Perfect. We'll now begin writing "Infinite Cleanse" in pure novel format — no manga pacing, no comic structure — just immersive, long-form literary prose with deep inner thoughts, clean formatting, and realistic character development.
Chapter 1: The Roof and the Rain
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The wind howled across the rooftop like an unfinished thought. Rain fell in restless, meticulous lines—each drop tracing a vertical path to earth, as if nature itself refused to allow randomness.
Takumi Arata stared down at the shattered glass bottle on the edge of the school roof. The janitor must have dropped it, or perhaps a delinquent tossed it up here—but neither explanation mattered to him. What mattered was the mess.
He crouched carefully, pulling a handkerchief from his breast pocket. It was white, starched, and folded in perfect quarters. He held his breath as he reached for the jagged edges.
One piece was angled slightly off from the others.
He froze.
It bothered him.
Takumi's eyes twitched to the left. He saw the symmetry of the scene collapse, like a photo melting in fire. A sharp inhale. Then he exhaled—slowly, like counting to four in his head. He adjusted the shard's position by two millimeters.
Better. Almost there.
He didn't hear the thunder. He didn't notice the rain soaking through his uniform. His brain was burning with a single, overpowering thought:
"I need to make it clean."
He stepped forward.
His foot landed on nothing.
The world gave way.
For one second, he was floating. The wet edge of the roof vanished beneath him, replaced by the vast and uncaring sky. His hand opened, releasing the handkerchief.
It fluttered behind him like a falling flag.
He hit the pavement headfirst.
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It didn't hurt.
Not in the way he expected.
There was a sound like soft paper tearing.
Then silence.
Warm, gentle, white.
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Takumi opened his eyes to a sky he'd never seen before. It was lavender—not dusk or dawn, but something eternal. The clouds drifted in slow circles. Everything smelled faintly of metal and earth.
He was lying in a field of grass so neat it looked planted by hand. Every blade was equal height.
Then the message appeared.
[SYSTEM BOOT COMPLETE.]
Welcome, Takumi Arata. You have been selected.
He sat up. His clothes were gone. He wore a simple white tunic—clean, loose-fitting, symmetrical.
He exhaled.
Then he noticed the rest of the screen.
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[> World: Elestria – Restarting Cycle [01472]
Class Assigned: —UNKNOWN—
Level: ∞ (Locked)
Condition: Mental Instability Risk Detected
System Warning: User displays signs of compulsive thought patterns. Behavioral filters activated.]
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"What… is this?" he whispered.
A soft wind moved across the grass in geometric ripples. Something about it soothed him.
Then he heard footsteps.
A man in a long coat approached—hooded, faceless, surrounded by floating glyphs.
"You have arrived. Another world… another mistake given form," the man said.
Takumi stood, shakily.
"Who are you?"
"I am the Architect. This is Elestria. You are its first anomaly in over a thousand cycles."
Takumi frowned. "Anomaly?"
"You are the first to be given an unlimited level potential. The system doesn't know what to do with you. And based on your… affliction, you may not survive long."
"Affliction?"
The Architect's glowing eyes flared.
"You try to fix what is already broken. You count when you should fight. You clean when you should run."
Takumi stared at the ground. His fists clenched.
"I don't care. I just want to survive. No… I want to fix this world, too."
"Fix it?"
"Yes." His voice grew harder. "This world looks as chaotic as mine was. But maybe here… I can build something perfect."
The Architect tilted his head.
"Then start at the bottom."
Takumi blinked.
And the world collapsed beneath his feet.
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He woke up inside a damp stone corridor. Torches flickered along the walls. The air stank of mold, rot, and age.
A dungeon.
The first monster appeared from the dark. A snarling, limping goblin. Its dagger was chipped, its shirt torn unevenly down one side.
Takumi's eye twitched.
As the goblin ran toward him, he screamed—not in fear, but in rage.
> "Your shirt is asymmetrical!"
He punched.
The goblin's head snapped back like a puppet's.
> [Goblin Defeated. You have gained +7 Levels.]
Current Level: 7
Warning: Uneven Level Distribution Detected.
Mental Strain Increasing…
Takumi gasped for breath. His hands trembled.
> "Seven isn't a multiple of five… I… I can't stop now…"
He ran deeper into the dungeon, looking for more monsters—not for loot, not for experience, but because he couldn't stand being at Level 7.
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🔹 End of Chapter 1