Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 2: Awakening Chaos

“Hey, So-ryong! So-ryong!”

“Long!? Snap out of it! Why is he suddenly acting up again?”

So-ryong’s arms and neck were caught in a web, stretching out as he stumbled towards the campfire.

Hua Eun and Seolpyo on either side caught his arms while Yo-hwa shot the web to stop his fall.

– Kishi!

Just before he face-planted into the fire, So-ryong’s body was yanked back softly.

As So-ryong lay on the ground as if asleep, Hua Eun and Seolpyo examined him with shocked faces.

The first thing Hua Eun checked was So-ryong’s eyes.

He had confirmed twice before eating the White Ant, but she needed to know if he had lost consciousness for some other reason or was paralyzed by a toxin.

Opening his eyelids quickly, she checked his eyes, which were hazy and dull.

If he were unconscious, the whites of his eyes should show, and if paralyzed, his gaze should still have life. But behind those closed eyelids, his eyes seemed as if his soul had simply slipped away.

“What happened?”

“Could there have been poison?”

“No, it doesn’t seem like poison. I checked it twice before and now he doesn’t show signs of poisoning.”

Shin Tu, startled, asked hastily, though before So-ryong ate, Hua Eun had already confirmed the White Ant was toxin-free, and So-ryong, who knew about Poisonous Insects, had stated there was no poison either.

They checked again, but the dullness in his gaze made it odd to think of poisoning or paralysis.

Then Seolpyo, who had been feeling So-ryong’s pulse, grabbed Hua Eun’s hand.

And from Seolpyo’s dazed expression came words they had heard once before.

“Hey, Beast Heart Technique….”

“Beast Heart Technique? You mean Beast Heart Technique!?”

If it was the Beast Heart Technique, it was a fundamental aspect of the Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill, which So-ryong had learned.

The incident that had once put So-ryong to sleep when Chao became the Flying Heavenly Centipede resurfaced.

The matter that had caused So-ryong to sleep for fifteen days.

“Chao! Chao! Come down here!”

Hua Eun quickly called Chao, who was floating somewhere in the sky, asking him to keep watch over So-ryong.

What if, due to Chao having grown, the same thing happened to So-ryong again?

Recently, Chao had molted, and there was nothing else that particularly seemed suspicious but Chao.

Seolpyo and the Beast Palace Lord had warned that if one were to bond with a venomous creature like the Ten Great Venoms, their minds could go awry.

In haste, as Hua Eun called for Chao, the bewildered Chao flew down.

Hua Eun asked him urgently.

– Tsur?

“Chao, Dad has collapsed. Do you know anything about it?”

– Tsur!? Tsuru!

However, upon seeing So-ryong lying behind Hua Eun, Chao let out a startled cry.

Though it was hard to tell what he was saying, Chao seemed confused, indicating he likely wasn’t the cause.

Seolpyo also regained his composure and suggested that it didn’t seem to be Chao’s fault.

“I don’t think it’s Chao. The energy of the Beast Heart Technique doesn’t feel like it did last time. And if Chao were the cause, wouldn’t Chao have fallen asleep like before?”

Upon hearing Seolpyo’s explanation, Hua Eun found it made sense.

Back then, Chao had also fallen into slumber alongside So-ryong, so if Chao was the cause, he must have also fallen asleep.

“Then, what about Hyang!?”

“Hyang? Oh, right!”

Hyang, who had fallen asleep on Hua Eun’s shoulder after getting scolded for not listening to Dad earlier.

Could it be that this wasn’t just regular sleep?

Given that there’s no sign of waking amid this chaos, the next suspect seemed to be Hyang, and Hua Eun quietly called for her.

If both had fallen asleep due to the Beast Heart Technique, it wouldn’t be good to wake them forcefully, but she needed confirmation if they had truly lost consciousness like So-ryong.

“Hya, Hyang? Are you sleeping?”

Amid Hua Eun and Seolpyo’s tense gazes, there was no response, leading them to wonder if it was indeed related to the Beast Heart Technique, but soon they noticed Hyang seemed to scratch her antennae with her front legs, starting to make a familiar sound as she slept.

– Tsuru… Tsuru…

It was clear she was indeed asleep.

Even in this chaotic situation, she was nonchalantly scratching her antennae as if deeply lost in sleep.

It was likely she had fallen so deeply that she wouldn’t notice if someone picked her up.

Seolpyo confirmed it again, gently touching Hyang’s body before shaking his head quickly.

“There’s nothing suggesting Hyang’s the cause either. I don’t feel the energy of the Beast Heart Technique from her.”

“Then why suddenly? You mentioned something about being consumed by the hearts of beasts…”

As Hua Eun asked with a worried expression if So-ryong’s heart was being consumed by the venomous insects, Seolpyo shook his head in response.

“That’s not the case. If that were true, he would be rampaging like a beast, but right now, he looks just asleep.”

“Then… what on earth…?”

If it wasn’t that, it was indeed strange.

As Hua Eun gazed worriedly at So-ryong, Seolpyo seemed to have discovered something, clapping his hands.

“Ah! So-ryong wasn’t just connected to Chao and Hyang!”

“Not just Chao and Hyang… Oh! How did I forget about that?”

Feeling momentarily shocked about So-ryong’s fall, he recalled that he hadn’t only linked with Chao and Hyang through the Beast Heart Technique.

“There’s Bin!”

“Bin is still missing!”

The youngest daughter who had run away.

Bin!

*

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a space filled with dark, smoky mist.

No matter how I looked around, all I saw was that same black fog.

I had no idea how I could perceive this dark fog without a single ray of light, but strangely, it felt distinctively clear to me.

“What… what is this?”

My bewilderment was brief.

In such a situation, the first thought that crossed my mind was this: ‘Could it be? Am I trapped in my inner world!?’

When Seol, my older sister, and my adoptive father, warned me about the Beast Heart Technique, they said that my mind could be devoured by Chao’s mind, so I needed to be cautious.

The spirit creatures had much stronger minds than humans, raising fears that I could easily be consumed.

So, realizing I could maintain my clarity in this dark, pitch-black space, I wondered if my mind was trapped somewhere with Chao’s spirit occupying my body.

Why is it in cartoons, when the protagonist’s body is taken for some reason, they end up curled up in a dark, gloomy space, pitifully waiting for someone to come save them?

“Damn it. Am I doing something weird? No, if it were taken by Chao, she wouldn’t do that, right?”

That seemed to be the right impression.

Resolving to seek Chao for help seemed the only way.

Chao had no reason to maliciously take over my body. This was likely an incident happening due to the elevation of Chao’s spirit.

If our minds were connected, maybe she would come to aid me.

‘My daughter surely wouldn’t purposely put her father in a situation like this. No way.’

“Chao! Chao! Dad’s here! Help me!”

With that, I called out for Chao, and the black mist seemed to swell as if alive.

This had to be Chao reacting.

‘Oh! There’s definitely a response!’

It felt like the black mist was stirring every time I called for her.

It appeared Chao was just as surprised as I am.

So, I decided to flatter her to prevent any panic while asking for her to help me out.

“I’m sure this isn’t something Chao did on purpose, right? It must be an accident, or maybe something happened that neither of us planned! My dear Chao, my sweet daughter would want to bring Dad out of this situation, right?”

As I invoked Chao’s name, the ominous black mist suddenly transformed, resembling dark storm clouds, and part of it cleared to reveal a narrow path.

A narrow trail flooded with light.

It felt as if the light was beckoning me over.

Surely, Chao was guiding me towards an escape.

“That’s my girl! My lovely daughter!”

It felt as though Chao had devised a solution.

With that, I praised her and started walking towards the light.

At the end of the light, a figure appeared.

It was someone that struck a resemblance to Chao.

“Chao!”

I dashed towards her, but as I reached the woman, it was clear she wasn’t Chao.

“W-Who are you?”

In my memory, Chao had striking blue hair and eyes, creating a lovely aura about her. But the woman before me had dark hair and pitch-black eyes.

While she did exude a peculiar aura akin to Chao’s, she was someone I had never seen before.

‘What…?’

Moreover, her expression seemed like she was genuinely annoyed.

Startled, I blinked, and the woman let out a sigh, as if exasperated with something.

At that moment, the thought of ‘darkening’ emerged.

‘Wait, could it be that Chao has… gone dark!?’

“Black” could mean “darkened.”

Chao, formerly blue, might have turned black signifies a potential darkening.

So with a cautionary voice, I asked, “Chao?”

To which the woman’s eyes turned frighteningly fierce.

No matter how much Chao might have darkened, she would never look at her dad with such a malicious gaze, so immediately, I started to think that I must be misjudging this situation.

“Ah, not you? Then, who are you?”

‘Could it be the Queen Ant? No, she wouldn’t operate the Beast Heart Technique just for registration!’

I pondered over what I had eaten right before becoming like this: roasted White Ant.

Could it be that the Queen Ant, being a spirit, had gained registration because I consumed that fluid before the Worker Ant died in exchange?

Yet, it was odd that registration would happen without the specified consumption of toxins under the Beast Heart Technique’s special rules.

I instinctively took a step back from the woman’s piercing gaze.

At that very moment, her expression flipped to one of surprise, and she clutched my shoulder’s collar without looking directly at me.

Gazing down at the collar the woman had grabbed, I blankly asked, “Could it be Bin?”

The place she clutched was exactly where our sassy Bin would playfully nip when she wanted to show off.

Whenever Bin would sulk or try to sneak away when angry, she would lightly nip my collar, trying to whimsically stop me.

The woman’s expression shifted from surprise to deep emotion, and before long, she leapt into my arms.

And just like that, overwhelming affection claiming that I’m the best dad surged through me.

‘There’s no way I couldn’t tell about this!’

Despite a slight mix-up earlier, it seemed I wouldn’t get disqualified from being a dad, and I soon felt my consciousness begin to blur.

*

“Bin!”

When I opened my eyes, a familiar ceiling came into view.

As I shot upright calling for Bin, surprised voices from two women came back to me.

“Ryong, are you awake?”

“Long! You’re awake!”

Turning my head, I found Hua Eun and Seol looking at me with astonished eyes.

“Where… how did I end up here?”

I was in my chamber at the Tang Clan.

On my bed, I had just last recalled going out to find the Heavenly Silkworm and discovering those White Ants to eat.

As I asked how I had ended up here, Hua Eun approached and gently caressed my forehead.

“Though we should have left you, Seol suggested it would be better to move Bin closer to our clan, so we brought you here.”

So it seemed they had moved me to the clan after I fainted.

“Okay, B-Bin? Is Bin back?”

When I heard Hua Eun mention Bin’s name, I quickly inquired about her, but she shook her head.

“No, unfortunately, maybe this time it was Bin’s fault that led to your fainting?”

“Perhaps…”

The response was disheartening as it trailed off.

Just then, commotion echoed from outside.

– Duddududu.

Low rumbling accompanied by startled voices from the guards reached our ears.

“Block it!”

“That way!”

“Towards the Four Harmonies Courtyard!”

I attempted to rise from my bed, but it seemed my body wouldn’t cooperate after lying down for so long.

I urged Hua Eun and Seol, “Quickly, outside.”

Noting the commotion, they seemed to feel something was off and didn’t refuse my request. As the moment they helped me out, the ground of the courtyard began to swell like a mole was burrowing through.

– Phwaak!

Then, a huge centipede with a glossy black body, which I had never seen before, burst forth from the ground.

Despite crawling through dirt, its sleekness and pitch-blackness were stunning.

It appeared even larger than the Flying Heavenly Centipede that Chao had transformed into.

– Tsuru.

Unintentionally, a scream escaped my lips at the sight of this breathtakingly real black creature.

‘This is insane!’

“Gyaaaak!”

Sure enough, Bin had returned with a serious upgrade!