The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 86

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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 86. Mutual Desperation

Clear slate-blue eyes gleamed with sudden brightness. Blink. Blink. She closed them twice, then opened them again, and a faint smile spread across her face.
“Did you sleep well?”
Supporting herself on her right arm, Teresa propped herself up on her elbows, rubbing her eyes and letting out a small yawn. Seol Jihoo found himself speechless. Sleep well? For a moment, he’d imagined a loving couple waking together in bed to greet a fresh morning.
‘Reality is a sewer.’
Self-mockery held him for only a breath before he corrected himself. Stamping his foot wouldn’t change anything. Still, panic wouldn’t help either—at minimum, he needed to face the situation squarely and muster whatever composure he could find.
‘First, the body.’
He exhaled slowly, in and out, and began to carefully tense his muscles.
“Ugh!”
A searing jolt shot through him. Every part of him wanted to go limp and collapse back onto the bed, but he gritted his teeth and forced his torso upright. Once his back found the wall, the pain dulled slightly.
“Keep moving, even if it’s just a little. It helps.”
Teresa spoke, watching him intently.
“I’d tell you to rest, but we don’t have that luxury. If you want to move, you have to get used to the pain.”
The memory of military night marches surfaced unbidden. Yes—blisters on your soles burned at first, but after hours of relentless walking, they went numb.
But his left shoulder was beyond any such remedy. A hole the size of a bottle cap gaped through his scapula, and the nerve connections felt distant, muted. Whenever he tried to clench his fist, a white-hot agony bloomed through his skull.
“Sigh.”
He gave up on the left side and scanned the room. Against one wall, the altar bearing the teleportation magic circle from the previous safe house caught his eye and lodged there.
On impulse, he activated Nine Eyes, and the circle flooded red. Poison fruit hanging on the tree—beautiful but lethal. A single bite meant certain death.
“Is what’s written here really true? That we shouldn’t use it?”
Teresa was studying a piece of paper.
“If you’re asking about the teleportation circle… they said it connects to the heart of the Empire.”
“Christ. That’s a dead option.”
Teresa abandoned the thought cleanly.
“…”
“…”
The two of them fell silent for a long stretch. There was nothing to say.
Gratitude for the rescue? Relief that they were alive?
Their actual predicament was worry enough.
Or maybe asking how the other felt?
They both knew the answer: not good.
All their energy had to go into escape.
It was Teresa who broke the awkward silence.
“We only have two options left.”
Her hollow tone suggested not brilliant strategy but rather resignation—’we have no choice.’
“First: wait here for seventy-two hours, then make for that safe house.”
It was the best option. If it were possible.
“Do you think the safe house will still be there?”
“Given his temperament, he’d’ve smashed it to pieces.”
Teresa drew in a long breath and continued.
“Second is… however we manage it, break out of here and walk all the way back to Haramag.”
Seol Jihoo’s laugh died before it started. There was nothing funny about this. If the safe house was truly destroyed, then this second option was all they had.
The problem was its success rate bordered on zero. Especially with serious wounds complicating everything.
“Staying here around the clock isn’t wise. Our strength will drain by the hour—if we’re going to gamble, we should do it while we can still move.”
‘Another gamble.’
It left a bitter taste, but that was reality. The safe house was bathed in a soft green glow from the healing water, but that was it. No food. No water to drink. If they sat here content, they’d starve to death—and then they couldn’t do anything at all.
‘Rescue isn’t going to come.’
There was also the matter of the upper-ranked being. An enemy once wronged wouldn’t just vanish. Every angle led to the same conclusion: they had to move.
Seol Jihoo shut off Nine Eyes. Prolonged use drained his stamina too quickly.
“So what’ll it be?”
Teresa pressed for a decision.
“You want to stay here with me and die of hunger together in domestic bliss? Or do we take our chances and get out—come what may?”
But before answering, Seol Jihoo asked first:
“How long do you think we’ve been in the safe house?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure.”
Teresa’s expression turned troubled.
“I’m sorry. After we got here and I finished first aid, I just… collapsed into sleep.”
She smiled apologetically, her pink tongue flicking out for just a moment. He couldn’t blame her. She’d endured hell herself and had only just been set free.
“If he’s the impatient type, wouldn’t he have given up the search by now?”
“Let’s hope so. Though before he fell asleep, he seemed to be making quite a fuss.”
“He must be furious. Ah, could you give me that map?”
Seol Jihoo accepted the map. All the staircases leading up or down were located in the Detention Block. The Research Facility was a separate structure connected to the Detention Block via a long skybridge on its left side. In essence, the entire layout resembled a “┤” shape.
The only exception was the hidden Safe House concealed in the Research Facility’s storage—which didn’t count. The village chief had said it was three levels deep underground, by his measurement.
‘Hopeless.’
He folded the map and rose slowly to his feet. Teresa was right. Sitting idle wouldn’t help; if he had any strength left, he needed to use it. At least his legs were still intact—small mercies in dire circumstances.
‘All that’s left.’
The Ludium was reduced to fingernail-sized scraps, useless now. His upper and lower garments had been repurposed as bandages. When Seol Jihoo examined the armor, he could only grimace. The Boiled Leather Armor was completely shredded along the left side and deeply dented on the right. It was rags masquerading as protection.
‘Better than nothing, I suppose.’
As he sighed, he suddenly realized Teresa was wearing nothing at all.
“Would you at least wear this?”
He gestured to the holed Chain Armor, and she laughed softly.
“Wearing it against bare skin would shred me raw… but there’s no choice, is there?”
They fastened their equipment with care. Teresa giggled.
“Don’t we look ridiculous? Don’t you think?”
Seol Jihoo managed a thin smile. One of them wore only a small Chain Armor that barely covered her middle; the other wore torn armor over nothing but underwear. There was no more absurd sight to be imagined.
“Well, at least it’s cool. I just hope I don’t develop an exhibitionist complex.”
Teresa picked up the Ice Spear. Seol Jihoo stepped aside without protest. Either way, the weapon would serve her better.
“Before we go, let’s settle one thing.”
Teresa suddenly leveled the spear at his throat. There was no jest in her manner.
“If, by one in ten thousand chance—no, one in a million—things go wrong, what should I do?”
“?”
“I could kill you before we’re captured.”
“No.”
Seol Jihoo answered without hesitation. Teresa’s eyes widened.
“Don’t you know what happens if we’re taken?”
“No one knows the future. Even if the sky falls, there might be a hole to crawl through.”
“But you can return to Earth if you die.”
“Still, I’d like to try living as much as I can.”
Teresa’s mouth fell open.
“That’s unexpected. Are you really an Earthian?”
I don’t want to abandon this life too easily, Seol Jihoo thought to himself.
A moment passed.
They steeled themselves and began moving. The entrance to the Safe House opened onto a long staircase.
Step by step, climbing slowly, Teresa suddenly spoke.
“If the Core is still intact up there, won’t it feel anticlimactic?”
“It’s worth checking regardless.”
Seol Jihoo replied.
“Even if the Core is damaged, there will be something worth salvaging.”
“If you mean supplies, wouldn’t they have taken those with them?”
“Not at all. There’s a capacity limit on each transmission. They likely left things behind.”
“That’s good. Another reason to go.”
‘If only it were that simple.’
Gather supplies, return quickly, and transfer to the Core after seventy-two hours. But the probability of that happening approaches zero.
‘In the first place, even leaving like this…’
Seol Jihoo had to work hard to swallow the sighs that kept rising in his throat.
At last the staircase ended. The landing was sealed by a brick wall.
“Getting in here was such a pain.”
Teresa, muttering complaints, pressed her ear against the bricks.
Even if it was a gamble, he wasn’t about to leave blindly. Seol Jihoo activated the Nine Eyes, thinking he could at least gauge when it was safe to exit. But—
‘Hm?’
When his vision filled with color, he could only stare in disbelief. Teresa remained colorless as before. That wasn’t strange; he’d seen it once already.
What was strange was that the entire brick wall glowed green.
‘Have they given up the search?’
“I don’t hear anything…”
Teresa pulled back from the wall and crouched down. She removed the lower brick and fitted it into the upper row, then removed an upper brick and fitted it below. Seol Jihoo watched her work with blank fascination until a metallic click! snapped him to attention.
“Just as I thought! I’m smart—I remembered it all after one try.”
Teresa, pleased with herself, turned her head and glanced back.
“Ready to go?”
Seol Jihoo nodded.
He pushed with his hand and a section of wall rotated like a revolving door. Through the narrow gap, he glimpsed the world beyond—verdant green everywhere. Seol Jihoo tilted his head, then strode out decisively.
“Wait, what?”
Teresa stumbled after him, flustered.
“At the very least, we should have assessed the situation first….”
She murmured in a hushed voice. Seol Jihoo found himself speechless. The entire landscape was green. It truly seemed as though they had abandoned the search and withdrawn their forces. There was no other way to interpret it.
“Let’s head to the Safe House.”
“Wait, wait just a moment.”
Even as Teresa tried to hold him back, Seol Jihoo pressed ahead regardless.
The further they walked, the greater his unease grew. An oppressive silence hung over everything. And nothing but green stretched in all directions. Teresa’s face bore the same confusion. Seol Jihoo surveyed the surroundings meticulously before speaking.
“Come to think of it, you mentioned hearing a tremendous commotion from above before you fell asleep, didn’t you?”
“Yes? Oh, yes.”
Teresa nodded in confirmation.
“The Safe House is so far underground that I couldn’t hear it clearly, but I thought there might have been an earthquake.”
“How long did the sound last?”
“I’m not quite sure. My memory’s a bit hazy about it. It didn’t seem to go on very long.”
As they conversed, they arrived at the chamber containing the Safe House. Whether or not they had conducted a thorough search, the room was in complete disarray. The bookshelves lay in ruins.
The Safe House itself was no better. He’d expected as much, but the floor had cracked and split, crumbling into fragments. The sole consolation was discovering a small bag crammed into a corner.
“Is there any food?”
Teresa’s eyes brightened. But they hadn’t brought provisions with them. All they had were three or four bottles of Healing Water and a single Water Canteen, along with a thick, lengthy Rope and a few Short Swords that they’d brought just in case.
“Damn.”
Teresa’s disappointment was evident,
but she quickly rallied. “Still, this is better than nothing.”
She immediately uncorked one of the Healing Water bottles. They each applied one bottle to their wounds, rubbing it in thoroughly, then drank one bottle each. Their thirst quenched and their bodies noticeably relieved, they felt considerably better.
“Ah! Now I feel almost human again.”
Teresa scrubbed her water-dampened body in every corner, apparently eager to clean herself. Seol Jihoo discreetly peered down the corridor.
‘That direction too?’
Unless his eyes deceived him, it was green there as well. Even the entrance visible faintly at the corridor’s end was bathed in that same verdant hue.
‘This can’t be right.’
Torn between belief and skepticism, he left the chamber. The closer he drew to the entrance, the more his unease amplified. Only after crossing the entire length of the corridor did the wrongness fully strike him.
‘The cloud bridge—where is it?’
Not only the bridge, but the Detention Block that should have been visible across from them was gone entirely. Only darkened emptiness drifted serenely through the void. Everything had been erased cleanly.
‘This… this can’t be happening….’
He stood dumbfounded, neck craned upward, his mouth falling open. A night sky. Beyond an enormous gaping hole whose diameter was beyond reckoning. What caught his eye in a pale blue tint was unmistakably the moon.
‘Is this a dream?’
Seol Jihoo turned his gaze and froze. Teresa stood nearby, her face shock-stricken, staring diagonally downward. Following her line of sight, his eyes widened to their limits.
“That is…”
“…the Research Facility.”
Teresa whispered the words in a thin voice.
Below them lay absolute devastation. Though details were difficult to discern, fragments of buildings were strewn about everywhere. The surface structures, the Detention Block, the hatchery and experimental wing—all of it had sunk into the earth below.
The longer he stared, the more his entire body trembled with dread. The memory of an internet article he’d once seen about a Sink Hole flashed through his mind.
It had been Japan, he thought. The ground beneath an urban district had collapsed, creating a colossal hole. He remembered shuddering at the sight of a convenience store clinging precariously to the edge. This was exactly that sight. A structure shaped like a bracket, reduced to only the horizontal bar.
“Your Highness?”
“I… I don’t know.”
Teresa’s expression was equally bewildered. What on earth had happened while she lay unconscious in the Safe House?
Standing there motionless, it was Teresa who regained her composure first. She gauged the distance from their current position to the edge of the hole. From the first basement level to the surface, the distance was approximately five or six meters.
“Drinking that Healing Water was a stroke of fortune.”
With renewed energy in her voice, Teresa summoned her Magical Power. A blue aura bloomed across her palms.
Crunch!
Her five half-bent fingers plunged into the earth and rock like she was crushing tofu. For a moment startled, Seol Jihoo recalled that she was an Upper-ranked Being.
“Good. This will do….”
Teresa created a few handholds first, then drove her blade deep down and below. Using the shaft as a lever, she hauled herself upward, then forced her arms powerfully into the wall. She wedged her toes into the grooves she’d created and climbed higher.
Every place her hands had gouged became a foothold, and she ascended steadily, alternating her arms in a practiced rhythm.
Seol Jihoo watched her scale the cliff face with reverent eyes, but soon felt embarrassment creeping in and looked away. No matter the circumstances, staring intently seemed improper.
Before long, Teresa had escaped beyond the rim of the hole. Seol Jihoo felt at a loss. He could follow the path she’d carved, but the problem was that his left arm wasn’t functioning properly.
Then a thick Rope came sliding down before his eyes. Teresa was gesturing from above.
“Don’t grip it with your hands—wrap it firmly around your body! I’ll haul you up!”
“Right.”
Now that he thought of it, they did have Rope in the bag. He removed the Ice Spear and wound the Rope around himself as instructed. Teresa began pulling with all the Magical Power she could muster.
As he neared the top, it became certain. Nothing remained visible on the surface. The surrounding area had subsided completely, as though buildings of shoddy construction had collapsed entirely.
‘What on earth just happened?’
An Upper-ranked Being acting on impulse? No. That makes no sense. A Sink Hole appearing at just the right moment?
“Phew!”
Teresa Hatse collapsed where she stood, breathless with relief at having pulled free safely. Even with the Healing Water coursing through her, her body hadn’t fully recovered. Seeing her exhaustion, I felt a twinge of guilt. As if I’d been nothing but a burden.
“I’m sorry.”
Teresa’s eyes widened as she caught her breath, her expression clearing.
“Sorry for what?”
“For being the reason….”
I trailed off, and she snorted.
“Don’t talk nonsense. I owe you three bows of gratitude at minimum. You’re not actually apologizing, are you?”
Teresa smiled softly, meeting my gaze with a teasing tone. In that moment, I felt something stir in me—something I couldn’t quite name.
‘Her mouth is smiling….’
But her eyes weren’t. Those eyes I’d always found beautiful caught the moonlight and shimmered with something else entirely.
“That’s it, right? Just being polite?”
She pressed the question further. I swallowed hard. This was anything but politeness.
Looking back, it had been this way from our first meeting. I’d felt an inexplicable pull toward her—a desire to protect her, to look after her, to help her. Unconditionally.
Yet I couldn’t explain why. If I had to put it into words, it felt like a debt I needed to repay.
“Seems so. Just politeness.”
Teresa’s expression grew slightly wistful as she turned her eyes away.
“No.”
I spoke before I could stop myself.
“Pardon?”
“Before we came here, I was warned to watch out for snipers. But I wasn’t careful enough, and this is the result.”
……
“I’m genuinely sorry I couldn’t protect you properly. I mean it.”
Teresa’s smile faded. The face that was usually so animated became frighteningly blank—a side of her I’d never seen before.
“…Why?”
Teresa opened her mouth.
“Why would you think that way? You’re an Earthian. You’re the one who got caught up in this because of me. Doesn’t that feel unfair?”
“Why would it be your fault?”
I replied steadily.
“Destroying the Research Facility was something anyone would need to do.”
“That’s… well, I suppose so, but….”
Teresa blinked rapidly, her eyes brightening with an intensity that slowly shifted into disbelief.
‘Why is she looking at me like that?’
Had I misspoken? A faint worry crept in.
“People like you actually exist….”
Teresa murmured to herself, the light in her eyes gradually dimming.
“I’m amazed.”
“By what?”
“That you meant every word.”
I scratched the back of my neck.
“Isn’t that blindly trusting me too much?”
“I can’t help it.”
Teresa’s voice had grown hoarse.
“I have the ability to judge people.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“It’s nothing special. Among the ancestors of the Royal House, there’s Celestial Fae blood mixed in….”
Teresa hesitated for a moment, then continued quietly.
“Of course, many generations have passed. But sometimes people are born with innate abilities. Like me.”
“An innate ability?”
I was taken aback.
“Yes.”
“You shouldn’t speak of such things so carelessly.”
“This is the first time anyone’s found out. Please keep it secret.”
Teresa spoke curtly. I activated my Nine Eyes and checked her status window.

[Teresa Hatse’s Status Window]
[4. Abilities]
① Innate Ability (1)
②Class Abilities (6)
③Other Abilities (4)

‘This is real… wait, what now?’
The changes didn’t stop there.
The color shifted. Teresa’s light, which had been colorless moments before, gradually took on hue—a radiant, brilliant gold. The Golden Law.
Teresa, who had been watching the youth standing motionless from the corner of her eye, pressed her hand to the ground as if to push herself up,
“Anyway… ow!”
She winced and jerked her hand away.
“Are you all right?”
A sharp fragment was embedded shallowly in her palm. The jagged piece, which looked like shrapnel, was blackened with soot.
“Goodness. What is this… hm?”
Teresa’s eyes narrowed suddenly.
“That’s Thunderstone.”
“Thunderstone?”
Teresa nodded.
“Yes. It’s stone that condenses the power of earth spirits. An object with extraordinary explosive force.”
“A bomb? There are bombs here?”
“Not a bomb—Thunderstone. When it detonates, it makes a sound like thunder, which is where the name comes from.”
Teresa corrected herself.
“In any case. I had no idea something like that existed.”
“Well. Perhaps the Empire could manage it, but we can’t produce these. Didn’t I say? Compressed power of earth spirits. Magical power is humanity’s monopoly, but spirits are the sky elves’. And the Thunderstone represents the culmination of craftsmanship that master dwarves have poured their hearts into. The Federation’s secret weapon, you might say.”

“Wow… no, I mean. We’re losing despite having something like this?”
Teresa let out a small laugh.
“It’s the other way around. We’re barely holding on precisely because we have these. The Parasites’ main forces are beyond imagination.”
“Medusa….”
“Medusa is a mid-stage final evolution, but frankly speaking, she’d barely count as a local thug in their world. Now, if Nosferatu shows up—that’s when we know the Parasites mean business.”
“Nosferatu?”
“The Queen’s personal guard. Anyway….”
Having answered briefly, Teresa scanned the ground in all directions. Fragments were scattered everywhere. Her expression suggested genuine bewilderment.
“Something’s off. Why would these be here?”
— I’ve already thought about it. Since the Federation was the source of the intelligence in the first place, they seem to run their own infiltration units, but….
Recalling what Ian had told him, Seol Jihoo spoke up.
“Could the Federation have come and destroyed this place? With those Thunderstones?”
“The circumstances do suggest that possibility.”
Teresa folded her arms. It wasn’t entirely implausible. Especially not if it was that race—the alien species that invaded Paradise and built the unified state called the Federation. Given they could fly from birth, infiltration would have been relatively simple.
“Something feels off about it, though.”
“In what way?”
“During the first operation. I could tell how important the Parasites considered this Research Facility. If it hadn’t been for Agnes, we wouldn’t have even managed to infiltrate.”
Teresa continued.
“And even if the explosive power of these Thunderstones is absolutely tremendous, collapsing a subsurface on this scale would require a minimum of several dozen detonated simultaneously at precise coordinates. Yet day and night, with eyes wide open….”
She trailed off, but there was no need to elaborate. Even if Thunderstone was a world-shaking weapon, using it meant getting close to the Research Facility.
“Because the Parasite defenses I observed were nearly flawless. Airtight security, both above and below ground, as well as across water.”
And after repelling the first infiltration squad, they’d surely reinforced their guard further. The more he thought about it, the more it felt like a maze with no exit.
“I have no idea.”
He shrugged, then let out a short cry. Seeing the youth in pain, Teresa let out a soft chuckle as she tried to stand,
“Ah, that stings!”
She yelped, hunching her neck. The chain had pinched her skin.
“Um… anyway, what matters now isn’t this, is it.”
That was true. Regardless of how it happened, what mattered was that the Research Facility had collapsed. And escaping outside didn’t mean the danger was over.
They’d cleared the first crisis through unexpected fortune, but they were still deep in enemy territory.
“Let’s go. My prince.”
Teresa suddenly offered her hand. My prince—the words felt awkward, yet oddly pleasant. Seol Jihoo reached out shyly.
The two clasped hands firmly, then gazed in the same direction. Toward where Haramag lay.
“Let’s make sure we return alive.”
At Teresa’s quiet murmur, Seol Jihoo nodded firmly.
The escape had only just begun.

(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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