When I opened my eyes, a loud bell was ringing.

Having just woken up, my body felt fine, but...?

I turned off the alarm and stared blankly for a while, then I quickly satisfied my hunger and took my medicine before logging into the game.

As I opened my eyes in the game, I found a bear hugging me, and Yuna was nestled in my arms.

“Did you sleep well?”
“Kyuu!”
“Graaar!”

I handed a magic stone each to Yuna and the bear. After organizing my belongings, I climbed onto the bear’s back, which slowly started to pick up speed as it began to move.

The bear was running while being considerate of me.

“Feels more comfortable, doesn’t it?”
“Graaar!”
“So now you’re a model taxi, huh? Asking for extra fare!?”
“Graaar!”

The bear was joking, laughing as it ran.

But it seemed like it might’ve been serious; was that just my imagination?

It felt like it was subtly trying to ask for more fare!?

I had never seen such a sly bear in my life.

After running for a while, the bear slowed down and came to a stop.

I saw a village in the distance.

“Graaar!”
“Thanks.”

As I handed over a magic stone, it took it in its mouth and disappeared—was it eating it immediately?

The magic stones I always gave as taxi fare seemed to be consumed right away.

Should I ask about it next time?

As I walked closer to the village, I made eye contact with a dwarf standing guard.

“What brings the little lady to our village?”
“I came to buy a staff! Here’s a recommendation letter.”

Showing the recommendation letter to the guard, he nodded and told me to go inside the village and turn right.

After exchanging pleasantries, I entered the village and was greeted by unfamiliar scenery.

There were numerous blacksmiths lined up, and various races could be seen.

Following the path to the right in search of the Silver Blacksmith, I spotted a huge sign in the distance.

[Silver Blacksmith]
The second cheapest blacksmith in the village!!
The owner has gone mad!!!

It looked like an ad I often saw at a phone store; was I imagining things?

As I entered the shop, an older dwarf welcomed me.

“Welcome! Hmm? Is that our little lady from back then?”
“Hello! It’s been a while. Have you been running this shop?”
“Of course. Even though I look like this, I’ve been running a shop in this city for over 30 years.”

After chatting about various topics, I mentioned I was here to buy a staff, and upon looking at my attire, the dwarf shook his head.

“We don’t have a staff suitable for a little lady like you.”
“What!? Then where should I go?”
“My hometown. How about visiting the Iron Village?”

[Iron Village]
A village inhabited by dwarves, filled with numerous blacksmiths.

He handed me a letter.
“It’s a letter of recommendation. Take this and find the Silver Blacksmith in the Iron Village.”

Thanking him, I exited the blacksmith shop.

Looking at the map, I checked how far it was to the Iron Village; it would take about three days to walk there.

Could I reach it faster by using a bear taxi?

If I camped along the way...

“Alright! Let’s just buy some camping gear and head out, Yuna!”
“Kyuu!”

Entering the general store to buy camping supplies, I purchased a camping set that included everything from tents to sleeping bags.

[Beginner’s Camping Set]
Contains all the equipment needed for camping, easy for beginners to use.

After completing my purchase, I stepped out of the City of Stars with Yuna and walked towards the Iron Village when I saw a bear taxi approaching in the distance.

“Here! Here!”
“Graaar!”

It came to a stop in front of me, and it seemed to have grown bigger in the meantime?

How long had it been since we last met, and it had gotten so big?

“Hey bear, have you gained weight?”
“Graaar!?”
“It’s alright. You can just go on a diet.”
“Graaar!”

It grumbled while letting me climb onto its back, gradually speeding up.

No, it had become extremely fast.

“Wait, hold on, bear!? Slow down!”
“Graaar!”
“Drive safely! Drive safely!”

For ages, there had been a village inhabited by the Silverfox Tribe.

The peace-loving silverfoxes dreamed of ascending to become divine beings.

Through training, they could earn a tail every 100 years, and upon acquiring nine tails, they would achieve ascension.

As the silverfoxes lived each day in training, one day, a goblin appeared.

A group of goblins threatened them to surrender their village.

When they refused the demands, they were ambushed at dawn and lost their home overnight.

Fortunately, no silverfox lost its life, but all their efforts had gone to waste.

They had to use the tails they earned through training to protect their clan and start their training all over again.

The tribe scattered, wandering aimlessly, and during an attack by monsters, they barely escaped but were seriously injured. They found refuge in a human village, waiting for death in a dirty alley when a human girl saved them.

The magic stone used to save me yielded an unexpected result.

The one remaining tail transformed into nine tails, giving me the opportunity to ascend.

In that moment, I hesitated.

Was ascending really the right choice?

The thought didn’t linger long.

Returning to the village that had been taken from them, an extraordinary event occurred.

The goblins were nowhere to be found, and there stood a silverfox with nine tails, just like me.

As I approached, it turned to look at me.

“Unni?”
“Ranga.”

My twin sister had transformed into a nine-tailed fox.

The surprise was mutual.

She was staring at my tail.

“Did you meet the benefactor?”
“Yes. She saved me from dying in the forest and gave me strength.”

As I pondered the direction we should take, my sister spoke up.
“Shall we ask for help? Just like how she helped us, let’s ask her to share her strength with our clan.”
“Ranga, there’s a saying: for every gain, there is a loss. Isn’t there nothing we can give back to our benefactor?”
“A human’s lifespan is a maximum of 100 years, right? Let’s serve them for that duration.”

Choosing to serve a human for 100 years rather than training for centuries wasn’t a bad idea.

If our interests aligned, the story would proceed smoothly.

“I will go to meet our benefactor.”
“You’re not very good at talking; I’ll go.”

As my sister attempted to climb onto my head, wanting to ride like a tail, I playfully flicked her forehead, and she finally quieted down.

No, it wasn’t quiet; she was glaring at me.

“Do you want another one?”
“Violence is bad!”

We compromised to go meet our benefactor and began gathering our clan in the village.

Using our combined strength, we sent a signal only our tribe could hear. Soon, many clan members returned to the village.

They looked at us in shock.

When we shared what had transpired and our plans for the future, the entire tribe agreed.

Having finished the discussion, my sister and I set out as representatives of our tribe.

To meet our benefactor.
To greet her.