Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 186: Maternal Instincts (3)

After returning to the village, I carefully examined Hyang again under proper lighting.

I needed to check if he had any injuries.

The Black-Clawed Red Earwig’s pincers were sharper than I had expected, so I had to ensure Hyang’s shell or legs hadn’t been damaged.

Hyang was much tougher than an ordinary centipede—comparing him to a normal centipede was like comparing an egg to a rock.

Still, his legs were a weak point, and there was a chance one could have been torn off.

Hyang might be a spirit beast, but he was still at a lower level.

And his opponent had been a Twenty-Four Poison Creature.

If the injury wasn’t life-threatening, a lost leg would grow back after his next molt, but that didn’t make it any less concerning.

“Hyang! You scared me! That was way too dangerous! What were you thinking?!”

Still shaken, I scolded Hyang as I turned him over, checking for injuries.

His response?

— Tzzt... 『But...』

A weak excuse, muttered almost guiltily.

The moment he said it, his older sister and younger sibling immediately lashed out at him.

— Tzrrrrrr! 『What? But?!』

— Tzrrt-tzrrt! 『Buuuut?!』

Judging by their tone, they weren’t letting him off easy.

It seemed like they were saying something along the lines of You’re not even sorry, are you? or You really need a scolding!

Hyang’s antennae drooped immediately.

Normally, he would have acted shameless or indifferent, but since he had just barely escaped with his life, even he must have realized his mistake.

For once, he obediently accepted the lecture from his older sister and younger sibling.

“Hyang! Sister Seol told me everything—you almost got yourself killed! What were you thinking?!”

Hwa-eun, who had just heard about the incident from Seol, rushed over.

At this point, Hyang curled up into a perfect ball, tucking his head inside his shell—like a pill bug.

It was the classic I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you! move.

Seeing this, Hwa-eun’s eyes narrowed, and Bini and Cho’s antennae stiffened.

Mom, big sister, and little siblings were all scolding him, and he had the audacity to slam the door on them?

It was clear the scolding session was going to be long, so I decided to step in before it got out of hand.

Sure, I had been shocked, but thanks to Hyang, we had finally found the Fire Crystal—he deserved some praise for that.

And besides, there was something to celebrate.

“Alright, alright, let’s all calm down. He’s not hurt, and I’m sure he’s reflecting on what he did. Let’s leave it at that.”

“So-ryong, you’re too soft. You need to discipline him properly! What if he does something reckless again—”

“Hyang helped us find the Fire Crystal.”

Hwa-eun’s eyes widened at my words.

Apparently, she hadn’t heard this part from Seol yet.

She must have rushed over the moment she heard that Hyang was in danger.

“You found it?”

“Yes. Hyang was looking for it when this happened. There was a massive Fire Crystal embedded in the cave wall behind the Black-Clawed Red Earwig’s nest.

That’s probably why Hyang went wild last time—it must have sensed the crystal’s presence.”

At my explanation, Hwa-eun’s gaze shifted toward Hyang.

She let out a deep sigh before finally speaking in a softer tone.

“Whew... That really is something to be praised for. But Hyang, you can’t do anything that reckless again, okay? You scared your mom and dad.”

At that, a single antenna peeked out from his curled-up position.

I picked up the little pill bug-like Hyang and held him up for Hwa-eun to see.

“And there’s something to celebrate, too.”

“Something to celebrate?”

“Look at the tips of Hyang’s antennae and legs.”

“My baby’s antennae and legs? Huh—wait! This...! It’s just like Bini’s...”

Hwa-eun turned her wide eyes to me.

She must have recognized the similarity to Bini’s transformation.

“Yes. If Hyang absorbs the Fire Crystal’s energy, he might evolve into a higher-level spirit beast, just like Cho and Bini.”

If I had to guess... he’d probably become a Fire Centipede.

A centipede that could breathe fire, like a legendary dragon.

My chest swelled with excitement at the thought.

Fire was one of the fundamental four elements in fantasy worlds—fire, water, wind, and earth.

Hyang’s ability had always felt more like a specialized internal energy attack rather than an actual fire ability.

But now? A fire-element daughter?

A true filial daughter of fire.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

‘Damn right, she’s a filial daughter. A damn good one, too.’

“This is amazing! That means Hyang will be able to grow stronger, right?”

Hwa-eun was just as thrilled as I was.

But at that moment, Hyang suddenly unfurled himself, then bolted into my sleeve, hiding deep inside.

He was absolutely terrified at the thought of growing bigger.

Clinging tightly to me, his tiny voice rang out.

— Tzrrr! 『No! I don’t want to!』

‘What?!’

...This was going to be a problem.

Something told me evolving Hyang was going to be a struggle.

Our little centipede seemed to have Peter Pan Syndrome.

***

Fifteen days later, I returned to the lava cave.

In the darkness of the cave, I spoke to the Black-Clawed Red Earwig.

Although I had been visiting regularly for the past two weeks to check on it, this was the first time I had spoken to it since Hyang’s near-death incident.

“Hey. I came to check where the exit is. I want to confirm if there’s a proper way out. The back is blocked, right? I need to make sure the exit is safe for your young ones when they leave. Do you mind if I take a look?”

The reason I decided to talk to it, despite my initial plan, wasn’t anything complicated.

Originally, I had planned to inspect the cave’s pathways after the mother earwig had died.

But now that the young ones were still clinging to her, I realized this was the right time to do it.

Once their mother was gone, the hatchlings might panic and scatter in all directions.

Besides, I could sense that the mother’s time was running out.

Newborn earwigs, much like baby centipedes, molt once or twice shortly after hatching.

Once they complete their second molt and their bodies turn brown, they officially start foraging for food.

That is also when the mother surrenders herself to them.

And judging by the slightly lifted shells of the young ones, their second molt was about to begin.

“...”

The Black-Clawed Red Earwig, which had been watching us approach, lowered its body again at my words.

That was as good as permission.

I gestured to the others, signaling that it was safe to proceed.

Kwon-ryong, Geom-ryong, Ji-ryong, and our eldest brother quickly passed me, disappearing into the opposite passage to investigate the exit.

Until they returned, I decided to sit nearby and observe the Black-Clawed Red Earwig.

“These little ones have grown a lot, huh? Do you mind if I wait here until my people get back?”

Without waiting for an answer, I sat down.

The earwig’s antennae twitched slightly, but that was it.

Well, it wasn’t like it could move much anyway.

Its back was covered in tightly packed earwig larvae, all clinging to their mother.

Thanks to my Cat’s Night Vision Technique, I could clearly see the little ones wriggling about.

I watched them, mesmerized, losing track of time for nearly an hour.

And then—

One of the larvae suddenly shuddered.

Its back split open, and something yellow burst out like popcorn.

‘It’s molting!’

I had suspected it was close, and I was right.

The second molt had begun.

— Tuk. Tuk. Tuduk.

The cave filled with the soft sound of exoskeletons splitting.

One by one, the young earwigs shed their old bodies, revealing fresh, vibrant forms underneath.

It looked as if golden flowers were blooming across their mother’s back.

And once their new bodies hardened, they would no longer need their mother.

Just then—

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the tunnel.

The scouting team was back.

The first to return was Gyu-seong, who immediately reported his findings.

[So-ryong, the tunnel leads to a low cliff near the volcano. It’s hidden by trees, so it’s not easily visible.]

[What about the surroundings?]

[Just as you guessed. There’s a small stream nearby, thick forest cover, and layers of fallen leaves on the ground.]

Many people mistakenly believe earwigs are carnivorous insects, but they’re actually omnivores.

They can even eat decaying leaves and organic matter.

A place like that—dense forest, plenty of hiding spots, and an abundance of food—was ideal for the young ones to survive.

I nodded, satisfied.

Then, the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) others noticed the molting process and spoke up in amazement.

[Is this the molting you were talking about, So-ryong?]

[Incredible.]

[It really does look like golden flowers blooming.]

[Let’s step back for now. They shouldn’t be disturbed while molting.]

[Agreed.]

[Let’s move.]

Since we didn’t want to disrupt the molting process, we quietly withdrew and started heading back toward the village.

That’s when—

— Trut.

A sound came from behind us.

I turned back.

In the darkness, the Black-Clawed Red Earwig lifted one of its front legs and beckoned me closer.

It wanted me to come back?

I hesitated before speaking.

“You want me to come over? You don’t want me to leave?”

— Trut.

Why was it stopping me from leaving during such a crucial moment?

I hesitated for a moment before sitting back down.

[Brothers, you can return to the village first. It seems like it has something to say to me.]

[Will you be alright?]

[Well, nothing’s happened so far.]

[Alright, then.]

With that, my brothers turned back toward the village, leaving me alone in the cave with the Black-Clawed Red Earwig and its young.

But after stopping me, it didn’t say anything.

As time passed, the newly molted young clung to their mother’s body, drying themselves.

Their wings—yes, wings—spread wide, fluttering.

Though they were still a dull brown, their color was slowly shifting to the same deep red as their mother’s.

Even their pincers were beginning to take shape.

I kept wondering why the Black-Clawed Red Earwig had asked me to stay as I sat there, absentmindedly watching the young ones dry themselves.

Then—

— Chwarrrrk. Chwark.

The faint sound of wings fluttering.

One by one, the newborns folded their wings.

Normally, drying after molting could take anywhere from several hours to a couple of days.

But perhaps because of the warmth of the lava cave—or because these weren’t ordinary insects—the process was much faster.

And then, the Black-Clawed Red Earwig suddenly picked out one of its young and placed it in front of its head.

It was clearly the largest of the brood, perhaps because it had absorbed more nutrients in the egg.

However... something was off.

Even after two molts, this hatchling didn’t quite resemble a Black-Clawed Red Earwig.

Normally, after two molts, they should look exactly like their mother.

It was still an earwig, but there was a distinct difference—it felt like an entirely different species.

‘Wait... Do hatchlings really look this different from their adult form?’

I was still puzzling over the difference when the young one tried to crawl back onto its mother’s body—

But she held it down with her leg.

The little one struggled under her grasp.

— Kii. Kiiii.

‘What is she doing?’

This behavior didn’t make sense.

Earwigs were known for their strong maternal instincts—so why was she restraining her own offspring?

Then—

— Keuk.

The mother’s body trembled.

And then—

She vomited up a glowing red orb beside the struggling hatchling.

The brightness of the orb momentarily overwhelmed my Cat’s Night Vision Technique, like a flashbang going off in my eyes.

‘Ugh...!’

My vision blurred for a moment.

When I blinked to clear it—

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Something incredible was happening.

The hatchling, which had swallowed the red orb, was molting again.

— Tuk. Tuduk.

It had barely finished its second molt, yet its shell split open once more.

And from within—

A miniature Black-Clawed Red Earwig, identical to its mother, emerged.

‘Ohhh! This is similar to Bini, Cho, and Hyang—but also different!’

For a Blue-Spotted Centipede to evolve into a Flying Venom Centipede or a Shadow Ghost Centipede, it had to absorb the right type of energy.

Similarly, for an ordinary Red Earwig to become a Black-Clawed Red Earwig, it had to consume its mother’s Neidan.

Those that didn’t receive one had to survive in the wild, gathering energy through sheer natural selection.

This confirmed it.

The mother always raised one successor, while the rest had to fight for survival.

As I marveled at the process—

The other young ones, drawn by the Neidan’s energy, began shifting toward it.

And then—

They sank their teeth into their mother’s body.

— Crunch. Crack.

The final feast that an earwig mother offers her young.

She didn’t resist at all.

She accepted her fate with complete calmness.

But then—

The newly evolved Black-Clawed Red Earwig let out a sharp cry.

— Kiiiik!

And it suddenly rushed toward its mother, as if trying to stop its siblings from devouring her.

The others had no hesitation—they were moving purely on instinct.

But this one...

This one had intelligence.

It wasn’t just an insect.

It was different.

But before it could interfere, the mother held it down with her leg once again.

Then, she turned to look at me.

And let out a soft cry.

— Trut.

At that moment, I understood everything.

When I had promised to care for her young after Hyang’s incident—

She had already chosen this one for me.

She wasn’t asking me to protect all of them.

She wanted me to raise her heir.

— Trurrrt!

At her cry, the young one turned toward me.

It shook its head, resisting, but the mother was firm.

— Trut!

She called me again, urging me to take it.

I stepped forward and carefully picked up the struggling hatchling.

As I nodded in understanding, the mother weakly raised her leg, pointing toward the exit.

“I get it. I understand.”

This one—who had consumed her Neidan—would be fine on its own.

But the others, who still needed to absorb the last of her energy, had to consume her body to survive.

She was telling me to leave now and take her heir with me before I could interfere.

“...I’ll keep my promise.”

As I turned to leave, the hatchling in my arms let out a heartbroken cry.

— Kiiii!

And behind me—

The sound of the mother’s body collapsing echoed through the cave.

The final act of a mother’s love.

The ultimate sacrifice in the insect kingdom.