Chapter 9
“The Protagonist’s Younger Sibling is Reborn as a Constellation 009”
The persistent noise forced me to ask again.
“What did you say? I couldn’t hear part of it.”
⌈&◆.⌋
The fox kindly repeated itself, but I still couldn’t understand. The noise was ringing painfully in my head, and I covered my ears slightly.
The fox noticed my action, tapped the floor lightly with its tail in thought, and finally spoke.
⌈Let’s say it’s a house first! That way the baby can understand!⌋
“A house? Your house, fox?”
I was surprised at the word “house,” and the fox nodded in reply.
Yet I had been transported into the dungeon where Kim Igyul had gone.
“But the system said this is a dungeon,” I pointed at the glowing system window in the air.
Though much of the text was corrupted, it clearly said “dungeon.”
⌈Hmm, it really is my house…but I don’t know why.⌋
The fox muttered apologies for being unhelpful. Its ears, which had perked up, now drooped slowly.
Its mental state was like a sunfish—still a baby, perhaps?
I gently scratched under its chin to reassure it, and the large ears rose slowly again.
“I’m curious about something. Can I ask?”
⌈Anything!⌋
I had received skills in two stages.
The first was the unique skill that appeared when I first awakened as a Constellation.
The second appeared after completing the contract with Kim Igyul: <Immovable Calm> and <Emotion Assimilation>.
I had no idea why my unique skill and the newly unlocked skills were separate, or why skills suddenly appeared after contracting with Kim Igyul.
I had thought the book <If You Read Only This, You Too Can Become a Constellation!> would explain, but it had only shown me a single sentence.
Perhaps this little fox, who emitted noise similar to the book, might know the reason.
Constellation: “Nobility Returned from Death”
Contractor: Kim Igyul (D)
Skills: <Immovable Calm>, <Emotion Assimilation>
Unique Skill: ……
I opened my status window again and asked the fox my question.
“I have both a unique skill and regular skills, but I don’t know the difference.”
The fox’s expression subtly shifted.
⌈You have other skills besides the unique one? Why?⌋
How could it ask me that in return?
The fox rolled its eyes, trying to figure out the reason.
It couldn’t think straight and jumped from my arms, spinning in place.
Unable to find the answer, it made a confused face.
⌈Really, why?!⌋
If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking. I just gave an awkward smile.
⌈I only have unique skills. Probability inference, moments of wisdom…⌋
The fox tapped the floor with its front paws, reciting its unique skills.
By the time it listed five, I thought if I let it continue, it would never stop, so I cut it off.
“Okay, got it. So normally, you’re supposed to only have unique skills, right?”
⌈Yes!⌋
What could these “skills” unknown even to a Constellation be?
I hadn’t tried <Emotion Assimilation> yet, but <Immovable Calm> calmed my emotions when triggered.
It didn’t activate randomly, though. There must be specific conditions, but I didn’t know what they were.
Even the system didn’t clarify things easily—it tended to do its own thing.
Look at it now—quiet. Don’t expect anything.
Since even the fox didn’t know much, I’d have to investigate further later.
“Phew…”
For now, I needed to find Kim Igyul. I had spent more time than expected talking with the fox.
I turned my steps toward the door.
Each time I moved, the sound of its tail sweeping the floor followed me.
I crouched down to the fox, meeting its silver-gray eyes.
“Fox, I’m going to find my contractor now. Want to come along?”
⌈Huh, yes! I want to go with the baby!⌋
The fox hopped along, and I watched it briefly before opening the door.
Or, at least, I tried.
I turned the handle and pulled, but it wouldn’t budge. It was fixed as if glued to the frame.
I struggled with the handle, and the fox came closer to inspect the door.
It looked at me instead and asked:
⌈You said this is a dungeon, right?⌋
The unexpected question caught me off guard. I nodded, feeling dazed. The fox’s face looked a little troubled.
⌈I appear as a monster to the baby. Does that mean I’m the boss?⌋
“Yes. Fox, you’re the boss monster.”
The fox nodded in understanding, walked back to its basket, curled up, and buried its face in its tail.
It spoke softly:
⌈Then it makes sense that it won’t open.⌋
“Why?”
⌈Because it’s the boss room. You can enter from outside, but you can’t leave. The boss must die for it to open.⌋
The fox’s tone was calm, but a trace of sadness lingered.
⌈So the baby has to defeat me.⌋
It spoke with a trembling voice, as if prepared for death.
Even though I had just met it today, I had already grown attached. I couldn’t let it vanish like that.
“Isn’t there another way?”
⌈Not that I know of.⌋
The fox drooped its tail and rubbed against the basket. Its fur, which had fallen out, tangled again.
I sat beside the basket, untangling the fur. It wasn’t too bad and soon returned to normal.
‘…Return to its original form?’
A sudden idea struck me.
“What if you returned to your original form?”
⌈Huh?⌋
“You’re a star, right?”
I explained my plan to the fox.
The core location didn’t appear in the targeting window that popped up whenever we made eye contact.
There was no core, so it couldn’t be displayed.
If the fox returned to its star form, the boss monster would naturally disappear, and this boss room could revert to a normal room.
The fox understood and pointed out what I’d missed.
⌈You mean purification? But that’s the Goddess’s ability…⌋
Ignoring the fox’s mumbling, I quickly opened the status window.
I skimmed through the list of unique skills. Nothing seemed right.
But then—
“Ah, there it is!”
<Fair Judgment (S)>.
A skill that gives a new chance at life depending on the target’s morality.
If the target is evil, they are erased. If good, they can return to their original form. The moral judgment is made using scales.
The target is placed on the left pan, the other pan holds the “weight of good and evil.” If the target goes down, it’s good; if up, it’s evil.
There’s a warning: even if a good target gains a second chance, committing evil acts will still result in death.
I hesitated at a skill that could potentially take the fox’s life.
“I don’t like this…”
I muttered to myself, checking other skills. None were suitable. This was the closest to purification among my abilities.
⌈Baby, what’s wrong?⌋
The fox noticed my hesitation and spoke. I confessed the situation to it with a hesitant voice.
⌈Why are you worrying?⌋
The fox widened its eyes in surprise. I just blinked.
Seeing my shifting expressions, the fox sighed briefly. It was a sigh of affection, not frustration.
A red light emanated from the fox’s body. I watched in awe as it became mystical.
“What are you doing?”
⌈Using my ability! The baby seemed too worried.⌋
With that, the fox closed its eyes. I watched as the light gradually faded.
Returning to its original form, the fox spoke firmly:
⌈Good and evil are simpler than the baby thinks.⌋
It was a simple remark, but just what I needed.
Thinking alone wouldn’t clear the dungeon. With courage renewed, I checked the fox’s intention.
“Really, it’ll be okay? You’ll be okay too, right?”
⌈Of course! Everything will be fine.⌋
With the positive reply, it was time to activate the skill.
I placed my hand on the fox’s head. The soft fur touched my palm. I stayed still like that for a while.
I had only given Kim Igyul his skills before; this was my first time using one myself. I worried about whether I could do it properly.
The fox giggled while watching me.
⌈The baby is really a baby. So cute!⌋
