A black body with a red hue in a smooth gradient.

Its shiny shell had countless segments spaced at regular intervals, and the creature’s most distinct feature — its numerous legs — were neatly aligned along each segment.

And finally, the last charming point — the many-jointed antennae.

That little guy was holding onto a cabbage adorably with its front legs, diligently munching away.

-Crunch. Crunch.

Millipedes usually eat decaying plants, but fresh cabbage?!

Is it truly a spiritual beast?

I stared blankly at its eating show.

‘S-So cute!’

It was while I was dumbly gazing at the little guy as if entranced.

Hwa-eun’s voice echoed in my head.

『"So-ryong, could it be the Red Cloud Black Millipede from the Twenty-Four Poisonous Extremities, Cloud-Rain-Snow-Hail Division?"? I’m not entirely sure since the size and color are slightly different, but what do you think?"』

Is Hwa-eun really a T?

Why does she always have to ruin my emotional moments by throwing objective facts at me?

Can’t she just let me savor it a little longer? Why always intrude right at that timing?

Reluctantly breaking away from my lingering feelings, I had to answer her.

‘Well, what can I do? She’s my woman. They say differences make relationships last.’

『"I was thinking the same thing just now."』

Yeah, I remembered seeing it in the Secret Compendium of Venomous Creatures under the Unu Seolbak section.

Though, the outward appearance was a little different.

In the Compendium, it was described as completely red.

And its size was said to be about as thick as a human leg.

But size could be explained if the one Hwa-eun’s ancestor saw wasn’t fully grown.

Likewise, maybe the color also shifted — it was red when immature and turned this gradient as it matured.

The Secret Compendium wasn’t exactly a lifetime observation diary but more like notes taken after following the creature for a few days upon discovery. So not every stage of the venomous creatures’ lives was recorded.

Among venomous beasts, many look different depending on whether they are mature or not, and not all of that is documented.

I tried recalling the details written about it.

Red Cloud Black Millipede.

It meant the Black Millipede that Summons Red Clouds, and it was said to release poisonous red clouds.

Wasn’t it said that those who were poisoned would turn red and die?

It was extremely venomous, but the reason it hadn’t ranked among the Top Ten Venomous Beasts was because it was slow.

While I was recalling this information, I heard Hyang-i’s voice, who was coiled around me.

『-Tsururur. (Hey, Daddy, it’s shining.)』

"It’s shining?"

"It’s shining, Hyang-i?"

-Tsurut. (Yes, Daddy. It’s not as bright as Mom or Sister Cheongwol, but it’s glowing. A blue light.)

-Tsurur. (That's right. It's glowing.)

Cho chimed in, backing up Hyang-i’s words.

Hearing that, I recalled that some millipedes glow under the dark.

‘Ah! That’s right. Some millipedes do fluoresce in the dark.’

Certain millipede species fluoresce in darkness.

Not all, but quite a few do, and at that moment, as the little guy was eating cabbage, I heard the pseudo-monk’s voice.

"Sorry I haven’t been able to visit often lately."

-Kyuki.

‘Hmm. Is that guy raising him?’

The monk’s gentle voice made me wonder if he was a kindred spirit, but then he continued.

"I came today not for any other reason but because... I think we need to move again with the children..."

-Tuk. Tutuk.

At his words, the millipede dropped the cabbage it was holding.

It looked startled, and indeed, a flustered cry followed.

-Kyu, Kyukit? Kyu, Kyukyu...

"What now? Don’t want to do it again? Isn’t there ever a time you just do what you’re told? Didn’t I explain already? I need money too, to buy this cabbage I sometimes bring, and to eat and live. And to get money, you have to work."

-Kyuki. Kyukyu...

Hearing the monk’s words, the millipede picked up the cabbage again and handed it to him.

Quietly, I asked Hyang-i in my heart.

『"Hyang-i, what’s that Millipede saying?"』

At first, I thought it was simply a kind relationship where he was taking care of it, but hearing more, it started feeling like he was exploiting it.

The thought that bastard was making money off it and wasting it all in girus, only coming once a month to throw some cabbages, was growing stronger.

I couldn’t tell exactly what kind of ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) creature it was yet, but if the monk was using something like a queen Millipede, then many possibilities came to mind.

It could have turned bad under the monk’s influence, or it could be a naive creature that didn’t even realize what it was doing was wrong.

But judging from the situation, it seemed more like heavy gaslighting.

Hyang-i, feeling somewhat angry, sent me a response.

『-Tsururur. Tsurut. Tsururur. (Didn’t he say last time it would be the last? This time too, many children died... I hate it. I don't even need to eat a hundred bodies anymore, just please. That’s what it said!)』

"Wha!?"

"That’s what it said!?"

At Hyang-i’s answer, both Hwa-eun and I were shocked.

Though Hyang-i’s heart was filled with anger, she was mimicking the millipede’s desperate pleading voice.

It really did seem like gaslighting.

And quite severe at that.

"If it's about the Millipedes again, Millipedes are creatures meant to be eaten by birds and trampled underfoot anyway... Why do you care about fate?"

At those words, even the divine beasts in our group chat burst out in anger.

『-Tsururur! (Feels like a really bad guy, Daddy.)』

-Shia! Shiiiii. (So-ryong, that guy doesn’t sound like a good person! It’s like saying he doesn’t care if the snakes I summon die!)

-Biii! Bab! Baap bab!

Especially Cheongyu, who summoned snakes, was furious.

She summoned snakes to protect and obey her, so that monk’s words hit a nerve — like saying it was fine if her snakes died.

"If you keep acting like this, it’ll be hard to stay friends! Didn’t we agree to be friends? How can we be friends if you keep refusing to do what I ask?

Who else would be friends with a smelly thing like you if not me?

If I leave, you’ll have to go back to living in the forest, being chased by humans — you know that, right?"

-Kyu... Kyuki...

After their conversation ended, Hyang-i’s translated whisper stabbed into my brain, breaking my calm.

『-Tsururut (Ah, fine... Please... Just not that again...)』

To gaslight a pure spirit beast and hurt it so deeply!

Furious, I stepped out from behind the grave I was hiding behind.

And, approaching the dejected creature, I shouted with a voice burning with anger.

"Hey! If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to! No, you shouldn't be doing that at all! And someone who makes you do bad things isn’t your friend!"

The millipede’s antennae stood up stiffly, and the monk's eyes widened as he stared at me from the darkness.

***

"Who— who the hell are you!? Huh? A kid? This brat dares to scare a grown man!?"

The monk, startled by my sudden appearance, shouted once he realized I was alone.

I shouted back at him.

"I am the son of the Beast Palace sent by Shaolin, and son-in-law of the Tang Clan, who came to capture you for tricking a pure spirit beast into hurting villagers and extorting money! I am none other than So-ryong, the Venomous Creature Papa of the World!"

At that, the monk blinked and said,

"Papa what? What kind of nickname is that? Ah, no, wait— Shaolin!?"

‘This bastard! How dare he mock my nickname!’

On top of gaslighting a spirit beast, now he was mocking my title.

As my anger stacked another level, Kwon-ryong, Geom-ryong hyung, and Hwa-eun arrived at the clearing after me.

"So-ryong, what are you doing running off without saying anything?"

"Yeah, Ryong-ah. At least tell us first before you move."

"A-ah, s-sorry. I just got so mad..."

"We came to capture you at Shaolin’s request. So come quietly!"

Hearing the name Shaolin and seeing the others arrive, the monk panicked.

He quickly shouted at the millipede beside him.

"I was only trying to make money for you! Hurry, stop them! What are you doing!? If they capture me, we’ll never see each other again!"

-Kyu, Kyukit!?

At his words, the millipede looked at me with a shocked expression.

"No. You’re being tricked by that—"

Judging from the way its antennae twitched nervously, it was hesitating.

I tried to explain that it was being deceived, but the millipede scurried forward in front of the monk and emitted a cloud of red mist.

It seemed it hadn’t fully broken free from the gaslighting yet.

They must have spent a lot of time together. Of course, it would still trust the pseudo-monk more than a stranger like me.

Facing the incoming red mist, I shouted to the others.

That mist was extremely dangerous.

"Everyone, don’t breathe it in! Even a little could cause suffocation!"

"Suffocation!?"

"S-suffocation!?"

At my warning, Hwa-eun asked in a startled voice, and the others quickly retreated.

Their expressions seemed to ask how I figured it out, but it was simple.

From the red mist it emitted and the fact that the millipede was glowing fluorescently.

Some millipedes release highly toxic substances along with a foul odor.

And the way to tell whether a millipede carries such deadly poison is by checking if it glows under darkness and if the substance it emits turns surroundings red.

Among millipedes, the African giant millipede, which emits red fluid, is one such example.

"Yes! Move back!"

Now, what exactly was the poison this millipede carried?

It was cyanide.

Known by many names — potassium cyanide, cyanogen potassium, and so on.

In short: cyanide.

An incredibly deadly substance with a lethal dose between 50 to 200 milligrams.

And that's what it carried.

Hence the risk of suffocation.

Cyanide, notorious for being used in murders, often pops up in the news.

People assume cyanide kills because it’s potent poison — but the real cause is different.

Cyanide blocks cellular respiration. When poisoned, the cyanide bonds to the electron transport enzymes in cells instead of oxygen.

Thus, the cells can't breathe and suffocate.

It’s a powerful cellular respiration inhibitor.

This is why victims of cyanide poisoning often first flush red and then turn completely blue before dying.

"What kind of poison is it?"

"It’s the kind found in seeds of fruits like peaches, apples, apricots, and pears."

You must have heard warnings about not eating apple seeds — that’s because they contain cyanide.

"Ah! I know what you mean!"

Upon hearing my explanation about cyanide in nature, Hwa-eun nodded.

As expected of a direct descendant of the Sichuan Tang Clan — she knew her poisons.

As we were exchanging words and retreating—

-Rustle rustle rustle.

The sound of grass being trampled. The monk had started running away.

Looking at the escaping figure, I said to the millipede,

"He's running away, leaving you behind."

-Kyuki!?

The millipede, flustered, glanced back but quickly turned back to me with a tense expression.

I asked it,

"Are you saying you’re still going to block me?"

-Kyu, Kyuki!

Its antennae trembled as it answered, but drooped the moment I continued.

"You say you'd risk your life to block me for your 'friend,' but that 'friend' just abandoned you and ran away."

The millipede froze, utterly devastated by the realization that the monk had abandoned it.

While it was trapped in disappointment, the kids who had followed Hwa-eun gathered behind me one by one.

Seeing that, the millipede’s drooping antennae slowly lifted, and once all the kids were in place, they stiffened upright in shock.

Perfect timing.

I spoke to Cho in my heart with a furious voice, and smiled warmly at the millipede, speaking gently.

『'Cho, go catch that bastard.'』

-Tsururur! (Got it, Dad!)

"We never abandon our friends. Would you like to be friends with us?"

-Kyu... Ki?

The millipede's antennae and body began trembling violently.