Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 7: Venomous Insect Valley

Gazing at the blocked entrance of the Beast Palace, the palace lord and the elders of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace stood petrified.

The realization that their escape route was blocked was overshadowed by the shocking image of the elephant melting away before their eyes.

A creature that feared nothing, crying out for help in sheer anguish—it was a horrifying sight to witness, as it vanished into the ground like snow melting away.

For them, this was not just a nightmare; it was something they could never have imagined.

Their stunned expressions shown as they stared blankly at the swarm of ants that had sealed their exit.

In such dire circumstances, the figure of the clan lord scaling the cliff, alongside the agitated faces of the junior hero and the Tang Clan’s daughter, caught their attention.

Just for a moment.

There appeared to be a glimmer of hope as the clan lord ascended the cliff, but even with his help, they would have to abandon all their beasts.

How many in the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace would choose to abandon their kin, beasts that were like their children or siblings?

Moreover, the junior hero and the daughter of the Tang Clan had come uninvited to warn them of danger; they couldn’t impose further demands on them.

With increasing numbers, it was clear that their escape would be delayed, and if the benefactors were to get into danger as well, it would be right to let them leave without any worries.

As he cautiously approached, the junior hero said something unexpected.

It was not a declaration to leave but rather something entirely out of left field.

“Um, there’s a way for everyone to survive. Would you care to hear it?”

“A way for everyone to survive!?”

“Absolutely.”

Upon hearing the junior hero’s suggestion, the palace lord quickly summoned all the elders back to the Beast Palace to seek their opinions.

“…That’s what he’s saying, but what do the elders think?”

– Tap tap tap.

The sound of the palace lord, the Fierce Tiger, tapping the armrest of his chair echoed in the quiet hall after speaking.

“I do think he is a benefactor, but being a young junior hero, I’m worried about whether it’s wise to follow his advice. If it were something else, it wouldn’t matter, but if the palace is facing annihilation…”

As the palace lord expressed his concern, the Chief Elder, Qing Xiong, trailed off his words.

With the sight of the ants they had seen beneath the moonlight, the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace was indeed facing a crisis like none other.

In such a situation, following the words of a young junior hero would undoubtedly be a gamble.

The junior hero’s age alone made it hard to trust his judgment.

And they didn’t know much about him aside from the fact that he was the Tang Clan’s son-in-law.

Then, the daughter, Seol-pyo, spoke up.

“Lord, or should I say, Father, while we may not know much about beasts, isn’t it already well-known that the Tang Clan knows much more about venomous insects than we do?”

“That’s true.”

“When I returned, I spoke to Hua Eun, the daughter of the Tang Clan head, and she told me something incredible. She said they acknowledged his talent for handling venomous creatures and took him in as their son-in-law.”

Initially, the daughter who was most doubtful of the junior hero began to sound supportive for once.

“They acknowledged his talent for handling venomous insects at the Tang Clan?”

As they thought of the peculiar junior hero who carried strange venoms, it was truly surprising to hear he was recognized for his skills by the Tang Clan.

Seeing the palace lord, the Fierce Tiger, look astonished, the daughter seemed to recall something.

“Yes, Hua Eun mentioned he’s quite the expert or something like that.”

“An expert?”

“Yes, someone exceptionally skilled in a particular field. I heard he has managed quite a lot concerning venoms, and while we may not believe everything, it’s clear he knows things we don’t by simply observing the venomous creatures he carries. So, trusting him might not be a bad idea.”

He should know far more about venomous creatures than anyone present here right now.

Indeed, if the Tang Clan took him in simply because of his talent for handling venomous insects, it was a credible claim.

Then came the daughter’s follow-up.

“And while I don’t know about other matters, the junior hero has expressed his willingness to risk his life for us despite having the option to retreat, so I believe questioning his intentions is uncalled for.

Don’t tell me everyone has forgotten the words we must always hold dear in our hearts?”

“Are you referring to the saying that a crow repays its foster parents?”

“Yes, exactly! If even crows return favors to their caregivers, how can we doubt the resolve of a junior hero who declared he would lay down his life? He has shown us grace, and now it’s time for the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace to respond in kind.”

“But what happens if this fails…?”

Despite the Chief Elder’s last concern regarding uncertainty, the palace lord, the Fierce Tiger, stood up and declared to the elders.

“If the junior hero fails, the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace will bury together with our benefactor in the valley of venomous insects, but if he succeeds, we shall gain a hero who saved us from annihilation… Prepare to act as he commands!”

“We will follow that order!”

“We shall obey!”

As the palace lord’s command echoed, the elders rallied the warriors of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace and dashed towards the entrance where the junior hero awaited.

*

“So-ryong, are you feeling confident?”

Looking up at the brightening sky, my older sister asked with a worried expression.

Scratching my head, I responded honestly.

To say I was confident… well, I wasn’t entirely sure, to be honest.

While I knew it was possible to create it through experiments and had the information stored in my mind, we didn’t have army ants in our country, so I had never tried it myself.

“Well, I’m not too sure…”

At that moment, my sister grabbed my shoulders and pushed me towards the rocks with a plea.

“Please, So-ryong, don’t tease me—just say you’re confident!”

‘I’ll get pushed against a wall? Oh boy.’

My sister’s determination radiated from her, but her face displayed worry, so I replied as she desired.

“Alright, I’m confident. And don’t worry; Yo-hwa will protect me.”

It seemed my sister was frightened by the fact that my potential spouse was putting his life on the line.

Reassuring her felt like my duty, after all.

Having calmed her, I heard the voice of Yo-hwa above me.

As Yo-hwa’s name slipped from my lips, it appeared she was responding.

– Krrr!

– Tsuruuru!

– Kkuggu!

Then, the Ogong and the Lizards chirped cheerfully from my sister’s shoulders, wishing me well.

But my sister looked at me, vexation clear on her face.

“I thought having an excellent husband would be a good thing, but it’s not! I have to wait around with my heart in my throat…”

Seemingly troubled by the fact she couldn’t help, I hugged her tightly, and she whispered in my ear.

[So-ryong, you mustn’t get hurt. If you do, I’ll scold you, so keep that in mind…]

If my sister scolded me, it wouldn’t be a simple reprimand; it would be a punishment. Still, as I nodded at her words, the sound of a conch horn began resonating from the entrance.

– Buuuuuuuung.

And then it sounded like the ants had begun stirring, their approach becoming evident.

– Tsuruuruuru!

The moment the army ant operation began.

*

– Tsuruuru.

Two days after the elephant fell, the morning broke with a chilling sound as the waves of ants surged forth.

Just as the junior hero had described, large-bodied ants with imposing jaws were advancing forward.

Looking over, I could see the anxious faces of the disciples from the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, gazing ahead in fear.

The disciple nervously glanced around, his eyes filled with terror.

‘Is he scared?’

It was only natural, given that it was a battle against a foe they had never encountered before and the news of the elephant falling two days ago.

They had always believed that the strongest beast was the elephant, so it was no surprise they were frightened.

Still, fearing they might falter from fear, the Fierce Tiger shouted with a booming voice filled with inner energy.

“Disciples of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, hold your ground like a mountain!”

“““Yes!”””

As the Fierce Tiger established order among the disciples, he turned his attention to check for signals from the junior hero.

Before him stood the junior hero, calmly watching the enemy with unwavering focus.

Even though he appeared far younger than the disciple beside him, his gaze never wavered from the dangerous creatures ahead.

He was truly an admirable junior hero.

I didn’t know the full extent of his abilities, but with such composure alone, he was undoubtedly a valuable asset.

As I began to comprehend the decision made by the Tang Clan head to betroth his daughter to this remarkable figure, the sound of the approaching ants filled my ears.

– Shwaaaah.

Soon, the waves of ants surged from the entrance of the valley, inching closer, almost breaking through at the narrowest point.

The junior hero’s voice finally erupted, having kept his eyes ahead.

“Now!”

“It’s time to act!”

– Hwaaaaaarrr.

At the sound of his shout, flames erupted, ignited by inner energy.

The blaze, which started at the very end of the entrance, spread along the walls of the gorge, blocking the advancing waves of ants with flames that surged from the entrance of Venomous Insect Valley.

– Hwaaarrr.

– Kiiiee! Kiiie!

The ants at the entrance cried out in despair as they were engulfed in flames.

But the waves pouring into the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace continued undeterred.

Observing that, the junior hero called out again.

“Release the Water Buffalo!”

– Dudududu.

– Crack! Crash!

With a shout from the junior hero, the water buffalo charged into the gorge entrance, stamping the ants popping beneath their feet, while the beasts and disciples of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace charged into the valley.

“Do not leave a single one alive as per the junior hero’s orders!”

“Woooaaah!”

While they couldn’t entirely stop the advance with flames, it wasn’t for a lack of oil in the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, and given it was too soon after the rainy season, it wasn’t an ideal time for fires to catch.

Thus, the only request the junior hero made of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace was to divide the hunters at the front with flames, ensuring none would escape until the fire died out.

Sending the buffalo to charge and following behind to eliminate any stragglers was a task well within their capability as instructed by the junior hero.

After all, the individual ants weren’t particularly strong.

As they pressed forward, crushing the jaws of those large-headed creatures beneath their feet or pounding them with blunt weapons, flames soon became apparent.

Their bodies glistened with ant fluid and a pungent scent, while the endless tide of red ants spilled forth from the hills beyond the dying flames.

“Lord…”

Upon reaching the flaming barricade and seeing the sea of red ants before them, the disciples looked on nervously.

The Fierce Tiger ordered commandingly.

“Just as the junior hero said, we’re withdrawing to the second entrance. Gather the injured and the wounded beasts, and throw the ants into the flames as best you can!”

“Understood, Lord!”

The Fierce Tiger and the disciples quickly gathered the wounded beasts and disciples, tossing the crushed ants into the flames as they retreated.

At that moment, in stark contrast to the fleeing disciples of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, the young junior hero moved towards the flames.

As I raised my inner energy to observe him while withdrawing, I saw the junior hero wearing a composed expression at the front of the blaze, beginning to hurl stones at the ants.

“Come here! Right here!”

He was luring the ants with rocks, still wearing that playful smile as he threw them.

As the ants hesitated, caught off guard, they seemed enraged and chased after the junior hero, creating a bizarre spectacle of a small junior hero leading thousands upon thousands of enraged ants in a wild pursuit.

The sight of the perilous junior hero who appeared poised to be swallowed by the rushing sea of red rapidly continued.

“Wha-what!”

“He’s going to get caught!”

The disheartened voices of the people from the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace echoed as they watched him.

Beside me, the Tang Clan’s daughter clenched her hands tight, her heart racing.

– Shwaaaaah!

Just as the junior hero rounded the first hint of a bend, a large ant landed a sticky blow, and the Chief Elder, wiping ant fluid off his face, asked.

“Will it really go as the junior hero intends?”

“We can only wait and see.”

Just as the junior hero led the horde of ants around the first barrel bend, the streams of ants pouring from the entrance began mixing with the reinforcements following the junior hero.

In an instant, the trail of ants surged forward, intermingling, and with a few hops, he vanished into the midst of them.

The small junior hero was wholly engulfed by the mass of ants.

From beside me, the Tang Clan daughter cried out in despair.

“So-ryong! So, So-ryong!”

“What a junior hero!”

Forgetting even the warning that he should never come my way, the Fierce Tiger was barely able to hold his position.

Then—

– Puhwak!

Something rose from the depths of the ant swarm, whipping onto a sharp rock in the center of the bend.

What caught my eye was the goofy expression of the junior hero as he pried the ants off himself.

The junior hero was being dragged up onto the rock, bound by the ropes of his clan’s god.

Following the junior hero’s lead, the ants began swirling into the first barrel, interlocking their tails and slowly increasing their speed as they spun within.

– Shwaaaaaah.

*

“Aiyaya…”

– Kachak.

I smashed the head of the medium-sized ant still latched onto me and tossed it aside.

– Krrr!

Although it turn out to be painful for me, it looked as if Yo-hwa was seething for being the one bitten.

I spoke to Yo-hwa, sporting a frustrated expression.

“Even if you didn’t say so, I was sure I was going to get scolded by my sister again.”

My sister had said she would scold me if I got hurt, and having done a complete lap around the first barrel, I slipped while stepping on the fluid of the ants, getting completely overwhelmed.

If I hadn’t wrapped Yo-hwa’s webs around my waist and placed Chao on her shoulder, I would have turned into a meat dumpling.

Though my voice reached Chao, who quickly signaled to Yo-hwa, so I was alright in the end—but I almost found myself in serious trouble.

Operating the Iron Cabinet skill kept me adequately unhurt; still, I felt a bit of a sting.

I hung over the rock and looked down.

Swirling in frenzied patterns was a gigantic circular meadow of army ants.

Ants continued to pour in through the entrance, but they kept spiraling, their bodies moving in endless circles.

This odd phenomenon occurs when a blind army ant is cut off from the hunting party.

That’s called an Ant Mill!

In martial arts terms, you’d have it as an Ant Spiral!

Army ants, who can’t see, dash forward relying solely on the pheromones emitted by the hunting party.

So, when the guiding hunting party disappears and only ordinary workers remain, they sometimes find themselves caught in such a dizzying loop.

This state was artificially created by dismantling the hunting party.

These ants will run until they collapse.

That was the death spiral of the ants, the infamous Ant Mill.

‘Goodbye, guys.’

I quietly offered my respectful farewell to the ants racing toward death.