The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 34

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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 34. The Golden Law

After joining Delpin’s Team, Seol’s life had found its rhythm. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say she’d settled into a groove.
First, she’d paid off her debt in just two days. Every time she completed an Ambush mission, she earned 1,667 points—ten successful runs yielded 15,000 points to clear the debt with surplus left over. And there were still five Very Difficult Missions remaining.
For instance, her next challenge was Arrive at Destination in Silent Space, which offered a whopping 20,000 points per mission. Each successful run brought in 3,334 points.
All her debts were settled. Seol had thrown herself wholly into the thrill of Cooperative Combat and the addictive allure of accumulating points.
Yoon Seora’s recovery was progressing smoothly. Just as Maria had promised—eating well, sleeping well, and with the Dormitory’s benefits added on top—her physical condition was rapidly returning to normal.
Yet Seol sensed, quietly and unmistakably, that Yoon Seora found her presence burdensome.
There was an incident: the Dormitory had been spotlessly cleaned. Shelves arranged with meticulous care, mirrors gleaming, the bathroom sparkling bright.
Seol was standing bewildered in the midst of it all when she spotted Yoon Seora sprawled on the floor, sweating through her scrubbing. She had no idea why she was cleaning at all, and worse—Yoon Seora was still in recovery.
Seol rushed over, seized the mop from her hands, and demanded to know why she wasn’t resting. Yoon Seora simply bowed her head in silence.
Another time, Seol returned from completing a mission to find Yoon Seora gone. Three or four neatly folded sheets of paper lay on the bed.
The letter began with thanks and apologies for causing trouble, but grew progressively more earnest, tears practically bleeding through the words. One sentence in particular—where she insisted the debt was hers to repay—struck Seol with an almost grim finality.
Worried, Seol went searching for her and caught sight of her on the 1st Floor, striding purposefully toward Hao Win. She had no choice but to drag the struggling Yoon Seora back by force.
And that wasn’t even the half of it. Between Yoon Seora’s antics and the Lee siblings causing trouble left and right—trying to help pay the debt by lurking around the job board—Seol had to haul them back repeatedly.
‘This can’t go on.’
Yoon Seora’s body had recovered well enough.
Seol decided it was time to move to the next phase.
In fact, she had to.

Seol had only asked for a brief talk, yet both siblings were already kneeling before her. Even Yoon Seora, who’d been watching nervously from the sidelines, quietly bent her knees to the floor.
Seol told them to sit comfortably, but they refused to budge. Eyes fixed on the ground, they clearly knew they’d done something wrong. She let out a long sigh.
“What on earth were you thinking?”
“B-but….”
“But what?”
“This person, Hao Win….”
“You said Hao Win was a good person. That you two were close. No, wait—go on. Tell me. What about Hao Win? What else did he say to you?”
Lee Seol-ah stammered.
“We just… heard by chance….”
“Heard what?”
“That he’s… really actually part of the Hong Kong Triad… and the most powerful faction in the Chinese Underworld….”
Seol had noticed something about herself lately: she had a habit of tilting her head back when she found something utterly absurd.
The young man gazed at the ceiling for a long moment, then pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
“Yeah. He’s an executive in the Triad. That’s true.”
She understood. She’d harbored her own prejudices when she first heard about Agnes and Hao Win’s affiliations. Perhaps he really was a fearsome man. But at least the Hao Win she knew was a pleasant, affable man.
“So what? And then?”
“B-brother. We were just….”
“I know. I get that you wanted to help. It’s admirable, really—but what made you think prowling the job board was the answer? Didn’t you notice all the easier difficulty levels have been cleared out?”
Silence. Not even an answer between them.
“Is it the debt? That’s already paid off. I’m accumulating points now. And the reason I keep going with them isn’t charity—it’s because I need their strength. I can’t succeed at Very Difficult Missions alone.”
“…….”
“If you really want to help, then develop some actual capability. Haven’t you considered that acting on your own like this is more of a burden than anything?”
“…….”
“No Weapons, no Equipment. Not even a particularly rare Job to speak of. You want to take on missions with nothing to offer? Do you think Normal Difficulty is really that easy?”
“We’re sorry….”
Lee Seol-ah’s voice dropped to barely a whisper. This was the first time she’d heard her brother raise his voice in anger. It wasn’t that he seemed unfair—she felt only guilt. She knew he was harsh because he feared for her life and her brother’s.
Seeing their dejected faces, Seol’s resolve softened a little. They’d been struggling so hard to repay the kindness, after all.
‘No.’
They were still in the wrong.
“…Listen. The points I borrowed were 15,000. With that money, I equipped myself and tackled Very Difficult Missions as part of a team. In a sense, I also received help from Hao Win.”
“Yes….”
“So here’s what we’ll do. I’ll transfer some of my Survival Points to you. And I’ll train you.”
“?”
“Build your strength first.”
If you truly want to help, grow stronger. Put another way: you’re currently of no use to anyone.
“You do understand that it’s already quite late in the game, right?”
All three nodded simultaneously.
“That said, there’s no reason to despair. Depending on how you spend the remaining time, you might catch up—or even surpass the others.”
“Really? You mean it?”
“Only if you do exactly as I say.”
She wasn’t being flippant. It was undeniable that the siblings and Yoon Seora had fallen behind the others. The three of them had received nothing but their Jobs; otherwise, they hadn’t advanced at all since entering the Neutral Zone.
More precisely, they had no Points to buy abilities with.
But Lee Seol-ah saw that disadvantage as an asset instead.
[I don’t recommend acquiring abilities from the shop.]
Agnes had told them that much.
There’s a saying: crisis breeds opportunity.
“You know about the Dormitory bonus, right?”
“Yes. It’s only given to the top-ranked….”
“Exactly. And this.”
Lee Seol-ah pulled out three vials of Reagent and set them in front of the siblings. Lee Sung-jin’s eyes widened.
Competence.
The most expensive Reagent in the general shop. It fell short of Special Competence, but it boosted Efficiency by four times over.
“It won’t be easy.”
Lee Seol-ah said.
“You’ll have to train like your lives depend on it—literally. I’ll help too, but once we start, I’m not holding back. That goes for you as well, Yoon Seora.”
Lee Seol-ah turned from the siblings, her gaze fixing on Yoon Seora, who had frozen mid-motion as she reached for the vial’s cap.
“Are you sure that’s all right?”
Her voice carried an uncommon gravity.
“I’ve realized something since I joined the team.”
Lee Seol-ah continued.
“The Neutral Zone has far more talented people than I expected.”
Ordinary resolve wasn’t going to cut it here.
“Thongchai, Salvatore Liorda, Odelet, Delpin, Hao Win—Hao Win especially spent years preparing on Earth before coming here.”
There was no room for ambiguity.
“While you’ve done nothing for two months, these gifted Survivors have been pushing themselves.”
If you’re going to do this, do it right. Otherwise, abandon it entirely.
That was what Lee Seol-ah was saying.
“Honestly….”
Yoon Seora opened her mouth quietly.
“I have no confidence I can catch up now.”
She, who had always remained so quietly in the background,
“But I want to try and keep pace from here on.”
spoke her resolve for the first time.
“I want to grow stronger.”
A simple, candid truth.
It was enough.
Yoon Seora drank the Reagent down in one gulp. Lee Sung-jin, watching, did the same—and so did Lee Seol-ah.
Lee Seol-ah smiled softly at the sight of the girl puffing out her cheeks before swallowing hard.
“Performance-enhancing girl.”
“P-please don’t say things like that….”
Lee Seol-ah’s cheeks flushed red.
Lee Seol-ah got to her feet. The Competence would last twelve hours. Not a second could be wasted.
Activating Nine Eyes, Lee Seol-ah spoke.
“Lee Sung-jin, we need to build your stamina first. Go to the 1st Floor and start Running 4 from the basic Missions. Run until you collapse from exhaustion.”
“U-until I collapse from exhaustion?”
“There’s no way around it. If we’re going to complete the Mission, the schedule’s going to be tight. Once you’re done, come up to the 3rd Floor Training Facility.”
“Y-yes!”
Lee Sung-jin bolted out immediately. Before taking the other two women to the 3rd Floor Training Facility, Lee Seol-ah found a maid.
“Training… did you say?”
Agnes tilted her head questioningly.
“Well, it might already be too late even if they start the Mission now….”
Detecting the displeasure in her tone, Lee Seol-ah hurried to explain.
“These children didn’t purchase abilities from the shop. I think they still have considerable potential.”
“One cannot equate unwillingness to purchase with inability to do so due to circumstance.”
“I’ll help them. Going forward, they’ll stay in my Dormitory quarters, and I’ll provide items to aid natural recovery.”
“I see.”
“They’ll drink two bottles a day of the four-times-efficiency Competence, and I’ll secure the Survival Points needed to outfit Equipment as well. Is it still impossible?”
“If you’re willing to go that far, then the situation does change.”
At last, Agnes showed a positive response.
“You can do this for us?”
“It is possible, though.”
Agnes raised one eyebrow, her gaze sweeping coolly over the two women.
“Have you given them sufficient explanation about my training methods?”
“Of course.”
“Very well. Since you’ve asked, I’ll teach them with all my effort. However, I won’t force anyone to stay if they wish to quit first.”
In the Neutral Zone, Agnes served as an instructor. She never discouraged those willing to learn—though the real reason was that no one else was volunteering.
Lee Sung-jin, having paid the Training Facility fee, clasped her hands together as she watched the two women follow Agnes inside. She was praying for them.
Agnes.
Her reputation was the Devil Instructor of Sicily.

The harsh training began.
On their first day of training, Lee Seol-ah and Lee Sung-jin wept. From exhaustion.
Agnes, the maid, drove all three of them relentlessly.
Yoon Seora shed tears as well, though only slightly.
But her tears came not merely from the hardship—they came also from joy.
It was grueling, yet exhilarating.
For the first time, it felt as though she was accomplishing something. As though things were finally moving forward.
Having once been driven to the very edge of the abyss, she now found that a day filled with purpose brought a happiness beyond words. It felt like a dream.
As those dreamlike days passed, they gradually transformed Yoon Seora.

[‘Composure’ Trait has been created.]

A lost Trait returned to her,

[‘Despair’ Trait has been deleted.]

and the Trait that had driven her toward surrender vanished,

[‘Indifference’ Trait has been deleted.]

Interest in someone had awakened.
……
On a night when everyone slept.
After finishing another grueling training session, Yoon Seora lay on her bed, her eyes blinking slowly.
Though exhausted, sleep would not come.
With old habit, Yoon Seora found herself gazing at someone. She stared intently at the young man lying on the floor.
The one who unfailingly provided her with Competence every morning and afternoon.
The one who, each time training ended, insisted she use the reagent to build her natural recovery—pressing it into her hands with quiet insistence.
The one who encouraged her, saying they should hurry through the basic training and go on missions together.
Though she didn’t understand why he occasionally nudged her to call Agnes “Bear” or something like that, regardless….
‘A grateful person to me.’
Thanks to him, whenever she rested in the Dormitory, her body felt refreshed afterward.
No longer did she go hungry; she could enjoy proper, delicious meals.
At some point, she had begun accepting his kindness. The discomfort she’d once felt gradually faded, replaced by growing gratitude.
But.
‘Why does he help me?’
This question alone remained unsolved.
Out of pity? Out of sympathy?
Or perhaps….
‘Out of interest?’
In that moment, an inexplicable shame washed over her. It was absurd even to think it. She bit her lower lip and shook her head vigorously.
‘Lee Sung-jin.’
Again, she gazed at the young man. One might expect such constant observation to grow tedious, yet her eyes never left him.
Finally, toward dawn, she closed her eyes, but her mind refused sleep as it always did.
…Or rather.
She was actually afraid to fall asleep.
Afraid that when she woke, she would be on the 5th Floor again.
Afraid that she would see those three foreigners who had tried to attack her.
Every time moments like this arose, Yoon Seora found herself desperately recalling it.
“Are you all right?”
The young man’s hand extended toward her.
A brief memory, yet seared deep into her mind.
Whenever she concentrated hard enough on the recollection, sleep would eventually claim her.
‘This is a problem.’
But tonight, strangely, sleep refused to come.
After tossing and turning for a while, Yoon Seora finally rose from her bed.
Carefully, carefully—she stepped softly so as not to wake him. Soon she stood before Lee Seol-ah, gazing down at the sleeping form for a long time. As her eyes traveled downward, something caught her attention.
‘His hand.’
The moment she spotted the outstretched right hand, she moved as if bewitched, bending at the waist and knees, pressing both palms to the floor.
Crawling forward slowly and deliberately, she brought her face closer to her target.
Just before making contact, she hesitated. Eyes closed, Yoon Seora gently buried her nose against his palm.
Inhale—
With a soft sound, she breathed in. The scent of his hand reached her.
Inhale, inhale.
Once begun, she couldn’t stop at just one—again and again she drew in his scent.
Though she knew this was wrong, she couldn’t resist, like an addict unable to break free.
For Yoon Seora, who had spent recent nights recalling that day’s memory before drifting off, this was a temptation she simply could not refuse.
‘This is wonderful.’
When the young man showed no signs of waking, her actions grew bolder.
She pressed the top of her head against his palm and moved gently, rubbing her cheek against the rough, calloused surface.
His hand was large enough to conceal her small face entirely.
‘So warm… so very warm….’
As the large palm enveloped her with its comfort, Yoon Seora’s eyes gradually closed. Before long, the soft, steady sound of her breathing filled the quiet room.
That night.
Lee Seol-ah dreamed.

‘…Is this a dream?’
Was this a lucid dream? Lee Seol-ah murmured to himself and glanced around.
The landscape of the dream was beautiful. He could see various animals bounding across a hillside lush with vibrant green grass.
A bear sitting on a slope, catching the cool breeze; a squirrel hopping along a branch; a deer drinking from a stream….
While gazing about distractedly, Lee Seol-ah spotted one creature that drew his eye in particular.
‘Huh?’
A pig. An extraordinarily small piglet, pink and round, with plump flesh covering its entire body.
‘So small… is it a baby?’
Lying sprawled across the grass, sleeping so soundly and looking so endearing, Lee Seol-ah couldn’t resist approaching slowly. He wanted a closer look.
—Oink… oink….
Watching the tiny creature breathe in rhythm, he felt his body grow weak.
At last, unable to contain himself, he poked the soft, plump belly with his index finger.
—!
In a flash, the piglet’s eyes snapped open. It scrambled to its feet and gazed up at Lee Seol-ah in bewilderment.
—Squee?
‘So cute!’
He let out a silent cry. As he slowly crouched down, the piglet whimpered and backed away.
‘No, come here. I won’t hurt you.’
He extended his right hand. The piglet hesitated, then stared intently at his palm.
‘Come on.’
After a moment’s uncertainty, the piglet began to waddle toward him.
‘That’s right, yes.’
As the creature nuzzled his palm, a smile bloomed across Lee Seol-ah’s face. When he gently stroked its back, the little tail wagged.
‘Should I take it with me and raise it?’
The moment he thought this sincerely, Lee Seol-ah noticed something had changed.
‘Gold?’
The pink color from moments before had transformed into a brilliant golden gleam.
—Squee!
Radiating dazzling light, the piglet suddenly raised its front legs. As if asking to be held.
‘Oh, oh!’
He scooped it up at once, and it remained docile in his arms. Lee Seol-ah could not contain his joy.
After all, there’s a saying that among dreams, pig dreams bring the greatest fortune. And with this one shimmering in gold, it could only be a propitious sign.
‘It’s mine.’
Seol-ah smiled contentedly, drawing the golden pig nestled against her into a tight embrace.
‘I’ll never let you go.’

(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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