The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 54

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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 54. Cannot, Can

The atmosphere had grown decidedly grim.
Since the column halted, considerable time had passed, yet Dillon remained silent and withdrawn. Samuel looked equally troubled, staring blankly at the ground. With two widely respected archers sharing the same reaction, there was no avoiding the conclusion that something had gone wrong.
As the silence stretched longer, Ian—who ordinarily avoided speaking unless necessary—finally opened his mouth.
“What is it?”
“…I’m seeing multiple footprints that don’t match any human pattern. I can’t identify what made them.”
Dillon answered evenly. Samuel shook his head in agreement.
What they’d feared in whispers had now become real, and Ian’s face showed the strain.
“Hmm… if there’s anything specific you can tell me, please do. I can’t promise certainty since you two don’t know, but I’ve spent enough time in the royal archives to recognize the common traits of most monsters.”
Seeing merit in this, Samuel turned his attention back to the ground.
“First, the length and width of the prints are enormous. The smallest is about 1.2 times the size of an adult man’s foot, and the largest approaches 1.5 times.”
“Suggesting a large creature. What else?”
“The depth is considerable as well. The ground here isn’t soft like at the entrance, yet the impressions are deep. And—I also see short fur the color of yellow earth.”
“Yellow earth?”
Ian’s brows twitched visibly.
“Light colored or dark?”
“Light.”
Samuel dragged his finger across the ground and nodded with certainty.
“And—”
“Are the claw marks perhaps six, not five?”
Urgency colored Ian’s voice—the very man who’d warned them to control their emotions now unable to mask his anxiety.
“Yes? Ah, exactly. I was just about to mention it.”
“And they don’t dig deep grooves, do they? More like punctures from something sharp, thrust in and withdrawn?”
Samuel turned to stare at the mage blankly, his expression asking how Ian could possibly know such a thing. Ian clenched his jaw.
“Damn it all, it’s a Lyoneer!”
“What?”
Dillon flinched—a rare show of emotion from him.
“A Lyoneer… a Lyoneer?”
Samuel’s brow furrowed belatedly.
“It’s impossible. Why would a Lyoneer be in the Forest of Denial—”
“I’m aware that Lyoneers make their territory in the Mountain Range beyond, not the Forest of Denial. But that’s not what matters now. Every detail you’ve described matches a Lyoneer precisely, and the evidence is right here!”
“We should abandon the expedition.”
Dillon turned to leave as though there was nothing more to discuss, but Samuel hesitated.
“Samuel, abandon this notion. Those creatures are cunning hunters by nature, masters of concealing their presence. Fighting them in the Forest of Denial would be madness.”
Despite Ian’s earnest tone, Samuel still wavered. Seol Jihoo, watching this reluctance when danger seemed so clear, suddenly recalled a conversation from yesterday—and Samuel’s bitter smile at its end.
Seol Jihoo had started to activate the Nine Eyes but stopped himself. He needed to control his emotions. If red or black appeared, he wasn’t confident he could maintain composure. For now, he’d wait and let Ian persuade Samuel.
“But… we’re nearly there. We’ve clearly passed the threshold. I’m confident I can locate the tomb in an hour—even thirty minutes. And Lyoneers, a handful of them, we’re strong enough to overcome them.”
Samuel’s expression remained reluctant. Ian’s face grew somewhat tense, though his voice stayed measured.
“Listen to me. Lyoneers do sometimes hunt alone, but they often move in packs. More than that, a mature male Lyoneer can overwhelm a Level 3 warrior and stand as an equal against a Level 4.”
“…….”
“That’s not all. The female protected by the entire pack rarely emerges, but she surpasses a Level 4 warrior. And the pack’s leader—the alpha—matches a high-ranking Level 5 warrior. A true monster. Kan didn’t die for nothing!”
The mention of Kan seemed to snap something in Samuel.
His hesitation vanished in an instant. Samuel gritted his teeth.
“…We’ll halt the expedition. We’re leaving the Forest of Denial now.”
At Samuel’s decision, Ian nodded with visible relief. Seol Jihoo released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.
Once decided, they moved with swift efficiency.
“We move fast! It’ll be a forced march until we clear the forest, so keep pace and don’t fall behind!”
Samuel’s voice rang out with force despite the darkness in his eyes, and he was turning to lead when—
Thump.
A heavy sound shattered the air. Immediately after came the rustling of tall grass trembling in unison. The entire expedition froze.
“It was waiting in ambush!”
Ian exhaled in despair, knowing it was too late. Seol Jihoo activated the Nine Eyes instinctively. Red. Retreat advised.
Something that had been crouched ahead began to rise slowly. Against his will, Seol Jihoo’s gaze lifted.
The massive figure that emerged into view was a creature of nightmares—a beast’s eyes and face crowned with a lion’s mane. It stood well over three meters tall, its entire body covered in short, yellow-earth-colored fur. The upper body was muscled like a man’s, evenly developed, but the lower body was lean and sinewy, built for a beast’s stride.
What was striking, however, were the long scars running from chest to abdomen—old wounds that hadn’t fully healed, looking fresh still.
“A Lyoneer… and a leader at that!”
Ian gasped.
Soon enough, Lyoneer appeared first, clawing at the ground. It bounded forward, closing the distance in an instant, and crashed down before the expedition with a thunderous bang.
Yet even compared to every monster encountered thus far, the Lyoneer before them gave off an aura of a different caliber entirely.
A moment passed.
A low, rumbling growl issued forth.
The sallow-eyed Lyoneer’s pupils gleamed with savage hunger as it thrust its chest forward and opened its maw wide.
An ear-splitting roar erupted—
The sound tore through the air like a ghost’s wail, shattering the quiet of the forest.
“Aaaah!”
The inhuman shriek seemed to strip the flesh from their very bones. Seol Jihoo’s knees buckled. It wasn’t just him. The porters were scarcely worth mentioning—Clara, Grace, and Alex all tumbled backward. Even Samuel and Cho Hong staggered in the onslaught.
‘No, no, I can’t—’
His eardrums screamed. Vision tunneled and mind grew hazy. Worse still was the sudden, maddening urge to deny something—anything—with the force of his entire being.
“Motus Stabilitem!”
Ian’s cry rang out, and the murky haze vanished in an instant. The world snapped into focus. His chest unclenched and clarity returned.
“What was that?”
Seol Jihoo muttered under his breath, raising both palms. Glittering powder cascaded from above, settling into his open hands.
“Tch. Memorized at least one offensive spell, then.”
Ian lowered his staff without another word and dropped to his knees. He unfurled a scroll on the ground, opened his robe, and withdrew a vial of reagent. Fine powder that resembled Blue Salt spilled quickly across the paper.
Alex, regaining his senses, drew forth a Cross he’d seen before and began chanting.
“That’s Khan’s weapon, isn’t it?”
Dillon loaded his Crossbow with a click and leveled it forward.
Indeed, the Lyoneer commander gripped a darkened Halberd in one clawed hand. In the grip of such a massive beast, it looked like a reed, yet it remained abundantly threatening to human eyes.
A sharp crack split the air.
The Lyoneer commander recoiled with explosive speed, raising one arm. Two bolts protruded from its forearm, but they’d failed to penetrate deeply.
Its slit pupil—running vertically—drifted downward. The commander’s gaze fixed not on Dillon, but on the mage kneeling and tracing a diagram on the ground.
Though nearly bereft of reason, bound only to instinct, the beast could sense it all the same. It knew exactly who’d breathed life back into the prey that moments ago had crumpled like wheat.
A deep, rumbling snarl emerged.
At that growl, Lyoneers hidden left and right finally began to emerge. Four from the left, four from the right. Each bore weapons plainly stolen from humans, and they ambled forward on two legs. Smaller than the commander, yet each still towered beyond two meters.
“Damn it. Nine Lyoneers? What manner of cursed forest is this?”
The curse was short-lived. Seol Jihoo realized the expedition members had already formed a protective circle around him.
“I’ll take the one in front. Hugo and Clara handle the left flank. Samuel and Grace take the right. We hold the line until Ian completes his incantation—no matter what.”
Dillon gave the order tersely and stepped forward at an even pace.
Soon after, as four figures bolted left and right, the expedition’s counterattack began in earnest. The roar of battle rose as man and monster collided.
Dillon fired his Crossbow. The Lyoneer commander closed the gap with explosive speed and brought its Halberd down in a vicious arc. The weapon that would have cleaved Dillon in two embedded itself uselessly in the earth instead. By then, Dillon had already circled behind, drawing a Dagger from his belt and raking it across the creature’s thigh.
A furious growl tore loose.
The startled beast’s arm swept down with brutal force, but Dillon simply vanished, reappearing at its flank.
Crack! Crack-crack-crack!
Five bolts shot forth in rapid succession, each aimed with deadly precision at vital points. But the Lyoneer crouched suddenly, protecting its body. Shots to the arm and thigh were unavoidable—they struck home nonetheless.
Blood rising, the commander swung its Halberd in a wild, indiscriminate fury.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Each blow was powerful enough to crack the earth itself, yet all met empty air. Dillon evaded with leisure, maintaining distance as he unleashed bolt after bolt from his Crossbow.
‘Perhaps—’
Though the wounds seemed superficial, Seol Jihoo found himself cautiously hopeful. At this rate, wouldn’t Dillon emerge victorious? Then he froze.
The commander’s eyes flicked toward him—a sideways glance, as though the beast had something on its mind.
‘Wait.’
What if it abandoned Dillon and charged straight for him instead?
The commander’s body pivoted in just that direction—until Cho Hong stepped forward, at which point its face twisted in fury.
Seol Jihoo exhaled in relief. He’d wondered why she hadn’t joined the fray earlier. Cho Hong was a Keeper. It was her position that allowed Dillon to move freely, striking at will.
“Hey.”
Cho Hong spoke to him.
“Don’t be afraid. Stay close behind me. I’ll protect you.”
Seol Jihoo started to protest—who’s your younger sibling?—but the sight of Cho Hong’s eyes darting rapidly left and right made him think better of it.
Hugo was swinging a Battle Axe with desperate strength, but surrounded by four beasts and thrashing wildly, his wounds multiplied by the second.
Clara drew her bowstring without rest, but each arrow either bounced off the Lyoneer’s hide or fell short. Her support amounted to nothing.
The right flank was in far worse straits.
After such prolonged combat, Grace’s Shield lay shattered on the ground, and she clung to survival with a single Longsword. Only Samuel’s frenzied dance—arms flailing as he hurled Daggers and throwing blades without pause—kept her from becoming ground meat.
The battle’s tide ran decidedly against them. Dillon held his own, even pressing an advantage, yet both flanks teetered on collapse. The moment one side fell, the rest would follow—as clear as dawn.
“Aaaaaaahhh!”
A sudden scream cut through the chaos, and Seol Jihoo’s instincts flared with power.
It had finally happened. Grace hurled her Longsword away and clutched her head, wailing. In the throes of such violent combat, restraint was nearly impossible. She’d succumbed to the Forest of Denial Effect.
For the Lyoneers, it was an opening made in heaven. As they raised their weapons to strike the woman thrashing on the ground, Alex thrust his left arm forward, crying out something urgent.
A roar echoed across the battlefield.
A translucent barrier materialized around Grace. It was a matter of inches—the descending weapons bounced off with sharp metallic clangs.
“Damn it! Aren’t you going to help?”
Hugo spat the curse through gritted teeth, his voice thick with frustration. Alex calmly extended the Cross held in his left hand.
“Lushu Lu Lushulia!”
The four Lyoneers pressing down on Hugo froze mid-strike. Hugo seized the moment and drove his Axe into one creature’s neck—blood sprayed in a violent arc.
He’d brought down one, but at a cost. Hugo was drenched in blood, his armor caved in at several points, streaks of crimson seeping through the gaps.
For a brief moment, conflict flickered across Alex’s eyes. Then he chanted again, and bright light washed over Hugo’s body—his sluggish movements suddenly regained their speed. But the Cross crumbled to ash in his grip.
There was no time to mourn the loss. Alex spun to his right. The barrier was on the verge of shattering.
“Cho Hong!”
Dillon, who’d called her name, positioned himself between the expedition party and the Lyoneer captain. The creature was bristling with arrows like a hedgehog, yet it still moved with terrible purpose.
Cho Hong was already moving. She swept her long hair as she darted to the right, then rushed forward like a flash of light and brought her Mace crashing down on the back of the creature’s head as it focused on breaching the shield.
Crack—a fountain of blood erupted, and another Lyoneer fell. The three remaining creatures wheeled around as if on cue, extending their weapons in unison. Cho Hong planted her feet firmly and raised her left arm—which held nothing.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Longsword, Axe, spear—each weapon was intercepted in turn.
In the empty air—no, upon her left arm—a white Shield materialized.
‘Holy Magic?’
Cho Hong slid backward, carving a long furrow into the earth, but she remained unharmed.
“Samuel! Drop what you have and get back here!”
With nimble footwork, she zigzagged her approach, then pivoted in a half-circle and swung her Mace. She wasn’t charging recklessly—instead, she circled the perimeter deliberately, buying time.
While Cho Hong drew the aggression of three creatures, Samuel pulled Grace to safety. The tide of battle, which had threatened to turn against them, was restored to balance by Cho Hong’s intervention.
‘What do I do?’
The mana and circuits, heated from dozens of rotations, burned intensely. What he saw through the Nine Eyes was still crimson.
He wanted to fight alongside them. He hated being protected, kept on the sidelines.
But his position wasn’t one that allowed him to move freely. They’d never made an agreement not to rush recklessly into combat, but it was understood.
And there was more. With Cho Hong taking Grace’s place, they’d lost their Keeper. It had been a necessary choice, but plainly—if they came under surprise attack now, the mage and priest would fall without even being able to resist.
‘For now.’
Having resolved himself, Seol Jihoo set down his heavy pack and hefted his spear.
Dillon, who’d been containing the Lyoneer captain, and Alex, who’d been chanting desperately, both cast sidelong glances at the young man. No words were spoken. They’d been reduced to borrowing the hands of a Level 1—the situation was that dire. That was when it happened.
Ian, who’d sat motionless day and night, finally rose to his feet. His face was so drenched in sweat that even his beard hung heavy with it.
Five Scrolls had been laid out on the ground. The papers, dusted with Blue Salt, bore incomprehensible geometric patterns woven throughout.
Ian’s eyes snapped wide open.
The five Scrolls ignited simultaneously, and blue granules shimmered with brilliance. Spiraling upward from left to right in sequence, they began to coalesce in mid-air, their rotation accelerating until a singular form took shape.
The final shape was an ice spear. A massive spear of blue light, reminiscent of stalactites in a limestone cavern, rotated with the sharpness of a drill.
Ian raised his staff and cried out.
“Arc Se Arcadia!”
Like a bowstring snapped taut, the ice spear erupted forward with explosive force. Two shot left, two shot right, and one flew straight ahead.
The ice spears streaked forward like bullets. On direct impact, anguished shrieks tore through the air. One creature, its skull pierced clean through, collapsed immediately. Another had managed to defend its vitals at the last instant, but its arm and abdomen were impaled nonetheless.
The trouble was that penetration was not the end—it was merely the beginning.
The blue spear lodged in flesh absorbed into the body, and as it diminished in size, the ice spread across the Lyoneer’s skin like a frozen sheet, expanding its reach relentlessly.
In the end, even the Lyoneer captain was brought to one knee. It was no exception. One of its shins was being consumed by a creeping layer of pale ice where the spear had struck.
Though they’d been wary of the mage, they’d failed to shake off the archer’s persistent harassment and had taken the blow full-on.
The battle reversed with stunning speed. Two creatures were sent to their end in an instant, and three more suffered crippling injuries to their mobility—the captain among them.
This was not an opportunity Dillon would squander.
“Don’t let them catch their breath—press the advantage!”
He fell back immediately, discharged his Crossbow, and drew the Longbow slung across his back. His Class was Arc Shooter. A sharpshooter.
‘So that’s a true mage.’
Seol Jihoo, who’d been watching anxiously, let out an involuntary gasp of admiration.
Just as Alex completed another Holy Magic incantation, Hugo—who’d looked like he might collapse at any moment—somehow managed to brace himself. Watching this, the young man clenched his fists.
‘We can win this.’
The shift of the Nine Eyes from crimson to amber was the surest proof….
A deafening roar tore from the Lyoneer captain’s throat.
‘What?’
Seol Jihoo’s eyes went wide as lanterns. The moment the Lyoneer captain cried out, the amber that had briefly painted the surroundings shifted back to crimson.
‘Why?’
Though far from overwhelming, the situation was leagues better than before. Cho Hong and Samuel had begun their overwhelming assault. Hugo, supported by Alex, was holding firm with room to spare. And most crucially, Dillon had drawn his bow to its limit, his aim locked on the Lyoneer captain.
Electricity crackled from the arrow’s tip—it was clearly no ordinary projectile. A direct hit would deal at least a fatal wound. Yet the Lyoneer captain’s eyes curved upward in what might have been a smile.
‘It’s… smiling?’
The instant Seol Jihoo’s brow furrowed, Dillon released. The Lyoneer captain hunched its body, baring its teeth—and simultaneously, an eerie wind pressure brushed against the young man’s neck.
Crack-crack-crack!
Seol Jihoo’s eyes snapped wide as he watched the lightning pierce through the Lyoneer captain. He spun around frantically.
In that instant, a single maned Lyoneer burst from the earth behind them, vaulting skyward with terrifying speed.
[The female Lyoneer, whom the entire pack guards as their first priority, rarely emerges from the nest, but….]
Ian’s words flashed through Seol Jihoo’s mind.
“No!”
Seol Jihoo cried out in desperation.
Dillon’s head snapped up, his mouth falling open. Hugo, straining with every fiber of his being, contorted his face in anguish. Samuel and Cho Hong, who had just felled another beast through coordinated strikes, gasped in horror.
Despair flickered across Ian’s and Alex’s faces.
As if it had been lying in wait for this exact moment, the female Lyoneer’s eyes glinted with cold calculation as it crossed the void. Seol Jihoo watched it rear both axes back with full force, gripped by an uncanny sense of déjà vu.
In those brief seconds, everything before his eyes suddenly slowed.
‘What am I doing?’
The world tilted, as if he were drunk.
‘I have to dodge.’
His gut clenched with a sharp, familiar ache.
‘Do it? Really?’
A torrent of emotions swept through his chest.
His bangs whipped in the sudden gust. Only then did Seol Jihoo realize he was charging forward.
Even knowing it was wrong.
His body moved on its own.
“Seol!”
Alex’s startled cry receded into the distance.
Mana churned like molten lava, roiling with tremendous force. It surged through his entire frame with the fury of a tidal wave.
……
The slow-moving world snapped abruptly back to normal speed.
In that instant, sudden, crushing terror stole his breath away.
‘I want to live….’
His eyes burned with sweat.
‘I don’t want to die…!’
His muscles seized as the blade wind already began tearing into his body.
Death’s terror, felt for the second time.
Seol Jihoo’s grip tightened on the spear shaft. He gritted his teeth and aimed for the descending enemy.
Thousands of simulations in the Neutral Zone, tens of thousands of practice drills—
‘I can….’
They were all for this moment…!
‘Do it!’
The next instant,
“Aaaagh!”
Seol Jihoo finally succeeded in forcing his trembling arms to extend.
And so,
The axe plummeting to split the earth and the spear rising smoothly to intercept it happened in near-perfect simultaneity.

(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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