Can i just stop?
Why does it have to be me?
When will it end?
These are all questions i asked myself as i found myself in this null void once again.
I've tried everything.
I've killed. Been killed.
Saved. Been saved.
How much more suffering is needed to find the end of this infinite loop?
---
In case it wasnt obvious yet, im a regressor.
But not those cool ones that get a second chance after years of effort and defeat.
No, im one of those infinite regressors.
The ones who slowly dull themselves.
The ones who think, or in my case thought, they could do anything eventually.
The ones who give up.
But sadly, im none of those types.
I should also say, im a transmigrator.
Some of you are probably reading this and thinking "how generic". I know right? What a cliche.
Worst part? I ended up in a slice of life!
How's that bad? Ill tell you later.
For now lets start with a story, ill keep it short and simple for those at home with God awful attention spans.
A very VERY long time ago, i transmigrated into this novel thanks to what those guys on all those webnovel sites call a ROB.
He was a pretty chill dude honestly speaking, i should thank him next round...
ANYWAY, as i was saying, i transmigrated yippee hooray, as well as that, i was given i super cool passive ability called [infinite regression] Woohoo! Even better!
On top of all this, i ended up in a slice of life so i thought my days would be nice and slow...
...Unfortunately every action causes an equal and opposite reaction.
No one told me about the history of this damn world or anything about it...
But whatever, that was a problem for future me, right?
For now, lets meet our main cast!
I'll skip all the boring details, just know their a bunch of arrogant assholes who only care about themselves and their little group. Buncha morons i tell ya!
Okay...well maybe meeting our cast doesnt go well but at least we have this super cool hero academy to explore right?!
...
About a week later it was obliterated by demon forces, not a soul survived. Including me.
ROUND 2
Welp, this time i managed to stop the stampede before it even begun.
Did i get any praise? Push those two little braincells together really hard and give me an answer, what do you think?
Mhm...
WRONG! Not a single thank you!
In fact, they punished me for going out alone and doing something dangerous!
Come on, i saved your lives i cant even get a "oh my thank you kind, handsome, awesome and badass hero"?!
Anyway, life continued regularly as one would expect from a slice of life and hey! I actually enjoyed hero school for a little bit!
A while later and wow! A school trip! This should be fun!
...
The worst week of my life.
It was a simple trip to some random woods and suddenly people went missing.
Boohoo yadda yadda yadda i died again!
ROUND 3
Okay, day is saved TWICE no way i dont get a "thanks for saving me" now right?
No one batted an eye...
...
And so after this it kept happening.
Incident after accident.
Scandal after murder case.
Disaster after world ending threat.
I saved them all. Every time.
Thanks? None.
I just thought "ill get to the end of this story eventually" and that let me keep going.
Well, that and that stupid curse...
ROUND 500
500 deaths. Thats how long it took me to finish the story.
500 worthless deaths for useless people in a trash tier slice-of-life.
But at least now its finally over, i thought.
At least now... i can go home.
ROUND 501
...what?
No. N-No that can't be right i-I REACHED THE END. I FINISHED THE STORY.
No warning, No death... i was simply, back.
...
For a while, i panicked.
ROUND 535
I was shocked.
ROUND 573
Distraught.
ROUND 612
I Didnt know what to do.
ROUND 780
I kept repeating my actions...
ROUND 846
...Hoping...
ROUND 914
...getting faster...
ROUND 999
...Until...
ROUND 1000
...I snapped.
...
I thought 'let's try something new'.
Clearly, saving the world didnt let me go home so maybe conquering it would.
ROUND 3468
Clearly... that wasnt going to cut it.
What if i destroyed the world?
ROUND 4200
short lived dream.
It was fun.
But ultimately useless.
ROUND 7813
...i tried everything...
ROUND 8503
...From assasinations...
ROUND 10,973
...To demonic contracts...
ROUND 13,275
...To holy baptisms...
ROUND 21,679
...Hell, i even unified all people one time...
ROUND 34,196
...i became a salesman...
ROUND 56,249
...even a normal office worker...
ROUND 73,454
...i travelled the world a thousand times over...
ROUND 105,831
...I even attempted to bridge the gap to my world myself...
ROUND 2£>×482^#@!928
...Eventually...
ROUND 9,■◇\₩.HS°{~2937♡♤
...I Lost count...
...
I died...
...Over one hundred million times...
I knew everything.
Every face.
Every name.
Even every animal and bug that would ever die within my loops timeframe.
Ive died so much i dont even care anymore.
What was the point?
I cant even remember anything about that place anymore.
Not what it was called.
Not who i was.
Or even...
What my family looked like.
So why bother? You may ask?
The damn curse.
Until im out of this well im as stuck as stagnant water.
So i thought of something.
Why does it have to be me?
And in my brooding i came up with an idea...
A project if you will...
I call it...
The 'fake regressor project'.
Now by the name some of you probably think, "why didnt you think of this earlier?" To which i reply, Shut up i did.
Back in around the 6 to 10 millions i raised a ton of heroes and demon lords. Fun times.
The only problem is none of them really stuck since yknow, they simply didnt believe a word i said. Crazy regressor and all...
So i gave up the idea...
And here we are, back again.
I recently found out theres a way for me to simply input my memories into people.
...and by recently i mean around 12 billion loops ago...
Yeah time is weird here.
The problem is, its one time use.
Meaning, even if i am a regressor and all that jazz...
If it fails that risks another eternity in this place.
And i reaaaaaaaallly dont want that.
So, i scoured the earth.
Watched the stories of every person on the planet and beyond.
...Im not exagerating i went to space a couple times.
It took about 3.4 quadrillion years (sarcasm)
But finally, i found a dude worthy of my awesome beautiful magnanimous- sorry, not alot to love but yourself in this situation.
Ahem!
I found a guy who is the perfect main character candidate.
And best of all?
He was right there in front of me the whole time.
...still cursing myself off for missing such a gem earlier.
---
Rowan Rowe
Our-well MY protagonist of the story
Also our dear victim in this hell of a loop.
He'll, Hopefully, let me go home fingers crossed.
He's your classic black hair black eyes lazy hair kirit- i mean generic character clone.
And what seals the deal?
Hes got a damn hero complex!
If that aint a jackpot i dont know what is.
But to start our little guide...
...ill have to grab my thingamabob for the memory transfer first...
---
Aaaaaaaaaaand THAT brings you back here to this void with me. So? What do ya think? Pretty cool story right?
But twas but the beginning.
Here we are in this water like abyss
It feels like im drowning, like im weightless.
Just as it has for however many years i've been regressing.
[You died. Turning back the clock]
Ah yes, this familiar scene.
And soon after, my mind dulled and my vision blurred till all i saw was black and all i felt was nothing...
...
"Yahello? You there?"
I heard quite the welcoming voice, it was warm yet cold, painful yet soft, incomprehensible yet comprehensive.
Ive heard this voice so much its normal to me.
In all honesty i still cant describe what they sound like so i usually simply think "oh hey its ROBerts voice"
Me and him go wayyyy back.
I open my eyes to see a silhouette of a man in front of me.
No defining features just simply what can be described as, the outline of a man.
Yup, this was the ROB i was talking about earlier, this is the dude who helped me transmigrate into that Peice of shit slice of life.
You would think i would be mad after he trapoed me in this loop but after finding out he didnt give me the regression ability i let bygones be bygones and let it go, now we're buddies.
Or should be.
He never remembers me...
"There we go! Hello there! Im what you would call a-"
"A ROB, I know whats happening here dude don't you worry."
As he spoke i cut in with a tired laziness. Perplexed by the sudden development, ROBert asked.
"Hm? What the- did someone already transmigrate you or something?"
"Nah, regulation code 7463"
"Ohhh your a regressor, good, that saves me the trouble of explaining stuff. In that case ill just send you in, anything you need before you go?"
Regulation code 7463.
Yup these ROBs have their own handbook.
Took me about 12 million loops to learn the language and a few thousand to read the book.
This is also how i found out about our 'key'.
"I wanna enact the equivelent exchange rule before you send me in."
"Damn, its that serious?"
"Yup"
"Well alright then, what do you want?"
"Memory shaper"
"That'll cost alot, you sure you want that?"
Equivelent exchange rule.
This rule allows you to bargain with a ROB and gain extras before transmigration at an equally negative price.
Think of it like a certain heian era sorcerers vow.
"It'll cost you your main divine blessing"
"...!"
I acounted for that but thats really too steep a price.
"What if its one-time use?"
"Hmm..."
"You wont have to give up the blessing but you will gain the mana deficiency flaw, deal?"
"Deal!"
And just like that, we have the 'key'.
---
Soon after the deal was made it was time to step back into hell.
One last time.
"Alright then, lets hope this is the last time, am i right little regressor?"
The incomprehensible voice whispered behind me.
"Oh i hope... i really do."
"Well then, Kairos aion, for the last time..."
The silhouette opened a gate.
"Welcome. To ■■■■■■"
I didnt hear the last part. Every time i hear it it makes me hate the world more so i learned to tune it out.
What he said was the name. The name of that trashy novel.
I stepped through the gate and found myself in a small apartment.
I sprawled out of bed, and looked in the mirror.
Deep unkempt midnight blue hair with silver tips and to match two equally hollow silver eyes.
However, that wasnt what i was looking at.
"Hmm. Yup, 16 again. Dammit how many times do i have to be 178cm?"
But oh well, what mattered was i was back for the final time.
I took a shower and got ready to head out.
But before i left i turned and looked at my room for the final time...
NAH just kidding i left immediately who cares about that depressing apartment anyway. Im off to the place where it all starts.
That goddamn academy.
I was dressed in a navy blue school uniform with a white loosly tucked in shirt and no tie.
why no tie?
Oh you'll see.
I hopped on the nearest train to the hell i was about experience and got off at the station and skipped off to the academy.
...
I stood before those giant gates, no fear. How could i have any when its gonna be obliterated in a matter of days.
...well unless my chosen protagonist stops it.
Anyway, as i begin walking inside...
"Hey!"
There it is!
"Young man wheres your tie?"
A rather large, well built man walked over to me. This was my soon-to-be Practical hero arts (P.E.) teacher Mr...uhhwhatshisface.
"Sorry sir i forgot it at home."
Amazing acting me. If this was our homeworld we would have won an oscar by now!
I didnt leave my tie at home its actually in my school bag next to me, why didnt i just say that? Wait for it...
"Hey!"
Right on time!
"Not this kid too..."
Mr.whosamabob was clearly already done with the school day. TWO troublemakers within less than an hour of the school day? Yeah, id put in my two weeks aswell man.
Anyway not the point.
"I apologies sir, i seem to have forgotten my tie at home, please firgive my ignorance"
The point is- Hes here! Mr. Protag himself. The Hero Rowan Rowe!
END OF CHAPTER...
A/N: so? What d'ya think? First time writing EVER so its a little sloppy i'll admit, but i think i paced it pretty well... also in sticking to 1500 words max from here on. So many wordsssss.