As a Reincarnated NPC, I Want to Live a Peaceful Life - Chapter 2

Current Status: Minor Boss

Attack: ??
Speed: ??
Magic: ??
Strength: ??
Precision: A
Growth Potential: ∞

Innate Traits:

• [Boundless Energy]

• [Forced Regression]

• [Blood of KRYY]

• [Recovery Healing]

Weaknesses:

• [Cold Sensitivity] LV. MAX

• [Heat Sensitivity] LV. 3

• [Mental Resistance] LV. 0

…..

Tonight was a full moon—something that would significantly affect certain player classes and races. But that had nothing to do with me.

The first time I saw my status screen, I froze, completely bewildered. Now, checking it had become part of my daily routine, just like players obsessively refreshing their mailboxes and quest logs.

For some reason, aside from Precision, all my core stats were marked as ??, and my Growth Potential was listed as ∞. It was unsettling. Had I somehow become one of the strongest beings in this world? Then again, if I ran into top-tier players—hardcore grinders or whales—I’d probably still get stomped.

“…(shouting)…”

The sudden noise nearly made me fall off the rooftop. Thank god I’d learned [Intermediate Flight], or I would’ve face-planted onto the cobblestones below.

“What the hell? It’s 2 AM in-game time. No NPC should be out this late… unless some no-lifer’s grinding quests?” Skeptical, I almost went down to investigate—but then remembered it wasn’t my problem. Still, the shouting persisted, grating on my nerves until I couldn’t think straight.

So I snapped my fingers and [Impression: Teleported] to the ground. Technically, I didn’t need the gesture, but I kept it as a deliberate “flaw” to mislead potential enemies.

Everything was ready—MP and HP full, no cooldowns. Good.

“Alright… time to move!” I kicked off, launching myself like a bullet. The air pressure shattered nearby walls and pavement, sending debris flying.

…Maybe I should’ve just teleported step by step.

Too late now.

Soon, a gaudy, glowing carriage came into view. Honestly, even the blindest slime could’ve spotted this thing in the dark. But carriages like this? Only obtainable through heavy cash shop spending.

Meaning—

“There’s a player inside. No other explanation.”

Gritting my teeth, I activated [Natural Concealment] and tailed the carriage.

It was moving fast. Fancy or not, no ordinary beast could pull a carriage at this speed. It had to be something like a unicorn or bicorn—monsters usually ranked A-tier. Even if they only used magic defensively, they were lethal. Especially bicorns. If it was a seed beast with [Seed Guardian], its threat level could wipe out an entire B-rank adventurer guild.

—Basically, a small army.

“Who the hell is in that carriage? Using monsters like that as mounts…”

The carriage showed no signs of stopping. With the city gates approaching, I made a split-second decision—I stomped down, landing on the carriage roof, then used [Appraisal] on the bicorn pulling it.

As expected of an A-tier monster—its speed was S-rank. No wonder it kept pace with me.

Without thinking, I leaned down to yank the carriage door open.

Locked. From the outside.

Wait—outside?!

I barely dodged the crimson-glowing rapier that stabbed toward my throat.

“Oh? You dodged? Quite impressive, little girl. Who are you?”

A blond man smirked at me, his rapier shimmering under the moonlight. A knight, obviously.

I didn’t answer. If I’d noticed the silver whip on the bicorn’s saddle earlier, I wouldn’t be in this mess.

His player tag floated above his head, alongside his obnoxiously flashy platinum-tier outfit. Definitely a whale. But since I was just an NPC to him, he didn’t bother with pleasantries.

“No last words? Pity.” He lunged.

Fast—but not fast enough.

I predicted the strike, grabbed his wrist, and yanked.

“AAAAAGH—!”

His scream echoed through the streets. I’d dislocated his arm. No guilt, though—he’d tried to kill me first.

Art World Online simulated all pain, but the pain-dampening system kept players from dying of shock in real life.

“M-My arm…!” He stared at his limp limb, writhing. Clearly, he’d never felt pain like this before. Even with dampening, it still hurt.

His rapier clattered to the ground. I crushed it underfoot—nothing special, just standard-issue knight gear with generic enchantments.

(—Current Public Knowledge: Enchanting, derived from classics like Minecreated, is Art World Online’s unique system for imbuing gear with magic.)

(—Typical warrior enchants: Sharpness, Piercing. Rarely, unique ones spawn based on talent. Manual enchanting is brutally hard, with abysmal success rates.)

His HP had plummeted to 10%. I hadn’t planned to kill him, but then it hit me—he’d seen my face. My stats were hidden, but my appearance and abilities? Memorized.

I could already picture tomorrow’s scene—

…..

“Hey! You hiding some monster kid in there? Let us check!”

“This brat nearly killed me! You call that normal?!”

Ugh. Lady Cleroll doesn’t need this trouble.

I’d been an idiot. Should’ve disguised myself. And since he was a player, who knew what kind of real-world repercussions this might have?

The bicorn kept sprinting toward the city gates. The blond man’s lips curled into a smirk.

Bad sign.

“Why are you smiling? Your HP’s almost zero.”

No answer. His grin widened.

“Heh… Mission accomplished. Dying doesn’t matter now.”

He glanced ahead. I followed his gaze—and froze.

We weren’t in the city anymore.

We were on a cliffside.

But the bicorn couldn’ve teleported us here instantly.

Only one explanation.

“You bastard—you used a warp spell!”

I tried to leap off the carriage—

“Mmm… Sis? Is it morning already?”

—when a sleepy, childish voice piped up from inside.

My blood ran cold.

This wasn’t just a chase.

It was a murder plot.

A runaway carriage, a “tragic accident,” and no one to blame.

Clever. Sickening, but clever.

Save her or not?

No time to think. I lunged onto the bicorn’s back. Thankfully, a single bicorn was manageable.

Ignoring the knight, I focused on killing the beast. I raised my hand, gathering energy—

THUNK.

A barrier-like pattern flared over the bicorn’s neck—[Seed Guardian].

Damn it.

This buff massively reduced physical and magical damage. Depending on the monster, the effect varied.

A normal bicorn was one thing. But with this? I couldn’t kill it in time.

The blond man laughed, reveling in my frustration. Annoyed, I teleported behind him, pressing a finger to his spine—a threat.

“Call it off.”

“Call it off? Hah… I can’—AAAAAGH!”

I snapped his leg.

His scream cut off as his body fragmented into data.

Now what? The bicorn was seconds from the cliff.

Only one option left.

“Fine. I’ll just wreck the damn carriage.”

I swung my fist.

The roof shattered.

Inside, a sobbing girl clung to a still-warm corpse.

No hesitation—I grabbed both and jumped.

“W-Who are you?! Kidnapper?!” the girl shrieked, squirming.

No time to explain. I hit the ground hard, rolling to cushion the impact.

Behind us, the carriage plunged into the abyss.

Too close.

Then—tug.

The girl had grabbed my sleeve, tears streaming.

“What? You wanna say someth—OW.”

She flicked my nose.

…Seriously?

“Who. Are. You.” Her voice was steadier now, more mature. Maybe 17? Definitely not a kid. Her bearing screamed nobility—regal, refined. And now that I looked, she was taller than me.

My mental age was over 18, and my earlier vantage point had tricked me into thinking she was younger.

“Shouldn’t you say ‘thank you’ first?” I prodded, testing her.

People rarely changed. Some would ignore the question. Others would comply.

She blinked, then bowed stiffly.

“Thank you for saving me. But… why was I saved by a little girl?”

My eye twitched.

Little girl.

I hated that term.

Before I could retort, I noticed something—no player tag above her head.

An NPC.

But why would a player want her dead? Money? No—killing NPCs could break questlines, alter the world.

She waved a hand in front of my face.

“Hello? And… my sister. You couldn’t save her. But I don’t blame you.”

…What?

“You don’t blame me?” I snarled. “If I’d known you’d say that, I’d have let you both die.”

Why did people always shift blame onto those who tried to help?

“Just take your sister’s body and get lost.”

I turned and walked away.

She stood there, frozen beside the corpse.

Why did I bother? People like her—ungrateful, quick to judge—were the worst.

A small house appeared along the road. Maybe they’d let me stay the night.

I knocked. The owner agreed without hesitation.

“Could I… have some water and a towel?”

“Sis… why did you leave me…?”

The girl’s sobs echoed against the cliffs. Yet she made no move to leave, just knelt there, grieving.

The path was rough, but it was still a path. Why not walk it?

“Here. Drink. Clean your face.”

In the end, I caved.

I handed her the water and towel, avoiding her gaze.

She stared, then took them quietly.

“…Sorry for yelling earlier. What you said pissed me off.” My cheeks burned.

“I’m the one who should apologize. I was… in shock. My sister…”

Silence.

With nowhere else to go, I led her to the house.

Night deepened. The full moon hung heavy.

I stood by the window, having given her the bed, my mind blank.

One thing was clear:

In this world, NPCs were always the ones who suffered.

Whoever wanted her dead? Definitely players. That blond knight was just a pawn.

But why?

I watched the moon, unanswered questions swirling in the dark.