—Shia. 『So-ryong, are you back? Could you tell me what happened today?』

Just as I finished talking with the village chief and reached for my curry again, a voice rang out.

It was Cheong-yu Sojeo’s voice.

‘Can’t I just eat in peace...?’

What kind of torture was this—being forced to pause while eating one of my favorite dishes?

Still, since it was Cheong-yu Sojeo asking, I figured I’d reply while grabbing bites in between.

I’d already shared what happened at the temple with the others the moment we arrived, but Cheong-yu Sojeo must have missed it since she’d been swapped out by the Golden Crown Snake King version of Cheong-yu.

She had been asleep, after all.

“Ah, right. I should tell you about today’s scouting. First off—we found the Five Venoms Clan.”

—Shiaa. 『That’s a relief! You found them quicker than I expected!』

Cheong-yu Sojeo sounded genuinely happy, her tone brightening as I mentioned the Five Venoms.

Her questions followed right after.

—Siiiit. 『So, what were they wearing? If you know what the Five Venoms are dressed like, we can figure out what unit they belong to and what martial arts they’re likely to use.』

I had thought their outfits were just an expression of arrogance, but apparently, they signified affiliation.

I decided to share the details I’d noticed.

Turns out, you can glean quite a bit just from the clothes they wear.

“They were wearing black robes with the Five Venoms insignia on the back.”

—Siii. 『Wearing that in the open? That’s strange. Those are usually worn by the internal alchemists and poison crafters. Ah... were they involved in making locusts? Did you find anything else?』

She seemed a bit let down. Apparently, clothes alone weren’t enough.

As I tried to recall more from today’s scouting, something popped into my head—the conversation between the warriors while they were helping their wounded comrade.

When they were carrying the guy who got something in his eye, I overheard:

“J-just hold on! Let’s stop by the pond first and show the wound to the commander of the Black Snake Unit. He’s a master of snake venom—it’ll be fine in no time.”

That comment about the commander of the Black Snake Unit stood out now.

“I actually got pretty close to some Five Venoms warriors today. I was going to ignore them, but they were strutting around doing shady stuff in broad daylight... I couldn't just let that slide.”

—Siiit? 『Wait, what do you mean you didn’t let it slide? What did you do? What if they ran off? What if it heightened their alert levels?』

“Oh, don’t worry. I hid inside a sphere made of Sister Jeokwol’s powder and poisoned one of them using the Spectacled Viper’s venom.”

—Siiiii... 『Oh... thank goodness. You startled me, So-ryong.』

Cheong-yu Sojeo visibly relaxed, her forked tongue flicking out briefly before disappearing again. It was oddly cute, and I smiled before continuing.

“Heh. As if I’d be careless enough to get caught. Anyway, the ones retreating said they were going to show the wounded guy to the Black Snake Commander.”

—Shiaa? 『The Black Snake Commander?』

Cheong-yu Sojeo frowned at the mention, then added with concern:

—Siiit. 『Mmm. We’ll need to be extra cautious now.』

“Why? Is he dangerous?”

I asked, wondering if he was stronger than I’d thought. Cheong-yu Sojeo shook her head as she replied.

—Siiit. 『Yes, he’s strong. But more importantly, there might be others with him. Assume there are at least two formidable fighters involved.』

I nodded. That checked out—every unit commander in the Five Venoms Clan I’d run into had been a serious threat. If there were more like that, caution was definitely warranted.

Her voice continued:

—Shiaa. 『And they’re particularly dangerous for me, Yeondu, and Orange.』

“For all three of you?”

I tilted my head in confusion as she nodded gravely.

It seemed odd. Cheong-yu Sojeo, Yeondu, and Orange were all spirit beasts. Type matchups usually only mattered between opponents of the same class. When there’s a big gap in scale, elemental weaknesses don’t mean squat.

It’s like fantasy games—fire is weak to water, sure. But if you drizzle rain over a bubbling magma flow, does the magma even notice?

That’s how elemental affinities work—meaningful only at similar power levels.

Even if this commander was powerful, Cheong-yu Sojeo and the others were in a different league.

So why the concern?

Noticing my puzzled expression, Cheong-yu Sojeo elaborated.

—Siiiii. 『The Five Venoms have multiple elite units, but their strongest forces are five special divisions named after the clan’s emblematic venomous beasts. The Scorpion Unit, the Toad Unit, the Black Snake Unit, the Centipede Unit, and the Gecko Unit.』

I didn’t recognize Mukheoldae or Byeokhodae, but the rest rang a bell.

Seomseodae—those giant toad-like beasts—had survived being drenched in Cho’s poison when I escaped the Five Venoms headquarters.

And Ogongdae—that brute I fought during the bedbug incident.

I hadn’t directly fought the toads, so I couldn’t gauge them precisely, but that centipede squad’s commander? That guy was strong.

—Shia. 『They’re all trained in the Five Venom Techniques, but their true purpose isn’t just combat.』

“A different purpose?”

—Sii. 『Yes. Their real mission is to hunt down the Five Spirit Beasts.』

‘So that’s why they’re so good at countering venomous creatures...’

No wonder the Seomseodae guys were immune to Cho’s venom.

And now it made sense why Cheong-yu Sojeo said they weren’t a good match.

“Oh, wait, does that mean...?”

—Shiai. 『Yes. That Black Snake Commander is considered the best snake hunter in all of the Central Plains. He was the one who accompanied the squad sent after the Golden Crown Snake King version of me. That’s why I said we don’t match well.』

So basically, that guy was once Central Plains’ top snake catcher.

The thought annoyed me.

‘Tsk... poor Cheong-yu Sojeo.’

Why? Because if that guy was the top snake wrangler back then, well...

‘That was before I showed up.’

I mean, now that I’ve unlocked the Serpent Gate, I’m not just the best in the Central Plains—I’m the greatest snake handler in the world.

I’ll have to strip him of that “best in the Central Plains” title.

‘How dare he.’

After three days of reconnaissance, we had a good grasp of the temple’s interior, the surrounding area, and the enemy’s movements. So we decided to carry out the raid immediately.

At sunset, we moved into the forest near the temple.

I glanced around at the assembled ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) team and asked,

“Everyone remembers their roles, right?”

“Yes, So-ryong.”

“Of course. Amitabha.”

“I remember. Little Hero So.”

—Tsrurur. 『I do too! Daddy!』

—Shia. 『Yes, So-ryong.』

“One last time—let’s quickly go over the assignments again...”

Everyone responded with firm determination. After one final briefing, we moved toward the temple.

“We’re heading out now. From here on, only silent transmission and telepathic conversation.”

As we moved stealthily closer to the temple, a voice suddenly reached my mind.

[So-ryong, you’ve arrived.]

It was my older brother—left behind to keep watch.

I scanned the area and saw him and my sister-in-law emerge from the bushes. Sister Jeokwol fluttered down and perched gently on my shoulder.

[Thank you for the effort. Any changes in enemy movement?]

Despite their criminal work, perhaps because this wasn’t the Central Plains, their vigilance was surprisingly lax.

Two guards by the stone wall. Two more near the entrance that led from the temple to the wall. That was it.

I asked anyway, just to confirm nothing had changed since yesterday.

[Same as yesterday.]

No new variables. We would proceed as planned.

[Everyone, move into position.]

[Understood.]

[Roger that.]

—Tssrrt!

—Kssit.

My brother, the others, and the children all scattered in different directions.

As I focused my Mysterious Dark Eye Art, the first things that came into view were Moji and Soji, floating silently in the sky, keeping watch.

Infrared vision wasn’t activated yet.

The two were still shifting their bodies to black, blending with the night sky.

They were gradually darkening from white to black.

Apparently, they could change between silver and black. Since they emitted both pure and demonic energy, I figured this transformation was due to that dual nature.

Either way, now that those two were airborne, there was no concern about enemies escaping.

I quickly regrouped with Cheong-yu Sojeo and Orange near the pond.

‘Cheong-yu Sojeo, begin the deployment.’

—Shia. 『Got it.』

“Sssss...”

Cheong-yu Sojeo hissed softly, a low warning.

In response, the snakes we had quietly gathered over the past few days—hidden in the temple's cracks—began slithering out to take position.

King Cobra, Spitting Cobra, the black-and-yellow Banded Krait, and the blood-red Zayu Pit Viper.

The King Cobra that could fell an elephant, the Spitting Cobra targeting the eyes, the neurotoxic Krait that caused paralysis and respiratory failure, and the hemotoxic Zayu Pit Viper.

All highly venomous snakes native to Eastern India, now hissing and lifting their heads in a deadly buffet lineup—ready to strike, then flattening themselves in waiting.

—Shia. 『All set.』

‘Got it.’

Contingencies were ready. Time to climb the three-story statue.

From there, I could spot our team stealthily approaching the stone wall from afar.

Then—just as quickly—they vanished.

I activated infrared vision.

The group heading for the stone wall came into view again: Cho, Sister Jeokwol, Hwa-eun, Hyang, Sister Seol, Yo-hwa, my brother, and sister-in-law.

They were the squad tasked with sealing the tunnel entrance in the stone wall.

Although Cho and Sister Jeokwol were among them, it may have looked like a small team—but I had already sent centipedes inside to scout and confirm that the tunnels connected from within.

The moment the operation began, Yo-hwa was to seal the entrance with thread. That lineup of people and spirit beasts was more than enough.

As long as Yo-hwa sealed it, all we needed to do was suppress any enemies who tried to escape.

I soon spotted them arriving near the guards, helped by Sister Jeokwol’s cover.

Yo-hwa dangled upside down from the stone wall above the guards, grinning.

Then, Bini’s voice rang in my mind.

—Tssrut. Daddy, we’re in position too.

I turned toward a collapsed temple building.

Infrared vision revealed more comrades scattered stealthily around it.

That team was assigned to block the passage between the temple and the stone wall—Bini, Ranghyang, Ji-ryong, Eunbong, Geolhwang, Monk Jaheo, Seol, Bing, and Dong.

The enemy lived in the stone wall cavities but didn’t use their entrances actively—just guarded them.

Their actual route led through a tunnel from the ruined temple.

During our first recon, they had suddenly appeared around the corner—that was why.

So by sealing the tunnel and the alternate path, we were trapping them like rats in a cage.

There were no secret exits, and even if there were, Moji and Soji would catch them from above.

I gave the order to begin.

『Initiate! Hwa-eun. Bini, signal the start!』

—Tssrrrt! (Roger, Daddy!)

“Understood, So-ryong!”

Even without radios, coordinating through telepathic conversation made operations seamless.

At my signal, I saw Yo-hwa lasso the two guards at the stone wall with silk threads, yanking them upward.

They struggled briefly, then went limp.

Yo-hwa began sealing the holes in the wall with thread, and Sister Jeokwol scattered butterfly dust to mask Yo-hwa’s movements.

That side was sealed smoothly.

Turning back to the ruined temple entrance, I spotted Hu-gae leaping toward a guard from the shadows.

But two icy flashes beat him to it.

—Crack.

—Thud.

In the quiet night, only the sound of ice freezing echoed.

We had pre-imbued the strikes with power earlier, so one guard was instantly turned into a snowman—no, an ice man—by Seol’s technique. The other collapsed with a massive ice spike in his skull.

The entrance was now under control.

Back at the stone wall, Yo-hwa had finished sealing most of the lower tunnel holes. Only a few high-up ones remained slightly ajar.

I asked Bini mentally:

『Bini, are you inside?』

—Tssrut! (Yes, Daddy. Just like you said, I slipped through one of the cracks. There’s a big open space inside. The uncles are already fighting.)

‘If it gets dangerous, help them. But be careful, okay?’

—Tssrrr (Got it! But the fight’s already over. Some of the bad guys ran away though.)

I had already confirmed the large internal chamber with my centipedes, but they weren’t smart enough to assess numbers or precise layout.

Apparently, more enemies were there than expected, and some managed to flee.

But I wasn’t worried.

The stone wall was fully sealed—there was nowhere for them to go now.

I immediately gave the next order.

『Bini, start the next phase!』

—Tssrrt! (Roger, Daddy!)

She answered brightly.

A moment later, I heard chaos from the stone wall.

From the upper holes Yo-hwa left open, black smoke began to seep out.

The enemies had been burning torches, lanterns, or fires inside. So what happens when the air in a sealed cave heats up?

Hot air rises—out through the upper holes.

Which means the cave pulls in new air to replace it.

But if the lower entrances are sealed?

Then air gets sucked in from their escape tunnel—the long corridor they use.

Now imagine Bini spraying gas like tear gas down that passage.

The poison would be pulled straight into their chambers like a vacuum.

‘Now this is pest—no, beast control. Anyone too slow gets a dose of Ranghyang’s cyanide-laced venom!’

The underground team’s role was simple: capture a few escapees and feed the rest a lethal helping of Ranghyang’s toxin.