The Way of the Infinite Regressor
The Way of the Infinite Regressor
"Ughhh."
I hauled my stiff body up.
Entering the Tower itself was a success.
I don't know how much time has passed.
My condition is absolute trash.
My eyes are still stinging, my hair is itchy from dried shampoo, and I'm naked······.
Plus, I didn't even have the strength to bring the dagger I'd worked so hard to get.
"You f*cking bastards!"
Just as I was about to curse out the Management Bureau agents who messed with my Monolith play the moment I came to.
"Huh, what the?"
The Snake Dagger was sitting right next to me.
"Why is this here?"
I definitely entered the Tower naked, didn't I?
I grabbed the dagger immediately.
'Is this also part of the IR Gallery perks?'
Items received through trading automatically follow you into the Tower?
Whatever it was, it was a huge relief.
My shitty mood improved a little.
"Mwah!"
I planted a few kisses on the dagger and then opened the IR Gallery.
As expected, the IR Gallery members were wondering why my posts hadn't appeared for a while.
[Newbie, tell us how you're doing][3]
[Brother, where did you go? You're okay, right?][5]
[Don't be nervous, knowing Newbie's personality, he might just be having fun trying again][12]
[Maybe this stage is just a time-consuming one][8]
[When is the Newbie video coming up...][4]
As expected, our IR Gallery really loves their Newbie.
I immediately wrote a post.
[I've had so much happen to me]
[Author : Amor Fati]
The Management Bureau f*ckers tried to kidnap me, so I ran to the Tower...
I was taking a shower, and they just picked the lock and walked in;;
Got hit with a tranquilizer dart and just woke up.
F*ck, how could this happen?
I expected some butterfly effect when I went for retirement, but I never dreamed it would be this extreme.
But I thought I left the dagger behind, and it followed me?
So my crappy mood got a little better lol.
└PoisonCoated) What? Kidnapped? F*ck, what is this?
└Solo Hero) These fcking bastards?
└Dungeon Thief) Newbie, if you regress, stab those bastards in the gut with my dagger. How dare they touch our Newbie.
└Heresy Purger) This is unacceptable.
└Archmage) How dare they...!
└Martial God) Ah, my blood pressure is skyrocketing. Newbie, just wait, I'll make you an Immunity to Ten Thousand Poisons elixir right now.
└Vampire Princess) How dare a lowly human touch my Newbie......!
└Amor Fati) I'm a human too, you know.
└Vampire Princess) Newbie is the exception.
"Phew."
Getting pampered by the IR Gallery members definitely lifted my spirits.
Having allies who would take my side was definitely reassuring.
And perhaps because the dagger I'd left behind had come into the Tower with me?
My resilience immediately wiped away the depression, shame, and anger in my heart.
······I didn't even know it myself, but I really didn't expect to feel this good.
"Ha, Monolith."
The light of my life.
The flame in my chest.
My sin······well, not that.
My soul.
As I scratched my itchy head and savored the sweetness of the oasis I'd finally reached after a week, Puppet Master left a comment.
└Puppet Master) Newbie, what do you want to do?
"What do I want to do?"
My mood had improved, but my decision remained unchanged.
'Obviously, I have to take bloody revenge.'
Cold revenge is the truly terrifying kind, after all.
└Amor Fati) Revenge... I want to take bloody revenge.
└Puppet Master) Got it. Then for now, enjoy this floor and then regress.
└Puppet Master) I'll teach you how Infinite Regressors take revenge.
"What."
The revenge method of Infinite Regressors.
Now that's an intriguing statement.
└Puppet Master) Next time, approach that group called the Management Bureau favorably and farm information first.
└Amor Fati) And then?
└Puppet Master) I'll tell you after you've farmed the information.
I tilted my head at Puppet Master's comment.
"What is this, why is he suddenly trying to upsell me?"
It felt like being interrupted while taking a dump; it was annoying.
I mean, he acted like he was going to teach me a revenge method devoid of blood or tears, and then suddenly cut it off, saying the free trial ended here.
Of course, even if Puppet Master didn't tell me, I could vaguely guess what that Infinite Regressor revenge method was.
I knew full well how powerful information could be.
I was just curious why he cut it off here.
└Amor Fati) There are two ways to make people angry. The first is to stop talking halfway through.
I stopped here and waited for the IR Gallery members' reactions.
└Solo Hero*) What, I was waiting, why isn't the next comment coming? What's the second way?
└PoisonCoated) Ah, Head Admin, you blockhead lololololol
└Solo Hero*) ?
└PoisonCoated) What do you think it is? What do you think the second way is?
└Solo Hero) PoisonCoated, you're banned for a day, fck.
└Vampire Princess) He really got banned......
"Oh, PoisonCoated."
I clicked on PoisonCoated and it showed that the user was banned.
He actually went and banned him.
Anyway.
While Head Admin and PoisonCoated were doing their comedy routine, Puppet Master left a comment that felt both serious and caring.
└Puppet Master) Newbie... I deeply empathize with how flustered and angry you must be right now. It's unfortunate, and I'm very angry too.
'Actually, I felt better once I brought the dagger into the Tower.'
Of course, since it felt like he was comforting me, I didn't bother replying.
└Puppet Master) Still, try approaching those two agents and the Management Bureau at least once and judge for yourself.
└Archmage) Hmm. True. Puppet Master went through something like that, so it's no wonder he's worried.
└Martial God) Well, I want to jump dimensions right now and smash that Management Bureau to pieces, but Puppet's words definitely have a point.
'What is this?'
The gallery atmosphere, which had been ready to tear the Management Bureau to shreds just a moment ago, suddenly drifted.
There was an atmosphere of agreement with Puppet Master's comment, more than I expected.
I could predict why this atmosphere of agreement had formed.
Well, unspeakable circumstances, orders from above, the "actually a good guy" cliché.
It must be something like that.
In other words, it means there's still room to "put them through the laundry" (redeem them).
"But I don't think it'll work even if I put them through the laundry, right?"
They picked the lock and broke into the house of a civilian (not really) in broad daylight to kidnap me, so do you think that'll work?
Of course, I didn't directly refute Puppet Master's opinion with a snarky comment.
After learning about the circumstances of Dungeon Thief and Archmage, everyone knew that there were things people couldn't talk about.
There was no need to pick at old wounds.
└Amor Fati) I get what you mean. Basically, don't just look at one side of the incident, but use the strengths of Infinite Regression to look at it from multiple angles and judge, right?
└Puppet Master) Yeah, that's exactly it.
└Amor Fati) But if I look at it from multiple angles and they still can't be redeemed, then I'm taking bloody, brutal revenge.
└Puppet Master) Obviously. In that case, we'll all pool our knowledge to help you.
"As expected!"
Puppet Master is, how should I put it.
He's a gallery member who feels like a gentle teacher.
The kind of teacher who doesn't shy away from harsh words because he wants his student to grow properly.
'While also being the type who can't forgive anyone who touches his student more than anyone else.'
Although, his first impression was that he was just a gallery member who teased me for being a mental patient.
└Amor Fati) Message received. For now, everyone, start brainstorming ideas in case redemption is impossible. I'm going to go have some fun in the stage.
└Martial God) Have fun lol. There are plenty of ways to mess them up properly.
└Solo Hero*) But Newbie, can't you just tell us what the second way is before you go?
I was about to turn on the IR Gallery's recording function, but stopped and looked at the message in front of me.
[Welcome to the 1st Floor.]
[The 1st Floor begins once you leave the safe zone.]
[Eliminate the enemies within the time limit.]
[10:00]
[Penalty for failure: Death]
Hmm, this familiar interface.
It makes my heart race every time I see it.
The Monolith is the best for a change of pace.
"Kuh."
Finally, the full-scale 1st Floor begins.
I drew my dagger, pumped mana into my heart, and immediately performed a naked dive.
"Geronimo!"
Whoosh!
The surrounding scenery changed in an instant.
'Alright, who is it! The 1st Floor monster!'
As I sensed the change in surroundings, I rolled my eyes quickly.
First of all, the stage is the same Great Plains as the tutorial.
Maybe it's because I'm naked.
The wind felt exceptionally cool.
"Chwi-i-i-k-?"
The first thing I saw was one Orc Chieftain I'd been indebted to in the tutorial.
The point is that its reaction was subtly different.
"Chwi-ik! Chwi-ik!"
And two more.
"Chwi-ik!"
Uh······three of them.
"Ha!"
I curled the corners of my lips up as high as they would go and immediately stepped forward.
The footwork technique taught by the Martial God.
Trembling Heaven Wild Step.
They said it was a footwork technique only learned by those who completely separate their mind and body, but it was a perfect fit for me.
Avoiding non-target skills with irregular movements that the opponent couldn't predict was my specialty to begin with.
Pabat, pat!
"Kwoooaaar!"
The guy swung its club at me with the exact same motion as the tutorial, without a single error.
It wouldn't be a problem now, but the other two were the variables.
"Woooaaar-!!"
That guy far away.
A giant staff and strange adornments.
It was a guy who just screamed, "I am a Shaman."
Indeed, after the Shaman's war cry, the Orc Chieftain's body turned red.
At the same time, its speed became incomparably faster than in the tutorial.
Of course, even if it got faster, the basic pattern was the same.
'Swing followed by shoulder tackle!'
Pat!
Kwang!
If it had been the same speed as the tutorial, I would have landed two quick hits with the dagger, but that was impossible now.
I had already created distance by quickly dodging the meat-tank with my footwork.
'What about the other one?'
I immediately checked what the remaining Orc was doing.
In that split second.
Shoo-pat!
A giant rock flew at me in an instant.
Only then could I tell the class of the remaining one.
The guy was a ranged attacker.
A pure-blood Orc ranged attacker.
'Crazy.'
You call throwing rocks a ranged attacker?
You don't know what you're talking about.
That's a slingshot.
That cheat weapon David supposedly used to defeat the giant.
But an Orc is using it.
'No, is there not even a wind-up? Shouldn't you at least spin it around a few times before throwing it?'
The Slingshot Orc, that is, the ranged attacker, just unleashed a stone throw.
The rock the guy threw was way too huge.
Honestly, it's hard to even call it a rock.
It's just a boulder.
"1 melee, 1 ranged, 1 mage?"
Kiiiing-!
My core started to run wild with a sound like glass scratching.
Is it still going to take more time to get used to it?
With the final thought of 'Good combo······.', I immediately pressed the regression button.
Slash!
That was my······what number was it?
Anyway, it was my nth regression.
The familiar ceiling welcomed me again.
"S-h-u-u-p-"
Now I could tell just by breathing.
It's not the body of a normal person.
"So it was fixed after all."
I had regressed to the moment I just got home after clearing the tutorial.
Checking the date and time on my phone, it was exactly that moment.
"Ha, I almost got f*cked."
With this regression, I obtained two pieces of information.
One is the fact that if I hadn't been able to press the regression button in the tutorial, my life as an Infinite Regressor would have been over.
And the fact that regression points are saved every time I clear a floor.
As for the smell problem······.
'What can I do. It's already a fixed past.'
If there were a Mountain Spirit, I'd just be sorry.
It's just fortunate it wasn't a park restroom.
Anyway.
Time to devise a full-scale strategy.
"Three of them. Two are a mage and a ranged attacker, and my weapon is just one dagger."
Orc Chieftain?
I'm not joking, once the dagger is in my hand, a no-hit clear in 3 minutes is totally possible in a 1-on-1.
But if a ranged attacker and a mage are attached, the story changes.
I stayed up all night debating with the IR Gallery members on how to surely clear the 1st Floor.
I cleanly ignored the post by Heresy Purger, who was spamming the gallery asking where the video was.
Anyway, while debating the strategy for the Hopeless Trio, I also established a 'Home Alone' operation to be triggered in case the Management Bureau bastards were irredeemable villains.
I couldn't do anything about the Management Bureau bastards right now.
In the first place, no matter how much of an S-Rank Core Infinite Regression player I am, I can't do anything against the state right now.
'They say state power-level for a reason.'
At least you have to be on the level of Han Si-yeon in the first round to be state power-level.
So, the important thing is to dig up information on them in this round.
I declared my retirement first to ensure the results wouldn't be different from the previous round, and then turned on the IR Gallery again.
The week-long wait was incredibly annoying, but now that I had information on the 1st Floor, it was bearable.
Spending time knowing nothing and spending time worrying while holding information about the stage are worlds apart.
Looking at it, it seemed like I wouldn't be able to clear it with just one or two retries this time either.
Writing a strategy guide is always fun.
It's about time I needed a new means of stat-up.
Now was the time to devote time to discussing various methods and seeking out strategy methods.
.
.
.
.
Time flew like an arrow.
The long-awaited day of entry.
While watching the IR Gallery, which had turned into a large-scale keyboard battle between the martial arts faction and the magic faction for nearly a week.
Footsteps began to be heard in front of the front door.
Thud······thud······.
"You've arrived, Management Bureau bastards."
If you think I just wasted time on the gallery for the past week, you're greatly mistaken.
Infinite Regressors always have a plan.
Just before they picked the lock, I opened the front door wide.
Bang!
The two agents with dumbfounded faces.
I immediately turned on the badge function of the Infinity Difficulty, which I had thought was useless.
Whoosh!
A pure white light gathered, and a Möbius strip-shaped badge appeared on my chest.
The badge symbolizing infinity glowed, proving that I was the Infinity Difficulty clearer.
At the same time, I opened my mouth triumphantly toward them.
"It's me, the Infinity Difficulty clearer."
Now is the time to farm information on the Management Bureau, which has changed due to the butterfly effect.