The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 85

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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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Episode 85. Panic Room

“Ahhhhhhh!”
Cho Hong shrieked. She wrenched free from Kazuki’s grip on her arm and bolted forward, only to collide with someone and tumble to the ground. Cheonji stood over her, cigarette dangling from his lips, eyes widened in mild surprise. They had returned.
“What happened.”
Cheonji’s mouth shut tight in the same instant. Seven people had come back. They’d left with six. Which meant at least one rescue had succeeded.
“Lawrence! It’s Erica Lawrence!”
“I see Richard Hugo too!”
People clustered in small groups erupted in cheers at the sight of those returned. But the celebration was short-lived.
The operation had always been a long shot. Yet despite bringing back two people, the mood of the Rescue Team hung heavy and broken—like watching someone’s soul drain away before your eyes.
Cheonji noticed it at once: seeing Ian’s ashen face, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, she realized someone from the team was missing.
“Ian, Ian!”
Cho Hong, who had been sitting in a daze, suddenly lurched forward.
“Activate it again! The circle—activate it now! Come on!”
The moment she grabbed his collar, Ian collapsed like a stalk of reed—his mental reserves completely drained from maintaining the Transfer Magic Circle for so long.
“Get up! Get up!”
Cho Hong’s screams cut through the air. Voices erupted around them. Cheonji rushed in and forcibly restrained her, pinning down her thrashing form as she demanded answers.
“Kazuki. What happened?”
Kazuki said nothing for a long moment. Even he—renowned for his cold composure—was visibly shaken, his confusion written plain across his face.
“…First.”
After a prolonged silence, Kazuki spoke quietly.
“The rescue operation succeeded this far because of that young man. From beginning to end.”
Cheonji understood immediately whom he meant.
“I know.”
“He refused to give up until the very end. He stayed alone to the last, searching everywhere. Thanks to him, we were able to rescue Richard Hugo and Erica Lawrence, and we safely recovered Ayase Yui, Ibrahim Ali, and Edward Dylan—all three of them.”
Which meant they had managed to bring out all the Earthians, one way or another.
“What about Teresa Hatse?”
“The Princess….”
Kazuki couldn’t finish the sentence.
“Did you fail to find her and run over time searching anyway?”
“No.”
Kazuki’s voice turned sharper than necessary as he contradicted her assumption.
“The Princess appeared to have been held prisoner by a Superior Species.”
“A prisoner?”
“Yes. But he still managed to rescue her. We were discovered midway, but we escaped safely regardless.”
“A Higher Parasite was there? And you were discovered but still got out?”
Cheonji blinked. She’d been skeptical when she heard the rumors about Aden Gorge, but hearing it from Kazuki’s own mouth left no room for doubt.
“So? If you escaped, why didn’t you make it back?”
Kazuki shook his head.
“…I don’t know.”
“What?”
“Damn it. I truly don’t know. The operation was harrowing, yes, but I was certain of success. We severed the rope bridge to slow pursuit, and we shot down every flying craft. We were just about to enter the hideout safely when….”
Kazuki swept his bangs back. His forehead was slick with perspiration.
“Just before what? What happened?”
It was Agnes’s voice. Kazuki’s expression remained troubled as he spoke.
“What I saw was… Seol Jihoo, who had been running with the Princess in his arms, suddenly dropped.”
“He fell?”
“I don’t think so. It didn’t look like a simple fall. If his foot had just caught on something, his momentum should have carried him through… Ah.”
Kazuki’s eyes narrowed as uncertainty crossed his face.
“I think I may have heard something like a gunshot just before we entered.”
“A gunshot?”
“I have no better way to describe it. I can’t be sure myself.”
At the word “gunshot,” Cheonji’s eyes flicked toward Agnes.
A silence had fallen over everyone. Only Cho Hong’s cries continued to echo—shrill and raw. And then,
…….
Agnes closed her eyes slowly.

He was lost. Or perhaps more accurately—he had vanished without a trace.
From a Higher Being’s perspective, losing a few livestock is hardly cause for concern. But Teresa Hatse is a different matter entirely. She carries the blood of the Haramag Royal Family, one of the seven nations that form the backbone of the Human Alliance, and she is a being bound by direct contract with seven gods.
The Parasite Queen, once the conqueror of an entire world, had suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of a mighty god and barely escaped with her life. After struggling to establish herself in this Paradise, she had grown her strength by consuming lesser deities, partially recovering her power.
Yet it was not enough. Driven by a desire for vengeance and absolute perfection, she craved greater strength still, and sought to acquire more gods as the means to obtain it. Thus her interest in the seven gods remaining in Paradise was only natural—and her hunger for them, inevitable.
In other words, the secret Teresa Hatse possessed was a commodity of sorts. Even trivial information could serve as proof of her value. Had things gone according to plan, she might have earned an opportunity to evolve to the next level.
Consumed by the conviction that Teresa could not be allowed to escape, the Parasite Queen had mobilized not only the underground forces but the entire garrison defending the surface to pursue her. By all calculations, she should have been captured by the elite troops pouring down to Underground Level 1 like a flood.
But the speed of her escape had exceeded all expectations, and in the end, the operation had amounted to nothing. She should have simply captured her and presented her as a trophy. Instead, seized by the desire to evolve and held as a prisoner for interrogation, this outcome was something the Parasite Queen had never imagined.
“Grrrrr.”
The creature that had crossed the repaired drawbridge and entered the research facility could not hide its fury at the sight of the Primary Hideout.
“Screeeeeee!”
It had no idea how the infiltration had even occurred.
The Delphinion Duchy Research Institute was a crucial stronghold for the future invasion of humanity and a military base. More than that, it was where the plan had first been executed, making it the de facto headquarters among all the mass-produced facilities across the region.
To reach the underground, one had to pass through the surface. That was why she had maintained an iron grip on security there—
“Vermin! How dare you employ such tricks!”
The enraged Higher Being discovered a pool of blood congealed near the bookshelf. The sniper shot appeared to have succeeded, though what had become of the target was unclear. What was certain was that nothing lay in the vicinity.
“Find them, no matter what! Tear this place apart and drag them before me!”
The forces that had descended from the surface scattered in a rush, the soldiers so tightly packed they had hardly room to move.
After a long, irritable growl, the Higher Being kicked the altar in the Primary Hideout with all her strength.
Crack!
The moment the formation shattered into pieces—
Rumble.
Suddenly, the interior trembled slightly.
No.
“?”
The Higher Being’s gaze lifted. It might have been her imagination, but the ceiling seemed to vibrate faintly.
“…Hgh!”
But soon the Higher Being, her attention consumed by the search, turned her body and exited the Primary Hideout.

Turning back the clock to the moment Seol Jihoo was shot—
“Ahhh!”
Crash! Teresa, hurled suddenly against the wall, felt nothing but bewilderment.
She had no idea what had happened. The destination had been within reach, but suddenly her body had lifted into the air and collided with stone. It was not a simple fall. At the moment her body rose, a violent impact had coursed through her.
“Ow, ow, ow…”
As Teresa came to her senses, still sprawled on the ground and trembling intermittently, she caught sight of a young man crawling forward with an outstretched arm. Her eyes widened.
“Are you… all right?”
Crawling toward him, she caught her breath at the sight of his condition. She couldn’t tell what had struck him, but blood was pouring from beneath his body in alarming quantities.
“Heal! Heal him!”
Teresa’s gaze instinctively turned toward the Primary Hideout, and her face went blank. The ones who had been gesturing frantically for her to hurry just moments before were nowhere to be seen. The glow of the formation was extinguished. It was inconceivable that they would abandon him when he was this close.
‘They seemed to be in a hurry.’
There had to be a reason she didn’t know about. With that thought, Teresa chose to move with sharp presence of mind rather than stand paralyzed with worry. It was better to do something than to remain idle.
First, she dragged his convulsing body away from the enemy’s line of sight, then used a spear trailing frigid air to lightly trace the wound. Ice spread instantly, sealing the injury.
Next, Teresa cupped Seol Jihoo’s face in both hands and met his eyes. His pupils trembled like aspen leaves. His breathing came in ragged, choking gasps as his irises rolled upward. It was the early stage of shock. He likely couldn’t comprehend the situation either.
“Seol. Listen to me carefully.”
Bringing her face close to his ear, Teresa continued, her voice clear and deliberate with every syllable.
“It seems the escape has failed. But we’ve come this far—we can’t die here. Come to your senses. Please!”
The trembling in his confused eyes gradually subsided. His gaze focused on her, dazed, before his body convulsed and he spat up a mouthful of blood.
“Seol!”
“Ugh… urgh…!”
Even as blood streamed from his lips, Seol Jihoo’s hands groped about below. Seeing him fumble across the ground, Teresa quickly thrust her hand into his pocket. Her fingers closed on a folded piece of paper.
She pulled it out and unfolded it. A map. With trembling hands, he raised it and pointed to one location, then drew an unsteady line. The crooked, blood-traced line terminated at a single point.
“The Decoy Hideout?”
Next to the marked point were several lines of instructions on how to enter. Teresa’s eyes lit up. Somehow, she understood—this was where he wanted her to go.
There was no time to hesitate. Even with the drawbridge destroyed, they remained in the enemy’s stronghold. An onslaught was imminent.
‘This is where we are now…’
Ugh. Teresa clutched the map and pushed herself to her feet, grinding her back against the stone wall. In truth, she could barely support her own body in this state, but she had no intention of abandoning the young man.
‘Because of me…’
With difficulty, she supported his weight, and together they moved forward step by painful step.

“It’s the Decoy Hideout.”
The Village Elder scratched his nose.
“The Decoy Hideout?”
“I told you. I’m thorough.”
The Village Elder smiled wryly.
“After the lockdown order came down, the Empire excluded me from the research.”
“You said you opposed it most vehemently.”
“That’s right. I played ignorant, but I was probably marked as a person of concern.”
The Village Elder continued.
“Getting back to the point. The hideout you’re going to will be rather cramped. Hardly worth calling a hideout at all, really. But the Decoy Hideout is different.”
“?”
“By depth alone, you could call it Underground Level 3. The entrance is tricky to find, and I designed it sturdy enough to withstand considerable impact. It might even hold against a dwarf’s thunder, if you ask me. I put thought into it.”
“You invested all that effort into a mere Decoy Hideout?”
“It’s not mere at all.”
The Village Elder shook his head.
“Because deception requires substance. That place was built with the expectation of being discovered. But if the hideout looks too flimsy, what will the one who finds it think?”
“Hmm… You were worried they’d grow suspicious?”
“Precisely. A sorcerer of any standing who acts carelessly risks drawing exactly that kind of suspicion. So I decided to turn that preconception on its head.”
“Ah. The lamp casts the darkest shadow at its base. Is that it?”
Seol Jihoo exclaimed.
“Exactly. Think about it. Would anyone ever imagine that a meticulous sorcerer would stash a hideout somewhere as obvious as behind his bookshelf?”
The Village Elder chuckled.
“But that’s not all. Beyond the misdirection, this second hideout needed something more. Fleeing isn’t the same as being safe.”
“You mean pursuit?”
“Right. To put it bluntly, this second hideout has a Transfer Magic Circle.”
Seol Jihoo’s eyes gleamed.
“But you shouldn’t use it.”
“Why? Why not?”
“It connects to the Imperial Center. If you want to meet the Parasite Queen, feel free to use it.”
The Village Elder had fled to the outskirts of Haramag, meaning he’d woven yet another layer of deception into the Decoy Hideout itself.
“…You really did prepare thoroughly.”
“Against the Empire and the Duchy, that’s the bare minimum. At the time, I thought even that wasn’t enough.”
Seol Jihoo laughed bitterly.
“In any case, I’m telling you just in case. I hope you never need to go there.”
The Village Elder spoke.
“Once you seal the entrance, it becomes a completely enclosed space. There’s no way out. It’s a worthless place during any operation.”
“Don’t worry. Thirty minutes is already too long.”
At that, he smacked his lips thoughtfully before continuing in a slightly lower voice.
“…True enough. There’d be no reason to go there unless things got worst-case.”

How much time had passed?
When his eyes opened, his vision wavered. Black and white danced at the edges of his sight, making everything spin.
He closed his eyes again. Neck, back, buttocks, calves—the sensation of support at four points felt as cold and hard as stone.
Barely clinging to consciousness, Seol Jihoo’s brow furrowed sharply. Beyond the pain itself, his bodily sensations felt different from before.
“Ugh, ahhhhh!”
As he focused his awareness, a sudden wave of agony washed over him, drawing out a groan. The sensation he’d felt just before heading to the hideout flooded his mind. He didn’t know what had hit him, but for a moment he’d thought his shoulder was being torn from its socket.
Yet the pain seemed somewhat duller now. More precisely, his left shoulder blade and side ached with a piercing cold—as if ice had been pressed against them and then removed. Everything else, though, felt smooth and warm. Some unfamiliar heat seeped through him.
Cold and yet warm? Why did these contradictory sensations exist at the same time?
It was a long while before he opened his eyes again. Throat parched with thirst, Seol Jihoo rolled his gaze slowly around the space. Only then did the question form: ‘Where am I?’
The last thing he remembered was Teresa’s face. She’d mustered every ounce of strength to point the way to the second hideout—and after that, nothing. He must have lost consciousness.
‘What happened…?’
Where was this place? How long had it been? As the pain grew familiar, questions arose in succession. Was he alive? Where was he? How much time had elapsed?
The first thing to come into focus through his wavering vision was the shattered armor. He’d bought it in the Neutral Zone and worn it well. But the small Chain Armor, stained with blood, had a hole punched clean through it. He was afraid to assess the state of his own body.
‘Wait.’
His armor was off?
Seol Jihoo made a small sound. He wanted to see what was happening, but any movement threatened to unleash unbearable pain. His left side especially felt warm and slightly restricted.
‘Am I a prisoner?’
His breathing sharp and shallow, he suddenly opened his half-closed eyes wide. His blurred vision snapped into focus all at once.
Seol Jihoo slowly bent his chin downward. His body lay stripped down to just underclothing. The garments he’d worn beneath the Chain Armor had transformed into Bandages that now swathed his left shoulder and torso.
‘Do prisoners get their wounds stanched?’
“Mmm….”
Then, at a soft sound that tickled his throat, he turned his gaze to the left. His expression, which had been full of confusion, now showed utter bewilderment.
“…….”
It was strange—his body felt heavy. But it wasn’t mere imagination. Teresa had wrapped herself around him, naked, holding him tightly.
The weight and elasticity pressing against his ribs were distracting, though he soon regained his composure. It must have been the heat exchange. Judging by the sharp pain radiating from various points across his body, he’d sustained considerable wounds.
‘Then this treatment as well….’
He pieced together the situation. One thing was clear: he hadn’t died, and he hadn’t been captured. Which meant Teresa had successfully reached the Decoy Hideout. And brought him with her.
‘Damn….’
No matter how many times he turned it over in his mind, it seemed impossible. How had it come to this, right before his eyes?
Seol Jihoo drew a sharp breath, steadying himself.
The path ahead remained uncertain. Yet he was alive—that much was true. And it didn’t appear the Parasite had discovered this place.
With that small relief, Seol Jihoo silently thanked the Village Elder. Then he spoke.
“Princess?”
“Mmh… yes?”
Teresa’s eyes fluttered open.

(To be continued in the next part)

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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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