The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 192

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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 192. Suspicion (2)

Seol Jihoo pounded on the door, calling out at the top of his lungs.
His desperation was so plain that every passerby turned to look at him with sympathy before hurrying on.
‘Not home?’
Seol Jihoo pressed his ear against the door, hoping against hope.
And the moment he focused his hearing—
Crash! Bang-bang-bang!
Sounds of something collapsing and tumbling erupted from inside.
Followed by hurried footsteps.
The door swung open.
“Jihoo!”
Seo Yoo-hee rushed out, her face flushed with rare panic.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
At her worried tone, Seol Jihoo suddenly found himself at a loss for words, and could only scratch the back of his head sheepishly.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just… wanted to see you.”
“What?”
Seo Yoo-hee’s broad forehead creased noticeably.
She closed her eyes, placed a hand over her chest, and let out a long breath. “Whew.”
“I thought something had happened to you…”
‘As expected.’
Relieved to find her home, Seol Jihoo’s head tilted in sudden curiosity.
She’d rushed out in a panic, yes, but she was breathing quite heavily.
Beads of sweat dotted her forehead as if she’d just finished a full sprint.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. You’re not suddenly feeling ill, are you?”
“No.”
“That’s a relief…”
Seo Yoo-hee patted her chest a few times before smiling and playfully pinching the cheek of Seol Jihoo, who stood there blankly.
“You rascal. Always dreaming up mischief. Do you have any idea how startled I was while cleaning?”
‘Cleaning?’
Seol Jihoo peered inside.
The visible space was spotless—not a speck of dust anywhere.
“Are you finished?”
Seo Yoo-hee wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and shook her head slowly.
“No. I’m only halfway through.”
“Let me help you.”
“Thanks, but I’m fine. I’m organizing the basement, and there are a lot of fragile things down there. I’d rather do it alone for peace of mind.”
She declined neatly, then tilted her head and spoke more pointedly.
“You really came just because you wanted to see me?”
She didn’t sound like she was interrogating him, exactly.
But it felt like she was asking, ‘You didn’t come here for something else, did you?’—and Seol Jihoo flustered like a child caught in a lie.
Then, realizing his bags were heavy, he quickly found a suitable excuse.
“Actually, I came to give you something.”
Seol Jihoo set down his luggage, found a gift for Seo Yoo-hee, and offered it politely—her eyes locked onto the shopping bag instantly.
“Oh my…”
Had she really not expected a gift?
Seeing her flustered, Seol Jihoo grinned.
“I felt it would be wrong to only offer words of thanks. You saved my life, after all.”
“No, I didn’t—”
“It’s nothing fancy.”
Seol Jihoo smiled brightly, urging her to take it without worry.
Seo Yoo-hee kept saying “Oh my, oh my,” looking flustered, but when Seol Jihoo bashfully deflected further, she finally accepted it gently.
“What should I do? I wasn’t prepared for anything…”
“I wasn’t looking for anything in return.”
As Seol Jihoo waved his hand dismissively, Seo Yoo-hee’s eyes—which had been glistening with apology—wavered.
“It’s just so sudden. If I’d known, I would’ve made a trip to Earth myself.”
And she wiped at her glistening eyes with her fingers.
It was as if a parent had been moved to tears when their grown son brought home an undergarment as a first-paycheck gift—he seemed genuinely delighted.
‘There’s no way they could be the same person.’
Seol Jihoo kept nodding to himself.
“What? Can I open it now?”
When Seo Yoo-hee peered into the shopping bag and spoke with curiosity brimming in her voice, he shook his head vigorously.
“No. Please, take your time looking at it. I’m begging you.”
“…Begging me? I’m so curious.”
“Well, then I should be going.”
As Seol Jihoo hastily gathered up the bag he’d set down, Seo Yoo-hee squinted at him suspiciously.
“Why? Can’t we look at it together?”
“Ah. I’m embarrassed, that’s all.”
With those words, Seol Jihoo bowed politely and said, “I’m sorry for making a fuss,” before turning to leave.
‘I’m glad I prepared the gift.’
The more joy the recipient feels, the greater the giver’s happiness becomes.
Though he’d rushed away, embarrassed to watch her open it, Seol Jihoo felt confident inside.
He had no doubt that Seo Yoo-hee would be delighted when she saw the gift and would use it gratefully.
It was a practical necessity for daily life, and more importantly, it was a gift with a perfect track record.
So much so that back when he and Yoo Seon-hwa were happily dating, she’d told him it was “surprisingly thoughtful of you”—the only gift he’d ever received genuine praise for.
‘She’ll be happy, won’t she?’
Seol Jihoo wiped his nose and climbed the stairs with a grin spreading across his face.
Meanwhile, Seo Yoo-hee, who had been watching his retreating figure ascend to the third floor, gazed down at the shopping bag with a look of tender interest.
A smile lingered at the corner of her mouth—she was clearly pleased.
Of course she was happy; she’d received a surprise gift out of nowhere.
“That boy.”
She vowed to invite him over this evening and treat him to plenty of delicious food, then stepped inside and closed the door.
‘What could it be?’
As she savored the flutter in her chest and opened the box with eager anticipation, the moment she laid eyes on its contents—
……
Seo Yoo-hee’s face went blank.
A moment later.
?
A question mark shimmered into existence above her head.

Whenever Seol Jihoo returned from Earth to Paradise, he always arrived at the office first.
So this time, too, he expected to find it empty—but the moment he opened the door, he nearly cried out.
Jang Maldong was sitting on the sofa, regarding him with a stern expression.
“Just a week since we last saw each other.”
“When—when did you arrive?”
“Four days ago.”
“Four days ago? That’s incredibly early. You should have rested longer before coming back.”
Jang Maldong’s expression grew subtle.
He asked uncertainly.
“Is that so? Then how about we head back together? Let’s stay another month or so.”
“Two weeks would be possible, but a month is out of the question.”
Seol Jihoo laughed out loud, insisting that he was joking.
Jang Maldong studied him as he laughed heartily, then folded his arms and nodded in satisfaction.
Sending him back immediately upon discharge had been partly for Seol Jihoo’s sake, but also a decision made with the team in mind.
Though Seol Jihoo had taken on the role because no one else could, he was the leader of Carpe Diem.
Especially after this war, his position had become firmly established.
By now, not only his teammates but even Jang Maldong, the adviser, couldn’t carelessly meddle with his authority.
Of course, he had no intention of interfering in the first place, but the point was that a leader was the key element that determined the character and atmosphere of the team.
If Seol Jihoo, the core of Carpe Diem, became overly grave and absorbed in his duties, the burden his teammates felt would grow proportionally.
Moreover, after such a significant ordeal, it was precisely the moment when a change of mood was necessary.
That’s why he’d forced the issue and sent him away—and it seemed to have worked.
The shift from “two weeks would be somewhat long” to “two weeks would be fine” was proof of that.
‘That composure is about right.’
As Jang Maldong leaned back into the sofa with a far more relieved expression—
“Master!”
A low sound of acknowledgment.
A large shopping bag suddenly thrust itself into view.
Unconsciously glancing inside, he saw two characters etched in gold leaf.
“…Red Ginseng?”
“Yes.”
“What’s this all about, suddenly?”
“Well, it’s a gift, of course.”
Seol Jihoo smiled gently and set it carefully on Jang Maldong’s lap.
“Lee Seol-ah told me about it. Late as it is, I wanted to thank you for saving my life.”
“Ah, well… you did most of the hard work yourself.”
Jang Maldong cleared his throat and looked away.
“Why bring all these things? You’re making me uncomfortable.”
“There’s no need to be uncomfortable. Just think of it as a gift from your grandson.”
“Grandson? That’s creepy, you bastard.”
But his words were one thing.
Though he set the shopping bag aside with a show of indifference, Seol Jihoo didn’t miss how Jang Maldong’s lips twitched.
Even the groove above his upper lip seemed to lengthen with unmistakable pleasure.
“Anyway, about your body and your growth trajectory—”
An abrupt change of subject.
The telltale signs of embarrassment were plain, though Jang Maldong cut himself short, and Seol Jihoo stifled his smile.
“First, I’d like to hear what you’re thinking.”
“It’s right here.”
Seol Jihoo withdrew a notebook from his bag and offered it with both hands.
Jang Maldong’s eyebrows twitched as he surveyed the densely written pages.
A brief silence settled over them.
Rustle, rustle—only the sound of pages turning broke the quiet.
‘This boy.’
Jang Maldong glanced at Seol Jihoo, whose face bore a slight tension, then returned his gaze to the notebook.
It laid out exactly how he would grow going forward, with reasoning for each stage.
Nothing omitted, nothing glossed over.
The problem was how thorough it was.
Laid bare without the slightest concealment, the details were so stark that Jang Maldong found himself bewildered as he read.
Of course, that very thoroughness spoke to the trust he was being shown, so his mood wasn’t entirely soured.
Still, there were certain things that had to be done.
Crack. The moment Jang Maldong had committed the contents to memory and closed the notebook, he tore it to shreds.
“Idiot. What would you do if this notebook fell into someone else’s hands? Did you learn nothing about the security of your status information?”
“I was planning to show you and burn it right away.”
“Burn it. Right now.”
Jang Maldong handed over the pile of torn scraps.
After Seol Jihoo had incinerated every last piece and returned, Jang Maldong, having collected his thoughts in the interim, spoke.
“It seems you’re in quite a hurry.”
Seol Jihoo’s response was measured.
He neither confirmed nor denied it, but his silence leaned toward the former.
For all that he’d written at length, the summary was simple enough.
First, restore all physical abilities that had temporarily declined.
Then, raise your Level at the Temple, then use all the Seonak except physical and mana points to align your Heart-Technique-Body as much as possible.
Finally, offer your stigma to receive the trace of a new god.
It was a method for rapid growth in a short span of time, plain and simple.
He understood.
Having endured a great war and faced the inhuman existence of a Legion Commander, it made sense that he’d want to grow stronger with every passing moment.
Jang Maldong harbored not the slightest thought of calling it a foolish plan.
After fighting through a war that had been despair itself, he must have felt much and arrived at this decision after long deliberation.
But still….
“You do realize what it will cost you in this process, don’t you?”
“I’m prepared to bear it.”
Seol Jihoo, his smile now gone, answered in a grave tone.
Jang Maldong sighed and opened his mouth.
“To be honest, reading through all this, it looks less like proper growth and more like thrashing about to patch together a warped Heart-Technique-Body.”
When Jang Maldong hit upon his hidden intent so precisely, Seol Jihoo pressed his lips together.
He held no regrets about pouring all those painstakingly accumulated physical points into mana.
The circumstances had demanded it.
And that’s why Jang Maldong wouldn’t fault him for a hasty decision.
Yet understanding necessity doesn’t make the problem disappear.
“I can’t shake the feeling that this is a waste. Actually, it’s not just a feeling—it’s far more than that.”
“…….”
“Put simply, it’s because of the Seonak’s unique nature. You know this better than anyone.”
Seol Jihoo nodded quietly.
Seonak.
Upon consumption, it raises one’s Physical Level Grade by a single tier—a peerless Elixir.
For instance, Seol Jihoo’s current physical level registers as Upper-Middle; the ‘Middle’ is called the Grade, while ‘Upper’ is called the Stage.
This was precisely what Jang Maldong was getting at.
For example, if one took Seonak at Upper-Middle, they’d advance to Upper-Upper, just as they would from Lower-Middle. But in the first case, they’d lose out on two stages of growth.
In terms of pure physical points, the higher your Grade, the steeper the loss becomes.
“I understand. But—”
Seol Jihoo continued quietly.
“In my current state, I’m not confident I can raise my Physical Level further through training alone. Of course, if I pushed myself to the breaking point, perhaps one or two stages might be possible. But even then, I can’t gauge how much time it would take.”
Given the circumstances, it was a sound assessment.
“There’s something I want to say.”
Jang Maldong spoke up immediately.
“Don’t underestimate what you’ve accomplished. I’m not just talking about the destruction of Undying Diligence. Three armies have been dealt crippling blows, and Nosferatu can no longer even recover.”
Moreover, Ugly Humility had activated Divine Authority itself, and Tigol Fortress—which the Parasite Queen had seized at tremendous cost—had returned to Federation hands.
The Federation had now declared its national resolve never to lose it again, pouring all its strength into rebuilding the Fortress.
“Even the Parasite have halted their offensive for the first time and shifted to a defensive stance. What do you think your greatest gain from all this is?”
Seol Jihoo shook his head blankly.
“Time.”
The moment those words reached him, Ian’s voice echoed through his mind in fragments.
[Flee…! You have to flee!]
[I know it’s hard. I know you don’t want to do this either.]
[But you must. Somehow, somehow—live and escape.]
[That’s the only piece of victory we can salvage from this war, the only hope there is.]
Seol Jihoo clasped his hands and closed his eyes.
A shadow of sorrow crossed his pallid face.
“I don’t know. Time is one thing, but… do I really have any potential left?”
His voice still wavered with doubt.
In a way, it was an honest diagnosis.
No one knew the state of his own body better than he did.
Though Jang Maldong understood this, he rested his chin on his fist and lifted the corner of his mouth.
“If it does remain?”
“?”
“No, scratch that. Let me rephrase: if your body’s capacity for potential has expanded beyond what it was before, what would you do?”
Seol Jihoo’s eyes flew open.
For some reason, he suddenly remembered the acupuncture needles that had been densely embedded in his body.
‘If that’s the case…’
The conversation changed altogether.
Jang Maldong spun his staff in a wide circle.
“I want to use everything by Level 5… I agree with that sentiment and support it. We’ve bought time, but it isn’t infinite. What we have must be spent at the right moment.”
“That’s so.”
“However.”
Jang Maldong suddenly gripped his staff with force.
“Let’s make a small change to the order. You have so many things you won’t get a second chance to obtain. At the very least, we should use them without taking a loss, shouldn’t we?”
Without thinking, Seol Jihoo felt his resolve waver and nodded.
Doubt still lingered in the depths of his chest.
But if Jang Maldong was right—
More precisely, if he could raise Strength, Endurance, Agility, and Stamina only to Upper-Lower—
‘Then when I consume Seonak…’
Maximum Tier.
For the first time since entering Paradise, his Physical abilities would surpass his Mana level.
That alone was transformative.
[Then… the tier after Maximum would be….]
Since he held two Stamina Senak, he could even aim for the grade beyond Maximum Tier.

The fog suddenly lifted from Seol Jihoo’s mind, and he fixed his gaze on Jang Maldong.
“Is it possible?”
“Possible? Of course. If that’s what you want, I’ll revise the plan. We’ll preserve everything you’ve outlined here.”
It was a needless question.
Given Jang Maldong’s temperament, if he thought the future was rosy without foundation, he wouldn’t have brought it up at all.
He’d only spoken because he was certain.
“I promise you this: not a single point you earn will be wasted.”
……
“Of course, I’m not forcing anything on you. It’s just that we have time to spare, so I’m suggesting we hold off for a moment.”
As he said this, Jang Maldong offered a faint smile.
That was when it happened.
“So then—first we visit the Temple, and after that—.”
Jang Maldong broke off mid-sentence, his gaze suddenly shifting.
Seol Jihoo, who had been listening intently, turned to look at the door as well.

(To be continued in the next part)

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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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