Chapter 3
The Protagonist’s Younger Sibling is Reborn as a Constellation
I closed my mouth tight and tried to breathe as quietly as possible.
I desperately hoped the monster wouldn’t notice us, but the sound grew closer.
Wing, wing.
Suddenly, the sound softened—and then stopped entirely. At the same time, a shadow fell over my head.
Following the shadow with my eyes, I met the monster’s ashen gaze.
“Above our heads…!”
Before I could finish, Kim Igyul, who had noticed the monster first, grabbed my wrist and started running.
Jumping from a seated position made it hard to stabilize my body. Kim Igyul held on tightly.
Seeing him like that reminded me of Jin Sehyuk. I hoped he had awakened safely.
Shaking off the thoughts, I braced myself and ran properly. Only then did Kim Igyul’s hand leave my wrist.
Behind us, the monster pursued. A winged monster was terrifyingly fast.
I repeat. Really, really fast.
Before we could go anywhere else, it blocked our path.
The monster, resembling a wasp, was huge and disgusting. Easily over two meters, with spiked legs.
It buzzed excitedly at the prey appearing before it, flapping its wings.
Watching the enormous insect wings move was unbearable. I squeezed my eyes shut, then reopened them.
In survival situations, closing your eyes is a shortcut to dying. No matter how much I didn’t want to see it, I had to keep my sight.
When the monster threatened Kim Igyul with its legs, I pulled him back.
I didn’t completely dodge; the spiked leg grazed his arm and the back of my hand, leaving scratches.
It amazed me again how dreams could convey actual pain—like when my stomach had been pierced in the previous dream, and now.
In the meantime, Kim Igyul grabbed a large rock and hurled it at the monster. It shrieked “Kyeek!” in a grotesque cry when hit in the eye.
We ran again. After a while, we spotted a small cave entrance and ran inside.
“Barely made it.”
“Yeah…”
Kim Igyul pressed on the wound on his arm, stemming the bleeding. He seemed skilled at treating injuries.
After staring into the air for a while, he suddenly spoke.
“Hey, you know…”
“Huh?”
“I awakened.”
Awakened? What did he do?
Ding!
A refreshing sound accompanied the notification of Kim Igyul’s awakening.
System patch complete!
I nearly read it aloud out of reflex but managed to stop myself.
This was the window that appears when a hunter awakens.
But the color was different from what I knew. Hunters normally had a blue window.
But in front of me, it was gold.
Title ‘Nobility Returned from Death’ has been granted.
While I was wondering what had gone wrong, the system threw another bomb.
“Eh.”
“…Jin Serin?”
A strange noise escaped my mouth.
Kim Igyul reacted in surprise, but it didn’t matter now.
A title? Only Constellations have that. What is this insane system doing?
The system, obviously not understanding me, opened the next window immediately.
Locked skills are now unlocked.
I watched the cascading windows and let out a wry laugh.
Kim Igyul, having witnessed my odd behavior, asked,
“Why suddenly? Did you awaken too?”
“N-no! I just got surprised since you suddenly awakened here!”
I had to hide it. Even in a dream, feeling pain, I didn’t want to be caught alive and become a test subject.
Accessing status window.
‘I don’t want to.’
Even muttering internally didn’t stop the system. The status window appeared before my eyes.
Constellation ‘Nobility Returned from Death’
Contractor: –
Unique Skills: <Sanctuary (S)>, <Nobility (SS)>, <Sanctuary of Justice (SS)>, <Argument of Litigation (S)>, <Correct Judgment (S)>, <Proper Balance (S)>, ……, <Salvation is Fair (S)>, <Distance from Death (SS)>
Star Rating Held: 0
I didn’t care about all that—I just wanted to wake up.
The system, as if mocking me, displayed another line.
Congratulations on your awakening!
As your first awakening reward, 500 points have been granted.
Current star rating: 500
Star rating? Do I have to write a restaurant review too?
Unable to comprehend my confusion, the system tossed another oddity.
<Main Quest 1 – Find a Contractor>
Find a contractor, complete the contract, and clear the dungeon!
Reward: 100 points, book <Read This and You Too Become a Constellation!>
A quest. A ridiculous status window unlike anything I’d seen even in Melkkeut. I was completely bewildered.
Maybe, absurd as it seems, this is actually real.
‘Honestly, it feels weird. Still feels like a dream.’
I ignored it, but every sensation was vivid. Kim Igyul felt the same—too concrete, too detailed to be a mere dream. Like a real person.
The subconscious assumption I’d been denying slowly became tangible.
It seems my reality has been completely overturned.
What do I do?
The cave was silent—me, bewildered by the realization this was real, and Kim Igyul, checking his status window after awakening.
The silence was broken by a thud at the entrance.
Kim Igyul and I turned to see the monster pressing its head against the small entrance.
Its huge body barely fit.
Bang! Thud!
The monster rammed its head to peer into the cave.
I met its gaze. Disgusting. I tried not to, but failed.
Hornet (E)
Core: Wings
The gold window reappeared, showing the monster’s name and core location.
Great, but do I really have to make eye contact with monsters to see this from now on?
A foreboding chill ran over me.
Meanwhile, the monster tried to batter the entrance with its body.
The stone entrance could hold a few hits, but it wouldn’t last long.
“That’s the only exit.”
Kim Igyul pointed to the sole escape.
He had quickly scanned the cave while I faced off against the monster.
“We need to get out. It’s too narrow, no place to run.”
True. The cave was cramped, and the monster was huge. Confronting it here meant instant capture.
I glanced between the entrance and Kim Igyul, also sneaking a peek at the floating quest window.
We were the only ones here to find a contractor. Maybe dealing with that monster is better.
“But the monster’s right outside! Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Go out when it comes in. The entrance is narrow; only its head will fit, the body will get stuck.”
Though I sounded scared, Kim Igyul had made a cold, calculated decision.
Looking at the entrance, I realized if only the head went in, there would be space for us behind it.
Speechless, I just nodded.
Bang!
Soon, the monster actually broke the entrance. Its head went in, and as predicted, the body got stuck.
“Quick, go!”
We passed beside the monster and exited the cave.
As we moved, one thought dominated:
‘A contract is the answer.’
We couldn’t keep running forever.
Even if the dungeon is large, space is limited. Waiting for rescue could take too long.
To survive, we had to act.
Kim Igyul had awakened, so he likely had some ability now. Better than doing nothing.
The only worry was rank—but I could fix that by contracting and providing skills or items.
Right now, I had one choice:
Request a contract with the Awakened ‘Kim Igyul’?
The system’s notification read my thoughts.
The answer was clear.
‘Yes, please send it.’
Constellation ‘Nobility Returned from Death’ wishes to contract with you.
Instead of disappearing, the window now showed what Kim Igyul saw.
‘Please, let’s make this contract.’
I pressed my thumb to my index finger subtly, silently praying the contract would succeed as we ran.
Kim Igyul stopped after checking the window.
I crashed into his back as I tried to stop, but he just stared blankly at the void.
I thought he would accept now, but no answer came.
