Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 449

Chapter 449
– Kyuki?
Ranghyang let out a surprised cry in reaction to my shout.
Without waiting for her, I sprinted straight for the gathering of lifeless ants.
The scene that greeted me was one of unusual disarray.
Now that I noticed, this hall was nothing like the ones we had passed through earlier—it soared to a height of at least twenty meters.
Until now, the inside of the tomb had been fairly orderly and preserved.
It hadn’t shown much decay; in fact, it was in surprisingly sound condition for its three centuries of age.
But here, the marks of time were undeniable. A great pillar had toppled from the center onto one of the walls, and surrounding it were countless ants, strewn about motionless.
They were bigger than I had imagined—closer to twenty centimeters in length, rather than fifteen.
‘My ants! How could this happen?!’
I had pictured shining blue ants from the name Azure Steel Immortal Ants—but their actual appearance was a bit unexpected.
They weren’t completely blue.
Their exoskeletons were black, but their eyes gleamed like sapphires, and their abdomens shone with a vivid azure light.
Ants with jewel-like blue eyes and glowing blue backs—creatures of stunning beauty, now lying dead all around.
“So-ryong, what’s the matter? Huh? Are those… Azure Steel Immortal Ants? Why have they all perished?”
“So-ryong, what’s happening? What is all this?”
“Young Hero So, what on earth…”
The rest of the group, who had been waiting by the entrance to the previous chamber, rushed over at my cry, now trying to make sense of the scene.
Sister Seol and Hwa-eun came to stand next to me, gazing at the deceased creatures in shock.
“What could have caused this?”
“Ryong-ah, why did they all die like this? How sad…”
“Hold on.”
I shifted my focus from their striking beauty and started examining their bodies to find out why they died.
There was no way such rare beings would just die all together without a reason.
My initial thought was the fallen pillar at the heart of the domed room.
Perhaps the ants were crushed in its collapse or hit by falling rubble. It seemed a likely explanation.
But that didn’t seem to be what happened.
I meticulously checked the bodies scattered around, but their outsides were largely unharmed.
Aside from their large pincers being a bit worn, their legs, abdomens, and heads were in perfect condition.
If the pillar had fallen on them, there should have been more visible damage—yet most showed no signs of injury.
There were no crushed remains, either.
‘So the pillar didn’t kill them. And it certainly wasn’t a predator, either…’
That meant they hadn’t fallen to another hostile spirit creature.
Even for those who love insects, ants are often seen as a starting point—but in the natural world, they are near the bottom of the food chain.
They are frequently hunted by other insects, so if these spirit ants had been preyed upon, their bodies wouldn’t be so whole.
Although we hadn’t encountered any instances yet—other than Moji and Soji—of one spirit beast consuming another, I had learned repeatedly that just because it hasn’t occurred doesn’t mean it can’t.
New spirit creatures always defied expectations.
But the untouched state of the bodies—no lost limbs, no indications of a fight—meant that wasn’t possible.
If these courageous ants had truly fallen in battle against a hunter, there would be evidence. Ants struggle fiercely until the end. Typically, that results in heads or limbs being ripped away.
‘So it’s not physical harm or predation. Then what…?’
“Do you have any thoughts?”
Sister Seol asked once more, her concern evident. I shook my head.
“Not really. It doesn’t look like the pillar killed them, or that they were taken by a predator. They’re too well-preserved.”
“Then what was it?”
“It doesn’t seem like parasites, either…”
If a parasitic insect had used them as hosts, there should be clues—emergence holes or splits.
But there was nothing of the sort. I rubbed my chin and went on.
“Well, one thing is certain: they didn’t die of old age, but I can’t pinpoint the exact cause.”
“They didn’t die naturally?”
“No.”
From the very beginning, the idea of a natural death hadn’t crossed my mind.
Ants don’t abandon their dead. They would never just leave corpses scattered like this.
Ants, particularly those dwelling underground in damp, dark environments, are highly alert to the danger of infection and have a natural drive to clear away corpses or sick members from the nest.
This practice is named necrophoresis—the disposal of the dead.
Living ants continuously produce compounds like dolichodial and iridomyrmecin to show their liveliness to those nearby.
But when an ant dies, those chemicals disappear, and in their place, death-announcing compounds are emitted. This prompts worker ants to swiftly remove the body.
I shared all this with Sister Seol and Hwa-eun.
“These ants—the Azure Steel Immortal Ants—would never abandon their dead like this. That means they must have all died at once. So, no, this wasn’t natural.”
“All of them died at the same time?”
“What?”
“Could it be an illness, then?”
“There are no symptoms of sickness, either…”
If they had been overcome by disease, their bodies would display some mark—blemishes, color changes, or sores. But there was nothing like that, either.
As I wrestled with doubt, Sister Seol offered another insight.
“Speaking of which… doesn’t that mean there isn’t a single ant left alive?”
“What?”
“Well, isn’t that true? These insects would never leave their dead behind. So if the bodies are still here, doesn’t that suggest there’s no one left living to carry them away?”
“Gyaaaah!”
The terrifying possibility hadn’t dawned on me until she voiced it—that none might have survived. I couldn’t stop a scream from escaping.
Because she was correct. If even a single ant was alive, it would have attempted to clear the bodies.
‘It can’t be!’
“Perhaps… maybe there’s still one alive—!”
I began desperately scouring the chamber again, searching for any hint of movement.
As I looked, another thought came to me.
There were no queen ants. No larvae, either.
‘Wait a minute… there’s no queen? No young?’
It might be reasonable not to see eggs—after all, it was winter. But the lack of a queen ant could only mean one thing.
This wasn’t where they lived.
If this wasn’t their nest, then there was still a chance—a small hope—that all was not lost.
At that moment.
From another part of the chamber we had entered, Ji-ryong’s voice called out.
“Young Hero So, I found an opening over here!”
“An opening!?”
Just as I had noticed the queen ant was missing, I hurried over to where Ji-ryong was.
I found him kneeling by one wall of the dome-like room we had come into.
“Over here.”
Ji-ryong indicated a section of the wall that resembled part of a sealed stone door.
There, at the bottom of the Azure Steel stone wall, was a tiny circular hole.
He had likely been exploring while I was occupied with the bodies and found this on his own.
“Excellent work!”
I commended Ji-ryong, then got down and looked inside—noticing one Azure Steel Immortal Ant, lifeless and fallen.
Its head was oriented inward, as if it had been looking further down the passage.
“Hyang!”
I retrieved the body and called out at once for Hyang, who had been holding onto Hwa-eun but now jumped down and scampered over to me.
Gazing up at me, she inquired,
– Tsrut? 『What is it, Dad?』
“Take a look inside this hole for me!”
At my urging, Hyang peeked into the hole and asked again.
– Tsrrrr. 『This one?』
“Yes! Can you see if any of those ants are still living in there?”
The hole was just large enough for Hyang to enter.
– Tsrur. 『Alright, Dad. I won’t be long.』
As Hyang started to crawl into the hole, I quickly caught her and added a caution.
“If there’s any danger, come back immediately, understand? And if the ants become aggressive, don’t engage them.”
– Tsrrrr. 『Understood, Dad.』
She gave a nod and disappeared into the passage.
I began to fret at once and started questioning her through our mental connection—but received a reprimand in return.
『Hyang, are you alright?』
– Tsrur. (Yes, I’m okay.)
“Everything’s fine, right?”
– Tsst. (Nothing’s wrong.)
“You’re sure it’s safe?”
– TSRR! (Dad! Stop worrying!)
“Ah, right… I’ll stop now.”
As I knelt by the hole, awaiting Hyang’s return, I could hear activity behind me—the sounds of the others tidying and examining the chamber to pass the time.
They were collecting the ant bodies and attempting to decipher the condition for passing through this chamber.
Our objectives had diverged—they had shifted their focus to locating the requirement for the next trial.
“Young Hero So appears to be occupied, so we should search around here and attempt to find the path ahead.”
“We should also relocate the Azure Steel Ants to a single area.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
While Hwa-eun and I waited quietly for Hyang, the rest began arranging the space and seeking clues to advance.
But even after clearing most of the area, no indication of the next gate’s condition emerged, and I began to hear confused remarks.
“That’s odd. There should be some writing from the master on this wall or that one. But we haven’t located anything.”
“True. Based on what we’ve seen so far, there should definitely be something.”
“Maybe the final three trials are intended to be unlike the others?”
“Is it possible there’s a completely different requirement?”
“Wait a second…”
Someone from the group talking nearby—Ji-ryong—seemed to remember something and dashed over to the fallen pillar.
Then, finding something on the side of the toppled column, he exclaimed with excitement.
“Here it is!”
Everyone «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» hurried over at his call.
Turning my head, I saw them all gathered around the face of the fallen pillar.
It seemed the inscription for the next gate had been etched into the side of the pillar.
After some coughing from dust being cleared, I heard my hyung’s voice read out:
“Welcome to the final three trials.
The last three trials will take place here at the same time.
Your capability has been verified. I will now impart one technique to you. Use it to unlock the door to my resting place.
If you can gain entry, my martial art, my blade, and the Air-Crystal Stone Milk will all belong to you.”
As he concluded, excited whispers spread through the group.
“A-Air-Crystal Stone Milk!?”
“It even includes Air-Crystal Stone Milk!?”
Everyone was abuzz at the mention of Air-Crystal Stone Milk.
I looked on in confusion, which led Hwa-eun to clarify.
“There are numerous spiritual elixirs in the world, but Air-Crystal Stone Milk is ranked among the most valuable. It’s described as a milky-white fluid that develops in the depths of caverns, and a single drop is said to take a century to form.”
“I see.”
“Since everyone is so thrilled, I suppose I’ll give half to you, Hwa-eun, and share the remainder with the others.”
If it was truly that priceless, giving half to Hwa-eun and distributing the rest felt just.
As for me—I already possessed the venoms of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts, so I had no need for more elixirs.
Hwa-eun’s cheeks flushed slightly.
“I will follow your lead, So-ryong.”
In the martial world, elixirs were treasures of great worth. Bestowing half was a testament of affection—and Hwa-eun likely sensed this, as she gently leaned closer and held my hand firmly.
‘Air-Crystal Stone Milk… I suppose in my previous life that would be comparable to Chanel No. 5?’
Thinking once more that no woman refuses a gift, that was when the voice I had been awaiting finally came back—Hyang’s urgent communication.
– TSRR! 『Dad! There’s an ant in here! It’s alive!』
‘Alive!?’
– Tsrrr. 『Yes! Its belly is really huge!』
‘That’s the one!’
If the belly was oversized, it had to be the queen ant!
It seemed the queen ant was still alive inside—and I was so overcome that I instinctively drew Hwa-eun into an embrace.
She muttered, slightly flustered,
“It isn’t even my birthday… What’s this about…?”
She must have been pleased by the sudden hug.
I whispered to her lightly,
“Well, who says wonderful things are reserved for birthdays?”
When a new spirit creature is found… isn’t that like a birthday?
Just not Hwa-eun’s.
Mine.