At my words, Tang Hwa-eun’s eyes lit up with joy.
It was clear she was pleased to see me standing my ground in such a dangerous and absurd situation, where this strange and deadly woman was openly claiming me as hers.
This was the true charm of being a younger man.
Most of the time, I acted like someone who needed to be protected—tugging at her protective instincts.
But in a moment like this, I had to step up and declare,
“Noona, I’m your man.”
‘I may not know much about relationships, but I know how to set the scene.’
I’d spent years streaming—I knew exactly how to capture an audience’s attention.
And judging by the intensity of her gaze, my only viewer had just spammed the like button in her heart.
While I was basking in the warmth of Tang Hwa-eun’s silent approval, the woman in black stood dazed, repeating my words.
“The adopted son of the Beast Palace... and the son-in-law of the Tang Clan...?”
Her expression darkened, and her eyes turned bloodshot.
Suddenly, she whirled on Tang Hwa-eun and screamed—
“The Tang Clan and the Beast Palace! What the hell are you thinking!? Are you trying to repeat what happened a hundred years ago!? You filthy scum!”
She was clearly referring to the history of the Five Venom Clan.
The Five Venom Clan had been founded by a Tang Clan son and a Beast Palace daughter, only to be exterminated by both factions.
The official reason had been accusations of beast cruelty and poison arts leaking to outsiders... but the truth was likely far messier.
Yet, despite her rage, the woman’s gaze softened when she looked at me.
Suddenly, she sighed as if pitying me.
“Oh... so you’re a victim too.”
Her eyes gleamed with an eerie light.
“This gives me another reason to make you mine. I’ll save you from the filthy clutches of the Tang Clan and the Beast Palace.”
“What kind of nonsense—”
“It’s fine. You’re brainwashed right now. That’s why you don’t understand.”
I had expected that revealing my identity would make her want to kill me on sight.
But no—this woman was completely insane.
She genuinely thought I was destined to suffer the same tragedy as the Five Venom Clan’s founders.
I had no idea how to reason with her.
‘Yep. She’s insane.’
Just as chills ran down my spine, she shook off the ice clinging to her arms and launched herself toward me.
“Come with me!”
‘Wait, wasn’t she injured!?’
I thought Seol and Bini’s ice attack had inflicted serious internal damage.
But no—she was rushing me at full speed like a madwoman.
My words had only provoked her further.
As much as I enjoyed looking cool, this was bad.
If I got captured, everything would fall apart.
The others might abandon the fight to rescue me, and we would lose our only chance to escape.
I couldn’t let that happen.
I immediately leaped backward, sending a mental command to Hyang and Bini.
‘Hyang! Bini! Get ready!’
The moment she grabbed me, they would strike.
But before she could reach me, Tang Hwa-eun leaped in front of me.
She called out to the two small figures perched on her shoulders—
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“Seol! Bini!”
—Kkuku!
—Kkuu!
Seol and Bini launched forward like missiles, propelled with such force that the impact sent Tang Hwa-eun flying backward—right into my arms.
“Ugh...!”
The next moment, the woman collided head-on with Seol and Bini.
Or so I thought.
—Sssrrrkk...
Her body blurred, and the two creatures passed straight through her.
‘Lizard-Wall Phantom Step!?’
It was a technique from the Five Venom Clan, one that my grandfather had taught me long ago.
He had only demonstrated it slowly, but she had just used it at full speed.
It made sense.
She was a Five Venom Clan survivor, after all.
—BAM!
Seol and Bini slammed into the ground, their attack completely bypassed.
Tang Hwa-eun reacted instantly, striking toward the incoming woman with both palms.
“Tch! Black Dragon Palm!”
The woman easily dodged, then swung her arm, sending Tang Hwa-eun hurtling to the right.
“You’re annoying. Get lost!”
—THWACK!
“Argh...!”
“Hwa-eun!”
Then, she grabbed my wrist.
Her eyes burned with obsession.
“Come with me!”
In that moment—
I executed Venomous Snake Life-Seizing Hand—Poison Fang Coil.
My fingers twisted around her arm, immediately transitioning into Venomous Snake’s Greedy Strike, aiming straight for her chest.
She had just used Lizard-Wall Phantom Step.
That reminded me of something important—
I had also learned the Five Venom Clan’s martial arts.
If she could use them, so could I.
By targeting her chest, I ensured that Hyang and Bini could bite as close to her heart as possible.
If she had an antidote, it wouldn’t work fast enough to save her.
Her eyes widened in shock.
“You... know Venomous Snake Life-Seizing Hand!?”
At the same time, I finally shouted something I hadn’t in a long time.
“Hyang! Bini! Bite!”
—TSSSrrr!
Hyang sprang from my wrist, launching straight at her chest.
For a moment, everything seemed to be going perfectly.
But then—
I realized something was wrong.
Only Hyang had attacked.
‘Wait... where’s Bini!?’
I quickly glanced down.
Bini hadn’t lunged.
Instead, he had climbed up my shoulder and was waving his antennae frantically.
—Tsssssrrr!
‘No, Bini! Not killing intent!’
I had ordered him to bite, but instead, he was emitting a lethal aura.
Normally, I would have found it adorable.
But right now—this was a disaster.
The woman still had one free hand.
Because of Bini’s hesitation, she managed to block Hyang’s attack, causing Hyang to bite her hand instead of her chest.
—CRUNCH!
She gritted her teeth, but blood seeped from her hand.
Her expression twisted in recognition.
“You... this is... Azure-striped Centipede Venom!?”
Hyang sank her fangs into the woman’s hand, injecting as much venom as possible.
But the woman, an expert in venom, immediately shook her hand, flinging Hyang off.
Her hand began to swell rapidly, but that was all.
She barely reacted to the venom.
It was just as I feared.
To her, even the Azure-striped Centipede’s venom was no different from an ordinary centipede’s bite.
She flexed her fingers, smirking.
“To think you were hiding an Azure-striped Centipede as well... How many more surprises are you planning to give me?”
Her mad eyes scanned me from head to toe again.
It was as if she had found a perfectly trained candidate for the Five Venom Clan.
Just like I was valuable to the Tang Clan and the Beast Palace, I was probably the ideal prodigy for the Five Venom Clan as well.
All I’d ever wanted was to showcase venomous creatures on my channel, yet somehow, in this world, my market value was skyrocketing.
“Oh, and don’t worry,” she added. “It’s painful, but a juvenile Azure-striped Centipede’s venom won’t be enough to kill me. Fufu.”
She calmly pressed a few acupuncture points on her shoulder, slowing the venom’s spread.
Then, she pulled out a small cylindrical device with a needle and jabbed it into her hand.
The swelling instantly went down.
‘Damn it. The others would’ve melted from just two bites, but not her. Of course. The damn Five Venom Clan...’
Tang Hwa-eun was still down, struggling to rise.
Was I really about to be taken away like this?
But just as I started to despair, a ferocious roar echoed through the plains.
—KRRROOOAAAAR!
The woman’s eyes widened in shock.
“Th-this is... the Beast Palace’s Lion’s Roar!?”
I turned toward the grasslands of Namna Mountain.
Charging toward us on all fours was none other than my adoptive father.
And beside him, soaring through the air, was Mandok Shingun (Tang Mu-seong).
“Who dares oppress my son!?”
“Who dares oppress the Tang Clan’s son-in-law!?”
Their booming voices rang out simultaneously.
—GRIT.
The woman clenched her teeth, her entire body trembling with frustration.
“Damn it! Of all people, it had to be the Beast Lord and that old monster! Gweong! Come here!”
The buzzing sound I had nearly forgotten suddenly roared to life as the hornet darted toward her.
—BZZZZZT!
It was covered in webbing, its body scratched and battered, but still airborne.
The woman hopped onto its back, her voice still tinged with regret.
“I can’t take you today because of these interruptions. I’ve also used up my internal energy to purge the Azure-striped Centipede’s venom... And Gweong can only carry one person.”
Her eyes glowed as she looked at me.
“But don’t be too disappointed. I will come back for you.”
“Gweong! Let’s go! We can’t afford to be caught here!”
—BZZZZZT.
The hornet’s wings roared, and she soared into the sky.
At that moment, I caught a glimpse of something shimmering on the hornet’s head.
‘Wait... Golden Stingers!?’
Just like army ants, Golden Stingers were embedded into her and the hornet’s heads.
Before I could process it, her voice rang in my ears—
[Remember my name. Oh Cheong-yu.]
Thus marked my first encounter with the Five Venom Clan.
***
Thanks to my adoptive father and Tang Mu-seong’s intervention, we were rescued and brought to the Beast Palace.
Aside from me, everyone was hospitalized.
Was that Cho had lost two legs.
That damn hornet had mangled him in the battle.
I glared at Cho’s wounded body, speaking softly.
“That damn Beast Roar Hornet... Cho, does it hurt a lot?”
—Tsssrrr...
Cho conveyed that he was fine, but I knew he was lying to reassure me.
I gritted my teeth.
Sure, he was a centipede, and he’d regrow his legs after molting, but I couldn’t stand waiting that long.
I needed a way to speed up the process.
At that moment, I glanced at the spider silk cocoon where a certain someone was hiding.
And I spoke loudly enough for him to hear.
“...What should I do? Cho is injured, but to molt, he needs high-nutrient food... But where can I find something nutritious?
His legs must hurt so much... At times like this, family members should help each other...”
I watched as the creature inside the cocoon hesitated, shifting guiltily.
Then, after a long pause, it suddenly started gagging.
—KEK! KEK-KKEEKK!
A tiny inner core rolled out.
‘Ha. I knew it. This bastard had been hoarding cores.’
Just as I suspected, he hadn’t coughed up everything last time.
The creature’s body didn’t shrivel up this time, meaning he hadn’t given me everything before.
I quickly fed the core to Cho, making sure no one else noticed.
Cho’s recovery was the priority.
Besides, Hyang and Bini were with Tang Mu-seong anyway.
They were still mad at me and Tang Hwa-eun for tricking them.
Apparently, after returning to the Beast Palace, Bini had tested his killing aura on various animals... only to find no reaction.
That’s when he realized he’d been tricked.
This morning, I had woken up to see both Hyang and Bini staring down at me.
Tang Hwa-eun and I had slept together, yet they chose to confront me instead of her.
The moment I read their emotions, I realized—they were completely sulking.
And then, they had stormed off to Tang Mu-seong, refusing to come near me.
‘I barely smoothed things over last time by giving them a core... but what the hell am I supposed to do now?’
I sighed.
If the internet existed, I’d Google how to apologize to sulking daughters right now.