Chapter 4
The Protagonist’s Younger Sibling is Reborn as a Constellation
Ah, why am I overthinking this?
“Why are you acting so weird all of a sudden?”
“Ah.”
I couldn’t hold it in and poked Kim Igyul’s arm. Hesitating, he finally spoke.
“A Constellation wants to make a contract with me.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
Kim Igyul shook his head at my words.
“That’s when the rank is high. I’m low-ranked.”
He muttered this worryfully.
Hmm, true. In the original story, there were occasionally hunters who became toys of Constellations.
But that wouldn’t happen to me. Should I just tell him that the Constellation is me? I pondered for a moment.
Then I quickly gave up. If I outright said I was a Constellation, he’d probably think I was sick. Humans don’t become Constellations, right?
Better to coax him into accepting it. Calmly, I suggested another possibility.
“Still, you won’t know until we make the contract. It could be a good Constellation.”
“That’s true.”
He briefly agreed, then went quiet again. The silence was unwelcome to me—I wanted to contract quickly.
Then I heard the sound of wings again, louder this time. It sounded like multiple monsters.
I grabbed Kim Igyul’s arm and ran, thinking “contract later, survival first.” The winged monsters were hot on our heels.
I had to suppress the urge to pull my hair out.
Knowing the core’s location is useless if we can’t attack it!
Suddenly, one of the monster’s legs swung between us. The spike embedded in it grazed Kim Igyul’s arm, leaving another wound, and flew upward.
That attack marked the start of the monster swinging its legs as weapons.
The spikes scratched both of us, leaving small cuts across our arms and legs.
I kept my breath in check as we dodged the monster, knowing if this continued, exhaustion would kill me first.
I shouted desperately to the invisible Kim Igyul in my sight.
“Can’t you make that contract thing with the Constellation?!”
Even though I knew he probably wouldn’t listen to me, someone he’d just met today, I shouted anyway.
“You’re the only one I can trust right now!”
Constellation ‘Nobility Returned from Death’ whispers:
You don’t want to stay here, do you? If I were you, I could help.
Even fumbling, I didn’t forget to send the Constellation message.
While waiting for an answer, a second felt like ten years.
By the time I accepted that a stranger’s words might not affect the contract…
“I’ll make the contract.”
Even from afar, I could hear him as if he were speaking directly into my ear.
At that moment, it felt as if the world had stopped.
Ah, it hadn’t. The leg attacking me froze right in front of me.
The window glowed, signaling the contract’s success.
Constellation ‘Nobility Returned from Death’ and Awakened ‘Kim Igyul’ declare to the universe that they will trust and protect each other.
New information appeared in a cascade:
<Main Quest 1 – Find a Contractor> achieved; rewards granted.
New skills unlocked for the Constellation who met their contractor.
Constellation Profile Updated:
Constellation: ‘Nobility Returned from Death’
Contractor: Kim Igyul (D)
Skills: <Immovable Calm>, <Emotional Empathy>
Unique Skills: ……
At the endless bottom of the status window, an unbelievable notification appeared.
<Main Quest 2 – The Growth of the Contractor is My Reward>
You found your contractor! Now, shall we help them grow?
Target: Rank increase (D → S)
Reward: 20% growth, 2000 points
Grow a D-rank awakened into S-rank? Are they trying to make me quit the quest?
Looking at the updated info, I noticed Kim Igyul was standing quietly.
Time seemed to freeze, and when I shifted my gaze to the last place we were, Kim Igyul stood a little farther ahead with a blank expression.
That expression clearly said, “I don’t know what to do next.”
Same here.
Just as I wondered what to do, a new status window appeared:
Open the shop?
‘Shop?’
Despite my questioning, the shop appeared immediately.
Two swords appeared, prompting me to select one.
One was a simple longsword, “Well-Crafted Sword (A),” and the other, a flashy double-edged blade, “Unyielding Sword (SS).”
Well-Crafted Sword (A)
A sword made by a craftsman for practice.
Price: 1,000 pointsUnyielding Sword (SS)
A sword forged by someone’s will.
Price: 10 points
Ah, so the star points are the Constellation’s currency.
I was briefly stunned by the prices. A-rank is 1,000 points, yet SS-rank is only 10? Isn’t that cheating?
Half-doubting, I bought the Unyielding Sword, as if the system was telling me to.
As soon as the purchase completed, it was delivered to Kim Igyul.
Constellation ‘Nobility Returned from Death’ gifts you the item ‘Unyielding Sword (SS).’
The item materialized in Kim Igyul’s hands. The two swords, previously invisible, now had a shimmering effect like white smoke wrapped in silver brilliance.
Did I go too far in thinking it matched Kim Igyul?
Giving an item doesn’t end a Constellation’s work. In Melkkeut, Constellations had unique skills.
Unique skills let a Constellation lend their power to the contractor. Granting it is both permission to use their power and a mark of trust.
I granted him a skill I had noted when buying the item.
“What’s this…”
Surprise spread across Kim Igyul’s face.
The skill I gave him was <Argument of Litigation (S)>.
If the wielder activates a weapon and identifies a target that must be struck, the skill enforces it without fail.
The flow of air changed. Time resumed after the system froze it for the contract.
Constellation ‘Nobility Returned from Death’ shouts:
Watch ahead!
I sent the message to dazed Kim Igyul and ducked as a leg swung over my head.
Simultaneously, I relayed the core’s location. The system initially blocked a direct transmission, but I conveyed it indirectly, and he understood perfectly, swinging the sword.
Still newly awakened, using an unfamiliar double sword was challenging.
He wisely kept one sword in inventory and wielded the other against the monster.
The monster dodged easily. It swung its spiked leg at him.
The spikes barely grazed Kim Igyul’s arm, leaving a thin line of blood.
Had he been a fraction slower, the spikes might have pierced flesh.
The sound of the monster’s wings was deafening, echoing like the earth trembled.
I wanted to yell a warning but held back, afraid of provoking it.
Ah, the Constellation message! Right.
…But how do I send it? Just think it?
Constellation ‘Nobility Returned from Death’ worries and tells you to be careful.
It went through. I could see it too.
Thanks to the system transmitting it, I sent him the message. Whether he could check it mid-battle, I didn’t know.
Self-learning his skill, he defeated the monster and approached me.
Clang!
Kim Igyul blocked the approaching leg, turned, and shouted:
“If you see an opening, run behind me!”
He gestured toward a large boulder nearby.
I reflexively started to protest, then remembered I was a civilian and useless in combat.
“Sorry I can’t help. Be careful.”
He nodded and swung his sword toward the monster.
