Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

Startled by Cho’s words, I shouted.

“Someone’s asking for help!?”

Tsururuk. 『Yeah. C-cold. Help me. That’s what they’re saying.』 Tsk. 『Move, unni. Hyang wants to hear too.』Then both Cho and Hyang, who was beside her, leaned in and peered into the hole.

As Hyang leaned in, curiosity brimming, Cho tapped her back with an antenna.

Tsrut. 『Hyang, it’s a sound we’re hearing... not something we see.』 Tsurururuk. 『Ah, right?』Hyang, reminded by Cho’s words, withdrew her eyes from the hole and instead inserted an antenna, tilting her head, then soon nodded.

Tsrut. 『It’s true though?』Right after, Baekhwa, Heukhwa, Yeondu, Yo-hwa, and even Sister Jeokwol gathered around the hole, nodding as they heard the voice.

Kisit. 『It’s true, Oppa. Someone’s definitely asking for help.』 Shii-a. 『Seems like they’re down there.』 Chiiii.Cho clearly said she couldn’t see anything, but I instinctively dropped down and peered into the hole.

But of course, there was nothing to be seen inside.

“What do we do about this?”

It was clear something was down below, but its exact form couldn’t be confirmed.

“Looks like it got sucked in from somewhere else, maybe?”

Tsrut? 『Sucked in?』“Yeah. This kind of rock is called limestone. It easily gets holes from water underground. Sometimes the holes connect to nearby lakes or ponds, and then the creatures living there get swept underground with the current. That’s probably what happened to this one too.”

I looked around.

I saw Hwanji, Hwana, Baekhwa, Heukhwa, Hyang, Hongdan, Cho, Yeondu, Yo-hwa, Sister Jeokwol, and Gun Hye-rin.

And realized... I hadn’t brought Bini.

In this situation, Bini was exactly who I needed.

If Bini were here, I would’ve had them dig through the limestone immediately—but of all times, Bini wasn’t around. And we had no one else who could dig.

Goooooooh.Then came a loud sound.

At the same time, the wind began to whirl toward one spot.

Kwaaaaah.Startled by the sudden phenomenon, everyone turned toward the vortex, and what I saw was Gun Hye-rin, sleeves rolled up, gathering energy into her right arm.

The power gathering in her left fist released an immense rumble.

With a small smile, Gun Hye-rin spoke.

“Stand back. I’ll break open the floor, Master.”

‘I-it’s a nuclear punch!?’

I couldn’t help but panic.

With the energy she was gathering, it looked like she was about to detonate something nuclear.

I shouted at her in alarm.

“W-wait! What do you think you’re doing!”

Gun Hye-rin calmly continued gathering energy as she replied.

“I’m going to break the floor. Everyone, move back.”

“S-s-stop!”

The reason I was this flustered is that, as someone well-versed in insects, reptiles, and amphibians—someone who’s gone on countless field collections—I had deep knowledge of the environment.

Which is why I knew limestone terrain better than anyone else. This type of terrain is known as karst—dissolving rock.

Limestone easily dissolves in groundwater. Over time, it erodes to form caves, cavities, and sinkholes.

That’s why sinkhole news stories about houses disappearing? Most of them come from limestone zones.

So if Gun Hye-rin were to detonate that nuclear punch, who knew what would collapse and where?

In the worst case, the entire surrounding area could cave in.

And in the process, the friend down below waiting to be rescued could be crushed to death.

That’s why I had to panic.

“You can’t just smash it open...”

“That’s what I’m saying! The ground here is unstable. If it collapses, everything around could sink. And the one trapped down there might be buried alive!”

“Ah, I understand... I only meant to help...”

Barely managing to stop Gun Hye-rin, I pulled out a dagger from my sleeve.

Then, handing it to her, I said,

“If you’re that determined, use this to carefully cut out a chunk of the rock. Let’s remove it gently.”

“W-with this?”

During the stickyworm incident, Gun Hye-rin said she was highly skilled with swords. She could even use sword ki, apparently.

If she could coat her blade with energy and slice through stone or metal, then cutting limestone should be no problem.

So I told her to imagine it as uncovering something precious underground and to cut it carefully.

Gun Hye-rin stared at the dagger for a while, then crouched down and began slicing out fist-sized chunks of rock from the floor.

“Will this do?”

She really was someone who needed a lot of guidance—but at least she listened well.

***

-Crunch.

“Hey, I said not to use so much force.”

“Ah, understood.”

Gun Hye-rin gave me a sidelong glance and continued slicing through the limestone. Beside her, Bini, Yeondu, and Cho loaded the cut pieces into a sack Yo-hwa had made.

Once the sack was full, I carried it outside the cave and dumped the rocks in a pile. That’s when Hwa-eun’s voice came through in the group chat.

『“So you’re saying you actually found a spiritual creature?”

“Yes, Hwa-eun. I don’t know exactly what it is, but the kids can understand its voice, so it’s definitely a spiritual being.”』

I had reported the discovery of the creature while hauling the sack.

Hwa-eun, full of joy, praised me. She sounded genuinely delighted about the discovery—but what followed revealed the real reason for her happiness.

『“You found it in one go. Amazing, So-ryong.”

“Hehe, well, I am a professional.”

“Then if this turns out to be Apocalypse Golden Frog, you won’t have to visit the other locations, right? You’ll be able to come home quickly? I missed you, so that’s a relief.”』

So that was the real reason for her joy—because I’d be coming back soon.

Well, we were newlyweds, after all.

‘By “missed,” she means emotionally... right?’

I flinched, then answered her next question in a serious tone.

『“I’d like to return quickly too, but I think I still need to check the other sites.”

“W-why?”』

A slightly accusing tone came through.

I carefully chose my words and answered.

『“The one below us definitely isn’t Apocalypse Golden Frog.”

“It’s not?”

“No. I heard something like a ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) wingbeat down there. It didn’t sound like a frog’s croak. And I don’t know how long this guy’s been trapped down there, but I don’t think the Five Venoms Sect guys knew about it or marked it on any maps.

We found it purely by chance. To most, it would just sound like an odd gust of wind.”』

It’s not that I didn’t want to come back quickly.

‘Of course I do. I’d like to return at least once or twice a day too.’

But I still wanted to check the two remaining sites.

Because whoever that was down there—it was likely that the Five Venoms Sect guys hadn’t marked them on any map.

First, there was the buzzing sound.

It was a wingbeat-like hum—echoing through the cave, but clearly not a frog. It resembled the sound of an insect.

And if it wasn’t Apocalypse Golden Frog, there’s no way the Five Venoms Sect freaks—who lose their minds over spiritual beasts and inner cores—would find it and just leave it alone. Not when it’s this close to their territory.

Which meant the creature below was something I had truly discovered by chance.

By sheer luck.

『“Hmmm...”』

Hwa-eun’s voice in the group chat sounded doubtful.

‘Why...?’

I genuinely wasn’t hiding anything—so why did she sound so suspicious?

I quickly dropped a name that could vouch for me.

『“Hwa-eun, could you ask Ji-ryong for his opinion on this?”

“Mm. Alright.”』

Ji-ryong would definitely agree with my reasoning.

Just as Hwa-eun disappeared, still full of doubt—

-Crack!

“Stop using so much force, I said!”

Hearing something break, I assumed Gun Hye-rin had broken off another chunk with brute strength again.

She’d been snapping off pieces by hand whenever she hit resistance while slicing with ki.

But then, her body—previously only visible from the waist up—suddenly sank downward.

It looked like the ground beneath her had collapsed.

I lunged forward, reaching out—but I couldn’t catch her in time.

She briefly managed to suspend herself in midair using her ki, but she’d already fallen too far—my hand didn’t reach.

“Master!”

“Gun Hye-rin! Yeondu!”

At my cry, Yeondu swiftly dove after the falling Hyerin.

She wrapped herself around her.

“Well done!”

Thankfully, she caught Hyerin before she could fall into the deeper chasm.

But then—

-RUMBLE.

The whole area began to tremble, and the ground beneath us gave out.

“WAAAHHH!”

Those not actively working—Hwanji, Hwana, Baekhwa, Heukhwa, Moji, Soji—were waiting outside the cave and avoided the collapse.

But Hyang, Cho, Yo-hwa, and I were swallowed along with the falling rocks.

Gun Hye-rin below was too busy swatting away debris while still wrapped in Yo-hwa.

I reached out toward Cho.

We’d fallen a short distance already, but I trusted Cho would save me.

Tsururuk! 『Dad!』Sure enough, Cho took flight and sped toward me.

But as she neared, I shouted,

“Cho! Save Hyang first!”

Behind Cho, Hyang was falling too.

Cho had been near some rocks, putting them in her pouch, which slowed her.

At my command, she twisted midair and snatched Hyang just in time.

Just then, from the ceiling, Yo-hwa came flying toward me, her thread clinging to the stone.

Kisisit. 『Oppa, grab on!』She reached out a pedipalp toward me, but I was falling faster.

Though she let out her silk and chased after me, she couldn’t keep up.

As I plummeted past Gun Hye-rin, I caught a glimpse of her stunned expression.

“Master!”

Her hand reached out in vain.

My body plunged past both Yeondu and Gun Hye-rin.

“Ughhh!”

-SPLASH!

A shockingly cold blast of water smacked my body awake.

I figured there might be groundwater down here—but still, if you fall from high up, you could be seriously hurt.

Thankfully, I’d activated Steel Boulder Technique and even borrowed some of Cheongwol’s energy to protect myself. I wasn’t injured.

But the frigid water made my teeth chatter and sapped my strength, and I was swept rapidly sideways by the current.

If I wasn’t careful, I could get pulled into an underground current and vanish.

Maybe even die with my corpse never found.

I shook myself to full awareness and thrashed with my limbs.

But the icy current made my muscles stiff, and I kept getting dragged sideways.

‘No! I can’t die here! I’m still a newlywed! This is like the probation period! I haven’t even earned permanent employment yet!’

If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve made Hwa-eun happy until I bled from the nose.

That thought flashed through my mind like a regretful life review—

-SPLASH.

I heard something else hit the water.

Then, from behind, someone grabbed me tight.

Was it Gun Hye-rin!?

But when I felt it—what held me was hard, like armor.

The tips of sharp forelegs brushed against my fingers.

“Puhah!”

Pulled up to the surface, I was being carried toward a stone pillar by the one holding me.

Wooooooooong.The humming sound echoed again from the narrow hole.

And through the collapsed passage, my body began to rise gently.

I turned my head.

Lit by the faint light pouring in from above—I saw them.

‘N-no way... General!? Here!?’

One of the aquatic venomous spirits—

Water General was flying upward, holding me tight.