The Tale of Befriending the World's Strongest Fixer
There was this little kid named Kali, about seven years old. And her first memory was sobbing in the corner of an alley, surrounded by blood and guts all mixed together. She didn't have anyone she could call a friend. Even if someone stuck around, they'd just vanish. Kids her age got dragged off by the cleanup crews or treated like toys.
The only reason Kali survived until she was thirteen was pure luck. But to not waste that luck, she kept watching and observing. To survive on her own strength. Kali made it all the way to twenty. With her own strategies, no less. And finally, she became a fixer.
Her options were limited, after all. The kid swore to herself. I won't end up like them.
...
Valentina stared at the map, heading toward the location her boss had marked for the item she needed to retrieve.
"Haa... Work barely ends and it's straight back to more work... work... work. Fuck, maybe I should just quit this shit and transfer somewhere else?"
Fuck of all places. In the Project Moon world, she had to go to the one spot she dreaded most. Among all the back alleys, the one with the worst security. Where every morning, severed heads and mangled body parts from the neighbors littered the streets. District 23, the absolute shithole of back alleys.
She'd lived in luxury her whole life in a wealthy family. Now she was wandering filthy back alleys like this. If I were really Valentina, I'd probably be cursing up a storm and grabbing my boss by the collar.
At a glance, it looked like any ordinary back alley. But the nose-piercing stench wafting from it reminded my brain that this place was on another level from the usual alleys.
"Haa... Better handle this quick and get back home..."
Valentina entered the building marked on the map. Someone was standing there, staring at a container.
"...?"
The person turned around and looked at Valentina.
"!?"
Red hair cascading down to her waist. A black coat and faint afterimages lingering around her face. And... that aura. The Red Mist, or Kali as she's called—the city's strongest.
Her strength was undeniably top-tier. Back when she was a Grade 3 fixer, she took down five Executors and three Messengers single-handedly. For reference, one Messenger is so powerful that it takes three Capos ganging up to handle it. Beating a Messenger one-on-one as a Capo? You'd have to die and come back to life first.
Well, the original owner of this body might've managed it. Or freaks like Brain Worm. But in general, Messengers are among the top powerhouses in the Fingers.
So how strong is an Executor, who outranks them? Ruehn, who single-handedly wrecked the Southern Zwei Association. Just knowing that gives you an idea of an Executor's might.
Honestly, if we're talking pure individual strength among the Fingers, Index takes overwhelming first place in my book. Sure, Pinky has monsters like Valu or Brain Worm with their absurd power, but that's personal might. An organization's strength comes from unity and clear goals.
Excluding Pinky, Index probably dominates in individual combat power. Hell, it takes three Capos ganging up dirty to take down one Index Messenger. Even as an Underboss, it wouldn't change much. At minimum, three Underbosses sniping from afar with cheap tactics might beat an Executor. Maybe...?
From what I know, typical Underbosses excel in position and tactics—personal combat power isn't the priority.
Anyway, point is, Kali soloed the Finger's top dogs—Executors and Messengers. And before the Midnight Blackout incident, she was the first to awaken her own E.G.O..
Kali's E.G.O. manifests as armor. Not just tough defense—it resonates with the user's mental state, boosting physical abilities even further. The more you fight, the stronger it gets. Perfect for her, a girl born to do anything to survive.
The more Kali fights, the less blood she has. And her power surges. An absurd ability, really. It's not widely known, but most of her insane feats happened back-to-back. Meaning, all that went down when she was climbing from Grade 3 to Grade 2 fixer.
This is gonna be rough if I wanna live through it...
"You're from Thumb, right?"
At Kali's question, Valentina tensed and replied.
"Yeah... My boss told me to grab whatever's in there. Hate it, but I got dragged here."
"You know what's inside?"
Valentina shook her head at Kali's tone.
"How should I know? I haven't opened the container. Anyway, what are you doing here?"
"..."
Kali seemed lost in thought for a moment.
"Sigh... Just go home."
God, I wish! But I can't. All Fingers are shit, but Thumb especially—if you fail a mission, you lose a body part.
"Sigh... You know I'm Thumb. If I don't take that thing, I'm in deep shit."
"They cut out or slice off a body part. I know. Unlike Index, Thumb guys usually apologize by chopping off the failed part themselves or paying equivalent value."
Kali eyed me as she spoke.
"One question. Why'd you join Thumb?"
"...I don't know. Family ordered it. Most Bonyatelli kids are funneled into Thumb from birth. Probably some deal between the family and Thumb."
"...Get out of here first."
"Sigh... I'd love to, but that's not happening."
"Fine. Can't be helped then."
Kali gripped her greatsword.
Honestly, there was a time I thought, No Mimicry, no Carmen support, no E.G.O yet—maybe I could take her? Everyone has a plan until they get punched.
The surroundings were a total wreck—objects smashed or shattered. Amid the chaos, two silhouettes stood out. Kali had one hand around the woman's throat, squeezing.
"Guhk..."
Thought it'd be easy without Mimicry or E.G.O? The name Kali is a legend—the strongest fixer in city history. Beating the first E.G.O. user ever? Utterly impossible.
She's survived this long purely because she's that strong.
Pathetic, Valentina could only claw or slap at Kali's arm choking her neck with one hand.
"Still got some fight left? Impressive willpower. Isn't it time to give up...?"
With those words, Kali slammed Valentina into the ground.