Mom is My Constellation - Chapter 70

From Corpse Revival to Spirit Summon—the skill name had changed entirely. The description seemed vastly different too.

"Hmm…."

I scrutinized the skill description over and over with the sharp eye of an appraiser inspecting a priceless artifact.

Then the one who'd given me the skill grumbled from beside me.

"I have to make sure everything checks out."

It's sweat from your overwhelming presence, lady. Still, I had to double-check.

"Upgrade" usually implies an improvement over the previous version. If this Spirit Summon the guy gave me turned out inferior to Corpse Revival, I'd be the one taking the loss, right?

I examined it closely with that in mind.

Mom thinks so too? Honestly, I was a bit confused….

'At least the lifespan penalty is gone.'

The one-year lifespan reduction per use—that was the main reason I'd entrusted the upgrade to a Transcendent in the first place, and now it was fixed.

If that was all, there'd be no need to hesitate, but….

'The performance has changed in several ways too, that's the issue.'

If it turned out worse than Corpse Revival after closer inspection, I'd demand a recall—

Upset that his handiwork was under suspicion, the Sublime Transcendent was jumping up and down, pointing at something.

His finger jabbed at one line in the skill description.

Without a doubt, this skill far surpasses the likes of Corpse Revival.

"Didn't you write this yourself…?"

What was I supposed to do with that? Just trust it because you wrote it?

Like some elementary kid who changes a 30 to an 80 on a test and insists they aced it….

"Ah…."

So that boast about surpassing Corpse Revival had passed system review and verification. No choice but to dial back my suspicions then.

That said, some lingering doubts remained.

"…Yeah."

Fair enough. Makes sense.

Without review, we'd have had skills like "One-shot all enemies" ages ago.

To sum it up:

1) No mana cost.

2) Summoned spirits wield 200% of their original power.

I thought #1 was the real gem, but the Transcendent pushed #2 harder.

"Hmm…."

Swept up in the Transcendent's desperate pitch, I was fully convinced.

'Yeah, whatever. It was a skill I nearly scrapped anyway—this is plenty good.'

Wait, no. Saying it like "it's okay, I'll settle" felt wrong; the performance was too strong for that.

An Ex-grade skill with no mana cost? Case closed. I'd been too suspicious. Sorry.

"Haha…."

Her pouty lip and dramatic head-turn nearly made me burst out laughing.

Then a sudden question crossed my mind.

"Can I ask one thing?"

It was a question that popped up out of nowhere now.

Why was the Witch of Eternal Sleep so obsessed with Lee Ji-yoon?

There was a deep backstory, and the explanation dragged on, but to me, it boiled down to three points.

1. The witch wanted Lee Ji-yoon as her agent.

2. But the Sublime Transcendent had already staked her claim.

3. Revenge.

I'll corrupt your agent.

My takeaway from the story? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠One line.

"What a crazy bitch."

I could see anger and exhaustion in the Transcendent as she rubbed her temples.

"So the witch targeted her 'evil talent.'"

"Then the witch would've swooped in like a burglar."

While conveniently omitting that she was the mastermind.

"That psycho constellation had a whole blueprint drawn up…."

Not "would've"—she did. In my first timeline.

She sent countless people to the afterlife because of it.

Knowing I'd prevented that disaster this time around made me exhale in relief.

"Why didn't you stop it? You're getting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠played."

"……."

Lee Ji-yoon was a total idiot pushover….

Or so I thought, then stopped.

Put myself in her shoes, and I might've done the same.

A heavy silence fell briefly, but the Transcendent soon smiled brightly.

"At least we successfully booted Oh Chae-rin from Lee Ji-yoon's life."

Sincere gratitude shone in the Transcendent's eyes.

…Who could've imagined back in the first timeline, when Lee Ji-yoon had fallen, that such a kind constellation had been by her side?

As the possession ended, Lee Ji-yoon drifted off to sleep peacefully.

According to the Transcendent, she'd been possessed once before, so she'd wake up sooner this time.

I gazed down at her cheek pressed against the bedsheet, lost in thought.

"Funny, I was thinking the same."

The Sublime Transcendent had said earlier that Lee Ji-yoon, with her 'Blank Slate' trait, could become a powerful player in either good or evil paths.

In the first ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠timeline, she'd gone evil. That's why she was so brutally strong.

But this second timeline was different.

"If I guide her right from now on, she can awaken her 'good talent' in this life. More than possible."

Awakening 'evil talent' meant corrupting her.

So for 'good talent'? No idea.

But I'd figure it out step by step.

"That immense power that was a nightmare for everyone… this time, it could stand with humanity."

Suddenly, I recalled my first encounter with the disastrous Lee Ji-yoon before regression.

Clad in black robes, incinerating people with dark flames.

Looking back, her appearance and techniques resembled Oh Chae-rin's Witch of Eternal Sleep in many ways….

'In terms of raw terror, though, Lee Ji-yoon was way scarier.'

I was just an F-rank back then, spotting her from afar….

Ugh. No wonder I had a mental breakdown seeing her on day one of regression.

But if that terrifying being became an ally? Game-changer.

'The war against the demon legions would be a lot easier.'

Just thinking about it felt reassuring.

She was worth the suffering she'd already caused me—and then some.

Just like how I'd possessed Mom's body to awaken Yu Seong-su's skill, Lee Ji-yoon was worth that investment.

But,

"Can't ignore her own wishes, though."

Yu Seong-su was like a cartoon pirate yelling about becoming the Pirate King, singing "I wanna be a great player!"

Lee Ji-yoon? Hard to say.

After all this trauma, would she even stay a player?

Blushing at Mom's praise, that's when—

"Ugh, umm…."

Lee Ji-yoon woke up right on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cue. Fast, just like the Transcendent said.

Lifting her face from the sheet, she blinked around dazedly, then—

"Eek?!"

Our eyes met, and she jolted upright like she'd seen a ghost.

…Talk about a reaction. That hurts the viewer too.

"Wh-why-why is Jae-min here?!"

"I've been here the whole time. You came to me."

Sounded philosophical, but it was just facts.

Lee Ji-yoon flailed in confusion, then slumped her shoulders in realization.

"She possessed me without asking again…."

"Yeah. How'd you know? Sharp instincts."

"Waking up in a new place? Only one reason. No big mystery."

"Fair."

"Um, but…."

Twirling her fingers, she asked hesitantly.

"D-did you… talk with my constellation by any chance?"

"Nah, nothing much."

"She didn't say anything weird using my body, right?"

Her cheeks flushed as she glanced sideways. Seemed overly conscious of me.

No, probably just worried. Crush? Nah….

More like, she's blabbing rudely with her constellation right there listening.

"She's not like that. And while we're on it, you're truly blessed."

"Wh-why?"

"A constellation that kind and good sees you as her agent—what else is a blessing?"

Compared to the Central Plains Sword God, she's a straight-up angel.

Whoops. Thinking of that jerk soured my mood, and I nagged without meaning to, but—

"Y-yeah…."

Lee Ji-yoon fidgeted her fingers, seemingly moved.

"Looking back… yeah, you're right. Every time I was with Oh Chae-rin, she'd message advice. 'Don't listen to that woman.'"

Wow, so sweet. Meanwhile, some constellations tell their agents buried in poison fog to find a better one next life.

Haha.

"…I was out of my mind too. My real ally was right there, but I listened to Oh Chae-rin…."

A bitter smile played on her lips as she regretted and cringed at her past self.

"…If I'd realized sooner, I might've stuck with being a player."

Wait. Did that mean—

"So you're quitting as a player and going back to normal life?"

"……."

Lee Ji-yoon didn't answer right away, just stared blankly at the floor.

Her wordless smile felt like the answer already.

"Without you, I'd have lived forever ashamed before my little brother."

Her eyes, fixed on the floor, slowly turned to me.

No need for Throw Eye to read the emotion in that shimmering gaze.

"So… from now on, I just want to focus on being a good sister."

Conviction. The eyes of someone who'd wandered long and finally found their path.

As moisture welled in those softly smiling eyes—

Lee Ji-yoon clasped her hands and bowed deeply to me.

"Thank you for giving my brother and me new lives."

"……."

"To us siblings, you're our savior."

Time passed.

After leaving her contact info and saying reach out anytime, Lee Ji-yoon departed.

Alone, I softly repeated one thing she'd said.

"Savior, huh…."

The phrase people endlessly slapped on my parents.

But hearing it from one girl? Not a bad feeling.

"…Kinda bummed."

Would've been great if she'd awakened her talent and fought by my side as a comrade—but that chance was gone forever.

Still, it was fine.

"Deep down, I might've hoped she'd say that."

A world where Lee Ji-yoon lived as a normal person, not a disaster.

That was one ideal form of this second timeline I'd craved.

Good enough. No complaints.

Chuckling, I let out a long sigh.

"Maybe 'cause I finally offloaded that worry, but suddenly sleepy again."

Come to think of it, the Sublime Transcendent woke me from sleep.

Alright, back to bed.

One more time: after all that intense suffering, I'm intensely doing nothing for a while.

Reaffirming my resolve, I yawned and flopped back down.

—Click.

…Right up until the scene before my eyes suddenly turned black and white.