Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

A thick cloud of dust rose up. Perhaps due to the partially destroyed fortress, a gust of wind quickly cleared the dense dust away.

Whooosh.

The golden lion the size of a small apartment seemed to enjoy the breeze, pulling its massive paw out of the spiderweb-like cracked ground.

Thud.

Then,

Growl?

The lion, noticing something peculiar, tilted its head as it examined its paw. There was no enticing scent of blood, nor any traces of the red liquid, flesh, or bones.

All that remained were, pieces of the broken ground crumbling down like bread crumbs.

Crack.

Soon, the lion’s eyes narrowed menacingly.

Growl!

It had discovered a deep hole in the center of the cratered ground where it had struck.

At the same time, gashmaws burst through the ground nearby.

Rumble.

Among them, was the human who should have been reduced to mere flesh but was now standing.

“Th-thank you.”

Seeing Yuto, the lion cub’s ears, eyes, and mouth stretched back ferociously.

Roar!

The displeasure was evident on Nemea’s Lion Cub’s massive face.

Then, a heavy tremor shook the ground, unbelievable for just a stomp.

Boom.

Despite its massive size, the lion cub charged with incredible speed. In no time, it reached Yuto and swung its paw.

Whooosh!

The heavy sound resembled a building collapsing.

“I won’t fall for that twice.”

Yuto quickly launched himself off the ground. This time, he swiftly moved out of the paw’s range.

Then, a powerful explosion resounded.

Boom.

It seemed the Nemea’s Lion Cub wasn’t aiming for Yuto after all.

Growl.

With a snarl of frustration, it opened its massive jaws.

Crunch!

A squelching sound was heard. The lion had bitten into the gashmaws that had saved Yuto.

Then, it roared, swinging its teeth and paws in all directions.

Roar!

With a body comparable to a small apartment, the Nemea’s Lion Cub caused an explosive roar, sweeping away dozens of Gashmaws at a time.

Boom!

The Gashmaws, which could easily tear through A-grade armor, were being chewed like gum.

Crunch.

Above the lion cub’s head, the air vibrated with the sharp cries.

Screech!

A dozen Bladewhisper Bats, survivors from the siege, unleashed their ultrasonic waves. Nemea’s Lion Cub spat out the mangled Gashmaws.

Roar!!

It let out a fierce roar toward the Bladewhisper Bats.

Then, blood spurted from the bats’ mouths and ears.

Thud.

Like hunted birds, the Bladewhisper Bats dropped from the sky. Witnessing this unbelievable scene, “Are you kidding me!”

Yuto shouted in rare astonishment. It was understandable.

‘Not only did it remain unscathed by my slash with sword force, but it chews through Gashmaws effortlessly…’

And its howling is that powerful?

What kind of absurd specs does this creature have?

Growl.

The lion cub, squashing the fallen Bladewhisper Bats, turned its gaze to Yuto. Perhaps savoring the taste of blood from its earlier encounters, its large eyes now glimmered with a deadly glare unlike anything seen before.

Thud.

As if to say, “You’re next.” it leisurely stepped forward.

To this, “Ah…”

Yuto’s hand, gripping his sword hilt, trembled faintly. Under normal circumstances, the situation was so shameful he might have considered committing seppuku.

Yuto couldn’t move at all. It wasn’t simply due to fear.

‘Those eyes… those eyes are restraining my body!’

The large, sharp eyes of the lion cub staring at him. Was it some ability that restricted physical movement?

Those eyes now contained a faint red glow, different from before.

“Damn… it…”

Yuto’s tongue barely obeyed him now.

‘At this rate!’

As he strained every muscle in his body, veins bulging, a serene voice cut through the tension.

“Well done, Yuto.”

Instantly, Yuto’s face brightened. His head creaked as he turned.

“Shi…mun!”

Kim Shimun floated in the air at a distance. The lightning and fire energy in his hands were visibly extraordinary. Even the lion cub sensed this, it crouched, unable to hide its tension.

Growl.

Then, with a full burst of speed, the lion cub charged like never before.

Roar!

Every stomp of its massive paws caused intense tremors and explosions.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Yet, despite the apartment-sized creature hurtling towards him, Kim Shimun’s face remained excessively calm.

However, the hands gripping the lightning and fire energy were different.

Crackle!

The lightning in his left hand flared intensely. Then, instantly, it stabilized into the form of a spear, emitting a dazzling platinum light.

Hum.

The tip of the spear aimed at the charging Nemea’s Lion Cub.

Ars Magna Fusion.

A lightning spear of guaranteed accuracy.

The platinum spear shot out silently, as if it had its target set from the start. Without an inch of deviation, the platinum spear flew straight towards the lion cub’s forehead.

Roar!!

The lion cub let out an earth-shaking roar toward the platinum spear.

Humm…

Amazingly, the platinum spear wavered unsteadily.

‘As expected.’

Kim Shimun nodded slightly as he observed.

‘Only powers like divine authority or equivalent strength can withstand it.’

In his past life, only those with a Constellation or of a similar rank to his brother Kim Shihyuk could contend with Nemea’s Lion.

‘Even though it’s just a cub, this is the same. Well, it is the Main Arena after all.’

Nemea’s Lion particularly emphasized the significance of divine authority.

Conversely, this meant, ‘If I can wield divine authority, the strategy becomes straightforward.’

With divine authority or equivalent power, the strategy for this Main Arena became simple.

Proving this, the Nemea’s Lion Cub let out a different cry, a howl filled with pain and fear.

Roar!

A scream.

Due to the roar that weakened divine powers, the lion cub narrowly preserved its forehead from the lightning spear. But it was only preservation.

Roar!

The giant lion cub thrashed in pain as half of its head was blown off.

Crackle.

The platinum sparks continued to flicker from the half-destroyed head. The lightning from Astrape, mixed with the power of Gungnir, kept tearing at the wound.

Rumble.

Like an earthquake, the lion cub writhed in agony. Then, it sprang up.

Shriek!

Crackle.

Although platinum lightning still glimmered on the surface of its half-destroyed head, that was all. Realizing that thrashing would only lead to death.

Roar!

With a single eye glaring at Kim Shimun, the lion cub charged, exuding a murderous aura. Kim Shimun nodded calmly.

‘Of course. Even if it’s a hidden boss, Nemea’s Young Lion wouldn’t die this easily.’

In his past life, even Go Malsuk, had barely managed to slay it after hours of battle.

‘Just die already, you damn cat!’

Swish.

As if he had been waiting, Kim Shimun extended the flame in his right hand.

Curiously, within the roaring blaze lay a pristine and transparent branch, almost like a precious crystal or glass sculpture.

Whoosh.

Then,

『Constellation Odin groans, ‘Ugh! That sword was already annoying, and now that damned branch too!’』

『Constellation Zeus chuckles, ‘Hmph. You should have married better.’』

『Constellation Black Goat cackles, ‘Haha! Zeus, you’re one to talk?’』

The Constellations’ reactions flashed across Kim Shimun’s vision.

Ignoring them completely, he followed the grand flow consuming his entire body, combining the roaring flame with the surreal branch.

『Insufficient alchemy energy to achieve the desired fusion.』

『To establish equivalent exchange with the Philosopher’s Stone, 5,000 achievement points are required.』

『Do you accept? (Yes / No)』

A familiar message appeared.

Kim Shimun chose ‘Yes.’

Whoosh!

The flame surged violently, transforming into a clear, rosy blade resembling the earlier branch.

Holding this sword, Kim Shimun glanced at Yuto, who stood at a distance, jaws agape.

“Yuto. Be careful.”

Ars Magna Fusion.

The Apocalyptic Sword that brought the end.

And Shimun swung it.

***

『You have achieved the hidden achievement ‘Defeat Hidden Boss (6/?).’』

『You have solo-killed the hidden boss ‘Nemea’s Lion Cub.’』

『You have earned a total of 10,000 achievement points as a reward.』

The messages flashed before his eyes.

‘They sure reward a lot for a hidden boss related to the Main Arena.’

Seeing this, Shimun smiled slightly.

‘I used Ars Magna Fusion twice, costing 10,000 points.’

Each usage of Ars Magna Fusion cost 5,000 points, totaling 10,000 points. Moreover, these costs weren’t reimbursed by the Philosopher’s Stone.

The expense was purely out-of-pocket. But earning 10,000 achievement points for defeating the hidden boss?

‘Well, I did somewhat expect this.’

It was a calculated risk, given his extensive knowledge from his past life about the value of the Main Arena.

Regardless, “Quite profitable.”

A satisfied smile naturally formed on Kim Shimun’s face.

Before him,

『Constellation Zeus strokes his chin as he looks at you.』

『Constellation Odin grumbles, ‘What’s there to think about? Just trust him, and everything will be fine.’』

『Constellation Heavenly Demon smiles, ‘Indeed. Zeus, it seems you can stop worrying about Heracles.’』

『Constellations Black Goat and Baal nod in agreement.』

The reactions of the Constellations appeared one after another.

‘Heracles? Why bring up Heracles all of a sudden?’

Kim Shimun tilted his head in confusion. Understandably so.

‘Heracles has never existed in my past life… Wasn’t he a Constellation that had long since vanished?’

Heracles had never appeared on Earth during his previous life as a Constellation. So why were they suddenly discussing Heracles?

However, Shimun’s curiosity didn’t last long. Not only did the high-ranked Constellations fall silent, but he also noticed a neat-looking boy standing blankly on one side of the dark subspace, the waiting room.

Kim Shimun walked over to him.

“Yuto, are you okay?”

“…….”

Yuto just blinked silently, still in a daze. It was understandable.

– What the hell…

– What kind of magic was that?

– What kind of spell could shut down the screen?

– The screen didn’t shut down; the Arena probably ended immediately when the hidden boss died, right?

– Yeah, that seems right.

The Ars Magna fusion of Laevateinn and Misteltein, the Apocalyptic Sword, was impressive enough to leave viewers in awe.

– The hidden boss vanished instantly, lol.

– When the screen went dark, I thought the broadcast itself got burned, lol.

– Look at the chat; it’s on fire. Insane power.

– I’ve seen that platinum spear before, but never the sword.

– Doesn’t it feel like an extension of spells he’s been using before?

– Yeah, it seems he keeps getting stronger.

The chat was filled with amazement. But experiencing it via Arena broadcast and feeling it firsthand were worlds apart.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Shimun. I was lost in thought for a moment….”

Yuto, who had experienced it firsthand, finally gathered his senses. Kim Shimun smiled gently.

“No need to apologize. If anything, I should be the one apologizing.”

“Pardon?”

“That last attack I used. While I have control over the lightning, the fire element is still challenging to distinguish between friend and foe.”

“Oh.”

Nodding slightly as he let out a small sigh of realization, Yuto visibly relaxed.

“Indeed, that rosy fire energy felt different from the platinum lightning. It had a much rougher vibe.”

Yuto said, clenching his left hand slightly. His fair skin had turned a reddish hue between his fingers.

‘I raised my hand instinctively for just a moment…’

Anyone would naturally raise their hand defensively when something suddenly comes at them. Yuto had done the same out of instinct.

‘I didn’t expect to get burned from that brief moment.’

And it wasn’t even a full defensive stance. He had merely lifted his hand slightly to shield himself, and in that brief instant, his palm had suffered a burn.

‘If the Nemea’s Lion Cub had lasted just one more second, I probably…’

Reflecting on the mysterious heat from earlier, even if it seemed an unreasonable assumption given the monster’s resilience, if the lion had lasted just a bit longer,

Yuto might have been…

‘Burned to ashes without a trace.’

He laughed bitterly. Partly due to the overwhelming power of the magic, ‘If I had been stronger, it wouldn’t have come to that.’

but mostly due to his own perceived inadequacy.

‘I thought I could hold my own against mid-tier Diamonds… How arrogant I’ve been.’

The outside world is vast indeed. Merely brushing against the force of magic had left him with such an injury. Filled with self-reproach, Yuto closed his eyes briefly.

Then, “Thank you for everything today, Shimun.”

He bowed deeply. When he looked up again, “Thanks to you, I’ve learned a lot.”

he wore a relieved smile, different from his usual cold demeanor.

Kim Shimun smiled back and replied,

“The pleasure was mine. It was fun being on the same team.”

With those final words, “Next time, I’ll come back stronger.”

Both ended their Arena session.

***

Flash.

With a small light, Shimun returned to the penthouse laboratory.

“Whew! That’s the first time I’ve used Ars Magna back to back.”

Stretching vigorously, Shimun loosened his neck.

‘It feels refreshing, but it’s a bit of a waste.’

Although he earned 10,000 points from the hidden boss achievement, the cost of using Ars Magna twice and creating four mythic weapons exceeded that amount. Still, Shimun’s smile didn’t fade.

‘A slew of rewards is about to pour in.’

His contribution to the siege battle was undoubtedly the highest, and he had defeated a hidden boss related to the Main Arena.

He had only received the hidden boss clear achievement, but being the first on Earth to access the Main Arena would surely bring further rewards.

However, before the rewards, something else greeted Kim Shimun.

Ring.

His phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, Shimun’s eyes widened slightly.

“Uncle?”

Kim Muyeol.

A name rarely seen as the caller.

‘Why would Uncle call me now?’

With curiosity, Shimun answered the phone.

“Kim Shimun! Was it you?!”

His uncle’s unusually agitated voice came through.

“What are you talking about?”

Kim Shimun asked calmly.

“You don’t know? Hah… Of course, you wouldn’t do something this crazy unless you lost your mind.”

After a deep sigh, Kim Muyeol continued.

“Chairman Lee Suncheol has been murdered.”

TL’s Corner:
Who killed Chairman Lee Suncheol???