The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 38

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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 38. Miss Foxy

Mana.
One could speak endlessly about this mysterious force, but in a single word, it might be defined as the province of the few.
After the Supreme Deity was devoured by the invaders, in a world where countless sub-species clawed at one another for dominance, mana became humanity’s sole means of resistance—the only tool keeping them from the very bottom of the food chain.
Setting aside the rarest of exceptions, humans are born with mana from the moment they draw breath. While their growth depends on aptitude and bloodline, everyone arrives into the world carrying some measure of this mysterious force, great or small.
Those who specialize in mana speak with one voice: training from childhood yields the best results.
This doesn’t merely mean increasing the quantity of available force. It encompasses the conditioning of the circulation pathways themselves—the channels through which mana flows.
For instance, humans born with exceptional reserves of natural force must exercise extreme caution in their early training. Frail pathways often rupture or even shatter under the strain of overwhelming mana, an occurrence far more common than one might wish.
In much the same way that steel is tempered through repeated heating and quenching to purify impurities and harden its core, the pathways grow more resilient as they withstand greater mana flow—both must be cultivated in tandem.
From this perspective, Seol-a’s circumstances were remarkably complicated.
Her abilities had manifested in early childhood, and she’d instinctively opened a single narrow channel by degrees, using it repeatedly without formal training or conscious understanding of what she was doing.
What proved most damaging was that she’d lost her abilities once before.
Though her use had been unconscious, twenty years of consistent practice meant her mana had grown substantially. But when she suddenly pushed hard on pathways that had barely held together through careful, restrained use, how could they not break?
Thanks to Future Thought, her body had remembered how to reconstruct the channels and restore her abilities—yet the damaged pathways never truly returned to their original form.
Seol-a had chosen Psychi’s Tears precisely because, after mastering Mana Application, she’d learned to regularly examine her circulation system and identify its flaws.

[Psychi’s Tears.]
Psychi, the celebrated alchemist of Sheherazade.
In his youth, he watched helplessly as his lover’s body wasted away from improper mana training.
Desperate to restore the dreams she’d abandoned, Psychi devoted himself to research day and night, gathering materials across the world.
After years of arduous effort, he returned to Sheherazade with the fruit of his labor—only to find that his beloved had already passed from the world.
Though many desired what he’d created, Psychi went alone to the temple where she slept, and there he wept and prayed.
That his offering might reach her, even if they could never meet again.
Moved by such devotion—a love that had forsaken both fame and fortune—the deity herself named the offering Psychi’s Tears.
Psychi’s Tears represents the pinnacle of alchemical art, the distilled wisdom of a lifetime of research.

“Mmm.”
Her vision blurred. Blinking several times, she opened her eyes fully, and moisture accumulated there began to stream down her face.
Splash, splash. As she shifted her weight, a wet, squelching sound accompanied the motion. It felt like rolling through shallow water or thick mud.
Her entire body felt slimy. Carefully pushing herself upright, Seol-a suddenly retched.
“Ugh!”
The reek hit her nostrils—a nauseating blend of iron and decay. Even as she continued to heave, Seol-a caught sight of the secretions pooling in the bathtub and grimaced.
Dead flesh mixed with blackened blood, yellowish liquid she couldn’t identify as sweat or pus, fecal matter, and grime of unknown origin….
A parade of waste so abundant that it seemed impossible it had all come from her body. The sheer volume was enough to turn her stomach.
‘Sleeping in the tub was definitely the right call.’
Seol-a held her breath and turned on the faucet.
Hot water rushed down, and the dried filth began to slough away and drain. She allowed herself to bathe properly. She knew that once she left this place, such luxury as hot water would be scarce. More than anything, she wanted to rid herself of this clinging discomfort as soon as possible.
She dissolved a bath additive designed to boost natural recovery into the steaming water and immersed her entire body. It took more than thirty minutes of soaking and two vigorous scrubs before she finally felt clean.
Satisfied at the sight of her refreshed body in the mirror, Seol-a settled into quiet meditation. Now that she’d resolved her physical discomfort, it was time to assess the effects of Psychi’s Tears.
‘Hmm.’
The flow of mana felt notably lighter, more fluid. It hadn’t seemed slow before, but this was like a 3G user discovering LTE—a genuinely different experience.
Seol-a traced the source to her circulation pathways. Not only had the damaged circuits that had been impassable been repaired, but they’d also grown longer. The accumulated waste that had constricted them was gone, and the pathways had widened considerably.
With greater capacity came naturally greater force. Where her mana had once trickled like a stream through a ravine, it now flowed as a dignified river, supple and responsive.
Control had become effortless. The sensation of mana extending delicately into even the finest meridians was almost thrillingly cool.
Now Seol-a possessed the conditions to output power beyond her current mana level.

[Personal Status Window]

③ Other Abilities (1)
Enhanced Circuit (Advanced)

‘So this is what complete transformation feels like.’

Call it fortune. If her profession had been that of a mage, she would have received a stroke of luck that came perhaps once in a lifetime.
Yet Seol-a, who had merely sought to restore her circulation pathways, still remained unaware of this fact.

When morning broke, Set found himself in the middle of unexpected commotion. Delpin had been spreading word throughout the building that he’d succeeded in an Impossible Mission. As a result, Set was forced to repeat the same explanation over and over again on his way down to the first floor.
“What’s all this fuss?”
If Chin Sia hadn’t appeared with a maid in tow, he would have gone on explaining indefinitely.
After hearing the gist of it, Chin Sia herself looked taken aback. Seeing the now-empty bulletin board, she let out a hollow laugh.
“I suppose I owe Agnes an apology.”
Hearing her mutter, Agnes’s lips curved slightly upward.
A moment later, the simple checkout procedure commenced.
Chin Sia gave a brief commendation for the three months of hardship, and the survivor received 1,000 Survival Points and returned his Mobile Phone.
Screech, screech-screech!
As soon as that was done, the sound of a heavy iron door being dragged echoed through the first floor.
“Beyond that corridor, the Paradise you’ve all been longing for awaits.”
Chin Sia gestured toward the darkened passage as she spoke.
“We need to deactivate the Neutral Zone here, so there’s no one to guide you. Surely you’re not all such fools that you can’t make it through that corridor?”
Some of the survivors chuckled, recognizing it as a jest.
“Well, there shouldn’t be any trouble. We’ve already notified the outside. All you need to do is wait for someone to come pick you up. After that, you can negotiate or sign contracts or whatever—in any case, once you’re out, there’ll be a simple meal laid out on a table. Grab some breakfast if you want and wait quietly.”
Chin Sia, having pulled out a cigarette pack as if she were done with business, suddenly remembered something and opened her mouth.
“If I had to add one more thing—don’t fight. Not today.”
She paused briefly to draw the cigarette out between her teeth, then continued in a notably grave tone.
“Leave what happened in the Neutral Zone behind you here. Isn’t it a good day for that?”
Click, hiss. She lit it and exhaled a plume of pale smoke.
“Especially you Invitees—I know. Your backgrounds are solid. If you can mobilize Missionary Authority, you’ve got some clout somewhere.”
…….
“But petty grudges and the like—it’s better to leave them here than carry them out. Remember that.”
Someone snorted.
“And yet, no matter how I say it, somehow blood ends up spilled on the very first day. Well, never mind. Once you step outside, it’s not my concern anymore—handle it as you see fit.”
Chin Sia clicked her tongue and swept back her bangs as she spoke.
“Then, I hereby officially declare the Neutral Zone concluded.”
And for the first time, she bared her teeth in a sly smile.
“It’s been thoroughly unpleasant being with you all. Let’s never meet again.”
With that, she turned her back.
‘Is it really over?’
Set watched Chin Sia stride away and glanced around. Everyone else seemed to feel the same way.
“Why are you all just standing there?”
A sharp voice cut through the air.
“Why aren’t you leaving? Do I have to spoon-feed each of you to make you move?”
Murmur, murmur.
Only then did the survivors begin to move one by one. Toward the direction Chin Sia had indicated.
‘Is it really… over?’
Set stared intently at the maid following Chin Sia.
Perhaps feeling his gaze, Agnes suddenly looked back at him. He waved dumbly, and as always, she bowed respectfully.
“Come on, let’s go!”
Lee Seol-a pulled at his arm, her voice bright with excitement.
‘Really?’
Even as he was dragged along, Set turned back as hard as he could.
Trying not to miss a single thing.
Desperately burning the Neutral Zone into his memory.
‘Come to think of it, I ran my heart out on that track.’
He could see the bulletin board where mission papers had been posted.
He could see the café lounge where he’d sat with teammates chatting idly, or discussed strategy seriously.
‘Strength, technique, endurance—we practiced those so intensely.’
The fitness center where he’d trained like mad under Agnes’s instruction, the shop where he’d poked around looking for anything useful, the restaurant he always favored, the dormitory where he’d laughed and carried on with the others—
Three months of memories brushed past his mind.
A place where he’d wanted to change, where he could change.
A space woven through with so many memories grew distant rapidly, becoming small enough to hold in his hand. And finally it was swallowed by the darkness of the corridor, and he could see nothing at all.
“Ah.”
Set found himself reaching out without thinking when he belatedly realized Lee Seol-a had his arm in her grip.
“…Brother?”
Lee Seol-a tilted her head in confusion. Most of the survivors had already exited the corridor, yet the young man was lingering.
“Yeah, right. Let’s go.”
Even as she turned, Lee Seol-a’s mind churned with confusion.
‘Why?’
She’d counted the days so eagerly for the Neutral Zone to end.
‘Why…’
Just a little further and she could reach Paradise.
‘…but I’m not happy about it?’
It was only then that Lee Seol-a understood: she was reluctant to leave the Neutral Zone behind.
In that moment of realization, the darkness suddenly lifted. Brilliant light stung her eyes, and a warm wind swept across her skin.
She shielded her eyes instinctively, then lowered her hand slowly.
What came into focus first was a sky tinged soft red beneath blazing sunlight.
Beneath it stretched an endless expanse of ochre wasteland, so vast that earth and sky seemed to meet at the horizon.
‘This is…’
Paradise.
The lost paradise she’d encountered for the first time—barren and featureless.
“Just as I thought. It’s a tower.”
Lee Sung-jin stood with his jaw slack, tilted back in wonder.
A single white tower rose solitary from this rough terrain. Its immense scale was majestic enough to dwarf those who beheld it, and profoundly beautiful.
“If you’ve had your fill of sightseeing, how about we eat breakfast?”
As the others stood absorbed in admiration, Hyun Sang-min interjected bluntly.
Just as Chin Sia had mentioned, outside the tower stood a long wooden table.
“Do you see anyone here to greet us?”
Lee Seol-a scanned the area slowly. The grounds, crowded with survivors, were already bustling—it seemed people had come to meet them.
She watched people colliding shoulders while shouting greetings, then shook her head. Kim Han-na was nowhere to be seen.
“Doesn’t look like she’s here yet.”
“Me neither. Let’s head over there where everyone’s gathered.”
At the table Hyun Sang-min had claimed, Shin Sang-a and Yun Seo-ra were already seated.
“So this is supposed to be Paradise? There’s not much to it.”
“Do you have any idea where we are? There’s nothing but that tower.”
As the others began eating, conversation bloomed among them. Hyun Sang-min grumbled about his inviter being late, while Shin Sang-a fretted about her contractor but reassured herself that becoming a Priest couldn’t be all bad.
Lee Seol-a didn’t touch the food—she only toyed with her cup.
Only Yun Seo-ra noticed the quiet despondency in her eyes and gently poked her with her index finger.
“?”
As Lee Seol-a’s eyes flew up, Yun Seo-ra carefully gestured behind her. Hao Win, seated with his team, was waving at them.
Lee Seol-a excused herself and moved to their table.
“She hasn’t shown up yet either, it seems?”
“I don’t see her anywhere. What about you, Hao Win?”
“I deliberately told her to take her time. I had a feeling I’d regret the day we left.”
Lee Seol-a nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
“Anyway, what are we going to do about this sulky young lady here? She’s been like this the whole time.”
The young lady in question was Delpin. She didn’t even glance at Lee Seol-a’s arrival, arms folded across her chest. Her cheeks were visibly puffed out above her slender neck—a portrait of pouting if ever there was one.
“Delpin?”
“Hmph.”
“You’re still angry?”
“Hmph!”
Delpin huffed indignantly, and Tongchai burst into hearty laughter.
“I still can’t believe it. You succeeded at an Impossible Mission with just a single Spell Scroll.”
“I wasn’t confident about it. It was all so vague…”
Lee Seol-a shuddered, touching her left cheek. What had grazed it was likely meant as a threat.
If she’d aimed for a vital spot from the start—
She wouldn’t have made it here.
No matter how many times she thought about it, the moment remained harrowing.
“I nearly died for real… I’m not even sure what possessed me to try it.”
“Well, since it worked out this way, Delpin—why don’t you forgive her?”
“But still!”
Delpin whipped her head around and slammed both palms on the table with a bang.
“You could’ve at least said something!”
“If I had, and you’d died too…”
“But that’s the point~!”
Delpin bolted to her feet.
“I wanted to take on an Impossible Mission too~!”
She came rushing over and latched onto Seol’s arms, hanging off them.
“I wanted a VIP Single-Use Free Pass too, waaah~.”
“…….”
“How mean, hogging it all to yourself~. I want one too, a VIP~.”
“…Aha, haha, ha.”
Watching Delpin whine, laughter suddenly bubbled up from nowhere.
How to describe it. It felt just like watching a younger sister throw a tantrum.
“Seol, you’re such a meanie….”
Her pouting cheeks were so endearing that Seol couldn’t help but pinch them gently; Delpin’s eyes went wide and she made a deflating sound.
“Phhhh… huh?”
Then, as if she’d noticed something, her eyes flew open and she started bouncing and waving her arms wildly.
“They’re here! Over here! Over here!”
Watching her skip away, it seemed whoever had invited her had come to pick her up. Hao Win, who’d been watching contentedly, chuckled.
“She’s quite the energetic young lady, isn’t she?”
“She is.”
“You’re smiling now, at least.”
“Pardon?”
Seol quickly composed her expression. Smiling?
“Well, I noticed you’ve been looking rather gloomy since we left the Neutral Zone~.”
“Ah… have I?”
Now that he mentioned it, the melancholy that had settled over her as they departed the Neutral Zone seemed to have lifted a little. Thanks to Delpin’s bright energy, as Hao Win had said.
“Well then, I won’t keep you long. Just have one drink before you go.”
“Of course.”
Seol nodded. She’d made many good memories in the Neutral Zone, but she couldn’t stay forever.
Every beginning has an end. And now it was time for a new start.
With that thought, her heart felt considerably lighter.
“All right then. Everyone, raise your glasses~.”
Though Delpin had left, Salvatore Leorда, Tongchai, and Hao Win remained.
The next moment, the four of them were about to clink their glasses together.

(To be continued in the next installment)

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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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