Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

Although we had pinpointed the location of the Bicheon Snake, we couldn’t begin the capture right away.

As one of the top-tier venomous creatures, there were various preparations to be made.

The first thing we prepared was wung-hwang, a protective substance.

It had protected people from the immense venom of creatures like the Zimjo, so it was essential to secure it as a precaution.

We used a special wung-hwang, made by mixing seok-wung-hwang with herbs and the Tang Clan’s unique essence. Grandfather said he would prepare it before we left.

Bubbling.Looking at the herb mixture boiling in the pot, Grandfather spoke. “They say it couldn’t make the Top Ten Poisons because its venom isn’t strong enough, but still, we can’t afford to be careless.”

“Of course, Grandfather. There’s no such thing as too much caution.”

Although I was eager to capture the creature, Grandfather’s words were entirely valid.

After all, I had died from a snake bite in my past life.

I never imagined a snake would emerge in a hotel room, but capturing venomous snakes is always risky, no matter how much safety is ensured.

Wild animals all have their own personalities, and even with the most standard responses, unforeseen situations can occur.

While Grandfather prepared the wung-hwang, I was tasked with preparing the bag for capturing the creature.

“We’ll capture it, but the real problem is where to keep it.”

“Snakes can slip through even the tiniest gap, so we usually put them in a bag.”

“That’s what we do in our Tang Clan as well.”

While the wung-hwang was something Grandfather could handle, the real problem was the bag.

Snakes can escape through even the smallest opening, so when catching them in the wild, the usual method is to place them immediately in a pouch.

Afterward, they’re typically transferred to a box or cage.

Even reptile experts use this method for good reason.

If they’re not placed in a secure bag or box, even a tiny gap can allow the snake to escape, and there have been many instances of experts being bitten when they open the lid unexpectedly.

Even seasoned reptile experts, with decades of experience, sometimes have poisoning accidents because of this, which is why this method is widely used.

That’s why we absolutely needed a proper bag for the snake, but the material was a problem, especially since the Bicheon Snake was likely a mythical-level creature.

Normal cloth wouldn’t hold up—it would easily tear.

“Do you think regular fabric will work?”

“Probably not. Is there any better solution?”

“Me? Am I the expert?”

“Isn’t that your specialty?”

“...”

I suggested that we could bring something useful from the Tang Clan, but Grandfather said there was nothing suitable for capturing the creature, at least not anymore.

They used to have something, but it was too old to be of any use now.

So, we needed something durable, tough, and capable of preventing the snake from escaping. In my past life, materials like carbon fiber would have worked, but this wasn’t the modern world—it was the Middle Kingdom.

‘I need something stronger than steel, with good elasticity and durability.’

While Grandfather worked on the wung-hwang, I racked my brain, trying to come up with an idea for the capture bag.

By sheer coincidence, I stumbled upon the solution.

Unexpectedly, the material I needed was close at hand.

“So-ryong! The Money Plate Spider has disappeared!”

One of the warriors came running to report, having noticed the spider had dug into the ground without realizing it.

I rushed to check and found the spider had already built a home inside a small jar.

The spider had burrowed into the jar, creating its trap as it usually did.

Trap spiders like the Money Plate Spider burrow vertically into the ground, creating a home made of webbing, like a sock, where they live.

It was probably a misunderstanding due to different handlers.

I quickly dug into the jar, pulled out the web-like sock the spider had created, and showed the warriors.

“See? The Money Plate Spider digs into the ground, creating its webbed home inside. Don’t worry, it’s just hiding.”

“Ah, I see now. I was completely fooled.”

The warrior from the Venom Blood Squad sighed in relief after my explanation.

I thought to myself that I might need to hold a seminar on venomous creatures for the others.

“Well, it’s understandable. These creatures have strong appetites, so if you give them locusts or crickets to eat every day, they’ll do fine. Also, be sure to clean up any debris they throw outside their burrow. And don’t forget to spray a little water on them every morning.”

“Understood, So-ryong!”

After briefing the warrior on the Money Plate Spider’s care and heading back to my quarters with the torn, rubber-like webbing, a sudden thought struck me.

‘This kind of bag would work perfectly... Wait, why didn’t I think of that sooner?’

Looking at the torn webbing from the Money Plate Spider, I realized what I could do.

I quickly ran to find Yo-hwa.

“Yo-hwa! Yo-hwa!”

Kiss?Yo-hwa had set up camp on a rock in the middle of the first original field where the giant army ants had perished. As I called to her, she quickly climbed down from the rock pillar and approached. I showed Yo-hwa the torn webbing from the Money Plate Spider and asked,

“Yo-hwa, can you make something like this?”

Kiss?I explained to Yo-hwa, asking if she could make a bag using her silk. Spider silk is incredibly strong—20 times stronger than steel of the same weight and 4 times stronger than special fibers used in bulletproof vests.

It’s also non-reactive to the human body, with strong elasticity, able to stretch up to 50% of its length.

And with Yo-hwa being a mythical-level creature and one of the Ten Poisons, her silk’s strength was unimaginable.

Just the fact that the silk I tied around my waist didn’t break while in the midst of a swarm of army ants proved that it was one of the strongest materials in this world.

‘This could be used to make bulletproof vests!’

I motioned to Yo-hwa, sketching on the ground to explain what I needed.

“I want you to make a large bag, just like this, out of your silk.”

Kiss!“Really!? Oh, awesome!” Yo-hwa immediately stuck out her abdomen and began spinning the silk with her legs.

The tips of her legs, shaped like hooks, were designed to climb and weave the silk, and as she moved, the silk began to form the shape I had requested.

And a moment later.

Kiss?Yo-hwa asked if the bag she’d created was satisfactory. The large bag she’d woven from her silk was almost exactly what I had imagined.

Although the finish wasn’t perfect, since it was made by Yo-hwa, it was incredibly durable.

When I tried to adjust the rough edges with my sword, I couldn’t even make a dent in it. The elasticity was incredible, and the material stretched like spandex.

Just as I had expected, the strength and elasticity were extraordinary.

Moreover, the bag was slightly translucent, making its contents visible.

“Wow, this is amazing, Yo-hwa!”

At my praise, Yo-hwa placed my hand on her head, clearly asking for more compliments, so I quickly petted her head.

She certainly deserved it today.

After all, she had made the perfect bag to capture the Bicheon Snake.

“Good job! Well done!”

Kishishi...“Thanks to you, Yo-hwa, I can breathe a little easier. Now, I’ll show the bag to Grandfather and tell him we’re ready to depart tomorrow!” The problem I’d been mulling over for days had been solved in an instant thanks to Yo-hwa.

I now dashed toward Grandfather, who was still busy making the wung-hwang.

Reaching him, I shouted out.

“Grandfather! It’s done!”

“Hm? What did you make?”

“The bag! I made a bag with Yo-hwa’s silk, and it’s so tough that it can’t even be cut by a sword!”

“Yo-hwa’s silk? Let me see...”

Grandfather took the bag from me and carefully examined it, his face turning surprised.

“Ah! This is a treasure! With this, we can leave tomorrow without any further delay!”

“Then, I’ll prepare the warriors for departure!”

With the biggest issue solved, we were ready to leave immediately.

***

Though it wasn’t well-known to people, flying snakes did exist in my past life.

I had once introduced them on my broadcast, and some people didn’t believe it, calling it a lie and saying it was impossible, but they existed.

There were five types of them, actually.

These snakes were from the genus Chrysopelea, which lived in tropical jungles. To be exact, they didn’t truly fly but glided, but the reason they were called flying snakes was clear.

The snakes of the Chrysopelea genus, which prey on lizards, frogs, or small birds in trees, live in jungles with very tall trees.

To travel quickly, they chose gliding as their method.

“Today’s broadcast: Introduction to the Flying Snake.”

“These guys glide. Isn’t it amazing?”

‘Ah, I knew it.’

‘Fabre’s at it again with his tricks.’

‘Venomous creature master is still impressing us?’

‘Fabre, really? Just because they glide, he’s calling them flying snakes to grab viewers?’

These were the comments I got when I posted the title, but there was a reason I called them flying snakes.

The gliding of these snakes couldn’t be dismissed as just simple gliding.

Why is it ambiguous?

Because one of them, the Paradise Snake, can glide for up to 250 meters.

Not 2.5 meters? No. Not 25 meters? No. 250 meters.

That’s the length of two soccer fields placed end to end. They glide that far.

It’s not a few meters of jumping. It’s not even 250 meters of diving straight down. These snakes glide nearly horizontally.

That’s why these snakes are called Flying Snakes, not Glide Snakes.

If they can glide 250 meters horizontally, it’s almost the same as flying.

‘Well, 250 meters? That’s definitely flight.’

The reason Chrysopelea species can glide this far is due to their physical characteristics. When they glide, they first climb to the top of a tree, then stretch their bodies into a J-shape, transforming their bodies.

They can spread their ribs like wings and flatten their bodies, making them almost like a glider with concave and flat surfaces, capable of generating lift.

Afterward, they jump from the tree and glide, using their head movements to control their direction.

So I thought the Bicheon Snake might be similar.

Everything in the universe must follow the laws of physics, right?

Although it was called Bicheon Snake, given the less advanced state of this world compared to my past life, it was likely that the people here would call it a flying snake upon seeing it glide.

The Bicheon Snake’s name and its habitat, the Xie Shui Valley, made me think it might be using the winds in the narrow valley to glide back and forth.

But...

After waiting in the narrow valley, where the Bicheon Snake was occasionally spotted, for two days...

‘Why is it really flying?’

I saw the Bicheon Snake gliding through the sky leisurely between the valley walls, just like a sea snake swimming through the ocean.

“Just like the records said, it’s definitely flying.”

I nodded, impressed by the sight, as I heard Mandok Shingun’s voice.

I was taken aback and asked.

“Wait, isn’t that a bit strange, Grandfather?”

“What do you mean?”

“A snake is flying in the sky?”

“Well, it is a Bicheon Snake.”

“Oh, so it really is a Bicheon Snake...”

Lately, so many things didn’t make sense to me.

Looking up at the sky, Seol stroked the little centipedes and said,

“Don’t you all want to grow up and fly through the sky just as majestically?”

Tshrut!At that moment, Cho, the largest of the centipedes, made a sound, as though responding loudly.