The Second Coming of Gluttony Chapter 380:

After Gula’s shout, several messages appeared at once .

[As a reward for passing the first trial, the rank of Righteous Heart has been changed to EX, and its effect has been expanded from Mana Cultivation to Mana Technique . ]

[As a reward for passing the second trial, you have gained the ability ‘Indomitable Will (Special)’ . ]

[As a reward for passing the third trial, you have gained the aptitude ‘Clear Mirror, Still Water’ . ]

[You have gained the Authority ‘Godslaying (Grade Unknown)’ . ]

Seol Jihu’s eyes remained fixed on the last message .

As much as he was intrigued by the first three messages, he knew that the fourth one was the most important .

Black Seol Jihu had stressed several times the importance of the Authority ‘Godslaying’ .

[I… wasn’t chosen . ]

The Unchosen One .

It was one of Black Seol Jihu’s many nicknames .

Although his martial prowess was top-notch, none of the gods had appointed him to be their Executor or had awarded him with a divine vestige .

[I understand the Seven Gods’ choice . I was half crazy at the time and didn’t really care about Paradise . ]

[I did regret it later on . If I had the Authority of Godslaying or at least the Spear of Purity… . ]

Black Seol Jihu smiled bitterly, saying he had no choice but to rely on techniques based on Reinforced Sword Qi, which consumed a lot of mental energy when confronted with the Army Commanders .

Seol Jihu tightened his grip on the Spear of Purity .

Mortals couldn’t defeat immortals .

Because immortals, by definition, were undying .

However, Seol Jihu had just become an exception to that absolute rule .

Godslaying was an Authority that only gods could bestow, giving its holder the power to kill a god, or, more precisely, the power to destroy a god’s divinity .

This meant that Seol Jihu now had the means to kill not only the Army Commanders but also the Parasite Queen .

Of course, it didn’t guarantee his victory . Godslaying was only a right, and it was entirely up to Seol Jihu to exercise that right to produce results .

‘Other than Godslaying… . ’

Seol Jihu checked the remaining three messages one by one .

His eyes slowly became cloudy as they moved across the message window .

He seemed lost in thought .

[I can’t believe you . ]

Gula smiled softly .

[You’re already thinking about training?]

‘Ah, I’m just thinking about how to apply these new skills . ’

His choice of words had changed .

Previously he would have said ‘use’ instead of ‘apply’ .

‘Use’ referred to the act of utilizing something for the purpose it was made for, whereas ‘apply’ meant molding it to fit one’s agenda .

The difference was subtle but clear .

This proved that his thinking abilities had grown enough to take into account not only the skill itself but also its connection to his current self .

[Would you like to enter the Path of the Soul again?]

Realizing what Gula was trying to say, Seol Jihu shook his head with a smile .

He felt tempted, but 8 months was not a short time .

‘I don’t think I should . Now, I’d like to acquire other skills . ’

This meant that he wanted to acquire skills that he hadn’t yet learned, the skills that were opened when he reached levels 5, 6, and 7 .

From level 1, Seol Jihu relied solely on training to master different techniques, so he was reluctant to use contribution points to easily acquire new skills .

However, talking to Black Seol Jihu had changed his mind .

[The hell? A skill that can alter the law of causality? Why the **** haven’t you learned it yet?]

[I understand why you’re worried, but you have a status window . What’s your goal? Achieving spiritual enlightenment? Are you trying to become a celestial being through thousands of years of training? Is that what you want?]

[Let’s make an impossible assumption . Suppose there’s a magical spear that automatically kills the Parasite Queen if you thrust it once in the air . It’s not like you won’t use it, right?]

[This game-like setting that the Seven Gods have bestowed to Earthlings is also a part of your power . Physical abilities, mental abilities, and setting . Your goal should be to achieve harmony among the three . Remember the Trinity Harmony that you love so much?]

[Learn it as soon as you get out of here . ]

Seol Jihu recalled Agnes had made similar remarks in the past, and the slightest doubt he had was now gone .

Of course, just because he was acquiring new skills using contribution points didn’t mean that the seven years of brutal training were meaningless .

[You have gained a new Class Ability: ‘Nemesis: Cursed Spear that Delivers Misfortunes (Lowest)’ . ]

[You have gained a new Class Ability: ‘Nemesis: Vengeful Spear that Punishes (Lowest)’]

[You have gained a new Class Ability: ‘Berserk (Lowest)’ . ]

The parade of messages was followed by another procession of messages informing him that ‘Grand Cosmic Shift’ responded to the Vengeful Spear and that the ‘Future-Gauging Nine Eyes’ and the aptitudes ‘Clear Mirror, Still Water’ and ‘Heart and Soul as One’ responded to Berserk .

As a result, the ranks of the two newly acquired skills, except for the Cursed Spear, rose quickly .

‘So even aptitudes affect skills . ’

He was a little confused at first, but then he remembered what a peculiar awakening skill Berserk was .

Seol Jihu smiled softly .

He felt as if all his past efforts had been repaid .

‘Thank you . ’

[Where are you going?]

Gula’s voice stopped him, as he was about to take his leave .

[I have one more thing to give you . ]

‘Give me?’

[Yes . Surely you’re aware that you are now a Unique Ranker . ]

‘Yes . ’

[You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this day . ]

Seol Jihu tilted his head to the side, curious, before suddenly pausing .

He realized what Gula was about to do .

‘But I—’

[That and the trial are separate . ]

Gula responded calmly .

[More precisely, the trial is something that we give to a child who rejects us, but you replaced it with the Divine Stigmata . ]

‘… . ’

[If Eun Yuri served me, I would have hesitated because of her future potential . But of all of my children, you have made the greatest contribution . Seeing you go through the trials only convinced me of my own decision . Now that you have gained the Authority of Godslaying, I see no reason for further delay . ]

Gula delivered her thoughts in a long but articulate monologue .

Thanks to the goddess’ show of determination, it was really starting to sink in that the moment he’d been waiting for was finally here .

‘…Are you sure?’

[Of course, I am . ]

Gula then asked in a slightly prim tone .

[Could it be that you don’t want to serve me?]

Seol Jihu gave a small smile at the seemingly restless goddess .

‘Of course, not . It’s an honor . ’

Although the pretext was that it was a reward for his passing the trial, it was true that Gula gave him the power to kill her .

His Authority was proof that the goddess trusted him, which in turn made him more trustful of the goddess .

[Well then . ]

Gula spoke .

[Come closer, my child . ]

A dignified voice echoed throughout the temple .

Seol Jihu slowly approached the stone statue and bowed his head before it .

[From this day forward… . ]

Gula gently placed her hand on Seol Jihu’s head .

[In the name of goddess Gula, I hereby bestow Seol Jihu the right to receive the trial of ‘Apostle of Gula’ . ]

[Upon your successful completion of the trial, you shall be known as my Executor, the bearer of my name!]

Seol Jihu’s mirror-like eyes gleamed brightly .

*

After leaving Gula’s temple, Seol Jihu opened his status window for the first time in years .

[Your Status Window]

[1 . General Information]

Class: LV 7 . Star Seeker

[2 . Traits]

1 . Temperament

—Self-command (Suppresses emotions, greed, and impulses with the rational will)

—Competitive (A desire to win)

—Superhuman (Unbelievably exceptional in enduring pain and hardship when compared to an average human being)

2 . Aptitude

—Effort (Endeavors with both body and mind to achieve a goal)

—Clear Mirror, Still Water (Possesses a calm, clean mind resembling a shining mirror and still water . )

—Heart and Soul as One (Unfaltering and unwavering when concentrating on one thing)

—Average (Normal in every way; possesses no particular talent)

[3 . Physical Level]

Strength: High (Low)

Endurance: Intermediate (High)

Agility: High (Low)

Stamina: High (Low)

Mana: High (High)

Luck: Intermediate (Intermediate)

Remaining Ability Points: 19

[4 . Abilities]

1 . Authorities (1)

— Godslaying (Grade Unknown)

2 . Innate Abilities (1)

—Future-Gauging Nine Eyes (Grade Unknown)

3 . Class Abilities (10)

—Awakening Skill: Berserk (High)

—Basic Spear Techniques: Thrust (Pinnacle), Strike (Pinnacle), Cut (Pinnacle)

—Mana Spear - Multiple (Pinnacle)

—Secret Art: Sword Qi Wave (Pinnacle)

—Secret Art: Mutilation (Pinnacle)

—Ethereal Shift (Pinnacle)

—Righteous Heart (EX)

—Nemesis: The Cursed Spear that Delivers Misfortunes (Lowest)

—Nemesis: The Vengeful Spear that Punishes (High)

—Perfect Harmony (Pinnacle)

4 . Miscellaneous Abilities (6)

—Reinforced Circuit (Special)

—Grand Cosmic Shift (Pinnacle)

—Indomitable Will (Special)

—Hell Severing (Intermediate)

—Intuition (Pinnacle)

—Thousand Thunder (Intermediate)

‘So many things changed . ’

That was all he could think of .

He didn’t feel particularly proud of his achievements .

Rather, because he had gained many new abilities, he’d have to train harder… .

“…Ah . ”

Seol Jihu grabbed his head and shook it .

Ever since Black Seol Jihu and Baek Haeju left, Seol Jihu had been in a constant state of Heart and Soul as One .

He had spent every waking moment thinking about how to fix his flaws and improving his techniques .

It had developed into a habit . It wasn’t a bad habit, but he needed to learn to turn it off at his will .

‘What should I do first?’

It was then that his stomach let out a loud grumble .

Hunger came rushing at him like a tsunami . He hadn’t realized until now that the level-up process had taken up all his energy .

He could probably hold out a little longer if he had to, but he didn’t want to .

“Ah . ”

Seol Jihu paused while walking down the stairs, rubbing his belly .

He remembered the promise he had made just before he first passed the third trial .

He had momentarily forgotten about it because it happened years ago .

Seol Jihu immediately spun around and went back inside the temple .

*

The first thing Seol Jihu did was to return to Earth .

251 Paradise days were identical to 84 Earth days . Nearly three months had passed .

“Yes, Mother . It’s me . Yes, yes . I came home today . Of course, I’m doing well . ”

As soon as he got home, Seol Jihu called his mother .

“Right now? No, it’s fine . Your timing is great . I was actually starving . Okay . I’ll see you and Hyung there . ”

His mother told him she wanted to see him, so they made an appointment for dinner .

Later that day Seol Jihu met his mother and brother at the restaurant they had agreed upon . They ordered food and picked at it, talking and listening .

A strange sensation swept through Seol Jihu .

It was three months for his mother and brother, but seven years for him .

Still, he wasn’t allowed to show it . He couldn’t let them know .

“Are you okay?”

Seol Jihu looked up from his fourth bowl of cold noodles .

His mother seemed rather worried .

“Hmm? Why do you ask?”

Seol Jihu asked, swallowing another bite of his noodles .

“Well, it’s just that… . ”

His mother continued carefully, pausing before replying .

“It’s like you aren’t my son . ”

“Me?”

“Yes . I feel like I’m watching Wooseok . ”

Seol Wooseok flinched at his name as he moved a big chunk of his noodles to Seol Jihu’s plate .

“But Hyung is also your son . ”

“You know what I mean . You seem different somehow . ”

His mother tilted her head to the side, blatantly confused .

Seol Jihu glanced at his brother .

“Well, in my opinion… . ”

Seol Wooseok muttered, cutting the noodles with scissors .

“His aura feels different . It’s like he’s suddenly five years older . ”

“Yes, that’s exactly it . ”

His mother clapped in approval .

“Is it because of that confidential project you mentioned before? Is the company mistreating you?”

Seol Wooseok asked, and Seol Jihu licked his lips nervously .

He hadn’t expected them to notice, but the family was family after all .

“The company isn’t mistreating me . I just got off of a… very unique job . Anyway, I’m fine . Don’t worry about me . ”

With a broad smile, Seol Jihu lowered his face to the bowl again .

After dinner, the brothers headed for the restaurant’s smoking area with a cup of vending machine coffee in their hands .

“Is everything really all right?”

Seol Wooseok asked cautiously as he watched his brother sip hot coffee from his cup .

“Everything’s fine . Why do you keep asking?”

“The noodles today weren’t nearly as good as before . Knowing you, I thought for sure you’d refuse to eat . But you didn’t even complain . ”

…His doubt was well-grounded .

Seol Jihu was extremely, unbelievably particular about noodles . Seol Wooseok had every reason to suspect something was wrong .

“It wasn’t that bad . And you know how everything tastes good when you’re hungry . ”

“No, you can’t fool me like that . I know you . You’re stricter than top chefs when it comes to noodles . Even when you’re starving to death, you won’t even look at the noodles that don’t meet your standards . ”

His brother was right, and Seol Jihu was forced to come up with a different excuse .

“The food there was bad . You have no idea how much I missed outside food, Hyung . ”

He answered calmly even though his heart was filled with guilt towards Baek Haeju .

“But you were gone for only a couple of months . How did you even survive the military?”

“A day felt almost like a month . ”

“A month? So that’s about seven years in total… . Were you in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber or something?”

With a chuckle, Seol Wooseok pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket .

Out of habit Seol Jihu fumbled in his pocket before lowering his arm .

“Hey, here . ”

With a cigarette in his mouth, Seol Wooseok handed the pack of cigarettes to his brother .

“…”

Seol Jihu stared at it for a moment and then shook his head .

Seol Wooseok’s eyes widened .

“What’s wrong? I thought you didn’t care about brands?”

“…No . ”

After a brief pause, Seol Jihu smiled .

“I quit smoking . ”

*

After dinner with his mother and brother, Seol Jihu immediately returned to his apartment .

He gave them a plausible excuse for his absence so they wouldn’t worry about him for the time being .

As soon as he arrived in Paradise, Seol Jihu headed straight to Valhalla .

The dawn street was quiet and empty and so was the Valhalla building .

How much had Eun Yuri grown? Were Yi Seol-Ah and Yi Sungjin back? He knew that the Haleb siblings and Seo Yuhui were back . How was everyone doing?

He had so many questions .

Quietly, Seol Jihu entered the building with a smile across his face .

*

The next morning .

At around 6 o’clock, Kim Hannah opened her eyes with a start, alarmed by the warmth next to her .

A familiar smell caressed the tip of her nose .

There was no doubt about it . It was him .

She had just awakened from a dream in which a puppy resembling Seol Jihu jumped into her arms . Could that have been a prophecy of some sort?

Kim Hannah asked with her eyes closed .

“When did you get back?”

“…At dawn . ”

She heard a sleepy, slightly hoarse voice .

At dawn .

Kim Hannah repeated his words to herself .

Perhaps she didn’t realize his arrival because reality was completely different from her dream .

In her dream, he was wagging his tail and rubbing his head against her face .

But now he was nothing but quiet . He didn’t cling to her as he did back at Scheherazade’s inn .

She could tell from the warm breath that touched her face— not the top of her head or her **** but her face— that he was lying face to face with her .

Who did he think he was, crawling into her bed in the middle of the night like some husband back from a long trip?

Kim Hannah let out a stifled giggle .

“You should’ve woken me up, sweetheart . ”

She slowly stretched out her arm and placed her hand on Seol Jihu’s back .

She moved it down slowly, impressed by the texture of his muscles under her palm .

It was like touching a beautiful sculpture born at the hands of an artist .

“That’s right . There’s something I want to ask you . ”

Kim Hannah’s hands suddenly paused while stroking down his back .

“Am I the first person you came to see?”

“…This is my room . ”

“Ah . ”

She received an unexpected reply .

It was indeed Seol Jihu’s room .

Exhausted from working until past midnight, she had stopped by the closest room to her office instead of her own .

As she recalled this, Kim Hannah opened her eyes slightly .

She then saw Seol Jihu, eyes closed, under the bright sunlight .

Kim Hannah leaned back and watched his face, her own head supported by the palm of her hand .

“Shouldn’t you be waking up? You are the representative . ”

“Just a little longer . ”

It was still early in the morning .

Kim Hannah watched him for a while before getting out of bed .

The clock was already pointing to 6:30 a . m .

Each day she went to bed at two and got up at six . For someone as meticulous as her, this was an unforeseeable delay .

“Sleep tight . I have so many things to discuss with you when you wake up… . Ah, this is for you . ”

Kim Hannah threw what she had in her hand, and a layer of soft fabric covered Seol Jihu’s face .

It wasn’t long after she left that Seol Jihu opened his eyes .

His vision was filled with light gray .

Unsurprisingly, it was Kim Hannah’s coat .

“…I’ve already graduated from this . ”

Seol Jihu put the coat aside and rolled across the bed and down to the floor .

The touch of the hard floor made him feel more comfortable, perhaps because he had gotten used to sleeping outside .

“This is bad . ”

Seol Jihu smiled bitterly . Suddenly he felt two pairs of eyes on him .

Little Chick and the ghost were staring at him from the doorway . The sound of Kim Hannah leaving seemed to have woken them .

“Oh . ”

Seol Jihu let out a short exclamation .

Little Chick looked different than before .

The feathers covering his body had become longer and softer . They looked chewy .

On his forehead were two feathers, one scarlet and one indigo .

He seemed to have undergone another evolution .

“Long time no see . ”

Seol Jihu greeted them .

There was no reply .

Both seemed perplexed .

“Come here . ”

Seol Jihu made clicking sounds with his tongue and reached out his hand to Little Chick .

“Screw you . ”

Little Chick finally opened his beak .

Offended by Seol Jihu treating him as a pet, the chick tried to protest but instead asked reluctantly .

“By the way, what… are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“What even are you? What the **** happened?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about . ”

Seol Jihu snorted .

Then he turned to Flone, who was fluttering in the air .

“Flone? Did you miss me?”

[…Yeah . ]

Flone hesitated before nodding reluctantly .

She didn’t sound so sure .

Seol Jihu spread out his arms .

He waited for a hug, but Flone was still hesitating .

“Flone?”

[Mmmmm . ]

Eventually, she hid behind Little Chick like a child that was shy of strangers .

He could still see her, of course, but it was clear that she felt awkward around Seol Jihu .

“What’s wrong?”

[I don’t know—]

Flone grunted .

[It’s weird . Your body and soul are the same… but your soul resonance is totally different from before . ]

“Soul resonance?”

[Yeah . I can see it . And it’s not just your wavelength . Your soul is also faintly shining, like a person who’s training to become a saint… . Who are you, really?]

Seol Jihu’s eyes spun around in a circle .

And then he shrugged .

*

The warm sunlight shone down on the city .

Phi Sora was walking down the stairs with a belly full of breakfast .

“Don’t~♪ call me~♪ a cruel woman~♪”

She was singing merrily but suddenly stopped .

A familiar young man was climbing the stairs towards her .

‘…Eh?’

The unexpected encounter wiped her head clean of thought .

The young man, too, noticed her coming down the stairs and waved his hand with a broad smile .

“Ah, Miss Phi Sora . ”

A familiar greeting .

“Did you sleep well last night?”

A familiar voice .

Phi Sora clamped her mouth shut .

She blinked rapidly and furrowed her brow .

Nothing was out of the ordinary . Everything was familiar .

No, but something was off . She just couldn’t point out what .

“Did you have breakfast already?”

“…Huh? Oh, um, yeah . I just had one . ”

She blurted out in confusion .

Seol Jihu nodded his head .

“That’s too bad . I was hoping to eat with you . Well then, I’ll see you later . ”

“Ah, okay . ”

Seol Jihu bowed his head once and climbed the rest of the stairs .

Phi Sora stood in place for a long time .

A look of confusion crossed her face . It was the kind of expression one would see when the long-awaited food finally arrived at the table, but its taste was neither good nor bad .

She exhaled, for she had unconsciously held her breath . ‘Whatever . ’ She then shook her head and began descending the stairs again .

“Nya nya nya nya~ Nyo nyo nyo nyo~”

Suddenly, she felt better for no reason . At the end of the staircase, Phi Sora turned right, humming .

Just a little later .

Tak, tak, tak, tak!

Less than 30 seconds later, the sound of hurrying footsteps filled the hallway .

The woman running through the hallway, fluttering her crimson hair in the wind, was none other than Phi Sora .

“Hold on—”

She rushed up the stairs, taking multiple steps at a time .

1 . Gula specifically uses the word ‘apostle’ here instead of ‘Executor’ .

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc . . ), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible .

Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters .