The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 21

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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 21. A Star That Shines Again

The greatest difference between the Tutorial and the Neutral Zone lay in its facilities. More precisely, the Neutral Zone was a tower that existed within Paradise itself.
As a sacred ground suffused with the power of the Seven Gods, one could not deny its exceptional nature.
Just as the survivors had felt the initial impression of a luxury department store, one could sense considerable attention paid to environmental adaptation. The 1st Floor Central Plaza and the beverage shops, for instance, had been designed like cafes.
Yet the consideration only went so far. Venture even slightly beyond those spaces, and you would notice the absence of things used daily on Earth.
It was unavoidable. Paradise was not a world where science had advanced like Earth, nor did it share our culture—it was a different planet altogether.
In other words, appropriate restraint was indispensable. After leaving the Neutral Zone, it was meant to minimize the dissonance one would naturally feel in the early stages of activity in Paradise.
The tower’s top floor was reserved for those who had earned 1,000 or more Survival Points in the Tutorial. From the railing that curved around the corridor, one could look down and take in all the scenery inside at a glance—a magnificent sight.
But what of the spaces within the doors?
Led by Maria into a room marked with a carved ‘1’, Seul struggled mightily to close his gaping mouth.
An expanse so vast it seemed to stretch endlessly, like an open sea with no horizon. Framed paintings and ornaments adorning the walls and shelves. Glittering chandeliers suspended from the white ceiling. Without exaggeration, he felt as though he had stepped into a royal palace where royalty dwelled.
In twenty-six years of life, Seul had never so much as lived in a room of this caliber, let alone stayed in one. His only memories were from images seen online. Perhaps it would be comparable only to the Ambassador Suite of the Brunei Empire, a seven-star hotel of which only two exist.
After wandering through the space—which felt almost disrespectful to call a mere room—and marveling at it, Seul settled onto a bed that was far too expansive for a single person.
The joy was fleeting. Alone in the cavernous chamber, a sudden loneliness crept in. What good were the spaciousness and luxury if there was no television, no refrigerator, no computer? The only electronic device he possessed was the mobile phone given to him during the Tutorial for receiving messages.
With nothing to do, he eventually withdrew the pamphlet Maria had handed him.
As he studied the booklet, his eyes held both wonder and something more complicated.

– Welcome. At the Neutral Zone, we operate a special shop for those abundant in Survival Points.
The VIP Shop’s distinguishing characteristics are, firstly, that it is the one and only shop brought into existence under the direct guidance of the Seven Gods, and
secondly, the peculiarity that once an item is sold, it is never restocked, and
thirdly, since its establishment, so few survivors have purchased even a single item that they can be counted on one’s fingers.
Though the prices far exceed the bounds of imagination, the effects are guaranteed without question.
We have attached a list of items currently sold at the VIP Shop below, and we earnestly request your patronage, survivors.

– VIP Shop Inventory
1 Amrita: 30,000 SP (2 EA / Each)
2. Numa’s Celestial Boots: 50,000 SP (1 EA)
3. Moirai’s Memento: 600,000 SP (1 EA)
4. Myall’s Stigma: 100,000 SP (1 EA)
5. Divine Elixir: 30,000 SP (Each) – Strength (1 EA), Endurance (1 EA), Agility (2 EA), Vitality (2 EA), Magic Power (1 EA), Luck (3 EA)
6. Holy Mark: 300,000 SP (1 EA)
7. World Tree Seed: 400,000 SP (1 EA)
8. Sidus’s Divine Measure: 80,000 SP (1 EA)
9. Afrizos’s Oil Ravine: 150,000 SP (5 EA / Each)
10. Psyhi’s Tear: 250,000 SP (1 EA)

Though the list contained only ten items, each possessed extraordinary effects.
The problem was that the prices were, quite simply, astronomical.
‘This is insane.’
He couldn’t help but curse. Just looking at the price of Moirai’s Memento told him everything. Was he supposed to buy this or not? They showed him an object that piqued his interest, then seemed to laugh—’This costs an absurd amount? Ha ha’—as if deliberately taunting him.
‘Who would actually buy any of this?’
Yet even as the thought crossed his mind, longing persisted. His gaze kept returning to items one and five in particular.
Amrita was a dew that advanced an Awakened ability to the next stage of Evolution, and Divine Elixir was an elixir that elevated one’s physical attributes by one tier. The prices were at least somewhat reasonable by comparison.
Currently, Seul’s Nine Eyes had only two of five directions open—the center and the left. If he consumed all the Amrita, he could unlock two more of the remaining three directions. A secret he had failed to unravel in twenty-six years would finally be revealed.
‘This is not the time for that.’
A month was not a long time at all. If anything, it felt terribly short. His heart suddenly quickened with urgency.
Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Seul swiftly pushed open the door.

1st Floor.
The plaza was still crowded, but noticeably less so than when he had emerged from the theater.
As Seul glanced about, half hoping to spot a familiar face, he noticed people subtly stepping aside to let him pass. Thanks to this, he was able to approach the bulletin board without obstruction.
True to Maria’s word, the board was covered with papers. One could tear off the paper bearing the desired mission, and upon doing so, would be transported to a space where the mission scenario was set.
There was, however, one rule to observe during mission execution: though some missions could be undertaken cooperatively among survivors, one could not form a party exceeding half the maximum allowed size from the same Area. It meant unconditionally cooperating with survivors from other Areas.
Having no intention of forming a team yet, Seul quickly scanned the list.

[Survive on the Mountain (Remaining Attempts: 14/15)]
Survive on the mountain for two hours while evading a starving beast!
Difficulty: Very Easy
Success Reward: +10 Survival Points
Failure Penalty: —
*Cooperation Unavailable

‘Pass.’
The difficulty was manageable, but the reward was paltry. What Seol wanted was a Mission that could be completed quickly, offered generous compensation, and posed minimal risk. Ideally all three at once.
With so many conditions to satisfy, finding the right one wasn’t easy—but hundreds of papers hung on the board. Before long, one caught her eye.

[Find Your Way Through the Maze (Remaining Attempts: 90/90)]
Escape the Underground Maze within six hours! Should you stray down the wrong path….
Difficulty: Normal
Success Reward: +100 Survival Points
Failure Penalty: Restart or Death
*Cooperation Available (Maximum 2 People)

The reward alone didn’t pull her in immediately. But the relatively high number of remaining attempts, and especially the chance to use her innate ability, proved tempting. The description hinted that taking a wrong path could mean death, but couldn’t she simply follow the places that glowed green?
It was worth trying.
Having made her decision, Seol pulled one sheet from the towering stack.
She turned on her mobile phone—11:31 AM. After checking the time, she tore the paper cleanly in half with a crisp snap.
Light flashed, and a sensation of her navel being yanked sent a jolt through her entire body.
She closed and opened her eyes. When vision returned, Seol realized she was standing inside a cave.
The novelty faded quickly. Iron Club gripped tight, she scanned her surroundings cautiously. But one minute passed, then two, and not a single creature appeared.
After releasing a breath, she looked ahead. Five holes yawned open before her like entrances.
Activating the Nine Eyes, the result was exactly as expected. The leftmost hole shimmered green, the three in the middle glowed yellow, and the rightmost one burned orange.
Following the winding tunnel, Seol entered through the opening on the far left.

[You have successfully completed the ‘Normal’ Mission.]
[100 Survival Points awarded.]
[Survival Points: 26,600 SP]

With a chime, the 1st Floor Central Plaza came into view. The moment she’d escaped the maze, the system had summoned her back to the Neutral Zone.
Her mobile phone showed 12:56 PM. She’d completed a six-hour Mission in just one hour and twenty-five minutes.
By following where her innate ability guided her, she’d cleared it without any real danger. It had taken a while the first time, but once she grew accustomed to it, she suspected she could finish in under an hour.
Seol nodded to herself, then rushed straight to the bulletin board and tore another paper down.
She vanished from the plaza, then reappeared. Again and again.
Around the time she’d repeated the same Mission six times over the course of six hours, an unforeseen problem emerged.
First, the remaining attempts were depleting far faster than expected. As Seol kept succeeding, other survivors—noticing it could be done—began attempting it themselves. For most survivors, 100 points represented a tenth of their target score, which was quite substantial.
And second—
“Ugh.”
A sharp pain lanced through her head. Seol froze mid-motion, paper still in hand. She didn’t need to guess what that pain signaled.
A warning. A harbinger.
She’d kept the Nine Eyes active continuously for six straight hours. Her brain screaming in protest was hardly surprising.
‘I should do more, but…’
It was subtle, barely noticeable yet. But years ago, she’d experienced something similar and ignored it. The consequence was ability loss—a reality she’d been forced to accept. She had no intention of repeating that mistake a second time.
‘Come to think of it, my body feels pretty tired too.’
No matter how important Evolution was, losing the ability itself would render everything pointless. Having lost it once before, she refused to make the same error twice.
In the end, Seol hung the paper back on the board, climbed to her quarters, and went to sleep.

When Seol woke, her mind felt clear, and her entire body was refreshed. Though not light as a feather, the heaviness had lifted completely.
According to Maria, expensive lodging came at a premium for good reason. There were dozens of rooms within the Tower, each priced differently.
Cheap rooms were merely places to sleep; the more expensive ones provided an environment that genuinely aided survivors’ rest and recovery.
Of all available quarters in the Neutral Zone, Seol’s room was one of a kind. Even sleeping for the same duration, she could obtain twice the restorative benefit.
Her mobile phone read 11:12 PM.
‘I must have slept about five hours.’
Seol pulled convenience store food from her bag. While the dining hall was free to use, she begrudged even the time spent going there and eating. She chewed her sandwich while organizing her thoughts.
‘The efficiency is terrible.’
Including rest time, in eleven hours she’d earned 600 Survival Points. If she accumulated 1,200 points daily, she’d have 36,000 in a month. She could barely afford two Amrita with that, but….
‘The remaining attempts are the real issue.’
She couldn’t repeat a single Mission indefinitely. And on top of that, she had to consider the other survivors now trying to follow suit.
Seol felt the need to revise her strategy. Quick resolution and high compensation were conditions she couldn’t abandon, but safety—that could be sacrificed. In fact, it had to be. High risk meant high returns.
Not that she lacked ambition. This place wouldn’t be easy to return to once she left it, would it? If it were possible, she’d genuinely want to take the Divine Elixir too.
She considered stopping by the shop, but shook her head. With every Survival Point precious, what would she even buy?
Still, she couldn’t venture out completely unprepared. Seol pulled open her bag.
‘The Pen of Consciousness Flow isn’t combat-focused. The Mirror of Reckoning… damn it, that’s only useful against the dead.’
There wouldn’t be any missions in the Tutorial demanding she deal with corpses. At least she had the Spell Ball Set—having caught that terrifying vengeful spirit with only four of them, it would definitely be a major asset.
Poison Smoke and Ignition. Spider Web and Hydrochloric Acid. With her familiar combination tucked into her pockets, Seol headed straight for the 1st Floor.
Despite the late hour, nearly twenty people had gathered in the Central Plaza. She spotted Odelet Delphin, who held the second-ranked position, and a man named Hao Win.
When Seol appeared—the top-ranked player—both turned as if by mutual agreement, but with all her attention fixed on Survival Points, she gazed at the bulletin board.
“Excuse me.”
Just as she glanced up, Odelet Delphin spoke to her.
“Yes?”
Seol looked over. The woman was fingering her light brown hair, and unlike their first meeting, she wore an expression of hesitation.
“Do you remember? That person named Tongchai?”
“Tongchai? The man with the turban?”
“Yes. He ranked fifth. I think he’s dead.”
“…Dead?”
A survivor who’d accumulated over 1,000 Survival Points in the Tutorial had died? It wasn’t news to brush off lightly.
“This mission here. I think he died doing this one.”
The paper Delphin indicated was the very mission Seol had chosen.
“There are certainly death conditions attached, but… why do you think he died?”
“He disappeared six hours ago and hasn’t shown up since.”
“Still, it’s hard to believe someone would die on just a normal mission…”
Odelet Delphin’s expression shifted subtly.
“Just… I see. Were you planning to attempt this mission again?”
“No. I’m going to stop with this one.”
Seol turned her attention back to the bulletin board. With only her lips moving soundlessly, Delphin finally spoke again.
“Would you have time for a cup of tea with me?”
A late-night meeting with a beautiful woman—not a bad proposition in itself, but she had more pressing matters. She needed to select a new mission and attempt it at least once.
“I apologize. There’s something I really need to confirm right now… Would you mind if we postponed this to another time?”
It was a considerate remark, made with thought for the fact that her counterpart was foreign. Delphin’s expression showed disappointment at the polite refusal.
“I suppose there’s nothing to be done about it.”
Delphin turned away.
As Seol scanned the bulletin board once more, a thought struck her, and she activated her ability.
While most of the lower half showed no color, the upper levels revealed yellows, oranges, and deep reds in ascending order.
‘The higher the mission, the harder it must be.’
Staring in disbelief at the topmost mission marked in deep red—172,800 Survival Points—her eyes suddenly fixed on one spot. Among the sea of orange, a single sheet gleamed in pale yellow.
‘1,000 Survival Points as the reward?’
The difficulty was “Hard”—one tier above “Moderately Difficult.” Attempts remaining: 15/15. And most importantly, there was no time limit.
Seol’s eyes, gazing up at the paper, flooded with greed.

(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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