Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

I’d registered all the Ten Great Venoms kids, and what was left were a few of the kids who belonged to the Twenty-Four Poison Branch.

First, in Heaven-Earth-Black-Yellow, the only one left was Geumdo.

In Sun-Moon-Star-Quake, there were Soto and the Thunderquake Earth Ant, the panda ant.

In Cloud-Rain-Snow-Hail, there were Red Cloud Black Millipede Ranghyang, White Snow Shell Sunbaek and Baekbaek, and Ram.

In Gold-Silver-Water-Fire, there were Golden General Suran, the Silver Fish Yeon-yeon, and three Exploding Jade Aquabug babies left.

In Red-Blue-White-Black, there were Black-Clawed Red Earwig Hongdan and the Azure Steel Immortal Ant swarm.

In Flower-Wood-Grass-Fruit, there were Twin-Blossom Orchid Mantis Sandan, Blackwood Locust King Changcheon, the Blood-Eyed Green Grass Shrew trio, Crimson Poison Harpoon Snail Yeoncheon and Yeonji, and the seniors.

A total of fifteen species.

If you exclude the Azure Steel Immortal Ant swarm, which was a whole group, the headcount was twenty-one.

So if I registered these guys, wouldn’t my realm rise somehow?

As I was doing dual cultivation with my wives, I’d noticed something—my efficiency for gaining energy through dual cultivation wasn’t as high as my wives’.

I didn’t know why, but my wives’ efficiency was so high that they’d jump two realms at a time, while I didn’t fill up to that level of energy.

I was guessing it might be because of the Beast-Heart Technique.

Because the energy that rose when a spirit creature grew or got registered was far more efficient than during dual cultivation.

Compared to dual cultivation with my wives, the energy that rose in me when my wives jumped two realms was much greater.

Of course, at my current realm, the energy you get from a spirit creature’s growth or registration wasn’t that huge either.

Because once you reach the Life-and-Death Realm—so around the Golden Core Stage—it takes an enormous amount of energy for growth.

“Then I’ll be counting on you.”

Since I’d come out of where I’d been in closed-door cultivation and been assigned the room next to Junior Sister’s quarters, I asked Junior Sister to act as my guardian before I went to Dokmul-hyang to register the kids.

Inside White Night City, no one could use energy, and this was Blood Market Tower’s main base.

Junior Sister guarding me was enough.

“Don’t worry. Junior Brother. I’ll guard you well.”

Junior Sister answered while clenching her fist tight.

Junior Sister was someone I could trust—no, a poison creature—so I sat on the bed, closed my eyes, and focused.

My vision blurred for a moment, then brightened, and the entrance of Dokmul-hyang appeared in my sight.

As expected, this time too, the first thing I saw was Sister Seol.

She was still faithfully carrying out the mission I’d asked of her.

“Y-you’re here?”

Sister Seol, who’d been sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed, opened her eyes like she’d sensed my presence and awkwardly waved her hand.

With a calm expression, I said,

“Yes, Sister Seol. By the way, you should rotate out, too. Haven’t you been watching all by yourself for too long?”

“N-no. It’s not like there’s anything to do here, and for now I’m fine. I-I’ll do it later.”

“Really?”

“Mm. But um, wh-what brings you here?”

“Ah, I need to raise my realm, but it looks like Zihwa will take a long time to wake up, so I’m going to try registering the other kids.”

“I-is that so. Th-then... g-good work.”

It seemed Sister Seol still felt uncomfortable around me.

Her expression looked more complicated, too.

Even if I acted calm, her heart would feel complicated.

She confessed, and she felt uncomfortable and couldn’t treat me like before, but if the other person acted calm, there was no way it wouldn’t be hard.

Back when I was a kid in my previous life and went to school, I’d had a crush before.

I’d even confessed before.

What I felt then was this—when you confess and get rejected, it’s awkward for you, but if the other person is totally fine, it hurts even more.

I like you so much that it’s this hard for me, but to you, I really mean nothing at all.

That’s the kind of thought it makes you have.

Sister Seol was definitely feeling something like that.

But it wasn’t like I could pretend not to be calm.

No, I couldn’t show that I wasn’t calm.

“Yes. Then I’ll see you later.”

After greeting Sister Seol, I quickly moved to the village.

When I entered the village, maybe because it was morning, the kids and the wives were gathered, drinking tea.

I’d already eaten outside with Junior Sister, but it looked like they were having breakfast and tea time.

“So-ryong.”

“Master, you’re here.”

“Husband.”

My wives quickly stood up and came over the moment I appeared.

—Tsrut. 『Dad!』

—Tsrururuk. 『It’s Dad!』

—Kisit. 『Big Brother.』

—Shia. 『So-ryong.』

The kids came over too, surrounding me.

After I greeted them one by one, Hwa-eun asked me,

“Husband, what brings you here so early in the morning?”

“Ah, I’m going to register all the kids I haven’t registered yet today. I need to raise my realm, but it looks like Zihwa is going to take a long time to wake up.

Junior Sister said it could take more than a year for Zihwa to wake up, and with Master’s news cut off, I can’t just tell Junior Sister to wait indefinitely, right? I need to hurry and raise my realm through registration, put White Night City inside, and then go back up.”

When I explained why I’d come early in the morning, Hwa-eun, Gun Hye-rin, and Ji-ryeon nodded.

“True. We can’t just tell our ancestor to wait indefinitely. Father’s life and death are unknown, after all. Then we should gather the kids. Kids, can you bring the ones who aren’t here?”

—Tsrut. 『Okay, Mom.』

—Tsrut. 『Okay!』

—Shia. 『I’ll ask the other kids, too.』

At Hwa-eun’s words, the kids scattered in all directions.

I went to find Geumdo first.

I shifted space and headed to the huge lake where Geumdo was, and I saw Geumdo with his boat tied off to one side, leisurely sunbathing on the lakeshore.

“Geumdo!”

It was the moment I landed right next to Geumdo.

Someone thrust their head up—chwaak—from the lakeshore.

Like a scene I’d seen in a movie in my previous previous life, long hair flipped back from the surface of the water, and long droplets sprayed along the arc of her hair.

A woman with jet-black hair.

It was Heukjeom.

I hadn’t seen him since registering him and leaving him with my wives, but it looked like he’d mostly lived over here.

“Heukjeom...”

I was about to greet him happily since it’d been a while—

But the moment he swam over with a smile and walked out of the water, I couldn’t help but choke on my words.

Because he wasn’t wearing anything.

Maybe because he’d been swimming, but he was walking up to the shore naked.

—Jji. 『So-ryong! Welcome. Did you come to see Heukjeom? Please pat my head.』

Even just like when he couldn’t talk, he spoke with some kind of puppy-like vibe.

I quickly covered my eyes and said,

“Good grief, Heukjeom. You need to wear clothes.”

—Jjii. 『Oh, right. I’ll put them on right away. I keep forgetting. Hwa-eun scolded me last time too.』

When I shouted at him to put clothes on, it sounded like he’d been taught by the wives that he had to wear clothes, because he said he’d put them on right away.

But instead of going to find clothes, he just kept coming closer.

I absolutely wasn’t trying to peek, but since he said he was putting them on and yet kept walking toward me, I glanced through the gaps between my fingers.

And then I saw it—clothes rose up over his body as if they were growing out of him, covering him.

Inside Dokmul-hyang, the spirit creature kids could take human form, and clothes also appeared on them already “worn.”

Up until now, I hadn’t thought much of it, but it looked like you could take them on and off in that kind of way.

He came closer and stuck his head out.

But maybe clothes could get wet too, because it was no different from being naked.

The clothes clung tight to his wet body.

“Heukjeom, th-that... Your clothes...”

—Jji? 『Why? I’m wearing them.』

I couldn’t exactly explain to Heukjeom that sometimes having wet clothes cling to you can be even more erotic than being naked, so I just patted his head.

“Have you been staying here lately?”

—Jjii. 『Yes, So-ryong. Thank you for coming to see Heukjeom, So-ryong.』

“Th-that’s... good.”

Since Heukjeom looked healthy, I patted his head and looked at Geumdo.

Geumdo still had his eyes calmly closed even though I’d come.

He looked like he was asleep.

When I looked at Geumdo, Heukjeom tilted his head.

—Jji? 『What about Geumdo?』

“I’m going to register Geumdo today too.”

—Jji. 『Ahh...』

I decided I’d register him just like this.

I reached my hand toward Geumdo’s body and thought of registering him.

Then his body began to sparkle, and slowly, it shrank as it started changing into a human form.

At the same time, Dokmul-hyang trembled, and I felt a long river appear, winding and flowing along the boundaries of the areas that had formed as spirit creatures were added.

Hands and feet formed as Geumdo became human while still lying facedown.

He had become a blond man with a blank look, and the moment his form fully revealed itself, I understood why the other kids spoke to Geumdo casually.

He wasn’t an adult—he looked like he was in his late teens.

I knew he was hundreds of years old, but it seemed he was still in a growth period.

“Geumdo.”

When I called him, he slowly opened his eyes.

—Bugeureu. 『So-ryong has come... Huh?』

Geumdo started to speak as if asking whether I’d come, but he stopped when he sensed something strange.

It seemed he realized he was looking up at me.

Geumdo looked down, then blinked at his own hands and feet.

A moment later, he made a shocked expression, but like when you lag in an online game, his reaction was delayed by two or three seconds.

It looked like turtle traits still applied.

—Bugeu. 『H-hands and feet?』

At least his speech wasn’t slow, so it wasn’t frustrating, and I told him he’d been registered.

“You got registered today too.”

—Bugeureureu. 『Oh! Thank you. I was jealous of Heukjeom too.』

“It’ll take a long time to adapt to the body. Heukjeom will help you, got it?”

—Jjii. 『Okay, So-ryong. Don’t worry.』

Since they were both spirit creatures living in the same water, I left Geumdo to Heukjeom and was about to head to the next kid—

—Chwaak.

From the water, Suran, the Golden General spirit creature from Gold-Silver-Water-Fire who hadn’t been registered yet, revealed herself.

She tilted her head as she looked at Geumdo lying on the shore.

—Byuu?

“Ah, perfect timing.”

It really was perfect timing.

I was going to register a different kid first, but doing the kids who were together first wasn’t bad either.

Either way, I was going to keep doing it until my realm rose.

“Geumdo got registered today too. Suran, let’s do you today too.”

—Byuu.

When I registered Suran quickly as she nodded, just like Geumdo, she was wrapped in light and changed into a woman wearing gleaming golden armor.

Maybe since she was the Golden General, she’d turned into a general’s look.

Because of her, the main added area was a wide lake high up on a mountain.

A huge lake carved into the mountain’s summit, glittering like a mirror.

After registering her, the next one I registered was the queen ant of the Azure Steel Immortal Ants.

I went to the cave where they were and registered the queen.

I’d registered Geumdo because he was a large spirit creature and I wondered if my realm might rise a lot, and I’d registered Suran because she was right there, but in terms of quantity, this side was overwhelmingly better, so it was what I’d been planning to register first anyway.

Spirit ants probably reproduced by parthenogenesis too, so like Ranghu, it felt like all the offspring might change all at once.

That would make it feel like dozens were registered at once.

When I registered the Azure Steel Immortal Ant queen, she changed into a woman with long blue hair.

The blue, like Cheonggang Stone, was striking, and sure enough, the worker ants all turned into slightly smaller humans with antennae.

The added terrain was underground caves.

Beneath the existing terrain, caves filled with beautifully glittering Cheonggang Stones formed.

But even at this stage, my realm still didn’t rise.

It still felt lacking.

‘Hm. Next...’

“Didn’t you say you’d register me?”

“Yeah.”

“But if you do, then I’ll separate from Gungbong...”

“What? Separate!?”

When I arrived back at the village, thinking about who to register next, the first thing that caught my eye was the back of Gungbong’s head as he talked among the wives.

In other words, the hair ornament attached to that head stood out.

“Ah, should I do Soto?”

Since it caught my eye first, I decided I should register Soto, and the moment I started the registration process, light flared from the ornament on Gungbong’s head and the registration began.

“Huh, Soto?”

“I started the registration.”

But at the same time, light started coming from Gungbong’s body too.

“Huh?”

The moment everyone’s eyes went wide in surprise—

I realized what it was.

For Soto to take over Gungbong’s body, she had to cling to his head and stick the thin needle-like thing at the end of her legs into his head.

It wasn’t deep, just a light prick, so they said you didn’t feel pain, but since the two were connected, it looked like both of them were getting registered at once.