At the very least, Hwayang’s matured form was insanely cute.
A plump, stead bun-shaped body dyed a bright orange, with stubby, deep purple limbs that looked as if they were dipped in ink.
Shortened front and hind legs, dazed, enlightened-looking eyes, and a back covered in rocky protrusions resembling flowing magma—this was Hwayang in his final form.
He’s adorable, but… I probably shouldn’t expect too much from him, huh?
Judging by his appearance, I had a strong feeling that he wasn’t in the sa league as the Ten Great Venomous Beasts or the Twenty-Four Venomous Monstrosities.
It was obvious just by looking at him—he lacked the overwhelming presence the others had.
No, rather than lacking presence… he felt comically insignificant.
Take Cho, for example—six ters long, capable of flight, and secreting a protein-dissolving acid venom stronger than hydrochloric acid.
Or Yo-hwa, with her lightweight but ultra-durable body, razor-sharp steel silk, hallucinogenic illusions, and paralyzing venom.
Even Moji and Soji, who were still larvae, had a deadly combination of healing and debuffing abilities.
And Gwaemyung Black Wasp? A wasp-based monster with a tanky physique and soundwave attacks.
Yet Hwayang?
Sure, his venom was powerful, but…
His appearance…
Well, he looked like a giant orange potato.
Why are you shaped like a potato?
Of course, I didn’t an it in a bad way.
Calling him a potato had two anings.
First, he literally looked like one.
Second, his body structure closely resembled the Rain Frog species I had raised in my past life.
Rain Frogs were round and chubby, with short, stubby legs.
They moved by waddling around, and when they cried, they let out a dramatic "Bweeeeh!"—which made them a cult favorite among frog enthusiasts.
Despite not being venomous, they were one of the few frogs I actually kept, simply because of how ridiculously cute they were.
And Hwayang…
He looked exactly like them.
Right down to his hilariously underwhelming presence.
Now that I think about it… his survival pattern is similar, too.
Rain Frogs were sand-dwelling amphibians from Africa.
They buried themselves in the ground, only erging at night or when it rained.
Similarly, Hwayang only appeared when there was fire—it was just that his trigger wasn’t water, but flas.
Just like a Rain Frog hibernates underground until the rain cos, Hwayang had endured a decade with minimal sustenance, waiting until he could reach his full form.
Alright, fine. Even if he lacks dignity, at least I finally have an amphibian in my collection. He’s cute enough, so I’ll just accept it.
It was like scratching a lottery ticket and winning 5,000 won—not a total loss, but a little disappointing.
Still, I didn’t have any other amphibians, and since he was mine now, I figured I should raise him properly.
I reached out and gently rubbed his head, staring into his dazed eyes.
“You did well, Hwayang. Welco to adulthood. Congratulations.”
As I stroked his head, he narrowed his eyes happily and let out his first cry.
—Kiiiii!
Just as I expected—his voice was as pathetically cute as a Rain Frog’s.
“Hwayang, even your cry is… I an, it’s cute.”
—Kiii! Kiiiii!
He slowly blinked, his eyes drooping as if he was about to doze off from the head pats.
But I wasn’t done yet.
Now that I had accepted his underwhelming appearance, it was ti to figure out what exactly he was.
I needed to analyze him thoroughly.
Because up until now, I still had no clue what species he actually belonged to.
I was supposed to be a walking encyclopedia of venomous creatures—Spicy Fabre, the master of toxic lifeforms—yet even I couldn’t tell what the hell he was.
I couldn’t even figure out if he was a frog, a toad, or a narrow-mouthed frog.
Before, when he was a tadpole, it was understandable.
But even after reaching adulthood, his classification was still unclear.
To be fair, amphibians were notoriously hard to categorize.
Even in my past life, the line between frogs, toads, and narrow-mouthed frogs was pretty blurred.
Normally, species classification was based on genetics, morphology, and physiology.
But frogs, toads, and narrow-mouthed frogs belonged to the Amphibian Order—and that group had countless exceptions.
So frogs had bumpy, toad-like skin.
So frogs couldn’t even jump, just like narrow-mouthed frogs.
And so toads had frog-like traits, making the distinction almost aningless.
That’s why I was seriously analyzing Hwayang, when—
—Tsrut!
Suddenly, Cho let out a startled cry.
I turned my head.
Cho was frozen in shock, his antennae standing stiffly.
It was rare to see him react like this.
“What’s wrong, Cho? Sothing happen?”
Cho didn’t respond.
He just stared at in a daze.
“…Cho? You good?”
I waved a hand in front of him, trying to snap him out of it.
And then—
I saw sothing reflected in his eyes.
Wait… what is that?
I thought maybe there were still embers burning nearby, so I turned to look.
But no.
The mountaintop was completely covered in white ash—there were no remaining flas.
So… what the hell was that reflection?
Then—
—Fwoooosh…
A faint crackling sound ca from above .
“…Oh.”
I reached up, and the mont my fingers brushed my hair—
I felt heat.
There was a blue fla flickering atop my head.
“W-what?! Fire?!”
—Tsururur!
—Gyaaahhh!
Panicked, I slamd my head into the ash, trying to smother the fire.
It didn’t go out.
I grabbed the remaining half of Seol’s pelt and threw it over my head.
But instead of being extinguished, the fire started burning on top of the fur as well.
—Fwooooosh!
This… this wasn’t normal fire.
Hwayang’s venom must have evolved along with his transformation.
If I wasn’t careful, this could end really badly.
“Cho! Go get Hwa-eun, Seol, Bini, and Dong! Hurry!”
I needed all three of them to detoxify .
—Tsrut!
Hearing the urgency in my voice, Cho imdiately took off, soaring down the mountain.
As I anxiously turned back toward Hwayang, I saw sothing even more alarming.
From his back, the sa blue flas were burning wildly.
Azure Fire.
—Fwoooosh.
I didn’t account for venom evolution… Damn, am I gonna be okay?
I had placed my faith in another version of from a parallel universe to handle the consequences…
But it looked like he was just as reckless as I was.
***
The ti spent waiting for Hwa-eun to arrive felt like an eternity.
Strangely enough, my hair wasn’t burning, but the fact that a fla was literally flickering atop my head like a candle made it impossible to stay calm.
I felt like a living candle, and the thought that the fire might slowly lt from the top down sent a deep chill down my spine.
And with it ca the most primal fear of all n.
Even if I survived this, what if my hair got completely burned off?
If I go bald at this age, I’d rather just die.
If you got a head wound, the hair follicles in that spot would never grow back—a bald patch for life.
But a burn injury?
That was full-scale baldness territory.
So, between the fear of death and the fear of permanent hair loss, it was natural for to be on the verge of losing my mind.
“Damn it… Hwayang, can’t you do sothing about this fire!?”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Desperately, I turned to Hwayang for help, only to be t with his blank, clueless stare.
As if he had completely transcended worldly concerns.
His slow-blinking, Zen-like gaze combined with my urgent crisis was infuriating to the point of madness.
GAHHH!
Just as my panic was reaching its peak, sothing strange started happening.
Unlike the usual symptoms of poisoning, I didn’t feel a fever, pain, or blood rising to my throat.
Instead, my internal energy was slowly draining from my dantian.
“…What the hell?”
The more anxious I beca, the faster my energy drained, as if I were in the middle of a fierce battle.
Wait… is this fire actually burning my internal energy?!
I didn’t know how or why, but it seed that Hwayang’s evolved venom didn’t burn blood anymore—it burned Qi instead.
—Gulp.
What happens if I run out of internal energy…?
The uncertainty of what might happen once my Qi was completely exhausted made my anxiety skyrocket.
And the more anxious I got, the faster my energy drained.
No! Calm down, So-ryong! It’s fine! Just stay calm!
By the ti I forced myself to calm down, nearly one-third of my internal energy was gone.
I quickly sat down in a ditative posture, starting Qi circulation to recover what I could.
I just needed to buy ti until Hwa-eun arrived.
Just as I settled into my breathing technique, I heard the whirl of disturbed ash—followed by the sharp voices of Hwa-eun and Seol.
“So-ryong! I knew this would happen! Look at you! You look like a damn candle!”
“So-ryong!”
Snapping out of my trance, I opened my eyes.
Seol was furiously stomping her foot, glaring at .
Hwa-eun quickly pulled out Bini, Seol, and Dong from her sleeves and pressed them onto my body.
“Hwa-eun… I—I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want to hear an apology right now! Just hold still! You three, take care of him!”
—Kkukku!
—Kuuu!
—Kyuu!
“So-ryong, you better be ready to have a long talk with once you’re cured!”
Judging by Seol’s tone, once I was detoxified, my back was not going to be safe.
But if I had to trade a few beatings for Hwayang reaching adulthood, it was worth it.
‘If my back is the price for Hwayang’s evolution, then it’s a bargain.’
Just as before, Bini, Seol, and Dong started to glow faintly as they began detoxifying .
Soon, I heard Hwa-eun and Seol exclaim.
“It’s working! The flas are shrinking!”
“The fire is getting smaller!”
‘Phew… I panicked for nothing.’
I could feel the detoxification taking effect.
Just as I was about to fully relax, though—
—Kyuuu…
Dong suddenly let out a strained whimper.
Then Bini and Seol followed.
—Kuuu…
—Kkukkuuu…
A mont later, all three of them stumbled back, panting heavily.
“What’s wrong? Bini? Seol?”
“Is sothing not working?”
It seed that Hwayang’s evolved venom was too strong, making detoxification difficult even for them.
—Fwoooosh!
And the mont they stopped, the blue flas atop my head surged back up.
Damn it! Why can’t anything ever go smoothly?!
If sothing went wrong, it never got resolved easily—that was just how my life worked.
Maybe I really needed to get an exorcism or sothing.
Just as I was cursing my luck, I suddenly heard Hwa-eun gasp in shock.
“W-wait… Is that… Qinghuo Lava Toad?!”
It seed she had just noticed Hwayang, now in his fully matured form.
Qinghuo Lava Toad?
That na… sounded way too grand for how pathetically cute Hwayang looked.
What the hell is that?!
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