Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: 100th Regression
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Clatter, clatter.
The jolting of the carriage roused me from sleep.
"Hey, you're finally awake?"
A middle-aged man with a bushy beard spoke up as he noticed me stirring. He was the first to check on me.
"Bruce..."
"Hm? Did I ever tell you my name?"
"I faintly overheard you introducing yourself while I was clinging to consciousness."
"So you caught that, huh."
Bruce nodded as if it made sense.
Seeing his face confirmed it for me too.
I had reached the ending.
And regressed once more.
'So this must be the cargo hold of the carriage led by the Stein Gendarmerie.'
The military organization tasked with upholding order and public safety in Labyrinth City.
Righteous guardians who maintained law and order, capturing heinous criminals and dragging them to trial.
'And I'm a rookie explorer who's just registered with the Association and is heading into the Labyrinth.'
I calmly assessed my situation.
I wore sleek new leather armor, with a dagger and canteen strapped to my waist.
A small travel bag beside me was neatly packed with simple rations like dried jerky.
A light setup, but equipped with the bare minimum for combat and survival.
The start of every regression was always this modest.
"By the way... what's your name again?"
"Leon Star. Just call me Leon."
I gave him the name people in this world knew me by.
"Unusual name. Anyway, Leon, what made you hop on this carriage?"
"To make a living. That's the only reason."
No point spilling my guts about wanting to end this regression loop after ninety-nine times—I'd just be labeled insane. So I went with the most common excuse.
Bruce gave a pleased smile at that.
The other passengers in the cargo hold nodded in agreement.
"You look like you've built up some muscle. Those forearms aren't messing around."
"Someone like you should survive just fine in the Labyrinth."
Labyrinth. The word slipping from their chatter made me cringe inwardly.
Memories flooded back from the 99th cycle, when I'd torn through it like a madman, hell-bent on breaking this damn loop.
From the moment I stepped in, no detours—just a straight shot to the deepest depths.
I could've returned to Labyrinth City midway to regroup, but I didn't.
Back then, I had no clue what fulfilled the true ending conditions to end the regressions.
So I tackled the Labyrinth with the mindset of trying absolutely everything.
Monsters living in the Labyrinth?
I exterminated every last one, no exceptions.
Frail old beasts that could barely stand, blind newborns—didn't matter when they were born; I sent them all off together.
Traps?
I scoured every section and dismantled them all.
Treasures?
Junk that wouldn't stay mine after regression, but assuming it led to the true ending, I grabbed every single one.
Hidden spots?
There was no corner of the Labyrinth I didn't know, but I double-checked everywhere and left my mark just in case.
I did all this before it—the thing huddled at the heart of the Labyrinth—crawled up to the surface and brought the apocalypse.
Even I, jaded from dozens of regressions and intimately familiar with the place, found it grueling.
Hardcore hell-mode difficulty in game terms, but my meticulous plan led to a flawless clear and that ending.
And it was still wrong. Back to square one. What a bitter pill.
'Have to do this shit all over again.'
I snapped my fingers.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 👤 Name: Leon Star 🧬 Race: Human 💼 Class: None ⚡ Skills: Conqueror of the Abyss The status window floating before me was pathetically bare.
Once crammed with countless skills, now only one lonely entry remained.
The thought of refilling it from scratch choked me up, but I swallowed my frustration and forced some positivity.
'Look on the bright side. It wasn't a total waste.'
The 99th cycle failed, but that failure paved the way to success.
The system had shown this clueless regressor the right path.
'A beautiful girl dating sim, right?'
Labyrinth of Ecstasy—a game title I'd never heard of.
No playthroughs under my belt, no prior knowledge whatsoever.
But the moment I learned this world was a visual novel, I had a solid guess at cracking it—reaching the true ending.
'Save the girls. Make them mine.'
Until now, I'd fixated solely on conquering the Labyrinth.
I was dead certain that was the path to the true ending, the only way to end these regressions.
In a world where lives were cheap as bugs, where slaughter ignored age or gender, I figured survival and Labyrinth runs were all that mattered.
Sure, as a man, I'd dipped into romance.
I'd even tied the knot and tumbled naked in bed with various women.
But if you asked whether I'd romanced every key heroine tied to major events—the ones I could party up with for Labyrinth dives—all at once? No, I hadn't.
So today, I declare to myself:
Every capture-able girl I see, I'll claim.
I'll deliver the ultimate harem pure love route, befitting a dating sim.
Simple. Crystal clear.
The fog in my mind cleared like a sunny sky.
Plan in place; now just execute.
But...
'Who to target first?'
I had a rough idea, but no certainty—left me uneasy.
"You lot! Quit yapping and shut it!"
A bellow from the front of the cargo hold silenced Bruce and the others mid-chatter.
They knew ignoring the Gendarmerie meant summary execution on the spot—their faces drained of color.
Unlike them, a faint smile tugged at my lips.
They'd let us babble until now, but suddenly enforcing silence? Meant we were nearly at our destination.
"We're here. Get off, quick."
Sure enough, the rattling carriage ground to a halt, and we disembarked one by one.
We'd arrived at the city's central plaza.
Crowds swarmed the cobblestone square, held back by ropes and armed Gendarmerie forming a perimeter.
At the center of their line stood a massive, rippling blue shimmer.
The portal.
The mandatory gateway to enter the Labyrinth.
The new arrivals caught their breath, taking in the sight.
"So this is Labyrinth City."
"Smells like a hive of humanity, just like they say."
Endless waves of people filled the plaza.
Gendarmerie patrolled with sharp eyes in one corner; near the portal, heavily armored figures inspected weapons and chatted.
Street vendors unpacked bundles, haggling fiercely with customers—felt like standing in the heart of a colossal market.
Excited voices erupted here and there.
All of us fresh off the carriage were aspiring explorers dreaming of fame.
They yearned to plunge to the Labyrinth's depths, unearth secrets, claim hidden treasures, and seize wealth and glory.
Reality? Most posed at the entrance, only to end up cold corpses—monster chow.
I tore my gaze from the hyped-up fools.
No interest in extras doomed to die soon.
Better to watch for the leads deeply tied to Labyrinth exploration.
'Any second now.'
The star of this stage hadn't appeared yet.
So I scanned around, head swiveling every which way.
"There! Golden Wing Guild!"
A citizen's shout rang out at perfect timing. I snapped my eyes toward where they pointed.
A long procession stretched into view.
A flag of pristine white emblazoned with golden wings fluttered in the breeze.
Behind the flag-bearer swinging the pole vigorously marched the guild's heavily armed members.
Trumpets blared, followed by thunderous drums.
The plaza erupted in fervor.
Golden Wing.
One of Labyrinth City's top five guilds—an outfit always name-dropped in Labyrinth talk.
"They're massive."
"Even Chorus, who just ranked up to Mid-tier Explorer, is there."
As famous guild faces appeared one by one, every eye in the plaza locked on.
Envy and admiration gleamed their way.
Guild explorers were elites racing to success with full backing, unlike greenhorns dipping toes in the Labyrinth.
Same job title, but guild affiliation made a world of difference—heaven and earth.
So everyone fixated on the guild's emblem.
But I ignored it, zeroing in elsewhere.
"Hehe~."
The plaza's din blended: Gendarme chatter, prisoner shouts, civilian murmurs.
Amid the chaos, a special lilt tickled my ears.
"Hmhmhmm~."
A clear, enchanting tone—beautiful enough to make you lose yourself just listening.
Bright and cheerful, like birdsong at dawn.
"Explorers, everyone~."
The rapturous voice drew all gazes to one spot.
There stood a woman resembling a delicate flower.
Wearing a mage's hat bigger than her head, she brushed back her tousled brown locks spilling from beneath it.
"I'll hand out potions. Everyone, take one."
Armed with a basket, she wandered the plaza, distributing potions.
"You're really giving away something this rare for free?"
"Of course! Drink it now and feel the effects."
Like an angel dispensing heavenly kindness.
Her gentle smile and sparkling green eyes pierced male hearts effortlessly—people gulped down her potions without a second thought.
And then...
"Gahk!"
The drinker's skin turned beet red, flames spewing from his mouth.
"Oh dear? The recipe was perfect... What went wrong?"
The girl stomped in panic as the man foamed at the mouth.
Her fluster was so adorable, a smile crept onto my face unbidden.
I didn't show it, but damn, it was nice to see her.
'Always so bright and bubbly, no matter when.'
Aren Twala.
Golden Wing's quirky mage.
Just a novice explorer now, but soon to rise as a renowned alchemist in Labyrinth City.
I figured she'd grace the Labyrinth of Ecstasy cover as the title heroine.