After bidding farewell to Iljjang-Gwi, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, I went back to helping the lizards as usual. And finally—
Species Quest: <Baby Fox, Do You Want to Become a Lizard?> completed.
—With just one Mud Resonance Pill, you can transform into a baby lizard.
I checked the popup window and clenched my molars for a moment. I was trying to become a lizard… but it said baby lizard. And the transformation catalyst was a single Mud Resonance Pill? Wasn’t that way too expensive? …Well, come to think of it, Jewel Ice was also a very pricey material, even if I’d managed to use a Kessler chance to get it.
I bit into the Mud Resonance Pill and swallowed it. While the Jewel Ice had a fresh, sweet icy taste, this one tasted like chewing an entire bitter medicinal root.
Gulp.
“kkadeuri?”
Right after the transformation, I glanced around. My line of sight was lower than usual—lower than when I was a fox. Unlike the bipedal adult lizards, I, now just a baby, had to move on all fours like a flat little lizard. As I scurried about, I almost got trampled to death by the foot of a full-grown lizard.
[System] : (Global) An extraordinary lizard has been born!
Suddenly, a global announcement rang out. The content of the notice aside, something felt off. I turned my head to look at my tail—and there it was, still intact: the white, chubby fox tail.
‘What the hell is this hybrid abomination…’
[System] : Your body cannot fully fit into a baby lizard. Your tail has protruded outside.
After putting me through all that crap, and making me swallow that expensive Mud Resonance Pill… This was what I got?
‘Tiny Eradicator’
A baby fox-lizard with nimble scales and a powerful tail has been born.
You were born as a lizard, but with a special tail.
Special tails are imbued with special functions. You can use your tail to fight off the red ants that gnaw away at lizard homes and belongings.
‘……Huh?’
There was no time to lament this hideous creature that was neither fox nor snake. I checked the global announcement again.
An extraordinary lizard has been born!
I thought I finally understood what it meant. Red ants—creatures whose terrifying reproductive rate meant that for every one you killed, ten more would be born—were ruining lizard life.
An ant exterminator.
As a test, I walked over to a nearby red ant nest and gave my tail a little flick.
The baby fox-lizard is going berserk! Number of red ants massacred: 311
“……”
When I turned my head to check, my tail fur was completely matted with the corpses of those damnably persistent red ants.
“kkadeurii……”
I didn’t like how it looked one bit. And just then, I heard a telepathic message.
[System] : Snake Rim, the lizard king, is summoning you.
As expected of a king—had he already recognized me?
Sha sha SHA SHA!!
My movement speed was significantly faster than when I was a fox. This was the swamp zone, the lizard’s home turf, after all. Thanks to that, I quickly arrived at the destination guided by the system window. And there, a crowd of lizards had already gathered.
‘So he summoned the heads of each lizard family.’
I was solo, a one-lizard household, which was probably why I’d been called. The lizards had just about all gathered.
Snake Rim, who had entered solemnly and sat in place, suddenly stood up and raised his tail high in the air.
“Have you all seen the divine revelation from the heavens?”
–What’s this revelation, kkadeuri?
–I did see some message a moment ago, kkadeuri.
–It said a special lizard was born, kkadeuri.
“We will find that lizard immediately. If any lizard here has given birth to a hatchling, speak up now.”
The crowd stirred, but no one stepped forward. Then, Snake Rim softened his tone a bit and continued.
“We’re planning to offer child-rearing subsidies.”
–Sorry, but it’s not from our house, kkadeuri.
–It’s not mine either, but hand out the money, kkadeuri.
As the lizards began clamoring for welfare, I silently slithered through them and approached Snake Rim. Lately, he’d been avoiding me—rarely showing his face.
“What is this baby lizard? A lizard with a fox tail? Whoever the guardian is, come collect this child.”
He picked up the bloodied, blob-like me with confidence, gently brushing my tail with his hand. The corpses of red ants fell off in clumps.
“…Father, it’s me, kkadeuri.”
“AAAGH!”
“The newborn lizard… it’s a fox-lizard, kkadeuri.”
“How do you know…!”
“This month’s Resonance Pill deposit—hasn’t been made yet, kkadeuri.”
Snake Rim, utterly shocked, immediately dismissed the gathering.
“…Come in for a moment. Let’s talk.”
To me, Snake Rim was still a likable character—for now. But I was starting to sense his cunning nature seeping through. Without a word, we passed through the open space and entered Snake Rim’s private chamber, where we sat across from each other.
The real reason he had assembled the lizards to identify the “special lizard” was because he feared one might grow powerful enough to threaten his position. Anything special had to be weeded out early.
“How… how did you become a lizard? And those red ants clinging to your tail—what are they?”
In that sense, the fact that I was the “extraordinary lizard” was probably a relief to Snake Rim. Not only was I not a pure-blood lizard, I was also a user. All I wanted was to rack up contribution points—I had no interest in their throne. Of course, it would be a problem if I started a rebellion. But he also knew I planned to leave for Neo City.
“I helped a whole lot of lizards, and then I got the ability to transform into one. The tail stayed the same, though, kkadeuri.”
Snake Rim, gently stroking my tail with a bewildered look on his face, stared down at the bits and debris caught in his hand.
“This… isn’t just decoration?”
“It’s a real tail, and those are real ants. If they touch my tail, they die—kkadeuri.”
I didn’t miss the moment Snake Rim’s pupils quivered. I clasped his hands together with mine.
“You’ve been worried sick about not being able to get rid of the ants, haven’t you? Don’t worry. I’ll handle it for you. Just make sure to award the contribution points properly, kkadeuri.”
Smile sweetly.
***
I opened the settings and unchecked the “Lizard-Friendly Speech Mode” box.
“Ah, much more comfortable now.”
That raspy, vibrating lizard voice box had been grating on my nerves. I flexed my neck a few times and checked Snake Rim’s latest request.
(Repeatable) Daily Quest:
—Exterminate 100 million red ants.
—Restore at least one collapsed cave.
—Find and cheer up baby lizards who’ve been bitten by ants. All activities will be recorded under Snake Rim’s name.
Reward: Village contribution points, 1 Mud Resonance Pill
In reality, the swamp zone had a number of caves that were closed off due to ant infestations. As a result, the number of homeless lizards had increased exponentially. Supposedly, it was this situation that had caused the inherently peaceful, big-hearted lizards to start behaving so calculatingly. Believe it or not—but what was true was that the ants had absolutely tanked their quality of life.
I was on my way to a cave to clear out the ants and complete the quest when—
“Have you seen the Baby Fox anywhere?”
–Don’t know, kkadeuri.
Photographer Jung Da-hoon was wandering around looking for me. I quickly hid the party info window and cautiously approached him. Let’s see…
“Hey, baby lizard. That’s a really cool tail. Have you seen the Baby Fox anywhere?”
“I have, kkadeuri.”
When I replied, Jung Da-hoon tilted his head. Unlike the faint, squeaky voices of the other lizards, mine carried a rich resonance.
“…Did you major in vocal performance, by any chance?”
Tilting his head, shifting his eyes—just then, Kessler came up behind him and suddenly scooped me up.
I stared blankly at him as if I had no idea what was going on. Surely he wouldn’t recognize me, right? I’d even disabled the Subordination Tab just in case.
Kessler held me up, looking me over, then took out a brush meant for foxes and gently began brushing my tail.
“kkadeuri?”
Was it just that the fox tail made him feel an odd sense of attachment?
“You really don’t recognize him?”
“…Huh?”
“This baby lizard is the Baby Fox.”
Kessler said, cradling me lovingly in his arms.
“Right? Isn’t it?”
“Mr. Da-hoon, it’s me.”
“Gasp. …No wonder. You did seem a little out of the ordinary. How did you know, Mr. Kessler?”
“This much, I have to know.”
Kessler had been through too many ordeals from failing to recognize me after a transformation. But now, he’d been reborn… as the Baby Fox Ambassador.
I stuck out my tongue and licked the back of Kessler’s hand.
Even though I’d suddenly become a reptile, I probably still looked adorable in Kessler’s eyes. My pitch-black, round eyes, my half-vanished ears, and the pink scales that covered me like a hairless kitten—all of it screamed baby lizard.
Unlike the flustered Jung Da-hoon, Kessler brought his lips to mine with an expression that said he would love me no matter what form I took.
“Where do you want to go?”
“That way. The abandoned cave.”
I marked the destination in the Subordination App so he’d be able to find it easily. The target was the cave that had most recently been overrun by red ants. Riding comfortably on Kessler’s shoulder, I looked every bit the pampered noble.
Though my fox tail was still firmly attached, I decided to speak freely now that I was in lizard form.
“Just drop me off here. Thanks. If you come in with me, you might get bitten by the red ants—so head back for now.”
“What if you get hurt? You’re even smaller now.”
“No worries. I’m their natural predator, remember.”
I said, flicking my tail lightly.
“Then I’ll wait right here at the entrance. If anything happens, just shout.”
“Got it.”
“Kiss.”
“You really like me even in this lizard form?”
“I’m crazy about you.”
After a quick kiss, he gently set me down at the cave entrance. I took a deep breath for no real reason… then crawled inside.
