As soon as I laid eyes on the creature, an irrepressible cry burst from deep inside me — not unlike a desert spring suddenly gushing forth, or a volcanic eruption from the ocean floor.

It was almost reflexive.

‘Gyaaahhhh!’

But the creature looked pissed, so I could only cover my mouth and marvel internally.

‘No way. That’s definitely based on that one, isn’t it?’

The thing that suddenly appeared before us was a locust the size of a grown man’s forearm.

Its body shimmered in a mix of black and orange, and the texture of its wings resembled bark.

Between its black plating were vivid orange spots, and a crimson hump on its back practically shouted venomous, like it was proudly displaying a certification.

Just from its appearance, I could tell — this was a spirit beast. And a venomous one, at that.

One that, unmistakably, was based on an insect I knew well.

Which is exactly why I was overwhelmed — with awe, wonder, and sheer admiration.

‘A full-on Rainbow Milkweed Spirit Beast?!’

Rainbow Milkweed.

Sounds like something out of a children’s fairytale, but no — that’s the actual name.

Rainbow Milkweed Locust. Scientifically known as Phymateus saxosus.

A venomous locust from Madagascar.

Most people find the idea of a venomous locust bizarre.

After all, aren’t locusts supposed to be harmless?

But that’s just a misconception. The truth is, many locusts do carry toxins — it’s just a matter of degree.

“What do you mean, locusts have poison?” some might ask.

But anyone who’s ever caught one as a kid knows this: when you grab them, they spew out a black liquid from their mouth.

That black stuff is their poison.

It’s a self-defense mechanism. The substance smells and tastes awful — it contains digestive enzymes and chemical traces of the toxic plants the locust has eaten.

In the case of the Rainbow Milkweed Locust, that toxin is potent enough to kill a person.

And the reason is simple: milkweed.

The “milkweed” in its name refers to the Asclepias genus of plants — a group known for being highly toxic.

It’s the same reason monarch butterflies are poisonous. Their larvae feed on Asclepias, absorbing its toxins.

‘Right. Those plants contain cardiac glycosides.’

Sure, there are other neurotoxins involved, but the primary culprit is a class of toxins known as cardenolides — potent cardiac glycosides.

Ingest too much, and your heart starts contracting uncontrollably until it simply stops.

And then you cross over.

To where?

To the rainbow bridge.

‘Whoever named it... nailed it, honestly.’

Seriously, whoever came up with the name Rainbow Milkweed Locust deserves credit.

Touch it the wrong way, and you’re off to the rainbow bridge. It’s poetic and terrifying, no matter your cultural background.

Just as I was snapping out of my reverie, I noticed Hu-gae Makgok twitch — his knee shifted like he was about to leap away.

He must’ve been trying to use light-step technique to retreat.

Chrrrrrrr.

The locust’s wings hissed again — louder and sharper, brimming with irritation.

Hwa-eun and I shouted at the same time.

“Don’t move!”

“Stop right there, Hu-gae!”

We couldn’t understand the exact sound without the kids around, but we had the same gut feeling — do not make any sudden moves.

Having spent time with children, Hwa-eun probably picked up on it too.

Once Hu-gae froze, the locust’s wings rustled again.

Chrrr.

Looking closer, I realized what I thought had been flight noise was something else — the locust was rubbing its legs against its wings.

Insects like locusts have ridged legs that, when rubbed against the wing veins, produce sound. It’s how they communicate.

Which meant this spirit locust was trying to talk to us.

So we immediately signaled everyone to freeze.

“Everyone, stay perfectly still.”

We had clearly made a huge mistake.

The buried locusts... and this spirit beast appearing after we unearthed them...

‘Could it be a grave?’

We didn’t know who had buried the locusts, but if this spirit creature had done it, it all made sense.

Spirit beasts have intelligence on par with humans. Burying its dead kin would be perfectly reasonable.

So I addressed it in a cautious tone.

“Hey, um... I’m really sorry. Were you the one who buried these guys? This looks like a grave, doesn’t it? We didn’t realize — we’ll return them right away.”

Silence.

Then the spirit locust gave a small nod.

So it really had understood me. Of course — it was a spirit beast.

“You all heard that, right? Looks like this is a grave. Let’s return the cordyceps-infected ones.”

“Got it, So-ryong.”

“Yes, understood, mister.”

“Amitabha. If it is a grave, then even if it holds something precious, disturbing it would be sacrilege — even if it belongs to mere insects.”

“Tch... what a waste.”

Though disappointed, my companions began returning the locust corpses to the earth.

In my mind, I heard Hwa-eun’s voice.

『“It looks like that really is the Black-Wood Yellow Locust King, doesn’t it?”

“Most likely, yes.”』

I agreed with her assessment.

And with that realization, my heart — which had quieted from the initial surprise — began pounding again.

The Black-Wood Yellow Locust King.

One of the Twenty-Four Venomous Beasts of the Floral, Wood, Herb, and Fruit Categories, as recorded in the Secret Compendium of Venomous Creatures.

Said to be the ruler of all locusts.

‘The king of every locust under heaven, right? Damn. That’s crazy.’

If it was on par with Cheong-yu — the queen of all snakes — then of course my heart was racing.

『“They called it the king of all locusts, didn’t they?”

“Yes, Hwa-eun.”

“Then... are these the graves of its subjects?”

“That’s one way to see it, yeah.”』

Through our conversation, it became clear why the creature had been enraged.

If we had disturbed the graves of its people, then naturally, their king would be furious.

We’d need a translator, so I called out to Cho.

‘Cho, where are you right now?’

-Tsrrrt. 『Orange found big brother and is still searching with the others. Oh! I just spotted sister Yo-hwa.』

It sounded like she and Yeondu were still searching for the rest of the kids, but we needed proper communication — so I asked Cho to come here.

Before backing off, I wanted to talk with the spirit beast.

Why was it guarding this grave? And if it really was the Locust King, it might know the cause behind the recent locust outbreaks.

‘Let Yeondu handle the others. Can you come to me, sweetheart? A new spirit beast has appeared, and I can’t understand a word it’s saying.’

-Tsrrrt. 『Okay, Daddy. I’m coming.』

Just as I finished speaking to Cho, I heard a report from one of the men.

“So-ryong, we’ve reburied them all.”

“We’re done here, sir.”

I turned — the warriors were dusting off their hands, having finished the burial.

‘That was fast.’

Too fast, honestly. I figured we’d have to retreat and return later with Cho.

So I turned back to the spirit beast.

“We’ve returned the corpses to the earth. Is it alright if we leave now?”

The Locust King looked around carefully, inspecting the area — perhaps to confirm that we hadn’t missed anything.

Just as it seemed about to nod in approval...

Its head snapped around — staring straight at the guide.

Chrrrrr!

That sharp wing-rustling again — louder this time, agitated.

The guide flinched under the weight of that sound.

‘What now?’

We’d restored the graves, hadn’t we? Why did the Locust King seem angry again? Why was the guide acting so nervous?

Just as I tilted my head, the Locust King sprang forward.

Chrrrrrrrrrrr!

It spread its wings and launched straight into the guide’s chest.

The speed was so tremendous, not a single one of us could react in time.

Not even the guide.

Thwack!

“Guh!”

The guide was slammed to the ground, and the Locust King landed on him, tearing open the front of his robe with its sharp forelegs.

Riiiip!

The robe shredded instantly under its claws.

And from inside...

Several cordyceps-infected locusts tumbled out.

“What the—?!”

That was the moment.

Cho’s shriek exploded in my mind like lightning.

-Tsrrrt! 『Daddy! Mommy! Auntie! Get away!』

“Everyone, get back!”

“Back away!”

Just as Hwa-eun and I shouted out the warning, the Locust King let out a furious cry.

A yellow mist surged up from its body like a wave.

Fwoooosh!

In an instant, the entire area was blanketed in golden fog.

***

“Oh gods, I’m gonna die!”

Hu-gae was sprinting toward the riverbank, the guide slung over his back and screaming like he really was dying.

The poor man had been poisoned by the Locust King.

“You brainless idiot! All that for some stolen cordyceps?!”

“S-sorry! Aghhh...”

They reached the river in no time.

Without hesitating, Hu-gae dunked the guide straight into the water.

Splash!

Then he jumped in after him.

He was sealing his own blood vessels with internal energy and trying to wash off the poison first.

“What about the others?” I asked, watching the two of them thrashing around in the water.

I needed to make sure no one else had come in contact with that yellow mist.

“We backed off quickly — we’re fine.”

“Yeah, So-ryong. Your and Hwa-eun’s warning gave us enough time.”

“And your sister?”

“I’m alright too, So-ryong.”

“I was the furthest inside, and I’m fine — so unless someone was closer than me, everyone should be okay. Well... except for Hu-gae, who carried that guy out.”

Since Hwa-eun and I had retreated right away, and Seol had been close to us, she wasn’t in a dangerous spot either.

The wind had been at our backs, and the one in real danger — aside from the Locust King and the guide — was Gung-bong, who had been closest. But his light-step technique had likely saved him.

After checking on the group, I turned to Hu-gae, who was just dragging himself out of the river after exposing himself to the mist to carry his subordinate.

“Hu-gae, are you alright?”

Hu-gae tossed the soaked guide onto the bank and gasped.

“I’ll live. But let’s deal with him first.”

“Understood.”

Hwa-eun and I approached to examine the toxin. We had to identify the poison before trying any treatment.

“It’s going to hurt. Brace yourself.”

Hwa-eun’s face was grim as she pulled out a large acupuncture needle from somewhere.

“Am I going to die?” the guide whimpered.

“Well... we need to find out what kind of poison it is first.”

“Aghhh...”

“If you didn’t want to die, maybe you shouldn’t have stolen the damn things! You call yourself a man?!”

The guide started sobbing, which only made Hu-gae snap harder.

He looked furious — his own subordinate had snuck off to pocket cordyceps and ended up like this. It was humiliating and infuriating all at once.

“Enough. What’s done is done — he’s still a patient.”

“If thieving suits you so much, why not beg Swift Walker to take you as a disciple? Why stay a damn beggar?!”

“Let it go.”

Only when Master Jaheo stepped in did Hu-gae finally calm himself.

Meanwhile, Hwa-eun had begun poking around the guide’s body with her needles. Then a puzzled sound slipped from her lips.

“Hm?”

“What is it, Hwa-eun?”

I asked, watching her dip another needle into her medicine pouch and pull it out again with a bewildered expression.

“This... isn’t poison.”

“It’s not?”

“No. There’s no toxicity at all.”

The guide, who had been groaning like he was on death’s door, began patting himself down.

After a second, he blinked in disbelief.

“W-wait... huh? I’m fine? I don’t hurt anywhere?”

“You bastard! I carried you all the way here while you screamed like you were dying!”

Hu-gae’s face twisted with fresh rage.

He had run full speed ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ with this guy on his back.

His hands started trembling in fury.

At that moment, Orange appeared, dragging over a hefty tree branch — big enough to serve as a club. He silently handed it to Hu-gae and gave him a nod.

Skrrk.

Hu-gae returned the nod.

And with that silent exchange between men, the beating commenced.

Whack!

“Gyaahhh! P-please! Have mercy!”

***

That evening, we camped by the river and had a quick dinner.

The Locust King had vanished amid the chaos. Since the sun was already setting, we decided to camp there and resume the search come morning.

Crackle, crackle.

The campfire crackled quietly while everyone was resting in the tent Yo-hwa had pitched for us.

Rustle, scrape, scrape.

Somewhere between the fire’s crackles, I heard an odd noise.

It woke me up before I even knew it.

‘What the hell is that?’

Was someone practicing martial arts in the middle of the night?

I grumbled to myself, wondering why someone would rather train than sleep, and curled a bit closer to where Hwa-eun was lying.

Then I heard Cho’s voice in my mind.

-Tsrrrt. 『Daddy, that guy’s weird. He’s eating dirt.』

‘What?’

I rubbed my eyes and glanced around.

Cho’s head was poking out from under the tent flap — the other kids were gathered with her, watching something outside.

I leaned over and looked in the direction Cho was pointing.

‘What is it, Cho?’

-Tsrrrt. 『Over there.』

Under the moonlight, the guide was digging at the ground with his bare hands.

‘What the hell is this now?’

Something about it was eerie — him, digging in silence, half-buried in shadow.

I got up and cautiously approached.

“E-excuse me... what are you doing?”

“Rrrrrrr...”

Snoring.

‘Are you kidding me? Is he sleepwalking? Of course. Why not?’

Apparently, the guy had somnambulism. I sighed.

I’d heard it was hard to wake sleepwalkers, but I couldn’t just leave him out here like this.

So I gave him a few shakes.

After several tries, he finally stirred.

“Huh? Master So-ryong? What the...? What’s going on? Wait—my body!?”

He woke quickly enough, but as soon as he realized what was happening, his voice turned frantic — and then, he screamed.

“S-So-ryong! Help me! M-my body’s moving on its own!”