Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

Bright white and blue streaks of light, more precisely, what one would call lightning, crashed down with thunderous force onto the sandy beach.

One of the key strengths of lightning attributes was speed. True to its name, the bolts of lightning struck like a storm.

“Argh!”

“Grrrk!”

The leading players, struck by the descending bolts, turned into charred blackened remains almost instantly.

In response,

“Kang Hwihang!”

The Diamond-ranked players, barely evading the deadly lightning storm, shouted.

“I’m on it!”

Kang Hwihang responded with a loud bellow and immediately spread his arms wide.

Vroom.

A dark blue aura flowed from his fingertips. In an instant, it formed into the complex structure of a magic circle. Kang Hwihang brought his hands together, merging the two magic circles.

“Aqua Cube!”

Swish!

With the activation chant, streams of water surged powerfully from the sea.

The water streams quickly formed a massive box in front of the allies, and enveloped the relentless barrage of lightning bolts.

Splash!

“Whoa!”

“As expected of Kang Hwihang!”

The Continental’s players, who had just faced near-certain death, collectively expressed their awe.

“Establish a perimeter in this opening!”

“Maintain long-range suppression!”

They surrounded Kim Shimun, unleashing continuous ranged attacks.

However, despite the successful spell and defensive maneuver.

“Ugh!”

Kang Hwihang clenched his lips so hard that a vein bulged on his forehead. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, but that was the least of his concerns.

He didn’t even notice.

Naturally.

‘I knew his lightning magic was extraordinary, but to this extent…!’

His hands remained clasped together, and the dark blue magic circle between them seemed on the brink of exploding.

Vroom…

It emitted unstable humming sounds. Kang Hwihang stared at the Aqua Cube with a look of shock. More precisely, at the rampaging lightning within it.

‘I even used highly conductive seawater, yet… it feels like it could burst out at any moment!’

The Aqua Cube, a water-based spell designed to block lightning attacks. Enhanced by the highly conductive seawater to maximize its effectiveness, and further empowered by his S-rank water-shaping ability, should have been more than enough to contain two or three 7-star lightning spells.

That’s how it should have been.

Crackle.

“Guh!”

To the point of making such facts meaningless, the lightning contained within the Aqua Cube thrashed like a whale taking a bait.

Kang Hwihang’s face gradually turned pale. It wasn’t just the rampaging lightning storm.

‘To think the power is this strong even in the real world!’

Players typically face restrictions on their abilities in reality. Their stats, skills, and traits are all scaled down.

Yet, this absurd power!

‘If I encountered Kim Shimun in the Arena instead of reality…’

Would he have been able to trap that lightning as he did now?

No, could he have even blocked it?

Considering Kim Shimun was a Platinum and he himself was a Diamond…

Such thoughts sent chills down his spine.

Perhaps because of that?

His trembling clasped hands soon spread to his entire body.

In the end, the rusted sound of friction echoed as the merged magic circles began to split apart.

Creak.

In response, the Aqua Cube confining the lightning seemed ready to burst, its instability rising to a boiling point.

Rumble.

Blood trickled from Kang Hwihang’s tightly clenched lips.

‘At this rate…!’

The contained lightning bolts would explode outward and tear his comrades apart.

Unlike before, the damage would be multiplied thanks to the formation surrounding Kim Shimun.

At that moment, a glimmer of hope appeared on Kang Hwihang’s face.

‘Ah!’

‘Hua Yuan, I knew I could count on you!’

Hua Yuan, the Diamond-tier assassin who had come along. Revealing himself from stealth behind Kim Shimun, he aimed a dagger infused with dense aura at the back of Kim Shimun’s neck.

“Die!”

Seeing this, Kang Hwihang shouted with all his might, “Everyone, fall back!!”

Simultaneously, he canceled the Aqua Cube.

The lightning contained within burst forth, with bolts radiating in all directions.

Boom!

“Ah!”

Some guild members were struck by the bolts, but Kang Hwihang didn’t bat an eye. If they couldn’t dodge despite his warning, they were just Gold-ranked after all. What mattered more was getting a blade into the neck of that monstrous man from the small country.

However, “This, this can’t be…!”

Reality differed from his expectations. Instead of Kim Shimun’s neck being pierced, Hua Yuan, who had thrust his dagger imbued with intense qi, was the one in trouble.

Flap.

His S-rank black leather armor fluttered as his upper body was severed, flying through the air.

Soon, the sound of soaked fabric, or rather, chunks of flesh filled with blood, hitting the ground echoed.

Thud.

“…….”

“…….”

The sandy beach, previously boiling with the heat of battle, now fell into a cold silence.

“You nearly scared me.”

Contrary to the content of his words, only Kim Shimun’s excessively calm voice could be heard.

Buzz.

Accompanying the sharp ringing from his left eye.

***

Kim Shimun glanced at the body of the assassin whose upper body had vanished due to the Emperor’s Demolition.

‘A high-grade stealth trait? I didn’t notice him at all until the ambush.’

It was reminiscent of Park Jinwook, the Night Hunter, whom he had sparred with not long ago. While the ambush wasn’t on par with Jinwook’s, the stealth itself was comparable to Jinwook in serious mode.

‘If it weren’t for Future Sight, it would have been at least a fatal injury.’

Of course, even without Future Sight, he could have reacted to the sudden killing intent. But the opponent had used qi, so the damage would have been significant.

‘Sargas, you helpful fellow.’

Kim Shimun felt grateful towards the dragon Sargas who had bestowed Future Sight upon him. Just then, a near-screaming shout reached his ears.

“Hua, Hua Yuan!!”

Kim Shimun’s gaze shifted to the man calling out Hua Yuan’s name.

‘He’s the one who momentarily blocked Astrape’s lightning.’

The man who had sealed Astrape’s lightning using water attribute magic and the high conductivity of water.

‘Judging by the level of mana, he must be a Diamond-tier mage. He also seems to possess the power of high-grade traits mixed in…’

Kim Shimun directed his gaze towards the sky. More accurately, towards the expansive transparent barrier above.

‘Being able to block the rain over the entire island, he must own an S-rank or higher water-related trait.’

But that wasn’t all.

“You bastard!!”

“That damned wretch killed Hua Yuan!”

More players charged at him with furious roars.

The intensity they exuded was no different from the assassin Hua Yuan.

‘All of them are Diamond-tier as well. How many Diamonds did they send?’

Thud.

Kim Shimun manipulated the sand, shaping it into giant fists and various weapons.

“Argh!”

“That sneaky bastard!”

Blocking their approach, he swiftly scanned the enemy ranks.

‘Four Diamonds, ten Platinums, and nearly a hundred Golds, including the casualties.’

A force strong enough to overwhelm any small guild. Kim Shimun chuckled to himself.

‘They’ve really gone all out.’

Sending such a formidable force just to escort a single non-Awakened?

Moreover, judging by the earlier magic circle explosion, they included mages capable of teleportation.

‘Our esteemed King of the Continental must hold Dr. Choi Woosuk in very high regard.’

Otherwise, they wouldn’t send such a substantial escort for a mere non-Awakened. That made it all the more certain.

‘I can’t let them go easily.’

He tightened his grip on Astrape.

Responding to his touch, Astrape emitted lively sparks.

Crackle.

Kim Shimun glanced at the still silent robed figures.

“Roar, Astrape.”

He unleashed another barrage of lightning bolts.

In response, the Continental players panicked.

“Madman!”

“Everyone, get out of here!!”

Especially.

“Not again!”

Kang Hwihang, who had blocked Kim Shimun’s lightning with the Aqua Cube earlier, looked pale. He no longer had the means to stop Astrape’s lightning.

At that moment, one of the robed figures, who had been merely observing, moved.

Thump.

Taking a deep breath, the figure’s body, cloaked in a robe, swelled even larger.

Fwoosh!!

A bluish-green stream of water burst forth, clashing with Astrape’s lightning.

Sssss.

Thick steam continuously rose from the clash.

Then, the robed figure, who had stepped forward with such force that the ground shook slightly, now stood in front of the Continental’s guild members.

Thud.

Oddly, it turned its back, facing the barrage of Astrape’s lightning with its back.

Crackle!

In an instant, the bed-sheet-like robe burned away.

What was revealed, was the shell of what appeared to be a turtle.

‘A shell?’

The only difference from the traditional shell was its size.

‘It must be around three meters!’

It was enormous, far larger than any adult sea turtle.

Sizzle!

The giant shell shimmered with blue and white as it absorbed Astrape’s lightning.

Clearly in pain, the massive turtle groaned softly, shaking off the water.

“Ugh…”

It exerted force and shed the lightning onto the empty sandy beach.

Crack!

The lightning bolts that had been stored in its shell were expelled once more.

This time, they were thinner and fewer.

Kim Shimun tilted his head slightly.

‘I sensed a powerful dragonic aura and thought it might be a high-tier dragon, but never expected it to be a Turtle Dragon.’

A Turtle Dragon, one of the highest-tier dragon species known for its defense on par with that of Drakes.

Especially in defensive terms, the Turtle Dragon’s defense surpassed even that of the Drake. The proof was in its ability to single-handedly withstand Astrape’s barrage of lightning.

– Hehe! I guessed it right away after seeing its breath earlier~.

‘Breath? Ah, that makes sense.’

Nodding slightly at the Philosopher’s Stone’s words, Kim Shimun acknowledged the Turtle Dragon’s breath, a hallmark of high-tier dragon species and one of their ultimate techniques.

However, unlike true dragons, the strength of a breath varied greatly among different dragon species.

The breath the Turtle Dragon had used against Astrape was no exception.

‘The Turtle Dragon’s breath inherently possesses weakening properties.’

Right. There’s a reason it’s considered the weakest among dragon breaths.

Despite its name, the Turtle Dragon’s breath was essentially powerful hydraulic pressure with no inherent offensive power.

‘Still, I find such breaths more troublesome than purely destructive ones.’

– True enough. Abilities with specific effects are more annoying to deal with than sheer destructive power.

Trading off pure destructive power for the ability to weaken everything it touched, the Turtle Dragon’s breath could be exceedingly troublesome depending on the situation.

And now, “The intel was accurate. So it really is Astrape…”

“This place isn’t even a formal arena, so its power must be significantly weakened. Impressive.”

This was exactly one of those situations.

Flap.

Two more of the robed figures threw off their bed-sheet-like cloaks, revealing their true forms.

One had a broad, elongated head reminiscent of a crocodile, with a rotund, bulky body. The other had the distinct reptilian head of a drake, with a muscular build.

Kim Shimun immediately recognized their identities.

“Dracodile and Drake, huh…”

Apparently intrigued that Kim Shimun had identified them, “Oh? I heard he was just a Platinum. Does he recognize us?”

“Must have watched some Diamond-rank broadcast or something.”

Both the Drake and the Dracodile’s large eyes glinted momentarily. Watching the dragons, Shimun let out a slight chuckle.

‘So that’s why they were maintaining their composed demeanor even after the battle started. Makes sense now.’

Both of them, like the Turtle Dragon before, were top-rank dragons. Naturally, their inherent dragon arrogance was sky-high.

No matter if they were on the same side, they wouldn’t bat an eye as mere humans died around them.

‘And yet, they decided to step in like this….’

Kim Shimun briefly glanced at the three top-rank dragons before speaking.

“You came here targeting me from the start, didn’t you?”

“Hehe, a rather smart human.”

“You’ve been silent until now to confirm whether I was the real deal or not?”

“Right! We wouldn’t want to waste our time here if you ran away at the sight of us, would we?”

The Dracodile burst into laughter, staring at Kim Shimun with murderous eyes.

“We already knew that you were using a weapon suspected to be Astrape. We were just taking some time to verify it.”

“Th-That’s…!”

A sigh of disappointment came from the Continental players. Those words meant they had used the players as bait.

Kim Shimun glanced at them and remarked, “Aren’t they supposed to be on your side?”

“Isn’t that why we’re here now? To prevent more of these weaklings from dying.”

Nearly 20 of their number had already been wiped out by Astrape. Yet the Dracodile spoke as if it were mere pests being exterminated.

Naturally, the remaining Continental players trembled with anger but could do nothing more.

“Ugh!”

“…….”

It seemed like a familiar situation to them, as they merely clenched their fists or bit their lips in silence.

Kim Shimun let out a small laugh and slung the crackling Astrape over his shoulder.

“So, you think the three of you can take me down?”

That confident display must have impressed them.

The Drake nodded slightly and said, “You have quite the spirit for a human. But such misplaced spirit is mere folly.”

“Folly? I didn’t expect a dragon to use such a word.”

“Do not be impudent, human.”

The Turtle Dragon, who had been silently observing, now moved.

Like the tank in an arena party. Positioning himself before Dracodile and Drake, the Turtle Dragon fixed his eyes on Kim Shimun.

“This place isn’t an official arena yet. Your abilities are generally restricted here.”

“So?”

“We’re aware that you possess a peculiar ability that negatively affects us dragons.”

His lips curled into a sardonic smile.

“Though we don’t know what that ability is exactly, in this reality where your powers are diminished, it can’t possibly affect us.”

“Are you sure? Even now, I’m confident I can influence you all.”

“Is that so? In that case….”

The Turtle Dragon rummaged within his shell.

Eventually, he pulled out a shard shaped like a black-red scale.

“What about this?”

He tossed it into the air.

Whish!

The shard emitted a dark red light. Kim Shimun calmly watched the glowing shard.

‘That’s high-tier Dragon Force. It’s on par with what I sensed when purifying the World Tree.’

High-level Dragon Force.

The scale shard split into three fragments, each embedding itself into one of the dragons.

“It’s a relic of the Dragon Emperor. As long as it’s active, we are under the Dragon Emperor’s protection against any mental influence.”

Lifting the scaled corners of his mouth into a sneer, the Turtle Dragon continued,

“And also.”

It wasn’t over.

Crack.

Snap!

The bodies of the three top-rank dragons twisted, swelling rapidly.

Then, “Do you think your peculiar ability can affect us when we manifest our true forms?”

The three beasts, restored to their original forms, looked down at Kim Shimun with menacing smiles.

Kim Shimun nodded very calmly as he observed them.

“In the Arena, maybe. But here, it would be impossible.”

With the Dragon Emperor’s blessing and their manifested forms, even with an energy stat over 100, the restrictions of reality meant he couldn’t exert his full power.

Misinterpreting Kim Shimun’s composed demeanor as arrogance, the dragons continued,

“You must know that unlike you, we are not bound by the limitations of power here.”

“Your bravado is commendable. I’ll give you a choice as a reward.”

“Will you cut off all your fingers and come quietly, or would you prefer to be transported as a corpse?”

The three top-rank dragons pretended to be magnanimous, offering him conditions.

Kim Shimun let out a faint laugh.

“Indeed, under these circumstances, I would lose.”

Facing off against the top-rank dragons he usually encountered only within the high ranks of the Arena, under the constraints of reality was a difficult situation for Kim Shimun.

Especially given their harmonious combination.

But, “Have you ever thought about this?”

The typical emotions of someone in a disadvantageous position were absent from Kim Shimun’s face.

“Why did I come here alone?”

Instead, he wore an expression of enjoyment and ease that should have belonged to the dragons.

Feeling displeased, “Ha! You must be relying on the Association. But they can’t come here.”

“This barrier is imbued with our power.”

The eyes of the three dragons grew sharper, but that was all.

“You got part of it right. I do have someone to rely on. But you got the wrong target. It’s not the Association I trust in…”

Their expressions quickly shifted from shock to fear.

It was no wonder.

“It’s quite an extraordinary being.”

With a sly smile, Shimun’s arm started to unravel into black-purple threads.

Sssss!

“That’s!”

“H-How could the Void be here!”

It was an energy that shouldn’t exist. And before anyone could react,

『Hehe! I didn’t expect to encounter you so soon. Just as Great mother predicted, you are extraordinary. Welcome, esteemed guest.』

A malignant voice, maddening to hear, swept over the entire island.