Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

I quickly took the Chronicle of Heavenly Venomous Beasts from Hwa-eun’s hands and examined it closely.

Silver Silkworm Moth.

The name was composed of three characters: Silver, Silkworm, and Moth.

If translated literally, it would mean Silver Silkworm Moth.

‘This has to be the same creature!’

Having spent half my previous life—and now my entire current life—obsessed with venomous creatures, my instincts were practically screaming at me.

This is it!

“Silver Silkworm Moth.

A moth whose body is covered in a brilliant silver sheen. When fully grown, its body is about half a foot long, with a wingspan reaching three feet.

Although generally docile, when threatened, it releases a fine silver dust from its scales.

Any skin exposed to the dust will experience unbearable itching, leading the victim to scratch until their bones are exposed.

If inhaled, the maddening itch penetrates the mind itself, driving the victim into a frenzy as they claw at their own body until death.”

As I read the description, I turned my gaze back to the silver chrysalis I had just restored, alongside the radiant silver cocoon.

A silver cocoon and a silver chrysalis.

If the chrysalis and the cocoon were both silver, then the moth that emerged from within was highly likely to be silver as well.

My heart pounded.

If this really was the creature mentioned in the Chronicle of Heavenly Venomous Beasts, then the cocoon and chrysalis before me had to belong to the Silver Silkworm Moth.

‘Calm down. It’s not confirmed yet.’

Of course, there was still a chance I was wrong.

This era didn’t have modern taxonomy—many names were given arbitrarily, sometimes based on superficial similarities rather than true classification.

Moreover, moths undergo complete metamorphosis.

During this process, the caterpillar breaks down into a liquid state inside the chrysalis before reconstructing itself into an entirely new form.

That meant even if the cocoon and chrysalis were silver, the insect that emerged could be something completely different.

Think about butterflies—what starts as a squirming, worm-like caterpillar can transform into a vividly colored, winged beauty.

Still, no matter how much I tried to stay rational, my gut was telling me they were the same.

And my gut never lied.

If my instincts as Spicy Fabre—the greatest venomous creature expert in both my lives—were this strong, then I had no doubt.

This was it.

A moth ranked among the Ten Great Venomous Creatures.

Just imagining it made me grin.

A moth so dangerous, it was considered one of the deadliest in existence.

A moth... and it was adorable.

‘My god... a moth of unparalleled cuteness! And it’s one of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures!’

My excitement wasn’t just because I had found something extraordinary.

It was because, despite having raised O-gong and the three sisters, Yo-hwa, Seol, Bing, the Golden Wasp Kings, and Yeondu—all of whom were remarkable in their own right—if I had to pick the single cutest insect in existence, I wouldn’t hesitate.

It would be a moth.

Objectively speaking, moths were the undisputed champions of cuteness.

People romanticized butterflies, calling them the messengers of spring and fairies of the flowers.

But moths? They were criminally underrated.

Women who squealed in delight at butterflies would scream in horror at moths.

People dismissed them as ugly, pointless, and creepy.

But that was just ignorance.

Moths were the true fairies of the insect world.

‘I’ll never understand why people hate moths so much. Butterflies get all the love, and moths get all the hate—it’s ridiculous!’

It had been the same in my past life.

Whenever I introduced moths on my live broadcasts, the chat would explode with negativity.

People complained about their powdery scales, how they swarmed porch lights, and how they were disgusting.

“Alright, everyone! Today’s feature is the cutest insect in the world—moths!”

‘Moths? You mean... moths? The hell?’

‘Spicy Fabre’s lost it again. First it was venomous snakes, then spiders, and now he’s trying to make moths cute?’

‘This dude seriously needs a reality check.’

‘Someone call an intervention. This man is officially unhinged.’

‘No way, bro. No. Freaking. Way.’

But then, I showed them a single photo.

And everything changed.

‘...Wait. Maybe this is... possible?’

‘I RESPECT SPICY FABRE’S TASTE!’

‘NO WAY. I REFUSE TO BELIEVE A MOTH CAN BE THIS CUTE!’

‘I... I have sinned. I repent for all the moths I have killed. I was a fool!’

‘YOU MONSTER! How could you kill such adorable creatures?!’

In that moment, the truth became clear to them.

Moths weren’t ugly.

They weren’t disgusting.

They were precious.

Looking down at them from above, some people might find them unsettling.

But the moment you looked them in the face, everything changed.

Their soft, fluffy bodies.

Their fuzzy, rabbit-like antennae.

Their large, round eyes.

Bumblebees were often seen as the pinnacle of insect cuteness, but that was only because moths didn’t get enough recognition.

In my opinion, anyone who could look directly into a moth’s eyes and still swat it with a fly swatter was a villain.

‘Absolutely unforgivable.’

As I was lost in thought, Hwa-eun’s voice snapped me back to reality.

“So-ryong, do you think this really is the same species?”

I had been so caught up in imagining how adorable this moth would be that I almost forgot to answer.

A bit disappointed that I had to snap out of my daydream, I reminded myself that if my theory was correct, I would be able to see it in person soon.

I nodded, holding up the restored chrysalis.

“Look at this. Doesn’t it seem like the Silver Silkworm Moth could have emerged from here?”

“Aha! So this is what you were working on while you were so busy? It really does look alive. And you’re right... it really does seem like the same species.”

Hwa-eun agreed with my conclusion.

Now, there was just one question left to answer.

How did a celestial silkworm become a silver silkworm moth?

***

To uncover the reason behind the celestial silkworm’s transformation into the silver silkworm, I needed the Tang Clan’s help.

And for that, I required my father-in-law’s approval.

He had always been supportive of my hobbies, after all.

“It seems the celestial silkworm evolves into one of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures, the Silver Silkworm Moth.”

“What!? That’s incredible news! And... evolution (進化)? You mean it progresses forward and becomes something entirely different?”

Thinking back to what happened with Cho and Bini, it made sense.

If an ordinary celestial silkworm was to transform into a silver silkworm, then it had to undergo evolution.

There was no other explanation.

As I shared my thoughts and findings, my father-in-law nodded in agreement, finding the logic plausible.

“Yes, Father-in-law. The Blue-Spotted Centipede was a low-tier venomous creature, yet it evolved into something far stronger—the Heavenly Venom Centipede and the Black Phantom Centipede. That means we can definitely apply the concept of evolution here.”

“So, you believe the celestial silkworm evolves into the silver silkworm?”

“Yes, that’s what I currently suspect.”

“Hm... Given what happened to those two creatures, your theory is reasonable. However, discovering how it evolves won’t be easy...”

“Yes, but we already have two examples. That means it won’t be as difficult as it seems.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“Of course. I’ll need to travel beyond Tang Mountain for ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) a short while. Could I borrow some warriors?”

“Warriors?”

My father-in-law tilted his head, curious about why I needed them.

But my reasoning was simple.

I wanted to examine the two cases of evolution I knew had already happened.

By analyzing what Cho and Bini had in common, I could find clues about how the celestial silkworm transformed into the silver silkworm.

One of those cases—Cho’s evolution—I already understood.

But I didn’t know the precise cause of Bini’s evolution.

That’s why I needed the warriors.

If I wanted to figure out what triggered Bini’s transformation, I needed to revisit the place where she had hidden away before evolving.

“I want to investigate the reason behind Bini’s evolution and compare it with Cho’s.”

“Ah, so you plan to track where Bini was hiding?”

“Yes, Father-in-law.”

“Understood. Take the Venom Blood Squad and your Venomous Creatures Squad with you.”

“Thank you!”

As expected, my father-in-law immediately grasped my intent.

With his approval, I quickly left the main hall to find Bini.

“Bini!”

I found her lounging in the courtyard, basking in the sunlight with the others.

She lazily raised her head at the sound of my voice, her expression half-drowsy.

At this point, she had grown into a mature young lady—one who knew exactly how to charm her father.

— Tssrr?

“Bini, Daddy has a favor to ask.”

— Tss, tsrr? 『A... a favor?』

“Yes. I want to know where you became this beautiful.”

— Tss, tsrrr... 『I-If you really must know...』

She acted a little tsundere, grumbling lightly but clearly pleased.

It seemed like she had developed a more mature personality after evolving.

Still, she agreed without too much hesitation.

“Is it far? Can we go and return within a day?”

— Tssrr... 『...Yes...』

And so, with Bini leading the way and a squad of warriors accompanying us, I set out for her old hiding place.

The location was completely unexpected.

I never imagined it would be so close.

Bini had taken us to a place where I had once risked my life for the Tang Clan—the Blood Cavern.

More specifically, she had been hiding in a Blood Pool—a place where dark energy had gathered.

However, there was a stark difference from before.

Previously, the cavern had been shrouded in a murky black aura.

But now?

It was just a massive empty pit.

The eerie energy had completely vanished.

“So... Bini was hiding in a place like this?”

Goo Pae, the Venomous Creatures Squad captain, bowed his head in apology.

“I deeply regret it. We searched this area several times, yet we failed to find her.”

“No, it’s fine. If she was hiding underground, it would’ve been impossible to detect her.”

I waved off his concern.

Besides, it was probably for the best that they hadn’t found her.

I peered down into the empty cavern.

“Something’s changed.”

“Yes... The yin energy that once filled this place is completely gone.”

It had definitely been there before.

But now?

There wasn’t even a trace of it.

Just as I was about to descend into the pit to investigate further, Bini spoke through our bond.

— Tssrr. 『I... ate it all.』

“...You ate it?”

— Tssrr.

She had devoured the yin energy that had accumulated here.

I took a moment to think.

‘Cho evolved after consuming the Inner Core of the Heavenly Sage. Bini evolved after absorbing all the yin energy that had built up in this cavern.’

In other words—

Both of them evolved by consuming something.

‘If that’s the case... then did the celestial silkworms also eat something to transform into silver silkworms?’

Both the Inner Core and yin energy were sources of power.

So, if celestial silkworms evolved into silver silkworms, they must have consumed something infused with a powerful energy.

That meant...

There had to be something in the termite mound that we had overlooked.

I needed to return to the basin where the White Termite Towers stood.

Just as I hurried back to the Tang Clan, passing the entrance to Mandok Hall, a familiar voice called out.

“So-ryong, where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“Ah, Grandfather.”

It was Mandok Shingun.

He emerged from Mandok Hall, holding something in his hands.

“I was on my way to see Father-in-law. But... what is that?”

“Oh, this?”

He lifted a tiny mushroom, about the size of a thumb.

It was one of the mushrooms I had gathered from the termite mound—the same ones I had asked the Tang Clan to cultivate.

I knew they had started test-growing them, but this wasn’t a freshly grown one.

It was one I had personally collected.

“Why are you carrying it?”

Grandfather chuckled.

“You brought back something very interesting.”

“Interesting? Why?”

He toyed with the mushroom, then explained.

“It’s weak compared to true spiritual herbs, but this mushroom contains a faint trace of natural energy.”

“...What?”

I stared at him, stunned.

“So... it’s a spiritual herb?”

“Well, barely. It’s too unstable for martial artists to use directly. And for some reason, the mushrooms contain impure energy, making them unsuitable for internal cultivation.”

“Wait... then why were the termites eating it?”

“Venomous creatures and animals are naturally more attuned to natural energy than humans. Perhaps that’s why the termites consume it.”

Grandfather casually suggested it could be used as feed for my creatures.

But at that moment, something clicked in my mind.

Wait a second.

If the queen termite—the one who had been eating these mushrooms for fifty years—had been absorbing natural energy all this time...

And the celestial silkworms ate the termite queen...?!

I gasped.

These little bastards weren’t just freeloading parasites in the termite mound...

They were full-fledged master thieves who occasionally devoured their hosts!