Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 212

Chapter 212
Cho pulled me along to the very clearing where I had once practiced mental discipline.

It was an open area under a great zelkova tree, dotted with a few stones. Not far off, the tree that Sister Seol had felled with her Blood-Soaked Greenwood Saber lay on its side, slowly decaying.

While Cho still had a grip on me, an irritated chittering reached my ears as we approached.
— Tssrrr!

Glancing toward the sound, I saw Bini scurrying out from the base of the large tree, her entire posture radiating fury, as if to ask why I had taken so long to get there.

The instant I was set down beside Cho and Bini, I was met with a volley of sharp clicks.
— Tssr! “Well done, sister!”
— Tssrrr! “Father, why are you so late!?”

Cho, who had hauled me all the way there, sounded thrilled, while Bini’s tone was accusatory and impatient.

“I-I got held up because Uncle Gyu-seong stopped by…”

— Tssrrt! “Liar! You were stalling because of Hyang!”

I attempted to use Brother Gyu-seong as my alibi, but Bini saw right through the lie and immediately called me out on it.

It seemed she had matured to the point where she could see past such flimsy excuses.
‘There really is wisdom in the sayings of old, isn’t there?’
You run and wish you could walk. You walk and wish you could lie down. You lie down and wish for the days you could run.

The once-tiny, endearing little one had grown enough to sass her father, and much like the venom she possessed, she now carried a sharp, prickly sort of charm.

As I became briefly lost in these sentimental thoughts, Cho and Bini suddenly looked at each other and started crossing their legs in a specific, odd pattern.

It appeared to be a silent conversation, a discussion conducted through pheromones and antennae.

I waited a while, observing their exchange. Finally, they seemed to have come to a decision, as Bini turned and thrust her head toward me.
— Tssrrrt. “I go first!”

“You first?”

Bini nodded again emphatically.

I looked over at Cho, and he also gave a nod of agreement.

Their earlier debate must have been about who would get the energy infusion first, and Bini had evidently won.

If I went through with this and was discovered, Hyang would undoubtedly make me pay. But if I refused, I’d have to endure Cho and Bini complaining that I only ever favored Hyang. I was trapped either way.
‘Ah, so there’s truly no escaping this, is there?’
Suffer immediately?
Or get caught and suffer later?

Very well. If suffering was inevitable, I might as well take this opportunity to witness their metamorphosis.
‘If I die from seeing a secret technique, then it will have been worth it.’

Since destiny had clearly decided I wouldn’t evade this, I resolved to embrace the moment.

Truthfully, I was deeply curious about what form their transformation would take.

I switched my mental state into a wildly positive gear—like a train running downhill with no brakes.
‘Life is fleeting! Let’s go!’

I rested my hand on Bini’s head and gradually began summoning the energy of the Beast Heart Art.

Shutting my eyes, I concentrated on guiding the energy, sensing Bini’s unique essence beneath my palm.

Bini’s energy felt cool, dark, and damp, reminiscent of moss thriving in a deeply shadowed valley.

It carried a black, moist quality… perhaps an umbral sensation?

By contrast, the energy of the Beast Heart Art was vibrant and lucid, a brilliant shade of green.

Guided by the technique Sister Seol had taught me, I envisioned Bini’s body as part of my own and started a slow, steady infusion of energy.

Initially, there was a mild resistance, not unlike what I had felt with Cheongwol, but as the connection between Bini and me held, our energies slowly began to merge.

Bini’s dark, damp aura and the vivid green energy of the Beast Heart Art wove together, coursing from the crown of her head down to the tip of her tail, circulating through her entire form.

However, as time dragged on, something unforeseen occurred.
‘!?’

Sister Seol had described this process as fairly swift and straightforward. But after a considerable amount of time had passed, it showed no sign of concluding.

I had anticipated the energy to reach a saturation point, yet it continued to pour in ceaselessly.

It wasn’t my internal Qi being expended, but rather something linked to my mental fortitude—it was being pulled from me without cessation.

Although it didn’t deplete my Qi reserves, I could feel a deep mental weariness setting in.
‘What’s happening? Did I err somewhere?’

A concerned thought emerged—perhaps I had done something incorrectly.

For a second, I felt a spike of panic, debating if I should try to cut the flow off by force. But even if I had wanted to, the energy kept streaming into Bini relentlessly, and my hand was locked firmly in place.
‘Hold on, this isn’t right!’

Just as the energy drain was pushing my mental exhaustion to the brink, my hand, still placed on Bini’s head, suddenly met a soft resistance and then broke free.

“Ugh, at last… Hah… hah…”
‘Damn, this is like arguing with trolls in a comments section for hours, typing out essays each time.’

Freed from Bini, I collapsed onto the ground.

Mentally, I felt as though I’d just weathered an endless siege of thousands of venomous online comments.

Cold sweat beaded on my forehead, making my vision swim.

And then—

A peculiar reaction started to manifest from Bini, who had coiled herself into a tight ball.
— Drrrrrrrr…

Her form quivered violently before falling still.

Then, the earth around her began to tremble.

And suddenly, I seemed to be getting smaller.

No, wait.

I wasn’t shrinking.

Bini was expanding.
— Buuuudddd!

“HOLY SH—”

Her body thickened.

Her legs elongated.

Her antennae stretched outward.

Bini continued to grow and grow—until, at last, she was as colossal as the mother centipede I had once envisioned in a dream.

Now measuring a full 12 meters long, her body had bloated to nearly three times its former size.

Before me stood a fully matured Bini.

A powerful wave of catharsis washed over me.

This was it.

This was the feeling.

The ultimate fantasy for any pet owner.

If your pet could acquire one special power, the first thing you would imagine is—
‘G-GIANTIFICATION!’

Yes! The most superb and fundamental ability was unquestionably enlargement!

If she became huge and could hug me, if I could ride upon her back, then—

It was a fantasy made real.

Gazing in awe at the fully giant Bini, I lost all self-control and dashed toward her.

“BINI, YOU GORGEOUS CREATURE!”

The severe mental exhaustion I had felt moments ago disappeared instantly.

It was like seeing a daughter blossom into a fully self-reliant adult.

A father’s heart couldn’t help but swell with pride at a time like this.

After all, this was Giantification.
‘How did she grow so much? Do spiritual beasts naturally require vast amounts of energy?’

Given that Cho, Bini, and Hyang all enhanced their power by absorbing energy, it stood to reason that Bini would expand so dramatically after receiving such a colossal infusion.

But that was a question for another time.

For now, I simply wanted to revel in pure elation.

I ran up to Bini to appreciate her new magnificence and threw my arms around her.

And then—

An astonished voice escaped from her mouth.
— Tssrrt! “What is this!? This is far too large!”

“Huh?”

Bini’s voice was full of utter confusion.

I couldn’t grasp why she was reacting this way—she had become so magnificent! But then, a series of fretful complaints poured from her, the same sounds she made when she was stuck to a wall and couldn’t get down.
— Tssrrt! Tssrrrrrr!

She was distressed, saying she wouldn’t be able to sleep beside me or even fit inside the outpost anymore.
— Tssrrt! “I wanted to become small, like Hyang!”

So, Hyang’s ability to shrink had become the ultimate goal for my daughters, had it?

Now it made sense—why they had been so desperate to try this. They were hoping to achieve a compact form like Hyang.
‘No, but being huge is amazing!’

For a solid half-hour, Bini fretted, lamenting that she wanted the transformation to reverse, until she finally managed to shrink back to her original size.
— Tssrrrt. “I am never doing that again!”

With that, Bini issued her grand proclamation that she would never again use Giantification.
‘Wait, what?! I gambled my future just to witness this!’

And yet, after all that, my daughter had utterly renounced it.

Worn out from her outburst, Bini fell asleep beneath the tree, curled up like a Blood-Soaked Greenwood Saber.

The moment I saw she was asleep, Cho abruptly shoved his head toward me.
— Tssrrrrr.

His desire was obvious—it was his turn.

I placed my hand on Cho’s head, but…

Perhaps it was because his nature differed from that of Sister Seol’s Blood-Soaked Greenwood Saber, or maybe my mental stamina was simply too depleted, but I lacked the strength to channel energy into him.

“Cho, I’m too exhausted. Your father is running on empty.”
— Tssrrt!?

At that moment, I felt like I’d just fought a one-against-eleven battle with internet trolls—there was no way I could muster any more mental strength.

“Cho, can we do this tomorrow? Your father is drained—I truly cannot do it today.”
— Tssrrt…

Perhaps because he was the eldest, Cho hesitated, then looked up at the sweat on my brow and nodded obediently.
‘Yes, that’s my firstborn. I really need to lie down for a while… This fatigue is no joke.’

“Cho, can you keep an eye on Bini? Your father needs to rest. I seriously need to lie down.”
— Tssrrt!
“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

As I was heading back to the outpost, burdened by weariness, Sister Seol emerged cautiously from within, moving carefully.

“Sister Seol!”
“Shh. Hyang is asleep.”
“O-oh, is that so?”

I peeked inside and saw Hyang coiled around Hwaon, fast asleep.

Perfect. I needed to speak with Sister Seol anyway, and with Hyang asleep, this was my opportunity.

“Sister Seol, let’s step over there for a moment…”
“Hm? Do you need to talk?”
“Yes.”

I was exhausted, but I wouldn’t get another chance like this.

Leading Sister Seol back to the training area, I spoke.
“Sister Seol, I attempted to infuse Bini with energy… and she grew enormous.”
“She grew?!”
“Yes.”
“What?! You should have shown me! Why did you do it without me there?!”

Sister Seol pouted, sulking because she hadn’t been there to see it for herself.

I quickly explained the entire situation.

Really, why did every female around me—human or otherwise—always become so sulky?
“Sister Seol, it wasn’t intentional! I almost died, you know? The children just—”

After I finished explaining, she still seemed a bit displeased, but she nodded in understanding.
“Fine. But you must show me next time, understand? A giant Bini? That sounds amazing!”
“Understood. But that’s not the crucial part.”

Even though Bini vowed never to do it again, with a little persuasion, I was fairly certain I could get her to demonstrate once more.

I gave a slight nod, then explained just how much energy I had expended—and how mentally drained I had become.
“You felt exhausted? And you used a huge amount of energy?”
“Yes, I believe I was channeling energy into her for at least fifteen minutes. Afterward, I was incredibly tired.”

Sister Seol’s eyes went wide.
“Truly?”
“Yes. I thought something had gone seriously wrong.”

She fell into deep thought, her eyes shifting between me and Cho.

And then, abruptly—

She smiled.
“Then this is wonderful news.”
“Huh? What?!”

Hearing that, I blinked, utterly perplexed.

What was so wonderful about this?

Before I could figure it out, Sister Seol continued.
“Think about it. You initially wanted to train your mind to withstand the mental fatigue of insults and curses, correct? But that failed because those things didn’t actually affect your mind.”
“Well, yes, that’s true.”

I had been raised in such a harsh environment that the insults here seemed like child’s play.

They were far too mild to have any real impact on me.
“But if infusing energy mentally exhausts you, you can use this for training!”
“Huh?!”

Sister Seol, are you a genius?!

I stared at her, my eyes wide with astonishment.

She laughed at my reaction and ruffled my hair as if praising a slow-witted child.
“Alright then. Let’s proceed with Cho next. Pushing past your limits when you’re already exhausted is how you become stronger.”

If I poured all my remaining mental strength into Cho, I might end up despising myself…

But if it resulted in my growth—and if I could gain a giant scorpion as a companion—then I was willing to become worthless.
‘No matter what!’
“I understand!”

Filled with fresh resolve, I turned to face Cho, who had been watching over Bini.
“Cho! Let’s begin!”