The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 40

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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 40. Glorious Shackles, Treacherous Freedom

Salsido’s group fled like hunted animals, and O Min-yeong’s Contractee withdrew without resistance.
Beneath the surface lay a calculation to avoid offending Shin Young, but the outcome was the same—Geo Han and O Min-yeong had been abandoned.
Invitee or Contractee, the fate of those whose backing vanished was written in stone.
“Clench your teeth.”
Crack!
Blood exploded from Geo Han’s nose.
The moment the tables turned, Hyun Sang-min moved like a fish finding water. With eager deference, he’d asked Kim Han-na for a chance at revenge, and the instant she’d said “just don’t kill them,” he’d smashed Geo Han’s face.
Geo Han, already half-conscious, crumpled like paper.
“Hey, you bastard. How’s it feel? Huh?”
One punch wasn’t enough; Hyun Sang-min trampled him flat and rained fists down relentlessly.
“Didn’t dream it’d come to this, did you? You goddamned son of a bitch!”
Thud, thud. Each punch was loaded with fury, crushing the bridge of his nose beyond recognition. Geo Han convulsed and thrashed, eyes rolling back as the blows kept coming.
Hyun Sang-min wiped his nose, breathing hard. It wasn’t over yet. His eyes blazed as he scanned the surroundings—
“Don’t you dare run!”
“Ahhh!”
He bolted forward and seized O Min-yeong by the hair as she crept away.
“You trampled my hand pretty hard back there, didn’t you?”
Crack! Her neck snapped around with a sickening sound.
“Your turn to bite down.”
Hyun Sang-min forced her head back and delivered a vicious Headbutt.
“Ungh!”
O Min-yeong’s eyes flew wide. She curled into herself, both hands clamped over her mouth.
Whimper, whimper—she rolled across the ground, muffled shrieks tearing from her throat before sobs finally broke through.
Watching Hyun Sang-min kick O Min-yeong like a soccer ball, Seol hesitated.
It was just…
They were hateful people, sure, but this felt excessive.
Yet stopping Hyun Sang-min was a thorny thing to do.
‘I’ll tolerate injustice, but not disadvantage.’ That’s what he’d said from the start. If Hyun Sang-min’s injuries stemmed from her own request, stopping him might feel like betrayal.
And she couldn’t quite bring herself to do it.
“Sang-min, that’s enough. That’s enough now.”
Then a middle-aged man rushed forward and grabbed Hyun Sang-min’s arm.
“Hey, who the hell—sir!”
Hyun Sang-min jerked his arm away irritably and shouted.
“Why’d you show up so late!”
“I’m sorry, sorry. Work piled up.”
“Do you have any idea what I’ve been through?”
“I know, I know. Let’s stop here and go. They’re merchandise for Shin Young—any more damage, we’ll have to pay for it.”
Merchandise. The word grated on her ears, but at least Hyun Sang-min had stopped beating them. From the look of it, the man steering him away was his Inviter.
“Don’t waste your pity.”
Kim Han-na spoke coldly.
“There’s more than one person who’s got a knife out for that one.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. That near-disaster with Yoon Seo-ra? That was her doing. She hired the Cartel team to make a move.”
“What?”
“Didn’t know? I thought you’d caught on. She’s the one who claimed her arm was injured, and she’s the one who suggested trying an ambush using survival points as bait.”
“No.”
Seol stared at O Min-yeong, who was now crying streams. All sympathy evaporated.
“That’s not all. In the Tutorial, she killed someone outright for coins and climbed out. Took a Large Mop and—bam!—smashed the back of someone’s skull.”
A young man with coarse hair suddenly cut in, grinning from ear to ear. His friendly face seemed almost innocent—hard to believe he was the one who’d lopped off Geo Han’s hand with a Short Dagger.
The young man caught Seol’s eye and brightened.
“Ah! Nice to meet you. I’m—”
“Shin Han-seong? Can you dump these two in the Carriage?”
As Shin Han-seong tried to slip in a greeting, Kim Han-na fixed him with her characteristic shrewd look.
“Come on, at least let me introduce myself.”
“I just did it for you. Quit your whining and get them loaded.”
“Tch. You always stick me with the annoying jobs.”
“Then should I do it?”
“Go on, go.”
Shin Han-seong grumbled at her sharp gaze.
“This is why you can’t get married.”
“What?”
Just as Kim Han-na was about to lose her temper, Shin Han-seong bolted—dragging the unconscious Geo Han and the struggling O Min-yeong along with him.
Kim Han-na ground her teeth as Shin Han-seong vanished in an instant.
“That bastard, I swear…!”
Then, feeling someone’s gaze, she drew a long breath and composed her expression.
“Have you eaten? Should we talk after you eat?”
The young man shook his head. He’d been through enough drama the moment he arrived—food was the last thing on his mind.
As if she’d expected as much, Kim Han-na swept her arm across the table, clearing away all the scattered dishes at once. Then, spotting Yoon Seo-ra standing motionless like a forgotten sack of barley, she smiled thinly.
“Yoon Seo-ra? I think we should start talking soon.”
…….
“Shin Han-seong will be back shortly. Why don’t you grab an empty table and wait there?”
It was phrased diplomatically, but it was a clear dismissal. Yoon Seo-ra wasn’t stupid. Her expression was plainly reluctant, but after a quick glance at the young man, she turned and left without a word.
Gauging the distance as Yoon Seo-ra drifted away, Kim Han-na suddenly pressed close against the young man’s side.
“!?”
Soft—he felt the unmistakable sensation of warm flesh against his ribs. As he startled and tried to pull away,
“Listen carefully. During our talk, I’m going to show you two contracts.”
Kim Han-na dropped her voice abruptly.
“Two contracts?”
“That’s right—two. And when I put my hand on a contract while I’m speaking, take everything I say with a grain of salt. Understand?”
“What do you mean?”
“No time to explain everything. Originally, I was supposed to handle Yoon Seo-ra’s contract too, but suddenly I got orders to switch it over to Shin Han-seong. I’ll push back as hard as I can, but he’s slippery enough to find some way to meddle regardless.”
As she spoke, Kim Han-na let her eyes drift meaningfully. When the young man glanced around thoughtlessly, his expression shifted to unease.
Enough time had passed that all the Survivors and their Contractees and Inviters had arrived. Most were deep in conversation with Survivors, but several were darting glances at him—or even staring openly from a distance.
“Those are people who’d rather our negotiation falls through,” she murmured.
Kim Han-na’s eyes narrowed sharply, her tone weighted with significance.
“You need to understand your own value.”
“I’m back, sis!”
A cheerful shout struck his ears.
‘Already?’
The curly-haired young man was approaching with Yoon Seo-ra in tow, that familiar easy smile plastered across his face.
“Why are you sitting here?”
Shin Han-seong tried to sit across from him with an awkward smile.
“I wanted to see the famous senior’s skills for myself?”
“Cut the comedy. You go take care of your own Invitee. Why do you keep trying to muscle in?”
“Ah, come on. There’s plenty of room—sit with us.”
“I said go. I’m asking nicely.”
“Why does it matter? Either way, both of you are heading to Shin Young anyway.”
“Who told you that?”
At her sharp retort, Shin Han-seong’s smile faltered visibly.
“Wasn’t that the plan?”
“Don’t think I don’t know why they sent you. I’ve already explained my position clearly.”
“Well, about that…”
“Of course I’ll do my best, but the choice is theirs—his, specifically. You know why? Because he’s an Invitee, not a Contractee. Got it?”
“…Fine. I’ll go.”
‘He’s giving up already?’
The young man had expected him to keep pushing, but Shin Han-seong was turning away dejectedly—except it became clear this was premature. Shin Han-seong dragged over a new table and positioned it close enough to nearly touch.
Kim Han-na shot him a look of pure exasperation, but he paid her no mind, smoothly gesturing to a seat with a composure that felt almost brazenly shameless.
What the young man found equally baffling was that Yoon Seo-ra didn’t sit across from Shin Han-seong—she sat close beside him instead.
“Thank you for your patience. I’m sorry it took the director so long. I imagine you’re curious why he sent me instead?”
Shin Han-seong launched into the contract discussion as if their conversation didn’t matter at all.
“The director got pretty roughed up. You probably know why….”
Yoon Seo-ra lowered her head slightly, then
“In any case, this is a message from the representative.”
At those words, she lifted her chin again, her eyes gleaming sharply.
“…A message?”
“Yes. It’s not long. No frills—straightforward, the way the representative speaks. You know him, right?”
Yoon Seo-ra nodded, as if urging him to continue.
Shin Han-seong cleared his throat awkwardly and opened his mouth.
“First, congratulations on entering Paradise. To be honest, I hoped you’d never come to a place like this, but since things have turned out this way, I’m willing to respect your choice.”
……
“However, your conduct in the Tutorial and the Neutral Zone has been deeply disappointing. Without that young man’s help, you wouldn’t have even passed the Tutorial. Your sister was particularly ashamed of you.”
Yoon Seo-ra’s body flinched.
“I won’t waste words. If you truly wish to take root in this place, show me you’re prepared to do so.”
Having said that much, Shin Han-seong set the Short Dagger he’d been holding down on the table.
“In the Carriage, there will be two people tied up. That large man from earlier, and one woman. You saw them, didn’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“Kill those two people with your own hands, right in front of the representative and Yoon Seo-hui. Do it yourself.”
For a moment, Seol doubted his ears. What was he asking her to do?
“He said if you can’t even do that, you can forget about ever joining Shin Young, and that he’ll use whatever forceful means necessary to send you back to Earth.”
Seol had expected that Yoon Seo-ra, at least, would hesitate as he did, would think it over for a moment.
But she,
“I understand about the man, but why would I need to kill that woman?”
“Of course, the justifications are more than sufficient. I can certainly explain them to you.”
“I’ll do it.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, she picked up the Short Dagger.
“Very well, then.”
Shin Han-seong immediately produced a Contract.
“This is a provisional contract. It takes effect the moment you fulfill what I mentioned earlier.”
After reviewing it carefully, Yoon Seo-ra signed with impressive speed.
“Right now.”
“Ah, that’s a bit of a problem.”
Shin Han-seong waved both hands, his discomfort evident.
“There’s a condition that it be in front of the representative, so I can testify on your behalf, but it’s better to be certain about these things, isn’t it?”
Yoon Seo-ra accepted this.
Relieved, Shin Han-seong rested his chin in his hand, looking as though he’d discharged his duty, and glanced at the adjacent table.
“…Phew.”
Kim Han-na exhaled a deep sigh and pulled two sheets of paper and a pen from her bag.
“…First of all, let me say you did good work.”
She fixed her gaze on Seol.
“And thank you. For keeping your promise to negotiate with me first.”
“Oh… don’t mention it.”
Noticing Seol’s embarrassment, Kim Han-na laid out two contracts neatly.
While the paper on the left was organized clearly and concisely, the one on the right was crammed full of text from beginning to end.
Scanning them broadly, something felt off about it. Particularly with the right contract—the more Seol read, the more she tilted her head in confusion. There were more than a few ambiguous clauses.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say there was plenty of room for interpretation, where the same thing could mean entirely different things depending on how you read it.
Just as Seol barely managed to spot the name “Kim Han-na” on the left and the characters “Shin Young” on the right, Kim Han-na’s voice reached her ears.
“You understand why a Survivor fresh out of the Neutral Zone signs a Contract, don’t you?”
It was something one could grasp without needing to be told.
No matter how successfully one passed the Tutorial and the Neutral Zone, standing before the great stage that is Paradise, one is no different from a child left on a riverbank. In other words, it’s a period when one needs attention and protection.
Of course, there is a clear distinction between a Contractee and an Invitee. The former is unilateral “notification,” while the latter is closer to “mutual agreement.” If the terms don’t suit an Invitee, they can simply walk away from the table without consequence.
“Well… shall I present Shin Young’s terms first?”
Kim Han-na opened her mouth to speak.
“First, the moment you sign this contract, Shin Young will pay you 500 million won as a signing bonus. A lump sum.”
‘500 million won?’
Seol couldn’t hide her shock. For someone who’d lived as an ordinary citizen, 500 million was a sum she’d never even dared dream of.
“It’s too early to be surprised already.”
Kim Han-na, arms crossed, continued in a businesslike tone.
“Shin Young will support you in three ways total. First, money. The moment you sign, you become a Shin Young employee, whether you’re in Paradise or on Earth. And 5 million won will be deposited into your account every two weeks. A million a month. On top of that, various performance bonuses, incentive payments, and bonuses will be given according to company standards, and in Paradise too you’ll receive Mission success payments and Hazard Pay like clockwork. For reference, that’s going to be more than your base salary. Of course, you’ll need to get through the probationary period first.”
Kim Han-na delivered all of this at a remarkably rapid pace.
“Second, every time your Level increases, we’ll provide you with full-body equipment for free. The same goes for explorations and expeditions. If equipment suited to your profession comes from Mission earnings, we’re even prepared to give you priority claim on it.”
Seol swallowed hard. As she listened, she felt her wariness gradually melting away.
“And you seem to enjoy training quite a bit.”
“Training?”
This was unexpected.
“That’s right. Shin Young has training facilities second to none. And if you want, Shin Young’s finest Earther will teach you. I guarantee it—that person’s skill surpasses even Agnes.”
She tried to listen with skepticism, but it was impossible to do so.
“I’m telling you, this is the finest treatment Shin Young has ever offered since its founding. Even Seong Si-hyeon didn’t receive this kind of consideration in his early days.”
The terms were good—too good. I’ll admit, it tempted me. Sign the dotted line and I could walk a golden path in Paradise or on Earth, no doubt about it.
“And… well, you’ll see when you read it, but this is a four-year contract.”
The next moment, Kim Han-na laid her hand on the contract.
‘Whatever I say with my hand on this contract, you listen with a healthy dose of skepticism.’
My wavering thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
Now came the real substance.
“You might think of it as an indentured contract, but it’s not. For talented Earthers to climb the ranks, it typically takes four or five years on average. Considering that, Shin Young is placing considerable faith in you. Put another way, we’re committing to full support so you can reach the upper echelons within four years.”
It was an indentured contract. I’d accept their benevolent treatment, observe for four years, and decide what came next.
“This contract isn’t fixed either. As your level increases, we can renew it with even better terms.”
Or it could get worse.
“As for the support I mentioned earlier… I’ll be frank with you. The advance payment concept is correct. At minimum, you have to repay in Paradise what you receive here. But that’s only natural. Shin Young isn’t digging holes and selling dirt, is it? The company is investing this much in your future based on what it sees in you, so you have to prove you’re worth it. Don’t you think?”
“…”
“Don’t worry! Shin Young isn’t the kind of organization to let anyone slack off. You’ll probably be swamped for the first year or two.”
What if I couldn’t repay what I received?
“One last thing—Shin Young is unquestionably the strongest and greatest organization in Paradise. You saw it yourself earlier, right? Chinsia’s Sicilia branch? The Cartel under Salsido? They’re all kittens compared to a tiger. We’ve even wiped them out before, so any prestigious faction has to bend the knee to us. Shin Young can be a far sturdier shield for you than anyone else.”
Which also meant twice as many enemies.
“Wow, our Han-na really knows how to pitch.”
Shin Han-seong let out an admiring whistle. He looked thoroughly pleased.
Kim Han-na withdrew her hand smoothly. I turned my gaze to the second contract.
“As for this one… honestly, there’s not much for me to say about it.”
I decided to ask the question that had been nagging at me.
“Come to think of it, why are there two contracts?”
“What? Didn’t I tell you? The Gold Mark isn’t Shin Young’s property.”
Kim Han-na opened her eyes wide and feigned innocence.
“The Gold Mark was granted to me directly by the Temple.”
“The Temple?”
“Yes. Gula’s Temple.”
“…What?”
The name that came out of nowhere made my eyes go wide.
“Gula. One of the seven deities in Paradise who support humanity.”
“Wait. So this contract means I’m entering into an agreement with a god, with you as the intermediary?”
“If you want to put it that way, yes…”
Kim Han-na tapped the desk with her index finger as if troubled.
“But honestly, I don’t know much about it either.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“I received it, that’s true. But the revelation I heard at the time was only to keep it safe for when the time came to use it. It happened to go to you by chance. For matters concerning this, it would be better if you asked Gula directly.”
Kim Han-na shrugged.
“Anyway, that’s not the important part of this conversation. You’ve seen this contract?”
At a glance, the contents were less than half as detailed as the other one.
“My name is on the support being offered, but compared to the Shin Young contract, it’ll seem pretty meager.”
That was true.
But it wasn’t easy to call the terms bad either. There was no coercion, no binding restrictions of any kind, and no requirement to affiliate.
While Kim Han-na’s name appeared on it, it was essentially just personal guardian status—the only real advantage being that it maximized my freedom.
“I can’t help it. The support listed here is only acknowledging your achievements and representing my good faith in wanting a positive relationship with you going forward. If you want more than that, sign here.”
Kim Han-na slid the Shin Young contract toward me.
“This director sure does thorough work. I’ll make sure to report this clearly to Headquarters.”
“Zip it. Don’t you see I’m working?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
As Shin Han-seong chattered on, I sank into deliberation.
The terms Shin Young had offered were excellent no matter how I looked at them. There were trap clauses mixed in, but from what Kim Han-na said, it seemed like that was just business as usual in Paradise.
So what if I’m somewhat restrained? They’re hardly going to kill me. If I show that I work hard, won’t they recognize me to some degree?
Since I’d entered Paradise out of simple curiosity rather than any grand ambition, such thoughts came easily enough.
And yet, I hesitated.
For reasons I couldn’t articulate, my instinct rejected it.
It felt like some vast thing I didn’t know about was reaching out from the shadows.
‘Kim Han-na wouldn’t have said that without reason…’
Glorious chains or perilous freedom.
Standing at the crossroads, torn between both paths, I did what I always did—I activated the Nine Eyes.
‘…Damn.’
And for the first time since beginning this tale, hesitation flickered across his face.
There was no way around it.
Yellow, red, crimson, black.
If even one of these four colors had appeared, he would have set it aside—as he had done countless times before.
But neither of the two contracts bore any mark of danger detection.
One shimmered gold.
The other showed no color at all.
This had never happened before.
“Which will it be?”
Standing at the crossroads of an either-or choice.
“…I…”
Seol sensed intuitively that she stood before a critical juncture.

(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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