Something felt seriously off.
It was like the sensation of shapes you’ve been drawing not quite connecting at the edges.
So, I hastily tried to recall the fading memories of the original story’s content.
‘How did the flow of the early parts of the original go again?’
First, I arranged the original in chronological order.
The protagonist of the first episode of the Fixer Office in my memory was Alice.
It was the story of how she became an employee of the Fixer Office despite being a police academy candidate.
Afterward, various peripheral characters were introduced, including Alice’s sister Lily. It was around this episode that the regular cast began to expand significantly.
This was known as the Nemesis Party Hall Terror Incident.
It was a sort of violent act aimed at exposing the secrets hidden in Nemesis’ new product.
Of course, even though it was called “terror,” it wasn’t some serious incident where people were dying left and right or victims piling up.
It was more like a ruckus breaking out in a VIP banquet hall, resulting in dozens of security robots getting smashed.
Considering that the Bloody Night Incident in the original resulted in numerous casualties and nearly killed the protagonist too…
This event was one of the more common occurrences in Night Haven.
‘If I roughly think about the timeline here…’
The flow of this episode went something like this:
First: Raven and Alice, having received an invitation from Nemesis, enter the hotel where the party is being held.
Second: Inside the hotel, they encounter a suspicious girl wandering around whom they’ve met before.
Third: As it turns out, this girl is the younger sister of the mastermind behind the terror incident, and she asks Raven to stop her brother from carrying out the attack.
And finally: The protagonist group discovers that the reason for the terror incident was to free his childhood friend who had been imprisoned by Nemesis. They help him expose and thwart the company’s shady conspiracy.
‘Slowly… no, according to the original, we should have already met the client before meeting Lexi.’
Could I be misremembering something?
Or maybe something got seriously twisted along the way?
Whatever happened, things were getting very troublesome.
If the client didn’t show up at all, the Fixer Office would lose an outstanding hacker and mage.
‘Can he complete the mission safely without the protagonist group’s help? No, that’s impossible. Even with security robots and everything else, it ends with Lexi.’
I thought back to the bikini-clad woman with the skull eye patch I’d encountered earlier—Lexi.
At first glance, she might seem like just another floozy, but she was actually a Triple Number Pixie.
In this world, she was recognized as someone with considerable skill.
Even Alice struggled against her, and at the very least, Raven would need to go all out to handle her.
It was certain that there was no way to face her without the protagonist group’s help.
‘Where exactly did things go wrong…? No, thinking about this is ridiculous. The Bloody Night Incident must have been moved forward, causing something to get tangled up in the middle. So what I need to figure out now is… how to set things back on track.’
But as I tried to come up with a solution, my mind grew increasingly complicated.
I started wondering if I could even fix this mess properly.
Ah, this is why I hated getting involved with the protagonist group.
Putting aside getting caught up in their incidents, without me, wouldn’t the happy ending have rolled along smoothly? But now, a hole has appeared in the wheel.
…Should I have just left that vampire alone in the back alley?
No, I didn’t really want to do that.
If I hadn’t seen anything, maybe. But since I saw it with my own eyes, how could I just let it slide?
It seemed like innocent victims would suffer, and I had the power to stop it. How could I just stand by?
Besides, even if I turned back time, I’d probably end up doing the same thing.
It was an unavoidable situation? Then there was no real reason to regret it.
‘I guess I really need to find the client.’
Alright. My thoughts are clear now.
I’ll search for the client, the younger sister of the third member somewhere in this hotel.
Then, I’ll make sure she meets Raven, giving them a reason to get involved in the incident.
Once the incident is resolved, this connection will lead to him joining the Fixer Office team, and that’ll be the end.
After that, I can leave them alone, and they’ll automatically steer themselves toward a happy ending.
‘Phew, good. For now, I’ll somehow patch this up. After that, I won’t do anything else. And after finishing my part-time job, I’ll quietly slip out of the office without interfering with the original storyline anymore.’
With that resolve, I briefly imagined my future at the office.
Corporate bounties, artifact explosions, beast invasions, serial killers, wartime grudges, corporate wars, interspecies liberation armies declaring war, government assassination squads ambushing, dimensional invaders raiding…
Ah, indeed, things beyond this point were far beyond what I could handle.
It felt like a sorry situation. Knowing everything and yet trying to escape unscathed.
But hey, I’m just a part-timer. Surely, I can be forgiven for this much, right?
“Huh? What? You’re going to the bathroom? Should I come with you?”
“…”
“Alice, let her go to the bathroom alone. Take your time and don’t get lost.”
“…!”
With a look of boredom while watching the opening ceremony, I slipped out of the banquet hall saying I was going to the restroom.
Once I was far enough from the entrance, I quickly dashed off in the opposite direction of the restroom.
‘A little girl with braided green hair. I need to find her before the terror incident begins.’
About an hour remained until the terror incident.
The time given wasn’t much.
*
“Phew… that feels better. What, what? Who are you…!”
“Stun.”
“Kyaa!”
Click!
A blue current surged from a man’s glove, silencing the guard in one hit.
The inscription on the glove looked like mere scribbles at first glance.
However, within it lay the essence of modern magic, interpreted through contemporary mathematics and programming methods.
It was a kind of pseudo-modern magic specialized in sacrificing the intense power of old magic for maximum efficiency with minimal mana.
“Sorry to bother you. Excuse me for a moment.”
The man apologized to the unconscious guard, stripped him of his uniform, and changed into it.
He then hid the guard in a bathroom stall so he wouldn’t be found and casually walked outside.
Based on his investigation, the guards switched shifts every hour.
That meant he had to finish all preparations within the next hour.
Was it an impossible task? No, it wasn’t.
Certainly difficult, but for someone who had all the movements mapped out in his head, it was entirely possible.
‘There’s only one chance. I have to bring Rayne back in this one chance.’
Gritting his teeth, David, the man who stole the guard uniform, clenched his jaw tightly.
Remembering his precious childhood friend who disappeared six months ago made his anger boil fiercely.
‘Nemesis…!’
An orphan from the underworld with no magical talent, a half-bear beastman.
Yet, thanks to his remarkable intuition and unique inspiration, David became a scholar at Ocullia University, one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
He had Rayne, his childhood friend who had always been his mental support.
-David. Did you fight again? You’re weak, why do you keep doing this stupid stuff?
-Those guys insulted Rayne. They called her a prostitute relying on her looks.
-Ah, just ignore such nonsense. I care more about you getting hurt, David, who’s going to become someone great.
-I… I can’t become someone great. What does it even mean to be great? What should I do to become great?
-Hmm… A professor? Haha, honestly, I don’t know either…
-A professor…? Then someday when I truly become a professor, I’ll definitely make Rayne happy.
-Eh? R, really? If you say so, I’d be happy. It’ll be tough, but good luck!
If he could become someone truly great like a professor, he vowed to make her happy.
Starting from a naive thought during his ignorant years, his grand dream ultimately couldn’t be fulfilled.
While David entered university to become a professor, someone noticed the special blood Rayne carried and kidnapped her without leaving a trace.
Of course, upon learning the news belatedly, he was furious.
Because it was all thanks to Rayne that he transformed from a mere thug in the underworld into an acknowledged excellent student.
-Brother! You dropped out of university?! W, what’s going on?
-Rayne has disappeared. Until I find her, I can’t possibly attend university peacefully.
-R, Rayne…?
-You won’t hear from me for a while. See you.
-Wait! Brother! Please wait!
Therefore, he immediately quit school, used all the money he had earned, and relentlessly pursued traces of Rayne using the knowledge he gained at the university.
And after about half a year, he discovered that the rare disease she suffered from was Hexahemia and that the organization needing it was none other than Nemesis.
David waited for the rare opportunity when Rayne would come out, planning to retrieve her and bring down Nemesis.
‘Let’s calm down. Rayne is still alive. Her Hexahemia syndrome is an extremely rare condition. She isn’t in immediate danger of dying. Though I know that…’
He tried to rationalize his thoughts and control his emotions but couldn’t suppress his anger.
But perhaps it was understandable.
For David, Rayne was like a mother, a sister, and a lover.
She was as precious as his real younger sister, Sabrina.
What if she had been kidnapped and mistreated while he was away?
Even someone usually very rational like him couldn’t contain his rage.
‘…Let’s review the plan. The parties happening from the 32nd to the 34th floor are merely distractions. The real event is the VIP gathering seven floors above, on the 41st floor.’
What David uncovered by hacking Nemesis was a secret presentation targeting hidden VIPs.
It revealed that prosthetics usable by different races were made with Hexahemia serum derived from blood reactive to magic, aiming to attract new investors.
Although Nemesis could replicate Rayne’s serum for mass production, the serum was essentially living blood, losing its efficacy over time.
Especially, the replicated serum had significantly reduced duration and effectiveness, only reaching about 30% of the original’s potency.
Ultimately, Nemesis sought to secure more powerful and stable serum by finding second and third Raynes, planning unprecedented large-scale human experiments.
‘Once that phase begins, Rayne’s life can’t be guaranteed. This might be the only and last chance. It must succeed.’
Ding.
As he reviewed his plan, the elevator stopped in front of him.
And he realized. Once he stepped into this elevator, there would be no turning back.
Perhaps everything would fall apart, and he might spend his life rotting in prison.
Nemesis was a rapidly growing major corporation, and he was just a pathetic half-bear beastman with no strong backing.
But so what?
The scariest thing in this world wasn’t spending life in prison; it was regretting not grabbing the hand he could have held onto for the rest of his life.
Even if it meant death, he had no regrets.
Just as David resolved himself and was about to step into the elevator, a familiar voice suddenly called from behind.
“Stupid brother!”
“…Sabrina?”
Turning around, David saw a small girl with the same green hair.
Sabrina Greyroad. His only younger sister, sharing the same blood and surname.
“Why are you here? It’s dangerous. Go home quickly.”
David pulled his security cap low and bluntly told her to leave.
He didn’t know how she followed him here, but he hoped she wouldn’t get involved in what he was about to do.
“What are you trying to do, brother! You’re doing something reckless for Rayne’s sake!”
“Yes. Are you planning to stop me?”
“Ugh… yes, but it’s impossible! How do you plan to fight Nemesis alone? This is suicide! Rayne wouldn’t want this!”
Suicide. Something even he wouldn’t want.
Hearing Sabrina’s words, David closed his eyes momentarily.
He tried to act rationally but couldn’t suppress the boiling emotions deep inside.
Thus, David shouted as if his suppressed anger burst forth.
“…Shut up! It’s not because I can do it that I’m doing it! I’m doing it because I have to!”
“Brother! Brother!”
“Go home. I’ll return with Rayne.”
Saying that, David took a step forward and entered the elevator.
Sabrina desperately ran to stop him, but the elevator doors mercilessly closed in front of her.
The ship had sailed.
Realizing she could no longer stop David, tears welled up in her eyes.
“What should I do… what can I do…”
Sabrina despaired at the flow of fate she couldn’t change with her own strength.
What could she, just ten years old, possibly do?
Even if she wanted to ask for help, there was no one to lend her a helping hand.
In reality, despite knowing David’s plans from the data he left behind and running around seeking a pixie to stop it,
Every adult Sabrina met dismissed her vague and profitless request cruelly.
‘…I can’t do anything.’
Sabrina collapsed, clenching her fists tightly in helplessness, tears dripping one by one.
It was an unfortunate situation.
Had a certain office not closed early while searching for a ghost, Sabrina might have met an unreasonable man who would take her request for just a coin.
Perhaps at this moment, fate had abandoned her.
David’s plan would fail, and everything would turn to naught. That’s what fate whispered.
The young lamb hoped for a miracle. With no other options, she desperately wished and waited.
But sometimes, miracles reach out to pitiful lambs first.
“…”
“Hiiyaaak! Wha, what is this…!”
Someone dropped from the ceiling in front of Sabrina.
It was Yuria, dressed in children’s formal wear, silently observing the situation.
‘Is this where I start fixing things?’
It was the appearance of a master watchmaker ready to rewind the broken gears back to their original state.
