The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 19

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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 19. Just Deserts (2)

“Could you keep it down, please?”
As the murmuring grew louder, the Guide offered a gentle reprimand. Hyun Sang-min swallowed his laughter without protest.
“Let’s start with the Consciousness Level assessment.”
A message materialized before everyone’s eyes.

[5. Consciousness Level]
Behavior / Emotion / Inclination

“You’ll likely see it displayed like this. In order: Behavior, Emotion, Inclination. Shall we begin by evaluating your Behavior first?”
Whirr-whirr-whirr. The leftmost column began spinning vertically. Dozens of words flashed past in an instant, like a slot machine tumbling.
“The first column represents the outer self revealed and constructed through action—essentially how others perceive you.”
As the Guide’s explanation continued, the spinning gradually decelerated. Words—Righteousness, Fastidiousness, Caprice, Revulsion—cycled back and forth through Moderation, Golden Mean, Hypocrisy, until finally settling on Moderation.
“Seriously?”
Shin Sang-a’s reaction was one of sheer disbelief.
“This can’t be right. Are you sure this is accurate?”
“I’d prefer if you didn’t panic already.”
The Guide chuckled and clapped his hands. The middle column began to spin.
“The middle column—Emotion—refers to the feelings that arise in relation to events or phenomena, or the sentiments one experiences. It’s the most volatile aspect of Consciousness Level.”
The center column came to rest on Curiosity. As Yun Seo-ra nodded along, she noticed Hyun Sang-min suppressing a silent laugh. What had come up for him?
“And the final column—Inclination—remains, as it has in the past, the most contentious one.”
Before there was time to confirm anything through ‘standard observation,’ the third column moved.
“Inclination refers to the tendency that follows from one’s nature. In practice, people often conform to the nature listed in their Characteristics.”
Her chest tightened. Her own nature was listed as ‘Impulsive’ and ‘Weak-willed’—qualities she couldn’t quite refute, though she accepted them only with reluctance.
“However, there are cases where nature and inclination do not align.”
The Guide’s voice turned grave.
“How could they possibly contradict each other? After extensive debate and research, we arrived at an important realization: nature is rooted in Characteristics, while Inclination stems from Consciousness Level. We’ve reached a provisional conclusion.”
Altruism, Selfishness, Rationality, Helplessness, Malice, Hatred—the spinning slowed as it cycled through these options.
“If nature resembles character forged through learned experience,”
The column swung wildly between Golden Mean, Sanguine, and Stingy,
“then Inclination is distinguished as one’s true essence—the fundamental nature unique to each individual.”
It suddenly lurched and settled on Disorder.
“If any of you find that your nature and inclination don’t align, or if you’re dissatisfied with either, I’d like to offer a word of counsel.”
The Guide’s tone brightened once more.
“If you wish to change your Inclination, start by changing your nature. I support the view that good character guides Inclination in the right direction.”
If you wish to change it. Those words struck a chord in Yun Seo-ra’s heart.
“Conversely, if your Inclination looks promising now but your nature is rotten, I assure you: your Inclination will gradually decay and eventually become fixed in depravity.”
Change your nature before Inclination is corrupted by it, he meant.
The assessment concluded. Yun Seo-ra studied her own Consciousness Level result carefully.

Moderation (thoughts and actions accord with reason and propriety) / Curiosity / Disorder (mixed without pattern or clarity)

[STATUS window updated.]

‘Disorder….’
Her throat tightened, yet understanding began to dawn.
The clash between the Inclination she’d carried into her early twenties, the one that emerged after falling into gambling and losing her abilities, and the one that suddenly surfaced after the dream—it was, by any honest measure, disordered.
“It’s not an easy thing to change. Inclination has the lowest variability of all. People don’t transform easily, after all.”
That was when the Guide winked.
Thud-thud. Footsteps thundered up the stairs, and the rooftop door burst open violently. A woman strode in breathing heavily, a young man following awkwardly in her wake. The entourage of three—no, one was missing. The woman who’d begged to save her brother was gone.
“We brought the Toll.”
The woman spoke coldly and hurled what she held to the ground. It was a long mop handle, the kind kept in a classroom supply closet. Blood dripped steadily from where the mop head would be threaded on.
For a moment, a woman’s sorrowful weeping seemed to drift up from the floor below, but the young man hurriedly shut the door. Something flickered in the Guide’s eyes.
“Is there a problem? Does it not suffice?”
“No. I accept it.”
At his sharp response, he smiled faintly. In the end, he would have to assess the Consciousness Level of these two latecomers as well.
Once finished, the Guide ordered everyone to line up single-file in front of the Gate. The woman who’d arrived late stood at the head. As she moved, she fixed Hyun Sang-min with a look so fierce that it transcended anger—it reeked of pure hatred.
“Oh my, how frightening.”
Hyun Sang-min, of course, didn’t so much as blink.
Han caught the Coins that the woman tossed with remarkable dexterity, and with an unwavering smile, produced a slip of paper.
“Let’s see… Ah yes, O Min-young’s calculation was straightforward. I’ll award you 35 Survival Points.”
“…Survival Points?”
“In Stage One, you accomplished nothing—zero out of one hundred. Stage Two is hardly worth mentioning either. Zero out of one hundred fifty. Stage Three: you couldn’t even gather the Toll in the Treasure Hunt, so zero there as well. But just moments ago… judging from your desperate struggle for survival, I’m adding thirty-five points. That’s all.”
“How do you receive them and use them?”
“You’ll understand once you go through.”
O Min-young stared at the Guide for a long moment, then strode through the gate and disappeared. The Young Man who had followed O Min-young came next.
“Zero points.”
Han’s assessment was brief.
“There’s nothing. Nothing at all. I don’t see any criteria worth awarding points for.”
The Young Man flushed with embarrassment and entered the gate.
The line proceeded in order.
Yun Seo-ra received 317 points, Shin Sang-a 116 points, Hyun Sang-min 302 points, Lee Seong-jin 114 points, and Lee Seol-a earned only 46 points for what happened in the Auditorium. As they vanished one by one, it was Seol’s turn. The moment Han laid eyes on him, he let out a long sigh.
“Honestly… I thought I’d die calculating your score. Stage One was manageable, but Stages Two and Three were bewildering. Stage Two especially was utterly unprecedented.”
“?”
“You cleared it in record time, and as if that weren’t enough, you demolished every trap and mechanism. This is something that has never happened before.”
Though his tone was reproachful, the Guide was smiling.
“In any case, let me explain. Stage One: fifty bonus points for driving away the vengeful spirit in the Auditorium. The fact that you raided only the Convenience Store and came straight back was excellent—since there was a student’s diary, securing provisions was all you needed. That’s your base one hundred points. And rescuing Shin Sang-a earned an additional fifty points.”
Total of 350 points. Seol tilted his head.
“Wasn’t Stage One worth one hundred points maximum?”
“The base score is set that way, but when you take exceptional actions beyond your objective, bonus points are awarded per category. Bonuses can reach up to twice the base score.”
Seol nodded in understanding.
‘So that’s why Yun Seo-ra and Hyun Sang-min had such high scores.’
With only Stage One points, he’d become the highest scorer.
“Stage Two: base one hundred fifty points. Three hundred bonus for record-time clearance. Three hundred additional for destroying all mechanisms and traps. Total of seven hundred fifty points.”
“…….”
“Stage Three: base one hundred fifty points. Three hundred bonus for the Treasure Hunt. Fifty additional for rescuing Yun Seo-ra. Three hundred for successfully hunting vengeful spirits alone. One hundred fifty for reviving Lee Seol-a. Sharing your acquired Coins with two others was also deemed rescue, earning one hundred more. Total of one thousand fifty points. Grand total: twenty-one thousand, five hundred points.”
He spoke at length, yet there was still more.
“Finally, with the Mark of Survival applying a multiplier of times ten, your final Survival Points are twenty-one thousand, five hundred.”
Han, folding the paper, shot him an envious look.
“…That’s impressive. The score is unprecedented. You might even be able to access the VIP Shop.”
“The VIP Shop?”
“Such a thing exists. You’ll find out when you go… oh, wait.”
Suddenly showing a knowing expression, the Guide leaned close to Seol’s ear and whispered. Seol’s eyes narrowed.
“I do have it, but why…?”
“I thought you’d forgotten. Since you drew it anyway. Heh heh.”
Before Seol could respond, the Maid pushed him from behind.
“Come along now.”
“My role ends here.”
As Seol was shoved toward the gate, the last thing he could see was
“May fortune favor you in the Neutral Zone as well.”
Han, hand over heart, offering a respectful bow.

Upon entering the gate, a small room came into view. Seven people were waiting for Seol there.
The blonde Maid who had been pushing against Seol’s back exhaled softly, then cut across the room. She opened a door, gestured down a corridor, and walked with measured steps.
The marble corridor stretched long and dark like a tunnel. They followed without knowing their destination, but as light appeared in the distance, their excitement grew bit by bit.
The Maid stopped at the entrance. Then she opened her mouth quietly.
– Korea, Area 1 Clear.
A clear and beautiful voice rang out.
‘She could speak?’
As Seol marveled, youthful voices echoed from all around.
– Europe, Area 2 Clear.
– Germany, Area 3 Clear.
– North America, Area 4 Clear.
– Asia, Area 5 Clear.
– Africa, Area 6 failed.
– China, Area 7 Clear.
– South America, Area 8 failed.
– Oceania, Area 9 failed.
“Something feels off.”
Hyun Sang-min murmured.
“What?”
“They listed six continents, but then called out only our country, Germany, and China separately. Does anyone know why?”
Seol shook her head.
“Ah, here we go. Are we entering first?”
Hyun Sang-min’s prediction was right. Beyond the entrance lay an enormous space that reminded one of a theater. As Seol walked along the crimson carpet, she glanced around uncertainly.
A stage loomed dimly in the darkened expanse ahead. Though the lights were off, something embedded in the wall cast a pale blue glow that pierced the gloom, and the ceiling stretched so high it vanished into shadow.
The woman leading them guided the group to seats arranged before the stage. There were exactly eight chairs. Once everyone was seated, the blonde Maid ascended to the curtained stage and disappeared from view.
At that moment, multiple sets of footsteps echoed from behind them.
“Those must be Area 2. Europe, probably?”
Hyun Sang-min turned and spoke. Over thirty people were following a single Maid into the hall.
They stopped in the rear section, at some distance from where Seol sat. Counting the chairs, there were thirty-two. The unfamiliar Maid, having finished her guidance, vanished onto the stage just as abruptly.
‘So Europe lost that many people before reaching this point.’
As Seol was quietly observing, one person suddenly looked her way. It was a woman—or perhaps a girl would be more apt—seated in the center of the front row.
Wavy, light brown hair caught the eye, and even in the darkness, her gaze was sharp and luminous. A white headband framed her forehead, which was striking in its clarity.
Seol had just begun studying the delicate line of her neck—so graceful it reminded her of an orchid—when the girl gave a small wave. Seol found herself nodding back almost without thinking.
People continued to stream in. Gradually, Seol noticed that the number of survivors varied by Area. Hyun Sang-min seemed to share this observation, muttering nonstop to himself.
“We’re eight, Europe’s thirty-two, Germany is ten, North America is eleven, Asia is seventeen….”
The procession paused briefly. After a short interval, five men in matching black suits appeared. A few more followed behind them, but they were all women with their heads bowed—something about their demeanor struck Seol as unusual.
“Five in suits, and… ah, three more. Is China eight total?”
After those people, the procession ended. No matter how long they waited, no one else came.
“So there are no survivors from South America or Oceania?”
“Africa either. There was a brief gap when we moved from Area 5 to 7.”
Hyun Sang-min added his agreement to the speculation.
‘So now….’
Silence settled over the hall. In that weighted stillness, Seol suddenly recalled Han’s whispered words from before.
[You have the Guide’s Note, don’t you? Why not give it a read? Ah, I’d recommend doing it alone, if you can.]
It had come out when she drew the medicine—three sheets or so. But why would Han specifically mention the Guide’s Note? Unless it was marked SPECIAL, which it wasn’t.
Unable to resist her curiosity, Seol was just opening her bag when
the curtain split silently left and right—
Flash!
The stage flooded with light.
Not only Seol, but all the survivors from the six continents stared at the illuminated stage in stunned silence.

(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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