The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 181

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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 181. Where It Begins and Ends

They watched in silence as Seo Yoo-hee stood frozen like ice and Seol Jihoo kept his eyes shut.
“Where is he?”
A voice, suddenly cold, shattered the quiet.
Star of Greed, who had just succeeded in destroying the entire Nest, appeared in this place by teleportation.
“There should be a warrior here who fought quite magnificently.”
A few turned to look, but no one opened their mouth.
He was not entirely lacking in perception either. Noticing the heavy silence that clung to this place, he walked forward without a word.
Toward Seol Jihoo.
Soon, seeing the state of the one he sought, his brow furrowed.
“It’s worse than I expected.”
Setting everything else aside, the skin cracked and split like a parched rice paddy was a wound so severe it made the sight of it raise goosebumps.
‘Wait.’
While observing Seol Jihoo’s condition closely, his eyebrows suddenly twitched.
‘Traces of the Madness Technique….’
And it was a high-tier technique that radiated considerable power.
The leader of Avaritia, kneeling on one knee beside Seol Jihoo, grabbed the young man’s arm.
The moment he carefully poured in mana—
“Gasp!”
His eyes went wide as saucers.
“Ahhhhh!”
The next instant, startled violently, he jerked his arm back and lost his balance, landing hard on his backside.
“Gag! Keh-keh-keh—!”
He even retched.
A moment later, gripping his trembling hands, he looked at Seol Jihoo with eyes that regarded him as a monster.
As the leader of Avaritia stood at the pinnacle of magic, he was extraordinarily sensitive to mana.
Wanting to check his internal state just in case, his Ki Sense immediately responded.
With barely any mana mixed in, an enormous surge of power came flooding through, shaking his insides.
“You… you madman…!”
His composed face crumpled, and he gasped for breath.
“How many Awakening Techniques did you stack simultaneously…!”
Then he suddenly stopped, light of disbelief crossing his features as he stared at his own trembling hands.
He focused briefly on the rampaging power.
And let out a long breath.
“Even Reverse Heaven…!”
He knew the atmosphere was not right for saying such things, but he wanted to shout.
That man was either a genius or a fool.
To use a metaphor—it was like taking out a loan with no intention of ever repaying it.
Spending freely from every source available, and when repayment came due, dying without ever settling the debt.
The leader of Avaritia’s metaphor was relatively accurate.
For one, when his magical power rose through body points, his Heart-Technique-Body, which had been nearly stabilized, fell out of alignment again.
And this time, twisted to a degree incomparable to before—twisted doubly, triply severe.
One could not place Middle-High and High-High on equal footing.
Moreover, he immediately raised his realm with Future Sense and used Berserk, a high-rank Awakening Technique.
In truth, even this far had been ‘possible’, barely.
He was walking the razor’s edge of the limit.
The direct cause that led to this was reversing the Festina Earring, Flash Thunder, and Bow Body Bullet Shadow all at once.
Though he had managed to drive Undying Diligence into a Groggy State, Reverse Heaven was a technique where using even one in reverse caused tremendous strain on the body.
Reversing three of them simultaneously like that, piling massive overload onto a body already tottering on the edge, left no way to endure it.
And that was not all.
When he fought the Legion Commanders, he had consumed Spirit Grass and Spirit Beasts, mobilizing all the absorbed Latent Power to wield overwhelming force.
And at the very end, a technique that forcibly evolved his level by one stage—a technique that demanded his life as collateral.
With Reverse Heaven, he had definitively crossed the line, and after that, it was no different than running full-tilt toward death.
Star of Greed, barely steadying his power, repeatedly clenched and released his convulsing hands.
In truth, watching Seol Jihoo actually push back against two Legion Commanders, he had harbored some doubt, but now it all made sense.
On one hand, he understood why everyone was just watching. And why Seo Yoo-hee had stopped her treatment.
Because Seol Jihoo’s current state was one where even ten Seo Yoo-hees working together would not be enough.
The healer herself would likely be endangered as well.
‘This is difficult.’
No matter how he looked at it, resurrection seemed impossible, and his face—which had been animated just moments before—fell at once.
He gazed at Seol Jihoo with sorrowful eyes.
The fierce war had finally reached its end.
There had been rumors once that humanity would perish, but when all was said and done, the results defied everyone’s expectations.
The Parasite Army was annihilated entirely, including one Hydra and ten Medusa.
Ten Nests of intermediate rank or higher were destroyed, including one high-tier Nest.
Depraved Purity returned relatively unscathed, but the majority of her forces had lost their combat strength.
Foul Humility suffered similarly.
He had even expended Divine Power, and his own forces had sustained near-annihilating casualties.
Nosferatu was completely destroyed, and above all, Undying Diligence had ceased to exist.
The extinction of the First Legion Commander—a byword for terror and one who had wielded dread throughout Paradise—was an achievement without precedent, bearing singular meaning not only for humanity but for the Federation as well.
The blood shed by countless souls pooled into rivers, yet despite wounds that marked the victory, triumph ultimately belonged to mankind.
An accomplishment almost too grand for words.
And that was precisely what made it so lamentable.
Having witnessed firsthand how the tide of a war that could have been overwhelmingly lost was reversed, he could not help but feel profound regret.
If only that young man had not burned himself away in this conflict.
If only he had given even the slightest thought to his own survival.
If only he had somehow lived on—how many accomplishments might he have achieved for Paradise afterward?
“Why does it have to feel so unfinished…?”
The Leader of Avaritia heaved a long sigh and tilted his chin upward with a haggard expression.
“I thought spring had finally come to Paradise.”
He spoke in a low voice, gazing toward the sky.
One of his followers, who knew he favored such figurative speech, quickly grasped his meaning and shrugged.
“It did come.”
He murmured softly.
“But it was a spring far too brief—one that ended almost as soon as it began.”
There could hardly be a more fitting way to put it.
That was when it happened.
Seo Yoo-hee, who had been standing motionless like a stone monument, suddenly moved as if entranced.
She reached out into empty space and drew forth a great table, setting it down gently.
The object upon the pure white marble, its surface adorned with intricate carvings in relief, was nothing other than an Altar.
Sung Hu, who had been silently cradling Seol Jihoo until that moment, showed alarm and hastily rose to her feet.
“Please, don’t do this.”
Seo Yoo-hee gave no reply.
She paid no heed, continuing with her task.
“Seo Yoo-hee. It would be better to just leave him as he—”
Just as she stepped forward to stop her, Seo Yoo-hee shoved her forcefully aside.
Sung Hu stumbled backward, her eyes widening.
It was something that would never normally happen, but she too had endured a series of pitched battles and was in a state of exhaustion.
“S-Seo Yoo-hee?”
“Don’t interfere.”
When Seo Yoo-hee spoke flatly, Sung Hu’s expression turned incredulous.
“What—what are you saying?”
“You’re irrelevant now. Weren’t you?”
Uttering this with renewed coldness, Sung Hu’s eyes narrowed to slits, sharp as daggers.
Regardless, Seo Yoo-hee drew objects from a pocket dimension and began arranging them carefully upon the Altar.
The mage’s eyes widened as he watched in silence.
Each item she placed upon the Altar was an extraordinarily precious Offering.
Only then did her intention become clear.
“I understand what you mean to do, but I agree with Sung Hu on this one.”
……
“Even if we heal him, it will only prolong his suffering. It would be kinder to let him rest, or if you truly wish to save him, then kill him first and grant him a Wish to—”
He could not bring himself to finish: ‘if there remains one last chance at resurrection.’
Seo Yoo-hee turned her head sharply, glaring at him with blazing eyes.
“It seems you have a Wish of your own, then.”
“…Don’t jest. No matter that I am a Leader, a Wish is… in any case, surely you must possess one as well?”
“I don’t.”
“You don’t?”
As if too weary to say more, Seo Yoo-hee turned away.
Confronted by an attitude utterly transformed from his usual demeanor, Star of Greed fell silent.
Seo Yoo-hee regarded the motionless Seol Jihoo with eyes full of anguish.
Then, abruptly.
The image of him sitting hunched against the cliff face merged with a scene from some distant day.
‘Again….’
She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, her hands moving with increasing urgency.
The moment she produced the Altar and laid down the Offerings, her course of action crystallized.
From Level 1 through Level 4, Lushulea had shown particular favor to this healer-priest who walked a singular path, refusing the strength of other deities—granting her a singular privilege: the ability to cast Divine Spells of one rank higher than her own, though the potency varied with the quality of the Offerings.
Though the effect scaled with the worth of what was offered, it allowed her to wield Divine Spells one stage beyond her station.
Shortly after the preparations concluded, Seo Yoo-hee knelt before the Altar with reverent solemnity.
She bent her upper body until her smooth forehead touched the ground, performing a full prostration.
And so.
The Saint of Athera, Star of Lust herself, a High Rank priestess of Level 8.
“Lushulea.”
Seo Yoo-hee’s ritual began.

***

Building 22 of Donghung Apartments.
From Unit 802, the sound of a child’s crying had poured forth ceaselessly from afternoon into late evening.
[Mommy! Mooommy!]
She must be five or six by now.
A little girl with a flushed neck screamed in a hoarse, worn voice, tears streaming down her face.
[Seung-hye, come on. Drink your medicine, okay? Be good?]
A girl in a school uniform, her body larger than the child’s but still bearing the tender marks of youth, coaxed the wailing girl in an exhausted voice, never stopping her pleas.
[No! No! I want Mommy! I want Mommy! Waaaah!]
[Seung-hye will get better, and then Mommy will come. You have to take this medicine to get better fast, okay?]
[You’re lying! You said that last time and she never came!]
[No, no. This time I’m not lying.]
[You’re a liar! You’re a big fat liar!]
[Seung-hye….]
The girl extended her arms as if to embrace and comfort her, but the little girl shrieked and flailed her hands wildly in all directions.
The girl flinched, leaning away.
[Ow!]
But the child was thrashing about so violently that the girl’s tiny fist caught her squarely on the bridge of her nose.
[Ah….]
As the girl cradled her nose and lowered her head, the little girl pressed her advantage, pounding and yanking the older girl’s hair with both hands.
[Seung, Seung-hye!]
After finally prying the child away, the girl let out a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of the earth itself.
How many hours had they been at this now?
The girl blinked slowly, dark shadows hanging beneath her eyes.
[Just take the medicine, the syrup… please… I’m tired too….]
She held out a spoonful of syrup, her voice hollow and pleading.
But whether the child heard her desperation or not,
the little girl swung her arm again and struck the spoon hard from the girl’s hand.
The spoon flew through the air, syrup splattering everywhere.
[…Yoo Seung-hye.]
The girl’s voice dropped lower.
[Is this what you want? To stay sick?]
[Waaaah! Waaaaah!]
[Take the medicine. Now.]
[Mommy! Mooommy!]
The girl squeezed her eyes shut.
She took a steady breath, fetched the spoon again, refilled it with syrup, and pushed it into the child’s mouth.
Overpowered, the little girl was forced to hold the spoon in her mouth, but she immediately opened her small lips and spat—Ptooey!—sending it flying.
The syrup splattered across the girl’s face.
[I don’t like you, big sister! Go away! Get away!]
In that instant, the patience the older girl had been grinding down finally shattered at last.
[Yoo Seung-hye! Are you really going to do this?]
When the girl raised her voice, the startled younger child hiccupped in fright.
Her breathing became ragged, and soon she burst into even more pitiful sobs.
[Waaaaaahhhhh!]
Watching her sister wail, the older girl’s eyes began to glisten with tears of her own.
[What do you want me to do about it!]
Unable to hold back any longer, she screamed with all the frustration bottled inside her.
[You think I don’t want to see Mom and Dad? I want to see them too!]
Not even bothering to wipe the medicine from her face, the girl cried out in raw anguish.
Being the older sister didn’t change the fact that she was barely a first-year middle schooler.
The weight of losing her parents so young—carrying it all on the shoulders of a fourteen-year-old who hadn’t even begun to fully mature—was simply too much to bear.
How much time had passed?
The younger girl had cried herself hoarse and fallen asleep, and the older girl sat hollow-eyed and vacant in the living room when—
The sound of a password being entered, and the entrance door opened carefully.
A boy in the same school uniform as the girl slipped inside, holding a white envelope in one hand.
The boy glanced at the younger girl, who lay peacefully asleep with tear-stained cheeks, then turned to the older girl staring at him and broke into a bright smile.
[Can I come in?]
He was already inside—a bit late to ask.
Normally she would have laughed, but her mood had sunk to an all-time low.
[Why are you here?]
The sharp words tumbled out before she could stop them.
[Get out.]
Her resentment cut deep.
Her tone carried a venom beyond her years.
[Goodness. What’s gotten into our Miss Yoo today, hmm?]
He could have flinched, but knowing full well that her bitterness wasn’t really directed at him, the boy slipped off his shoes and spoke in a gentle, teasing tone.
He drifted inside and placed the envelope on the dining table, then pulled out a bunch of bananas.
A flicker of surprise crossed the girl’s face. These were the very bananas she’d agonized over buying yesterday at the market.
Her sister’s throat was sore and she could barely swallow her meals, so the bananas—one of the few fruits she actually enjoyed—had been on the girl’s mind for weeks. But with the price skyrocketing due to pests and disease, she’d reluctantly walked away empty-handed, tears in her eyes.
[How’s Seung-hye doing?]
The boy asked as he peeled back the banana skin.
[She just fell asleep… I finally got her to take her medicine….]
The girl’s voice softened slightly as she responded.
She wanted nothing more than to abandon everything and be alone, but he’d brought bananas specifically for her sister. It felt cruel to throw him out.
What she hadn’t expected, however, was for the boy—after peeling the banana so carefully—to approach her instead of the sleeping child.
[Here.]
As the banana touched her lips, the girl’s tired eyes widened.
[Eat this.]
[What? No, no—that’s for Seung-hye….]
[Seung-hye’s asleep. When she wakes up, there’s more. But you—eat one first.]
The girl blinked.
[Come on. You like bananas too.]
Just as she had done to her sister, the boy smoothly slipped the banana into her mouth.
Her jaw closed reflexively, and the soft pulp dissolved across her tongue, filling her mouth with the distinctive, delicate sweetness of acacia honey.
Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t eaten anything since last night.
The girl chewed steadily, murmuring to herself under her breath.
She swallowed, looked up, and found the boy gazing down at her with a bright, gentle smile.
Their eyes met.
[Good, isn’t it?]
She nodded almost involuntarily—and in that instant, her face crumpled.
Her eyes suddenly brimmed with tears, and she broke down entirely.
[I… I… I’m such a terrible sister….]
The boy looked startled.
[What? Where’s this coming from? You’re one of the kindest people I know.]
[Seung-hye was crying because she missed Mom, and I… I couldn’t control my anger, just yelled at her… Hic… hic-haaaah….]
She gripped his sleeve and wept quietly.
The boy stood there looking lost, only scratching his head awkwardly.
He smacked his lips once, then plunked down beside her and gently patted her shaking back as she cried.
[It’s okay. You’re human too. What’s wrong with getting angry when things are hard? And you’re still a kid. Is the childcare wearing you down?]
[But still… my sister’s sick… and I couldn’t even be understanding about that….]
[Sun-hwa. You haven’t done anything wrong. If anything, it’s my fault.]
What’s your fault in this?
I’m sorry. Work’s been hectic lately. From now on, I’ll leave early and pay more attention to looking after the baby.
What?
Speaking as though she’d become his wife, the girl wept and let out a thin, hollow laugh.
The boy smiled weakly in return.
Anyway, stop blaming yourself and finish eating this. Come on.
The boy held out the remaining banana. The girl sniffled through her runny nose and carefully took another bite.
Her throat felt tight, but once she’d forced it down, her mind finally cleared.
It’s good….
Right? Want more?
N-no. I mean… there’s some for Seung-hye too….
Don’t give it to her. Just keep it.
Hey. Why are you like that to Seung-hye?
Because seeing you cry because of her upsets me.
At that, the girl who’d been wiping her tears with her palm giggled again.
Did your mom and dad give you that banana?
No.
The boy shook his head.
I bought it with my own money.
What? Where did you get money?
The girl asked, startled.
Obviously by saving my allowance.
The boy drew a V with his hand and continued matter-of-factly.
I was actually meaning to tell you about this. See, it’s all because of you.
Me? What did I…?
Because you’ve been so obviously burdened, my mom and dad hesitate to do anything for you.
No… I just feel sorry for only receiving….
Sorry about plenty of things, aren’t you? Over just one banana. Anyway, since I bought this with my own money, it’s not a burden, right? It’s okay?
Watching the boy speak with ease and a silly laugh, the girl’s face went blank for a moment.
Her mouth worked silently several times before she murmured quietly.
…You’re an idiot….
What. Why are you insulting me?
Stupid.
The boy and girl looked at each other and giggled.
Playing quietly so as not to wake the baby, the sharp edge they’d been carrying began to fade away without either of them noticing.
Only then did the drowsiness they’d forgotten come rushing back, and the girl closed her eyes peacefully.
For some reason, she suddenly felt reassured, and tilting her head, she exhaled.
I think I’ll live….
Not long after, even breathing flowed from her lips.
The boy gazed silently at the girl’s face as she slept soundly against his arm.
After watching for a while, a nameless smile kept bubbling up, and a warm, contented expression settled on his lips.
Though his position was somewhat uncomfortable, the boy leaned his back carefully against the wall, taking care not to wake the girl.
And he murmured to himself.
Yeah. There were times like this too….
The moment he thought that—

His eyes opened.

(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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