Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

The air was thick with a sweet scent, blending with the smell of the dried, withered tree. The space was filled with the hum of wings, the buzz of the golden hornets working tirelessly to bring warmth to the hive.

The sun had risen, casting its light to spread warmth across the dry tree, as the hornets beat their wings to gather the heat. These creatures, like bees, struggle in the cold, only able to fly when warmth is present. Their wings fluttered in the early light, spreading the heat within the hive.

The golden hornets, which seemed to mix the traits of hornets and bees, had habits resembling those of bees more closely, as hornets usually hunt for honey even under the full moon. These golden hornets, however, would only begin their activity in the early morning hours.

”Has the queen awoken yet?” I asked, looking up between the honeycomb cells. The fluttering wings paused for a moment before continuing, and then the queen bee appeared, descending to my eye level in an upside-down position.

Buzz!

She flicked her wings, as though answering that she was already awake. The silence inside the dead tree followed, and I quickly spoke up.

”The reason I came this morning... I have a creature named Bini with me, and there’s one that looks just like this scent—O-Gong. Do you know him? He’s gone missing. Could you ask any of the worker hornets to inform me if they see him while searching for honey?”

I showed her the scent bottle wrapped around my wrist. The queen paused, looking a little surprised, before nodding in acknowledgment.

Buzz!

”Thank you. I’m sorry to bother you so early. I’ll be on my way now.”

The queen flicked her wings again, acknowledging my gratitude. Just as I turned to leave, I felt a sudden sensation on my shoulder.

Tap, tap.

Turning, I saw the queen tapping my forehead with her antennae.

Tap-tap.

Then her mouth came closer to my face.

‘No, not again! This is too much...’

I could feel my body tense. The approach was a sign of nutrient exchange, a common social practice among bees and ants. For reasons unknown, the queen suddenly wanted to engage in this exchange.

‘Am I really going to starve to death because of this?’

I understood the significance but shuddered at her request. I had already been overwhelmed by it once, and twice would surely break me.

‘What do I do?’

In that brief moment, I hesitated, deeply conflicted. It was a meaningful gesture, a sign of the highest trust among social insects. Refusing could jeopardize my relationship with her, and by extension, the entire golden hornet colony.

Realizing I couldn’t refuse so easily, I quickly raised my hand.

”I... I’m full right now. I had honey just yesterday. People can’t eat too much at once, you know.”

Buzz? Wing, wing!

The queen’s wings buzzed aggressively, as if in response to my refusal.

‘Is she mad?’

Just then, a worker bee flew in carrying a round object the size of a watermelon and placed it in my hands.

Buzz.

The object felt heavy, and I could tell it was filled with honey.

”Should I take this with me?” I asked.

Buzz. Buzz.

The queen’s wings seemed to be telling me to take it and eat it. She might have been concerned about my well-being or accepting me as part of the family. Either way, I nodded, thankful for her gesture and relieved that I had avoided further tension.

”Thank you, really.”

As I made my way out, I reflected on how much I didn’t fully understand the queen’s behavior. I began thinking about registering the golden hornets with the Beastheart Compendium, so I could better understand and perhaps avoid future misunderstandings.

I wasn’t in a rush to register them yet. According to my mentor and adoptive father, when you bond with a social animal, more than one might end up registering. So, it’s crucial to approach it carefully.

‘Let’s not rush. There are good aspects to it, but it’s not all smooth sailing.’

While I was a bit frustrated with the queen’s sudden nutrient exchange request, I also realized that the situation with Bini might be a sign that things wouldn’t always be straightforward. Even if we shared an emotional connection, it didn’t necessarily lead to good outcomes.

I walked out of the training ground with the honey in hand, relieved to have avoided the queen’s more intimate request. However, I could feel the tension growing as the scene outside became more hectic.

”Over here!”

”Venom Blood Squad is splitting into five groups to ascend the mountain!”

Martial artists from the clan were pairing up, heading toward the top of Dangga Mountain.

”What’s going on?” I asked, trying to catch one of the passing warriors for an explanation.

A cough interrupted me.

Clear throat!

Turning around, I saw Mandok Shingun approaching with an uncomfortable expression, followed by Hwa-eun, her face tense.

It seemed there was a problem, but I greeted them with respect regardless.

”Good morning, Grandfather.”

Mandok Shingun ignored my greeting, his frustration evident.

”Why didn’t you inform us about something so serious happening overnight? What is going on at this hour?!”

”Eh? Ah... that’s...”

It seemed that Hwa-eun had informed him that Bini was missing. The commotion was likely due to Mandok Shingun instructing the clan’s warriors to search for Bini.

I hadn’t expected that my venomous creature would spark such a stir. Apparently, I had become more attached to this little creature than I thought.

”How could you treat the little one so badly that it ran away? A child who has never even been outside—where could it be hiding?”

The way Mandok Shingun scolded me was as if Bini were his real granddaughter. The way he acted made me realize how deeply he had become attached.

‘Seems like he’s gotten quite fond of it.’

Mandok Shingun’s reprimand made me feel guilty, but I couldn’t deny that I had contributed to the situation.

‘Bini, you’re in trouble. Come back!’

On the way to expand the venomous companion culture, it was a mixed feeling of frustration and injustice.

***

The search continued for three days, but Bini remained nowhere to be found.

Where on earth had Bini hidden? Not even a trace of him had been seen.

I had sent out my thoughts to him multiple times, trying to feel any response, but none came.

The Tang Clan warriors had turned over every rock on Dangga Mountain, even searching through owl nests just in case, but still no sign of him.

”Ugh...”

Grandfather showed clear signs of displeasure today as well.

I was sending out my thoughts in frustration when Seol asked me, ”Still no response?”

”No, Seol-nuna.”

”That’s strange.”

”Why?”

”Animals, even mythical ones, can’t hide their feelings like humans. Beastheart connections with animals don’t respond unless they’re deeply asleep. That’s the usual case.”

”Sleep?”

”Yes, deep sleep. They only go unresponsive like that when they’re in deep sleep.”

’Is Bini really just hiding out somewhere, causing all this chaos while sleeping it off!?’

I felt a bit dizzy at the thought of Bini possibly sleeping through all the commotion.

It had been three days of nonstop scolding from Mandok Shingun, and even Hwa-eun, who had never raised her voice, had shed a tear.

Meanwhile, Mandok Shingun’s worried voice came from behind.

”There are many beasts in the mountains... Could he have met with some trouble?”

”Yes, Elder. If he’s dead, someone connected through Beastheart would feel it immediately. They would experience a shock through their mind.”

”Well, that’s a relief, but...ugh!”

Mandok Shingun’s voice still dripped with dissatisfaction.

Feeling a bit uneasy, I sent another thought to Cho, hoping he might have spotted Bini from the sky.

[Cho, can you see Bini?]

But as expected, he hadn’t found him either.

Just then, Mandok Shingun addressed me.

”So-ryong, we haven’t found Bini yet, but you know we can’t waste any more time here, right?”

”Yes, Grandfather. Of course.”

”We’ll have the warriors keep looking for him, but prepare for the Martial Alliance trip. We need to act quickly.”

”I understand.”

I had to check the location of the Blood Cult and inform them that they had allied with the O-dok Clan and obtained the antidote. Most importantly, I had to prepare a new poison for the Martial Alliance.

Originally, our visit to Dangga had been to secure a sample of hemorrhagic poison for the Martial Alliance.

”Do you have any ideas?” Grandfather asked. ”We know that the Yellow Hornet’s poison is as effective as Ho-ban Yusa’s, but the problem is it’s difficult to harvest in large quantities.”

The hornet’s poison worked well for hemorrhagic poison, but the small amount of it made mass production difficult. We had already sent warriors to gather samples, but continuously extracting the venom from the hornets was a challenge.

I nodded, understanding the situation.

”Yes, I’ve already prepared it for the Poison Vault.”

”Already?” Grandfather asked, surprised.

”Yes, Grandfather.”

”Good. Let’s go then. It would have been great if we had done something like this before Bini left.”

”Ugh...”

Arriving at the Poison Vault, the warriors were gathered, nervously peering into the jar.

I had asked them to prepare it, but it seemed they hadn’t managed to catch the creature inside the jar yet.

Hiss! Hiss!

”Why is this snake so vicious?”

”Be careful! So-ryong-sama said never to grab it by hand like other snakes.”

I called out to the warriors who were distracted by the jar.

”Is it done yet?”

”Hah! So-ryong-sama! We greet the great head of the family!”

”Greetings, Great Head of the Family!”

The warriors looked flustered at our arrival, and Grandfather, without missing a beat, walked to the jar, peered inside, and spoke.

”Is this it?”

”Yes, Grandfather.”

”This is the one we caught from Yunnan, the Mountain Viper.”

The snake inside the jar was a bit short and stout, with a distinctive oval pattern along its body.

Grandfather quickly reached into the jar and grabbed the snake by the neck.

In my past life, not even the most skilled experts dared to handle such a snake with their hands.

‘As expected of the head of the Tang Clan.’

This snake was highly aggressive, and anyone who tried to grab it would be bitten. It was a Russell’s Viper, notorious for its venomous nature.

”Bring me the chicken blood.”

At my request, the Tang Clan warriors quickly caught a chicken and brought the blood in a bowl.

I asked Grandfather to drop some of the snake’s venom into the bowl.

”Just a drop of venom into the chicken blood.”

Plop.

The venom fell into the bowl, and after a moment, I used chopsticks to stir the blood, which had thickened into something resembling jelly.

”What is this?”

The venom from the Russell’s Viper was a strong coagulant.

I explained to Grandfather, who was taken aback.

”The poison that thickens or thins the blood is called Blood Poison. While Ho-ban Yusa’s poison thins the blood—hemorrhagic poison—this poison thickens it, coagulating it.”

”Their martial arts are connected to blood. If they are struck by hemorrhagic poison, it’s like being struck by the Mountain Viper’s poison. If this poison hits, it will block the path to using internal energy, rendering their skills useless.”

‘Better make that antidote quickly. I’ll make sure to repay the Blood Cult in kind, with both sweet and bitter poison.’

Like the frustration I felt with Bini, this poison would block internal energy like a stubborn yam, making it impossible for anyone to use their energy.

As I prepared for the next challenge, I considered my ”gift” for the Blood Cult: alternating between hemorrhagic and coagulating poisons.