The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 106

Chapter 106

The carriage raced through the fields and only stopped once it arrived at the foot of the mountain . Although the village head said that it would take a day by carriage, in reality it did not even take half a day . This was to be expected since four horses had run at full speed .

Seol Jihu got off with his bags and took a deep breath of the mountain’s grassy air and felt it tickling his nose . Perhaps because the mountain’s energy was deeply ingrained in the air, it tasted fresh and clean like spring water .

While enjoying this soul-cleansing mossy aroma, Seol Jihu looked up at the overwhelmingly large mountain in front of him with eyes full of admiration .

Because of its name, Huge Stone Rocky Mountain, he expected it to be full of rocks like a valley . Instead, it actually had lush and dense greenery . The white snow and the fog covering the mountain peak made it look like the legendary Kunlun Mountain .

“There’s something I’m curious about . ”

Seol Jihu was busy marveling at the majestic scenery when a cold voice flowed into his ears . The owner of the voice was a handsome man with sharp eyes that gave him an angry look .

When Seol Jihu tilted his head, Kazuki approached him .

“Why is she here?”

He glanced at the carriage that had yet to leave . At the same time, a woman with her hair slicked back and tied in a dango-like bundle came out . Her eyes were just as sharp as Kazuki’s, and today, she didn’t have her glasses or the maid outfit that covered her body .

For some reason, she was wearing a lemon-colored sports bra that matched her hair color along with black leggings that wrapped tightly around her waist .

“Well… . ”

Her exposed collarbones, round ankle-bone, and willowy waist all revealed her alluring figure, making Seol Jihu at a loss for words . She stretched her interlocked hands to the sky and slowly cracked her head left and right .

Seeing Agnes with his mouth agape, Seol Jihu felt Kazuki’s gaze and quickly muttered out some words, “She said she felt her strength was lacking after failing her last mission . ”

“No . ”

Kazuki shook his head .

“It’s easy to make up a reason . What I’m wondering is—”

At that moment, Agnes glanced to the side, making Kazuki shut up . When the gaze disappeared, he finished his sentence quietly .

“…How did she know you were coming here to train . ”

“Oh, I told her . ”

“Why?”

“She comes to Carpe Diem to help me train from time to time, so I didn’t want her to make a trip in vain while I was gone… . ”

“She helps you train? That person?”

Kazuki put on a look of disbelief .

“It’s hard to see that as a simple sign of goodwill… . You’re not affiliated with Sicilia, after all . ”

“She taught me in the Neutral Zone . She’s been giving me good advice ever since . ”

After giving this clear answer, Seol Jihu put on a face that asked what was wrong

“Why?”

When Kazuki didn’t say anything, a hint of nervousness appeared on his face .

“Could it be that the two of you have a bad relationship?”

“No,” Kazuki denied . “That’s not it, but… . ”

He looked troubled as if the reason was hard to say . Seeing this, Seol Jihu tactfully changed the subject .

“Anyways, is it okay for you to be here, Mister Kazuki?”

“Me? If you’re talking about my duties as Umi Tsubame’s leader, I made sure to transfer them to the right person . ”

Having noticed Seol Jihu’s intentions, Kazuki immediately took his goodwill .

“And there’s something I felt during the second Banquet I participated in . That is that the Banquet is full of spontaneity and randomness, so whatever external preparation you make, might be useless . Rather than potentially wasting your time, it will be much more worthwhile to train . ”

“It sounds like you’re saying you can only trust your skills . ”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that exactly . After all, luck isn’t part of someone’s skills . ”

Seol Jihu was about to ask, “Luck?”, but he heard the sound of the carriage leaving . When he subconsciously turned around, he saw Hugo staring at the carriage slowly disappearing into the distance with swollen eyes .

“Anyways, I’m sorry . It seems my greed caused a misunderstanding . ”

Seol Jihu’s eyes widened at Kazuki’s apology .

“You must have been excited at the prospect of receiving Master Jang’s personal training . You must feel like unwelcome guests came to crash your party . ”

Kazuki’s Umi Tsubame had a friendly relationship with the Triads . On the other hand, Carpe Diem had a friendly relationship with Sicilia . Connecting these two points with Jang Maldong’s return, one should be able to guess what Kazuki meant by ‘misunderstanding’ .

However, Seol Jihu didn’t know about the delicate relationships between outside organizations and just said what he honestly thought .

“Not at all . In fact, I’m excited to train together with you and Miss Agnes . ”

“Since there’s that promise we made Master Jang, I’ll do my best to help you too . ”

Kazuki breathed a sigh of relief as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders . Soon, the carriage completely disappeared from their view, and they heard Jang Maldong yelling what they were standing around for .

“Just when I erased it from my memories… . Just when I stopped having nightmares about it… . ”

The bald black man with a mountain-like build sobbed constantly as if he really didn’t want to go . Seol Jihu couldn’t help but laugh .

However, both Kazuki and Agnes nodded their heads as if they understood him . Seeing this, Seol Jihu revealed a puzzled look .

[This is what you wanted . ]

Suddenly, Jang Maldong’s intimidating words brushed past his head . His excitement immediately died down .

‘Get a grip . You’re not here on a picnic, Seol Jihu . You’re here to train . ’

To not run away… . To not rely on luck… . To be able to face danger squarely… . To not rely on Future Vision… .

To get stronger .

After steeling his resolve, Seol Jihu followed the sobbing Hugo tottering up the mountain .

*

The Haramark region wasn’t a safe zone . As Huge Stone Rocky Mountain was undeniably dangerous, Kazuki should normally stand at the lead, but it was actually Jang Maldong who was in that position .

Of all the time he spent in Paradise, half was spent in this mountain . Naturally, he knew more about its geography than any native from the neighboring village and thus had no problem acting as the pathfinder . He knew the paths like the back of his hand, and he even had the map Arbor Muto gave him .

“He sure hid it well . ”

Only thirty minutes passed for Jang Maldong to find Arbor Muto’s hideout and remark sarcastically .

“Master Jang, please wait . ”

It was then that Kazuki asked the group to stop . At first glance, the cave was too exposed to be called a hideout . Seeing the trees and vegetation around the cave damaged, Kazuki opened his mouth .

“It seems like the cave was well-hidden at first… . But it looks like something found it and turned it into its living space . ”

“An individual? Or a group?”

Kazuki lowered his gaze . He examined the earth before calmly replying .

“Cave Ettins . As for the number… it’s small . There are eight of them inside the cave, but I can’t detect their movements . ”

“Sleeping?”

“Most likely . They don’t like being outside during the day unless they’re hungry . ”

While Seol Jihu was astonished by his quick analysis, Kazuki took out his crossbow . When he loaded his bolt and pointed it forward, Jang Maldong blocked him with his cane .

“Master Jang?”

Jang Maldong turned back and looked at Seol Jihu . “Tell me the four elements that make up the formation of qi . ”

It was a sudden question, but Seol Jihu faithfully replied what he learned, “They’re quantity, speed and power of the flow, control, and imagination . ”

Jang Maldong didn’t say anything and picked up a fist-sized rock from the ground . Then, before anyone could stop him, he threw it into the cave .

Tak, tak! Drrrrrr .

The sound of the rock hitting the ground and rolling in the cave echoed out in the silent mountain . A unique trait of the Cave Ettins was that they had two heads . As one of them stayed awake at all times to stay alert, it was impossible for them to have not heard this sound . Since Cave Ettins also had a sharp sense of smell, it was only a matter of time for them to notice enemies approaching .

And, as expected… a few seconds later, screeching noises began echoing out from the cave . Jang Maldong opened his mouth .

“Get ready . Give them a blow as soon as they pop out . ”

Seol Jihu roused his mana without hesitation . Powerful energy at the High-Intermediate level instantly flowed through his Circuit and shot out of his right hand .

The explosive burst of mana only remained shapeless for a second . Soon, it danced like flowing water and slowly gathered shape until it formed a spear . Although it was only 60-centimeters long, anyone could see that the blue spear was made of mana .

“They’re coming,” Hugo muttered briefly .

Drrr! The moment Seol Jihu heard them rush out of the cave, he performed a run-up without a moment of hesitation . The posture he perfected after thousands of trials – from the crossover to the release, his body had thoroughly memorized the movement .

Agnes, who was watching this, expressed a hint of surprise . ‘It’s perfect . ’

Each of his movements connected naturally . Seol Jihu’s right arm released the Mana Spear at the same time the Cave Ettins shot out of the cave .

BOOM! When the spear left his hand, the sound of an exploding grenade rang out . The Cave Ettin running out at the forefront paused . Its body shook back and forth like a pendulum before collapsing like a stringless puppet .

[Kereuk?]

Another Cave Ettin running out of the cave faltered . It frowned at the explosive sound . It saw its fallen comrade’s two heads, one vaporized without a trace and the other torn to shreds .

The Cave Ettin took its eyes off the scattered flesh and blood and faced the front . Then, its eyes caught sight of a blue spear flying toward them .

Thwack! A hole opened up on its muscular chest . The force of the blow caused it to hunch forward, and its feet flew off the ground .

“Oh shit!” Even the depressed Hugo exclaimed in awe when he saw the Cave Ettin flying backward with its limbs out .

Boom! Boom!

One-shot one-kill . Each of Seol Jihu’s spears claimed a Cave Ettin’s life .

That wasn’t all . Unlike normal spear throws, the shockwave from the explosions affected the surroundings . Kazuki’s eyes narrowed when he saw some of the Cave Ettins lose their balance and fall even without being hit . In fact, some of them had been injured just from the shockwave .

“Stop!”

Jang Maldong shouted and suddenly threw Seol Jihu his Ice Spear .

“Take care of the remaining ones with this . Also, you’re banned from using that earring and bracelet . ”

After snatching the spear out of the air, Seol Jihu charged forward like a ray of light . He was heated up after confirming the might of the Mana Spear . Since he was told to fight like a Warrior, he had no reason to refuse .

Not having fought for a long time, Seol Jihu pounced like a furious lion . The Cave Ettins also got up in anger at their comrades’ deaths .

“How is it?”

While Seol Jihu was fighting the Cave Ettins, Jang Maldong asked the man standing next to him .

“He’s good . ”

Kazuki replied without looking back . He kept his eyes on the battlefield with his crossbow loaded just in case .

“That Mana Spear of his has both piercing power and destructive power . Just these two would have been more than enough, but it even has splash effects… . ”

“Right, that ability will certainly be useful in the Banquet . ”

Kazuki nodded his head and agreed .

“Of course, it will . It’s a bit of a shame that he can’t fire them quickly in succession, but it will be a good option for the team to have . ”

“And what if consecutive firing is possible?”

“Then nothing else needs to be said . It already has the speed of an Archer and the destructive power of a Magician . I can see it being used to ambush a target or to start a fight . ”

Kazuki praised him greatly . This was to be expected since he was witnessing the product of Gula’s carefully crafted one-of-a-kind class for a Warrior with high innate mana .

“I’m looking forward to the Banquet . ”

Hearing this final comment from Kazuki, Jang Maldong asked once again .

“Then what about now?”

“?”

“His close-quarter combat . ”

The two of them had been watching Seol Jihu’s battle the whole time . The youth was thrusting, striking, and cutting to his heart’s content . Although no one would call the fight a slaughter, it was easy to see that Seol Jihu was overwhelming the Cave Ettins .

“I’m not sure… . Well, compared to others his level… . ”

“I’m not asking you to compare apples and oranges . Compare him to you . ”

Kazuki raised his brows .

“Compare him… to me?”

“That’s right . He’s amazing, isn’t he?”

Was Master Jang trying to show off his disciple? Kazuki tilted his head . He put down his crossbow and glanced to the side . Jang Maldong’s face was frighteningly stiff .

“…Yes . ”

Noticing the grave atmosphere, Kazuki quietly agreed . He observed Seol Jihu more closely before making another evaluation .

“He’s amazingly bad . ”

The corners of Jang Maldong’s mouth twisted up .

“Right, if he participates in the Banquet like this, he’ll be killed in an instant”

“But only as a Warrior . He will be fine if he uses that spear-throwing ability . As long as the team protects him properly, he should be able to contribute until Stage 2 . ”

Kazuki explained, not knowing the stubborn request Seol Jihu made .

“I already told him that, but he said no . ”

“…Pardon?”

“He was adamant about taking the position of a Warrior, that damned brat . He said he didn’t want to just throw spears . ”

Kazuki doubted his ears .

“I, I mean, it’s important to have close combat skills… but how is it strange for a spearman to throw his spear?”

“That’s what I want to ask . ”

Jang Maldong smacked his stifled chest . Hugo pouted his lower lip from the side .

“Why did we come here anyway? When Chohong and I were being stubborn, you’d just beat us up until we were convinced . ”

“I would have done that if that guy was as stupid as you two . ”

Jang Maldong snorted and crossed his arms .

“But he’s someone who uses his brain . He seems to have some level of insight too . When someone like him is being stubborn, it means he has something pent up inside him . ”

“Then… what will you do?”

“I’ll make him realize it by himself . That’s the only way . He needs to face reality and give up . ”

Kazuki finally realized why Jang Maldong allowed outsiders to join them .

“It’ll be a day, maybe two, at the longest . ”

The battle was coming to a close . Jang Maldong clicked his tongue .

“Tsk, he’s still not done against a bunch of Cave Ettins… . ”

Seol Jihu took care of all the Cave Ettins living in the hideout . He was satisfied with his Mana Spear and considered his following battle stable .

He felt like he made great strides forward from the first expedition he went to . Thinking everything went well, he was certain Jang Maldong saw him in a different light as well .

Once the battle was over, the five of them went into the cave . The hideout was a wide tunnel set up with basic living necessities like a table, a drawer, and a bed .

One thing Seol Jihu was glad of was that the Cave Ettins didn’t damage the place . After collecting all the books the village head had asked for, Seol Jihu searched the place carefully . Since the village head mentioned the payment would be inside the hideout, there had to be something worthwhile here .

However, he didn’t notice anything special on the table or in the drawer . But when he opened the storage closet installed on the cave wall, his mouth opened wide .

The 80-centimeter-long 4-level storage closet was filled with all sorts of colorful glass bottles . The entire closet almost looked like a jewelry shop displaying its prized accessories .

Kazuki carefully picked up an orange bottle .

“This looks like an explosive reagent . ”

“Wait, isn’t this an aphrodisiac?”

Hugo looked at a pink bottle with sparkling eyes .

Seol Jihu was quite distracted by the whole thing . A high-quality healing potion, a bottle filled with salt, a strange bottle shining in five-colors… . There were so many of them that he didn’t know what was what . However, the bottles containing a milky liquid felt somewhat familiar to him .

In any case, the group decided to check their effects at a later time and began to unpack . Since they were planning on staying here for a long time, they immediately began to clean up the place .

It went without saying that everything in the hideout belonged to Seol Jihu . Hugo was envious since many of the bottles looked expensive and valuable, but he didn’t dare to touch any of them under Jang Maldong’s strict orders .

It was the same for Agnes and Kazuki . There was a reason Jang Maldong made Seol Jihu fight by himself .

The group took about an hour to clean the place thoroughly . When they went outside, the sun was slowly setting on the western horizon .

*

After ordering Agnes, Kazuki, and Hugo to train by themselves, Jang Maldong turned to the dazedly-standing Seol Jihu and asked .

“Tell me the spear techniques you’ve learned so far . ”

When Seol Jihu answered ‘Thrust, Strike, and Cut’, Jang Maldong nodded his head .

“Perform them for me while wearing twelve sandbags . You can use as much mana as you want . You can even use Aura if you need to . ”

“Um… here?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself . You can go wild, so show me everything you’ve got . ”

“How many times should I do it?”

“Until I tell you to stop . ”

It was a truly random request . Why was Jang Maldong telling him to show his spear techniques?

Although Seol Jihu was curious, he quietly picked up his spear and took his stance .

“Start . ”

Swish! A spear full of mana cut through the air . Seol Jihu repeated the three techniques with care .

‘It’s been a while since I’ve last done this . ’

He suddenly remembered desperately striking the target in the Neutral Zone . As he had practiced these three techniques a thousand times every day, he was well accustomed to doing them .

Jang Maldong didn’t say much . ‘Quicker’, ‘more accurately’, ‘harder’, he only said these three words and watched Seol Jihu silently .

After about two hours of nonstop thrusting, striking, and cutting…

“Haa…! Haa…!”

Seol Jihu felt his breath getting short . With three sandbags on each of his arms and legs, his limbs felt heavy . Because he had been using his mana since the beginning, he was running low on stamina as well .

He wished he had some sort of a goal to work towards, but that unfortunately wasn’t the case .

Seol Jihu shook off this thought and focused on brandishing his spear .

‘There must be a reason . ’

Jang Maldong was praised as Paradise’s greatest trainer . Thinking he must have a reason for making him do this, Seol Jihu quietly thrust his spear .

How much time went by?

He felt something rising from his stomach . His arms felt like they were falling off . The perfect posture he once had was nowhere to be seen, and the movement of his spear became noticeably dull . It was then that Jang Maldong finally told him to stop .

“Haak…! Haak…!”

Seol Jihu fell on his butt and gasped for air . His body was drenched in sweat . Still, he smiled, relieved that he was told to stop before his stamina ran out .

‘Did I pass the first training?’

Perhaps because of his regular training, he felt like it was doable . However, he soon shook his head . It was unlikely that this was the end of the training, and he most certainly couldn’t be satisfied with himself yet .

As such, he set his will ablaze and asked Jang Maldong .

“Master, what’s next on the training regime?”

“…Hm? Next?”

Jang Maldong, who was looking around the area, raised his eyebrows .

“Huh? Is this it for today’s training?”

“What nonsense are you blabbering . Get up . ”

Jang Maldong spoke as if he had no clue what the youth was talking about . Seol Jihu tilted his head but still got up quickly .

“Since we got your stamina low… that should be enough to get your blood flowing . Ah, you can take the sandbags off now . ”

A look of confusion flashed across Seol Jihu’s blinking eyes . Perhaps he was mistaken, but he made it sound like he didn’t even start the warm-up, much less the training .

“Oh right, you said you liked running, yes?”

Seol Jihu looked around his vicinity and swallowed hard . It was true that he liked running, but running on a flat track was completely different from running on a rugged mountain .

Moreover, the Huge Stone Rocky Mountain’s topography required more jumping and climbing than running .

‘Don’t tell me… . ’

“Let’s start with a light warm-up . ”

An unknown sense of nervousness surged through him . Then… .

“Before we start the real training, let me give you a piece of advice . Think of the training that is about to start as a battle . ”

When he heard the word ‘start’, his nervousness transformed into anxiety . Jang Maldong continued calmly .

“I mean you should treat it as if your life is on the line . Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to finish it . ”

Hearing him say this with a straight face, goosebumps shot up on Seol Jiho’s arms .

‘What…?’ It seemed like he was gravely mistaken about something .

“Don’t forget . Training is a battle . ”

Jang Maldong didn’t seem to be joking . It didn’t even sound like he was trying to be intimidating . He was simply being honest .

“Let’s see… . Ah, that place looks good . ”

Jang Maldong raised his cane and pointed at a spot in the distance . Past the rugged terrain, Seol Jihu could see a mountain peak standing tall in the sky .

‘No way!’

If he was in his normal condition, he felt like he could travel back and forth at least eight times . But with his exhausted body, just making two rounds seemed difficult .

However, to Seol Jihu’s dismay… .

“Back and forth, fifty times . You can use mana, so make sure you complete it . ”

A bolt of lightning struck him from the clear sky . He was made to use all his mana and stamina, so what did he just say?

“Also, you’re prohibited from using that earring . ”

A look of disbelief spread across Seol Jihu’s face as he looked up at the mountain peak . However, Jang Maldong didn’t even bat an eye as he opened his mouth .

“Since you were so stubborn, I trust you’ll demonstrate with your actions . ”

Seol Jihu grit his teeth . Thus… .

“Now start . ”

The curtains were drawn to the first of Seol Jihu’s four most difficult and tortuous battles .

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