Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 213: Segment (3)

I was completely mentally exhausted, but this was what real training should be.

Up until now, my training had been way too mild.

No, I couldn’t even call it training.

The insults and curses meant to shake my mentality were so tame they made me yawn, and meditation...

Honestly, I had even dozed off during meditation.

‘No, I wasn’t slacking off—it's just that I’m still young, so closing my eyes naturally makes me sleepy... It’s just part of growing up, right?’

But this kind of mental exhaustion—this was real training.

Just as Sister Seol said, training meant pushing past one’s limits, so today, I resolved to go beyond mine.

Not only could I check out Cho’s special ability, but I also had a chance to aim for Cheongwol as well.

— Tssrrt.

But despite my call, Cho didn’t immediately come over from beside Bini.

Normally, he would rush over without hesitation, so I found it strange and gestured at him again.

"Cho?"

— Tssrrrrr.

He stared at me for a long moment before sending me a concerned message. "Dad, you said you were exhausted. Are you sure you're okay...?"

"Kuhuk—!"

His words hit me right in the heart, completely unguarded.

It was like I had just been sold off to the Empty Death Horse’s three hundred slaughters—my dear Cho was worrying about me more than anything else.

‘Gyaaaaah!’

So this was the true love of a firstborn daughter for her father?

It was a completely different level of understanding and care compared to the second child or the youngest.

My Cho had the broad heart of an older girlfriend.

First, she had let Bini go first. And now, even though she must have been incredibly eager to check out her own special ability, she was holding back because she was worried about me.

Wasn't this the true special ability of a well-bred firstborn daughter?

‘Filial daughter Cho—every special ability, fully acknowledged.’

Suppressing my overwhelming emotions, I walked over to Cho, who was standing by Bini, and stroked her head.

‘Even if my mentality crumbles and I become trash today, I will confirm Cho’s special ability!’

"It’s okay. Don’t worry and come here, Cho. I rested a little, so I’m fine now."

— Tssrrt... "But still..."

Once again, I reassured her, telling her I was fine now after resting a bit. Then, I brought her over to Sister Seol, preparing to channel my Beast Heart Art.

"Alright, let’s get started. Sister Seol—"

"Got it. I need to take a close look at this too."

If this had been about internal energy, I would have placed my hand on her back or chest.

But since this was about mental strength, Sister Seol placed her hand on Cho’s head instead.

"Start."

At her signal, I placed my hand on Cho’s head and began channeling energy into her.

Unlike Bini, who had initially resisted slightly, Cho accepted the energy as smoothly as a well-prepared student taking an exam.

If the energy of Beast Heart Art had the fresh feeling of green, then Cho’s energy was a deep, sky-like blue.

They felt somewhat related.

As the energy mixed inside her, Cho’s aura turned from fresh to crisp and invigorating.

‘Ah, this feels like... soda?’

It had the kind of exhilarating coolness of a carbonated drink.

But regardless of how refreshing it felt, my mental strength was rapidly draining.

Compared to Bini, Cho absorbed my energy even more aggressively, pulling the mental force of Beast Heart Art straight into her body.

Even Sister Seol was surprised as she observed, her eyes widening.

"Wow, this is insane. It’s really sucking in a huge amount of energy, huh?"

Sweat poured down my forehead.

Dark memories I had buried deep suddenly resurfaced, shaking my entire mind.

With Bini, the process had taken about fifteen minutes. But since Cho was in her teenage phase, this was taking even longer.

By the time about twenty minutes had passed, I finally managed to pull my hand away.

"Kkuhooooooh...!"

I collapsed onto my back, gasping for air.

The mental exhaustion was on a level I had never experienced before.

It felt like the entire world was conspiring against me, making everything look crooked and unfair.

Then came the waves of despair and frustration.

‘Sniff... I’m a worthless—no, wait. But am I really wrong...?’

Just as I was drowning in my own misery, I heard Cho’s voice.

— Tssrrrrr.

Still lying on my back with my shattered mentality, I turned to look at Cho, who was curled up and trembling slightly.

Then, all of a sudden—

A gleam flashed across her shell.

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"What... What was that?!"

I was too drained to even react properly, but Sister Seol’s voice was filled with excitement.

We both stared at Cho, full of anticipation.

She curled up once more, shivered a little... and then...

She tilted her head at me in confusion.

— Tssrrt?

We waited.

And waited.

But nothing else happened.

Then, Sister Seol let out an utterly disappointed sigh.

"What? That’s it?"

I was just as stunned.

My mentality had been burned to ashes, but this was all we got?

Ah... suddenly, life seemed so pointless.

I had suffered so much, but there was no visible change.

It really felt like the whole world was out to get me.

"Ah, I hate everything..."

***

"Cho, do you feel anything strange? If you notice anything different, tell your auntie."

— Tssrrt?

Sister Seol ignored my shattered state and started questioning Cho.

Given how much mental strength I had lost, there had to be some kind of change, but there was absolutely nothing.

"Do you feel stronger?"

— Tssrr.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"Any faster? Can you smell better? Hear things more clearly?"

— Tssrrrrr. "Nope..."

"Really? You don’t feel anything at all?"

— Tssrrrr!

Even though Sister Seol couldn’t exactly understand Cho’s words, she was so dedicated to animals that she was basically deciphering them by instinct.

If someone were watching, they’d think she was actually having a conversation with her.

An animal communicator? It really seemed that way.

"This is strange. Did we not use enough energy? You don’t feel drained at all?"

— Tssrrr.

Cho’s answer was clear—there was no discomfort, no strange sensations, nothing unusual at all.

She didn’t even feel tired like the others.

In the end, after a long moment of exchanging puzzled looks, both Sister Seol and Cho slowly turned their heads toward me.

Sister Seol walked over and grabbed my arm, trying to pull me up.

"There's no way we can continue today. Let's try again tomorrow," Sister Seol said. "You used up too much energy after infusing Bini. That might be why things didn't go as expected. Something about it just feels off."

"...Again?"

"We agreed to train, didn't we?"

"Oh... right."

I was so mentally exhausted I felt like I was going to die, so the thought of doing this again made me groan. But when I thought about it, I did remember agreeing to train.

‘Did I speak too confidently without realizing how much this would take out of me...?’

— Tssrrrr. "Dad, are you okay?"

My vision darkened at the thought of doing it all over again, but Cho moved closer and gently brushed my face with concern.

At the same time, Sister Seol’s voice carried a playful yet firm tone.

"...So of course, we’re doing it again tomorrow, right?"

"...Yes."

How could I say no when Cho kept asking if I was okay?

In the end, I resigned myself to the most difficult endurance match—one that would continue past the break of dawn. Sister Seol agreed to check on everything again tomorrow.

By then, Hyang would be deep asleep, and Cho would be standing guard over Bini until she woke up.

And if Bini stayed asleep for a long time, we'd have to spend the night here, making this the perfect meeting spot.

"Then, we’ll meet here again at dawn while Hyang is still sleeping."

"Got it. Come on, I’ll walk you back to the outpost."

"Okay. Cho, keep an eye on Bini until she wakes up. If she doesn’t wake up before dawn, I’ll come get you both."

— Tssrrt.

And so, the day ended with no real results.

As I headed back to the outpost, I could only hope that after sleeping, my mental state would recover.

When I arrived, Huaon looked at me in shock.

"Sister Seol, what happened to So-ryong?"

— Tssrrr!?

She looked worried, wondering if I was sick.

Sister Seol, without missing a beat, gently rubbed Huaon’s back and reassured her.

"Ah, it’s nothing serious. I’ll explain everything when we get back to the outpost later. No need to worry."

Knowing that Hyang would make things difficult if she found out, Sister Seol skillfully covered for me.

‘Nice one, Sister Seol.’

I silently gave her a thumbs-up and immediately collapsed onto my bed.

The mental exhaustion was so overwhelming that I felt like I was about to pass out at any moment.

"But still, So-ryong looks really sick..." Huaon murmured.

"I said he’s fine. I just put him through some training. Training."

"Really? So-ryong, are you okay?"

Even as I lay on the bed, Huaon continued to fuss over me.

I was exhausted, but I reassured her one last time before finally surrendering to sleep.

"I... just need to lie down for a bit..."

"...So-ryong? So-ryong?"

"...He must’ve been really tired. He’s already asleep..."

Huaon and Sister Seol’s voices were the last thing I heard before I completely blacked out.

***

I woke up feeling stiff and sluggish, the damp air seeping into my nose.

This place wasn’t usually hot, so why did my neck feel sticky?

‘What’s going on? Am I sweating?’

The air wasn’t particularly warm, yet an uncomfortable humidity clung to me.

As I tried to sit up, my gaze caught several pairs of glowing eyes in the darkness.

‘What the—?!’

Startled, I realized they belonged to Yoha, who was watching me from the shadows, and Hyang, who was draped over me, fast asleep.

Since these creatures didn’t have eyelids, they always slept with their eyes open, which could be pretty creepy at times.

I sat up on the bed and reached for the pitcher on the table, drinking straight from the spout.

— Gulp, gulp, gulp.

The quiet, dark room was filled with the sound of water being swallowed down.

Feeling slightly refreshed, I glanced toward the window to figure out why it was so warm.

It was shut.

Since Qinghai tended to get chilly at night, Sister Seol or Huaon must have closed it before going to bed.

‘I should open it up a little.’

Most of my kids were cold-blooded, meaning they became sluggish in cooler temperatures.

I only needed to let in a little cool air.

As I unlatched the window and pushed it open, complete darkness greeted me.

Thick clouds covered the sky, hiding the moon entirely.

Despite opening the window, the air that came in wasn’t cool at all—it was just as humid and sticky as the air inside.

Turning to check the other window, I noticed it was already open.

‘Oh, one was open all along?’

Just as I dismissed it as nothing more than the humidity, a flash of light flickered in the distant sky.

A few seconds later, a faint roll of thunder followed.

— Rumble.

It was the classic sequence—lightning first, then thunder.

Though it sounded far away, the sky trembled with a soft, lingering echo.

‘Is it going to rain?’

Distant thunder and lightning were usually signs of incoming rain.

As I looked outside, confirming my suspicion, I soon heard the faint patter of raindrops beginning to fall.

— Plip, plop, patter, patter.

And with it, the fresh scent of rain-soaked earth filled the air.

The smell of damp soil and the dust stirred up by raindrops stimulated my senses.

It was rare for it to rain heavily in Qinghai, so I found it fascinating.

Then suddenly, I remembered—Cho and Bini were still outside.

‘That’s right—Cho, Bini!’

Millipedes needed moisture to survive, but they were also highly sensitive to water.

They were under a large tree, so they should be fine, but if the rain got too heavy, it could be a problem.

Without hesitation, I bolted out of the room.

I had no idea how hard it would rain, but if they got completely drenched, it could be dangerous.

For creatures like millipedes, if their breathing systems got too wet, they would have trouble absorbing oxygen.

— Patter, patter, pour.

I dashed through the dark, passing by the training field and slipping past the guards on patrol.

The downpour intensified, drenching me bit by bit.

By the time I reached the large zelkova tree where Bini was sleeping, my clothes were ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ completely soaked.

Bini was still there, curled up peacefully.

But Cho... was nowhere to be seen.

— Rumble.

As I frantically scanned the area, a flash of lightning lit up the sky.

And in that split second—

I saw her.

Amid the pouring rain, with scales glistening under the flash of lightning—

Cho was soaring into the sky.

"Holy—!?"

Her body moved like a fish, gliding effortlessly through the air.