The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 35

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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 35. To Paradiso

The moment Seol opened his eyes, confusion washed over him. He’d emerged from a pleasant dream only to find his chest inexplicably heavy. When he discovered Yun Seora sleeping soundly in his arms, a yelp nearly escaped his throat.
‘What kind of shameless girl…’
That was his first thought, but as his mind cleared, he realized his own arms were wrapped tightly around her. No wonder he’d felt so warm.
“Ugh, mmph….”
He pushed her away, and though Yun Seora whimpered in protest,
“Mmm….”
she only burrowed deeper, burying her face against his chest.
‘Oh, I see. So that’s how it is? Who was doing what… huh?’
Before he knew it, Seol found himself gently patting her back. Then he caught himself. What was he doing? He watched in a daze as Yun Seora nuzzled against him, her cheeks flushed, smiling in her sleep.
‘…A sleep habit?’
Confused but cautious, Seol carefully lifted her into his arms. After laying her back down on the bed and pulling the blanket over her, he spotted Lee Seol-ah sprawled out beside them, arms and legs splayed wide, sleeping contentedly. Then it clicked.
‘She must’ve rolled down here because of Seol-ah’s wild sleeping.’
Judging by the chaos, she’d thrashed around quite a bit—her shirt had ridden up, exposing her navel. The youth chuckled softly, fixing Lee Seol-ah’s clothes and tucking her back in. She was giggling even in sleep; the girl was having pleasant dreams too.
‘I need to sleep somewhere else from now on.’
An accident was still a mistake, and what would Yuzuha think if she found out?
“…Sigh.”
No. In truth, it didn’t matter. They were already finished. Seol was simply the one who couldn’t let go.
‘I wonder how Yuzuha’s doing….’
Seol’s shoulders sagged as he made his way toward the bathroom.
The next day.
“…….”
When Seol woke, he felt like screaming.
There was that heavy feeling again—and Yun Seora was nestled in his arms once more. The distance between them and the bed was considerable, yet somehow she’d rolled all the way here.
What Seol truly couldn’t fathom was that he’d fallen asleep on the sofa yesterday. Rolling off a sofa and ending up on someone’s lap was physically impossible.
‘…Sleepwalking?’
Suddenly unnerved by Yun Seora, Seol crept away as quietly as he could.
‘I need to find somewhere safe….’
With that resolve, when night fell he retreated to the bathroom. The accommodations were luxurious enough that he felt confident sleeping soundly even there. Besides, it had a lock, and once he secured the door from inside, no one could possibly reach him.
The next morning, Seol finally managed to start a day like any other. Whether the locked door had done the trick or not, there was no sign of Yun Seora.
‘I’m sleeping here from now on.’
What did it matter if it was a bathroom? It was spotless and spacious. Plus, he could wash up the moment he woke.
Seol rose with a grin, stretching contentedly as he glanced toward the glass door—
“Aaah!”
A scream tore from his throat.
“W-w-what, what, what….”
Yun Seora was pressed flat against the glass, staring at him.
Her eyes were bloodshot and wild.

***

Two weeks had slipped past since training began.
“Ten-minute break.”
The moment Agnes spoke, bodies collapsed all around. She watched Lee Seol-ah as the girl massaged her thighs, and a thoughtful expression crossed her face.
‘She’s got potential.’
At first, Agnes had accepted the girl’s presence as mere busywork, but her assessment had shifted over time.
Lee Seol-ah was naturally suited to the archer’s path. Her track-and-field background had given her speed and impressive focus.
What set her apart was her capacity to absorb everything taught to her immediately. Given that archers needed proficiency across multiple disciplines, the girl’s aptitude for the role was considerable.
‘Whoever invited her, we lucked out with this one.’
With proper cultivation, she could reach the upper tiers.
Her evaluation complete, Agnes shifted her gaze to Yun Seora, who was bent over and breathing heavily.
‘This one… I can’t tell.’
It was ambiguous—not in a negative sense, but positively so. While Lee Seol-ah’s future growth was transparent, Yun Seora’s remained shrouded. Agnes couldn’t even grasp the contours of her potential.
If forced to articulate it, she’d say the depth of latent power ran frighteningly deep. So much so that even Agnes hesitated to make a judgment.
‘Her physical development has been remarkable, and her natural talent is outstanding.’
For a moment, Agnes entertained the thought of high-tier rank, then laughed wryly at herself. She was getting ahead of things. Reaching the upper tiers alone was no small feat; high-tier rank wasn’t a grade everyone could ascend to.
“Instructor.”
Lost in thought, Agnes turned her eyes toward the young man’s voice. Lee Seong-jin, his entire body drenched in sweat, was looking up at her.
“Yes?”
“Um… what’s a teddy bear?”
“…….”
Agnes drew in a deep breath and barely managed to collect herself.
“I’m not entirely sure what you mean.”
“Really? That’s odd. My brother definitely said….”
As Lee Seong-jin mumbled to himself, Agnes’s eyes sharpened with interest.
“Odd in what way?”
“Oh, because my brother said that if I told you ‘teddy bear,’ you’d be really pleased.”
A grinding sound escaped her jaw. Yun Seora and Lee Seol-ah turned toward Agnes with suddenly curious expressions. Both women had received similar suggestions from him before.
“Huh? I was told to say lavender…”
“I got ‘bear cub’….”
A public execution was taking place in front of the accused.
“There’s no need to pay any attention to such nonsense.”
She could speak so calmly on the surface only because, inside Agnes’s mind, he had already been killed dozens of times.
“Do you happen to know where that person is right now?”
“My brother? He should be out on a mission at this point….”
“I see. Understood. Let’s settle for seeing each other later, and continue training.”
Agnes spoke as she cracked her knuckles deliberately. Lee Seong-jin tilted his head in confusion but readily stood up.
That night.
The three of them—
“Let me—”
Thwack!
“Go easy—”
“Cough, ah, Miss Agnes? W-wait!”
“Do it! I said to!”
“Ugh! Ah, Miss Agnes!”
When Agnes showed up at their lodgings late at night,
“Because of you! My Status Window! My alias!”
“Oof, ooof!”
“What happened to it now! Tell me! How!”
“I-I’m sorry! Please stop!”
They had to watch the young man get thoroughly beaten.

By the time the three had gradually grown accustomed to basic training and mastered their class fundamentals along with Mana Application,
Agnes brought up the idea of limiting training to mornings and having them attempt missions in the afternoons. Truth be told, she had only taught them the basics, and she didn’t think the training was sufficient by her own standards.
However, he had been providing exceptional support, including in matters of Competence, and they needed time to carry out missions. Though there were regrets, combat experience was also an important form of training.
That day, he equipped all three of them. He’d planned to spend no more than 10,000 Points each, but he ran into Yuzuha again. She mercilessly spent 30,000 Points, which was the maximum he’d budgeted. Accounting for the thirty percent discount, the Equipment was worth 43,000 Points.
Lee Seol-ah was delighted like a small child in new clothes. Yun Seora seemed unfamiliar with the Paradiso Equipment she was wearing for the first time and examined her body from all angles. Occasionally she swung the Long Sword, and her stance was better than expected.
One Healing Potion’s worth of Points had vanished, but he felt no regret. If anything, it felt satisfying.
‘I’ve supported them enough at this point.’
Agnes was handling the basic training well on her own, so he only needed to assist with the missions.
But since the goal was to learn rather than clear a guide, he planned to do only three or four Normal Difficulty missions with them. That would be enough for them to become familiar with it. Continuously following and spoonfed them wasn’t something that superior either would want.
‘Time for them to catch their own fish now… huh?’
Just as he was about to call out that they should head to a mission, he felt something odd.
Looking around, a woman was staring at the three of them with an unpleasant gaze.
‘Who is that? Why?’
He didn’t think he’d seen her before, yet she felt familiar. He definitely had a memory of her.
After staring for a moment, he recalled Han’s words.
[Oh Min-yeong was easy to calculate.]
‘Ah.’
Now he remembered. The woman who had brought coins just before the treasure hunt ended in the Tutorial.
Not only was she still alive, but she’d completed enough missions to have decent Equipment.
What he couldn’t understand was why she was glaring at those three innocents.
Shortly after, the woman turned away.
Activating Nine Eyes, he narrowed his brows.
Oh Min-yeong’s color was yellow.
‘Should I leave it alone?’
He shook his head. It might be nothing, but something felt off. Kang Seok’s color wasn’t yellow either, was it? At minimum, some precaution was necessary.
After each member finished their individual quest, Seol called Sang-min over in secret.

[Breakthrough (Remaining Attempts: 10/10)]
Break through the bridge while under Sprite harassment and secure a foothold!
Difficulty: Very Hard
Success: Survival Points +60,000
Failure: Death
*Cooperation available (max 6 people)

After Seol joined in, Delphin’s Team had been crushing quests with unstoppable momentum—until now, when they finally touched the highest difficulty among the “Very Hard” missions. And for the first time since beginning quests, they nearly suffered the catastrophe of losing a comrade.
Sprites were a species resembling humans—strange spirits clad in garments woven from grass and leaves. They were characterized by small bodies, roughly half the height of an adult woman, and multiple pairs of dragonfly wings sprouted from their backs.
By appearance alone, they were beautiful as fairies, but the moment combat began, they displayed cruelty far beyond any creature they had faced before.
Most infuriating was that they refused to show themselves, instead unleashing a relentless barrage of ranged attacks.
It would have been one thing if it were just a few bolts or arrows, but they rained down like a downpour, occasionally mixing in wind magic reminiscent of Delphin’s Wind Blast, and sometimes even launching long spears from Small Ballistas.
On top of that, the bridge was crisscrossed with obstacles and defensive positions that impeded movement, making the entire ordeal an exercise in frustration.
While advancing by maintaining the priest’s protective barrier and subduing structures one by one, the barrier shattered, and a crisis erupted. Hao Win, who had prepared ahead, charged forward with his shield leading—only to be swept away by the gale the Sprite conjured and sent tumbling.
The moment Seol and Tong Chai rushed to rescue Hao Win, Salvatore Riorda moved swiftly as well. He meant both to split some of the Sprite’s aggression from the trio and, if possible, to snipe at the enemy beyond the bridge.
With nimble footwork he vaulted over the structure—then a suddenly launched spear pierced straight through his abdomen. Seol, just having helped Hao Win to his feet, immediately sprinted over and dragged the writhing Riorda back.
Riorda’s eyes rolled back, his whole body trembling violently. His wound was severe. Delphin poured an expensive Healing Potion she’d prepared for emergencies onto the injury site. The double layer of Armor he wore had absorbed much of the impact; without it, even the priest’s healing incantations might not have saved him.
The situation had seemed desperate—but unexpectedly, Seol opened a path forward. She used a Spell Orb she’d been saving, unleashing it in a surprise attack. Starting with Poison Mist, she flung three more in rapid succession from the remaining six, and the far side erupted into chaos.
That brief opening was their first and last chance. The team quickly regrouped and charged again, managing to cross the bridge by the narrowest margin.
It had been a fortunate battle in retrospect—they hadn’t known the Sprite was vulnerable to poison.
Riorda, still grinding his teeth in fury, spotted the Sprite coughing beside the Small Ballista and immediately rushed to seize it.
He pleaded to delay the mission completion a moment—he needed revenge—and then bound the fairy tightly to the ballista. As Seol watched Riorda slap its cheeks and brutally sweep-kick its abdomen, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
“Damn it, we got played.”
Hao Win limped over and sat beside Seol.
“Our preparation was insufficient.”
Delphin’s expression looked somewhat gloomy as well.
“Right. We figured the information was slim enough, but we’d manage—and we were completely wrong.”
“I need to learn defensive magic. I thought having a priest meant I could invest only in offensive spells, but…”
Delphin shrugged. The sight of her Fire Orb scattering in the gales that came from multiple directions still hadn’t left her mind.
“That’s a good idea. If you can rotate defensive barriers, it’ll make things much smoother.”
Hao Win nodded in agreement.
“I should upgrade my armor to metal, too. We’ll have earned enough Survival Points—and I’ll buy a couple of solid, sturdy shields.”
“Two of them?”
“Can’t be helped. The key to this quest is how safely we cross the bridge.”
Hao Win’s reasoning was sound. The Sprite was formidable at range, but once they closed to melee, it was manageable enough.
“True. The bridge itself is what’s unreasonably difficult. Our job is just to get Seol across in one piece.”
“That’s not quite it. I think poison doing the trick had a bigger impact on how smoothly the close combat went.”
When Tong Chai voiced his agreement, Delphin pointed out sharply.
“Hmm… you don’t have any more of those Spell Orbs left?”
“I have three remaining, but not the Poison Mist.”
Seol shook her head.
“That’s something to think about. Poison spells require at least level 2 to learn…”
Delphin, speaking with concern, clicked her tongue.
“For now, let’s wrap up today’s quest. After we restock properly at the shop, we’ll try again tomorrow. You’ve all seen it once now, so you know what to prepare, right?”
Just as they were revising their strategy, a piercing shriek tore through the air. The captured Sprite was thrashing wildly, screaming like a madman. Tong Chai threw up his hands in encouragement.
“More! Do it more!”
“Don’t worry! I’m gonna kill it brutally!”
Riorda, savagely wrenching at the Sprite’s wings, didn’t even glance back as he bellowed. It seemed he was quite annoyed at having nearly died.
“Alright, alright. That’s enough self-reflection for now.”
Hao Win gave a soft cough and grinned slyly at Seol.
“So, friend—how’ve you been lately?”
Seol, who had been pondering what to buy, widened her eyes as she became the target of his attention.
“What, are you playing coy? Riorda’s going to take a while anyway—spill it. How far have things progressed?”
“Progressed…?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. Look, as someone who’s helped you out, I’ve got the right to hear an update on your romantic endeavors.”
“Romantic endeavors… You’re talking about Yun Seora, aren’t you?”
“Exactly! Yun Seora!”
Hao Win’s grin turned mischievous as he stuck out his lips teasingly.
“At the very least, you must have kissed, right?”
“K-kissed…? Do you mean an actual kiss?”
“Good grief, I’ve never met anyone so dense.”
Hao Win sighed,
“I’m talking about kissing! A real smooch! Right here!”
Hao Win pointed at Delphin’s chest as he spoke, then suddenly caught himself.
“Oh, you’re not interested in breasts? What about valleys then? Or maybe cleavage—”
Lee Seol-ah quickly covered Hao Win’s mouth before his tongue could wag any further, and reflexively glanced at Delphin. She was worried she might take offense.
“What are you talking about? What did he say? What?”
But Delphin, who had seemed earnest only moments before, had already transformed into a wide-eyed girl, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“Delphin—”
“Tell me quick. I have really good intuition.”
Delphin scooted closer on her backside, drawing right up beside Lee Seol-ah.
Lee Seol-ah grimaced. In truth, she wasn’t without concerns of her own.
“It’s just… ever since that day, Yun Seora’s been acting strange.”
“How so?”
“One morning I woke up and found her sleeping in my arms.”
“Ooh!”
Hao Win let out a gasp of excitement.
“And? And then what!”
Delphin puffed out breathy snorts.
“I thought it was just a sleeping habit, so I moved her back to the bed.”
“Come on, man. There’s a right way to handle these situations.”
“Yeah, I hate sloppy moves too.”
“No, that’s not— Anyway, the next night I slept on the couch, and when I woke up, there she was again, sitting on my lap and sleeping peacefully….”
“Now that’s the move. This is really the move.”
“If you even hint that I carried her back to bed, I’m spreading a rumor you’re gay.”
‘These people are impossible.’
As they kept interjecting with comments, her desire to share evaporated entirely. She felt foolish for having sought their counsel in the first place.
“That’s like something out of a novel!”
Tong Chai burst into a hearty laugh.
“I suppose it is.”
She was still mustering a small smile at having found at least one reasonable person, when
“So, what happened next?”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t try to slip past that. If you’ve opened up about it, you might as well finish the story.”
Lee Seol-ah stared at him in complete bewilderment, and Tong Chai let out a deep sigh.
“Good heavens, you do love to worry a man. Very well. I’ll do it myself.”
“?”
“Consider it an honor. This is the first time I’ve spent Survival Points on something like this.”
The moment Lee Seol-ah tried to protest, a notification chimed: 100 Survival Points awarded.
“That should be enough. Come now, you’re curious—out with the rest of the story. I’m finding this more entertaining than I expected.”
“…Mister Tong Chai. Just to confirm—why did you just give me those Survival Points?”
Tong Chai removed his turban and replied matter-of-factly,
“What? I thought that was a paid subscription request.”
…….
Lee Seol-ah was at a loss for words.

(To be continued in the next episode)

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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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