"General!"
To think the one trapped inside that cave had been the General.
The moment I realized it, a shiver shot through my entire body like electricity.
I felt guilty—there hadn’t been sparks like this even when I first met Hwa-eun—but since the subject was the General, it couldn’t be helped.
In my previous life, the General had been designated as a Level 2 Endangered Species, making it nearly impossible to even catch a glimpse of one.
As rural modernization and pesticide use increased, the Generals—so vulnerable to toxins—had steadily died off.
Being top-tier predators, they’d accumulated more pesticide than the smaller bugs in the food chain.
‘Ah... A tremendous tragedy.’
That’s why, though I had encountered a few live specimens while collecting other creatures, they were rare—so rare that hardly anyone, including myself, had ever seen one with their own eyes. Had he appeared during one of my streams while I was hunting for aquatic life or water snakes?
That would've been a legendary stream, the kind that practically runs itself.
“Gyaaah! GENERAL!”
That’s how I would scream whenever I spotted a General mid-broadcast. And if you weren’t a new viewer, you’d know instantly what that meant.
Dokdomabam: Why’s Fabre screaming like that while collecting?
Scarlet Spider: General? No way...
Flight of the Honeybee: Could it be? Is it really him?
Dokdomabam: What? What’s going on?
Queen Scorpion: Ahh... the General has descended! Fabre, greet him respectfully with both hands!
At that point, someone in the chat would always issue the command to perform the ritual greeting.
And then I’d carefully lift the General with both hands and show him to the camera.
“Everyone, General Water Bug has arrived. Behold his noble visage.”
Then would come the chorus of awe:
Scarlet Spider: He glimmers... absolutely resplendent.
Flight of the Honeybee: That twin-blade stance! So gallant. General, ah...
Queen Scorpion: General, take me.
Panda Mantis: Stop! Just because he’s endangered doesn’t mean you can breed with him!
Dokdomabam: Newbies won’t know how to react to this, lol.
Yes. A species so beloved by all, and yet impossible to ever bring home.
But now a spirit beast modeled after that very same Water General was holding me and soaring through the sky. How could I not tremble with emotion?
A top-tier aquatic insect—and a spirit beast, no less. The General’s majesty alone made my heart pound like the legendary war drum said to beat on its own when enemies were near.
‘This is insane.’
I turned my head to stare endlessly at him.
The General was a giant aquatic insect of the true bug order, the kind that devours frogs, tadpoles, and even fish—despite being an insect.
What made that possible were the very same massive forelegs now holding me.
Two hook-shaped front limbs designed to lock prey in place—no escape once caught. And now, those limbs were holding me securely to keep me from falling. I felt a profound sense of safety.
‘This feeling of stability...’
I followed the length of one foreleg with my eyes and saw his pointed mouth.
A mouth laced with venom.
Most people didn’t know this, but the General was venomous.
He possessed a venomous saliva composed of neurotoxins and digestive enzymes.
His hunting method? Clamp down on fish or amphibians with those powerful legs, then inject the toxic enzyme mix into them.
Once paralyzed and liquefied from the inside, the prey became a juicy cocktail that the General would savor through his sharp mouthparts.
That’s how this insect earned the name “Water General”—for hunting predators like frogs and fish. He was the general among aquatic bugs.
Even in Chinese, his name was “Shuijiangjun” (Water General).
‘General... I’ve been waiting for this day.’
I had always hoped to meet him one day. But to think that moment was now, here.
While I silently celebrated this long-awaited encounter, I heard familiar voices shouting in relief as they spotted me rising from the cave.
– Tsrurrut! 『Dad! Are you okay!? Wait, behind you—?』
“Is Master safe? That creature—it’s the spirit beast that was trapped?”
“I’m fine. The General rescued me.”
– Kishit. 『Brother! Are you—wait, General?』
– Tsrrt. 『General!?』
Everyone’s eyes turned to my back.
Then came the loud, thrumming flutter of the General’s wings.
– Vvvvvvvmmmm.
He gently set me down in a safe spot outside the cave, then released his firm grip.
Afterward, he bowed his head deeply toward the group.
It seemed to be his way of showing gratitude—for saving him.
At the same time, I heard a low, moaning sound.
– Byuuu.
‘Ah... is that the General’s voice?’
Ordinarily, Water Generals don’t make any kind of call.
But this one, being a spirit beast, was producing a sound through his chest—like a wingbeat, but deeper and richer.
Cho looked at me and translated his message.
– Tssrr. 『Dad, he says thank you for rescuing him. He’s asking if you were hurt while trying to save him.』
As expected—he was expressing his gratitude.
It seemed he was still worried about me falling.
I smiled and replied, “Please, no need to worry about my fall. I’m just glad I could help. Could we perhaps talk about how you ended up in that situation?”
– Byuuu.
He nodded in response, and I was about to move with him when Gun Hye-rin spoke up.
“Master, what’s going on? Why are you talking like that? Did you hit your head or something?”
Seriously, what kind of nonsense was that to say in front of the General?
I glanced at the General in a fluster. He tilted his head, puzzled.
‘Ah, come on!’
Waving both hands, I quickly tried to brush it off.
“Ah, no, no. It’s nothing. Just ignore that, please.”
***
– Byuu.
– Tsrrr. 『That’s the whole story, he says.』
“I see... ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) that’s awful.”
When the General finished his tale, I couldn’t help but wear a look of sorrow.
We’d moved to a slightly safer location to talk, and after hearing everything, I realized just how much he’d suffered.
He had fallen into an underground water source a long time ago.
Though he couldn’t say exactly how long due to the darkness, he said it had been thousands of days, easily.
The cause? A sinkhole—a common occurrence in limestone regions.
He had originally lived in a large lake nearby. But when a giant hole opened beneath it, the entire lake drained away in an instant—and he had been sucked underground with it.
We had, in fact, found what looked like a sinkhole during our earlier search—a depression shaped like a toilet bowl. That must have once been the lake.
Ever since then, the General had clung to stalactites to survive the cold water.
Above him was a tiny hole, through which a single point of light would shine.
He told us that whenever he woke from sleep in the darkness, he would call out toward that light, hoping for help.
How cold and lonely it must have been in that silent, pitch-black place.
I gave him a sympathetic smile.
“You’ve suffered so much. I’m truly glad I happened to pass by and was able to help.”
-Byuuuu.
– Tsrurut. 『She says she’s really grateful and wants to repay the favor no matter what. When she was trapped in the dark, she thought she’d die all alone like that... but now, thanks to you, she’s seen the light again.』
“Repay the favor?”
So through Cho, the General was expressing her desire to repay the kindness.
The fact that she wanted to return the favor just for being saved—how very like a true General.
Smiling, I replied,
“Repaying a favor... Isn’t it only natural to help a spirit beast who’s in a dire situation?”
-Byuu.
– Tsrurut. 『She says no, she insists on repaying you.』
Of course. I had a feeling she’d say that again even after one refusal.
Honestly, I was glad—I didn’t even need to persuade her this time.
“Well then, instead of talking about favors... how about this?
You’ve been clinging to life in a cold place. Your body must need recovery, and you need a safe place. How about coming with us?
I’m called So-ryong, and as you can see, I love spirit beasts. I’m working to create a place where we can all live together in happiness.”
As soon as I finished speaking, the General glanced around at the others nearby.
After quietly surveying the kids, she—very much like the dignified General she was—nodded without hesitation.
‘Damn. That was one decisive answer.’
No hesitation, no probing, no suspicion—that was the behavior of a true General.
Only petty men waffle and doubt.
-Byuuuuu.
– Tsrurur. 『She says she’ll be in your care. But, uh... she’s asking why you’re speaking to her so formally. She says you can talk comfortably.』
‘Ooh... so the General is a lady.’
As I suspected, like most spirit beasts tied to breeding, she was female. And since she told me to speak more casually, I smiled and replied,
“Alright, if you insist. Ah, I’m So-ryong. Do you have a name?”
-Byuu.
– Tsrurut. 『She says it’s Suran.』
“Suran? As in ‘Protector of Orchids’? That’s a beautiful name—something noble and refined. Pleased to meet you, Suran.”
With that, Suran—whose name meant one who guards something as precious as an orchid—had officially become one of our own. And as if they’d been waiting for this moment, the kids began to introduce themselves one by one.
They must have been holding back until she agreed.
– Tsrurut. 『Sister, I heard you can fly and swim? That’s great—I can do both too! I’m Cho!』
– Kishi. 『I’m Yoha. Nice to meet you.』
– Shia. 『I’m Yeondu.』
– Chiiiiii.
Just as Suran and the kids were exchanging greetings, Hwa-eun’s voice came through the group chat.
『So-ryong?』
“Yes, Hwa-eun.”
『I just finished talking with Ji-ryong, and he agrees with what you said—it’d be best to scout the area further. He also doesn’t think Five Venoms Sect could possibly know about a spirit beast trapped underground.』
“I knew it!”
That was Ji-ryong for you.
We were on the same wavelength.
I was just about to say how well this worked out when Hwa-eun’s sulking tone cut in.
『So-ryong, don’t you miss me? Why do you sound so happy right now?』
“W-what? Of course I miss you. I miss you like crazy. Truly.”
And before the conversation could drag on, I pulled an old-school phone move from back in the day.
『Hello? Hwa-eun? Hwa-eun? Huh, why can’t I hear you? I’ll call you back later, okay? Miss you!』
***
Inside the most lavish building in Daewol’s border city—closest to the Central Plains.
Groans of pain echoed from within.
“Ghhhrrrgh... have you still found no solution!?”
“I-I’m sorry, Master!”
“Damn it!”
The one howling in agony was none other than the Master of the Five Venoms Sect.
A while ago, he had been stung by one of the spirit beasts under So-ryong’s command.
Now, half his body had turned a bruised, sickly blue, and rot had begun to spread from his back. Around him, the elders poured their internal energy into him in a desperate attempt to delay the decay.
“Ghhrrr... and it’s not even one of the Ten Great Venoms! I, whose cultivation has reached the Flower Realm, can only slow its spread? Damn this poison...”
At first, he’d brushed it off.
It wasn’t a top-tier venom, so he thought purging it would be easy.
But the stinger had snapped and shattered inside him, continuously leaking toxins and accelerating tissue necrosis.
At this rate, he wouldn’t survive another three months.
He had been so close to forcing the Imperial Court to yield, so close to seizing control of the border city—and from there, he’d planned to push deeper into Daewol. But now, everything was falling apart.
“Ughhhh...”
As the Master of the Five Venoms Sect sat in lotus position, enduring the venom’s torment, a voice called from outside.
“Master, the priestess of the Blood Cult requests an audience.”
“The priestess?”
He remembered her now—a girl who came with the Blood Cult when he absorbed them.
She hadn’t even trained in martial arts. Just a normal girl, nothing more.
“Tell her I’m in no state to receive anyone. Have her leave. Ghhrk...”
He barked the dismissal in pain.
But again, the guard’s voice came from outside.
“Master, you should meet her. She says she has a way to treat your condition.”
“What?”
He had thought the girl a waste of rice—not even worth feeding. Could she actually possess medical skills?
The Master snapped toward the door.
“Bring her in. Now!”
A moment later, the doors opened—and in came the girl.
There was something unsettling about her.
A strange aura that made others uncomfortable.
“You claim you can cure me? Ghhh...”
He bit down on his lips, staring at her as he asked. The girl reached into her robes and pulled something out.
A red gem.
It was long and narrow, about the size of a thumb.
“That is...?”
When he asked what it was, her answer was utterly unbelievable.
“It’s Blood Tear. The moment you ingest it, your body will begin to recover. The decay will stop.”
“H-hurry! Bring it here now!”
As the Master shouted in desperation, the priestess’s coy voice rang out once more.
“But... the moment you consume it, you’ll no longer just be the Master of the Five Venoms. You’ll be reborn as the Blood Demon. Fufufu...”
