Chapter 10
“The Protagonist’s Younger Sibling is Reborn as a Constellation”
“……What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
⌈Aren’t you worried you won’t be able to use the skill?⌋
Exactly right.
With a faint smile, the fox continued.
⌈Don’t worry. Your unique skill comes from the power of a star, so if you’re a baby, you can use it naturally.⌋
The fox drew a straight line on the floor with its claw and then made ten vertical lines across it.
Its paw, starting from the first vertical line, stopped at a certain point.
⌈We don’t just give powers to the contractor. We lend them. So even if they use full strength, this is about it.⌋
It had stopped at the eighth line.
Returning to the starting line, the fox’s paw this time didn’t stop and reached the opposite end.
⌈I told you, the baby is a star. You can use it at full power.⌋
The affectionate tone added that I didn’t need to worry. That warmth brought relief.
“Alright, I’ll start.”
I took a short deep breath and activated the skill.
Activating unique power, <Fair Judgment (S)>.
Different text appeared than when a hunter uses a skill, and a soft pale pink light subtly radiated from my body. Is it different because I’m a Constellation now?
The intangible energy extending from my hand enveloped the fox from head to tail.
Target recognition complete.
Soon, a large scale appeared in midair. On one side of the scale was a transparent weight.
That must be the “weight of good and evil.” The transparent weight looked as if it had no mass at all.
When I placed the fox on the scale, the transparent weight flickered with color briefly, then returned to nothingness.
The scale with the fox tipped downward.
Skill activation authorized, as the target is judged good.
The fox was still surrounded by the intangible energy, which shone with a clear light and enveloped its form.
Granting a new life to Monster ‘Little Fox (S)’.
After a few seconds, as the light faded, the fox appeared unchanged except its eye color had shifted.
From silver-gray to black, glittering like black pearls.
The black complemented the fox’s red fur perfectly.
⌈Thank you, baby!⌋
The fox, now back to its original form, felt lighter and hopped around. I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
Dungeon “Baby Fox’s Last Home (A)” cleared.
With the boss of the dungeon purified and gone, the clear notification appeared naturally.
Perhaps because it was a rare case of a human residence turned dungeon, there was no separate closure notification.
I wasn’t sure if the grade had originally been that high, but it didn’t matter—I had cleared it.
I picked up the red fur that had fallen while holding the baby fox. As it was a byproduct of an A-rank dungeon boss, it might be useful later. I stored it in my inventory and went outside.
As soon as I stepped out, a quiet living room greeted me.
An ivory sofa sat directly in front, and a cozy family photo hanging above lent the empty house a warm atmosphere.
I cautiously checked the house for Kim Igyul.
There was no one in sight, so I returned to the living room and asked the fox:
“Think there’s anyone in this house?”
⌈Nope!⌋
The fox sniffed around and said it only smelled me.
As I headed for the front door, my eyes caught a frame on the nearby wall.
It was a family photo.
“Huh?”
But the person in the photo looked familiar. Looking closely, it was Kim Igyul.
So this insane system had teleported me directly to Kim Igyul’s house?
Luckily, no one was home—otherwise, I might have been accused of trespassing.
I quickly left the house and pressed the elevator button, but it didn’t work.
The floor display showed nothing.
Apparently, not just Kim Igyul’s house, but the entire building had been dungeon-ized. It seemed the electricity was out as well.
I had no choice but to take the stairs.
As I descended, I realized I hadn’t told the fox my name.
“By the way, fox. I’m Jin Serin.”
⌈Yes, baby! I’m Little Fox.⌋
Even after hearing my name, the fox continued to call me “baby.”
I thought about correcting it, but images of it shining with excitement while calling me “older star, younger star” came to mind, so I left it as is.
“Fox, do you have a name?”
⌈I do… Fulpicula…⌋
The fox averted its gaze and murmured its name quietly.
“Fulp… what?” I was bewildered by the difficult name. Before I could ask again, the fox shouted:
⌈Baby, you give me a name!⌋
The bold request made me stop on the stairs.
My pupils shook. Among my friends, I was notorious for having no naming sense.
“Maybe it’s better to just keep your original name. I’m not good at naming things.”
⌈I’ll like anything you give me.⌋
No matter what I said, the fox was immovable. I had no choice but to think hard while going down the stairs.
“By the way, the skill you used earlier—what was it called?”
⌈<Probability Inference>! It can always find at least one answer to the problem at hand. It may not be the perfect answer though…⌋
The fox, who had been so confident just moments ago, now looked at me nervously and trailed off.
Well, it was a solution-providing skill anyway.
“How about Anser?”
⌈Anser?⌋
“You said you can find an answer to anything, right?”
⌈Yeah, yeah. I’m smart!⌋
“But you also said it might not be the perfect answer.”
The fox’s ears drooped in response.
“There isn’t only one correct answer. I want you to find the right answer depending on the situation in the future.”
The fox had a quick-to-accept, quickly-changing mood. Even though we had only been together briefly, it was obvious.
Though it talked about “older star,” the fox was still clearly a young creature.
Just moments ago, it thought the only way to leave the room was by dying. In despair, it hadn’t considered using its abilities.
Now, I was there, and we found a suitable solution. But what if the fox was alone in that situation next time?
The fox, touched by the meaning behind its new name, looked up at me with teary eyes.
“Anser, I like it!”
Anser’s voice filled the space.
Until now, when Anser spoke, only my own voice filled the space. Anser’s voice felt more like it resonated in my head than reached my ears.
But now, the voice suddenly became audible.
At the same time, I felt weight from Anser’s body, which had been as light as a feather.
“Anser?”
The excited fox—no, Anser—leaped from my arms and descended the stairs energetically.
I felt a little betrayed. If I had known it would go down that well, I wouldn’t have carried it up.
Feeling a twinge in my arm, I rubbed it and called out to Anser:
“Anser, go slowly! You’ll get hurt!”
I hurried down the stairs, but Anser’s excited cries echoed.
“Gyaang!”
“Anser!”
I hurried down two steps at a time, fearing something had happened.
Anser had been grabbed by a stranger’s hand.
Even though I hadn’t given any warning, Anser squealed for help in its cries instead of human words.
The fox being held looked up and cried, and the person followed its gaze.
Then I heard a resigned murmur.
“Jin Serin?”
“Huh.”
Looking down, I saw Kim Igyul through the railing.
“What’s all this commotion so early in the morning?”
“Exactly! We still have to send the kids to school!”
Behind him were other apartment residents.
I hadn’t expected to meet him so quickly. I hadn’t even prepared an excuse for why I was there.
Meanwhile, Kim Igyul calmly ascended the stairs, stopping two steps below me.
Due to the height difference, our eyes only met properly at that moment.
A soft smile curved his lips, and his gentle voice flowed.
“Hello.”
……Why are you coming out from there?
