuto smacked his lips.
“Princess Teresa understands this perfectly, and from that perspective, her plan to fortify the entire Gorge is reasonably sound.”
In other words, they couldn’t rely on the fortress alone—they had to fight alongside it.
They would need to conduct intercepting strikes and set traps if necessary.
When he thought about it, it was simply common sense, and Seol Jihoo accepted it without difficulty. Still, the existence of the Nest gave him pause.
The more he considered it, the more he understood that the Parasite were no trivial foe. Even without the Seven Great Armies, even ordinary troops would struggle.
Conversation lapsed into silence. Walking in quiet, Arbor Myuto suddenly stopped before a Ballista etched against the angular stone wall.
Actually, the massive launching apparatus mounted on a wheeled, oblique frame looked more like a siege cannon.
The tension seemed so great that at least seventeen or eighteen muscular soldiers would be needed just to draw the bowstring.
What caught Seol Jihoo’s eye most was that instead of spears or arrows, a gigantic boomerang-shaped blade was fitted into the mechanism.
Seeing dozens of identical devices arranged in orderly rows along the wall, Seol Jihoo’s curiosity got the better of him.
“What is this?”
“Not an invention of mine. An Engineering Weapon devised by the Empire, you might say. It proved quite effective.”
Arbor Myuto smiled faintly, running his hands over the mechanism before withdrawing them, his gaze now sweeping across the Gorge.
“I have a general sense of the situation. The Parasite are mounting a rare all-out offensive, but we’ve done everything in our power to prepare.”
“Indeed.”
“Are you anxious?”
At the sudden question, Seol Jihoo gave a slight shrug.
“As for me—and I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit it—I’ve been looking forward to this.”
“Looking forward to it?”
“More precisely, I’ve been waiting for it.”
His voice carried a hollow, desolate edge.
“The future is uncertain, but if the Parasite Queen’s intention is merely to conduct a siege….”
Arbor Myuto gripped the stone corner of the wall with both hands.
“Then I intend to show every creature that enters the Aden Gorge the heat of our fury.”
The mage’s eyes burned with vengeance and resolve.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

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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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