Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

Clatter.

Familiar noises filled the air.

“You do this! And then like this!”

Not far away, Shiyeon was busy maneuvering her golems.

Propping his chin up, Kim Shimun absentmindedly watched Shiyeon’s energetic movements.

– Oppa, are you okay?

The flask containing the Philosopher’s Stone floated over to him. Kim Shimun tilted his head slightly, indicating he was fine.

– Liar.

The Philosopher’s Stone’s eyes narrowed.

“Really, I’m fine.”

– Yeah, right. Who sits like that for hours if they’re okay?

“I just… confirming the truth from back then has left me a bit stunned.”

Kim Shimun continued to watch the diligently dancing Shiyeon with vacant eyes.

‘So, chairman Lee Suncheol was the culprit of that day ten years ago.’

He didn’t even wonder why.

‘Probably because Aunt Yeonhee was a thorn in his side. Ten years ago would have been her prime.’

Dohu Lee Yeonhee.

A first-generation ranker and globally recognized combat player.

Not just that, but she was a leader in domestic Arena-related industries like Holy Trinity Bio and Arena connection devices, building the Holy Trinity of today.

She was perfect in both playing and managing. Naturally, she must have been an irritant to Chairman Lee Suncheol, who didn’t get along with his daughter.

‘With what I heard from Rin and Kim Jongjun’s confession video, it’s no surprise that Lee Suncheol is the culprit…’

Kim Shimun’s eyes narrowed slightly. Even knowing the true perpetrator of the incident ten years ago didn’t relieve his discomfort. The reason was simple.

‘Why did Uncle seek to ensure my safety?’

Uncle Kim Muyeol, a partner of sorts to Chairman Lee Suncheol, wasn’t the orchestrator of the terrorist event, and he had wanted to ensure Kim Shimun’s safety.

‘I had thought he would have led the terror alongside Lee Suncheol…’

But to find out he was trying to save me?

It was a completely unexpected turn. The funniest part, ‘He didn’t care whether Shihyuk lived or died.’

He hadn’t asked for Shihyuk’s safety to be guaranteed.

Which, in a way, made sense.

To an uncle who hated the legitimate heir of the family, Shihyuk was an eyesore.

However…

‘Why, exactly, did he want to save me?’

It wasn’t just about keeping him alive.

He had gone a step further, ensuring his safety as a condition for Desperado’s smuggling.

Why?

Kim Shimun’s eyes deepened with thought.

‘Right, the guy who rendered me powerless with magic was strange too.’

The masked terrorist who had attacked his two younger siblings. Kim Shimun had taken the blow meant for them. Though the pain at the time had been overwhelming and clouded his perception, ‘I clearly remember the terrorist’s startled reaction.’

‘Damn it! Why did this bastard take the hit!’

The terrorist had cursed in a panicked voice, as if it was troublesome that Kim Shimun had been hurt instead.

‘Reflecting on that moment, Uncle must have indeed demanded my safety.’

Otherwise, why would a terrorist, who attacked so freely, react so nervously when someone else took the hit?

Lost in these thoughts, Shimun was snapped back by a cheerful voice.

– Then why didn’t you find out using Divine Eye at that time?

With your energy stat over 100, you could have easily forced a confession.

“I was going to…”

Kim Shimun brushed his forehead with a bitter smile.

“I felt like I shouldn’t dig any deeper.”

– Hmm. I see. You’re worried it would ruin the current relationship, right?

“Exactly.”

Kim Shimun nodded.

“Uncle needs to keep working as the Association President according to my plans.”

Keeping Uncle Kim Muyeol in his position as the President was crucial for maintaining the association’s influence and smoothly handling complex and bothersome political and business tasks.

Yes, essentially, he was a necessary tool for dealing with dirty and tedious matters.

However, – If you found out why the President ensured your safety, you think it would make you view him differently?

The Philosopher’s Stone’s precise insight made Kim Shimun respond with a bitter smile instead of words.

– I get it. My Kim Shimun has a soft heart, huh?

Seeing Kim Shimun’s reaction, the Philosopher’s Stone nodded as if it all made sense.

– You tend to get swayed easily if someone treats you well. It’s better not to know.

“Hey, that’s a bit wrong. I’m not that easy to sway.”

– Sure, sure~ We’ll say that! Being kind isn’t a crime, you know.

“Hey.”

The Philosopher’s Stone shrugged its mechanical arms mischievously and turned back to the workstation.

– Anyway, you did well. Remember the Kim Muyeol from your previous life. Being soft-hearted can be dangerous.

Leaving those words, the Philosopher’s Stone returned to its work.

Kim Shimun let out a chuckle.

‘Right. Considering Uncle’s past life… this is the right choice.’

Kim Muyeol became a slave to the Continental due to DS’s energy. Despite being labeled a traitor, he persistently worked as their stooge.

Acting as Zhang Liqiu’s proxy, he even targeted Shihyuk relentlessly.

‘I’ve already saved Uncle from that wretched future. That’s enough.’

There’s no need to get closer, nor should they drift apart. The current relationship between him and his Uncle was just right.

Clearing his thoughts, Shimun stood up.

Swish.

A soft sensation wrapped around his finger. Kim Shimun raised his right hand.

‘Right, I almost forgot about this.’

A thin, delicate ring made of black-purple thread. If not for its color, it would be almost invisible.

‘The ring I received as a reward for capturing Dr. Choi Woosuk.’

As promised, the Weaver of the Boundary had given him a ring made of the same spider thread as the previous bracelet. Kim Shimun inspected the thread ring wrapped around his little finger.

But no matter how he looked at it, “Still no information window.”

Unlike other Arena items, no information window popped up.

‘Just like the DS Seo Wiryong brought.’

It’s a characteristic of items not permitted by the Galaxy Arena. Of course, there was no problem using it. When the Weaver of the Boundary handed over the thread ring,

‘It said this could summon its familiar for a certain period of time, right?’

It fully explained the usage and abilities.

‘A familiar given as a reward… Just how strong could it be?’

Though overshadowed by the Black Goat, the mere presence of the Weaver of the Boundary could turn top-rank dragons into minced flesh.

So a familiar from such an entity would undoubtedly be extraordinary.

Furthermore,

‘My level surpassing 100 also allowed the Paracelsus’ Cylinder’s options to grow.’

Kim Shimun glanced at the Paracelsus Cylinder attached to his left arm.

『Paracelsus’ Cylinder』

Grade: (Former) Mythic

A creation of Paracelsus, the god of alchemy, which was destroyed.

It can store alchemical circles and manifest them at will.

Options change based on the wearer’s level.

Number of alchemical circles storable: 4

Dual manifestation

Previously, it could store 3 circles, now it was upgraded to 4.

And as the Philosopher’s Stone had previously informed him, it could now manifest two circles simultaneously.

‘That means I can summon about 400 demonic beasts.’

Each summoning circle can call forth 100 beasts.

On top of that, ‘From the relic used by the top-rank dragons, I gained 10 units of Dragon Force.’

Dragon Force, being a bound stat, 10 units of Dragon Force naturally translated to 5 units of alchemy energy.

Thus, his pure alchemy energy now stood at an impressive 207.

‘With the Chosen by the Constellations title adding +5, my total alchemy energy is 212. That means if I summon golems…’

He could then create up to 50 golems. Combined with the demonic beasts, he could command a total of 450 summoned creatures.

Reflecting on this, Shimun chuckled.

“Wow… I might as well be called a summoner.”

He might rival necromancers, known for their sheer numbers.

However, Shimun’s expression wasn’t entirely bright.

‘In the end, they’re still summons. Against foes of much higher levels, they’ll be wiped out easily.’

The three top-rank dragons he faced at Shilmi Province demonstrated this.

‘The demonic beasts I can currently summon are mid-rank. Against high-level dragons or stronger, they’re meaningless.’

Therefore…

“Is leveling up my only option…?”

The most fundamental method for growth. Raising his own stats was the only way.

“Well, I need to keep running the Arena anyway.”

Kim Shimun stood up and checked his achievement points.

‘27,000 points, huh…’

Despite spending 10,000 points on the Fragment of the World Tree’s Seed previously, he still had a substantial amount left. Kim Shimun looked down at his chest.

“Philo-ah.”

– Yes?

It wasn’t the flask working in the distance but the Philosopher’s Stone within his chest that responded.

“The last time, the required achievement points for the Fourth level Heavenly Demon Divine Art was 20,000, right?”

– That’s right. Why? Planning to level it up to Fourth level?

“Yeah, I don’t have any other immediate use for the achievement points, and my magi stat is over 100 now.”

– Makes sense. For a martial art, it should consume some magi.

True to its Constellation nature, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art required an immense amount of magi.

Especially,

– the 4th Technique(波), right?

“Right.”

Among the techniques of Heavenly Demon Divine Art, 4th technique had the highest magi consumption, which was the main focus for the Fourth level.

Alright, I’ll prepare it right away.

As the Philosopher’s Stone spoke,

『Alchemy energy is insufficient to achieve the required value.』

『The Philosopher’s Stone requires 20,000 achievement points to facilitate the equivalent exchange for the Fourth level of Heavenly Demon Divine Art.』

『Do you accept? (Yes / No)』

The familiar message window popped up.

Kim Shimun immediately chose Yes and snapped his fingers.

Snap.

Sssssss.

Magi gathered, and transformed into a tattered piece of paper, floating before Kim Shimun.

Flutter.

He carefully took it and placed it against his chest.

Swoosh.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art absorbed into his chest like melting snow.

Then,

Vroom!

Magi radiated rapidly from the Philosopher’s Stone as the center.

Kim Shimun quickly sat in the lotus position and continued circulating his energy.

After about 30 minutes,

“Phew…”

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. His previously clear eyes now swirled with dark ink, but that was all.

“Good.”

A short yet satisfied response escaped Kim Shimun’s lips as he couldn’t hide his pleased smile.

‘Until Uncle contacts me, I’d better run some Arena matches.’

Kim Shimun put on his goggle-type Arena connection device.

***

『Welcome to the Galaxy Arena.』

『Today’s match is ‘Siege Warfare,’ and the number of participants is 200.』

『The match will begin once all the participants are ready.』

A familiar message window greeted Kim Shimun.

“Oh? Siege Warfare.”

The announced Siege Warfare particularly caught Kim Shimun’s attention.

After all, ‘200 participants isn’t a massive group, but it’s one of the larger team matches in Platinum tier.’

Most importantly, ‘The rewards for Siege Warfare are substantial.’

Fitting for one of the few large-scale categories in the Arena, the rewards for Siege Warfare were quite lucrative.

‘Especially in terms of experience points.’

Unlike the stingy rewards of promotion matches, this was quite the opposite. With the massive experience point requirements, he was in dire need of a boost. He had become accustomed to rapid leveling.

Apparently, he wasn’t the only one thinking this way.

“What? Siege Warfare?”

“Awesome! This is my first time doing a Siege Warfare!”

“I’ve done it once. Leveled up about ten times during that.”

As soon as the match started, the players expressed their excitement. Some were even chatting among themselves, presumably in parties. Soon, “Oh? Is that Kim Shimun?”

“Kim Shimun? Where?”

“It is him!”

The players’ gazes collectively turned toward Kim Shimun.

“Kim Shimun’s a mage, right? He’ll dominate this Arena.”

“I was excited to finally be in a match with him, and it’s a Siege Warfare!”

“Be relieved it’s not a survival match. At least here, there’s a 50% chance to be on his team.”

“Oh! Please let me be on his team! Please!”

Over seventy players were looking at him. The eager stares hoping to be on his team might have been overwhelming.

‘People are starting to gather.’

Kim Shimun calmly withstood their gazes.

‘Might as well start the stream.’

Kim Shimun activated his Arena broadcast.

– Boom boom!

– Open the door… Oh! It’s open!

– Shiyeon~.

– You’re finally here. It’s been a while ㅠㅠ

– Hyung! Are you okay? Are you safe?

– He’s fine, no need for the dramaticsLOL

As soon as the stream began, the chat filled up.

These viewers had been waiting for a while. Reading the chat, Shimun tilted his head.

‘I guess it’s been a while since I streamed because of my trips to Cheorwon and Shilmi Province… But why are they reacting this way?’

He understood it had been a while since his last stream, but the messages in the chat seemed overly concerned, as if he was about to die.

Kim Shimun soon figured out why.

『‘IamPlatinum’ has donated AP 10,000.』

= As expected of you, hyung! I knew you’d be fine!

『‘CelestialBladeMaster’ has donated AP 40,000.』

= Desperado are really crazy. Report any signs of trouble right away.

『‘FingerSocietyPresident’ has donated AP 100,000.』

= Kim Shimun-ssi, our Finger Society has been petitioning the Association every day for your protection. Please rest assured.

It became clear.

‘Ah, it’s because of Desperado.’

From donations ranging from tens of thousands to over a million won…

Messages expressing concern for his safety came one after another.

‘Well, it’s not surprising.’

These villains had a history of even terrorizing the White House. Given his clashes with members of such a notorious organization, their worries were not unfounded.

And it always felt good to know that someone cared.

“Haha! Thank you all for your concern. I’m always cautious, so don’t worry too much.”

Kim Shimun responded with a warm smile.

– Dang… Look at that face.

– Heeeeung!

– Is this what visual pleasure is?

『‘PossibleGuy’ has donated AP 20,000.』

= That’s really doable.

– PossibleGuy, come quick LOL

Just as the chat was getting lively again,

『All participants are now matched.』

A message indicating the start of the Arena appeared before Kim Shimun. However, the following messages were less welcomed.

『Player Kim Shimun’s current MMR makes perfect matching impossible.』

『To ensure a fair Arena, participants in the Siege Warfare will be redistributed.』

Then,

Swoosh.

Players around him began to disappear, enveloped in light, one by one.

In an eerie quickness, they vanished until, “Huh?!”

“No way…”

“This isn’t right; it’s Siege Warfare, for crying out loud!”

Only ten players, including Kim Shimun, were left.

TL’s Corner:

Dang, siege warfare with 11 members

There’s a lot of clues, but I have an idea of the real relationship.