WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Irevi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the Upbeat Newbie the Infinite Regressors Are Obsessed With ◈
Chapter 40: Multiplayer
──────
While Master was giggling over the novel contest, Pinocchia diligently scrolled through posts in her room.
Rrrrk, rrrrk.
“Ugh, everywhere I look, it’s nothing but half-baked gallery users.”
Tap, tap.
Awakened Gallery.
The frightening rumor that any post criticizing the Infinity Difficulty challenger would get downvote-bombed on that gallery was true.
[Infinity Difficulty challenger <- I’m friends with them, they’re not all that]
[Author: Anonymous]
Think about it.
They could get the whole world’s attention just by revealing who they are, but they went silent?
There has to be a reason lol
ㄴHmm... one point.
ㄴLOL
ㄴNow suspicious anonymous users are going to swarm in and downvote-bomb this.
Pinocchia frowned at the post.
How dare they slander Master?
This would not do.
“Anonymous Clone Jutsu1!”
A terrifying scene of public-opinion manipulation!
After spoofing countless IPs and hammering the downvote button, Pinocchia smiled in satisfaction and continued browsing Awakened Gallery.
All kinds of posts ran rampant there.
Some people who had genuinely Awakened as Players uploaded verification posts, while others pretended to have Awakened and posted shitposts.
The age of superhumans had only just begun.
Even among the Awakened, there were already people talking about creating guilds and forming factions.
The gallery moderators had to break into a cold sweat amid that cauldron of chaos.
It was the hottest community in South Korea, so their hardships must have been beyond description.
But what could they do?
They had chosen the orange and blue crowns themselves.2
Those who bore a crown had to bear its weight themselves.
Pinocchia diligently combed through the gallery posts, digging up every post that mentioned the Infinity Difficulty challenger.
Upvotes for praise posts.
Downvotes for slander posts.
“Master! Watch me! I’m protecting you on the internet!”
How much had Pinocchia manipulated public opinion like that?
Soon, unusual posts began appearing on Awakened Gallery.
[Hey, doesn’t that person look mentally unwell?] [43]
[There is no one like that in our guild!] [75]
[If they’re a Paladin, aren’t they with the Iron Lion Guild?] [61]
[There’s an Awakened cosplaying as a Paladin wandering around near Konkuk University. Any gallery users know where they’re from?] [45]
How could this be?!
It had barely been any time since Master began tackling the Infinity Difficulty Tower, and the topic had already changed?
There should have been praise posts for Master for at least six days!
Pinocchia clicked the recommended post with a fierce expression (`^`).
It was the post that had started the fuss, about someone cosplaying as a Paladin near Konkuk University.
When Pinocchia watched the attached video, her eyes widened in shock.
“This is...”
She rapidly searched through her artificial brain’s memory archive.
Master’s tale of clearing Floor 2.
The Paladin in the video perfectly matched the description of Slick, the Paladin who had appeared there as an enemy.
The golden cross, armor, mace, and even the face.
“Ahh, I see. So that is what has happened. As expected, the Great One’s grace truly is infinite.”
Even that idiotic way of talking was an exact match.
This was not something she could dismiss lightly.
Pinocchia leaped up to inform Master immediately.
At that moment.
Bang!
“Pinocchia!”
Master hurriedly threw open the door.
“Eek!!”
She looked like someone who had been caught doing something they should not have been doing late at night.
Awakened Gallery was not bad in itself, but she had been manipulating public opinion with Anonymous Clone Jutsu.
Pinocchia instinctively covered the monitor.
“Are you okay?!”
“Y-yes! Pinocchia is perfectly fine!”
“...Why are you covering the monitor?”
“Ah! Um, I think Master should see this too!”
Pinocchia quickly erased the traces of Anonymous Clone Jutsu, then clicked the video from the Paladin cosplay post near Konkuk University.
Master watched it for a long time, then grinned.
“Ha, Monolith. So this is how you’re going to play it. I knew I could count on you!!”
Then Master immediately added,
“Pinocchia. Get the mask and cosplay outfit I mentioned last time, now.”
“!”
Cosplay supplies purchased in preparation for a possible emergency.
Who would have thought they would be used so soon?
Pinocchia brightly smiled and threw open the closet.
“Sidekick Pinocchia is ready!”
. . . .
Management Bureau agent and Normal difficulty Player Park Junyoung had finished another clear of Floor 5 and returned to the Management Bureau’s Entry Room.
All Awakened affiliated with the Management Bureau were only permitted to enter through Entry Rooms approved by the Bureau.
“Phew. Floor 6 is starting to feel doable.”
Park Junyoung opened and closed his fists, gauging his own strength.
Only the first clear awarded items, Skill Jewels, and stats.
All repeated clears gave was Magic stones.
Ordinarily, once someone had grown accustomed to their own strength, they should move on to the next floor.
But the Management Bureau tended to discourage reckless climbing.
‘The Infinity Difficulty challenger.’
It was because of that person.
Humanity’s hope, who turned back the Extinction Timer as always.
Thanks to that, the Management Bureau had decided to secure as many Awakened as possible and train them safely.
That way, they would have more means to deal with Awakened crime.
The Management Bureau’s highest-priority policy was to block out the noise of reality in advance, so the Infinity Difficulty challenger could focus entirely on the Tower.
What would things have been like if there had been no Infinity Difficulty Awakened?
Well, there might have been one or two Players who had succeeded in climbing to Floor 10 by now, desperately clinging to Clear Points.
That was why Player Park Junyoung was curious.
‘Floor 10.’
The Infinity Difficulty challenger who was in contact with the Director had repeatedly emphasized the dangers of Floor 10.
Incidentally, no one particularly questioned how that person knew about Normal difficulty Floor 10.
Infinity Difficulty was unprecedented, after all.
They assumed there must be some special method.
In any case, according to that person, they could lose most of the Awakened on Floor 10.
Naturally, that advice must have played a major role in the Management Bureau deciding on the motto, “Climb safely.”
Even now, the Director was gathering all kinds of Skill Jewels and items to take every possible precaution.
But today.
According to information received by the Management Bureau.
The United States had ignored the Bureau’s advice, poured in every kind of support, and would soon attempt Floor 10.
They seemed to think they had a workable approach.
The Infinity Difficulty challenger had clearly said that the current Awakened could “never” clear Floor 10.
‘Maybe that person’s worries are excessive...’
Park Junyoung did not know how difficult the Orc Chieftain was, but it felt like a waste to remain stuck on Floor 5 forever.
Of course, Park Junyoung’s motto was always absolute obedience to orders.
Whatever happened, he followed orders without fail.
Therefore, he would not climb to Floor 6 of his own accord until the Director permitted it.
“Oh, you’re back, sir!”
Lee Juhui had entered the Entry Room after being summoned.
Park Junyoung casually held out an E-rank Magic stone.
“Here. Take the Magic stone first.”
“Ugh! The sorrow of a civil servant! I heard these sell for a pretty profit on Awakened Gallery!”
“If you’re going to do that, quit and play solo, or move to a guild. Besides, the Bureau pays a pretty fair rate, doesn’t it? How big is the bonus, anyway?”
“Well, that’s true! I heard private trades between Awakened are full of lowlife scammers, too!”
Lee Juhui put away the Magic stone and operated the device on her wrist, updating the information on their climbing record, Magic stones, and more.
That was when it happened.
After finishing the update, Lee Juhui grabbed her earpiece and frowned.
“Senior. Hold on. It’s an emergency order.”
“?”
“Y-yes? Yes! Understood!”
“What is it?”
“Um, Senior. I’m sorry, but it looks like you’ll have to do one more job today.”
“What? Why?!”
The expression of Management Bureau agent Park Junyoung, a civil servant who had been about to get off work, immediately crumpled.
“The Director ordered every Management Bureau-affiliated Awakened in Seoul to gather at Konkuk University Entrance.”
At those words, Park Junyoung’s expression suddenly loosened.
More precisely, it would be more accurate to say that his crumpled face went pale and fell slack.
“Konkuk University Entrance? Why, why?!”
“The Infinity Difficulty challenger said the civilians need to evacuate...”
Twitch.
Park Junyoung’s eyes began to tremble irregularly.
Civilians?
Evacuation?
The two words began echoing madly through his mind.
“Senior?”
“Hye-min said she was going to hang out at Konkuk University with her friends today...”
A moment of silence.
Then Lee Juhui lost all playfulness.
“...I’ll get the car ready right...”
Bang!
Agent Park Junyoung immediately kicked open the Entry Room door and ran out.
A gust of wind swept through, scattering Lee Juhui’s hair in every direction.
As a Floor 5 close-range strength build, a Monk, Park Junyoung’s legs were faster than nearly any mode of transportation now.
As he ran, he called his precious treasure.
Ring... Ring...
Ring... Ring...
The call signal continued, but the phone never connected.
“Hye-min!!!!!”
. . . .
In the middle of Konkuk University Food Street.
The university drinking district truly came alive at dawn.
Drunks who had bragged about their alcohol tolerance, then lost their senses and vomited.
College students gathered in the smoking area, exhaling clouds of smoke.
Among the countless people crowding the narrow street, one person stood out in particular.
“They are the Fallen. Fallen, every one of them.”
A body twice the size of an MMA heavyweight boxer.
Intimidating armor befitting that frame.
And above all, a massive mace that drew every eye.
It was a copy of Slick summoned into reality by the Monolith.
Despite the unfamiliar sight, Slick was not particularly surprised.
The Great One had implanted knowledge of this world into Slick’s mind.
Slick believed it was the will of God, in other words, the will of the archdemon Baal whom they served.
“Ahh, I understand.”
Murderous intent boiled up from deep within.
Slick had to purify these Fallen at once.
“Whoa, is that person an Awakened? A Player? Something like that?”
“Hey, don’t look at them. If you pick a fight, we’re fucked.”
“What are you talking about? The Management Bureau catches Awakened criminals like clockwork.”
“Excuse me! What floor are you on? Or is this cosplay?”
Slick frowned at the people tossing remarks in Slick’s direction.
‘The lambs have no fear.’
How dare they show such disrespect toward an apostle of great Baal?
That was when people in black suits suddenly appeared and began shouting.
“Back away!!”
“We’re from the Management Bureau! Everyone, back away!”
“Huh? Huh?”
“Management Bureau agents? They’re the real deal!”
“I said back away!”
“Evacuate! Evacuate immediately!”
Only then did people begin fleeing with serious expressions, shouting as they ran.
In an age when superhumans had become reality, there were no longer idiots who saw Management Bureau agents directing an evacuation and asked, “Is this a movie shoot?”
Konkuk University Food Street instantly became pandemonium, filled with screams.
Slick sneered at the people blocking the way.
“What a joke.”
They appeared to be people who had evolved a little further than ordinary humans.
But that little strength could not stop Slick.
“I will purify you first.”
The moment he said that,
“Subdue!”
One of the agents at the front placed a hand on the ground.
Rumble!
The asphalt flipped over in an instant, forming a dome.
Slick was trapped within the pitch-black dome.
In darkness where nothing could be seen, Slick curled up the corners of their mouth and raised the mace high.
“Young lambs. Do not fear. By divine grace, I will purify your bodies and souls.”
Fwoosh!
“O Sun!”
A horrifying heat began to fill Slick’s mace.
Roar, roar, roar.
Outside, Management Bureau agents saw the asphalt dome suddenly glow red.
“F-fuck! Is that a lava skill?”
“Evacuating the civilians comes first! Block it, even if you have to use your bodies!”
Boom!
The sun-flavored Chupa Ch*ps smashed through the asphalt dome.3
“Ghk!”
“Fragments! Block the fragments first!”
Molten asphalt scattered in every direction.
“Ahhh!”
The lava-like asphalt smashed through building exteriors and windows.
The civilians still inside the buildings screamed in panic.
Then,
“Stay calm, everyone! The Management Bureau agents are here, so don’t panic! Slowly, one at a time!”
A college student inside one of the buildings drew everyone’s attention and guided the evacuation.
“Slowly! Trust the agents and go one at a time!”
The Management Bureau agents recognized her.
No, there was no way they would not.
Was she not Park Hye-min, the proud daughter of famous doting father Park Junyoung?
Crowd psychology could have easily made the situation even worse.
Park Hye-min’s calm evacuation guidance successfully prevented the confusion from escalating.
Slick, watching her, began smacking his lips.
“You are better than the black sheep!”
Rumble.
Slick lowered his stance.
“F-fuck! Stop him!”
Rumble!
An agent manipulated the asphalt again, but it was already too late.
Whoosh!
Slick flew into the air and seized Park Hye-min by the throat.
“Ghk!”
Slick looked at the Management Bureau agents.
“If you move, I will break her neck immediately.”
“Hye-min!”
“Ahhh!”
Her friends screamed at the sight.
The Management Bureau agents were also helpless because of the hostage.
Yet Park Hye-min’s eyes shone fiercely despite the hand around her neck.
“You! Do you think... the Management Bureau will just... stand by...?!”
At those words, Slick turned toward Park Hye-min.
One squeeze of Slick’s hand would kill her.
She had to know that as well.
Slick’s eyes began to fill with satisfaction.
“Your resolve is strong, and you are a vessel worthy of enduring the purification ritual.”
Slick opened his mouth and began pulling out horrifying black tentacles.
Wriggle, wriggle, wriggle.
“Ugh!”
Just as the tentacles extending from Slick’s throat were about to enter Park Hye-min’s mouth,
Slice!
“!”
A black flash descended from the sky.
“Cough! Cough!”
Thud.
Slick’s arm fell to the ground, severed in an instant.
Slick looked at the mysterious man who had appeared and cut off Slick’s arm.
He was wrapped head to toe in a shadowy outfit, with a black sword in his hand.
Along with his mask, a badge shaped like a Möbius strip glowed on his chest with the Monolith’s distinctive effect.
The instant Slick saw him, warning bells began ringing wildly in his mind.
The Great One’s foremost target, embedded deep in his mind.
The Infinity Difficulty challenger.
A heavy silence fell.
“Cough! Cough! Y-you are...?”
Park Hye-min broke the silence with a cough and looked at the Möbius-strip badge for only a moment.
Thump!
Another Awakened landed beside the Infinity Difficulty challenger in a hero landing pose.
Their outfit and mask were identical to the Infinity Difficulty challenger’s, making them seem like a disciple he taught.
The only certain thing was that they had a female physique.
Everyone present fell silent.
The mysterious female Awakened immediately drew hundreds of strands of mana from her hands.
Zip, zip, zip!
“You think I’ll just stand by and watch?!”
Whoosh!
Slick regenerated their hand with tentacles, gripped the mace again, and tried to charge.
Clang!
The Infinity Difficulty challenger, wielding the black sword, knocked aside Slick’s mace.
Grrrrnk!
A clash of strength against strength.
While the Infinity Difficulty challenger held Slick back, the second Awakened controlled mana threads and flung every civilian still inside the buildings outside.
“A-ahhh!”
“Eek!”
Sway!
A blue net had already been set up.
Every civilian within a one-kilometer radius began being drawn along the blue mana threads and tossed onto the net.
Zip, zip, zip!
The Management Bureau agents watching could only gape blankly.
The difference in caliber was far too great.
There were ranks even among superhumans, but were they not superhumans among superhumans?
The female Awakened who had embroidered Food Street with mana threads was astonishing enough, but the Infinity Difficulty challenger’s movements were so fast they were difficult to follow with the naked eye.
That was when the female Awakened, having finished evacuating the civilians, retrieved the mana threads, descended, and stood before the Management Bureau agents.
Tap.
A white mask, black eyeholes.
And a chest glowing with an eerie red light.
The Management Bureau agents stared blankly at her.
She spoke in a strange voice that seemed to mix those of a child, an elderly person, a man, and a woman.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, we barely made it in time. We’ll take it from here.”
Notes
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