gh
Well, this person might have been newly scouted by Sinyoung.'
Seol Jihu thought like so, but out of the blue, he felt something weighty on his thighs. He looked down to find Chohong resting her head there.
"….You're heavy."
"Eiii, come on now, be still…. Whew, this is really comfortable, you know. Anyways. I'm guessing that it's a bit noisy in Scheherazade right now."
She stretched her legs while speaking up.
"Yeah, it's pretty noisy over there. But with something else, actually."
"About what? Did you hear something else from Noonim?"
Dylan hesitated somewhat when Chohong asked him in a hurry.
"Mm…. Honestly, I can't believe it's really happening, either."
"What's going on? Cinzia Noonim isn't the type to bullshit around, right?"
Dylan nodded in agreement and opened his mouth.
"She said the Temple of Luxuria's movements have been suspicious."
"Really? What did she say?"
Dylan mulled over his words before quietly opening his mouth.
"Cinzia thinks that, just maybe, the Daughter of Luxuria is coming back."
Chohong shot right up from the lap pillow.
"What did you say?!"
"It's not confirmed, but Cinzia seemed almost convinced."
By then, even Hugo looked utterly stunned by this revelation. Which left Seol Jihu with a feeling that he was observing this discussion from very far away. So, he sneaked closer to Hugo and his still-open jaw.
"Hugo, what's going on here?"
"Hap."
Hugo quickly shut his mouth up and blinked his eyes.
"Oh, that. It's about the apostle of god. We're talking about the Executor."
"The Executor?"
"Yup. You see, Luxuria is the god in charge of looking after the Priests. She's the best when it comes to the power of healing."
"…Okay."
"You can think of this Executor as the end boss among the healing-type Priests. She's a Unique Ranker, and that's enough to show how amazing she is."
Seol Jihu tilted his head. This explanation was somewhat lacking.
"Do you know who she is?"
"I obviously don't know her personally, but I've seen her a few times from afar. She showed up in Haramark a bunch of times to do some volunteer work and stuff."
Hugo then suddenly poked Chohong on the side.
"Hey, now that I think about it, isn't she also from Area 1?"
"Yeah, you're right."
Hearing Chohong's reply, Seol Jihu began forming a look of curiosity. Stuff about her that's been mentioned so far painted this unknown person to be an absolutely amazing Earthling. Naturally, his curiosity had been stoked now.
"Can you tell me more, please?"
"Argh, he's starting again."
Chohong formed a fed-up face and quickly distanced herself, but as he had done always, Hugo replied earnestly.
"Hmm, okay. First of all."
"First of all?"
Seol Jihu's eyes sparkled in anticipation. Hugo enjoyed that reaction for a second or two, before speaking in a rare, weighty, and grave tone of voice.
"She's got a huge rack."
"…Hugo."
Seol Jihu had been seriously paying attention, so understandably, his expression gradually hardened. Hugo was smiling relaxedly, and he quickly waved his hand about.
"N-no, hang on! I'm telling you the truth! I told you that I saw her, right? She's definitely a 65 G-cup…!"
"…."
"Uh… and… oh, she's a real knockout too. So much so that some people even call her the physical manifestation of Luxuria."
Hugo took a bit of pause in between his words, and Chohong burst out in laughter when he was done.
"Eiii, you know that ain't true. Everyone knows that Luxuria is a goddess of lust. And that woman is as far removed from being a bitch in heat as you can get."
"That's only because you don't know the truth. Doesn't matter whether you're a guy or a chick, those who look prim and proper are the nastiest in bed, you know."
"Don't you remember what the nickname of that woman is? It's the Steel Wall. THE Steel Wall. I mean, even the famous Sung Shihyun tried to woo her for a long time only to get rejected by her outright. Yup, that woman's as far removed from being a lusty slut as you can possibly get."
"I'm telling you, you gotta take a deeper look inside the person first."
They were casually exchanging their opinions in the beginning, but eventually, the whole thing morphed into a full-on debate in no time. Seol Jihu could only shake his head while looking at the two arguing over something completely inconsequential. Dylan chuckled from the side.
"Here's the reason I scouted you, Seol."
*
Their carriage arrived in Scheherazade exactly four days later.
As soon as they set foot on the soils of the capital city, they decided to go their separate ways. There was no real reason to act together, and besides that, disposing of their individual share of loot depended on each person's tastes, anyway.
For instance, both Chohong and Hugo were thinking of utilizing the services of the auction house, but on the other hand, Dylan was going to see his connections in the city for a private sale.
Dylan suggested that, since he knew a guy who'd name a fair price, he and Seol Jihu should travel together, but the youth declined the invite, at least for the time being. He knew way too little of the way of this world, so he wanted to use this opportunity to wander around here and there to personally experience things.
Also, he already had someone who'd buy his things anyway. And, his desire to relaxedly sightsee what the capital city had to offer played a pretty big part in that decision making, as well.
The four of them settled on which inn to stay and dispersed after promising to meet up later that evening.
Haramark was a pretty large city in its own right, but compared to Scheherazade, it was definitely lacking in many areas. No matter where he went, he found a large crowd of people walking on the avenues, and when he looked at all the tall buildings and the straight roads, he could definitely feel that, yes, he was now inside the capital city.
A short while later….
'Wow.'
Seol Jihu asked around and found his way to Sinyoung's HQ. Once he felt the impressive splendor coming from the entrance of the building, he couldn't help but let out a stunned gasp. He was expecting to be awed somewhat already since Sinyoung was supposed to be the biggest organization in Paradise, but well, this was the case of 'seeing is believing'.
'It's like I've come to the Taj Mahal or something.'
He was momentarily overwhelmed by the sight, but he quickly reined in his emotions. Originally, he wasn't supposed to come here, but his situation had changed rather greatly compared to before.
Kim Hannah told him not to show up here until he had built up a sufficient reputation for himself to prevent Sinyoung from trying to entrap him. And if she needed him for something, she'd personally come seeking him out. That's what she said.
Well, Seol Jihu believed that he already met all the prerequisites. Carpe Diem was one of the top-ranked teams in Haramark, and its leader Dylan was an Earthling with deep ties to both the Triads and Sicilia. Not only that, he was on speaking terms with Princess Teresa Hussey and was also a friend to Ian Denzel the famed Alchemist, so Sinyoung wouldn't try something rash now, he thought.
'It's not like I've done something wrong, either.'
He just came here to meet Kim Hannah, that was all.
Because of the massive size of the organization, there were plenty of people going in and out of the front entrance, so Seol Jihu was successful in his attempt to slip in among the crowd unnoticed.
He began glancing around, wondering if he could spot any familiar faces. Soon, his steps took him past the front entrance.
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Novel
The Second Coming of Gluttony
Chapter 67 - . Encounter (2)
THE SECOND COMING OF GLUTTONY
C67 - . Encounter (2)
Chapter 67. Encounter (2)
The interior of Sinyoung's headquarters was even more luxurious than the building's exterior. Adding to the fact that there was quite a throng of people coming in and out, Seol Jihu couldn't immediately tell whether he had set foot inside a top-class department store or a top corporation's lobby.
He stood there looking around and a while later, discovered the reception desk. When he walked closer, a young woman wearing a tidy uniform greeted him with a smile.
"How may I be of assistance?"
"I'd like to speak to someone working here."
"Please provide me the name of the person you've made an appointment with."
"Oh, no. I don't have an appointment. Can you call Miss Kim Hannah down here for me, please?"
After hearing his rather forthright demand, the reception lady's eyes went round.
"You mean, Director Kim?"
"Yes, her. Tell her that it's Seol. She'll know right away."
The reception lady didn't say anything, but simply blinked her eyes a couple of times. She looked at the youth's attire and tilted her head for a moment or two before her gaze shifted over to the ice-colored spear emitting chilling air behind him and nodded her head slightly.
"Please wait for a moment."
He was worried about not being able to meet Kim Hannah without an appointment, but let off a huge sigh of relief inwardly when the reception lady took out a communication crystal.
"It's Park Ahrah from the reception desk. By any chance, is Director Kim in her office today? Oh, actually, there is…."
The reception girl sneaked a glance at Seol Jihu, and then…..
"He said he's Mister Seol…. Pardon?"
….She was clearly startled by something as she quickly shifted her gaze over to the stairs in the distance. Seol Jihu followed after her gaze and looked over yonder, and not too long after that, spotted a woman kitted out in a smart business suit quickly walking down the stairs with a small bag in her hand. It was, of course, Kim Hannah.
'That was quick!'
Regardless, Seol Jihu waved his hand, feeling happy to see her.
"Hey, Kim Hannah!"
"Hey, you. Been a while."
She smiled refreshingly and replied.
"What brings you here? Coming to see me all of a sudden like this."
"Well, I wanted to see you."
"You craz…. Well, should we get out of here to have a chat then? As you can see, it's a bit of a madhouse here."
Kim Hannah spoke really quickly. She even grabbed Seol Jihu's arm and pulled at him before he had a chance to reply. As soon as her back was turned towards the reception desk, the smile on her face evaporated in an instant.
"Come with me."
She whispered to him and yanked him by his arm. Seol Jihu could only open and shut his mouth like a goldfish and got helplessly dragged outside by her.
By the time Kim Hannah stopped walking like a possessed person, they were in a comparatively deserted side street.
She uncrossed her arms and planted her hands on her waist. She glared at the heavens above in total silence, before letting a long, long sigh escape from her mouth.
Meanwhile, Seol Jihu just stood there, staring. He wasn't sure, but it felt like he had done something naughty here for some reason.
"Okay, so."
Kim Hannah spun around to glare at him with narrowed eyes.
"Since you showed up in the capital and even dared to shove your head inside the jaw of a tiger, I guess you got yourself some sort of a safety net behind you."
What with her facial muscles twitching like that, if he jokingly said "Nope" here, she might really cause him some bodily harm.
"Yeah, I think I'm pretty well covered."
"…Really?"
Kim Hannah's barely-contained self, looking as if she'd blow her top at any moment, seemed to ease up a little. Seol Jihu seized upon this opening and quickly followed up.
"I entered a team."
"A team? Which one?"
"Carpe Diem."
Kim Hannah's eyes became small dots like a rabbit's. She wordlessly stared at him, before her lips parted slightly.
"Heh~eh. That's a surprise. I thought the requirements to join Carpe Diem were supposed to be pretty strict. So, how did you find yourself in a team famed for their close-mindedness?"
"You know about them?"
"Do I 'know' about them? C'mon, it's a team containing Edward Dylan, A High Ranker. He's a Level 5 Arch Shooter, for crying out loud. Both Chung Chohong and Richard Hugo are known as skillful fighters, too."
This time, it was Seol Jihu's turn to be surprised.
"Cho Hong's surname was 'Chung'?"
"Yeah. She's from Area 7, the so-called Independent League. She's from Hong Kong and is famous for walking on the path of a Warrior, even though she's supposed to be a Priest. People see her as a success story for someone with a dual class."
Kim Hannah recited the info in her head before asking him again.
"Never mind that. So, you fearlessly showed up in Sinyoung all because of Carpe Diem, is it?"
"Well, there are others."
"?"
"I built up some connections with the Haramark Royal Family. I also got to know the royal family's Magician, Master Ian."
One of Kim Hannah's brows shot up.
"Are you talking about Ian Denzel, by any chance?"
"Wow, you really do know everything."
Seol Jihu was genuinely impressed.
"You, you are only saying that because…."
Kim Hannah was about to finish the rest of that sentence with "…Because you don't want to get scolded by me, right?", but she promptly shut her mouth up after the youth smiled brightly and swung the spear around while saying, "Look, look! Princess gave this to me."
Even with a casual look, she could tell that the spear wasn't a simple weapon. At the very least, it wasn't something a newbie Warrior should be walking around with.
"So, how about it?"
Seol Jihu straightened his back proudly. Kim Hannah stared at him with narrowed, probing eyes before slowly crossing her arms with a smirk on her lips.
"Hmph. Trying to show off. Oh, well. I'll say that you managed to get yourself a helmet, at least."
"Only that?"
"It's not 'only that', okay?"
Kim Hannah's voice suddenly became rather small. Even though there was no one around, she was being even more cautious.
"I mean, seriously, you just had to show up on the same day that the First Lady decided to come back…"
'First Lady?'
Seol Jihu asked.
"Are you talking about Miss Yun Seora?"
"No."
Kim Hannah quickly shook her head.
"We can count Lady Yun Seora as your ally in this case. If the First Lady takes a full-on interest in you and reaches out, then Youngest Lady Yun Seora is the only person currently in Sinyoung who can shield you from her. She has the necessary drive to do so, and that's after not taking into account her abilities, too."
Seol Jihu had no idea what was going on here. But even then, he could sense something like a political machination was taking place behind the scenes.
It was at this point that Kim Hannah flinched somewhat and pulled out a communication crystal from her small bag. She then formed a deep frown.
"Look. They are calling me already."
"Did I do something wrong?"
"Well, not exactly, but…."
Kim Hannah massaged her forehead as if she was suffering from a migraine. She then told him to stay here and wait for her and hurriedly walked away.
She didn't look like she'd be back in a jiffy, though. Seol Jihu fished out a packet of smokes and scanned his surroundings for a bit. He had no problem smoking anywhere back in Haramark, but well, having seen how neat and clean the streets of Scheherazade were, he thought that smoking publicly might not be an accepted practice in this city.
Seol Jihu continued to look for a suitable place and eventually settled on a small alleyway next to a building with a signboard that proclaimed it to be the 'Teahouse of the Winds and Fairies'. When he got there, he found a flowerbed in the alleyway filled with small but beautiful flowers.
'….Well, this sucks.'
He felt this quite often, but well, his current situation came across as a big unfair slap on his face. Seriously now, he helped Sinyoung out, not wronged them in any shape or form, so why were they so dead-set on swallowing him up like a greedy predator?
'Really now, I gotta get stronger soon and make them stop this bullshit….'
He figured that things would change the moment he reached the realms of High Rankers. For one, he'd consume his Divine Elixirs, use up all the accumulated points, and, most importantly, use the 'Divine Stigmata'.
Of course, all those things were far, far away….
Seol Jihu sucked on the cigarette before unhappily spitting the smoke out.
"….Excuse me."
It was then, he was greeted by a warm, soothing voice.
"My apologies, but it is forbidden to smoke here."
Seol Jihu's brows shot up, and he quickly looked to his sides. Where did that voice come from?!
"This is private property, but at the same time, the flowers in the garden are especially sensitive towards cigarette smoke, you see."
A friendly voice that spoke as if to pacify a crying child continued to enter his ears. Seol Jihu hurriedly killed the cigarette.
"I, I'm sorry. I didn't know."
He then spun around and saw the face of the woman who had emerged from the side exit of the building. At the same time…
"Oh, no, it's fine. There's no need for you to kill the cigarette, though. If you walk a little away from here, you can find a pla….?!"
…The woman suddenly stopped in the middle of her sentence roughly at the same time as well.
"Oh, my goodness."
The woman covered her mouth up with her slender hand.
Out of the blue, he picked up on a familiar scent. When he looked into her gradually-widening, elegantly shaped and pure eyes….
"…."
Seol Jihu was overcome with a feeling that he was facing a calm yet infinitely wide ocean.
'…Yoo Seonhwa?!'
No, it wasn't her. The quiet and soothing aura was eerily similar, but when he took a closer look, it was also somewhat different. Should he say that this woman's aura felt a bit more mature?
From her long, smoothly-arching eyelashes; from her hair that cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall; from her scarlet lips that sported the inviting colour of a well-ripened fruit; from her slender shoulders and straight collar bones; and even from her skin glowing in the pale hues of a ripe apricot, as well as her white dress that perfectly suited her….
Most importantly, a wonderful fragrance wafted off from her direction. It was reminiscent of the warm rays of Spring that made one close their eyes and deeply savor the moment.
Just as his thought arrived at this point….
[Let us meet again, little prince.]
…He forgot to breathe then.
"…Ah."
Unconsciously, he dropped the cigarette in his hand. The childhood memories that he had completely forgotten about rushed back in.
But why? Why did he suddenly remember the events of that day?
As the unknown stimulated his brain, Seol Jihu followed his instincts and activated his 'Nine Eyes'. Then, he freaked out again.
'W-Why?'
When he saw no visible spectrum of color coming off from her, he simply chalked that up to yet another case of her being colorless. However, even the special ability of the green color, the 'General Observation', failed to activate. No matter how hard he tried, this woman's Status Window didn't want to show up. This was the first time something like this happened.
It was then.
"If it's okay with you…."
The woman slowly lowered her hand from her face and pointed to the side entrance of the building.
"We do have a separate smoking area inside. Would you like to use that instead?"
A suggestion made with her elegant yet gentle-sounding voice made Seol Jihu nod his head almost out of pure instinct. But then….
"Hey, you! What do you think you're doi….??"
Kim Hannah ended her call and entered the alleyway to look for Seol Jihu, only for her eyes to grow as wide as bulbs on a lamp post.
"You, you are…."
The woman softly turned her head towards Kim Hannah, prompting the latter to hurriedly open her mouth.
"M-my apologies."
For the first time ever, Seol Jihu witnessed Kim Hannah hurriedly lower her head like that.
"This kid only entered Paradise in March this year, so…. He still doesn't know anything…."
A certain light flickered in the woman's eyes.
"Is that so."
She then formed a gentle, inviting smile.
"If you need a quiet place to talk, then you can come inside."
"….E-Excuse me?"
Kim Hannah quickly asked back with a dazed face.
"B-But, what about the restraining order?"
"I'll always welcome you if you wish to visit me as a customer."
The woman answered with a gentle smile, politely gathered her hands in front, and turned around. She then stepped into the side entrance without saying anything else. Her white dress was cut low and exposed almost all of her back, but rather than looking cheap or too risqué, she came across as refined and dignified from the way she walked and carried herself.
"Puha!"
Seol Jihu stared at that back like a man bewitched, before regaining his senses the moment Kim Hannah spat out her breath.
"You…. Just what happened here?"
Now that was the question he wanted to ask her, instead. No, he had a crap ton of other things to ask her, too.
"Who is she?"
When he replied to her with a question of his own, Kim Hannah spat out a long, heavy sigh as if to say, "I thought as much."
"Yup, there was no way you'd know each other."
"Also, what was that about the restraining order, too?"
"You don't need to know."
Kim Hannah cut the conversation short right there while licking her lower lip. Her face looked as if she couldn't figure out whether she was dreaming or not.
"Okay, for the time being, let's go inside."
"You want to go in?"
"I mean, she invited us in, so we must go inside. You think such an opportunity comes around every day?"
Slap!
She slapped her own cheeks and recovered her usual demeanor right away.
"And besides, we'll be able to talk without worry if it's in there."
"….Is that somehow related to the restraining order you've been talking about?"
"Yup. What a surprising turn of events this is. I even get to enter this place all thanks to you."
She said that while cautiously entering the side entrance. Seol Jihu also hurried entered after her.
*
The interior turned out to be unexpectedly empty. There should have been a number of tables and chairs here, but there were none.
"I see that you're almost finished with the preparation to leave, ma'am."
Kim Hannah mouthed "Excuse us" with her trademark business smile and entered.
"Yes. The only thing remaining is choosing where to go."
The woman grinned and lightly patted a long table attached to the counter. There were two chairs nearby; she must've brought them out just now.
Kim Hannah cautiously settled down on one of the chairs and opened her mouth.
"Although it is regrettable, it's also an honor for me. I'd never have guessed that I am going to drink the very last tea made by you, Lady Seo Yuhui…."
'Seo Yuhui?'
While taking a seat next to Kim Hannah, Seol Jihu swallowed his saliva. Seo Yuhui, Seo Yuhui…. Fearing that he might forget this name, he continued to repeat it in his head.
Seo Yuhui gently chuckled before speaking up.
"Which tea would you like to have?"
"Oh, I'm fine with anything, actually."
"How about you?"
"Ah, well, I…."
Seol Jihu was thinking of initiating a conversation with this mystery woman through this opening, but Kim Hannah was one step faster; she reached out with her hand and covered his mouth.
"This kid doesn't mind whatever it is."
Seol Jihu tried to pry her hand away but to no avail. Meanwhile, Seo Yuhui simply formed an enigmatic smile.
"He must be your lover."
"Eeeehh?? No, of course not!!!"
Kim Hannah jumped up from her seat.
"Who would want to go out with this guy?! No, our relationship is simply one of a contractor and a contractee. Nothing more."
She laughed out loud and quite strongly denied it.
"Oh, I see. It's just that, you two seemed very familiar with each other."
Seo Yuhui tilted her head slightly as if she was somewhat confused. When her gaze met Seol Jihu's, she smiled brightly.
No matter how many times he saw it, her smile suited her fantastically. Not only that, but her voice reading out each of the syllables, her smooth and silky hand gestures, and the graceful air about her, easily caused his heart to flutter almost uncontrollably.
She wasn't exactly his ideal type, but…
If he were to describe the feeling he got when meeting Teresa Hussey for the first time as a type of 'strong attraction', then from Seo Yuhui, he felt a deep sense of familiarity.
An atmosphere that was kinda like, she'd gracefully accept whatever prank he'd pull, and shelter him from the storm, that sort of things.
'Wait. Aren't I putting all the carts in front of a horse here?'
Nothing had been confirmed so far. Seol Jihu could only form a wry smile after finally waking up from his deep dive into the sea of imagination.
"Please wait for a moment. I'll bring them out very soon."
Seo Yuhui turned around and began wringing out tea water.
"You can take your time. There's no rush."
Kim Hannah politely explained and then poked Seol Jihu on the side as the youth sat there rigidly and stared his front in a daze.
"Speak up."
"M-mm??"
"Not 'm-mm', I want you to start telling me what happened."
Seo Yuhui softly giggled as if she found Kim Hannah's impersonation rather funny.
"If I'm honest, I still can't figure it out. It hasn't been that long since you left the Neutral Zone, yet you're already a member of Carpe Diem, you got a damn spear as a gift from Princess Teresa Hussey, and became friends with Ian Denzel? What the hell?"
"Mm…. Well, it's a long story."
"Start from the beginning. Don't you dare leave anything out, too. Don't worry, you can speak freely in this place."
Seol Jihu nodded his head and slowly recounted his experiences so far. He started from when he arrived at Haramark, in full detail. He gradually grew excited after seeing Kim Hannah respond at the right time, meaning that she was concentrating fully on his story.
"So, I went over to the inn with them, thinking that being a porter would be better than nothing. But, like a lie, I found Carpe Diem waiting for us there. We discussed the scouting mission of the Forest of Denial, and….."
"What did you just say?!"
Right at that point, Kim Hannah abruptly cut him off even before he could finish his sentence. She had been listening quietly until then, so Seol Jihu had been left flustered by her sudden burst of fury.
"Forest of Denial?!?!"
"….Uh, yeah."
"Y-You…. THE Forest of Denial?? FOREST of DENIAL?!?!"
When Seol Jihu nodded his head, Kim Hannah's eyes opened super wide, before she…
"You idiot!!"
….She loudly yelled at him.
"Are you out of your mind?! You actually entered the Forest of Denial?!"
Kim Hannah's expression crumpled unsightly. Her lips bobbed up and down non-stop, and even her neck trembled visibly. Her reaction easily exceeded his expectations.
"You, you…. You promised me not to go any further south than…."
She couldn't even finish what she wanted to say as if she was far too shocked for that.
"Do you have any idea what kind of a place that forest is?!"
Yup, here it was.
Her explosive nagging landed hot and heavy on Seol Jihu, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment there.
"That's the border region!! The damn border region! Not only that, it's where the Federation and the Parasites meet!!"
"I know, but they don't invade through there because of the forest's effects."
"Oh, really now?! So, you're saying you did a smart thing, is that it?"
"….No, not necessarily…."
"Gimme a break. Christ on a pogo stick, somebody just shoot me, please! Don't you know how terrifying that place is?! Also, a group of Lioners including a leader and a female was found there, too…..?!"
Kim Hannah fired out many words like a machine gun, before abruptly stopping there, her brows visibly tightening.
"W-wait a minute. I remember now, the guy who compiled the report on the Forest of Denial was Ian Denzel…. No way."
Kim Hannah muttered to herself before glaring at him with eyes that could almost definitely kill somebody.
"L-Listen. We encountered a Lioner horde, but you see, I…."
"Keep quiet!!"
Her loud roar reverberated within the interior.
Seol Jihu went 'Oops' and quickly shifted his gaze over to Seo Yuhui. She was standing without moving in the slightest. Just a moment ago, she had been wringing out tea water with great care, but now, she wasn't moving an inch.
"You crazy fool! You deranged idiot! You really wanna kill yourself that badly?!"
"…."
"Hey, you dumbass! Those are creatures that not even High Rankers can….!"
Tak.
Just before Kim Hannah completely blew her top, two teacups were placed on the table. It was Seo Yuhui.
"Please, calm yourself. Here, drink this."
Kim Hannah grabbed the teacup and took an unhesitating gulp out of her sheer enraged state. She probably didn't find the tea hot because she was drinking it with seemingly no problem.
"Fuu-woo! Fuu-woo!! I, I'm sorry for the d-disturbance….!!"
Kim Hannah panted heavily like an angry bull. Meanwhile, Seo Yuhui was carrying an unreadable expression. There was even a hint of anger somewhere in there, too. The issue with that being, she wasn't looking at Kim Hannah, but she was glancing at him from the corner of her eyes.
'But, why?'
Seo Yuhui lightly bit her lip.
"….Would you like a cup of iced water?"
"P-Please!! I'm feeling really, really… this…"
"Of course. Please wait for a moment."
Seo Yuhui spoke as if she completely agreed with Kim Hannah and turned around. Meanwhile, the latter somehow managed to get a grip on her rage and spoke in a relatively calmer voice.
"Okay, so. You were able to get this and that all thanks to the meritorious deeds of surviving the Forest of Denial, is that it?"
"Well….. Not exactly."
"There's more?!"
Seol Jihu avoided her glare.
"Y-you. You better look at me and tell me everything, you hear? Don't think you can hide anything from me because with Sinyoung's information network, I can find out pretty much everything you wanna hide, okay?"
"…."
"You still not saying anything??"
"….Only when you promise not to get angry."
When he unwillingly replied, Kim Hannah formed eyes of an axe murderer ready to strike. She slapped the table, hard.
"You better speak up now, while I'm still being nice. Besides, I don't think I can get any angrier than I am now."
"Well, I, uh.... When we were coming out of the Forest of Denial, there was a sudden communication from the royal family."
"I don't care about that. Get to the point!"
Kim Hannah coughed once and gulped down the remaining half of the tea still left in the cup.
"….Well, the Parasites attacked the Arden Fortress, so our team met up with the army led by the Princess midway and joined them so we could head to the Arden Valley….."
"Phuwoooo!!"
Kim Hannah grandly spewed out the tea water out of her mouth. Thanks to that, he was now showered with a mixture of liquids containing her spit, but that wasn't really important at the moment.
Kim Hannah was now staring at him with a dazed expression.
"….You also participated in that?"
Nod.
"A Level 1 Warrior did what? No, no, no. Wait a minute."
If there was one thing Seol Jihu hadn't been aware of, that would be the small fact that Kim Hannah had already heard of everything regarding the defense of the Arden Fortress.
To be more specific, all the related stories regarding the unexpected victory were some of the most hotly discussed topics among Earthlings for the past few days. Everyone expected the Haramark Royal Family to abandon the fortress, yet them achieving a resounding victory took almost all who heard the news by surprise. And they were facing off against Parasites too.
"A low-level Warrior volunteered as bait and successfully lured in the Parasite army, and at a certain ravine..."
Hoping that it wasn't so, Kim Hannah carefully remembered the contents of the report she read, but then….
"Aha, hahaha… I, uh, those chasing Cockroacheswere pretty scary."
Seol Jihu awkwardly laughed out.
"You crazy bastard…!!"
She swung her hand rather powerfully. SLAP!! Seol Jihu spat out a pained moan when her palm landed his back.
"You're insane! Have you lost your mind?! Have you??!"
Slap! Slap!! Slap!!!
She slapped him on the back multiple times, but maybe that wasn't enough, because she then began panting out breathlessly as if no air was entering her lungs. She pounded on her chest and grabbed the back of her neck, which in turn, made Seol Jihu enter a flustered state.
He was about to ask for that promised cup of iced water, but then…
"…??"
He spotted Seo Yuhui's unmoving back once more. As if she was also dazed out of her mind, her arms lay limp on her side and her head was leaning back, her eyes obviously staring at the ceiling above.
She then grasped the cup of water with enough force to almost shatter it and gulped the cold liquid down in one go. When she slammed the empty cup down, Seol Jihu felt a certain sense of power from her, which he hadn't sensed before.
"…Fuu-woo…."
She then even spat out a long sigh, too.
Guessing that she was angry at all the noise, Seol Jihu tried his best to calm Kim Hannah down before things could get worse.
A short while later…..
"You moron…."
Kim Hannah hid her face with her hands and began to tearfully mutter to herself.
Seol Jihu sheepishly scratched his cheek and flinched somewhat when he realized that Seo Yuhui was staring straight at him.
'And why is she looking at me like that now….?'
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Novel
The Second Coming of Gluttony
Chapter 68 - A Level 2 Leader
THE SECOND COMING OF GLUTTONY
C68 - A Level 2 Leader
Chapter 68. A Level 2 Leader
"This can't go on."
These were the first words to leave Kim Hannah's lips in a while. She reached into her bag.
"I really, honestly didn't want to interfere with your life here in the Paradise. So, I was in a bit of dilemma, wondering whether I should give you this or not. But now, I can't let you carry on like this."
She spoke firmly as if to make the final announcement and placed something on the table. It was a palm-sized round, clear crystal.
"It's a communication crystal. It's made out of top-quality base crystal, so it'll work even when you're in Haramark. In the future, when you need to go somewhere, anywhere, you give me a call first. Did you hear me?!"
Seol Jihu almost spat out "Are you my mother?" but seeing the murderous glare on her face, he couldn't make his complaints known. Unfortunately for him, Kim Hannah wasn't someone who would take silence as an acceptable reply.
"Why aren't you taking the crystal already?!"
Shake, shake.
"Uh? Uhh?? How dare you shake your head at me?? You think you're in any position to do that??"
"Well, this is a bit too much, don't you think? You're not my mom, so to get your permission every time I wanna do something, that's a bit….."
Seol Jihu cautiously voiced his dissatisfaction, but then….
"No, hang on. I'm not saying I won't take it, you know."
He hurriedly pocketed the communication crystal as soon as Kim Hannah's fury-filled face slowly tilted to her side.
"….Don't think I'm being unfair here. It's you who broke the promise first."
Seol Jihu didn't know what to say, then.
"You almost shocked me to death, you know?! I wouldn't have been this mad if you were going to 'Ramman', but the Forest of Denial? Arden Valley?!"
Kim Hannah's complexion alternated between red and blue as if she still couldn't believe what happened the longer she dwelt on it.
"Not only the farthest point South, you actually went to the border region! It's a miracle that you actually came back alive, you dumb idiot!!"
Seo Yuhui nodded her head constantly in agreement as she brought the cup of iced water.
'What… you too?'
Wasn't she angry because they were making a commotion here? Kinda feeling like the old idiom of hating the sister-in-law more as she dissuaded the mother-in-law beating you up, Seol Jihu began pouting a bit.
"You better suck your lips in, mkayyyy?"
Kim Hannah growled menacingly. She then began gulping down the cold water to cool the rage in her heart burning as hotly as molten metal.
What the youth couldn't understand at the moment was, ignoring Kim Hannah's temper for now, why on earth Seo Yuhui was also gulping down her own cup of iced water?
She gulped and gulped, and then…
"….Ha-ah…."
She softly sighed out, and….
Gulp, gulp!!
"…Fuu-woo…."
She sighed out again.
Both women seemed to be trying their utmost to swallow something back down and suppress whatever it was. So, all he could do now was to keep his mouth shut and quietly wait.
That meant that the interior was now filled with the grunts and groans of two women trying to calm themselves down.
She must've been trying to fill herself up with iced water because Kim Hannah proceeded to empty out six glasses. Only then did she open her mouth to speak.
"....Okay, so. Why did you come here to see me?"
Finally, they got to the main topic at hand. Fearing that he'd get nagged to death if he took his time, Seol Jihu hurriedly pulled out the tree-shaped jewelry.
"Take a look at this. What do you think?"
Kim Hannah's eyes opened up real wide.
"It's pretty big and… pretty."
She studied it from this angle and that before nodding her head, evidently finding it to her liking.
"It's pretty big, but more than that, I can't spot any impurities in it, either. From the purity perspective, this is a top-notch item. Also, what with this amazing craftsmanship, any enthusiast will lose their shit as soon as clapping their eyes on it."
"How much do you think it'll go for?"
"If you're talking about its value in Paradise currency, then at the bare minimum, 300 silver coins, easy. If you're lucky, you can even aim for 500 silver coins, too."
"Okay, what about in Earth money?"
"It'd be absolutely enormous, that's for sure. However, you need to spend a huge amount of your 'achievement points' if you want to take this over there, so I won't recommend it."
Kim Hannah shifted her gaze back to him.
"Is this why you came to see me?"
"Yeah."
"Very good. Give it to me. I'll take care of it."
Kim Hannah quickly pocketed the jewelry.
"Something like this, you'd actually be making a loss if you decide to sell it at its face value."
"You mean, you'll be able to use it in some other way?"
"That's right. Don't you worry though. I'll make sure that you don't lose out on anything."
He wasn't worried about that. She was someone who readily handed out hundreds of millions of won as pocket money, so she wouldn't take the jewelry and run away, leaving him in the lurch. Also, the Kim Hannah he knew was one hell of a smart cookie.
"Looks like I might be able to change the dangerous situation into an opportunity. Okay, fine. That's that. What about stopping by at a temple?"
"I'm a Level 2 now."
As if he was waiting for this moment, he proudly formed a 'V' sign with his fingers.
"Yeah, sure. You're so cool, ain't you."
Kim Hannah's less-than-impressed tone of voice promptly shot him down, though.
"You did all of that, so of course you should get a level-up. Did you spend your points?"
"No, I haven't. I want to use them all up later."
"Good. Ah, what's your new class title, then?"
"Mana Spearman."
"I knew it, a spearman…. What was that?"
Kim Hannah frowned slightly.
"It's supposed to be a one-of-a-kind class."
"A one-of-a-kind class? What skills did you learn then?"
"I didn't learn anything. I thought that it'd be better to figure it out myself rather than spending some of my points to artificially learn them."
Kim Hannah slowly chewed on her lower lip. Her expression implied how dubious she felt right now.
"A one-of-a-kind class, is it…."
She lightly tapped the table with her index finger, before opening her mouth.
"I can't figure out what your class is supposed to be. Hey, you know, it'll be fine if it happens later, so you should stop by the temple again and check out what skills you can actually learn."
"But…."
"I know what you're going to say. Here's what I'm saying, though. You should at least take a look at those skills so you can use them as a guideline. These skills are designed to match your level, so surely, you should be able to get yourself an inspiration or two in that way."
What she said certainly made sense.
"I get the reason you want to hoard your points, but skills are a different kettle of fish altogether. I mean, if you don't spend your points and don't even learn a single skill, then is there a meaning in leveling up in the first place?"
Kim Hannah easily pointed out something Seol Jihu had completely failed to consider. She then quickly reached into her bag again. Her communication crystal was emitting light once more.
"They are going absolutely mad over there. Seriously now."
She clicked her tongue in annoyance, before continuing on.
"Is there anything else you want to talk to me about?"
"No, I don't. If you're that busy, you can go ahead, you know."
"You don't need more money?"
"Nah, I'm fine."
"How much do you still have left?"
"100 silver coins you gave me, plus 270 silver coins I got as the mission rewards, so it's 370 silver coins in total."
"Heh~eh."
Kim Hannah showed how surprised she was.
"For a reward from a single scouting mission, as well as participating in a minor skirmish, they really gave you a lot, didn't they?"
"You think so? I can't wrap my head around it, actually."
"Now let's see. The current exchange rate should be around 505 won for a single copper coin. So, let's round it off to 500 won, and then…."
Kim Hannah calculated for a second or two and then opened her mouth again.
"135,000,000 won."
Seol Jihu's jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
"It was that much?!"
"Well, you were putting your life on the line, so of course you should get at least that much. I mean, a team like Carpe Diem that has a High Ranker in their midst should easily earn around 100-200 million per mission."
Only then did he truly understand why Chohong was in such a celebratory mood.
"Even then, you shouldn't just wastefully spend your money, okay? As your level climbs up, so does the price of the equipment designed for your level. Not to forget, Paradise has been embroiled in war for a long time now, so the ridiculous spike in prices of some stuff is really something else, too."
After Seol Jihu nodded to show that he accepted her explanations, Kim Hannah, too, slowly got up from her seat.
"Thank you for the delicious tea, Lady Seo Yuhui. I'd also like to apologize for making that racket earlier on when you were gracious enough to invite us in."
"Oh, no, it's fine. You did well. You seem to have suffered enough."
"Oh, no, Not at all."
Seol Jihu narrowed his eyes and stared at Kim Hannah and her soft, prim giggles. He kind of understood why some people took to calling her 'Miss Foxy' now.
A short while later….
Kim Hannah nagged for the last time, her words being something along the lines of "I'm going. It'll be better to leave separately. If you don't call me regularly, remember that I'll hunt you down and hurt you myself" etc., etc., and then left the building in gallant strides.
Once she was gone, only two of them remained inside this empty teahouse. Seol Jihu slowly rose up from his seat to leave as well, only to sense a pair of eyes locked onto him. They were so strong that he simply had to stop moving completely.
Seol Jihu's neck issued a rusty creaking noise as he turned his head to his side. Seo Yuhui was quietly gazing at him with a pair of somewhat saddened, moist eyes. As if an icy-cold breeze rushed in and swept past him, he felt a chill run down the length of his body. That feeling of gentle, understanding older sister was completely gone now – so much so that he grew fearful of this woman all of a sudden.
'Is she angry at me?'
But, it was Kim Hannah who was responsible for all that racket, though? Besides, didn't she say that she was fine only a few seconds ago? Although he kind of felt a bit wronged here, Seol Jihu still decided to apologize.
"I'm sorry for all the commotion earlier."
"…."
Seo Yuhui squeezed her eyes shut. Her pale hand slowly hid her face.
A short moment of silence later, she picked up a clean tea towel and walked around from the counter. Her steps led her right in front of the youth.
As it turned out, she was on the taller side. Seol Jihu was already a tall guy to begin with, yet the top of her head reached all the way up to the base of his neck.
When he saw the tea towel in her hand, he finally remembered that his face was still a mess of Kim Hannah's spit-laden tea water.
"N-no, hang on. I can…."
"….Be still."
She quietly ordered him and slowly raised her hand up to carefully wipe his face. His skin brushed against her hand every now and then; she felt rather cool to the touch. Funnily enough, although it was cold, the feeling still came across as warm, causing him to gradually enter the state of utter relaxation. Seol Jihu closed his eyes slightly.
"….I'm a little annoyed, for sure."
Out of the blue, he heard her soft voice, sounding as if she was talking to herself. He momentarily doubted his hearing. Was she that annoyed by their antics? Were they that noisy?
He wanted to apologize again, but she started wiping every part of his lips right then, so he couldn't open his mouth to speak.
"Did you do something to Sinyoung?"
She suddenly asked him a question.
"No, not at all. Actually, I helped them out. I haven't done anything bad to them at all."
"If so, then why?"
"It's because Sinyoung sees me as the replacement for an Earthling named Sung Shihyun…. I guess I don't know the concrete details myself."
Her hands hesitated for a brief moment there, but it began moving again right afterwards.
"Sounds like you're working in Haramark?"
"Oh. Yes, I am. The capital is basically Sinyoung's living room, so I was told that I shouldn't remain in this city anymore."
"I see. I'm sure that life in Haramark isn't easy, though. I'm curious, is there a reason for you to keep returning to Paradise?"
Seol Jihu was also curious now as to why she was interrogating him with all these questions when this was their first time meeting each other. Even then, he decided to be honest with her on this one.
"It's because I find this place enjoyable."
"Enjoyable? Is it fun here?"
"Well, rather than fun…. There's a place for me in Paradise."
"A place for you?"
Seo Yuhui tilted her head. She didn't seem to have understood him.
"Yes. There are people here who accept me for who I am and require my help."
Seol Jihu smiled brightly. Seo Yuhui's spotless forehead gradually creased up into a frown. She slowly withdrew her hands and quietly studied the youth. There was even a hint of her getting a little angry, too.
"By saying that, are you implying that there is no place left for you back on Earth?"
"Yes, well…."
Seol Jihu sheepishly smiled and scratched the back of his head. Seo Yuhui shook her head, her expression heavy.
"That isn't true."
She spoke as if to chide him.
"Your family and your friends aren't here in Paradise."
"…."
"Please, think about how worried your family and your acquaintances will be when you suddenly disappear."
Seo Yuhui's tone of voice stopped being persuasive, and now it sounded more like a plea, instead. However, Seol Jihu's response was less than enthusiastic.
After his family was brought up, he felt his chest tighten up as if he had swallowed up a boulder. It felt so heavy that he simply wanted to turn around and run away from here.
'And I just barely managed to forget about them, too.'
He honestly believed that they would probably prefer to never see him again.
"Well, I wonder about that. I don't think they'd be too worried about me."
"But, why would you…."
"….Well, we sure are having a weird conversation for a pair of strangers, don't you think so? Haha."
He let off a bitter chuckle and took a couple of steps back.
"Thank you for your hospitality. Looks like me staying here any longer will unnecessarily impose on you, so I should get going now."
Seol Jihu bowed slightly as his goodbye, and as if he was running away, spun on his heels. Seo Yuhui reflexively reached out, but…
"….Ah."
She stopped herself just before her hand touched his back. In the end, she could only stand there and watch the youth leave through the open doorway.
A short while later….
Still staring in the direction the young man had walked off to, a certain mysterious light of determination flashed in Seo Yuhui's eyes.
"….Haramark."
***
A month flew by since he came back to Haramark.
During that time, one could describe Seol Jihu's life as monotonous, but at the same time, complicated as well.
The first thing of note – his training.
He didn't run into any serious problem during the morning's physical training regime. Since there was a good selection of gym equipment in the Carpe Diem's building, all he had to do was stick to the training regime he was already familiar with.
But the real issue came from the afternoon training session, which was when he'd spend all his time practicing the utilization of mana.
Seol Jihu agreed 100% with Kim Hannah's opinion that there was no point in leveling up if he didn't get to raise his Stat values or not learn a single skill. So, he went back to Gula's temple and got to see the two skills he could have learned by spending his achievement points.
One was the 'Mana Spear', where he would create spears out of his mana to throw. The second was the 'Mana Circulation', a skill that offered a generalized help when he wanted to apply his mana in his movements.
Seol Jihu initially was grumbling unhappily at this revelation, thinking that how could there be only two lousy skills available for his current level. But once he started his training, he quickly had to change his mind.
He just couldn't get a bead on this 'Mana Spear' thing at all. Simply circulating his mana throughout his body and trying to materialize it outside of his body were two fundamentally different things.
It was the same story for Mana Circulation. He continued to desperately utilize and apply his mana, but there was not one sign of him awaking or figuring this skill out.
He wanted to get someone's advice, but no one could help him out. Only then did he finally realize why most Earthlings resorted to spending their achievement points to easily and painlessly learn their skills.
Truth be told, he could have learned both skills with ease with his current tally of achievement points. However, Seol Jihu was deliberately enduring to the best of his abilities as he continued to brave the stormy sea of the unknown all by himself.
And secondly….
If there was one thing Seol Jihu felt soon after fully joining Carpe Diem, then that would be the fact that it was very rare to find a job or a commission where, just like how it had been with the Forest of Denial, he could satisfy both the mission parameters while also enjoying the benefits of going on an expedition.
Unless it was an outbreak of war, the royal family's missions would be given first to the Guilds or those organizations that were as large as big corporations – as long as the mission itself wasn't some madcap bullshit assignment that no one could complete, that was. They would then pass the mission to those teams that featured High Ranker Earthlings in their midst that also happened to hold friendly relations with them, so it proved to be rather hard to find a juicy opportunity like the last time.
More importantly, though – the leader of Carpe Diem, Dylan, was the type of guy who'd never participate in expeditions that didn't sound like a sure thing. As a result, Seol Jihu had to resort to earning experience through minor jobs such as working as a courier or as a guard.
Even yesterday evening, he had to accompany Chohong to the village of Ramman. He got paid a little bit extra to go along with her on this sudden courier job, and having safely completed the job, they were making their way back. Of course, the reward he got was pitifully small compared to the expedition of the Forest of Denial.
And so, by the time they returned to Haramark without encountering any hiccups, it was already late morning.
"Wow, it's so damn hot today. Too damn hot, I tell ya~."
Chohong walked while fanning herself with her hands. As soon as she spotted their destination, her steps gradually slowed.
"Isn't it weird? There aren't that many people on the street today. Why?"
Chohong took a look around them and spoke up. Indeed, the streets were oddly devoid of foot traffic as if something major went down while they weren't here.
"Look, that place is still under construction…. Hey, you. Are you even listening to me??"
"Mm?"
Seol Jihu was worrying about his mana training regime at that moment. But as soon as his colleague tried to talk to him, he quickly broke out of his thoughts. Chohong's personality meant she couldn't endure being bored for long, so if he failed to humor her in time, she would often start sulking like a baby.
"Where? ….Oh."
The direction Chohong was pointing to was a building opposite to Carpe Diem's own premises. He originally had no idea what that building even did, but one day, he woke up in the morning to find it being demolished, to be replaced by a brand new structure.
Haramark was a fairly large city. So, if someone was able to buy a plot of land outright and start constructing a new building like that, then that person must've possessed considerable financial muscle. Seol Jihu recalled Dylan wondering out loud just who would become their new neighbor.
Seol Jihu voiced out his desire.
"I hope it's a restaurant."
"Why?"
"Because it'll be easier to eat our meals that way."
"Pu-hah! Hey, wait. Since we're already on the subject, why don't we stop by at the 'Eat, Drink, and Enjoy'? I mean, this crappy weather is so hot anyways. Let's call Dylan and Hugo out and knock back some cold ones. What do you say?"
He knew that Chohong would do pretty anything for a chance to drown in alcohol, so he nodded his head quickly and spoke up.
"Okay, let us do that, Miss Chung Chohong."
Immediately, Chohong frowned in detestation.
"Eii, god damn it! Just who told you my surname?!"
"I told you, it was some passerby."
"Stop messing around, will ya? Start talking already!"
Chohong angrily spat out "Kyahk!", leaped at him and began hanging off his neck. Seol Jihu giggled and walked closer to their building's stairs. But then…
Both of them raised their heads at the same time to look at the third floor, their steps coming to an abrupt halt. Nearly ten Earthlings were standing outside the third-floor entrance as if they were waiting for something.
"W-what the hell?"
Chohong became flustered instantly.
"What are the guys from Sicilia doing here?"
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