Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

Chapter 20. Heavenly Demon Divine Art (2)

TL: xLordFifth
ED/PR: The reader

“Lies… Impossible!”

A voice, weak and trembling.

And for good reason – considering the current state of DonKing, the very fact he could speak was a miracle.

Superior armor that falls into what’s commonly referred to as ‘school uniform’ level.

Especially made of leather material renowned for its shock absorption.

Yet, his leather armor was torn to shreds, as if hit by a typhoon.

Moreover.

Drip-drop.

Like droplets falling from a stalactite, the value of mentioning his right hand, from which blood dripped, was nil.

As if a grenade had exploded in his bare hand, leaving nothing left.

Just then,

– Crazy!

– What was that just now?

– The screen warped instantly; I didn’t catch a thing!

– I’ve seen that before. Back in the day, when grinding to get DonKing to diamond rank, he used the same aura.

– Bullshit. DonKing’s stats are too low to use aura. How could he use one in the deep levels?

– Then damn it! He must’ve used some item or trait! Can you even explain what that was?

The chat room, ablaze a moment before, quieted down as the news of DonKing’s survival spread.

But not for long.

Thud.

As the broadcaster, DonKing, collapsed, the stream went dark.

Along with it,

[You have achieved First Blood.]

[The clear reward for this arena has increased.]

A series of notifications popped up before Shimun.

***

‘Phew. It’s still difficult to manifest the technique itself.’

Feeling as if he had caught a chill, Shimun shook his head slightly amidst the overwhelming fatigue.

Then,

[The Constellation, Heavenly Demon, is extremely pleased with your reckless endeavors.]

[The Constellation, Heavenly Demon, donates 500 achievement points to you.]

The support from the Constellation, Heavenly Demon, appeared before Shimun.

“On top of the mission, giving something like this too.”

The fatigue seemed to lift.

Of course, thanks to his 7 stamina and the incredible speed of recovery from consuming the potion.

Not to mention, the recovery of mental fatigue was not to be ignored, right?

“I will strive to work hard to satisfy the mission given by the Heavenly Demon.”

[The Constellation, Heavenly Demon, nods in satisfaction.]

Shimun responded with a pleased smile.

‘Is it because it’s a high-ranking Constellation? Quite generous indeed.’

However, before Shimun could fully savor the joy of the support,

[The Galaxy Arena sends its commendation for being sponsored by 3 high-ranking Constellations.]

[As a reward for the achievement, you have obtained 1,000 achievement points.]

[As a reward for the achievement, you have obtained the title ‘Chosen by the Constellations’.]

A series of notifications popped up before Shimun.

‘What? There was such an achievement?’

Shimun immediately opened his status window to check the 1,000 achievement points he had received and examined the new title.

[Chosen by the Constellations] – Renewable

The attention from high-ranking Constellations is upon you.

The more their attention grows, the more your future does as well.

– All stats +3

– Every time you receive sponsorship from a high-ranking Constellation, the options are renewed.

Registered Constellations: Zeus, Black Goat, Heavenly Demon

“Insane….”

An expletive slipped out without him realizing.

It was inevitable.

‘A renewable title?!’

Renewable title.

Similar to a growth type title, where certain conditions are met to change the options of the title.

However, true to the name ‘renewable’,

there was a clear difference from the growth type.

‘The growth type doesn’t decrease the options.’

Literally growing titles, without receiving specific status ailments or penalties, the options do not decrease.

But renewable titles were different.

The options could decrease depending on conditions.

Shimun closely examined the information of the [Chosen by the Constellations] title.

‘This is it.’

His gaze fixated on one aspect.

Each time you receive sponsorship from a high-ranking Constellation, all your stats increase by +1—an incredibly advantageous option.

However, conversely,

‘If the sponsoring Constellations withdraw their support, the options will decrease accordingly.’

Shimun closed the title information and checked his status stats.

Level: 7

Affiliation: Republic of Korea

Strength: 6 (+3)

Agility: 6 (+3)

Stamina: 7 (+3)

Alchemy Energy: 17 (+3)

Demonic : 10

Remaining Stats: 0

“Wow… it’s a crazy option.”

The total stats for strength and agility are 9.

Stamina reached an impressive 10, and demonic energy is 20.

Who would see this as the status of someone at level 7?

As Shimun marveled, he looked at the and licked his lips.

“Sigh. Looks like it doesn’t apply to demonic energy.”

Because it’s tied to alchemy energy, while it transformed from 8 to a half of 20, which is 10, the +3 option from [Chosen by the Constellations] hadn’t applied.

“Let’s think positively. It’s not like the stat didn’t increase at all.”

With the increase in alchemy energy, the stat also increased by 2.

Perhaps the Heavenly Demon Divine Art he had just used would be more powerful.

‘Chosen by the Constellations. It’s indeed demanding but also a title worth managing.’

An all stat increase option is definitely a tremendous benefit.

Think about it.

If you were to purely increase all stats by +3, you would need a total of 12 spare stat points.

This directly equates to twelve levels ups.

But just with one title, Shimun is experiencing the efficiency of +12 levels in stats.

The increase in due to the proportionate rise in is a bonus.

‘I’m not sure how demanding the Constellations will be, but I should accept missions like these as much as possible.’

And respond appropriately.

With that thought finalized, Shimun was about to move when suddenly,

“DonKing… lost?”

“That’s a lie, right?”

Voices full of fear filled the air.

‘Right, these people were still here. ’
Guests of the Money King.

Watching them for a moment, Shimun clenched his fist and approached.

“Eek!”

“Don’t come! If you come, I’ll stab you!”

It was a laughable threat.

The sight of the guests shaking and raising their weapons was absurd.

‘How did they even… No, I guess I was a special case.’

Before his return, his magic stat was 10. After his return, his magic stat was also 10. He possessed stats of 10, the highest level a level 1 could have.

The tutorial Shimun went through was hardly comparable to that of the common players. However,

‘This is a bit much.’

They seemed like players who had finished their placement test.

“Eek!”

“I can shoot! I really can shoot!”

What was with the trembling tips of the sword and arrow?

‘Due to such people, in the official arena, capable players…’

Even though the official arena hadn’t started yet,

Just looking at this ridiculous behavior was infuriating.

Shimun didn’t hide his feelings one bit.

Whoosh.

[Ogre’s Physique] didn’t even need to be alchemized.

Merely swinging a fist imbued with .

“Aack!”

“Cough!”

The two guests wielding a sword and a bow fell pathetically.

With the stats he currently possessed,

There was no lack in dealing with those who merely hopped on the bus.

Thud.

Even as two guests had fallen, Shimun didn’t stop.

The last guest, standing with arms crossed, silently watched the situation.

It was a middle-aged player.

“You seem strong. Very much so.”

Unlike the two trembling guests, the middle-aged man showed no disturbance.

He sized up Shimun as if appraising a product.

“I like that you don’t spare the weak and seem to have superior innate stats.”

To that, Shimun replied with an incredulous tone.

“Excuse me, but it seems you’re mistaken. This is the arena. There’s no sparing the weak here.”

“Exactly. That’s what makes it even more appealing. You know, many possess superior specs but fail to utilize them.”

“Well…”

He wasn’t wrong.

Until the official arena begins, it was essentially in the form of a game.

Thus, pain in the arena was less than half of reality.

And it could be further reduced through the connection devices.

Nonetheless, maybe it was due to this unique reality.

Some couldn’t participate in the arena because they couldn’t overcome the aversion to taking lives.

Not to mention those who received overly high stats or traits for their talent.

Shimun loosened his hand with a crack.

“If you’re thinking of stalling for time, you’re mistaken. I have no intention of sparing you.”

“Ha ha! I like your spirit. Naturally, you’re the stronger one, and I’m clearly the weaker.”

The middle-aged man’s hearty laughter made one of Shimun’s eyebrows slightly rise.

‘What’s with this person?’

He felt it instinctively from that composed demeanor.

This middle-aged man wasn’t simply a guest carried through levels.

Proving that,

“However, my boy, the world doesn’t revolve solely around strength.”

The middle-aged man pulled something out of his pocket.

Then he hesitated for a moment before spreading his palm out.

“By the way, you seem to have left the broadcast on. Could you turn it off?”

“There’s no reason to…”

Trailing off, Shimun quickly scanned the chatroom.

Even though some time had passed since he started broadcasting, not a single message had been posted.

It was expected.

With only 3 viewers, all of whom were high-ranking cardinals.

“No need to worry. There’s practically no one watching anyway.”

“Hahat! So that mission talk earlier was just bravado.”

“That wasn’t bravado, though…”

“Krahaha! I understand. Indeed, fighting is also about momentum!”

It seemed like a total misunderstanding.

But Shimun didn’t bother to correct the middle-aged man’s misinterpretation.

He was curious about what the man was thinking.

And that was, “Here, take this.”

Completely cleared up when the middle-aged man handed him a piece of paper.

“What’s this?”

“My business card.”

[HR Manager Huo Yanlong]

Beside it was likely his name written in Chinese characters,

And below, a phone number and email address were listed.

The issue was,

‘+86? Isn’t this a Chinese number?’

He had received a message with such a number once before.

He couldn’t recall the latter digits, but he had no choice but to remember the +86 prefix.

Because,

‘Most were related to spam or voice phishing.’

However, there wouldn’t be such folly inside the arena.

So, there was only one explanation.

“You’re a Chinese scout?”

“Ho, to figure it out to this extent, you use your head quite a bit.”

All the more pleasing.

Having muttered this, Huo Yanlong looked at Shimun with a greedy gleam in his eyes.

“Originally, I intended to make this offer to the streamer Money King. His talent is too precious to be used just for driving a bus.”

“Then you should just give it to Money King.”

“Of course, that’s the plan. If he decides to broadcast again.”

Grinning.

With a business-like smile, Huo Yanlong waved the business card.

Shimun simply stared at it.

Or more precisely,

‘I never expected to see this here…’

He looked at the familiar Chinese characters at the top of the business card.

‘Continental.’

Continental.

Together with America, one of the two top guilds in China, having risen prominently with Spear Zhang Liqiu as the guild master.

He had thought they would start moving sooner or later,

‘It looks like they’ve been recruiting talent for quite some time.’

“I understand you might be skeptical.”

Noticing Shimun gazing intently at the business card without taking it, perhaps Huo Yanlong thought of something.

He smoothly retracted the card and said,

“I’m not unaware of China’s image in Korea.”

“That would make sense. You would have undergone naturalization to participate in the Korean arena matches.”

“Ha ha! Can’t help it, right? Global matching is only available from Platinum rank onwards.”

Huo Yanlong shrugged his shoulders.

He sneakily glanced at Shimun’s reaction before asking, “Does my scouting activity to this extent make you uncomfortable?”

“It’s not particularly pleasant, but it’s not uncomfortable either,” Shimun replied.

“Ho? You’re the first player I’ve met who’s responded like that.”

“It’s a very common occurrence worldwide, after all.”

In fact, not just in China. Since as early as 2020, several major powers, including the United States, had been secretly scouting players from other countries. Of course, it was extremely difficult to scout star players or those of rank, so they mostly targeted potential talents in the lower ranks. This Mr. Huo Yanlong was probably one of those types of scouts.

“A common occurrence, you say…” One of Huo Yanlong’s eyebrows slightly raised. “You’re not just excellent in brute force, I see.”

Had Shimun’s estimated value just increased in his eyes? Huo Yanlong’s gaze deepened as he studied him.

“How did you know? Countries engaged in scouting to the extent of offering citizenship are extremely rare.”

“I see no reason to inform you about that,” Shimun countered.

“That’s true,” Huo Yanlong admitted, nodding instead of pushing further.

Momentarily, “The evaluation value must be increased… The available conditions are… Hmm, alright, this should do it.” After mumbling to himself and stroking his chin, Huo Yanlong stretched out his fingers towards Shimun.

“What are you doing?”

“5 million yuan.”

Huo Yanlong, full of confidence, said, “Which is about 920 million in the current exchange rate. I’ll pay it upfront.”

“Listen here.”

“Wait. I’m not finished.” Suddenly, Huo Yanlong began writing conditions in the air with a staff he held. Whether it was some kind of artifact or not,

“This is merely a gesture of goodwill. If you join our continental union, we’ll pay more in addition.”

“Additional payment will include weapons worth over 500 million won and armors worth over 100 million won per piece.”

“The contract term is for three years renewal. Of course, the items will remain yours even after the contract ends.” The conditions Huo Yanlong inscribed in the air sparkled even in the dim light of the abandoned mine.

“Furthermore, if you choose to become a naturalized citizen of China,” he continued writing conditions in the air without pause. “I’ll pay an additional 50 million yuan upfront, about 9.2 billion won. Depending on your achievements, the amount might increase.” Concluding his statement with a period, Huo Yanlong faced Shimun with an overflowing confidence.

‘He won’t be able to refuse. The prestigious Holy Trinity Guild wouldn’t offer such terms to lower-ranked players.’ It was a well-known fact that Holy Trinity Guild offered equipment of C to B grade to new guild members. That, of course, was a colossal investment in itself, but it couldn’t possibly compete with the finances of a great nation. To prove it,

‘There hasn’t been a single proposal that’s been turned down until now.’ Although changing nationality wasn’t a common occurrence, 99% of those scouted had accepted the conditions and were currently operating under the name of Continental Union. Most players whose 3-year contracts had expired also opted for renewal.

‘Well, of course. Such conditions would be unimaginable for smaller countries.’ It was impossible to refuse.

Having driven his point home, Huo Yanlong naturally continued, “I’m not insisting you decide right now. I completely understand the resolve needed for living abroad,” offering his business card once more.

Shimun couldn’t help but chuckle and shake his head at this gesture. “Indeed, the conditions are astounding.”

“Ha! I’ve put a lot of thought into these conditions, especially for someone like you. What do you say? Tempting, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Many must have fallen for it.”

“Indeed. In fact, over 90% of those I’ve approached have accepted the conditions.”

“Hmm, I can see why.” Shimun nodded.

If they targeted only those classified as abyss low-rank, it was natural for anyone to flip at such conditions. Especially since the conditions didn’t shackle anyone with a 3-year contract devoid of downsides, right? Those who thought to suck up the benefits without choosing naturalization must have been plentiful.

However, ‘I know all too well about Continental Union’s methods.’ Sickeningly well, actually. Falling for it initially, they gradually become entangled in their schemes unknowable to themselves, from being framed as traitors in the media and internet to being caught in double-crossing contracts, and in extreme cases, brainwashed through drugs or psychic powers.

More crucially, ‘Leaving one’s country after awakening is madness.’ A player’s affiliation is determined at the point of their awakening. There are cases of individuals who awakened while traveling abroad and became affiliated with a foreign country,

‘Naturalization doesn’t change affiliation.’ Even if one naturalized in another country ahead of time, it’s ultimately only on paper on Earth. The Galaxy Arena doesn’t change the affiliation set at the time of awakening. It’s evident just by looking at the affiliation section on the status screen.

Yet, the reason for naturalization is, ‘If you become a naturalized citizen of that country, from then on, the matchmaking will be based on that country.’

Real-life financial gains feel more immediate than a note on the status screen. That’s why, upon receiving a good offer, one might as well naturalize to that country. And there are covert scouting operations like Huo Yanlong’s too.

‘Well, I get it. They’ve never experienced the penalty for losing national affiliation.’ This penalty starts only from the regular arena. Lost in thought, Shimun,

Was his silence perceived as hesitation? “Wouldn’t you accept it already? At my age, my arm is starting to hurt.”

“Oh, sorry about that. I tend to not pay attention to my surroundings when I’m lost in thought.” Shimun smiled gently as he grasped Huo Yanlong’s extended hand.

“But you know what, Manager Huo Yanlong?” Then, very naturally,

Pulling on Huo Yanlong’s hand, “As the Manager of HR, you really should improve your people skills.”

Wham! A punch enveloped in drilled into Huo Yanlong’s solar plexus.

“Guh…” Wide-eyed, Huo Yanlong couldn’t even scream properly.

“How could…” In his bloodshot eyes, more than the physical pain, was the bafflement over Shimun rejecting his offer.

To which Shimun simply remarked, “Oh, it’s nothing.”

Crack! Maintaining his smile, he punched the solar plexus once more.

“I’m not interested in your conditions. Besides…” Thud. Watching Huo Yanlong collapse with his solar plexus caved in, Shimun murmured something inaudible to him,

“I know too well what kind of bastards you are.” And with those words, Shimun walked into the shadows of the abandoned mine.