This is a line of thought about an algebraic approach to infinity I've been on and off since I was young. This is the closest I've come to deriving this "number" (?) $\omega$ in a logical way (I believe it's a different object to Cantor's $\omega$ but it certainly has some similarities.) Although I'm not happy about its completeness I'd like to share and make sure the bare bones are in the right place.
Let $\mathbb{Y}'$ be an arbitrary set of rational polynomials $\{f,g,h,\dots\}$ , and define some $\omega$ such that $f(\omega+k)\neq g(\omega+k)\neq h(\omega+k)\neq \dots$ for all $k > 0$.
For any two such functions, $f(x) - g(x) = 0$ at infinitely many points if and only if $f = g$, and so if $f \neq g$ there must be some largest $x$ where this happens. Hence, there must exist some $\omega$ for any $\mathbb{Y}'$ we choose. We end up with a well-ordered hierarchy of rational polynomials $$f(\omega)>g(\omega) \Leftrightarrow \exists\;\omega:f(\omega+k)>g(\omega+k)\;\forall\;k>0$$
The bit I'm unsure about is that $\omega$ is not necessarily finite: how to prove that this applies to the infinite entirety of $\mathbb{Y}$ if the $\omega$ we need is no longer a real number?
My question is simply the soundness of this argument: is the set of all rational polynomials well-ordered in this sense, what other sorts of functions can be included in the hierarchy, is it reasonable to use these abstract objects of the form $f(\omega)$ as nonequivalent infinite quantities (since $\mathbb{Q}\subset\mathbb{Y}$), and what gaps do I need to fill if I am right?