Chapter 2

Pixie.

It was the title of a popular boy’s comic serialized in the famous comic magazine, Halo Magazine.

The genre was fantasy, sci-fi, comedy, and action.

It was an impressive work with flashy actions set in a futuristic city, depicted with a beautiful art style.

The story of the comic was simple.

For some reason, dragons, elves, orcs, and other races along with magic crossed dimensions and arrived on Earth.

These races naturally clashed with humans due to differences in culture and values.

After decades of various conflicts, these races and humans came to recognize each other’s existence.

And all around the world, Meta-Cities were created for these races, commonly called Metahumans.

And one of the most representative Meta-Cities was Night Haven.

In this city full of trouble, there was a profession known as Pixies who took on requests to solve problems.

Pixie was the story of Raven, the protagonist, solving the city’s problems with her pure human body.

A unique blend of fantasy and sci-fi with a vibe somewhere in between.

With a plot that flowed smoothly without feeling stuffy and well-developed characters.

It was the representative work of Halo Magazine, loved by many.

In fact, the comic was so engrossing that I only noticed a truck approaching at the last second.

As someone who loves Fixer stories, I could strongly recommend this work.

‘Well, it is fun….’

But just because a work is fun doesn’t mean it’s a good one to reincarnate into.

Unlike the cheerful atmosphere of the protagonist’s group, Pixie had a deeply dark worldview.

First off, the reason these races came to Earth was that their own world had been destroyed by invaders.

And the early conflicts between these races and humans were patched up poorly.

Even now, hostile forces against these races were still rampant around the world.

On top of that, technological advancements led to a disregard for life and extreme individualism.

Gunfights breaking out in broad daylight or people being kidnapped had become almost daily occurrences.

And to make matters worse, the invaders who destroyed their previous world were eyeing Earth hungrily.

In short, this was a dangerous world under fragile peace, filled with blood and violence.

‘Of course, it’s because of this world that the protagonist can shine… but it’s too dangerous for someone like me, an ordinary citizen.’

Of course, knowing about the dangers of the world didn’t mean I could do anything about it.

Just as a child can’t choose their parents, it seemed reincarnation didn’t ask for the person’s consent either.

If I could choose the world to reincarnate into,

I would’ve definitely picked a peaceful slice-of-life one with no wars or fights.

A world without camping, guitars, or clubs?

That was truly a sad thought.

*

But sulking forever wasn’t an option.

The dice had already been rolled, and time was moving forward.

Rather than spacing out halfway, it was better to steel my resolve.

This place was a horrifying realm where carelessness could get your nose sliced off, or worse, leave you completely gutted.

If I dilly-dallied, something far worse than death might befall me.

‘First, I should gather information. Whether it’s before the original timeline starts or during its progression will determine how I act.’

Pixie wasn’t a comic following one big storyline; instead, it unfolded in episodic omnibus-style chapters.

However, as the protagonist solved various problems, positive effects emerged.

Gradually, the atmosphere of the city improved.

Thanks to that, the Night Haven of the early parts and the later parts felt like entirely different places.

If the early Night Haven was a chaotic mess of corrupt cops and countless violent gangs,

the later Night Haven had some semblance of order under the police and corporations but faced external threats from invaders.

In other words, if it was the early timeline, it was better to hide from dangerous figures who hadn’t yet been defeated.

But in the later timeline, staying in the open under public scrutiny was safer than lurking in back alleys.

Since the optimal strategy completely flipped depending on the timeline,

figuring out the current period was my top priority.

‘Approaching the protagonist, Raven, for help… let’s put that on hold for now. She’s quite the center of attention in this city. The chances of getting dragged into trouble are too high.’

Regardless of the timeline, approaching the protagonist wasn’t a great choice.

If we were to have a client-solver relationship, I currently had no means to pay her.

Even if I explained my homeless situation and asked to join her group as a dependent,

there was always the risk of being kidnapped to lure her out

or becoming a target for revenge by villains holding grudges.

Of course, in the manga, thanks to certain unwritten rules, even if kidnapped, everything would resolve safely without a scratch.

But thinking about real-life kidnapping victims…

Yeah, it didn’t seem like it’d end well for me.

‘Alright. First, I’ll gather as much information as possible in the city. Then, I’ll think about the next steps. There are too many variables to plan ahead right now.’

Having organized my thoughts, I steeled my resolve.

Since I’d been given another chance at life,

this time, I wouldn’t let it end so meaninglessly.

Of course, I didn’t have any grand ambitions to become a legendary figure in history.

But aiming for a long, healthy life wasn’t such a bad goal, right?

Muttering such pointless self-talk under my breath,

I headed toward Night Haven, sparkling painfully bright.

After walking for a while and leaving the forest hiding the underground facility,

when I reached the streets of Night Haven,

I encountered yet another unexpected problem.

“Hey, watch where you’re going, punk… Huh?”

“Oh my, are you interested in idols? You could definitely become a star in cyberspace…!”

“Hey, you there, are you Elstar? Can you tell me your ID? Hey, don’t run away~”

Perhaps my new face as a young girl stood out quite a bit.

People kept bothering me as I simply walked by.

The rough-looking man I accidentally bumped into touched his chin with a dumbfounded expression.

The woman with long ears clung to me like I was a rare gem.

The sleazy blond guy draped his arm over my shoulder, pretending to be friendly.

Something was off.

Without uttering a word, I quickly judged the situation

and hastily fled the scene.

To escape the persistently pursuing blond guy,

I telekinetically leapt to the rooftop of a building in an alleyway and spotted the cause of all this trouble using a discarded mirror.

‘What the heck is this cutely absurd girl?’

In the mirror was an impossibly cute snow-white girl resembling a fairy.

Her skin was as smooth as pristine eternal snow.

Her gently drooping eyelids and tiny lips evoked a pitiable charm that sparked protective instincts.

Even without looking in the mirror, my long white hair shimmered as if fresh out of a salon.

Despite wearing loose hospital-style clothes, the overall aura was unrealistically charming.

Of course, crawling through ventilation shafts had left black dust stains here and there,

but my captivating face made them barely noticeable.

She was the textbook definition of a delicate and pure young beauty.

It was almost tragic that someone like me was inside this national treasure-level appearance.

‘So this is why people kept bothering me. Hmm… this isn’t good.’

If asked whether this face was my type or not, the answer was obviously yes.

The only downside was that I looked around upper elementary school age.

No matter how hard I tried to change expressions, my face stayed mostly blank.

If this were a game character customization,

I’d hit confirm without touching a thing—it was that perfect.

But in this world, a beautiful appearance was more like a bad status effect.

A rice cake that looks delicious to me would look just as tasty to others.

Especially in this city, where people would stab you to get what they wanted, this face practically invited trouble.

Guess I have no choice but to cover up.

With a light sigh, I glanced around

and used telekinesis to grab a large piece of cloth rolling around on the opposite rooftop to cover my face and body.

Night Haven had plenty of small races like dwarves and goblins.

If I didn’t expose myself recklessly, maybe I could pass as a young girl without drawing attention.

‘Creating fake hands and controlling them with telekinesis might also work.’

Casually jotting down the sudden idea in some corner of my mind,

I approached the rooftop railing.

Perhaps because it was a fairly tall building,

the neon-lit city spread out before my eyes.

The city of dreams and opportunities, Night Haven.

And the city of darkness and despair, Night Haven.

Thinking about having to live here from now on,

a mix of hopelessness and vague excitement welled up inside me.

Unconsciously, I seemed to be thrilled about falling into a manga world without realizing it.

‘Still, I have no intention of getting tangled up with the protagonist’s group…’

Maybe watching from afar while munching on popcorn wouldn’t be so bad.

Imagining some distant future,

I smiled pleasantly.

*

[Wanted / Rag Ghost / Only Alive

Goblin-sized creature.

White fur visible through gaps in tattered cloth.

Disappears suddenly using traceless magic.

Frequently appears in back alleys on the city outskirts.

Main crimes: Assault and robbery.

Most victims don’t even realize how they were attacked.

Breaks through encirclement easily; victims suffer only minor unconsciousness.

Perpetrator judged to possess considerable intelligence.

700,000 Credit]

Three months into living in Night Haven,

I had somehow become a wanted criminal.

How did this happen?

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