Grandfather Mandok Shingun and Hwa-eun gazed at the beautiful Neidan in a trance, their expressions blank with awe. But the moment I saw the creature that had spat it out—now reduced to a pitiful one-meter form—a scream tore from my throat.
“Gyaaaaaah!”
And my legs gave out beneath me.
—Thud.
“What?! What’s wrong, So-ryong? Are you hurt?”
“What happened, So-ryong? Did you get hit by debris?”
Grandfather and Hwa-eun turned to me in alarm, thinking something terrible had happened.
I sat there, staring down at the pitiful-looking Bi-cheon Shin-sa with hollow eyes.
“My... my Bi-cheon Shin-sa...”
“What about it?”
“What happened to it?”
“It looks... so pathetic... After all that effort to catch it...”
“...Uh...”
“...Ahem.”
—Shaaa?
The magnificent six-meter-long beast, with its dazzling sapphire scales and its proud, emerald-like hexagonal horns—
Gone.
What remained before me was a pitiful, one-meter-long snake.
Its once-glossy cobalt scales had faded to a dull sky blue.
Its grand twin horns had vanished, leaving only two tiny, stubby little goblin-like nubs on its head.
All the hardships I had endured to capture this thing came rushing back, and I was hit with overwhelming despair.
Days of struggling alongside a team composed solely of thieves and hunters, trading aggro, deciphering its patterns, chasing it through sleepless nights—
And now, my Bi-cheon Shin-sa had shrunk like a deflated balloon.
A once magnificent Rare-grade creature had downgraded to something barely Uncommon.
“That beautiful form... I never told it to consume its Neidan! Why did it do this!?”
‘If only it had waited a little longer, I could have convinced Grandfather! Even when I told Hwa-eun I’d think about it, I was actually trying to find the right words to persuade them! Stupid creature!’
“Haaah...”
Behind me, I heard Hwa-eun sigh. A warm hand landed gently on my shoulder.
She patted me reassuringly.
"So-ryong, shouldn’t we consider this a good thing? The Neidan has been extracted, and now Bi-cheon Shin-sa is small enough to raise properly. You can just raise it again into something magnificent. The Tang Clan’s ponds have plenty of baby Hwalis—maybe you could feed it those."
“...I guess...”
Hwa-eun had a point. It was easier to raise now, and it would probably eat less.
But still—
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
A six-meter-long giant serpent was a once-in-a-lifetime rare find!
I stared blankly at the shrunken creature in disappointment.
Then Seol quickly turned to Yo-hwa.
“Yo-hwa, can you get that orb out of there?”
—Kish!
There were only two ways to cut through Yo-hwa’s resilient, elastic silk: burn it or ask Yo-hwa to retrieve the item herself.
At Seol’s request, Yo-hwa used her forelegs to poke a small hole in the silk pouch and pulled out the glowing blue orb.
Then she neatly sealed the hole again.
—Kisit!
Yo-hwa handed the Neidan over to Hwa-eun, who held it up before me.
The Neidan, about the size of a Cheongshimwon pill, radiated an even more brilliant light now that it was outside the pouch.
Hwa-eun gently presented it to me.
"Look, So-ryong. If you consume this, you might not only reach my level—you could surpass it. And then, capturing creatures like this will be so much easier. For now, let’s leave it with Grandfather and get some sleep."
She turned to Grandfather.
"Grandfather, here. Please examine it and determine how much internal energy So-ryong can absorb from it."
"Yes, of course. Naturally, we must ensure he gets the most out of it. But really... why do you look so devastated? I thought you got injured from the way you screamed earlier. Hah. Just take him to bed already."
"Yes, Grandfather. Come on, So-ryong."
Hwa-eun gently pulled me toward the resting area the warriors had prepared.
I followed her, feeling completely drained.
‘This is so unfair...’
And for a fleeting moment, a thought crossed my mind.
Had I been punished for even considering eating the creature?
Had fate decided to humble me for entertaining such a thought, even momentarily?
‘But this... this is too cruel of a punishment...’
***
I woke up the next morning still haunted by the events of the previous night.
But the news that awaited me was even more devastating.
"So-ryong, it seems Bi-cheon Shin-sa can no longer fly."
The shocking report came from Gu Pae, the squad leader.
"What!? It can’t fly!?"
"Yes. It’s been completely quiet all night."
"Maybe it’s just behaving itself?"
Yesterday, I had noticed it was more timid than I expected.
Maybe it had simply calmed down after nearly dying?
I clung to that hopeful thought—
But then Grandfather, passing by, smacked me in the face with brutal reality.
"Its flight relied on Surging Qi Reversal, using the energy stored in its Neidan. Now that the Neidan is gone, it obviously can’t fly anymore."
His words struck me like a hammer.
The beast had used its two-Gapja Neidan to execute Surging Qi Reversal and propel itself through the air.
But now its fuel source was gone.
Which meant...
It would never fly again.
“Gyaaaaaaah!!!”
"So—So-ryong! What’s wrong!?"
Another scream burst from me, and Gu Pae rushed over in concern.
Meanwhile, Grandfather just chuckled and walked away.
"Haha. Just leave him be. It’s nothing serious. That boy..."
My once-prized premium stock had crashed to rock bottom.
‘What I thought was a blue-chip investment turned out to be a junk stock...’
I stared blankly at the creature, whose ranking had dropped so much it could hardly even be considered Uncommon anymore.
That was when Hwa-eun, having overheard everything, approached me.
She placed the pouch containing Bi-cheon Shin-sa in my hands and spoke gently.
"So-ryong, don’t be so down. If you take care of it like you did with me and the O-gong, it’ll grow strong again. If we feed it properly, it’ll get bigger, and maybe it’ll even fly again one day. Now, cheer up. We need to get moving soon."
A fiancée who not only supported my hobbies but also comforted me when things went wrong.
Thanks to Hwa-eun’s encouragement, I forced myself to move forward.
The Bi-cheon Shin-sa—no, now it was just a uniquely colored snake, since it couldn’t even fly—was coming with us to the Beast Palace.
It was shocking, but there was nothing to be done.
We had to keep moving.
Not long after we set out, Seol approached.
Yo-hwa had adjusted the pouch again, making it smaller for easier handling.
Seol, now able to lift the pouch with one hand, stared at it and asked in disbelief:
"Wait... this is the Bi-cheon Shin-sa? What the hell happened overnight?"
—Shaaa!
The creature flinched inside the pouch, looking up with anxious eyes.
Hwa-eun nodded and explained.
"It spat out its Neidan and became like this."
"It... spat out its Neidan?"
"Yeah, sister. It actually understands human speech. When we started talking about cutting it open, it panicked and spit it out immediately."
Seol’s eyes widened.
"You’re serious!? What happened to the Neidan!?"
"We left it with Grandfather. I’ll show it to you when we reach the Beast Palace. It’s incredibly beautiful—it even glows."
"It glows? And it’s beautiful?"
"Yes."
As Seol bombarded Hwa-eun with more questions about the Neidan, she finally turned back to me, as if only just noticing my presence.
She tilted her head.
"But So-ryong, why do you look so miserable? You should be thrilled."
She must have noticed my foul mood.
Hwa-eun glanced at me, then leaned in and whispered something into Seol’s ear.
A moment later—
Seol burst into laughter.
"Really? Ahaha! That’s so like you, So-ryong."
"Don’t laugh! Sister, So-ryong is serious about this."
Seol barely held back her grin, then suddenly grabbed me into a mock headlock.
"So you just nodded along to everything we said, huh? Didn’t actually listen at all? You little—!"
"Ack! No—! Sister, wait—!"
And so, the nagging from Seol and Hwa-eun started all over again.
***
—Fwoooosh.
As Grandfather Mandok Shingun placed the Neidan on the table in the Beast Palace’s main hall, a brilliant blue glow spread outward.
The entire hall was instantly bathed in its radiant light, and everyone present gazed at it in silent awe.
“Incredible, Mandok Shingun. What an extraordinarily pure energy.”
“So this is the Neidan of the Bi-cheon Shin-sa...”
“Amazing!”
“With energy like this, it makes perfect sense that it contained two Gapja of internal energy.”
Grandfather nodded at their admiration and provided an explanation to the Beast Palace Lord.
“As expected from a creature called the Bi-cheon Shin-sa—it contained the essence of the sky.”
“The essence of the sky?”
“Yes.”
“Hm... what a waste.”
“I suppose so...”
The atmosphere had been one of amazement, but the mention of “waste” made me tilt my head in confusion.
That was when Seol’s voice reached me through a discreet sound transmission.
“Not all internal energy is the same. Most of the Beast Palace’s internal energy techniques are attuned to the element of earth.”
“The Tang Clan’s poison arts also fall under earth energy, since poisons typically originate from the ground. That’s why they’re saying it’s a shame—it means we won’t be able to absorb as much of it.”
I hadn’t known that internal energy had elemental affinities.
The Neidan from the Bi-cheon Shin-sa, fitting its name, was attuned to sky energy. That meant it wasn’t a good match for the internal energy techniques I was currently cultivating.
“Then... at best, I can absorb about half of it?”
“That seems to be the case.”
After days of constant scolding and care from Seol and Hwa-eun, my mental state had recovered significantly. The news was a little disappointing, but it wasn’t a big deal.
Sixty years’ worth of internal energy was still an incredible gift.
“I don’t mind. Even that much is a tremendous fortune.”
Grandfather smiled approvingly.
“Haha, have you finally recovered your spirit? You’ve been sulking like an orphaned child for days.”
“...Ahem.”
“Well, since it’s yours, hold onto it for now. I’ll see if there’s a way to increase your absorption rate.”
“Understood, Grandfather.”
“So-ryong, you’ve obtained a rare opportunity. That Neidan will allow you to advance in the Beast Heart Technique much faster.”
Normally, when two factions worked together to obtain a Neidan, the distribution would be handled with extreme precision. But in this case, no one questioned my ownership.
The Beast Palace had forfeited any claim since I had saved them, and the Tang Clan recognized my efforts—as their future son-in-law—to acquire it.
Besides, since I belonged to both factions, it was as if both forces were benefiting from it anyway.
With that, the glowing Neidan, now placed inside a medicine box, was pushed toward me.
I reached for it and lifted the box from the table.
—Ssssh!
—Sshhh!
Suddenly, three figures darted out from my sleeve.
The three Golden Wasp Kings—Cho, Hyang, and Bin—rushed toward the box, circling it warily as they sized each other up.
They were usually well-behaved, but this was strange.
“Hey... what are you three doing?”
I was baffled by their reaction.
Seol stood up and extended her hand toward them.
“Cho, Hyang, Bin, behave yourselves. There are elders here. Come back over here.”
—Ssh!
—Sshhh!
But instead of listening, the three creatures bared their mandibles at her, as if warning her to stay away.
Startled, Seol quickly pulled her hand back.
Then, suddenly, they started fighting each other.
“Hey! What’s gotten into you!?”
—Sssh!
—Sshhh!
I sighed.
“Daddy’s getting angry. What do you think you’re doing, fighting in front of guests?”
It was natural for them to squabble from time to time, but why did their first real fight have to happen here, of all places?
More importantly, they had always been so close—what was going on?
Thinking I should break it up, I grabbed two of them in each hand—
And in that exact moment, the last one, Cho, lunged forward.
—Gulp.
And swallowed the Bi-cheon Shin-sa’s Neidan whole.
“...Cho?”
I stared in stunned silence at the empty spot where the Neidan had just been.
Cho, too, looked at me, as if realizing what had just happened.
The moment our eyes met—
Something inside my head swelled, as if expanding.
A strange sensation rippled through my mind.
I could see the blue energy that had just disappeared inside Cho.
Except...
The glow wasn’t coming from Cho’s body.
It was coming from my vision itself.
A second later, my consciousness snapped off—like someone had flipped a switch.
“So-ryong!”
Seol’s urgent voice echoed distantly as everything faded to black.