A chorus of sultry female voices drifted out from the cave—enough to give a pretty clear idea of what was going on inside.
Kessler furrowed his brow when he saw my front paw hesitate, then violently yanked back the thick curtain.
“Oh yeah, that’s the stuff! Ohhh yeah~”
There, in the center of a ring of female lizards, Snake Rim was dancing a jig with wild abandon.
Kessler swiftly crouched, scooped me up with one hand, and spun me around to block the view.
Nyang?
“Just stay like that for a moment.”
With that, he strode inside alone and pulled the silk curtain closed again. I turned around and peeked under the curtain, sticking my face through to watch the situation unfold.
For some reason, the layout of the room felt strangely familiar.
Cotton ball lights strung along the walls, vintage “Today’s Home” themed craft photo lines, a ball pit, and baby fox posters…
‘That bed—that’s the one Kessler used.’
Even the carpet, the candlesticks, and the clock… How far did he copy him?!
Snake Rim, who had been dancing among the females, froze mid-move in surprise. Then he quickly collected himself and shouted awkwardly,
“Ahem! This space is not open to just anyone!”
“You think I’m ‘just anyone’?”
“W-Well, no, but still…”
“I’m not here to interfere. I need a safe space for the baby fox to stay.”
Kessler looked around the room as he spoke.
“This will do. The structure is similar to the room he used before, so the sensitive baby fox might adapt easily.”
As Kessler gently tapped the cotton ball lights, the lizards who had been dancing so passionately moments ago now shyly curled their tails and showered Snake Rim with flattery.
—To think, he cares so deeply for the baby fox. So charming-kkadeuri!
—If this room is structured like the one before, does that mean Snake Rim copied that man, kkadeuri?
Among them was one particularly sharp lizard.
—Now that you mention it, even the direction his scales are brushed matches that man’s, kkadeuri!
As public opinion among the females shifted heavily toward the dashing Kessler, a flustered Snake Rim sprang to his feet and shouted,
“That’s preposterous!! Kessler…! How dare you!! You’re nothing but a husk, and this is the leader’s chamber!! I hereby declare your expulsion!”
—That’s right! Out with him, out with him! Come with us instead, kkadeuri♡♡!
The beautiful lizards who had been at Snake Rim’s side only moments before instantly flocked to Kessler. In despair, Snake Rim clutched his head.
“Don’t leave me, my precious ladies…!”
As the chaos swirled around me, I calmly walked forward and licked Snake Rim’s ankle gently, as if to comfort him.
Nyang.
“Baby fox… My son…”
[System]: The baby fox’s performance for Snake Rim is about to begin. Everyone, please direct your attention this way!
The ladies, who had been scrambling to take Kessler home, stopped in their tracks.
—A fox’s dance, kkadeuri?
As the performance began, their feet came together neatly, and their snouts fell slack in awe.
“My fox…”
It was a performance for Snake Rim, who had wanted to become Kessler but never could.
Leaves floated in from somewhere, a sorrowful melody began to play, and the baby fox’s cathartic dance commenced.
Ding, ding… ding-diriring ding-ding…♫
All eyes were locked on me as my fur drifted gently in the air. I reached forward with one paw in a mournful gesture, and a pop echoed like a water droplet bursting.
—Incredible, kkadeuri…
The music swelled toward its climax. Standing on the tips of my paws, I spun in place two quick times like a ballerina. Compared to my repeated failures with headspins in the past, this was a major improvement.
As the music ended, a round of rhythmic tail-slaps erupted like applause.
[System]: You have displayed the majesty of the original baby fox dance.
[System]: Watching your performance alleviates the lizards’ skin conditions.
[System]: Watching your performance temporarily enhances the lizards’ intellectual capacity. During the buff duration, the development speed of Swamp Civilization increases by 1.3x.
[System]: The lizards’ depression is cured. You have brought encouragement and comfort to their weary lives.
Gasping slightly to put on the prettiest expression possible for a grand finale, I heard the click of a camera shutter. Turning toward the sound, I saw Kessler crouched at my eye level, capturing my image through his lens.
“That was amazing. Was that dance truly for me?”
Nyang.
Just as I was about to focus on Kessler, Snake Rim came over and scooped me up into his arms.
“Baby fox. You always move me. I remember everything. Back when I was molting, you saved my life. And you helped pave the way for creating this swamp. This baby fox… is my son.”
The female lizards gathered around me, showering me with praise.
—Amazing-kkadeuri
—So cute-kkadeuri
“If you become my wife, you can be the baby fox’s mother!”
…So that was your real goal all along.
The female lizards draped a flower necklace around my neck. That’s when Kessler’s hands got busy—click, click. He was snapping photos enthusiastically, but something about them didn’t seem to satisfy him.
I walked over to Kessler. What’s the problem now?
“But why is the quality like this when I take the photos?”
He craned his neck to check the result… and yeah, it was true. The quality was clearly worse than the ones Jung Da-hoon had taken. It wasn’t just about Kessler’s photography skills.
Come to think of it, Jung Da-hoon’s photos had gradually improved over time. Which meant… it was a matter of manual dexterity. Kessler seemed to realize that, too.
“Take a short break, baby fox.”
He placed me on the soft high seat that belonged to Snake Rim and hurried out of the room.
[Kessler]: Where’s Jung Da-hoon
[Jung Da-hoon]: What now
[Kessler]: I need to talk to you
[Jung Da-hoon]: What is it
[Kessler]: Meet me for a second
Looked like he planned to hand the camera duties back to Jung Da-hoon.
Even though we were technically married, our relationship had reverted to an official “Subordination” status. The wedding rings had come off, and the Relationship Panel had turned into the Subordination Tab.
And on the Subordination Tab, all that was listed were things like: Baby Fox Exercise Time, Baby Fox Mealtime, Baby Fox Emotional State, Baby Fox Fatigue, Baby Fox Stats, Baby Fox Pawprint Records, and so on.
There was a gallery function that allowed visual memory recording directly into the cornea, but it couldn’t produce physical photos.
Kessler had likely thought this tab wasn’t so bad since it allowed for detailed care of the baby fox, and he had planned to supplement the memory part with the “Camera That Captures Memories.”
But since his manual dexterity was poor, he couldn’t guarantee photo quality. And being out in the boonies of the swamp—not the bustling Shadowpolis with traders passing through constantly—there was no way to buy more film.
While Kessler went off to find Jung Da-hoon, I stayed seated on Snake Rim’s high seat.
That’s when the female lizards who’d been dancing by grabbing each other’s tails approached and began petting me.
—We should come see the baby fox every day-kkadeuri
—He’s truly amazing-kkadeuri
—Why were you hiding such a cute fox son from us-kkadeuri?
Snake Rim’s tail movements became stiff in response to their compliments. He looked pleased but was clearly trying hard not to show it.
“I like down-to-earth females like you. Back when I lived in the city, one female smacked me across the face, yelling, ‘Did you pretend to be single while hiding a child?!’”
Snake Rim stared off into the distance with a nostalgic sigh.
“Back then, I wasn’t so cold. For a city-dweller, I was a pretty simple guy. Baby fox, do you like that seat? You’re always welcome here. You’re my son—of course I’d give you my spot.”
[System]: You’ve earned the title ‘Fox Who Sits on the Serpent’s Throne.’ You can now begin the quest: <Baby Fox, Do You Want to Become a Lizard?>
Species Transformation Quest: <Baby Fox, Do You Want to Become a Lizard?>
A special quest that can only be initiated by a fox who has been recognized by a lizard seated on the throne.
The small and adorable baby fox wants to become a lizard. But simply wishing isn’t enough. Help over 100 lizards and receive their scales. Maybe then, you really will become an awesome lizard.
Reward: Once a day, you can change your appearance into a lizard.
It was similar to the previous <Baby Fox, Do You Want to Become a Human?> quest.
I’d been frustrated about not being able to turn into a human again, but at least this offered some kind of transformation option.
Unlike Shadow Castle, this wasn’t a secure, controlled zone. It was an outlying area where unknown predators might be lurking beyond my awareness.
‘Can I never become human again?’
Once I confirmed that all the females had left, I cautiously approached the dazed, woozy Snake Rim.
Nyang nyang.
He grabbed the front paw that had been shaking him awake and inhaled deeply. Ssss… haaah. Sniffing the pads of my paw, his lips curled into a satisfied smile.
Kessler wasn’t around anymore, so I could finally say it.
“Father, please wake up.”
