"Judging by the mention of another proposal and the discussion of the Five Venoms, it seems there might be a connection to the Five Venoms Returning to the Origin Technique I’ve learned," I said.
Mandok Shingun nodded, confirming my suspicions.
"You're sharp, So-ryong. Indeed, the Five Venoms Returning to the Origin Technique is fundamentally rooted in the Five Venoms: centipede (O-gong), snake (Sa), scorpion (Heol), lizard (Seok-cheok), and toad (Seom-seo). These five venomous creatures form the basis of the technique."
I wasn’t surprised to hear this, but I was intrigued. The fact that two of the Five Venoms were already among the creatures I was raising filled me with excitement.
Granted, my creatures were lower-ranked or unclassified, but they were my companions nonetheless. The Ten Great Venomous Beasts had their grand titles, but how could they compare to my own? It felt like the difference between an idol you can’t touch and a girlfriend who’s close to you. My creatures were personal, irreplaceable.
Still, the inclusion of lizards among the Five Venoms puzzled me. Poisonous lizards are rare in Asia, and my Seol and Bing lizards weren’t venomous. Before I could ask about this, Mandok Shingun continued his explanation.
"In the Tang Clan, venomous creatures are categorized into two groups: ordinary creatures (Beom-mul) and spiritual creatures (Yeong-mul).
Ordinary creatures are common ones like snakes, centipedes, and lizards, while spiritual creatures are those with extraordinary abilities, intelligence, or internal cores. Even spiritual creatures are ranked as lower, middle, or higher grade."
It was clear that a creature’s intelligence and abilities determined whether it was considered a spiritual creature. By that definition, the companions I had captured qualified as spiritual creatures. Excited, I asked, "Then does that mean the Golden-Eyed Peak King, Bing-Seol Lizard, Blue-Banded Centipede, and Inmyeon Spider I captured all count as spiritual creatures?"
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Mandok Shingun nodded. "Yes, you are correct. All the creatures you’ve captured fall under the category of spiritual creatures. That’s why we considered making an alternative proposal to you.
Originally, the Five Venoms Returning to the Origin Technique was designed to integrate the venom of the Five Venoms. However, because ordinary creatures have weaker venom, the technique was modified within the Tang Clan to incorporate other types of toxins, such as venomous plants, mushrooms, or synthetic poisons."
"Then..." I prompted.
"The original version of the technique is known as the Five Venoms Divine Origin Technique (O-dok Gwi-won Shin-gong)."
The name alone, with the word "divine" added, made the technique sound far more impressive. The idea of mastering such an elevated technique excited me.
"With the venom of the centipede and lizard already prepared, all you’d need are the venoms of a snake, scorpion, and toad at the spiritual creature level. Then, you could perfect the Five Venoms Divine Origin Technique as it was originally intended. We wanted to ask if you would consider pursuing this path."
Hearing this, I realized I had the chance to practice the original, unmodified technique—one meant for integrating the venom of high-grade spiritual creatures, not the diluted version adapted for ordinary warriors.
Still, there was one issue: my Seol and Bing lizards weren’t venomous.
"But Grandfather, the Seol-Bing Lizards don’t have venom," I pointed out.
Mandok Shingun shook his head. "I examined them closely. While they don’t have venomous fangs, the lizards you brought possess a cold toxin that can plunge a person into a frigid state."
"Really?" I asked, astonished.
"Indeed. The freezing aura they emit qualifies as a form of venom," he confirmed.
It seemed that while I had been oblivious to this fact, Mandok Shingun’s expertise had revealed a previously unknown aspect of my lizards.
"Now, you have two paths before you," Mandok Shingun continued. "The first is to embrace the venom of the Blue-Banded Centipede and Seol-Bing Lizards to pursue the Five Venoms Divine Origin Technique, aiming for perfection with the venoms of high-grade spiritual creatures.
The second is to absorb the venom of the Inmyeon Spider, one of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts, and slowly progress toward mastering the Ten Venoms Twin Origin Technique (Ship-dok Ssang-won Gong)."
His explanation made it clear: I had to choose between pursuing the Five Venoms path, which focused on the venoms of spiritual creatures, or the Ten Venoms path, which involved gradually collecting and integrating the venoms of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts.
"Choosing a tech tree, huh? Why is this always such a tough decision?" I muttered to myself.
In the RPG games I had played in my previous life, picking the right skill tree was a matter of turning a weak character into either a powerhouse or a failure. This felt like an equally significant choice—one that could shape my destiny in this martial arts world.
It was like being forced to choose between the adorable centipedes and lizards I had raised and the awe-inspiring prestige of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts. Both options were tempting, and I couldn’t afford to make the wrong choice.
Sensing my hesitation, Mandok Shingun elaborated further. "We initially planned to recommend the Five Venoms Divine Origin Technique because you already had the Blue-Banded Centipede and were bringing back lizards. The technique is an extraordinary masterpiece, and encounters with the Ten Great Venomous Beasts are a matter of rare fortune.
However, even if you choose the Five Venoms path, it won’t prevent you from eventually incorporating the venoms of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts later. The only limitation is that until you complete the Five Venoms, you cannot integrate any additional venoms."
This meant that choosing the Five Venoms path wouldn’t lock me out of the Ten Venoms path entirely. But there was a drawback: I would have to forgo integrating two of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts’ venoms, as my constitution wouldn’t allow for more than ten.
"Can’t the Five Venoms be completed using only the venoms of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts?" I asked, hoping for a loophole.
Mandok Shingun shook his head. "The Ten Great Venomous Beasts include no lizards, So-ryong. Completing the Five Venoms requires incorporating venom from a lizard, which the Ten Venoms alone cannot provide."
His words confirmed the unavoidable tradeoff. I had to decide between the Five Venoms and the Ten Venoms.
"The Five Venoms or the Ten Venoms... that is the question," I murmured, feeling the weight of the decision bearing down on me.
***
On the way back from the conversation with the two elders, heading toward the Four Harmony Courtyard, I heard Hwa-eun's gentle voice behind me.
"So-ryong, I don’t want you to feel bound to the Ten Venoms because of your promise to me. From what I’ve read, while the records aren’t complete, the Five Venoms Divine Origin Technique still seems like an extraordinary and powerful martial art.
Even if the Ten Venoms path only leads to mastering eight or nine, it’s fine. I want you to make the decision that feels right to you."
Her reassurance, telling me to choose freely, showed how much her attitude had softened since she had officially claimed me as hers.
"You’ve already achieved so much, So-ryong, and the Ten Venoms path may be too grueling. I just don’t want you to feel pressured."
There was one perk to being engaged now—I no longer had to refer to her as "young lady" and could call her by her name. I looked at her and said, "Thank you for thinking of me, Hwa-eun."
"N-not at all..." she stammered, her face tinged with red.
Though her words were meant to comfort me, the choice was still a difficult one. Opting for the Five Venoms path would mean giving up one of the ten great venoms, which felt like an incomplete achievement. But choosing the Ten Venoms meant forsaking the Blue-Banded Centipedes and the Seol-Bing Lizards, which felt disloyal to the companions I had raised.
And let’s be honest—Ten Venoms sounded impressive. But Nine Venoms? That just reminded me of "likes and subscriptions." Not quite the same vibe.
Still, the Five Venoms path also had its allure. I found myself deeply torn.
"It’s a tough decision... Haah."
Master Tang and Mandok Shingun had explained that regardless of which path I chose, the initial preparation for the technique would remain the same, and only the final venom selection would differ. So the preparations for the Grand Method had already begun.
As the days passed, I remained locked in indecision. Then, two days later, Hwa-eun burst into my room with an excited voice.
"So-ryong, the centipedes look like they’re about to molt again!"
I followed her to the pavilion where the Blue-Banded Centipedes were indeed undergoing their second molting.
From the second molt onward, they would take on the same coloration as their parent. As with the first molt, the centipedes' heads emerged first from their old exoskeletons.
"They’ll finally look like true Blue-Banded Centipedes, won’t they?" Hwa-eun asked.
"Yes, soon their bodies will be covered in those distinctive blue spots," I replied.
The Blue-Banded Centipedes had black bodies with blue markings, like Dalmatian patterns. Remembering the image of their parent from my dreams, I imagined how adorable they would look, and Hwa-eun seemed just as curious.
But then I realized something troubling.
"Wait a minute... This might not be good."
It dawned on me that the centipedes might not finish hardening their bodies by the time the Grand Method began.
Even regular centipedes take a full day to harden after molting, and based on their first molt, it seemed likely that the Blue-Banded Centipedes would take even longer. If the preparation for the Grand Method finished before they were ready, I wouldn’t be able to use their venom.
Handling them while their bodies were still soft could lead to deformities or other problems. And since the medicine for the Grand Method couldn’t be preserved indefinitely, I couldn’t wait for the centipedes to finish hardening.
Two days later, the Grand Method began in the Mandok Hall’s Grand Ritual Chamber without the Blue-Banded Centipedes.
After explaining the situation to Master Tang and Mandok Shingun, preparations for the ritual were expedited. Before long, everything was ready.
The process began in the Mandok Hall’s medicine chamber, where rows upon rows of cauldrons were used to boil hundreds of herbs. The essence from these herbs was extracted and collected into a large central cauldron.
Once this base solution was prepared, a few potent venoms and the blood of venomous creatures were added. The mixture was then left to stabilize for a day. Finally, I was summoned to the Grand Ritual Chamber.
"So-ryong, all the preparations are complete. Let’s go," Master Tang said.
"Yes, sir," I replied.
By this point, I had mentally prepared myself for the possibility of intense pain. Fortunately, I’d been assured that the Inmyeon Spider’s venom was paralytic rather than agonizing.
The ritual chamber featured a flat stone platform in the center, upon which rested a massive cauldron filled with the prepared concoction. The potent smell of herbal medicine wafted from the cauldron as Master Tang and Mandok Shingun addressed me.
"Now, So-ryong, remove your clothes and sit in the cauldron with only your neck above the liquid," Mandok Shingun instructed.
"Understood," I said.
I stripped down in a secluded corner and quickly submerged myself in the warm liquid. It felt oddly like being in a herbal sauna—nothing particularly remarkable.
Just then, Hwa-eun entered the chamber with Yo-hwa and the other creatures.
"So-ryong, the centipedes have woken up!" she exclaimed.
"Really?" I asked.
Following behind her were Yo-hwa, perched gracefully on her shoulder, and Seol and Bing, clinging to her arm. At her feet, the three centipedes scurried toward me.
They now looked fully like their mother, with yellow bodies adorned with striking blue spots. However, their unusual coloration made me wonder if something had gone slightly awry.
Before I could dwell on it, the centipedes raced up to the edge of the cauldron and peered curiously at me.
"Be careful! Go back to your mother," I warned, worried they might fall in.
Just then, one of the centipedes, Cho, accidentally dipped its antenna into the liquid. Startled, it flailed wildly.
"Cho got some of the liquid on its antenna! Hwa-eun, wash it off quickly!" I shouted.
"Cho! Come here!" Hwa-eun called, scooping the centipede up.
As she reached for Cho, a single drop of venom dripped from its mouth into the cauldron.
-Ttok!-
The moment the venom touched the surface, the cauldron began to bubble violently.
-Bwooooosh!-
What had I been agonizing over for days? Clearly, my daughter had decided for me—she wanted her father to follow the Five Venoms path.