Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

—Slurp. Slurp.

A cold, sticky sensation on my face jolted me awake.

Something thick and viscous was dripping down from my right eyebrow, trailing down my cheek and onto my chest.

When I opened my eyes, my vision on the right side was blurry, obscured by the sticky liquid.

Instead, I widened my left eye and saw a massive pink shape moving toward my face.

—Splat.

Before I could fully regain my senses, a soft pink mass smacked against my face.

Then, a familiar chirping sound filled my ears, followed by a languid voice I had never heard before.

—Peep... 『Food...』

‘So this is Hyang’s voice.’

As expected of Hyang—the first thing she ever said to me was food.

She must have woken up before me, licking my face and pestering me for a meal.

This was supposed to be an emotional moment, a heartwarming first conversation through Wild Beast Heart Art.

And yet, all she could talk about was food.

I let out a small chuckle at her unwavering devotion to eating and responded, wiping away the drool trickling down my lips.

If I let this continue, I’d probably lose a layer of skin.

”Alright, you little glutton. Just wait a bit.”

As I spoke and wiped off Hyang’s saliva, voices erupted from all around me.

—Hiss! —Hisss! —Hiss!

—Keeek!

—Coo! Coo!

”So-ryong! Did it work? How’s your body? What about your internal energy?”

”So-ryong, are you awake?!”

Cho, Bini, Yohwa, and all the other venomous creatures.

Hwa-eun and Seol-noona, too.

Turning toward the voices, I saw a crowd of people and creatures gathered around me.

It was clear that everyone had been watching over me, worried.

”Yeah, I feel stiff, but otherwise, I’m fine. How many days have passed?”

As I answered Hwa-eun and Seol-noona, I quickly circulated my internal energy, beginning an internal assessment.

Now that I was awake, I needed to check the second stage of Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Art.

Focusing on the slow, steady flow of my internal energy, I traced it back to my dantian.

Inside, two distinct venomous energies were swirling together in perfect harmony, rotating like a yin-yang symbol.

When Mandok Shingun taught me the fundamentals of martial arts, he had explained that taiji, or the supreme ultimate, was like wuji, the primordial chaos, yet also the foundation from which all things began.

That meant this state was stable.

The poison from Cho had already settled in my dantian, and now, Hyang’s venom had fused with it seamlessly.

At first, I was worried—Hyang’s venom burned internal energy as fuel.

What if I couldn’t control it?

But to my relief, it had settled into place without issue.

There were no side effects.

The resistance granted by venom-based martial arts had adapted it as if it were my own, rendering its effects harmless to me.

Of course, that made sense—if Hyang could be poisoned by her own venom, she would’ve been the first to die.

When I guided the two poisons according to the mnemonic, a new kind of power surged through my body.

From my dantian, the venomous energy spread through my meridians, reaching all the way to my fingertips and toes.

A tingling sensation coursed through my hands as I felt the energy reach my fingertips.

‘So this is the Realm of Dual Venoms? Damn, this is insane!’

Before, I barely had enough internal energy to dream of using palm techniques.

Even high-level techniques like palm blasts were out of the question.

But now...

I felt like I could at least unleash a proper energy burst from my hands.

Finishing my internal assessment, I glanced around, taking in my surroundings.

The first thing that caught my eye was the shade structure made of bamboo.

It must have been a while since I passed out—someone had built a frame out of bamboo and woven reeds into a canopy to cover me and Hyang.

Clearly, they had put in the effort to shield us from the scorching sun.

Despite the intense sunlight outside, it was pleasantly cool inside the shade.

”Ten days, So-ryong.”

”It’s been ten days since that day, So-ryong.”

As soon as I finished my assessment, Seol-noona and Hwa-eun answered my question.

I had heard from Seol-noona before that when using Wild Beast Heart Art to register normal beasts, it usually only took a few hours.

But since Hyang was a spiritual beast, it took ten full days.

Without me realizing it, another ten days had passed.

I gently set Hyang aside and /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ stretched, shaking off my stiff limbs.

This was my third time experiencing this, so I was used to the hunger and the creaky joints by now.

As I stretched, my stiff joints and muscles screamed in protest.

”Agh... Every time I do this, my body feels like a wreck.”

”Are you okay, So-ryong?”

”Yeah, I’ve been through this enough times. I’m getting used to it.”

Just as I was about to finish stretching—

Something fell from my hands.

—Thud. Thump.

I heard something drop.

Startled, I bent down to check the ground near my feet.

On the mix of ash and dirt, I spotted several translucent fragments scattered around.

‘What the hell is this?’

It was definitely something that had fallen from my body.

But I didn’t recognize it.

I reached out to pick one up—

The moment my fingers touched the ground, an odd sensation ran through my fingertips.

Something felt off.

My sense of touch was slightly dulled, a strange numbness lingering at my fingertips.

I lifted the fragment, examining it closely.

The closer I looked, the more it resembled...

”A nail?”

”A nail?”

Not a clipped nail.

It was as if my entire fingernail had fallen off in one piece.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Seol-noona and I exchanged puzzled glances.

Then, Hwa-eun’s shocked voice rang in my ears.

”So-ryong! Your nails...!”

At her exclamation, I flipped my hands over—

My nails were gone.

All ten of them.

The weird sensation in my fingertips suddenly made sense.

That sound I had heard earlier?

It wasn’t something falling off my body.

It was my fingernails.

”W-Why did my nails fall off?!”

Shocked, I turned to look at Hwa-eun and Seol-noona.

Hwa-eun immediately rushed over, grabbing my hand and inspecting it closely.

Staring at the places where my nails had fallen out, she muttered in confusion.

”This is strange... Your nails fell out, but they’re already growing back. Why is that?”

Hearing her, I glanced at my fingertips as well.

Sure enough, beneath where my nails had come off, fresh ones were already sprouting.

Seol-noona, standing beside her, also frowned in confusion.

”This isn’t like bone-reforging rebirth... Just losing your nails and regrowing them is too specific. It has to be related to martial arts somehow... But this doesn’t seem to be from Wild Beast Heart Art. That technique influences the mind, not the body.”

Hwa-eun’s words made Seol-noona suspect that the cause wasn’t Wild Beast Heart Art, but rather the poison cultivation.

”Think carefully, Hwa-eun. If it’s not Wild Beast Heart Art, then it must be from Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Art.”

Hwa-eun’s brows furrowed as she thought deeply.

”I... I don’t know. I haven’t trained in Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Art, so I can’t say for sure. We should ask my grandfather or father.”

Still troubled, she gently held my hand again and asked,

”So-ryong, did you notice anything else strange about your body?”

”Huh? No, nothing else seemed wrong.”

Hwa-eun looked deeply worried, but when I checked my internal state earlier, everything seemed fine.

I could only shrug.

Just then—

—Peep!

Hyang’s impatient cry echoed from below.

She had been waiting long enough and was now demanding food.

”Alright, alright. Let’s go get something to eat.”

Aside from my nails falling out, nothing seemed too off.

And since my condition had delayed our group’s journey for ten whole days, it was best to move quickly.

Not to mention, Hyang had also gone without food for ten days—feeding her was a priority.

”My nails are the only thing that changed. I’ll ask Grandfather about it once we get back. For now, let’s head down the mountain and feed Hyang.”

I scooped up Hyang, ready to go, but she started scrambling up my shoulder, trying to reach my head.

With her short little legs, she struggled to climb, and I chuckled at the sight before helping her up.

Her tiny limbs flailed as she tried to get a good grip—too cute.

Since reaching adulthood, Hyang had shrunk slightly, so she now fit snugly on my head, like a hat.

I could feel her soft belly pressing against my scalp, her weight settling like a protective helmet.

But since her belly was warm and plush, I smiled and said,

”Alright! Let’s go!”

Just as I took my first step down the mountain—

—Grab.

Two hands landed on my shoulders.

Slowly, I turned my head.

Hwa-eun and Seol-noona were standing there, their expressions icy.

”So-ryong, didn’t we have something to discuss?”

”So-ryong, didn’t I tell you we needed to talk once you recovered?”

I thought they had forgotten.

I hoped they had forgotten.

But it seemed I wouldn’t be slipping past this one.

”Ah... Ha-ha... A talk... Y-yeah... We should... talk...”

I needed to check if I could reinforce my back with internal energy—quickly.

***

Luckily, I was spared from the impending lecture.

Just as I thought I’d be stuck in a long private discussion with Hwa-eun and Seol-noona, Hyang saved me.

Her hunger-induced rage escalated, and we had no choice but to rush down the mountain.

She even started igniting flames atop my head, radiating pure fury.

‘If you get between me and food, you’re the enemy.’

That was the kind of energy she was giving off.

—PEEP!

”Y-Yeah, Hyang, I got it. Let’s go. We should, um, have that talk later... Hyang seems really upset right now.”

”Haaah... So-ryong, don’t think this is over. I will have that conversation with you later.”

”So-ryong, let’s talk tonight. Quietly.”

”O-Of course.”

And so, after ten days, we finally arrived back at Lee Tae’s waterside settlement.

The village had changed significantly since the battle against the bedbugs.

A few of the burned-down houses had been rebuilt, and the Murim Alliance’s ships, which had been docked here before, had left.

According to Hwa-eun, the situation here had already been resolved, and since they had to deliver Boheoldan to the Murim Alliance, they had departed as soon as possible.

Of course, along with Ji-ryong’s report.

”So-ryong, are you alright?”

”How’s your body holding up?”

”Sir, are you well?”

As soon as we reached the ship, Ji-ryong and the Three Dragons and Two Phoenixes welcomed us.

Since they had agreed to travel with us to the Tang Clan, they had been waiting on our ship.

”My apologies for causing concern. I’m fine now, so you needn’t worry.”

Just as I finished giving a polite response—

—PEEEP!

A furious shriek erupted from above.

”Oh, right, I should feed her first. Let’s talk after I take care of this.”

”Hah... When I saw her sleeping peacefully on the mountain, I thought she’d be calm, but she’s quite fierce.”

Clearly, I needed to feed Hyang before anything else.

I signaled for Lee Tae.

”Lee Tae, could you cut some reeds and build a fire? Hyang needs to eat.”

”Understood, sir. Please wait a moment.”

Soon, a large fire was burning, and Hyang, fully satisfied, waddled over to me, nudging my leg.

”You ready to go now?”

—Squeak.

I placed her back on my head, where she promptly started dozing off, her belly full.

Inside the ship, Ji-ryong, Geom-ryong, and Kwon-ryong approached, clapping me on the shoulder.

”You’re finally back, little brother!”

”Yeah... Looks like I delayed our schedule a bit. We should set sail immediately.”

Since the ship had already been fully repaired, I suggested leaving for the Tang Clan right away.

But the two older warriors just grinned.

”Well, whether we leave today or tomorrow doesn’t really matter, does it?”

”That’s right. Right now, there’s something far more important.”

I frowned, confused by their relaxed attitude.

Then, they both spoke in unison.

”You must be wondering what we mean. After witnessing your incredible skills ten days ago, we realized something.”

”What?”

”When you fell from the sky into that blazing inferno, your martial prowess was beyond imagination. With such skills, how can we let you go without giving you a proper nickname?”

”A nickname...?”

”That’s right. We realized you don’t have a warrior’s title yet, do you?”

I blinked.

So they had been so impressed by my epic plummet from the heavens that they wanted to give me a martial name?

Considering that these two were Kwon-ryong and Geom-ryong, esteemed warriors, I was actually intrigued.

If they were the ones bestowing a title upon me, it had to be something formidable.

Excited, I answered, ”If you two are giving me a title, I’ll gladly accept it!”

The two exchanged grins before looking at me with wide, satisfied smiles.

Then, at the same time, they declared:

”How about Mad Dragon of the Tang Clan?”

I froze.

The Mad Dragon of the Tang Clan?

That meant my title translated to something like—

”The Tang Clan’s Crazy Bastard.”

‘Are you kidding me?!’

Then again...

These were the same guys who gave Ji-ryong the nickname Wall-Kisser just because he had once bumped into a wall.

Expecting dignity from them had been my mistake.