The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 37

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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 37. To Paradise (3)

‘What’s this?’
Seol stared at the paper that had fallen from the shelf.
‘Right. From the accessory box….’
He had a memory of receiving it as a privilege. In fact, he hadn’t even known it existed. Back then, he’d been startled by the awakening of the Nine Eyes, and afterward it had been buried under convenience store rations and vanished from sight.
Finding something he’d completely forgotten about felt somewhat absurd.
“Seong-jin.”
“Yes?”
The boy sitting on the floor stopped emptying his bag and turned his head.
“What was your Mark Grade again?”
“Bronze Mark.”
“Then you must’ve received a random box. From the gymnasium.”
“Yes, I got one.”
“What came out?”
“A Scroll. But why are you asking?”
The boy answered matter-of-factly.
“I’m curious about something—is magic activated by Scrolls random?”
“No. Mine was written as ‘Bind.'”
Seol looked back at the shelf, his brow furrowing. The paper visible to his eye was nearly blank.
“Could you show me that Scroll, if you still have it?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I used it up in the tutorial… I ran into a Wandering Spirit right after leaving the hideout.”
Lee Seong-jin scratched the back of his head.
“Hmm. Wonder if anyone else has a Scroll.”
“There probably aren’t many. The Neutral Zone will be over soon anyway.”
“Why?”
“What? Ah… because it’s a privilege, isn’t it?”
“What are you talking about?”
At the young man’s question, Lee Seong-jin looked confused instead. He hadn’t expected that Seol wouldn’t know—his expression said as much. It was something any Invitee should naturally understand, unless they’d received an absolutely terrible briefing.
“Um… think of it like a cell phone. You know you have to return it before leaving the Neutral Zone, right?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s the same with privileges. Neither privileges nor cell phones are things we earned ourselves.”
“That’s true.”
“Things like that are supposed to be returned or automatically disappear before the Neutral Zone ends. The Neutral Zone is a special space connected to the tutorial, but you can’t take privileges with you to Paradise.”
“But armor and weapons are possible, aren’t they? We’re taking Spell Orbs with us too.”
“Armor and weapons were something you paid Survival Points for. You drew the Spell Orbs using Coins you found. They’re different from privileges given without any cost.”
It was information Seol was hearing for the first time. He stared at the paper on the shelf with a complicated expression.
“For example, if a privilege produces a result through its use, that result is recognized as yours. But the privilege itself isn’t.”
In other words, this paper would vanish by tomorrow.
“Wait. Does that mean the bag too…?”
Lee Seong-jin nodded as if it were obvious.
‘That was close. Very close.’
Seol hurriedly began removing what he’d put in the bag.
Part of him regretted not using the Scroll, while another part felt a growing curiosity.

[You have obtained a Scroll.]

The message had definitely said it was a Scroll. But unlike Spell Orbs, there was no description of what spell it contained, not even a single line of explanation.
He couldn’t call it worthless. It was a Gold Mark privilege, after all. It must hold a value incomparable to Silver or Bronze Mark privileges.
‘Is there no clue anywhere….’
Seol fell into deep thought.
[Are you joking? Do you have some bad memories of the tutorial? Anything here I should smash to pieces? How am I supposed to know what that person needs…!]
Now that he thought about it, he remembered the Accessory Box growling like that. When the status window updated, it had seemed considerably relieved.

[Currently searching for what you need most in this situation. Please wait a moment.]

That message had also come after opening the Accessory Box.
[That person didn’t succeed through legitimate means either. It was pure luck.]
Kim Han-na’s warning too.
‘Perhaps.’
Seol, thinking as much, was gripped by acute conflict. The adam’s apple of the young man fingering the Scroll bobbed with small, uneven rhythm.
“By the way, what did you get from the Privilege…”
Lee Seong-jin, who had been dusting off his bag, stopped mid-sentence. The person who’d been standing on the shelf moments ago had vanished without a trace.
“…Seong-jin?”

[Siege (Remaining Attempts: 1/1)]
Annihilate the Guardian Race protecting the Sanctuary and capture the fortress of natural providence within 48 hours!
Difficulty: Impossible
Success: Survival Points +172,800, VIP Shop 1-Time Free Use Coupon (1 per participant)
Failure: Death
*Cooperative Possible (Maximum 6 participants)

Descending to the first floor, Seol stared up at the paper posted at the very top of the bulletin board.
The Plaza, which always bustled with people sorting through their belongings, was eerily quiet today, almost desolate.
‘Even with the Time Limit…’
Seol swallowed hard and slowly stretched out her arm, peeling the paper from the board.
The paper no longer gleamed red. It had shifted to orange, one tier down. ‘Caution—Approach with Care.’
Can it be done? The thought flickered only briefly.
The fact that ‘Withdrawal Recommended’ had vanished created one certainty.
‘Success is possible.’
Though the danger hadn’t disappeared entirely.
Someone once said there are times in life when you must retreat and times when you must challenge.
Her trembling eyes squeezed shut. She gripped the mission paper between both hands with all her strength.
With a clean, satisfying tear, Seol vanished.

She arrived in dense woodland deep within the mountains.
‘Where is this?’
As Seol looked around, her jaw dropped.
‘This is… insane!’
A colossal mountain range loomed before her. The cliff face, carved diagonally as if by a cleaver, rose at a steep angle, and its peak was so high it vanished into the clouds.
And that wasn’t all. The vast structures and fortifications visible scattered across the mountainside appeared so formidable that the thought struck her involuntarily—conquest would be impossible.
‘How am I supposed to break through this?’
This wasn’t a matter of mobs or groups; even an army would struggle. Only now did Kim Han-na’s warning truly sink in.
Seol pressed a hand to her pounding chest and moved forward with deliberate caution. The distance to her destination wasn’t far. To be safe, she intended to close the gap as much as possible before making any attempt.
As she drew reasonably close, Seol was forced to stop.
Nine Eyes had been active continuously since the first floor of the Neutral Zone.
The mountain range, which had appeared crimson at first, suddenly shifted in color.
To scarlet.
And then.
‘What?’
To black.
The oppressive weight radiating from the darkened cliff was so overwhelming that it compelled one’s instincts to recoil.
Ping!
In that instant, a sharp cutting sound grazed her ear. Seol, who had been backing away slowly, froze in place. When she touched her cheek gingerly, blood came away on her palm.
[How remarkably bold of you! Ho ho ho ho!]
A thin, high-pitched voice rang out in her ear.
Seol jerked her chin up, her expression bewildered. No one was visible anywhere, yet… what was happening?
No. This isn’t the time for confusion. Black means immediate retreat. One wrong move and I’m dead.
Snapping to attention, Seol frantically pulled out a blank Scroll and,
[I cannot fathom what possessed you to venture here alone!]
without hesitation, tore it with all her might.

[Necessary Scroll activated.]

[As a Guardian Race, I cannot idly stand by!]

[Searching for the most necessary incantation for your current situation. Please wait a moment.]

[The crime of attempting to desecrate the Sanctuary is punishable by death…?]
An alert and a voice rang out in succession.

[Activating Limited Area: Big Earthquake.]
[A magnitude 12 earthquake will occur within the designated space.]

Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble!
A barrier of enormous proportions materialized between where Seol stood and the Mountain Range. A massive, thick barrier—vaster and more substantial than anything the young man had ever witnessed—suddenly engulfed the entire range.
[What… what have you done, human!]
The voice grew frantic at the abrupt catastrophe.
But this was only the beginning.
Krrrrrrrrrr!
A terrifying roar tore at the ears—a deafening boom so violent it nearly burst them.
As if thousands upon thousands of fault lines collided all at once,
As if the earth itself was splitting asunder.
The ground fractured with sickening cracks, and the mountains convulsed.
Bang!
The earth—it leaped.
There was no other way to describe it.
[Kyaaaaaaaaah!]
In that same instant, a lithe woman with long hair streaming behind her erupted from the surging ground, hurled helplessly skyward.
It was no mere landslide—the mountain itself had turned inside out.
Standing beyond the boundary, Seol could not tell whether his vision was warping or the mountain was contorting. The destructive force transcended imagination.
[Ahhh, aaahhh!]
As the mountain and earth undulated like waves, the woman bounced violently up and down like a madwoman on a seesaw. But as the tremors intensified beyond measure, even her screams were swallowed by the chaos.
Seol stood transfixed, watching—until his legs finally gave way and he collapsed to his knees. Seeing it so close, fear gripped him. It felt like a lie that he was still standing here, unharmed.
In the end, he shut his eyes and covered his ears.
Before a natural catastrophe of such magnitude, everything within the limited zone did not take long to crumble into dust.

[You have successfully completed the ‘Impossible’ difficulty mission.]
[Granting VIP Shop 1-Time Free Use Coupon.]
[Granting 172,800 Survival Points.]
[Survival Points: 477,997 SP]

When his eyes opened to the alert message, he was back in the Plaza.
“Phew…”
Seol exhaled a sigh of relief as if ten years had been lifted from his shoulders. His startled heart still hammered in his chest. He had to take a moment to steady his breathing until the fear subsided.
‘It was just a mission. Only a mission…’
Once the terror had finally quieted, he noticed a small slip of paper resting against his chest—the VIP 1-Time Free Use Coupon. Only then did the reality of success sink in, and joy bloomed.
Seol clenched his fist tight. He’d been half-skeptical before tearing open the paper, but now that he’d succeeded, elation surged through him.
After checking his Survival Points, Seol quickly got to his feet.
Even when his teammates urged him to buy new equipment, he’d held firm and accumulated points instead. And now he’d earned a bonus on top of that. If he didn’t spend it now, he’d regret it so much he wouldn’t sleep.
Holding the paper carefully to his chest, Seol climbed the stairs quickly.
He opened the door to the 8th Floor and then the inner door—and found someone already there.
“Oh? I thought you’d show up!”
It was Odelette Delphin.
“What are you buying? I’m craving an Elixir, but there’s not a single Magic Elixir left.”
Seol brushed past Odelette’s grumbling and checked the inventory list.

5. Elixir: 30,000 SP (Each) – Strength (1EA), Endurance (1EA), Agility (1EA), Vitality (2EA), Luck (2EA)

The Magic Elixir had been purchased already—likely by him. The Agility and Luck Elixirs were also gone, bought by his team members. Most of their points had gone to equipment, but they still had the cushion to spare 30,000 points at the VIP Shop.
“Odelette, were you planning to buy any of the remaining Elixirs?”
“Huh? No, I wasn’t going to.”
“Understood. I’ll take all the remaining Elixirs, please!”
“…Eh?”
At Seol’s audacious purchase, Odelette made a dumbfounded sound. Seven Elixirs reduced his points by 210,000 in an instant.
“And…”
He’d already decided what else to buy while accumulating points. The extra funds had simply given him room to purchase more Elixirs.

10. Pssi-Hi’s Tear: 250,000 SP (1 EA)

“I’ll take Pssi-Hi’s Tear too!”
“Huh?”
Another 250,000 points vanished.
This was where things got tricky. The VIP Shop 1-Time Free Use Coupon was an unexpected windfall.

3. Moirai’s Memento: 600,000 SP (1 EA)
4. Miyal’s Stigma: 100,000 SP (1 EA)
6. Holy Stigma: 300,000 SP (1 EA)
7. World Tree Seed: 400,000 SP (1 EA)
9. Afrixo’s Oil Valley: 150,000 SP (5 EA/Each)

Seol ignored anything below 100,000 points entirely, agonizing over five items in particular.
‘Oh, heavens above.’
Each one possessed extraordinary effects. Tears welling in his eyes, Seol had to eliminate Miyal’s Stigma and Afrixo’s Oil Valley.
‘Moirai’s Memento, the Holy Stigma, the World Tree Seed….’
After all his deliberation, Seol finally reached a decision.
“I’ll… go with the Holy Stigma….”
The reason was straightforward. While Moirai’s Memento and the World Tree Seed leaned toward public benefit, the Holy Stigma was an item that could secure personal gain.
The moment Seol produced the VIP Shop 1-Time Free Use Coupon, both the maid and Odelette’s eyes went wide.
“Wh—what?”
“Ehhhhh!”
“I can take it?”
The maid nodded at Seol’s question, her face blank with astonishment.
“Y-yes. You can take anything you’d like, but… how did you…?”
“W-wait, what? That’s supposed to be… did you break it? Is it broken? How on earth did you break it!”
Seol seized the orb, its surface rippling with blue light, and spun around in a dash toward the General Shop. If he lingered any longer, he’d keep thinking about those two items he couldn’t afford.
His remaining Survival Points: 17,997.
Behind him, Odelette called out desperately, but Seol’s mind was consumed with a single imperative: burn through those points as fast as possible.
The General Shop held only three or four other survivors. Spotting Aragaki Yuzu-ha, Seol raised his hand and shouted.
“Over here!”
“Yes?”
Yuzu-ha hurried over.
“What’s the most expensive spear among your weapons, and how much does it cost?”
“The most expensive spear? There’s one for 22,500 points, which would cost you 15,750 with your discount. But… why?”
Items for mages or priests, or defensive armor—those he might understand. But warrior weapons from the General Shop, however pricey, wouldn’t exceed VIP prices.
“I’ll take it.”
“…Pardon?”
“Give me that one.”
“Oh, wonderful! What a fine survivor!”
Since sales figures translated directly into performance metrics, Yuzu-ha had no reason to hesitate. Within moments she returned with a spear gleaming silver in her hands, bowing deeply to the young man.
After that, Seol spent all but 1,000 of his remaining 2,197 points, and his shopping spree finally ended.
“Mmmhehehehe.”
As Seol climbed the stairs grinning ear to ear, he caught himself and covered his mouth. No matter how good the mood, he was grinning like a fool.
He decided to save the Elixir for emergencies—only when his Physical Level hit its ceiling. Using it now, with so much growth potential still ahead, would be nothing short of foolish.
‘The Holy Stigma requires the Temple to use, but…’
The other item could be used whenever.
It was about time for sleep anyway.
After finishing his unpacking at the Lodging, Seol switched off the light and headed to the bathroom. He evicted Yun Seo-ra, who was crouched and hiding in the bathtub, then sank into the warm water himself.
He gazed blissfully at the clear liquid sloshing inside the Elixir Potion bottle, then uncorked it and drank it down in one long pull.
The moment the refreshing sensation crossed his throat, drowsiness began to creep in—whether from the effect kicking in or simple satisfaction.
Seol closed his eyes with a look of pure contentment.
Unaware of what tomorrow morning would bring.

(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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