Is The Second Coming of Gluttony Worth Reading? Review & Where to Read

Quick facts
Format	Manhwa, 109 chapters
Run	2019–2022 · ongoing
Community score	AniList 7.1 · MangaUpdates 6.9
Content	Violence, fantasy gore

Overview

Seol Jihu wasted his first shot at life. He's a gambling addict, buried in debt, and has burned through the goodwill of everyone who ever cared about him by the time the story catches up to him. Then he's pulled into Paradise, a parallel world losing a war against invading entities called Parasites, and given a rare sin-attribute power called Gluttony — the ability to absorb and internalize the strength of whatever he defeats. It's a second chance in every sense: a new world to prove himself in, and a real opportunity to become someone better than the person he was.

The Second Coming of Gluttony uses that setup to build something a little more character-driven than the average power-system isekai. Jihu's growth isn't just about getting stronger — it's about actually becoming a person worth the second chance he's been given.

What it does well

The biggest thing working in this manhwa's favor is how honestly unflattering Jihu is allowed to be before he starts changing. A lot of isekai leads get a a fresh start with minimal baggage; Jihu has to actively work against who he used to be, and that struggle gives his eventual growth real substance instead of just being a power curve going up and to the right.

The Gluttony power system reinforces that idea nicely — because his strength comes directly from what he chooses to fight and defeat, his power growth is tied to his choices in a way that feels more earned than a passive leveling mechanic. Supporting characters, especially Seo Yuhui, get enough interiority that they read as people with their own histories and burdens rather than pure support for the protagonist's arc.

The fantasy war setting also gives the story real stakes beyond Jihu's personal redemption — Paradise's survival is genuinely on the line, which keeps the plot moving even in stretches focused more on character than combat.

Where it falls short

The story's harem-adjacent structure — several capable, well-developed women all orbiting Jihu's story to varying romantic degrees — won't work for readers who want a tighter, more singular romantic focus. It's handled with more character depth than the genre average, but the structure itself is still there.

The early chapters also ask a lot of patience: Jihu's unlikeability before his growth kicks in is the point, but it can be a genuine barrier before the payoff arrives. And Paradise's rules, rankings, and politics get introduced quickly, without much hand-holding for readers used to slower world-building.

Verdict

The Second Coming of Gluttony takes a familiar isekai power-system premise and grounds it in a lead who actually has something to atone for, which gives the whole story more emotional weight than the setup initially suggests. It asks for some patience through its rougher early chapters, but the character work underneath the power fantasy makes it worth that patience.