He shuddered at the realization that the Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly could induce illusions not only on its own body but also on the surroundings covered in its scales—and by the time he came to his senses,

The area had turned eerily quiet and still.

‘Ah, I’m the only one awake right now, aren’t I?’

Because the butterfly’s scales had put all living creatures in the area—humans, animals, insects alike—into a deep sleep, the village had turned into a completely silent place.

I was the only person still conscious in this entire village.

On top of that, the village—once stained red by the butterfly’s scales and bathed in moonlight, creating a dreamlike atmosphere—had returned to its original, untouched appearance.

As if the vision I’d just seen was all an illusion.

‘This is really fascinating.’

To think it could extend its ability to project a different appearance not just to itself, but to its surroundings as well, just like Yoha.

Once again impressed, I brushed the nearby wall.

And when I did it consciously, I could feel the soft texture of the butterfly’s scales.

They weren’t visible, and they didn’t stick to my hand, but I could feel the fine powder on my fingertips.

But the moment I let my mind wander even slightly, I couldn’t feel the scales at all—something I found deeply curious.

‘You can definitely feel it if you focus... this is amazing. It’s like your awareness is dulled somehow.’

Then, looking at the village that had reverted to its normal state, I realized something.

The butterfly’s scales were probably originally red in color.

The butterfly itself, seen under the moonlight, had been red, and so were the scales it scattered, as red as blood.

But the fact that the village wasn’t visibly covered in red powder meant that the Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly was deliberately projecting the image of a normal, undisturbed village.

Which meant that even though the butterfly had seemed to flee, there was a high chance it hadn’t actually left and was still nearby.

I didn’t know how wide the range of its powers was, but I doubted it could maintain such a special ability from far away.

‘Is it more cautious or timid than I expected?’

At least we had exchanged a brief, awkward greeting during our first encounter.

As I was thinking about how to win it over—recalling what I’d learned so far about its abilities and habits—Hwa-eun’s voice echoed in my mind.

『So-ryong, sorry. I was explaining things about you to Lady Cheongyu and got cut off for a moment. So-ryong? Why are you so quiet? So-ryong?』

Come to think of it, I had told them earlier that I wasn’t going to do anything aggressive and just intended to say hello... then left the conversation hanging.

They must have had some exchange while I was gone.

‘What did she say about me, I wonder?’

Curious about what had been said, I replied to Hwa-eun’s question.

『Ah, I just went to say hello to the Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly.』

『Already?』

–Shia!? (A-Already!?)

Two waves of startled emotions hit me at once.

They clearly hadn’t expected me to have introduced myself already, and I scratched my head sheepishly as I answered.

『Yes, like I said before, I just gave a little greeting.』

『It wasn’t hostile?』

–Sii? (It didn’t attack?)

『It just seemed timid and ran away.』

As I replied with a touch of disappointment, Lady Cheongyu asked a follow-up.

–Shiaaa? (And the hallucinations? Are you okay? Did you see anything strange?)

She was probably worried I might be trapped in an illusion, so I started explaining what I had figured out.

『I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. It’s not a poison-induced hallucination, but more like a projected illusion?』

『What do you mean by that?』

『How do I explain this... Ah! Butterflies have something called “scales”—fine powder that falls from their bodies. That powder seems to function kind of like Yoha’s ability to change appearance.

Except it’s not limited to its body—it can transform everything that the powder touches. The village turned into autumn, and then into winter, just like that.』

When I explained that it could project different appearances onto the environment using its scales, just like Yoha could change into Hwa-eun, both of them were surprised.

–Shiaaa. (So it’s not poison—it shows illusions using its scales.)

『That’s amazing, So-ryong.』

To the two amazed minds, I continued explaining.

『Yeah, and it doesn’t just feed on Qi like the other spirit beasts—it seems to drink blood too.』

『Blood?』

–Shiaaa? (It drinks blood?)

『Then... isn’t it a harmful spirit creature?』

Hwa-eun asked with concern, but if that were the standard, then every butterfly in the world would be a pest.

Because most butterflies in the world drink blood.

『Harmful? Not really. Other butterflies drink blood too.』

『Wait—other butterflies drink blood?』

『Yeah. Like, after it rains...』

It might sound unbelievable, but butterflies really do drink blood.

Their main diet is the nectar from flowers, but that’s not all they consume.

Unlike bees, butterflies also need proteins and amino acids—and sodium—so they get those nutrients from other sources.

You’ve probably seen butterflies gathered around puddles that form after it rains.

People with keen observation might notice that they’re not just sitting there—they’re actually drinking the water.

People unfamiliar with this behavior might think the butterflies are just thirsty, but in reality, they’re absorbing amino acids and sodium.

They filter out only the nutrients they need from the water, and then excrete the rest immediately.

Biologists call this behavior "mud-puddling."

Because they often gather around muddy puddles.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

This behavior—especially observed in male butterflies—doesn’t just stop at puddles. It’s been seen around blood, animal carcasses, mud, even animal droppings.

They’ll even draw liquid from the sweat of passersby or the tears of animals. Blood, in particular, is one of their favorites because it contains protein and various minerals.

『‘...So it’s not really anything out of the ordinary.’』

–Shiaaa. (I had no idea. Butterflies drink blood?)

『Right? Like So-ryong said, I’ve sometimes seen them sitting around puddles after it rains, but this is amazing, So-ryong.

But if they’re drinking things mixed into mud or blood, why do they eat that stuff?』

–Shia. (Yeah. I’m curious about that too.)』

Since it was difficult to explain it as “nutrients,” I’d told them butterflies take in useful substances mixed in water—so now Hwa-eun and Lady Cheongyu were asking why.

And answering curious students like them was always fun, so I smiled as I explained.

『‘Male butterflies transfer a gift during mating. At that time, they inject into the female’s body what they’ve absorbed—so the future offspring can feed on it and grow strong.

That’s why they consume those nutrients in advance.’』

Most butterflies that do mud-puddling are males, and as I explained to Hwa-eun, they inject the minerals and amino acids they’ve gathered into the female during mating.

This helps the eggs develop inside the female’s body.

As I explained this, I heard flustered voices in my mind.

『M-M-M-M-Mating...』

–Si, Siat... (A... A gift...)

Suddenly, I felt a wave of heat rise in their minds.

‘Oops.’

I’d gotten too excited and forgot that Hwa-eun had zero tolerance for this kind of thing.

And apparently, Lady Cheongyu wasn’t any more immune to it.

But honestly, it wasn’t even about people—it was just butterflies, right?

I pretended to be unfazed and continued talking.

After all, even our creatures might bear offspring someday—they’d need to be prepared.

『‘Yes, it’s a very important act for raising the next generation.’』

Trying to act composed as well, Hwa-eun stammered out a reply.

『‘So-so it’s like... passing on inner energy... for the sake of the next generation.’』

『Ah, I guess you could see it that way.』

–Shia. I-It’s a kind of External Qi Transmission, then.

After a brief awkward silence, Hwa-eun asked me,

『‘Then do you think the Blood-Blossom ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Dream Illusion Butterfly is male?’』

『Like most butterflies, it could be, but I’m not certain.』

It was tempting to assume it was male because it drank blood, but I couldn’t be sure.

Because now that I had some experience with this, I was beginning to understand why so many of our spirit beasts, including our own creatures, were female.

And the reason wasn’t complicated.

Spirit beasts were so rare there were only a few in all of the Central Plains.

But nearly all the ones I encountered were female?

That seemed too skewed to be mere coincidence—even for someone as lucky as I was.

It had to be for a reason.

Think about it—there are barely any spirit beasts in this vast land. And whenever rumors of one spread, martial artists immediately start hunting for them like trappers, trying to get their Neidan.

So it was only natural to come to this conclusion:

For spirit beasts to form pairs on their own was practically impossible.

They’re so rare across this huge land, and on top of that, hunters are everywhere.

In a place this vast, it’s hard enough for males and females to find each other. And when you factor in that they take hundreds of years to mature, plus the constant danger from humans...

Natural reproduction was nearly impossible.

So unless it’s a special twin-type species or a unique case like Seol and Bing, most offspring had to be female just to ensure the species could continue.

Some species can even reproduce through parthenogenesis if no males are around.

So while I couldn’t say for sure whether the butterfly’s mineral intake was for mating or just normal feeding, I couldn’t make any assumptions.

‘I hope it’s female, though.’

Of course I hoped it was female—maybe it could even reproduce asexually.

I was already thinking about how I’d love to raise its young, when Hwa-eun’s voice came again.

『‘But So-ryong, even if drinking blood isn’t a big deal for butterflies, and you say it’s not a harmful spirit beast—right now it’s still hurting people, isn’t it?

If word spreads, it might get exterminated, so we should either catch it or send it somewhere people don’t go.’』

Right. Even if drinking blood wasn’t that unusual...

This one was currently feeding on human blood and putting people to sleep.

Just like Hwa-eun said, I needed to catch it and settle things quickly.

‘Whether we become friends or send it away... no, if I send it somewhere else, bad people might find it and do terrible things. I have to befriend it. That’s the only way.’

Resolved, I nodded firmly and replied to Hwa-eun.

『‘Yes. I definitely need to capture it as soon as possible—or rather, make it my friend.’』

『Should I bring Yoha, then? Isn’t a spider the perfect thing to catch a butterfly?』

Hwa-eun suggested bringing Yoha.

If this were a normal butterfly, or some passing creature, I might’ve agreed.

But this place was basically the butterfly’s nest now.

Its scales were scattered everywhere. No matter what creature I brought here, it wouldn’t help.

Because to catch it, I’d need to lie in wait—which meant covering myself in its invisible scales. And anyone covered in those would fall asleep.

Since Hyang—a fellow arthropod—was already asleep, Cho, Bini, Yoha, Cheongwol, and others of the same class would also be knocked out.

Even reptiles like Cheongyu, like Seol and Bing, had fallen asleep—so she would too.

『‘This is practically its nest right now. To catch it, I need to stay awake through the night. But the moment anyone enters this village, they’ll fall asleep. So I don’t think bringing Yoha would help.’』

『Ah... then what do we do?』

Hwa-eun was asking what to do—but really, what else was there?

This spicy Fabre would just have to do it alone, without anyone’s help.

I had to capture a giant butterfly that could blend into its surroundings and create illusions—on my own, without help from any other spirit beasts.

‘What do I do? The son-in-law of the Sacheon Tang Clan, Wei Su Long, catches it himself.’

The 1-on-1 between this spicy Fabre and the spirit butterfly was about to heat up.