Grandfather Mandok Shingun and Gu Pae, the commander of the Venom Blood Squad, agreed—there had to be something big here.
Even though I was practically an otaku for venomous creatures, I still had common sense.
So, while I was thrilled on the inside, I kept a serious expression on my face.
“This is… truly a serious matter.”
'If an otaku wants to keep their hidden lifestyle, they need to act like a normal person. But damn it, I can't stop my lips from twitching into a grin.’
While I struggled to contain my excitement, Grandfather Mandok Shingun announced that he would personally scout ahead before we proceeded deeper into Ainei Mountain.
For safety reasons, he wanted to confirm what lay ahead himself.
After all, he was the strongest among us.
“I will survey the area myself. The rest of you, fall back to where the Yun River and Amok River meet. It seems that birds are still flying there.”
“Across the river?”
“Yes, over there.”
I followed his gaze.
Further downstream, where the two rivers merged, the currents were rougher, but the land beyond was full of birds.
Looking closer, I noticed something strange—on our side of the river, there wasn’t a single living creature. But across the river, birds and insects were moving about freely.
It was as if the entire region had been divided along the river.
Without hesitation, I nodded and led our group toward the safer ground beyond the river.
After all, Grandfather wouldn’t have suggested it unless he thought the situation was truly dangerous.
“Understood, Grandfather. Everyone, let’s move to the other side.”
“Yes, So-ryong!”
“What are you all standing around for? Move it!” Gu Pae shouted.
“““Yes, Commander!”””
As we withdrew across the river, I mulled over what kind of beast was waiting for me.
‘Something has claimed Ainei Mountain as its territory… but what kind of creature could do this?’
The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
Ainei Mountain wasn’t some lone peak rising from the plains. It was part of a mountain range, positioned near the end of a long stretch of highlands.
And in front of the mountain was a massive field.
I hadn’t encountered every venomous creature in this region, but from my experience, most of them were evolved versions of ordinary animals.
The Blue-Spotted Centipede was a mutated centipede.
The Seok-cheok were evolved lizards.
Even Yo-hwa was an evolved spider.
Based on that pattern, I should have been able to identify what kind of base organism this thing originated from.
But I couldn’t think of anything that would claim such an enormous territory.
Nothing in my knowledge fit this kind of ecological footprint.
“This is way too big.”
As I muttered to myself in confusion, my elder sister tilted her head and asked,
“What is?”
“Oh, well… Grandfather suggested that there might be a giant venomous creature here, but something feels off to me.”
“Off how?”
“Well, take the Blue-Spotted Centipedes for example. They don’t eat physical food—they absorb natural energy. When we found them underground, the only reason they had driven out other creatures was because the mother was nesting.
But here… there’s nothing—not even signs of life in the paths leading to Ainei Mountain.
For a predator to claim such a huge area as its territory, it would need a steady food source.
Unless, of course, it’s like O-Gong or the Seok-cheok and absorbs qi instead of eating prey.”
— Tssrrt?
— Gukku?
“…Not you guys.”
Hearing me talk, my creatures poked their heads out of my robes, thinking I was referring to them.
To prevent any jealousy, I quickly scratched their heads and gently pushed them back inside.
— Tap tap.
Then, I felt something tapping my shoulder.
Turning around, I saw Yo-hwa leaning her head toward me.
“Oh, right. I can’t forget about my precious Yo-hwa.”
After giving her a few affectionate pats, I overheard my elder sister and Gu Pae discussing my theory.
“If So-ryong is correct, then a predator that feeds on living creatures shouldn’t have wiped out everything in the area.”
“Hearing So-ryong’s explanation, I have to agree.”
“Yes. The way living things interact is called an ecosystem. And an ecosystem is composed of interconnected food chains.
In any normal ecosystem, insects serve as food for small animals, which in turn attract larger predators.
But here, we see nothing—which means the predator is starving itself. That’s what makes this so strange.”
“…Ecosystem?”
“So-ryong, you sound like a Daoist sage.”
As we continued discussing the issue, Grandfather finally returned.
Using his Qinggong, he leaped across the river with a grim expression.
“I scouted all the way to the entrance of Ainei Mountain. There was nothing—and I suspect Venomous Creatures Valley is empty as well.
This… is troublesome.”
‘Ah, hell.’
Reality finally sank in.
Some unknown predator had completely emptied Ainei Mountain—including Venomous Creatures Valley.
The legendary venomous creatures that were supposed to be there?
Gone.
Either devoured or driven away.
That meant I couldn’t capture any of the other rare creatures I had hoped to find.
Which meant I had no choice but to hunt down the beast responsible.
Sure, I had captured a few creatures along the way—but that wasn’t nearly enough.
‘Well then… looks like I have to catch this thing.’
“Whatever it is, we can’t return empty-handed. We must capture it.”
Grandfather nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. First, we should set up a camp here and begin our search.
Since you’re the expert on venomous creatures, do you have any ideas, So-ryong?”
“…Expert, huh.”
I forced an awkward smile, recalling what had happened the last time we went after a legendary venomous creature—when I nearly got eaten alive by the Golden Wasp Kings.
But before we could start searching for the culprit, there was something we needed to do first.
We had to determine the size and shape of the empty territory.
If we mapped it out, we could predict where the predator was hiding.
“First, we need to measure how large this lifeless zone is and mark it on a map, Grandfather.”
“You suspect the beast’s home will be at the center?”
“Yes. No matter how large the territory, most predators set their den at the core of their hunting grounds.”
‘Unless the terrain suggests otherwise, the beast should be right in the middle.’
With that plan in mind, we sent out our warriors to conduct a survey.
By evening, the scattered groups had returned, marking the edges of the desolate zone on our map.
That’s when we noticed something odd.
“…This is strange.”
“…Really strange.”
Grandfather and my elder sister both murmured that something was off.
I nodded while studying the map.
Because, honestly, this was really strange.
“The lifeless area starts from Ainei Mountain, with the northern side blocked by the mountain range and the western side bordered by the river. On that side, we can see normal animal activity. But toward the southeast… the lifeless land stretches endlessly.”
The area devoid of any life, when mapped out, extended infinitely southeastward from Ainei Mountain.
The warriors had reported seeing wildlife beyond the western river, but in the eastern and southern directions, there was no clear boundary. The land just kept going, empty of all creatures.
This was not the shape of a natural predator’s territory.
“As soon as the sun rises, we need to follow the river and see how far this extends. As long as we don’t cross the water, we should be safe.”
“That seems like the best course of action,” Grandfather agreed.
All night, I tried to understand why it had formed this way, but no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t make sense of it.
By dawn, I had barely slept. As soon as the first light broke, we set out.
Grandfather periodically crossed the river to scout as we traveled.
***
Two Days Later
Two whole days passed.
And still—there was no end in sight.
“We’ve been following the river for two days just to confirm the boundaries… but this is bizarre,” I muttered.
“Indeed, So-ryong. This territory is far too large,” Grandfather agreed.
We all gazed at the eerie, silent grasslands ahead.
As we paused for a meal, the warriors prepared food, and my elder sister began distributing it.
“So-ryong, here, have some. And you little ones, come to Mom and let Dad rest for a while.”
“Thank you, Hwa-eun.”
She was getting way too comfortable with the whole "Mom and Dad" thing.
As I tore into the dried meat she handed me and lay back in the grass, I noticed something.
Dragonflies.
A lot of them.
'There are so many dragonflies here. Maybe because we’re near the river? Wait a second…'
Something clicked in my mind, and I shot up.
I turned to Grandfather.
“Grandfather! Could you go back along our path and check the riverbanks? See if dragonflies are flying around over there as well.”
“Dragonflies?”
He raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t question me.
“Hmm… You must have a reason. Very well.”
Munching on some dried rice cakes, he got up and sped off.
An hour later, he returned with his report.
“For about half a day’s journey back, dragonflies were flying freely—on both sides of the river.”
His voice trailed off at the end, realization dawning on him.
I nodded.
And at that moment, Grandfather snapped into command mode.
“Split the party in two! The strongest warriors with the fastest Qinggong, step forward!”
“Yes, Grand Elder!”
At his command, the warriors swiftly divided into two groups.
My elder sister rushed to my side, her expression questioning.
“What’s happening, So-ryong?”
She must have thought it was strange that we suddenly abandoned our meal to prepare for movement.
“Terrestrial creatures might stay within their territory, but flying insects like dragonflies move freely.”
“Yes?”
“If there was a powerful predator, the dragonflies wouldn’t have returned so soon after its passing. Even if they sensed something unusual, once the danger was gone, they’d come right back.”
“So… you’re saying…?”
“This means we were wrong about this being a creature’s territory.
Something is moving ahead of us—continuously migrating south.”
The Chase Begins
Grandfather, Gu Pae, several elite warriors, and I prepared for high-speed pursuit.
To lighten our load, we carried only absolute necessities.
The mysterious thing was still moving south—we needed to pick up the pace.
“I leave the rest in your care,” I told my elder sister.
“I’ll watch over them. Go on ahead.”
— Gukku!
— Tssrrt!
— Ksss!
“Relax, guys. I’m not going alone. Just stay with Mom and follow behind, okay?”
“Let’s go, So-ryong!”
“Yes, Grandfather!”
Crossing the river, we took off in pursuit.
Since using Qinggong dulled our ability to sense our surroundings, we moved in a coordinated formation, covering each other’s blind spots.
As we ran, the landscape blurred past us.
Only the sound of the river’s gentle current accompanied us.
“Huff… huff…”
“Are you tiring already?” Grandfather asked.
“No, I can keep going.”
Normally, I’d be complaining like hell.
But there was something waiting for me up ahead.
No way was I slowing down now.
After what felt like forever, the river’s surface turned crimson under the setting sun.
And ahead—
A jungle.
Towering trees, dense foliage, and banana-like plants, similar to what my elder sister and I had seen before.
“The terrain is changing. Be on your guard! Venomous creatures don’t move like humans—they strike from hiding!” Grandfather warned.
“Yes, Grand Elder!”
“Yes, Grandfather!”
So this was the infamous Yunnan jungle.
Grandfather immediately signaled us to slow down.
We advanced cautiously, but the thick vegetation naturally forced us to reduce speed.
Eventually, Grandfather came to a stop.
“I was going to suggest we halt for the night and continue at dawn, but… hmm?”
— Sssshhhhhhh…
A strange rustling sound.
— Sssshhhhhhh…
— Ssshhh…
The sound of something vast shifting.
Like a field of bamboo swaying in a storm.
And it was coming from ahead of us.
Pushing through the dense foliage, we finally caught sight of—
A crimson basin, drenched in the hues of blood.
— Ssshhh…
“…Is that… Ma Yi…!?”
Right in front of us—
An ocean of blood-red ants, each the size of two human fists combined.