Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

Chapter 11

TL: xLordFifth
ED/PR: The reader

Placement Test (3)

[The Philosopher’s Stone minimizes rebound.]

[Based on the grade and level of the Philosopher’s Stone, you have recovered 50 achievement points that had been spent.]

A message window floats in mid-air.

Shimun clicks his tongue in disappointment as he reads it.

“Even after fusing with the Obsidian Tablet and reaching grade E, the returned achievement points remain the same, huh?”

-Eeksing! Oppa, do you not know what rebound is?

A voice brimming with urgency flowed out from deep within his chest.

It was the Philosopher’s Stone.

-No alchemy dares to interfere with rebound! It’s only because of me that it’s even this much!

“Right, right, I know.”

Was it a matter of pride related to alchemy?

Shimun hurriedly stroked his chest, where the Philosopher’s Stone quivered.

“Since your level went up by 2 compared to last time. It was worth a try, you know my heart, right?”

-Hmmmmm…

A voice laden with dissatisfaction.

However, it seemed to enjoy being petted.

-Rebound is hard for even me to intervene with. At least not until I reach grade B.

The voice of the stone became significantly calmer.

Shimun’s eyes sparkled as he spoke gently.

“Then, for the sake of my precious Philosopher’s Stone, I’ll have to work harder.”

-For, for me…? Oh my! Big brother! What do you mean by that~? Hmm?!

The voice suddenly became whiny and coquettish.

‘As always.’

Shimun chuckled at its behavior and shook his head.

Just then.

[Constellation Zeus smiles fondly at your efficient use of Astrape.]

[Constellation Zeus sponsors you with 100 achievement points.]

“Ohh!”

Shimun’s face brightened with the unexpected sponsorship.

‘Sponsorship without even streaming?’

And it was from a constellation, not a person.

Although it wasn’t AP (Arena Point) used for streaming.

‘The completion level of the Obsidian Tablet, and with so much alchemy to do ahead, this is great.’

For Shimun, achievement points were directly connected to growth and power.

In fact, it was considered a better resource than AP.

“Thank you for the sponsorship, Zeus-nim.”

With a brightened face, Shimun expressed his gratitude and then turned his gaze forward.

Creeeak.

As if bombarded.

Dozens of goblins lay charred, spewing white steam.

Astonishingly.

About fifty goblins were wiped out in a single strike.

A man entered Shimun’s view as he surveyed them.

‘He dodged it well, after all.’

Being a holder of the B-class trait, Quick Movements.

Kim Minhyung had already stepped on the spear before him and leaped over it according to the planned strategy.

The sound of thunder had been their cue to escape to the targeted area.

“Kii…”

“…”

The dozen or so goblins, saved by blocking Kim Minhyung, were freezing in place.

Understandably so.

Their kin, dozens of them, turned into grilled meat in the blink of an eye.

And they had witnessed this terrifying scene up close.

Who could remain sane?

Contrary to the goblins’ fear-struck hearts, regret lingered in Shimun’s eyes.

‘It’s a pity. I thought it could be used once more.’

Ssssss.

The Astrape disintegrating into particles.

He had intended to use it one more time to make sure it was worth the investment.

‘Rebound proceeds even after spending the equivalent in alchemy.’

It was somewhat like a disposable battery, perhaps?

Having exhausted the power equivalent to 500 achievement points,

The Astrape immediately underwent rebound.

‘Well, I learned it cheaply.’

Usually, such detailed aspects require multiple experiments and statistical analysis.

Seizing this unintended benefit, Shimun smiled contentedly and glanced at the remaining dozen or so goblins.

“Kim Minhyung-ssi, I’m okay. Please proceed.”

Kim Minhyung, who awaited him at the destination ahead.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“You just saw what happened.”

Shimun spread his arms wide as if to show off.

The unique smell of burned flesh filled the air, and suitable numbers of corpses littered the ground.

A scene utterly mismatched with Shimun’s clear and distinct features.

“I’ll finish the rest. Please, go ahead.”

Shimun urged Kim Minhyung to complete his mission, unaffected.

After all, compared to Shimun’s past life, such a scene was but a trifle.

“Y-Yes!”

Perhaps unaware of that fact,

Kim Minhyung gulped and swiftly stepped towards the destination.

“Please make sure to seek out the Holy Trinity Guild! We will definitely reward you!”

With those words, Kim Minhyung faded into light and disappeared.

Once his figure was completely gone,

“Let’s wrap this up, shall we?”

Shimun rubbed his hands together, gathering his alchemical power.

“Kii, kii…”

“Kek…”

The still shocked dozen or so goblins froze.

Shimun pondered how to deal with them using minimal alchemical power.

Then,

Shiver.

-Oppa!!

A chill ran down his spine, accompanied by the Philosopher’s Stone’s scream.

Without a second thought,

Snap.

Shimun immediately flicked his fingers and stomped the ground.

Boom!

A heavy tremor resonated from below. Had it not been for the [Black Panther’s Physique] swiftly reinforced onto his legs, it would have been his body, not the ground, that shattered.

“Ke, kekek! Captain!”

“It’s, it’s the Captain!”

More than a dozen goblins that had been frozen stiff now erupted in cheers. Having landed some distance away, Kim Shimun ignored these goblins and identified the assailant.

“That is…”

Dull red skin. Instead of the small and lean average physique of a goblin, this one had the muscular build of an orc. The realization widened Kim Shimun’s eyes.

“A Hobgoblin?”

“Krrr. Human.”

The voice, unlike that of any regular goblin, was reminiscent of a beast. This assailant was unmistakably the hobgoblin Kim Shimun knew of.

‘Why is a hobgoblin here… Ah!’

Kim Shimun sighed softly as he suddenly understood why. ‘Right, this is [Goblin Infested Outpost].’ Though not a common occurrence, the Galaxy Arena often throws hints about the arena in various ways. ‘Encroachment usually hints at magic influence.’

And, as hobgoblins are superior goblins influenced by magic, it was not out of place for one to appear here in [Goblin Infested Outpost]. However,

‘Even for someone in a high MMR, isn’t a hobgoblin overkill?’

He hadn’t expected monsters of platinum rank to be deployed as if they were mere sentries. Unable to anticipate a hobgoblin, Kim Shimun scratched his head.

“Krak! It’s revenge for my subordinates!”

The hobgoblin charged with a fierce battle cry.

Kwoong.

Kim Shimun easily dodged the hobgoblin’s axe attack with the agility granted by [Black Panther’s Physique], looking at the hobgoblin with a meaningful gaze.

‘Could it be…?’

Luckily, it seemed the Galaxy Arena’s conscience remained. This hobgoblin was significantly different from the ones Kim Shimun knew in his past life. Specifically,

“You rat-like human!”

Thump, thump.

Speed. Or more accurately,

‘The overall physical capabilities are weaker than a real hobgoblin’s.’

If this were the hobgoblin Kim Shimun was familiar with, even with [Black Panther’s Physique. ‘s 12% completion rate, he shouldn’t have been able to dodge it. After all, hobgoblins are monsters that appear in the platinum rank.

But with the earlier ambush,

“Krak!!”

‘It’s too slow.’

Kim Shimun widened the gap between them with ease, dodging the hobgoblin’s fierce attacks.

‘It’s a relief they have some semblance of a conscience.’

No matter how high one’s MMR was measured, putting a platinum rank monster in the first placement test was crossing the line. Even nerfed, its fearsome specs in this tier remained unchanged.

‘It’s a waste of achievement points, but better deal with this definitively, just in case.’

True to his nature as an alchemist who disliked uncertainties, Kim Shimun decided to eliminate even the slightest variable.

“Philosopher’s Stone.”

-Eh! Oppa, I was waiting for you.

Fzzzt.

He immediately prepared for Astrape’s reinforcement. At that moment,

[The Constellation Black Goat, frowns at the continuous storm of Zeus’ lightning.]

[The Constellation Black Goat points at the obsidian tablet you have and expresses dissatisfaction.]

“Huh?”

Caught off guard by the Black Goat’s reaction, Kim Shimun quickly switched Astrape’s reinforcement to a spatial explosion.

Boom!

“Kraaaak!”

The hobgoblin was thrust back by the explosion, Kim Shimun’s gaze deepening at the sight.

‘So, it’s still a hobgoblin even after being nerfed.’

Despite the challenge of comparing real explosion magic with alchemy, it should have been easy enough to blow off a goblin’s arm, yet the hobgoblin, crossing its thick arms, bravely withstood.

Thud.

Kim Shimun caused a few more spatial explosions, further increasing the distance.

Then,

[The Constellation Black Goat gives you a mission.]

“Mission?”

The system window floated in front of Kim Shimun.

[Mission] – The Constellation Black Goat strongly disapproves of your exclusive use of Zeus’ lightning. Defeat the boss of this round, the hobgoblin, with only. “Human Alchemy” as your method. Reward: 500 achievement points.

Reading the mission, Kim Shimun blinked in surprise.

‘Just for this mission, they’re offering 500 achievement points?’

500 achievement points were enough for a replica of Astrape. Especially considering that constellations rarely issue missions unless it was to their own champion, this was quite unexpected.

However, Kim Shimun quickly grasped the reason.

‘I see. It’s a matter of pride.’

While Astrape was indeed a powerful weapon, in terms of rank, the obsidian tablet was nothing to scoff at. The Black Goat must have felt slighted that, despite acquiring such a relic, Kim Shimun continued to use Astrape. Especially since,

‘I’m an alchemist, after all.’

The obsidian tablet is a collection of human alchemy, arguably the ultimate equipment for an alchemist. Ignoring it in favor of Astrape, could there be a greater blow to its pride?

Kim Shimun nodded understandingly towards the sky.

“Alright. I’ll take on this mission.”

[The constellation Black Goat laughs with satisfaction.]

[The constellation Zeus furrows his brow in displeasure.]

[The Black Goat issues a threatening warning, “Damn incubus, where do you think you are! It’s been a while, maybe I should visit Olympus again, huh?”]

“Uh, huh?”

Kim Shimun is bewildered by the Black Goat’s sudden outburst.

[Zeus shakes his head, muttering, “That crazy woman is as unhinged as ever.”]

[Zeus steps back with his hands behind him.]

However, by Zeus stepping back,

the unfortunate need to choose between the two constellations did not arise.

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

Kim Shimun let out a sigh of relief.

Although they didn’t designate him as their chosen warrior,

nor was he broadcasting live, both constellations showed enough favor by offering support and missions.

Having no desire to antagonize either,

Kim Shimun breathed a sigh of relief and looked straight ahead.

“Crrr! Damned human! To mock me!!”

Perhaps angry at being evaded with the same technique,

the hobgoblin, wielding what appeared to be a scavenged wooden shield, charged towards him like a man possessed.

Kim Shimun watched the hobgoblin’s charge with a relaxed gaze.

“Deal with it through physical flexibility alone…”

Even though he was restricted from using Astrape, it didn’t really matter.

“Well, it’s not like I can’t do it.”

All it took was a slight detour from the easy path.

It was never an impassable road.

Tac.

Kim Shimun dashes forward, kicking off the ground.

“Cruu?”

Perhaps the hobgoblin didn’t expect Kim Shimun to charge at it head-on.

A brief look of confusion flashed across its eyes, but that was all.

“Kraaa! Good! I’ll smash you to bits!”

Its demeanor quickly changed to aggression, accelerating its charge.

Then.

Crack!

Wood splinters flew into the air.

Kim Shimun’s fist had shattered the hobgoblin’s crude wooden shield.

“Cr, cruk?!”

The hobgoblin’s eyes widened.

Not because the shield was broken.

‘Cruck! A human with such power…’

The fist that came in contact, powerful enough to match an orc’s.

Crunch.

It was depressingly broken by the human’s fist, which wasn’t even half the size.

However, as befitting the hobgoblin’s reputation,

“Vermin!”

Ignoring the pain of its shattered hand, the hobgoblin swung its other hand, wielding an axe.

But,

“Not happening.”

As if anticipated, Kim Shimun also reached out, grabbing the descending axe handle.

Upon seeing this, “Kehat! Got you!”

Laughing, the hobgoblin let go of the axe handle.

It continued its swing motion to pounce on Kim Shimun.

“Now!!”

The hobgoblin roared mightily.

“Kikik! Caught a human!”

“The captain is the best!”

Along with that, the peculiar laughter of goblins resounded from behind Kim Shimun.

The remaining ten or so goblins were there.

Peep.

A flying dart accompanied by a small wind noise.

Payingly no heed to the hobgoblin, they continuously shot their poisoned darts.

“Ugh!”

Kim Shimun groaned under the relentless assault of poisoned darts from behind.

“Keke! How’s it feel, human. Hard to move?”

A pungent smell of poison wafted through the air.

The hobgoblin, now up close, smirked hideously.

But even that scent gradually faded away.

“Keke! Humans are truly inferior.”

The hobgoblin proudly released the arm that had been restraining him.

The goblins’ darts densely covered the hobgoblin’s arm.

“To be subdued by such petty tricks, lacking even resistance to paralysis poison.”

With the arm full of darts, it picked up its fallen axe.

“Or maybe it’s a gain for you. The paralysis poison spares you the pain?”

With a desire to instill fear rather than pain,

it slowly licked the axe blade with its tongue and then raised the axe very slowly.

And,

“Let’s start by severing your limbs one by one. Keke!”

The moment the menacing double-edged axe bore down on Kim Shimun’s arm,

Click.

“Cruk?”

Kim Shimun’s arm, which had not moved an inch, ghostly snapped into action, grabbing the hobgoblin’s arm.

“What, what!”

Without giving the creature a moment to wonder,

Crunch.

The arm, thick as an orc’s, was effortlessly broken.

“Kaaah… cough!”

The hobgoblin’s scream was abruptly cut off.

Kim Shimun’s hand had already grasped its throat.

“Ke, kehek!”

“Goblins really are inferior.”

Kim Shimun’s eyes were cold as ice, within them reflected the choking hobgoblin and his own arm tightly gripping it.

Above, information windows titled [Ogre’s Physique] and

[Goblin’s Physique] floated by.

“To think I would be caught by such tricks.”

His gaze was as cold as the smile he wore.

As that smile flickered on his lips,

“Right?”

Crunch.

The thick neck of the hobgoblin was twisted.