The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 57

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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 57. Spirit Pacification Ritual (2)

Tap.
The quill finished its final period and fell limply to the page. Feathers clinging to the shaft scattered and drifted down. All that remained was a bedraggled pen, its plumage nearly spent, and a single sheet of paper thick with resentment and bitter sorrow.
“Ugh!”
Grace, drained of all color, threw her arms around Samuel’s neck. Samuel’s face mirrored her shock. All of them stood in silence, staring at the paper.
After a long, desolate quiet, Ian spoke first.
“If we’d just walked in there, we’d have been in real trouble.”
Samuel ground his teeth. It was a waste. The tomb was far larger than any ordinary burial ground he’d ever seen—dozens of times over. As the youngest daughter of a noble house and even elevated to sainthood, the burial goods would surely be substantial.
But Seol Jihoo had used the Stream of Consciousness Quill to establish grounds for the claim that “entering the tomb is dangerous.” There was little to pick apart in his logic, yet that was precisely the problem—Ian’s hypothesis, which had been nothing more than intuition before, had now taken concrete form.
“They say when a woman holds a grudge, frost falls even in summer!”
Samuel announced this with forced cheer, then snatched the paper and waved it dismissively in the air.
“Don’t be so frightened, you lot. At worst, it’s just a vengeful spirit. Surely it can’t be stronger than Raionor? One incantation from Alex and it might be over.”
He wasn’t wrong. All Seol Jihoo had proven was that an enemy existed within the tomb. How dangerous that enemy actually was couldn’t be known until they faced it directly. To retreat in fear from a trivial foe would be the height of absurdity.
“I disagree.”
Seol Jihoo objected immediately. Samuel sighed.
“Care to elaborate?”
“May I ask a question first?”
“Go ahead.”
“Dylan, Samuel—near this tomb, aside from that team called Khan and ourselves, did either of you notice any other signs? Monsters, perhaps? Beasts of any kind?”
“Well…”
Samuel trailed off. After surveying the hillside, he’d found no particular tracks in the area.
“Ah, I see where you’re going with that.”
Dylan affirmed, as if understanding the implication.
“That’s not all.”
Seol Jihoo continued.
“According to what you said earlier, this person called the Sage even came looking for it himself.”
“Ah—inverse reasoning. Indeed, if the defensive magic is this extensive, one can easily infer the strength of the vengeful spirit.”
Ian nodded thoughtfully, finding merit in the argument.
As the two core members of the expedition showed signs of agreeing, Samuel found himself growing uneasy.
‘What the hell is this kid playing at?’
If it were a moral objection, he could at least understand it. Kid’s Level 1. Still new to Paradise. Absurd arguments he could laugh off and move past.
But each word cut sharp. It was like watching a seasoned Earthian who’d been on a dozen expeditions.
“…I see your point.”
Samuel licked his lips and opened his mouth.
“Seol. I’ll grant that your argument has merit. But it’s built on an unverified hypothesis, isn’t it?”
“Samuel.”
“What we know for certain is this: this tomb belongs to a high-ranking noblewoman of the ancient empire, and there’s an enemy inside. Defeat that enemy, and we return to Harama triumphant with the burial goods—artifacts from a vanished civilization, mind you.”
……
“Look, you might be right. But even taking that into account, I want to go in. This is my call as leader.”
Expeditions inherently carry risk. With the principle invoked, Seol Jihoo had little left to say. He could only feel his insides churning.
As the young man fell silent, Ian stepped in smoothly.
“What do you think?”
“Sorry?”
“Samuel wants to take the risk and deal with the vengeful spirit. But if you’ve thought of an alternative approach, I’d very much like to hear it.”
‘He’s giving me a chance.’
Seol Jihoo sensed that Ian agreed with him; he was simply deferring to Samuel’s authority as leader rather than stating it outright.
‘Damn it. Red. It’s an instant death if we go in there.’
He’d only ever encountered the Immediate Escape once before—in the Neutral Zone. Just thinking of how close he’d come to dying then made his skin crawl.
If he dithered now, he’d be forced to enter that tomb. Not forced, really—entry was already decided. With Samuel’s will so firmly set, Seol Jihoo had no authority to prevent it.
‘What are they expecting me to do?’
He could make a last stand and refuse to enter, even alone, but… the fallout of that choice made it unattractive.
What should he do?
The best outcome would be to secure the burial goods without incurring the spirit’s wrath. But there was no reason to expect such fortune.
‘A way through, a way through…’
[Women are like this. They’re creatures of emotion. You see? Different from males.]
‘Damn it. Why does Ha-O Win’s voice just pop into my head now?’
Then a possibility dawned on him.
“I’d like to try a different approach.”
Seol Jihoo’s eyes, which had seemed complicated at first, grew calm. Ian’s gaze brightened.
“She was sold off into marriage without her consent, and through no fault of her own, she had to be buried alive. This isn’t merely a matter of calling it tragic or unjust.”
“That’s true.”
“And she’s been trapped here for over centuries—there’s no way to measure the depth of her unresolved resentment. If we go in as we are, all that homeless rage will pour down on us. It’ll be just like a vengeful spirit charging at us to kill.”
“Hmm. And then?”
Seol Jihoo swallowed hard.
Even thinking it over himself, he knew it was ridiculous, absurd. But he couldn’t think of any other option.
But life was precious. To survive, he had to grasp at even a straw.
Having made his decision, Seol Jihoo opened his mouth.
“So what if we tried to placate the vengeful spirit instead of confronting her head-on?”
“W-what?”
Samuel made a sharp sound. Ian raised a hand, signaling for silence.
“Placate a vengeful spirit? You mean ask for her understanding?”
“Something like that. From the woman’s perspective, we’re grave robbers, intruders.”
“I suppose. But I doubt a homeowner would understand just because a thief asks for forgiveness.”
“She’s a dead person, though. At least we should show her some sincerity.”
Ian stroked his beard slowly. He seemed to need time to process this unfamiliar concept.
“Hmm. Placating a vengeful spirit, you say….”
“Ian. I’ve heard something similar before.”
Unexpectedly, Dylan came to Seol Jihoo’s support.
“I think Seol is talking about Exorcism. Actually, exorcists often pacify the spirits of the dead through dialogue rather than through expulsion.”
“I think I’ve heard of that too.”
Hugo suddenly interjected.
“I have a friend who specializes in grave robbing.”
Chohong let out a hollow laugh.
“Boasting about it, are we.”
“No, listen. Anyway, that guy always performs a ritual before he digs up a grave.”
“A ritual?”
“Yeah. He sets out a few dishes of food and some liquor, and tells the deceased not to be angry. He says he’ll make good use of the burial goods. When he’s done, he carefully replaces the mound. That’s how you keep the curse from falling on you.”
As both Dylan and Hugo vouched for the idea, Ian too seemed intrigued. Seol Jihoo seized the moment.
“The Stream of Consciousness Quill can be used once more. I think it would be best to perform the Spirit Pacification Ritual first, and then try to understand the woman’s intent again.”
Samuel, who had been merely chewing his lips for a while, finally spoke.
“How much time does this Spirit Pacification Ritual take?”
“If we do an abbreviated version, ten minutes should be enough.”
“…All right. Then let’s do it this way.”
Samuel continued.
“Let’s try it your way first. Ten minutes—well, at worst we lose nothing. And if the results aren’t good… then I’d like you to follow my judgment.”
This seemed to be the furthest Samuel was willing to compromise. Seol Jihoo rose without a word.
“So, how exactly does this Spirit Pacification Ritual work?”
“We’ll perform a ritual ceremony.”
“A ritual ceremony?”
“Yes. Alex? Could we use an Altar? And if you have any offerings with you, a few would help.”
“An Altar, I have one, but….”
Alex hesitated. He was skeptical about the Spirit Pacification Ritual. It seemed pointless, and he didn’t want to waste valuable offerings.
“Of course, since I walk the path of a priest, I always prepare. But, well, I’m still a novice friar.”
“Alex? Just do it. I’ll replenish it once the expedition is over.”
“Damn it, all right.”
Grumbling, Alex dragged over the bag he’d taken from the porter.
“Do we really have to go this far?”
Clara shot out the words in a discontented tone.
“What are you doing? Placating a spirit? Are you joking?”
“Clara. Be quiet.”
“No, let me say this. Don’t you know that once you use an offering, its value is gone? We’ve already lost precious artifacts, and you don’t feel sorry for Alex?”
“Clara!”
Samuel raised his voice.
“By that logic, Seol also lost a magical weapon. And he used the Stream of Consciousness Quill.”
“W-well, that’s….”
“Don’t be childish. This is something I’ve agreed to as well.”
Samuel spoke firmly, then turned to look at Seol Jihoo.
“I’m sorry. Let me apologize on his behalf.”
On the surface, it seemed like she was defending Seol Jihoo, but her intentions weren’t entirely without calculation. By yielding firmly on the points she’d conceded, she ensured she could claim her own concessions just as firmly. If it worked, excellent; if not, she could silence them with a clear conscience.
‘Just ten more minutes to wait.’
That wasn’t all. Chohong and Hugo were eyeing Clara with obvious displeasure as she fumed and sulked. Had Yoon Seora not mediated appropriately, the two of them would likely have stepped in. Expedition unity was the thing she, as the leader, most needed to guard against.
Thus, under Seol Jihoo’s direction, the ritual ceremony preparations progressed. An altar was set before the tomb, and offerings were arranged. Food was carefully plated and set in place, and Hugo produced a bottle of the liquor he’d been hoarding.
A small mercy was that Seol Jihoo possessed some knowledge of ritual ceremonies. As the saying goes, even a dog at a village school learns to recite poetry after three years. Having conducted ceremonies three times yearly without fail, he wasn’t entirely at a loss.
Once the preparations were roughly complete, Ian approached with a question.
“Is there anything we should be careful about during the ritual?”
Seol Jihoo considered for a moment before speaking.
“My father always says something about this. He says that sincerity is half the ceremony.”
“Sincerity is half of it. A good word.”
“Yes. I know it’s tedious, but I’d like you to approach this with genuine heart. It’s not difficult. You could comfort the woman, or apologize for wrongs—just please don’t do it half-heartedly.”
In truth, Seol Jihoo wasn’t confident either. But since they’d decided to attempt this, they might as well do it properly.
“I’ll begin with the Spirit Summoning.”
“Spirit Summoning?”
“It means calling forth the spirit. Think of it as one of the ritual steps.”
Seol Jihoo offered a wry smile as he took his place before the altar.
The ceremony soon began. In Paradise too, there were classes such as Priest and High Priest, so it wasn’t an uncommon sight, but the fact that their subject was a Vengeful Spirit made it genuinely extraordinary.
True to Seol Jihoo’s word, the abbreviated ceremony didn’t consume much time. Ritual Ablution—washing the cup with liquor, bowing, moving the spoon between plates at intervals.
Thus progressing through Ritual Feeding to Ritual Farewell. The final step, Ritual Burning, was substituted by burning the paper bearing the woman’s consciousness.
“I’ve lived long and tried everything under the sun.”
As the ceremony ended, Chohong muttered quietly to himself.
“Hey, Seol. Can we eat this stuff?”
Hugo gestured toward the food arranged on the altar. Come to think of it, they’d long since passed lunchtime.
“Yes. Since the ceremony is finished, you may eat.”
“I see. I do hope it has some effect.”
Hugo spoke carelessly as he reached toward the altar.
Now that it was done, the weight of uncertainty pressed down a hundredfold.
‘What if it doesn’t work?’
Perhaps this was how a king felt when conducting a rain prayer. Seol Jihoo steadied his racing heart and activated the Nine Eyes.
‘Ah.’
The tomb remained black. It hadn’t changed at all. Then it happened.
“Ptui, ptui, ptui!”
Hugo grimaced and spat. Chohong, standing beside him, jumped back in alarm.
“Hey, you crazy bastard!”
“What—what is this? Why does it taste like that?”
Hugo stared at the dried meat in his hand, his face twisted in disgust.
“What’s wrong with the taste?”
“I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like chewing sand.”
“What?”
Chohong picked up a piece of dried meat with a puzzled expression and placed it in his mouth. He chewed briefly before his face contorted sharply.
“Ptui! What is this?”
“What’s going on?”
Drawn by the commotion, Dylan and the other expedition members began putting food in their mouths. Their reactions were identical. The food wasn’t spoiled, but it tasted so terrible that it was inedible.
Seol Jihoo stared blankly for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the tomb—just to be sure. And without realizing it, he held his breath.
The color of the tomb began to shift. From black to red, from red to crimson, and finally from crimson to yellow.
‘Caution—Warning Selection!’
Seol Jihoo clenched his fist and shouted.
“Ian!”
Ian was already pulling out paper. Quick-witted Dylan plucked a single blade of grass sprouting from the tomb, wound it firmly around the quill, and placed it on the blank sheet.
Moments later, the quill straightened, then came to an abrupt stop.
Was it confusion? It hesitated for a long time, wavering and uncertain, before carefully beginning to write.
The difference from before was clear: rather than scrawling madly, the movements were slow and deliberate, as though weighing each stroke.
Before long, all the quill’s feathers had fallen away. Yet, as though there was more to write, the quill continued scratching across the paper until it abruptly collapsed into a handful of ash.
‘Please.’
Though he could see through the Nine Eyes, even a Caution—Warning Selection was no guarantee. With his throat parched, Seol Jihoo swallowed and read what was written on the paper.

– Been so long since food tasted good filled belly for first time like this
Really? Do you understand me? Really? For real?
Yeah those bastards bad guys so angry too unfair wanted to be comforted felt so wronged
Thank you for understanding. Thank you, man with the black hair. I’m truly grateful. How did I even…
Let yourselves in. You can take what you need anyway. Things that are useless to me.
Oh, and please don’t touch around my coffin. I’m begging you—my burial goods.

The writing was remarkably crude, rambling and disjointed. Yet the meaning came through loud and clear.
“What….”
Samuel’s mouth fell open.
“…I honestly can’t believe it.”
He’d half-expected it, but even Ian, who’d survived countless hardships, was experiencing something entirely new.
“This is a case worth reporting to the Tower of Magic. Who exactly are you?”
He fixed Seol Jihoo with a gaze that transcended wonder into something approaching reverence.
“Seol. I’m genuinely curious about something.”
Hugo chuckled as he studied Seol Jihoo with amusement.
“What were you doing back on Earth?”
Seol Jihoo deflected. He couldn’t simply tell them the truth.
“This expedition has been one revelation after another. It’s a valuable lesson.”
Dylan also shook his head in disbelief.
Seol Jihoo gazed at the tomb with a pained expression. He was pleased that a method he’d thought impossible had worked, yet something like regret stirred within him as well.
‘How frightened and alone she must have been.’
A simple ritual ceremony had soothed her heart. The circumstances around her had only driven her gentle spirit toward darkness. Perhaps in life, her nature had been kind and tender.
‘If I ever get the chance.’
The thought came to him that he’d like to return once or twice a year to perform a proper ritual.
With that in mind, Seol Jihoo began slowly tidying the altar.
He’d already received the former inhabitant’s blessing.
Now only one task remained—to proceed deeper inside.

Click.
The expedition party opened the door and carefully made their way into the tomb. It was dark inside, but Ian’s Light Magic allowed them to illuminate the space.
The interior layout was surprisingly straightforward. They proceeded down a corridor until another doorway appeared, beyond which lay what looked like a vast chamber.
Samuel, advancing calmly through the passage, suddenly stopped and gasped.
“Wow!”
“Whoa, whoa!”
Alex’s face was equally stunned.
The Burial Chamber was a circular space roughly twenty meters in diameter, with an arched ceiling soaring at least four or five meters high.
But what truly astonished the expedition party were the treasures adorning the walls.
Various ornaments hung sporadically along the curved wall, each studded with precious gemstones, and glinting among them were reddish-gold ornaments that caught the light.
The crown jewel, however, was the pair of coffins resting upon an altar in the center of the chamber. The one on the right looked rather plain, but the one on the left was something else entirely.
It lay upon fine marble carved with metaphysical patterns and draped in crimson cloth embroidered with golden thread. Above it, a magnificent longsword and a sleek shield were crossed in a display of arms.
And as if that weren’t enough, numerous pieces of jewelry emanating an unmistakably arcane radiance were arranged neatly upon and around the coffin—earrings, rings, what appeared to be insignia, and items none of them had ever seen before.
Each one radiated splendor and bore an otherworldly power; they were almost certainly artifacts from the ancient empire that Samuel had so desperately hoped to find.
“This is fantastic! Hey, how much do you think something like this would be worth?”
Samuel reached up to remove a flower from the wall as he spoke. Upon closer inspection, it shimmered with a subtle multicolored glow—gemstones carved with exquisite precision into floral shapes.
“Gemstones carved with such delicacy aren’t common. To a collector, the asking price would be whatever they’re willing to pay.”
Dylan smiled warmly in response.
“That, that there….”
Since entering, Alex hadn’t taken his eyes off the left coffin. More precisely, he was staring intently at an insignia no larger than a palm.
“Alex?”
When Seol Jihoo gently touched his arm, Alex’s neck trembled as he finally spoke.
“Seol, Seol. Do you see that? That thing?”
“What about it?”
“If, if that’s what I think it is… it’s incredibly rare and incredibly expensive. For priests, it’s the equipment of dreams.”
He fell silent, his whole body quivering with barely contained emotion.
“Ha ha. For a priest, you’re quite well-informed, Alex.”
Ian approached with an amused smirk.
“Your suspicion is likely correct. Most of the items visible on that left coffin are probably priestly artifacts.”
“I thought as much.”
“Burial goods are traditionally the possessions the deceased cherished in life. But this woman was the daughter of a noble house and was even canonized as a saint, so naturally she required furnishings befitting that station. That’s why the two coffins are so different.”
As Alex listened to Ian’s explanation, he nodded fervently, his attention unwavering. Everything else seemed to fade from his awareness.
His obvious covetousness made it clear these were treasures of immense value—but sadly, they were beyond reach. The woman had permitted them to take other things, but expressly asked them not to touch anything near her coffin. He couldn’t betray that promise now, not after everything he’d done to pacify her spirit.
‘The things on the walls will be more than enough.’
Suddenly I noticed Chohong and Hugo reaching toward the coffin on the right, but I didn’t stop them. The Nine Eyes remained active. Aside from the objects surrounding the coffin on the left, nearly everything glowed green.
Seol Jihoo, having bowed in prayer before the coffin where the woman lay, turned from it toward the wall. The others were already absorbed in gathering the burial goods.
As considerable time passed, it was around the moment when they’d removed every last ornament hanging on the walls.

(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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