The Second Coming of Gluttony Chapter 175:
Chapter 175 . The Second Coming (2)
Like a candle that had run through the wick, like a pooled liquid drying out and disappearing… the critically wavering light in Ian’s eyes quickly subsided . And after turning into a dot in an instant, it eventually disappeared altogether .
With their light extinguished, Ian’s eyes quickly grew dimmer . Seol Jihu’s heart sank .
“I…”
When Seol Jihu called Ian’s name, his head slouched down and slowly gave way . Seol Jihu reached out subconsciously and held his frail shoulders in a hurry .
He felt like this would really be the end if he let Ian fall . That this would be their farewell .
But even when he forcefully straightened his falling body, nothing changed . Ian’s head lifelessly slouched down . A faint smile was still adorning his aged face .
Smiling with his eyes half-closed, he looked comfortable and relaxed . It was almost as if he had a dream before falling asleep .
It was a short dream, but having it even for a moment made me happy— that was what his face seemed to say .
And Seol Jihu endlessly looked down at this face in a daze .
“Master Ian . ”
His hoarse voice called the old man . However, he couldn’t hear Ian’s reply . Even when he shook his shoulders, only his head bobbed .
[Sorry, sorry . I got held up slightly . It’s been a while since I’ve been in Haramark, and the streets felt so refreshingly open, you see . ]
“Master Ian!”
[My friend, well… by any chance… do you like titties?]
“Master Ian?”
[Aiya . So what, you’re not gonna do it?]
“Master Ian . ”
[Then I will answer you . As everyone’s representative—]
“Master Ian… . ”
[Yes . You are certainly worth it . ]
The more he talked and the more he confirmed Ian’s unresponsiveness, the more Seol Jihu’s eyes got out of shape . Ba-Thump—
His heart started pounding . Enveloped by an indescribable sense of déjà vu, Seol Jihu carefully placed his hand on his beating heart .
A stinging pain that seemed to tear his heart apart flooded in .
After staring disbelievingly with a grimace…
“…Priest . ”
He murmured quietly .
“Priest— I’ll bring a Priest . Wait… wait just a bit . ”
Clutching onto his pounding heart, he turned back . Pulling against the ground with his elbows, he slowly crawled out . Soon, he left the destroyed watchtower and stood up while staggering . In that moment—
“H…!”
He swallowed his words calling for help .
“Save us!”
It was because a piercing shout had struck his ears .
Beneath the fortress wall, a female Priest in a dirtied white robe was running away .
Seol Jihu recognized her face .
It was Mary Rhine, the female Priest who had participated in the Delphinion Laboratory rescue mission .
Although Seol Jihu was lucky enough to spot a Priest, he didn’t dare to call her over . This was because two Nosferatus were chasing after the frantically fleeing Priest .
“Somebody help…!”
The Nosferatus finally pounced on her . One violently pressed down on her back, while the other grabbed onto her ankles and crushed them, and Mary Rhine shrieked in despair .
“Rhine!”
Erica Lawrence, the Level 6 Imperial Knight who masterfully wielded a fiery longsword, shouted . A few smoked corpses could be seen underneath her feet, but there were even more Nosferatus attacking her from all directions .
At that moment, one Nosferatu took advantage of her momentary loss of focus and successfully dug its fangs in her neck .
The startled Erica Lawrence flailed her arms violently, but her elbows only struck the empty air . Her enraged frowning face slowly transformed into that of ecstasy .
Eventually, she shuddered and let go of the longsword in her hand . The moment she fell to her knees, the group of Nosferatus pounced on her .
It was a gruesome and wretched sight .
After watching this scene unfold from a distance, Seol Jihu’s legs gave out, and his body swayed . He staggered to regain his balance, but that was when something squishy touched his foot .
“Ah…”
It wasn’t just underneath the fortress wall that chaos was breaking out .
Headless soldiers and Earthlings whose body had become partially mummified . Standing on the now-lifeless, corpse-filled wall, completely swept away by death… Seol Jihu looked around the area in a daze .
The Nosferatus, having infiltrated the fortress and sweeping through with a frightening force .
Vulgar Chastity, leading her army and fiercely storming the fortress gate .
The succubus army, busily flying above Dawn Peak .
The Medusas, screaming resentfully and commanding the Parasite army, and the nine-headed Hydra, spitting out breaths of all colors and forms at the fortress .
90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees, 360 degrees .
No matter where he looked, it was total pandemonium .
Ian was right . Although reinforcements had arrived, the tide of battle had not turned . The inevitable had only been delayed for a moment .
Seeing what looked like the end of the world, Seol Jihu’s mind grew more and more chaotic . Unable to endure it any longer, he shot his eyes open, plugged his ears, and began to run blindly .
Even he didn’t know why he was running .
‘Everyone… is dead… . ’
When the shock of witnessing an unacceptable reality that surpassed his mental limit mixed with his forgotten guilt, Seol Jihu truly felt like he’d lose his mind .
And so, not knowing what to do, Seol Jihu ran like an aimless bullet . He could feel something squishy and sticky on his feet, but Seol Jihu continued to run with bloodshot eyes, like a beast driven to a cliff .
Eventually, he shut his eyes .
If he couldn’t see this horrible sight, if he couldn’t hear these piercing screams— anywhere was fine .
At that moment, he suddenly felt his foot slip, and his body lost its balance .
Seol Jihu screamed .
Splash!
“Keuk!”
A sickening smell of blood stung his nose . The pounding in his chest got worse . When dizziness crept up his head, his stomach churned and he wanted to vomit .
As he floundered on the ground flowing with blood and bits and pieces of flesh, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar back .
If he wasn’t mistaken, that was Chohong .
Seol Jihu paused and strained his ears . He could hear a faint groan coming from the **** body . Seol Jihu crossed the mountain of corpses and the sea of blood to flip over the woman lying face-down .
“Heuk—”
As soon as he saw her face, an agitated groan escaped his mouth .
Her face was drenched from the blood pouring out of her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and even her neck and chest areas were dyed red . It was as if she had washed her face in blood .
If she hadn’t opened her eyes, Seol Jihu might have had trouble recognizing her .
However, Chohong narrowly opened her eyes and grinned .
“You’re alive… . ”
Her voice wasn’t as energetic as usual but much more enervated .
‘No way . ’
Seol Jihu’s pounding heart began to hammer his body .
“He must have… thought… I was dead… cough!”
Chohong let out a harsh cough, seemingly having choked on something while talking .
As Chohong writhed in pain, Seol Jihu held onto her hands tightly . He could tell her hands were unusually cold .
“But…”
Her coughing stopped .
“Why… did you come back…? You… moron… . ”
Panting heavily to take in air…
“…But then again…”
Chohong smirked .
“That’s just like you… . ”
It was something he had heard before . Seol Jihu’s eyes grew larger . He also put more strength into his hands, bringing Chohong’s hands to his forehead .
“Hey… can you… do me… a favor…”
Chohong’s eyebrows trembled as she struggled to open her mouth .
“Kill me… . ”
Seol Jihu frowned as hard as he could and bit his lower lip hard enough to make it bleed .
“It hurts so much… I’d rather… huh?”
Chohong stopped in the middle of her sentence and blinked a couple times .
“Oh… it doesn’t hurt anymore… . ”
She must have gotten the chills as she suddenly shuddered .
“Ah… it’s so cold… . ”
Eventually, she breathed out a long sigh and slowly closed her eyes . Chohong’s hands escaped Seol Jihu’s grasp .
Looking at her chest, which was still puffing up and down, Seol Jihu fell into a deep self-hatred .
[But then again… that’s just like you…]
The Chohong, who saved him from the Nest back at Ramman Village, and the Chohong now, who was drenched in blood, overlapped in his sight .
“Chohong!”
Seol Jihu activated Nine Eyes, thinking ‘What if?’ It wasn’t that he expected Nine Eyes to do anything about this situation . But he hoped it would .
Because that was the only thing he could do . Because that was the only thing he could currently rely on .
But in the next instant, Seol Jihu blanked completely .
The entire world turned black .
Escape Immediately .
Even the Nine Eyes, his last resort, was telling him to hurry up and escape . That running away was the only answer .
“Ha… haha… . ”
He was frustrated . So frustrated that tears began to pool around his eyes . And at the same time, it was so **** funny . He laughed at himself for only being able to watch as his comrades died .
He had put in such painstaking efforts to never have to experience something like this again… but in the end, he couldn’t do anything again .
He was helpless as Chohong was dying right in front of him .
‘Punishment… . ’
Driven to such a corner, he even thought that this situation was him being punished .
Right, punishment . That was the only way he could justify something like this happening .
This had to be a divine punishment handed to him for what he had done to his family .
Cause and effect . Seol Jihu had chosen the law of causality to guide him in his life in Paradise .
But this law didn’t only apply to others . Seol Jihu wasn’t an exception .
‘I… . ’
He was lost in the world of gambling . He turned his back on his family and betrayed his girlfriend dozens of times .
He wasted every day of his life . It was truly the life of a trash . And since he lived like trash, it was only natural that he died like one .
‘But… . ’
To be honest, he wanted to change . He knew it was already too late, but he wanted to change anyways .
‘That’s why . ’
He had chosen another reality to change his pathetic reality . Even then, it was the same story .
Risking his life to be the bait, volunteering himself for a job he didn’t need to do and enduring all sorts of pain to escape, surpassing his limits while withstanding hellish training— it was all useless .
He wondered if salvation would come at the end of the tunnel, but in front of overwhelming power, in front of a large force, he was forced to his knees helplessly .
He wanted to deny it, but reality was telling him thus:
Why are you trying to change now?
Can trash like you be recycled?
You’re unable to do anything, both on Earth and in Paradise .
Trash like you should meet a trash-like ending .
Right . In the end, he had failed . No matter how much he struggled and thrashed, reality did not change .
No matter what he did, reality was the same .
“… . ”
Tears began to flow from his eyes . A sense of helplessness he never wanted to experience again took over his body .
Seol Jihu dropped his head without a word .
From dispirited to disheartened, from disheartened to despair, and from despair… to acceptance .
‘Rather than living like this… . ’
It’s better to die .
Why try to break a boulder with an egg?
Rather than running away like a coward and being tormented by guilt every day…
It’s better to die .
When his thoughts reached this far, his chest suddenly calmed down .
‘I… don’t care… anymore . ’
He grabbed his icy spear with his trembling hand . Slowly picking it up, he grabbed it in reverse and aimed it at his neck .
A sorrowful smile spread across his face .
He wasn’t being forced . Seol Jihu was making this choice himself .
Finally, just as he put strength into his hand…
[My friend, why are you in such a rush to decide?]
Ian’s chuckling voice echoed in his ears .
Hearing this, his half-closed eyes shot open .
Clang! And his spear fell down .
Seol Jihu quickly looked around the area . However, Ian was nowhere to be seen .
It was just that the conversation he had with Ian after returning from the Banquet brushed past his head .
[You see, Seol, humans always make choices while they live . Whether that be in the past, the present, or the future . ]
Then, he suddenly wondered .
‘I…’
Has there ever been a time he made a choice out of his own will?
‘I…’
…To be honest, he was afraid .
And he knew it .
That what he was doing now wasn’t a choice he made on his own .
That he was making this decision because he was terrified and pushed into a difficult situation .
Looking back, his entire life had been like that .
He relied on the Nine Eyes almost out of habit before he thought for himself .
He always decided after seeing the color and never tried to deviate from the given choices .
But…
Who was to say that the Nine Eyes was always right?
Just because the Nine Eyes showed a color, did he have to follow that choice?
[Life isn’t a game you can see the ending of after clicking on one or two choices, is it?]
The Golden Commandment also did not guarantee a good result .
It was the same for the colors of danger .
Just like when he saw the Do Not Approach color in Ramman Village . Just like when he succeeded in the Tutorial’s Impossible-difficulty mission .
Even if he didn’t retreat, even if he didn’t escape immediately…
The result wasn’t so bad .
…Right . Even a predetermined destiny could be changed with an insignificant choice .
The Nine Eyes certainly wasn’t wrong . But it wasn’t right either .
The Nine Eyes was also a choice .
It was up to Seol Jihu to make a decision, act on it, and work to accomplish a certain goal .
Thinking about it, the answer was already there .
[Isn’t it surprising? That such a trivial choice can change your fate completely!]
All colors came together as one .
The moment Seol Jihu realized this, he became dazed .
Suddenly, a deafening ringing noise began to resound in his ears .
He couldn’t hear any sound . No shrieks, howls, or screams .
An electrifying sensation flowed through his body . From the bottom of his heart, an emotion that had not existed before welled up, making cold veins boil with blood .
Seol Jihu grabbed his dropped spear and slowly raised his body .
Then, he slowly raised his hand in the air .
He knew it was too late to do anything at this point .
In the first place, he didn’t think changing fate would be so easy .
Just how far could he go? For once, while he was alive, he wanted to trust his choice .
And so…
[You used 9 Ability Points]
[Your Mana stat increases from Intermediate (High) to High (High) . ]
**
[Ah–!]
The Parasite Queen who was sitting on the Corrupted Throne shot up from her seat in shock .
As she observed the movements of the constellations, her jaw dropped from the sheer shock of a change she hadn’t anticipated .
On the other hand…
[Hoh…!]
Gula exclaimed in awe .
As she endlessly observed the stars, she finally caught sight of an omen she had been waiting for .
A grey star that was wriggling like a sleeping dragon suddenly began to spin, creating a terrifying whirlpool .
It wasn’t spinning at a simple rate of a few spins a second .
Tens, hundreds, no, thousands…!
A stored-up power so terrifying that not even a **** dared to estimate began to rage!
When this unbelievably boundless energy finally exploded, a quaking of the stars— a Stellar Earthquake— erupted .
When the galaxy shook from this magnificent stretch, the hundreds of thousands of affected stars changed their movements .
That wasn’t the end .
The grey mold-like shell coating the star couldn’t withstand the shock and crumbled down .
And when the erupting energy gradually came together and concentrated around one point—!
Anguish flashed across the Parasite Queen’s face, while joy flashed across Gula’s .
From the center of the star losing its surface layer, starlight brighter than that of any other stars was born .
Although it was only a tiny ember now, what the star was incubating was undoubtedly light .
This star had lost its light and died . It had failed to regain its light even after painstaking effort and hardship .
But seeing the undeniable brilliance, the two Goddesses residing in different areas shouted simultaneously .
[The dead star…!]
Was shining, once again .
**
Ba-Thump! Seol Jihu’s heart pounded louder than ever before .
The ringing inside him seemed to separate his body and soul . He could feel the energy inside him growing exponentially .
Drunk on the boundless energy of unprecedented scale surging inside him, Seol Jihu glared at the black-and-white world .
Teresa had told him to run .
Chohong had asked him why he came back .
The Nine Eyes was recommending that he escape immediately .
Ian had told him to endure .
But Seol Jihu didn’t do so .
He didn’t want to .
Even if he would fall and crumble again— he refused to let others make his choice .
For once, he wanted to do what his heart told him to do .
For once, he wanted to know his true self .
And so…
[Innate Ability, ‘Future Vision’, has been activated . ]
He didn’t hold back this time .
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