Eternally Regressing in Another World

The lantern’s light swayed, making it hard to read the clock. Fighting through the glare, I checked the time: 19:14. With the road unpaved, the carriage jolted enough to make my backside ache.

"Wonder if that old man’s got a cushion or something..."

Saying that, I looked ahead at the small windmill house. Where Old Man Beard lived. I got down from the carriage and knocked on the wooden door.

"Peter Dixon! Are you home?"

A brief pause, then a loud crash from inside. Footsteps thundered like someone fleeing a fire, and the door swung open forcefully.

"Th-that name, don’t tell me!?"

"Hey there. We’ve met plenty of times already, but I’ll say it anyway. ...Nice to meet you, Old Man Beard."

"No streetlights out here, must’ve been rough getting over."

"Yeah, guess I’ll come by mornings from now on."

The coffee here was as good as ever. I savored the warm cup, leaning back into the chair.

"Still, you came anyway, so something urgent, is it?"

Not exactly urgent, but I wanted to grab the gun while I had the chance. Actually, this was a good opportunity. If I brought up Ronnet, maybe he’d have some insight. I set the cup down and took a breath.

"There’s something I want to ask you about."

"...Go on."

Old Man Beard’s gaze was gentle but firm.

"There’s a man named Ronnet, and I can’t figure out his magic no matter what. Please, lend me your wisdom."

I bowed my head deeply. If even Old Man Beard couldn’t find a solution here, I’d be forced into a dangerous gamble. But if I could actually beat that man...

"Have you fought him before?"

"Yeah, several times, but I couldn’t touch him. He blocks everything. Magic, fire... even a gun."

"A gun? Mine, by any chance?"

"Yes."

At that, Old Man Beard buried his face in thought, groaning.

"Hmm, someone immune to bullets. Doesn’t transform, does he? Into a monster, an insect, anything like that?"

"No, stays completely normal, and just shrugs off bullets like nothing."

Old Man Beard crossed his arms, tilting his head side to side. Then he suddenly stood up.

"I see, hold on a moment."

Old Man Beard hurried upstairs and returned within a minute.

"This should be close to the kind of magic we’re dealing with."

In his hands was a book. He cleared the coffee off the table and set the book down with a heavy thud.

"This book has notes on enemies I’ve fought."

He flipped through worn, browned pages one after another. Some entries ran dozens of pages for a single opponent. Countermeasures, predicted weaknesses, tactical notes, diagrams. It was practically this man’s own personal history.

"The opponent you’re describing resembles this one."

Old Man Beard opened to a page roughly in the middle. There, a middle-aged man wrapped in a cloak was drawn.

"This man absorbed attacks and converted them into his own magic power."

Old Man Beard’s expression turned grim as he spoke. He’d probably died to this man more than once.

"How’d you beat him?"

"Well, this type of attack-nullifying magic can’t stay active indefinitely. I timed my strike for the moment the spell ran out."

"...So basically, run around until the magic runs dry, then shoot."

I nodded, thinking I understood, but Old Man Beard shook his head.

"No, magic. With a gun, you’d have to hit a vital point, which leaves too much to luck."

I had nothing to say to that. Sure, it sounded like a solid strategy. But that man hadn’t shown any sign of actively casting a spell. Without ever catching the moment his magic activated or wore off, there was no way to plan around it. Seeing my expression, Old Man Beard flipped through more pages.

"Well, you’re young, so a more physical approach might work for you."

Pointing to a section, several strategies were listed. Most involved magic, nothing I could actually pull off. He drew a wavy line under one entry. Something almost absurdly simple.

"...Strangle him?"

"Yeah, straightforward, right?"

He said it with crossed arms and full confidence, but I wasn’t quite convinced.

"Um, but, attacks don’t work on him, remember?"

Old Man Beard said "it’s fine" with a confident laugh.

"Magic that nullifies attacks, put simply, nullifies the impact. Magic like that only cancels the attack itself, it doesn’t stop physical contact entirely. Since there’s no impact involved in this method, it should work fine."

That did make sense. If it wasn’t a barrier or reflection-type spell, this approach might actually work.

"But isn’t this pretty difficult? I’d need to get behind him cleanly and everything..."

"Yeah, that’s why we plan it out."

Old Man Beard laughed at that, and all I could do was return a strained smile.

"Thank you so much."

I turned the doorknob, notebook full of the plan in hand. A few uncertainties remained, but this strategy felt like it could actually work. Of course, I’d already received the gun and was fully prepared.

"Come by anytime if something else comes up."

"Yeah, really appreciate it."

I bowed deeply once more and climbed into the carriage. The horse neighed, the reins snapped, and the carriage began moving. Hearing "do your best" called out as I left, I gave a small wave back.

"Took longer than I expected."

Checking my watch, it read 22:36. Being in the carriage kept the risk of attack low, but this wasn’t a time I’d want to be walking outside. I drove around the streets near the run-down inn, looking for somewhere to stay tonight. Since I was staying somewhere anyway, closer to where I’d meet Flaut would be more convenient. ...Though obviously, sleeping at that run-down inn again was completely out of the question.

"Man, the main street’s fine, but the back alleys are something else. Glares stabbing at the carriage from every direction... wait, huh?"

Up ahead, a strange crowd had gathered, blocking the street entirely. I stopped the carriage short and watched.

"Excuse me, did something happen?"

I asked a nearby man who looked like an adventurer.

"A killing. Someone died back in the alley."

Tasteless as it sounds, murders in back alleys probably weren’t rare in this city. Thinking that, I stretched up slightly to peek. But what I saw went far beyond anything I’d imagined.

"...A person? ...That’s a person!?"

The rounded shape lying in the alley bled from multiple spots, veins visible along its surface. Looking closer, several faces were fused onto it, their contorted expressions almost looking like they were pleading for help. Less a person, more a mass of flesh. Several bodies, grotesquely merged into one.

"Alright, alright! Move aside, move aside!"

With a clatter of equipment, several guards pushed through the crowd. Someone must have reported it. Either way, I wanted nothing to do with whatever this was. I climbed back into the carriage immediately and left the scene.