Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 97: Secret Cave (3)

Zzzzzzzzeeeeeee—

A deafening noise and an overwhelming stench.

That was my first impression as I looked down from above the cave.

If a cave housed hundreds of thousands of bats, it meant that not only was it filled with their endless screeching, but also with mountains of their droppings piled up below.

[Ugh... this smell... So-ryong, are you okay?]

[So-ryong, how are you not affected by this?]

Hua-eun and Sister Seol approached me with disgusted expressions, their mouths and noses covered with cloth, looking at me as if they couldn't comprehend my reaction.

They must have noticed that my eyes were practically sparkling.

It was an instinct to clamp their noses shut and cover their ears, yet I was standing here with a wide grin. They couldn’t understand why.

[Oh, I’m fine.]

I answered them and laughed internally.

‘Mwahaha. Rather than just fine, I’d say I’m actually thrilled.’

It wasn’t just Sister Seol and Hua-eun—most of our group was staring down into the cave with looks of pure horror.

Of course, I wasn't immune to the assault on my senses—the screeching was loud enough to pierce my skull, and the stench could probably knock out a lesser person.

But unlike them, I was smiling.

Because I had just realized something incredibly important.

‘A cave full of bats means... a cave full of guano!’

The reason for my grin was simple—bat guano.

Bat droppings, also known as guano, were rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, making them an excellent natural fertilizer and a key ingredient in explosives.

More importantly, caves rich in guano often supported complex ecosystems.

And that meant... a high likelihood of discovering new species.

‘Where there are new species, there is Fabre. And where there is Fabre, there are new species.’

How could I not be excited?

Still, as Sister Seol and Hua-eun had pointed out, the noise was a problem.

‘This racket is unbearable... Can I do something to shut them up?’

As I debated whether to plug my ears or find a way to silence them, I glanced down into the cave—

Chrrrk!

Beside me, Cho suddenly let out an understanding chitter, as if she had figured something out.

Then, without warning, she began vibrating her antennae and emitted a powerful sound into the depths below.

Chrrrrrrrrrrr...

A warning cry that echoed violently against the cave walls.

The reverberations of Cho’s sound struck the walls like a rolling thunderclap.

And then—

Thud, thud, thud, thud...

It was as if hailstones were raining down.

A split second later, the deafening cacophony inside the cave was gone.

As if someone had pressed the mute button.

"Holy..."

I peered down into the cave and saw—

Among the hundreds of thousands of bats, the weaker ones had collapsed, their tiny bodies flipping over in midair before dropping to the cave floor like raindrops.

The surviving bats, now terrified, had hidden themselves deep within the crevices of the cave, silent and still.

A stunned silence followed, broken only by the voices of my sister, Hua-eun, my adoptive father, and Grandfather Mandok Shingun.

Their shocked voices echoed through the cave.

"What the—!?"

"T-this... is killing intent!?"

"To think it can release killing intent... It's nothing like the Heavenly Venomous Serpent, but it is one of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures after all!"

"Haha, this level of killing intent is enough to make a person’s legs give out in terror!"

From their reactions, I gathered that Cho had just unleashed killing intent, a technique normally used by martial artists.

‘Wait, even I haven’t mastered killing intent yet... Could it be that my daughter is a martial arts prodigy? No, wait—Cho isn’t human. This is probably just a skill.’

As a responsible parent, it was my duty to recognize my child’s talents and nurture them properly.

At first, I thought my daughter might be a genius at martial arts, but since Cho wasn’t human, this had to be considered a special ability.

I quickly categorized it in my mind.

Cho’s Skills:

Skill #1: Aerial Control.Skill #2: Weak Killing Intent.Skill #3: Likely Poison.I had always wanted to shout something like:

"Cho! Use your second skill, Weak Killing Intent!"

‘That anime was popular back in my day.’

"Cho, well done! My daughter sure knows how to do a lot!"

I enthusiastically ruffled Cho’s head, showering her with praise.

And then—

Chrrrk!

From my left wrist came a sharp chitter.

Which meant...

Bin-ah.

She was clearly sulking.

Apparently, complimenting only her sister had made Bin jealous.

I had thought I’d solved her temper tantrums last time, but it seemed that Bin was a true tsundere.

I flinched slightly before withdrawing my hand from Cho and turning to my adoptive father.

"Shall I head down first and check the area?"

"Will you be alright?"

"I’ll be taking Cho and Yo-hwa with me. No need to worry. And if Yo-hwa weaves her web as she descends, we can use it as a rope to help others come down faster."

My adoptive father still seemed concerned, but with two of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures by my side, what could possibly go wrong?

After glancing at Cho and Yo-hwa, my adoptive father finally nodded.

"Ah, that’s a good idea. And you’re right—those two are strong enough that I don’t need to worry. Just be careful. Make sure neither you nor your precious companions get hurt."

"Of course."

As expected of the Beast Palace Lord, he truly cared about the animals.

Even though he had given me permission, he still wasn’t completely reassured—so he ordered Sister Seol and Hua-eun to accompany me.

"And take your sister and Hua-eun with you, just in case."

"Understood."

While the warriors braided vines into ropes at the cave entrance, I led Sister Seol and Hua-eun to the edge of the massive hole in the collapsed ceiling.

Then, I turned to my companions.

"Cho, we need to go down. Can you carry two people?"

Chrrrk!

"Yo-hwa, can you take Sister Seol down with you?"

Ksshhh!

Sister Seol hesitated but eventually climbed onto Yo-hwa.

She looked a little nervous, but since Yo-hwa had taken the form of Hua-eun, she adapted quickly.

And so, we began our descent, slowly lowering ourselves down the 30-meter deep hole.

As Sister Seol and Hua-eun held their lanterns, their light illuminated the cavern walls and ceiling.

The ceiling was still lined with thousands of bats, trembling in fear, nestled between the stalactites.

As we got closer to the floor, the stench worsened.

And then—

I saw it.

Beneath us, hundreds of dead bats littered the cave floor.

Among them, countless cockroaches, centipedes, and cave-dwelling millipedes swarmed the corpses, feasting on the remains.

I desperately wanted to dive in and search for new species, but first—

‘Calm down, So-ryong. There will be time for that later.’

Clenching my fists, I suppressed my excitement and turned to Yo-hwa.

"Yo-hwa, don’t step onto the floor just yet."

Ksshh!

Bat guano was useful as fertilizer and even an ingredient in explosives, but that didn’t make it any less disgusting.

Not to mention, bats were known carriers of countless viruses.

The black sludge covering the ground was undoubtedly all guano, mixed with the decomposing bodies of bats and swarming with insects.

I didn’t want the kids coming into direct contact with that, so I instructed Yo-hwa to hang from her web and wait before we moved further.

Meanwhile, I had Cho scout the surroundings.

"Cho, head that way."

As we descended through the collapsed ceiling, the lantern’s glow revealed that this was indeed a natural cave.

We had landed in a massive cavern.

One side was stacked with rubble from the collapsed entrance, while on the opposite end, beyond the stalactites and stalagmites, a long passageway came into view.

It was a circular tunnel, about three meters wide.

Unlike the cavern, the tunnel was clean—free of bat droppings, suggesting the bats didn’t venture that far.

After setting Hua-eun down, I went back to get Sister Seol and Yo-hwa.

When I told Yo-hwa to swing across like a pendulum, Sister Seol nearly fainted.

"Huaaah... That was terrifying. But, huh? There’s no smell here?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, weirdly enough, it’s completely odorless."

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

The putrid stench of decomposing guano contained methane, which tended to rise, so once inside the tunnel, the smell vanished completely.

Hearing this, Hua-eun finally unwrapped the cloth covering her nose and mouth, shuddering.

"I thought I was going to die. That was the worst smell ever."

I hadn’t thought much about it, but considering the Tang Clan’s expertise in poisons, they probably trained their sense of smell.

No wonder the scent hit her extra hard.

I turned to the two of them.

"The other side is just the blocked entrance. If we follow this tunnel, we should be able to go deeper inside."

"Then let’s check further in."

"Yeah. If the only entrance is that hole in the ceiling, then no one’s been here in a long time."

The drop from the ceiling was dozens of meters.

And since there were no human traces around the entrance, it was safe to assume no one had entered for years.

Feeling reassured, I had just taken a step forward when—

Chiiik. Chik.

A weak screech made me look down.

A bat was crawling at the entrance of the tunnel.

It must have fallen from the ceiling.

It was still alive, but barely.

I didn’t think much of it and moved to step past it when—

Chrrrk!

Bin suddenly scurried up my left arm to my shoulder, then quickly skittered down toward the bat.

"Bin-ah?"

I tilted my head, watching her.

She stopped in front of the trembling bat, then turned to look at me.

Her posture was practically shouting, Pay attention!

Curious, I crouched down.

Bin raised her antennae and let out a soft noise.

Chrrrr...

Then again—

Chrrr...

And once more—

Chrrrrrr...

I had no idea what she was trying to do, but then Hua-eun whispered to me through a private transmission.

[She’s trying to show off. Like Cho did earlier.]

‘Wait... WHAT?! Oh my god. That’s adorable.’

If Hua-eun was right, then I was witnessing something precious.

Bin was throwing a tantrum—trying to prove that she could use killing intent, just like her sister.

But, well... she was still just a baby Blue-Spotted Centipede.

There was no way she could release actual killing intent.

If she failed here, she’d be heartbroken.

‘Oh crap! What do I do?! Why isn’t this damn bat dying already?!’

I was irrationally furious at the bat for not dropping dead.

Then—

[Be ready. I already told your sister.]

Hua-eun’s sudden transmission made me blink in confusion.

Before I could ask what she meant, she discreetly flicked her wrist.

A needle—so small and silent that even I barely saw it—shot through the air.

Thwip!

The bat’s head was pierced clean through.

It went limp instantly.

And then—

Sister Seol gasped.

"Oh my! Bin-ah, you just killed the bat! Our Bin can use killing intent too? Wow, amazing! Such a tiny thing, yet you can do that? Bin, you’re Mommy’s pride and joy!"

"Auntie knew Bin could do it! If your sister can, of course you can too!"

[What are you waiting for?!]

Hua-eun’s urgent whisper was quickly followed by Bin’s expectant gaze.

The moment I met her eyes—

I immediately exaggerated my reaction.

"Oh my goodness! My daughter! You’re incredible! Absolutely amazing, Bin!"

Chrrrk! Chrrrrk!

After being showered with praise, Bin finally puffed up with pride and happily returned to my arm.

Mission accomplished.

"Alright, let’s move on."

Bin’s ego had been properly fed, so it was time to actually investigate the tunnel.

But just as I took a step—

Chrrrk!

This time, Hyang scurried up my right arm and tapped my cheek.

Then pointed at the ceiling.

She wanted a turn too.

‘Oh god... Raising three daughters is exhausting.’

Suppressing a sigh, I turned to Hua-eun.

"Hua-eun, could you knock another bat off the ceiling? Hyang wants to show off too."

Both she and Sister Seol laughed awkwardly.

"Haha... Sure, why not."

"Oh dear, Hyang wants to show Auntie too?"

...Would we ever actually start our investigation?