WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Irevi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the Upbeat Newbie the Infinite Regressors Are Obsessed With ◈
Chapter 42: Multiplayer (3)
──────
Well, there was no need to think about my routine for this Run.
First things first.
Ordering sashimi... was just part of everyday life, so let’s skip over that.
“Urp.”
“See? What did I tell you?”
“P-Pinocchia is amazed by your foresight, Master. Pinocchia likes chicken and pizza better.”
The most urgent task was to contact the Director in advance.
For the record, I’d already done that.
Slick would appear on Food Street near Konkuk University.
So I was getting the stage cleaned up ahead of time.
That sounded a little strange, but I meant restricting access so no civilians would get hurt.
Of course, the public was bound to complain.
‘This is where we use the power of taxes.’
We had no choice but to quiet their complaints with suitable compensation.
There might be some grumbling now, but everyone would understand afterward.
We were doing this to save lives, after all.
‘And I can’t exactly announce, “I’m an Infinite Regressor,” can I?’
Anyway, my message to the Director had been simple.
There would be a fierce battle on Food Street near Konkuk University today, so please find a way to evacuate the civilians.
Thankfully, after a brief silence, the Director told me to leave it to them.
That took care of clearing the stage.
Next, number two.
‘Aura, obviously.’
I didn’t have much time.
Just enough to do a little inner image training before I had to head straight out.
Even practicing Aura coating was out of the question.
I needed every bit of power I could scrape together. Wasting energy on coating practice would leave me completely screwed.
If I was going to use it, it had to be in battle.
‘Still, after using it twice, I’ve definitely gotten a feel for it.’
That was one small relief.
So what I needed now was to somehow grasp my inner image within these repeating days.
According to the head mod, true Aura infused with an inner image was on a completely different level.
For now, then, Aura Awakening was the main plan.
Helping Pinocchia grow stronger was the backup plan.
Why wasn’t m4gic1 on the list when I was supposed to be a spellsword?
A fair point.
Sure, there was a possible route where I ground Slick to dust with magic.
But the problem was that I hadn’t made my breakthrough on the magic side yet.
‘There’s an Aura-only EXP duplication event going on. I’ve got to get in on it.’
Besides, the loop on this route lasted just one day.
This was a time to pick my focus and stick to it.
With inner image training, a single realization could make me much stronger. Magic didn’t work that way.
There was a reason I’d only learned one curse-defense spell while fighting the Orc Shaman, and Armor Break before going to Floor 2.
It might have been obvious, but the moment I understood my inner image, that understanding would carry over through regression.
It was part of my memory.
With magic, though, learning a single spell required rebuilding my circuits.
Apart from basic spells like Mana Shield, higher-grade magic required more than just Property Transformation and Words of Power.
In short, one day wasn’t even enough time to rebuild the circuits.
‘Forgive your unworthy student, Master!’
As I went over my plans, I gazed at Pinocchia while she cleaned up. Feeling my eyes on her, she turned around.
“Master? Is there anything else you’d like me to do?”
“No, I was just thinking about something.”
“Hmm, hehe.”
Wiggle, wiggle.
Pinocchia wiggled her bottom as she washed the dishes.
Watching her cute little backside, I recalled how she’d fought in the previous Run.
The problem came to me right away.
‘Output.’
Pinocchia hadn’t even been able to escape phase-two Slick’s grip.
She’d probably burned through her Magic Stone fuel to maintain Mana Humidifier Mode, leaving her short on energy overall.
She’d already been noticeably smaller by the time she joined me.
In other words, her character stats were amazing, but she was running out of mana.
‘Plus, she used a ton of mana evacuating the civilians.’
So on this route, Mana Humidifier Mode would stay off.
I already had more than enough Magic Stones stockpiled for Aura Awakening.
If she saved her MP from now on, she probably wouldn’t get taken out as helplessly as she had in the previous Run.
Of course, I could call the Director right now and say, “Bring me more Magic Stones. No, bring me all of them!”
‘But I’ve got infinite retries anyway, right?’
I had more than enough time to try all sorts of things.
If Aura didn’t work out, I could raid the Management Bureau’s storage and put on a Magic Stone-powered Pinocchia upgrade show.
Trying both was fine too.
“Planning complete!”
“I’ve finished the dishes too, Master!”
“Very good. Go rest. I’ll call you later, so don’t fall asleep, okay?”
“?!?!?”
“Oh, and turn off Mana Humidifier Mode and eat all the Magic Stones. You’ll need to put in some work.”
“!!!!!!”
Leaving the chuckling Pinocchia behind, I opened the Infinite Regression Gallery and headed for the basement training room.
* * *
[Everyone, listen up]
[Author: Amor Fati]
(Screenshot of the causality manipulation message)
(Thumbnail of a tentacle giant winding up for a pitch)
Thanks to a DLC patch from the greatest game in the history of the universe, Monolith, Slick popped out into reality.
But I don’t know what the Monolith did, because this bastard showed up with a massive power boost.
So I’ve only got about a day before I regress. If I properly bring my Aura into bloom, I can cut this bastard in half, right?
The excitement from the novel contest had long since faded.
My post immediately set the Gallery on fire.
ㄴSolo Hero*) Oh, the Monolith’s pulling this fucking shit again;;
ㄴMartial God) A day? What the fuck, and this is all it gives you as a reward?
ㄴHeretic Exterminator) You’re not someone who’ll be defeated here, Brother!
ㄴVampire Princess) Ugh, even I am furious!
ㄴPoisoned My Blade) What’s with this rigged bullshit? lol
ㄴDungeon Rogue) (That’s crossing the line... sticker)
ㄴArchmage) Good heavens......
ㄴPuppetmaster) The difference is way too big to call it a simple power boost for the same individual;;
Everyone seemed more upset about my situation than interested in discussing Aura.
Well, in the old days, that mood would’ve lasted at least another hour.
‘But you all know what I’m like, right?’
So the unconditional sympathy and comfort didn’t last long.
After taking some time to comfort me, the Gallery members put their heads together and began analyzing the situation.
ㄴSolo Hero*) Still, newbie. It’s a reeeal lifesaver that you’ve already experienced a breakthrough.
ㄴSolo Hero*) I’ve sized things up. If you achieve Inner Image Bloom, you can definitely put up a fight. Let’s give it a shot.
ㄴMartial God) Newbie, you’re right. This is actually a good thing.
ㄴMartial God) If you awaken now, you’ll definitely be able to get past at least one of the bullshit situations waiting for you later.
ㄴPuppetmaster) You can do it, newbie. A bit disappointing that Pinocchia couldn’t do as much as expected, but if you get the chance, try feeding her high-purity Magic Stones.
ㄴAmor Fati) Yeah, I think her output’s a little low because I usually keep Mana Humidifier Mode on.
ㄴPuppetmaster) Good. That’s good.
ㄴVampire Princess) Once the newbie overcomes this crisis, the IRG must reward him properly!!
ㄴDungeon Rogue) fr fr. IRG, give him a reward! Give him a reward!
ㄴPoisoned My Blade) If the IRG has a conscience, give him a perk before Floor 3 lol
ㄴHeretic Exterminator) That’s right! The IRG must reward him!
“But you already paid me in advance...”
The IRG didn’t give rewards after I beat the bullshit. It paid up front whenever the bullshit began.
Anyway, after the Gallery members spent ages counting their chickens before they hatched, Archmage stepped in and brought things under control.
ㄴArchmage) Now, now. Enough idle chatter, everyone.
ㄴArchmage) Isn’t our young newbie’s growth always what matters most?
ㄴArchmage) Apart from Dundo, who grew through the Status Window, Heretic Exterminator, who wields divine power, and Poisoned My Blade, who underwent augmentation procedures, let us all share our experiences of reaching higher levels.
“Ahhh!”
That was my first teacher, Archmage, for you.
He might get worked up every day about the martial arts faction versus the mage faction...
‘But whenever I’m in trouble, he’s always the first to give ground!’
All those times he’d led the mage faction into battle against the martial arts faction?
Your student knew you were just playing a role to liven up the Gallery, Master.
Feeling proud, I read his next reply.
ㄴArchmage) That way, our young newbie can finish his Inner Image Bloom and finally learn magic properly.
...You were just playing a role, right?
* * *
First, I set an alarm and sat cross-legged in the training room.
“Whew.”
What I needed for Inner Image Bloom was to observe “myself.”
More precisely, I had to observe everything that made me who I was, then form a firm definition of my own existence.
It was a very abstract concept, so it was a little difficult. Still, after reading the Gallery members’ experiences, I began to get a rough idea.
The point was this.
If I painted a picture of my soul, what would it look like?
Following Archmage’s advice, I activated Split Thought and steadied my breathing to sink into my subconscious.
“In... out...”
I cleared away every stray thought and focused deeper and deeper inward, trying to reach a state of complete self-forgetfulness.
Two selves meant double the diving speed!
How long had I been diving through the sea of my subconscious?
Deep in that ocean, little things began drifting into view.
Fragments of memory that looked like glowing jellyfish.
I swam through the depths and touched them.
Flash! Light spread, and a forgotten memory appeared as though it were playing on a movie screen.
‘The orphanage.’
‘I don’t really have any bad memories of it. The director was a good person too.’
‘It also made me immune to insults about my parents.’
‘True. I was practically invincible in online flame wars.’
.
.
.
‘That’s the day I collapsed from exhaustion.’
‘That shiny2 just wouldn’t fucking spawn.’
.
.
.
‘What’s that one?’
‘Oh, the first Run.’
.
.
.
‘Han Siyeon.’
‘Monolith.’
‘The IRG...’
......
...
.
* * *
Da-da-dada, da-da-dada!
“Ah!”
I opened my eyes.
Wait, why had time passed so quickly?
Waiting for the novel contest had felt so long, but it was time already?
It didn’t feel like even five minutes had passed, yet my time was up.
Of course, this little bit of inner image training hadn’t given me an immediate revelation.
‘I wasn’t expecting one anyway.’
This training assumed countless retries, didn’t it?
Still, it felt like I’d managed to make something like a vague blueprint, a rough sketch, a first draft, version one.
Watching glowing jellyfish in the deep sea of my memories had left me feeling a little sentimental.
They’d said that if I kept doing this and found one glowing jellyfish that could light up the entire dark ocean, that would be Inner Image Bloom.
For a first attempt, I’d made decent progress.
“Urrgh.”
I got my stiff body moving and went up to the second floor.
Knock, knock, knock.
Knocking was basic courtesy toward someone you lived with.
I shouldn’t forget that.
The only reason I’d thrown the door open in a hurry during the previous Run was the Monolith’s message.
‘She definitely covered the screen and frantically closed a bunch of windows, didn’t she?’
Everyone went through a stormy phase.
Your master understands everything.
“Pinocchia, can I come in?”
“Yes, do come iiin.”
Her voice sounded oddly nasal.
And her way of speaking had changed too.
Anyway, I had permission, so I opened the door.
Inside, Pinocchia was lying on the bed in her pajamas with a big grin.
For the record, she’d finished all the Magic Stones and was larger than usual.
“Ehehe, this decisive battle weapon, Pinocchia, almost wore herself out waiting for yooou.”
“?”
Sure, this Run’s routine was different from the previous one.
‘But why did it cause this butterfly effect?’
Could ordering less sashimi have something to do with it?
Whatever the case, I didn’t have time to play along with her little game of house.
“Pinocchia, open the closet and put on a costume first.”
“G-gasp! Such hardcore play right from the start!”
Pinocchia stared at me with wide eyes.
“But this Pinocchia doesn’t miiind.”
With that, she began humming as she searched through the closet.
“Oh, not that one this time. Let’s go with something else.”
“Hmm? What do you mean, ‘this time’?”
“I wore that one last time. I should try something different today.”
At my words, Pinocchia’s eyes immediately narrowed.
“...”
Even the color flowing from her chest turned a sharp blue.
I chuckled at the sight.
‘Look at you. You’re jealous because you think I played duos with someone else.’
She was a cute teammate.
“I wore it alone, so don’t get any silly ideas. Hurry up and put on the one beside it.”
“Whew!”
.
.
.
.
We’d each changed behind a curtain and finished coordinating our costumes.
Pinocchia tried to head back to the bed, but I took her hand and pulled her toward the front door.
“...??”
Looking completely bewildered, Pinocchia stood blankly in the entryway and looked me over twice, then a third time.
After staring for a long while at the Black Iron Sword and Snake Dagger fastened at my waist, she asked,
“Where are we going, Master?”
“Where else? Food Street near Konkuk University.”
“H-huh?”
“Today’s battle is seriously no joke, so stay sharp.”
“Battle? A battle?”
“Yeah. This might be hard to believe, but that bastard Slick I told you about is going to show up there today.”
Pinocchia’s jaw dropped, and she stared at me in dismay.
“I know it’s hard to believe. But your master has ways of knowing everything. Come on. Let’s move. We don’t have time.”
Pinocchia continued staring at me in silence.
No need to be so surprised.
You’ll find out someday, but your master is an Infinite Regressor.
“...Sidekick Pinocchia. Ready... to go.”
Her line sounded a little less enthusiastic than it had in the previous Run.
“Siiiiigh.”
Notes
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