I Told You I'd Become One
I Told You I'd Become One
Archmage Chronos Asterion.
He was leisurely drinking tea in the subspace he had created, browsing the gallery.
The newbie, Amor Fati, already fed up with the Danjeon breathing method that the Martial God had taught him, started looking for a shortcut.
"Keolkeol! Still hasn't shed the layman's shell."
Time is something that rots away in abundance.
A mere three years, and ten regressions, and they're already bored to tears.
As expected, newbies have this adorable charm.
Chronos recalled memories from several thousand years ago.
-Magic Tower Lord, is this mana breathing method really effective?
Now, memories of a disciple who has vanished beyond the eternal timeline.
Chronos, who had been savoring the happy memory for a moment, clicked his tongue.
"Tsk. Of all times, a world where mana is just beginning to flow."
If it were up to him, he'd even give them the elixirs rotting in his storage to create a core.
But dimensional travel magic was impossible even for the Archmage Chronos, as it was still under research.
"In the end, the Danjeon is the answer."
In a world where mana flows, anyone can learn the Aura Hole of knights and the Danjeon of murim martial artists.
A Core cannot be learned.
You either inherit it through your blood,
or you forcibly open circuits in your body with elixirs—those are the only differences.
"If only it were possible, a Core would be truly wonderful."
Because of those conditions, the Core was incomparable to mana holes and Danjeons of the same level.
That's what made it even more regrettable.
"Will he grow into a martial arts specialist this time too?"
He was smacking his lips for a moment when
the newbie left a comment.
└Amor Fati) Can you make a core with a 99% purity magic stone?
Chronos stroked his white beard and smiled wryly.
The substance called a magic stone that appeared in the newbie's video.
Truly a wondrous substance.
Solidifying mana, which has a fluid nature, into a solid form is no easy feat even for him.
As the newbie says, a magic stone of 99% purity exists?
That in itself is a heaven-defying elixir.
An elixir that, once consumed, could transform even the dullest fool into a genius.
Of course, it would need processing, but what's the problem?
He just has to teach them the method.
"However, it is impossible."
The newbie's thinking is obvious.
The ticket they received as a first-entry privilege.
They're probably planning to regress until a high-purity magic stone appears.
"The world is not made that way."
Though the appearance varies slightly from dimension to dimension, the truth of the universe itself is universal.
A mountain is a mountain, and water is water.
Mathematics exists by the same rules in every world.
The ticket is no different.
Such a form, that is, a reward provided by the system, has its outcome fixed the moment it is observed.
It was an absolute truth.
An absolute law discovered over eons of studying infinite regression by the Archmage.
You can see the answer just from Dungeon Thief, who uses the status window.
"Aigoo-ya. I can't even guess how many times they'll die."
A newbie who lacks fear of death.
Wouldn't they regress at least a hundred times?
If only they would realize that the fastest way right now is to create a Danjeon through Danjeon breathing.
It wasn't long after the newbie left the IR Gallery for a while.
A new post appeared on the IR Gallery.
[Did it drop?]
[Author: Amor Fati]
(Thumbnail of a tower message saying E-rank magic stone win)
It dropped, so I'm posting it lol lol lol lol lol lol
Chronos's prediction was off.
No.
It wasn't just off the mark.
The truth of the universe had just been denied.
"What?!!"
Chronos shot to his feet.
Ttududuk!
Chaenggeurang!
His spine screamed and his teacup met its end, but that wasn't the important thing right now.
└Archmage) ??????????
└Solo Hero*) What if you hadn't tried it, you almost didn't;;
└Vampire Princess) Is this not absurd?
└Heresy Purger) A miracle!!!!! It's a miracle, brother!!!!!!
└Martial God) Newbie. What kind of bastard are you?
└Dungeon Thief) Holy fuck crazy
└PoisonCoated) Why does this work?
└Puppet Master) It's an error.... This is an error....
└Amor Fati) Your reactions are delicious lol
└Amor Fati) Going on an infinite reroll marathon until an S-rank drops
After that, the newbie posted continuously.
[Ah, so close to B-rank][25]
[3rd try][9]
[Magic stone reroll 2nd try][12]
The videos attached to the newbie's posts.
In those videos, the size and purity of the magic stone really did change every time.
"This can't be!"
Chronos had become detached from most things through thousands of regressions.
But now his mind was in a haze.
Right.
As Puppet Master said.
It was a clear error.
An error of the world.
And to boot, an unbelievably happy error!
"Huuhhh!"
An error had occurred in the law of infinite regression that seemed like it would never break.
Maybe.
Really, maybe.
"Re-, regression points can be reset too?"
Chronos knows.
That it's a severe logical leap.
But isn't it still an unknown?
There's no rule that a law, once broken, can't be broken a second time.
In the first place, this is the first case that directly defied the laws of infinite regression.
The gallers' thoughts weren't much different from those of Archmage Chronos Asterion.
[You fucking sons of bitches, is now the time to be shitposting?]
[Author: Dungeon Thief]
Why aren't you praying right now?!
└Heresy Purger) I'm already praying with the congregation!
└PoisonCoated) I originally don't believe in God, but this time I have no choice, seriously
└Martial God) Prayer ok, I raided the Wudang Sect and forced them to hold a rite
└Vampire Princess) I-I cannot offer a prayer, but I will cheer you on with my heart!
└Solo Hero*) From now on, everyone except Vampire Princess and Dungeon Thief, post prayer verification. Gallers who don't post will be blocked for 30 days.
└Puppet Master) Already doing it.
"Ri-right! Prayer! I must pray!"
The atheist Chronos Asterion prayed earnestly.
Please, let this newbie grow and find out how to reset the regression points.
So that an S-rank magic stone drops quickly for him right now.
And most of all, let one more pure mage be added to the gallery's few!
"Pleeeaaaase!"
How long had it been?
Since he had wished for something so fervently.
Chronos, not acting his age, rubbed his hands together earnestly.
"Come ooonnn!!"
Of course, an S-rank magic stone dropping is a certainty.
Because time is infinite, and the newbie wasn't the type to have his spirit broken by mere regressions like these.
Still, there's such a thing as atmosphere.
A big event that exploded after almost 700 years.
It's a loss not to enjoy it.
He absolutely had to pray.
[Ah rigged odds fuck, consecutive F-ranks][22]
When the newbie's reroll marathon failed, the gallers put even more fervor into their prayers.
[These Wudang fucks, felt like a cult so I'm going to Kunlun]
[Author: Martial God]
(Thumbnail of the Wudang altar miserably collapsed, and the sect leader on his knees sobbing)
If the newbie's pull failed three times in a row, it's definitely these bastards' fault yeah
If you're mad, you should've held the rite properly.
└PoisonCoated) This crazy thug bastard lol lol lol
└Martial God) Considering what these bastards did to me, I've held back a lot
└Vampire Princess) It is only right that those who mess with an infinite regressor be punished lol
[Martial God's initiative sure is good]
[Author: Solo Hero*]
(Video of a blind saintess praying with question marks floating above her head)
So I also kidnapped a saintess and made her pray
└Heresy Purger) Isn't she not concentrating on the prayer?
└Solo Hero*) Really? Gotta give her a knuckle flick then
[Newbie. Instead of tearing the ticket right away, try tearing it while doing as much random stuff as possible]
[Author: Puppet Master]
(Thumbnail of hundreds of puppets simultaneously recording something)
This is the first time a once-observed result has changed.
So there might be conditions.
I'll record and analyze everything, so keep uploading videos.
└Amor Fati) Ok, next time I'll tear it while dancing
└Dungeon Thief) Why dance lol lol
└Puppet Master) That kind of attitude is very good. Once we know the conditions, we could keep pulling S-rank magic stones, so try as many different things as possible.
"Th-this is no time to be like this!"
Everyone is doing something for the newbie, falling behind would be unacceptable.
He suddenly felt foolish for just sitting in his subspace only praying.
There was no way the oldbie of the IR Gallery, the Archmage, could not join in on the gallery's hot topic.
The gallers were already drawing aggro with their own performances.
What he needed now was an eye-catching thumbnail.
The thumbnail is important.
Chronos immediately put on his robe and flung open the door of his subspace.
Azkandir.
One of the founding contributors who annihilated humanity and established the Dragon Empire.
Startled by the sensation of his scales bristling all over his body, he immediately cried out.
::H-he's here! He's coming!::
Azkandir's Draconic resonated majestically.
The dragons, each panicked, formed ranks before the portal that had just begun to appear.
Buuuung-
A blue portal.
The ominous aura emanating from that small portal, just big enough for a single human to pass through, was beyond words.
Extremely tense, the dragons bowed their heads toward the old man walking out of the portal.
A blue robe.
A long, flowing beard.
A kind impression.
The Dragonslayer, Chronos Asterion.
On the outside, he was just a gentle-looking old man.
But the enormous flow of mana around him was anything but ordinary.
He was on a different level.
'H-how can a human be like this...'
The oppressive pressure that seemed to push down on all directions just by existing.
Not even the Dragon Emperor Valkan, king of dragons, had this kind of pressure.
Truly, a colossal power that could shake heaven and earth with a single gesture coiled within the old man's small body.
The Dragonslayer stroked his beard and slowly opened his mouth.
"Where is the head lizard?"
At that question, Azkandir broke out in a cold sweat.
Contrary to his title, the Dragonslayer did not recklessly kill dragons.
According to him, the moment you kill a dragon, the time axis is fixed and can never be undone.
Ironically, that very point was why the dragons feared Chronos Asterion.
It meant that, captured by the hands of the Dragonslayer who loathed dragons more than anyone, you could become a toy that cannot even die.
In short.
He had to choose his words carefully.
::Dragonslayer-nim, that is...::
"Huh-huh. The weather is chilly, it seems he's gone into hibernation."
::That is correct::
"Wake him."
::······?::
"Go wake him. If you don't want to be tortured."
A cold silence fell.
The dragons were each busy gauging the situation.
Azkandir looked up at the sky for a moment and lamented.
Eternal torture, or a clean death.
There was no need to agonize.
A founding contributor?
Was the Dragon Emperor Valkan the type of dragon to care about such things?
When whales fight, the shrimp's back breaks.
It wasn't any different for dragons.
This is why middle management is so miserable.
::As··· you··· command···::
Azkandir, longing for a mother he had never seen, soared into the sky.
::We shall remember you!::
::Azkandir! We shall remember you!!::
::Oh great dragon!!::
Leaving the condolences of his comrades behind, Azkandir diligently flapped his wings.
The sky was particularly clear today.
[A cheer video for the newbie]
[Author: Archmage]
(Thumbnail of dragons flying in formation and doing skywriting with Dragon Breath)
I used a bit of my power to film this heh heh
Chronos, who posted the article, was quite satisfied.
His aggro drawing was truly spectacular.
The dragons, centered around the Dragon Emperor with his diamond-like shining scales, breathed fire.
The flames fixed in the sky formed the words: 'Fighting until the S-rank magic stone drops!'
Of course, Azkandir, the dragon beaten to a pulp beside the Dragon Emperor, was a minor flaw, but what did it matter?
A video this beautiful could probably only be made by someone like Solo Hero.
The reaction came a moment later.
And it was the reaction he had most hoped for.
└Amor Fati) Wow crazy dude, I'm touched. This newbie will pull hard!
"Keolkeolkeol!!"
Chronos threw his head back and laughed loudly.
This is it, this is it.
This is the taste.
└Martial God) Ha, then it's the end for me
└PoisonCoated) Gramps's class is timeless
└Heresy Purger) That's incredible....
└Solo Hero*) Even kidnapping a saintess is really hard...
└Vampire Princess) Ugh, if only I could go outside too!
└Dungeon Thief) If that's the case, then what about me who wrote a cheer message on the dungeon wall.....
└Puppet Master) Good. Keep raising the newbie's motivation.
Empowered by the gallers' heated reactions, Chronos spurred the dragons on even more.
"Can't you move faster and more flashily!!"
.
.
.
While he was busy filming the dragons for a good while.
The newbie's post came up.
[It's out!][25]
"He finally pulled it! Well done!"
Chronos clicked on the post with a heart full of joy.
[It's out!]
[Author: Amor Fati]
(Photo of the newbie flipping the bird)
An F-rank came out, fuck!
└Solo Hero*) It's really been a thousand years since I've fallen for clickbait
└Heresy Purger) Uwaaaah!! Congratulations, brother!!
└PoisonCoated) Miss, read the post first lol
└Dungeon Thief) Ah, fuck
"Huh-huh! Look at this guy?"
Writing clickbait while everyone is praying with earnest wishes?
The newbie was no ordinary person.
For a long time.
Vitality began to stir in the gallery that had been exhausted by the journey towards a happy ending.
A week passed.
Chronos shouted into the void.
"Monolith, you bastards!"
The gallers, who had been laughing and crying caught up in the atmosphere, started to get genuinely pissed.
[Does it make sense for F-ranks to drop for three days straight?][2]
[The odds are seriously weird.][9]
[It's rigged! The odds are rigged!][5]
[Fuck, gramps, haven't you developed that dimensional shift magic yet? I really want to go smash that tower][4]
The time it took the newbie for one reroll marathon was at most 3 minutes.
After entering, they tear the ticket, check the magic stone, and post on the gallery.
Then they immediately go into the tutorial and regress.
A mad 3-minute regression that surpasses Dungeon Thief's 5-minute regression.
Even with a week passing like that, the newbie had not seen an S-rank, let alone an A-rank magic stone.
Even worse, for the last three days, they'd been pulling nothing but F-ranks in a row.
The gallers were boiling mad, but surprisingly, the newbie was calm.
[Guys, calm down, calm down]
[Author: Amor Fati]
Gacha is my specialty, you know?
The mood is set.
It's definitely gonna pop up soon, for real.
└Heresy Purger) Brother, your positive energy overflowing is so good to see! I am always praying!
└Amor Fati) No, I'm not being positive, it really is about time it shows.
"Yes! It's about time!"
Pleaase, just drop!
After that, the newbie consistently uploaded the gacha results to the gallery.
A crap gacha of continuous F-ranks.
Just as suspicions were about to arise—had a transcendental being intervened to fix the odds?
The newbie finally succeeded.
[I said it would work!!!!]
[Author: Amor Fati]
(Thumbnail of a magic stone radiating a shimmering light)
I told you it would work!!!!!!
└Solo Hero*) You've worked hard, newbie.
└Puppet Master) I've recorded it. Congratulations.
└Martial God) Heh, congrats! Gramps is gonna love it
└Vampire Princess) There was emotion!!!
└Heresy Purger) Brother, truly congratulations!
└PoisonCoated) This bastard is just the IR Gallery superstar lol
└Dungeon Thief) (Icon of two bizarre characters clapping in succession)
"Heo, heoheo! Heoheoheo!"
Chronos also immediately left a comment.
└Archmage) Huuh, truly a beautiful shine! With a magic stone of that purity, you'll be able to create an unprecedentedly powerful core. I sincerely congratulate you on taking your first step on the path of magic!
After how many years was there a new mage galler?
A core carved with a 99% purity magic stone.
The newbie already looked like someone worth raising.
Clutching his swelling heart, he headed to his subspace library.
"Let's see, the basics of magic introduction must be...."
What to teach first?
Naturally, for now, focus on basic attack magic?
Seeing the Orc Chieftain, speed is important, so should he learn acceleration magic first?
It was a happy dilemma.
And that happy dilemma didn't last long.
└Amor Fati) But do I really have to job-change only into a mage?
Chronos rubbed his eyes and looked at the comment.
The content hadn't particularly changed.
└Archmage) ?
└Amor Fati) You said the Danjeon, Aura Hole, and Core are all mana-handling organs, right
└Martial God) That is true?
└Amor Fati) Then can't I use martial arts with this? It'd be nice to learn a variety.
└Dungeon Thief) lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol
└Solo Hero*) Using magic with a Danjeon or Aura Hole is hard, but using martial arts with a Core is easier than you'd think. Because the Core is an upper compatibility.
└Vampire Princess) There's no reason it can't work!
└Martial God) Gramps lol, I'll take this one
└Heresy Purger) Archmage-nim, please don't be too upset!
└PoisonCoated) One downvote, if you know who it is then upvote lol
└Puppet Master) 62% chance the Archmage regresses from his blood pressure rising
It was exactly as Puppet Master said.
"Kuaaaaak!"
Chronos grabbed the back of his neck and collapsed.