The Second Coming of Gluttony Chapter 109:
Time flowed like a stream . On the third week, an incident popped up causing Ayase Kazuki to leave the Huge Stone Rocky Mountain . He seemed to want to stay until the last day, but after he was contacted by his comrades, he showed a rare expression of anger . It seemed something unexpected occurred while preparing for the Banquet . In the end, Kazuki asked Jang Maldong to be excused and left for Haramark on the same day .
Seol Jihu didn’t hear the details, but since Kazuki personally had to go back to deal with it, he guessed it wasn’t a small problem .
Once Kazuki left, Evil… no, Agnes also lost her reason to stay as an observer . She didn’t go back right away; instead, she helped Seol Jihu train for another week before returning to Haramark .
Not knowing the inside story, Seol Jihu carefully guessed that Agnes was running away from Jang Maldong’s training .
Although the group of five was now reduced to three, Seol Jihu didn’t mind it too much . In fact, he was a bit happy, as this meant that he was spending more time under Jang Maldong’s watch . Now that he had experienced Jang Maldong’s training, he could easily understand why he was called Paradise’s best trainer . He had more than a few good points that made him worthy of his reputation .
First, he prioritized the process more than the result . It wasn’t that he didn’t care about the result, just that he encouraged his students to make gains from the process .
He made his students understand the goal of the training and realize what they were lacking . In a way, it was as if he was fattening them up little by little .
Seol Jihu, who only knew how to train his physical body, fell in love with the new sixth sense training method . He felt like a new horizon was opening up for him every day .
Jang Maldong didn’t hate it either . Unlike certain ungrateful idiots, this new disciple of his was excited to train and was constantly asking for more . How could he possibly not be pleased?
As a result, Seol Jihu felt the emotion known as ‘joy’ for the first time in ages . Even though he was both physically and mentally exhausted, he was happy to train without caring about anything else .
To top it off, he had someone guiding him and he could feel himself getting stronger by the day .
He didn’t even realize the time passing as he enjoyed spending each and every day on Huge Stone Rocky Mountain .
Time flew, and the night of the fifth and final week came by .
*
The past 35 days were long to Hugo but short to Seol Jihu . Jang Maldong went all out during training, but he didn’t strangle his students for time in their everyday life . He notified Chohong that they would be returning the next day and held a small party .
He definitely wasn’t the type to take lead and hold such a thing, but he couldn’t help himself because Seol Jihu was so endearing .
As a result, he personally went out and captured a wild boar that incidentally looked just like Hugo . He prepared the boar, built a fire, and cooked it all by himself . Adding together a whiskey cooled in the mountain’s flowing stream water, he truly felt like he was in paradise .
“Keu!”
Hugo took a bite out of the scrumptious meat along with a sip of whiskey . After emptying the glass clean, he became overly chatty, saying he’d have no regrets if he died right now .
Jang Maldong’s cooking skills were unexpectedly good, so Seol Jihu couldn’t get his act together as he devoured the meat . The meat practically melted in his mouth, giving off a sweet, savory flavor .
In truth, with only a single dish, the meal could hardly be called a party . However, Seol Jihu enjoyed this moment and made it an unforgettable memory .
As the night advanced, the fat boar was left with only its bones and the blazing campfire with only flickering embers .
Seol Jihu couldn’t defeat the after-meal languor and sprawled down on the ground . His body was devoid of tension since he ate and drank to his heart’s content . But rather than staying on the ground and looking at the stars, he jumped up and stretched .
Wondering why he was fussing around at this hour, Jang Maldong, who was cleaning up the mess, asked, “What are you doing?”
“Warming up… . Ah, let me help you . ”
Seol Jihu stopped twisting his body side to side and ran to help with the clean-up . From the way he was hurrying so much, Jang Maldong could tell he was dying to start training . On the other hand, he let out a sigh as he glanced at Hugo, who was lying on the ground belly up .
“Pathetic, don’t you think?”
“Me? N-No, not at all . ”
“What? Why?”
“Well… I’ve never defeated Hugo before . ”
Jang Maldong meant to say ‘Hugo was a good-for-nothing who only knew how to eat and drink’, but Seol Jihu seemed to have taken it as Hugo slacking off on training .
Jang Maldong laughed inwardly . Unless the youth’s head was filled with nothing but training, he wouldn’t have understood it that way .
“He’s always ahead of me when we’re running, and he can dodge the logs a lot longer than me… . ” Seol Jihu continued to mutter in his misunderstanding, but Jang Maldong didn’t point out his error .
Humans were rather simple creatures at times . The moment they were satisfied, they would start to fall behind . If Seol Jihu ever went, ‘I’ve trained so much . I should be more than strong now’, then Jang Maldong planned to teach him a lesson .
Of course, it was true that Seol Jihu put in a lot of effort . Even by basic calculations, he had done 119 days’ worth of training .
But from Jang Maldong’s perspective, Seol Jihu had only filled a small portion of what he was lacking . If he were satisfied when he only just built his foundation, his growth would slow down .
However, Seol Jihu wasn’t satisfied . He didn’t let his guard down or look down on others just because he did some training . Jang Maldong wasn’t sure if that was just how the youth was, but as far as he could see, it was one of his few strong points .
“Hugo has been doing these for several years now, so it should be second nature to him . To be honest, he didn’t need to come here in the first place . ”
“Mhm . ”
Hugo nodded his head arrogantly while still lying down on the ground . Seeing this, Jang Maldong immediately raised his cane, saying “You idiot… . ”
Hugo screamed and ran off .
“Damned fool . ” Jang Maldong shook his head .
“Let’s go take a walk . It’s not good for your stomach to run right after a meal . ”
Seol Jihu was about to ask, ‘If that’s the case, why did you push me so hard the first week?’ But in the end, he quietly followed him . Thinking about it now, it seemed that he wanted him to face his limits . Of course, the real reason was that he still hadn’t put his cane down .
Soon, when the duo arrived at a small open area, Jang Maldong opened his mouth . “I heard from Miss Agnes that you were worried about becoming a High Ranker . ”
“Pardon?”
“You weren’t? Then did Miss Agnes lie?”
“…No . ”
“Stinking brat, you’re worried about the High Rank when you’re not even Level 4 yet?”
Jang Maldong snickered . Seol Jihu didn’t know what to say, so he just scratched his head . He thought Agnes was pretty tight-mouthed, so he took this as her way of getting back at him for the **** incident .
“Well, considering the speed of your growth… . Right, let me ask you while we’re at it . What do you think the High Rank is?”
Seol Jihu could only blink his eyes at the unexpected question .
“You don’t have to think so hard about it . High Rank . It’s exactly what it sounds like — a high position . Now, what do you think ‘position’ refers to?”
“Um… I’m not sure . Now that you mention it, I guess it’s kind of vague . I doubt you’re asking me for the dictionary definition . ”
“Of course not . I think it refers to a realm . ”
When Seol Jihu stayed silent, Jang Maldong changed his question .
“How many High Rankers do you think there are in Paradise?”
“I have no idea . ”
Seol Jihu looked as if Jang Maldong was asking him a stupid question . After all, how would he know anything about it?
“Hm, let’s see… . If you consider this mountain to be the population of Earth…” Jang Maldong raised his cane . “Then this surrounding area would be people who are given the opportunity to enter Paradise . ”
He took a look around their immediate vicinity and said, “The ones who pass the Tutorial and the Neutral Zone, and actually enter Paradise would be here . ” He poked the small open space where he and Seol Jihu were standing .
“And the people who survive for a few years to become Level 4s would be… in here . ” He dragged his cane on the dirt and drew a large circle . It was about one fourth the size of the open space .
“And the people who become High Rankers… . ” Jang Maldong bent down . He grabbed a handful of dirt and showed it to Seol Jihu, “…Are here . ”
Seol Jihu was watching him slowly and a small lump went down his throat . Seeing Jang Maldong put it like this, he realized just how amazing High Rankers were .
Kim Hannah’s words suddenly brushed past his head . She’d said that even the gifted needed 4-5 years to get to Level 5 .
“Then—”
After staying silent for a long time, Seol Jihu asked calmly, “And in your opinion, how many among them are ‘true’ High Rankers?”
Jang Maldong grinned . He opened his palm, and the dirt fell through his fingers . What remained in his hand was only a tiny fraction .
“And these true High Rankers, you said they’re the ones who learn things on their own and grow without relying on Paradise’s system?” Seol Jihu asked with a hint of anticipation . Jang Maldong thought for a moment before shaking his head .
“You’re half right and half wrong . ”
“?”
“I call them true and false High Rankers, but it isn’t as if any wandering dog can become a High Ranker . ” Jang Maldong continued, “First, I want to make it clear that I have no intention of undermining any High Ranker . Not a single one of them rose to that position by sitting on the sidelines and taking a dump . They must have had their fair share of struggles . ”
Jang Maldong dusted off his hand . Then, he quietly announced the twist .
“But… as you might have already experienced, Paradise attracts all sorts of people . ”
“Right . ”
“You can tell just by what goes on in the Neutral Zone . Among the dozens of newbies, there are always one or two special ones . The so-called gifted ones . ”
Seol Jihu was reminded of Odelette Delphine and nodded his head subconsciously .
“But the funny thing is, there are differences even among the gifted ones . The one who’s more talented, the one who’s more special . You can go on and on, and eventually, you’ll find someone who’s unrivaled among the gifted . ”
‘A heaven beyond heaven . ’ Seol Jihu suddenly thought of this saying .
“People like that will go above learning skills on their own and will tread their own paths . They will enter unique realms no one else has ever reached . I call that Enlightenment . ”
‘An independent path? A unique realm?’
Seol Jihu tilted his head and asked, “Could Dylan have… . ”
“If you’re talking about Dylan’s lightning, you’re a bit off . Infusing electricity into mana — the idea is good, but that only constitutes as thinking outside the box . It’s far from Enlightenment . ”
“What about Chohong?”
“It’s the same . Chohong is a special case . Because she is originally a Priest, she only strengthened her Manifestation ability . ”
It was quite a stingy evaluation considering that Carpe Diem was one of Haramark’s best teams . Seol Jihu shook his head .
“I’m not sure I get it . ”
“I don’t expect you to . Well, I’m not trying to discuss martial arts theories with you, but… . ” Jang Maldong took a brief pause before opening his mouth again .
“In the past, I’ve seen someone move like his body and weapon were one . That wasn’t something as simple as a movement technique . ”
Moving like the body and weapon were one?
“Are you talking about the famous One With the Sword?” Seol Jihu asked, remembering the martial arts novels he used to read .
“I’ve heard that it was something like that . ”
When Jang Maldong agreed, Seol Jihu’s expression waned .
“One person seeks the path of Formlessness . Another seeks the path of the Thousand Sword . ”
“Puha!”
Seol Jihu’s laughter interrupted Jang Maldong . The former quickly covered his mouth .
“Is that funny?”
“N-No, it’s just that the names… . ”
He was okay with ‘Formlessness’, but he couldn’t stop himself when he heard ‘Thousand Sword’ . They were both terms he was somewhat familiar with from martial arts novels .
Seol Jihu put strength into his hand to hold back his laughter . Seeing this, one corner of Jang Maldong’s mouth curled up .
“Hmph, let’s see you laughing when you face a thousand swords flying straight at you . ”
The smile on Seol Jihu’s face vanished . A thousand swords attacking him simultaneously? By commonsense standard, that was simply impossible .
But because of his past life-threatening experiences, Jang Maldong’s words didn’t seem like a joke .
“Brat, don’t ridicule them unless you’ve pioneered your own independent realm and can stand toe-to-toe with them . ”
“Sorry . I’m not laughing because I’m ridiculing them . ”
“I know . The name Thousand Sword is a bit strange . I laughed when I first heard it too . ”
“You too?”
“Mm . His abilities are the real deal though… . ”
Jang Maldong rubbed his forearm as if he was reminded of a bad memory .
“Anyways, these are who I call true High Rankers . ”
‘If High Rankers are that amazing… . ’
Seol Jihu made a tired expression before clearing his throat and asking, “Sir, what about the Unique Rank?”
“I don’t know,” Jang Maldong answered immediately .
“I can say this and that about High Rankers because I am a High Ranker myself . ”
He tilted his head up and looked at the sky .
“But the Unique Rankers… are like the stars in the sky . I can’t get anywhere close to them even if I reach out my hands, so how can I dare to evaluate them?”
Seol Jihu let out a long sigh . He felt that he still had a long way to go . At the same time, he found out that he was just a frog in a well . The world was wide, and there were many gifted people .
Seeing the youth’s dejected look, Jang Maldong smiled, “You were laughing before, but now you’re all down?”
“…It just seems so far out of reach . ”
“What’s there to worry about? You’re also walking your own path and making proper preparations for it . Though, we don’t know what lies at the end of it . ”
“Making preparations? What do you mean? ”
“Didn’t I tell you? That you have to constantly devote yourself to balance your mind, technique, and body before becoming a High Ranker . This isn’t an easy thing to do . ”
Seol Jihu tilted his head as if he had no clue what Jang Maldong was talking about .
“Never in my life have I seen someone whose mind, technique, and body are so twisted . ”
“You mean… . ”
“Never mind true and false and all that . Just focus on balancing your mind, technique, and body . It’s not an easy path to tread, but I believe it has potential . ”
‘Balancing the mind, technique, and body’— the moment he heard this, vitality returned to his lifeless eyes .
“I’m going to go running . ”
Seol Jihu immediately turned around . Now that he was shown a way to get stronger, his body became heated until it couldn’t handle standing still .
“That’s fine, but do it in moderation . It’s still dark, and if you get hurt, you won’t be able to go to the Banquet . ”
Seol Jihu flinched in the middle of putting on his sandbags .
“And if you get the opportunity, you can attempt Stage 3 as well . Go see what position you’re in . ”
“Sir?”
Seol Jihu turned his head . Seeing his dropped jaw, Jang Maldong clicked his tongue .
“Don’t get ahead of yourself . Entering Stage 3 is all up to luck . It’s not like Dylan and Kazuki couldn’t go because they were lacking in skills . ”
Who cared? Seol Jihu was more than happy to hear Jang Maldong giving him permission . Just this single moment felt like a generous reward for everything he had suffered so far .
“Yes!”
Seol Jihu shouted with spirit before starting to run . Seeing the youth getting farther away, Jang Maldong revealed his teeth in a grin .
He had confirmed something with the training in the Huge Stone Rocky Mountain . From what he had observed so far, he could see all sorts of possibilities .
Jang Maldong put his hand in his pocket and touched his needle case . It was the same case he had vowed to never open again .
‘If it’s him… . ’
His hand fiddled with the case . He knew Seol Jihu was amassing stat points . However, he didn’t know Seol Jihu had several Divine Elixirs along with the Divine Stigmata saved up for when he reached the High Rank . If he did, he might have mulled over his decision a bit more .
In any case, Jang Maldong’s eyes were clearly burning as he stared in the direction the youth disappeared to . Seol Jihu wasn’t the only one looking forward to the day he became a High Ranker . After all, Jang Maldong was a trainer .
Just like Agnes, he was thrilled to see a high-quality gem in the rough . And as far as his desire to refine it went, he was confident he wouldn’t lose out to anyone else .
What would happen when the youth’s chaotic mind, technique, and body became one, or what form it would take – Jang Maldong had no clue .
And that only made him look forward to it even more .
Right! In Jang Maldong’s eyes, Seol Jihu was a gem that only now had begun the refining process . As long as he was refined well, Jang Maldong was confident that he would shine brighter than anyone else .
After bursting out into a hearty laughter, he let out a few dry coughs .
‘What am I laughing about at this age… . ’
He was a bit embarrassed by his childish anticipation, but the fire in his heart refused to diminish . Thus, to cool the heat in his chest, he had to walk around for a long time .
Just like that, the final night in Huge Stone Rocky Mountain passed, and morning dawned .
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