WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Irevi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the Upbeat Newbie the Infinite Regressors Are Obsessed With ◈
Chapter 28: See You Later
──────
A quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of Seoul.
Not a grand mansion or anything.
Pinocchia and I finished moving into a reasonably spacious two-story country house in a single day.
We did not have much to pack in the first place, and once Pinocchia and I put our minds to it, the move was over in no time.
“Is this our new home?”
“What do you think? Nice and quiet, right?”
“I love it!”
Pink light scattered wildly from the core in her chest as she answered.
Yeah, I figured.
She did not like cramped spaces.
Pinocchia was usually chatty, but whenever we traveled by car, she would press her nose to the window, absorbed in watching the scenery.
‘Moving was the right call.’
It was an upscale country house nestled comfortably in nature.
With its wide yard and rooftop, it was more than big enough for Pinocchia and me.
“Shall we go inside first?”
“Yes!”
I showed Pinocchia her room and explained where we would arrange the furniture.
For now, I had put in a mattress and blankets since we needed something immediately, but I had already ordered all the other furniture. We could fill the room little by little once it arrived.
Pinocchia bounced around the empty room in delight.
“My personal workshop!”
A workshop, huh.
Well, it would be best to let her decorate her own room as she wished.
“Once we earn money clearing floors, decorate it however you want.”
“Yes!”
After looking around the house, we ordered a full Chinese takeout spread.
“What an overwhelming flavor...!”
Black bean noodles, spicy seafood noodle soup, sweet and sour pork, fried dumplings, and eight-treasure stir-fry.
She was experiencing a whole new world of flavor.
I briefly wondered how she would react if I gave her only ramen for dinner later.
“Kehk! Then I’ll be off, Master! Enter!”
After finishing the cleanup, Pinocchia entered the Hard difficulty Tower in a hero-flying pose.
Flash!
The house was empty again.
“...”
I tilted my head back and stared at the ceiling for a while.
It was empty and quiet, and for some reason, my chest ached.
Ah, would I not have suffered like this if I had never known in the first place?
The warmth of another person's presence was gone, and tears... As if I was going to cry.
“Haah, Monolith. Why won’t you respond?”
I could not bring myself to say it in front of Pinocchia, but honestly, I was jealous that she could enter the Tower while leaving me behind.
You said the DLC had been released.
You said you could manipulate causality.
Why was there no response at all?
We said we would play Go outside the Tower too!
You could not just send Pinocchia to the Infinite Castle and be satisfied with that!
“Are you already sick of me? I still love you this much!”
Naturally, there was no response.
Talking to myself like a madman would not change anything.
Monolith was far away in the Pacific Ocean.
“Haaaaah...”
For a moment, I entertained the pointless fantasy of earning enough money to build a hotel at sea right beside Monolith.
Then I flopped down spread-eagled and reviewed lecture videos.
About five minutes passed.
Flash!
“Re! Turn!”
Pinocchia returned with three B-rank magic stones dangling from her.
“Oh, you came back quickly this time.”
“Yes! There was no armory, and all I had to do was defeat more monsters called goblins, I think? It ended quickly! A message did say my overall stats had increased slightly, but honestly, it was not enough to feel.”
Then Pinocchia held out the three B-rank magic stones with a disappointed expression.
“Still, there were only three B-rank magic stones this time, Master.”
I stared at the magic stones in her hands.
‘Only three B-rank magic stones from Floor 1, huh.’
Normal difficulty Players would cry tears of blood and tell her to quit flexing if they heard that.
“No, you did well. Very well. You should eat these for now.”
“Gasp! Again?”
“You’ll shrink again once you activate Mana Humidifier Mode, right? We also have to build a training ground, so you need to put in some work today.”
“If that is the case, I will gladly accept!”
Pinocchia immediately ate all three B-rank magic stones.
Crunch. Crunch.
She had already grown after being sent to the Management Bureau, and after consuming more magic stones, Pinocchia truly regained the imposing appearance she had had when we first met.
“Then shall we go fix up the training ground?”
“I am ready!”
* * *
Of course, when buying a house, my priority had been finding one with a large basement facility that could be converted into a training ground.
The house we had moved into today was perfect for that.
The former owner had been a gym rat and had built an extravagant private gym in the basement.
Now that all the equipment was gone, it was the perfect place for my training facility.
I looked over the completed basement training ground in admiration.
White tiles, mirrored walls, and sturdy mana coating.
I had thought construction would take at least two days, but it had finished this quickly?
Pinocchia had simply pulled out mana threads, completed the construction, and neatly applied the mana coating. It rivaled a training ground made by a Creator-type Player.
“Huff! Huff! What do you think, Master?”
For reference, Pinocchia had shrunk again after using a massive amount of mana.
Still, there was no real cause for concern. Tomorrow, she could just enter the Tower and bring back more magic stones.
“It’s perfect...!”
Anyway, getting back to the training ground itself, it looked as if it would easily endure for years unless someone deliberately tried to destroy it.
On top of that, Pinocchia was supplying mana through Mana Humidifier Mode.
At last, I had everything needed to enjoy Monolith more comfortably!
‘Equipment is important, after all.’
Back when I was a pro gamer, I had spent enough on chairs, keyboards, and mice to make anyone gasp.
I ruffled Pinocchia’s hair.
“You worked hard, Pinocchia. I love it.”
“Hehe! Shall I prepare it right away, then?”
“Please.”
“I’m on it!”
Pinocchia made a V sign with her fingers and held it beside her eye.
Then she scattered holograms throughout the training ground.
Whiiiiir!
The frictional sound of her core spinning rapidly.
According to Puppetmaster, because these holograms were made entirely of mana, they were perfect for virtual training.
It truly was as she said.
Before me stood an armor-type monster, a Living Armor, holding a holographic sword.
I enhanced my vision and examined the hologram.
A holographic monster with mana genuinely flowing through it.
“This is half real.”
“Hehe! Even so, it will not harm your body, Master!”
“No, remove the safety measures.”
“Huh?”
“Training is combat. All. Out. Combat!”
“What?”
“In other words, you need to train as if it is real combat if you want to improve quickly.”
“B-but...”
Pinocchia hesitated, worried about me.
I appreciated the thought, but it was of no help to me right now.
For an Infinite Regressor's training, the regression button alone was enough of a safety measure.
More importantly, what kind of master needed an automaton to protect him?
I had to reclaim my dignity as her master.
I shook my head and looked at Pinocchia.
“Pinocchia.”
“Yes?”
“What rank are you again?”
As I asked, I activated the badge on my chest, the proof of Infinity difficulty.
Flash!
A Möbius-shaped badge appeared on my chest.
“Well, Hard difficulty... Ah!”
Pinocchia fell silent upon seeing my badge.
‘You finally understand.’
Me, Infinity difficulty.
You, Hard difficulty.
‘How dare a Master scrub challenge me.’
I was Challenger.
“Ugh! This automaton, Pinocchia, was short-sighted!”
“Yes. Do not make that mistake again.”
I flamboyantly drew the Black Iron Sword from the sheath tied to my waist with mana threads.
Sshing!
Ah, this cool, heavy sensation.
It was time for Lee Han-gyeol the magic swordsman to change classes.
I turned on the Infinite Regression Gallery recording button and entered combat with the Living Armor.
My combat-entry sequence had become fixed by now.
I pumped a suitable amount of mana from the core in my heart while activating Split Thought.
One divided self handled footwork and swordsmanship, while the other cast magic through the mana property conversion and incantations Archmage had taught me.
I kept Mana Thread Manipulation and the Snake Dagger as my trump cards.
“Go, Master!”
With Pinocchia cheering me on, I recalled Head mod’s video.
Thud!
The footing Martial God and Head mod had emphasized again and again.
ㄴMartial God) Your feet, your feet. Your lower body has to be firm against the ground for your sword not to waver.
ㄴSolo Hero*) Instead of putting strength into your arms, get into the habit of drawing power up from the ground.
The moment I stepped forward with my left foot.
The Living Armor raised its sword diagonally with a Clatter.
Head mod had deliberately recommended a monster with no gaze to speak of.
ㄴSolo Hero*) Newbie, your field of vision is completely open, but sometimes when you panic, you keep looking at your opponent's eyes.
ㄴSolo Hero*) Once you get stronger, there will be bastards who fake you out with their gaze, so let’s fix that habit early.
ㄴDungeon Rogue) No, the fact that he only looks at their eyes when he panics is already unbelievable...
ㄴSolo Hero*) I know. But since we started, we might as well see it through.
ㄴAmor Fati) Agreed.
After considering it carefully with help from the Infinite Regression Gallery members, I had chosen the Living Armor.
It had a humanoid form, wielded a sword, and had no eyes.
“Hup!”
It certainly felt different from the Orc Chieftain.
I was not going to be intimidated by a lowly monster like this anymore, but I had deliberately lowered my level for now and was only pumping a moderate amount of mana through my core.
I took in the bigger picture while focusing on the monster's feet.
Clatter.
The moment just before our attacks collided.
If this was the foundation of orthodox swordsmanship...
Screeech!
Then this was the moment when the swordsmanship jointly crafted by Head mod, Martial God, and Archmage, magic swordsmanship, unfolded.
Whoosh!
ㄴMartial God) To master Heaven-Shaking Mad Steps, you first need to break out of conventional thinking. You’re good at that, so you’ll master it in no time.
Using the unpredictable Heaven-Shaking Mad Steps, I immediately shifted from a linear attack to a spinning attack.
Clang!
The Living Armor's raised sword could not come down. It was forced even farther back.
The Living Armor staggered in an awkward posture as it struggled with the recoil.
ㄴPuppetmaster) It is basic combat sense that an action passes the turn, but an unexpectedly strong attack can take away the opponent's turn by itself.
ㄴPuppetmaster) You can make them waste their turn controlling the recoil.
ㄴAmor Fati) I know this one!
ㄴPuppetmaster) As expected of Newbie. I believed in you.
ㄴPoisoned My Blade) I’ll lick Newbie’s ass raw.
A blade of fierce assault that could continue attacking without wasting a turn.
And adding a spoonful of magic to that was the secret sauce of magic swordsmanship.
‘Now!’
‘Of course I already finished casting it.’
ㄴArchmage) I trust you have already mastered mana fixation.
ㄴArchmage) Stocking a cast spell is similar. Our Battle Mages' strength is firepower! There is joy in spraying out spells that were cast in advance.
Of course, I had not learned multicasting yet, so I had only completed one spell.
ㄴArchmage) The most versatile and powerful spell is Armor Break. Its short range is a weakness, but for you, it will instead be an advantage.
I channeled the Armor Break I had cast in advance into the Black Iron Sword.
The Black Iron Sword had received an A-rank rating based on its mana conductivity alone.
Armor Break flowed smoothly along the blade.
If I had to describe it, it felt like a water slide with soap flowing over it instead of water.
In other words, the friction, or mana loss rate, was practically nonexistent!
Craaaack!
Armor Break pierced straight through the Living Armor's armor.
Clink. Clink.
The Living Armor, its chest pierced through, swayed before dissolving into mana particles and disappearing.
“Whoo!”
For someone only beginning the basics, that had a pretty satisfying feel to it.
“This is magic swordsmanship. Good. Then once more!”
“Yes! I will prepare it immediately!”
Bzzzz.
Until the sun set that day, Pinocchia and I spent a long time happily in the basement training ground.
* * *
Every morning, Pinocchia went to Hard difficulty to farm miscellaneous items and magic stones.
I invested the B-rank magic stones in Pinocchia, while I sold the miscellaneous items to the Management Bureau through Pinocchia, who had received an untraceable method of contact.
By this point, Pinocchia's corruption by capitalism was complete.
“Ah, ramen? Pinocchia can no longer be satisfied with commoner food like that.”
What made it funny was that the thing she wanted after saying that was premium ramen with a Black Label on it.
Anyway, with the Infinite Regression Gallery members’ help, I immersed myself in magic swordsmanship training for a long time.
Then, at last, that day came.
“Are you ready, Pinocchia?”
“I-I am strangely nervous!”
“Good. Then see you later.”
“Yes! See you later, Master!”
I hadn’t brought up how regression might affect Pinocchia on the Infinite Regression Gallery.
Puppetmaster also seemed secretly anxious and avoided bringing it up.
If Pinocchia had been counted as an item like Dundo's Dagger, it might have been different. But since Monolith had used causality to classify Pinocchia as an Awakened, I truly did not know what would happen.
‘It would be a little disappointing if she cannot remember the regression.’
But as long as we did our best every moment and left no regrets, that would be enough.
Even if Pinocchia could not remember, I would. The short memories we had built together would not become meaningless.
Besides, I had taken many videos and photos and uploaded them to the Infinite Regression Gallery. Not even the erosion of memory could make these memories disappear!
‘Besides, we have not even tried regressing yet.’
You never know until you try.
I pushed away those thoughts, patted Pinocchia's shoulder, and filled myself with mana once more using Martial God's breathing method.
“Huuup!”
At last, it was time to begin clearing Floor 2.
‘It only feels like it took especially long, right?’
That was when Pinocchia raised one arm and stared at me.
‘Come to think of it, Pinocchia always entered in that pose.’
Apparently, she wanted me to shout “Enter” in the same pose as her.
‘It is not like I cannot do that.’
I struck the same cool hero-flying pose as Pinocchia.
“Hehe.”
Pinocchia immediately smiled.
Holding the same pose, we shouted together.
“Enter!”
“Enter!”
Flaaash!
Footnotes:
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