Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

Turning his head towards the direction of the roar, Shimun saw it.

“So it’s you! The cause of this damned mess!”

Over twelve meters tall. The giant in a white lab coat, whose origin was unknown, towering like a building.

‘That one is…’

Shimun’s eyes subtly squinted. It wasn’t the grandiose title of “Hidden Boss”. Or the fact that he was the largest giant so far. Though the twelve-meter height certainly made him feel like facing a building, that was just a detail.

What concerned Shimun was something else entirely.

“A Jotunn?”

The chat seemed to share Shimun’s thoughts.

-Is that a Jotunn?

-OMG, is it really a Jotunn?

-Looking at him, it seems legit. Damn this mute mode!

-Even if it’s a Hidden Boss, a Jotunn is too much…

Despite the muted state, the speculation came up instantly. And for good reason.

-If it’s a Jotunn… aren’t they special among giants?

-Yeah, they’re like awakened giants or something.

-I don’t know the details, but they’re insanely strong.

-If you face one without being in the top Diamond ranks, consider yourself dead.

Jotunns were special even among giants, who were already top-rank in the arena. Showing off, “Hmph! So you recognize our Jotunn kind. It would be weird not to know the great awakened giants.”

Grinning with yellow teeth, the Jotunn, chief Researcher Ingmar,

“But…”

He then glared sharply at Shimun.

“Who are you? What race are you?”

His gaze was a mix of suspicion, anger, and curiosity. Sizing him up like an object, “You clearly seem like a dragon with that presence and power…”

Ingmar scanned Shimun’s whole body.

“This form is unlike any I’ve seen. It resembles a Dragonoid somewhat? But those horns are typically of an evolved species… though many Dragonoids have horns too…”

The title of chief researcher wasn’t just for show.

Even after identifying Shimun as an intruder in his lab, Ingmar kept mumbling to himself out of curiosity.

“That name suits you.”

Only after Shimun let out a chuckle,

“You dare laugh at me, Ingmar!”

Did he cast aside his curiosity, reclaiming his initial anger.

Then, clenching his house-sized fists, “Fine. Your identity will be…”

His large eyes gleamed with killing intent.

“Revealed by dissecting you alive!”

He immediately kicked off the ground.

Boom.

A single, very short-lived tremor. At the same time,

Whoosh!

Ingmar’s fist tore through the air as he charged. A small expression of admiration appeared in Shimun’s eyes.

‘As expected. So this is a Jotunn?’

With a single leap, Ingmar rocketed forward. His movement was entirely different from the simple and straightforward giants before him. However, casually swinging the platinum-colored tail behind him, Shimun did not dodge the house-sized fist.

“This brat?!”

Instead, he chose to meet the giant’s punch with his own. It was a brilliant judgment.

Crack.

“Aaargh!”

A chilling sound of flesh tearing. A matching scream followed. Despite the collision between the nearly twelve-meter giant’s fist and the over-two-meter Shimun’s fist, it was Ingmar whose hand bones shattered completely, and whose elbow joint was rendered useless.

“Grrr!”

Ingmar grasped his mangled right fist. He glared at Shimun, letting out a small groan.

“How could such a tiny body…”

Then, “But! Such an attack is nothing to the mighty Jotunn!”

Ingmar twisted his mangled hand. To be precise,

Crunch.

Snap!

His mangled right hand twisted back into place on its own. As if reversing time, bones, muscles, and flesh reformed, restoring it to its original state in an instant.

‘As expected of a Jotunn. Even among the giants, their regeneration is remarkable.’

Jotunns, also called awakened giants, were similar to the dragonkin’s Draconics. Born as giants, they attained a higher level through certain realizations.

Naturally, their innate abilities were also more superior. Shimun examined Ingmar’s regenerated hand with more thoughtful eyes.

‘Thanks to the Dragonoid trait, my Dragon Force penetrated his body like aura…’

The strength of aura did not merely lie in the manifestation of energy. Just as it could enhance internal circuits and muscles with aura, conversely, it could infiltrate, disrupt, and induce internal injuries like an infiltration technique.

It was one of the differences that separated Platinum from Diamond ranks in aura utilization. And with the Dragonoid trait, Shimun could similarly use Dragon Force in such applications.

‘Yet, he recovered so easily.’

Chief Researcher Ingmar disregarded Shimun’s Dragon Force and regenerated himself. However, “It’s convenient.”

Objectively, it might seem like a bad situation. But Shimun saw it differently, gracefully curling his lips into a relaxed smile.

This seemed to irritate Ingmar.

“You bastard!!”

Boom.

Ingmar roared and once again stamped the ground. Yet, perhaps the previous encounter had left a mark on him?

This time, instead of throwing himself into the air with full force,

Rumble.

He ran on the ground, lifting his fist.

“Go ahead, try to act arrogant again!”

Unlike before, he threw a punch incorporating the skills and intricacies of martial arts, using his waist, shoulders, and stride.

At that moment,

Ssssss.

Unlike earlier, white steam rose from various parts of Ingmar’s fist. Shimun’s eyes showed a glimmer of interest.

‘Of course, he’s a Jotunn. Why wouldn’t he use it?’

But that was all. Despite the glimmer in his eyes, Shimun threw his punch just as he had before.

The two fists, vastly different in size, collided instantly.

Wham!

A powerful sound of friction echoed. Amazingly, unlike before, neither side was injured as they entered a power struggle.

However, could it be that size had its own advantages?

Grinding.

As they clashed their fists, Shimun’s feet left grooves in the ground as he was slowly pushed back.

Yet, “What the…!”

Despite clearly having the upper hand in the struggle, Ingmar’s face contorted instead. It wasn’t without reason.

‘I’m using the hardening ability! And yet, he’s matching my strength?!’

The hardening ability, a special power granted only to awakened giants, the Jotunn.

Although hardening paired with softening was a basic ability given to Jotunns, ‘My strength and durability should be nearly twice as strong as with the earlier punch!’

It had almost doubled the power of his previous punch. And yet, Shimun was receiving his punch without any issues?

It felt as if, ‘Am I fighting another Jotunn!’

As if he was up against another awakened giant like himself. Realizing this, “Ugh!”

Ingmar grit his teeth.

Then, “I won’t lose to a tiny rodent like you!!”

With a roar, he unleashed a barrage of punches. Reminiscent of a Dempsey roll in boxing,

Ssssss.

With white steam pouring from his fists due to the hardening ability, he relentlessly swung his fists.

However,

Thud. Thud!

Every punch was met and blocked by Shimun’s counterpunches. Realizing that this wasn’t working,

“Damn it!”

Boom.

Ingmar slammed his heavy elbow into the ground and immediately retreated. The dust raised by the impact of his destructive onslaught scattered throughout the Cradle of the Elemental King.

Shimun watched as Ingmar pulled back.

“Hmm… His physical abilities seem slightly inferior to the weakest Jotunn.”

With a nonchalant face, Shimun looked down at his sleek and sharp hands. His hands were covered in platinum scales, just like his tail. It was as if he was wearing gloves made from dragon scales.

“Well, I think that’s enough for a spec check…”

Shimun murmured quietly. Whether he heard those words or not, “You tiny rat, how dare you use me as an experiment subject!”

Chief Researcher Ingmar, who had distanced himself, roared in rage. Shimun responded by simply clenching his platinum hands, his lips curling into a smirk.

“Raaahhh!!”

Ingmar screamed in fury, loud enough to make eardrums tingle.

“I’ll crush you into dust! Damn rat!”

With bulging veins all over his body, he stomped the ground.

Ssssss!

Like a running steam engine, clouds of thick smoke streamed from his massive body.

Then, “Kyah!”

With both hands clasped together, Ingmar brought them down in a smashing motion.

Whoosh!

His hands, tearing through the air, seemed twice as large combined. It looked like a meteor crashing down. Shimun slid his shoulder back into a stance.

‘It looks like he’s maxed out the ability of the Jotunn.’

Even though steam was billowing from his entire body, the clasped hands were especially emitting intense steam. It was evident that the maximum power of the ability was concentrated in those two fists.

‘This should be enough to properly measure the full combat capabilities of the Dragonoid.’

Shimun’s grin grew wider. Then,

Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Supreme Emperor’s Demolition Strike.

Shimun’s fist, brimming with a powerful black aura, rose to meet Ingmar’s attack.

And then,

Boom!

A sound that pierced the eardrums and shook the brain erupted. But it was only for a moment.

The two attacks collided, and the balance quickly tipped. Amazingly,

Crack.

Ingmar’s gigantic hands, far larger than Shimun’s fist, were shattered beyond comparison. No, shattered wasn’t even the right word.

Crunch!

The hands that resembled meteorites had been utterly pulverized. Yet, despite such devastating injuries, Ingmar did not utter a single groan.

Instead, he glared at Shimun with eyes bloodshot to the point of bursting. At that, ‘What is this?’

Shimun’s eye twitched.

Then he noticed,

Swoosh.

Something rising high into the air with a sound uncharacteristically soft for such a destructive battle.

It was,

‘A leg?’

A leg longer than his massive arms.

Amazingly,

Swish!

It twisted and flexed like a rubber band or whip.

The Jotunn’s solid leg moved with surprising flexibility.

“Not bad, rat.”

Ingmar, reading Shimun’s expression, smiled grimly.

“Now die!!”

He brought the flexible leg crashing down.

“You’re not bad yourself, Ingmar.”

Shimun aimed his platinum hand toward it.

In his grasp,

Hum.

A black sphere hummed with a clear resonance.

*

Boom!

The Cradle of the Elemental King shook violently.

The debris of the shattered human alchemy facility and dark-toned leaves and soil scattered everywhere.

Ssssss.

It was only after the thick clouds of dust settled that the cause of the commotion became clear.

“……”

A moment of silence ensued.

Then,

“…… Rat. That move…”

A brief, yet extremely deep voice resonated.

“It was the Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s technique, Heavenly Demon Orb.”

A clear yet decadently melodious voice followed.

“Ugh, I see.”

At the center of the powerful explosion, once twelve meters tall, now half-destroyed, Ingmar’s face twisted slightly.

“You…”

Then, “You’re a dragon, yet you’re a contractor of the Heavenly Demon…”

Unable to finish his sentence, Ingmar slowly toppled to the side.

Boom.

Like a building collapsing, having lost everything on his left side including his heart, Ingmar bid farewell with a heavy thud.

『You have achieved the hidden achievement ‘Defeating a Hidden Boss (8/?)’.』

『You have defeated the Hidden Boss ‘Chief Researcher Ingmar’ alone.』

『You have received 7,000 achievement points as a reward.』

A system window announcing his death appeared before Shimun’s eyes.

Next,

『You have completed the Constellation the Black Goat’s mission.』

『You receive 10,000 achievement points.』

The system window announcing the completion of the Black Goat’s mission followed.

And though it didn’t appear directly before Shimun’s eyes,

– …..

– DDD….

– What power.

– Guys, is this real?

The chat window, tucked in one corner of Shimun’s view, was in chaos.

Understandably so.

– Wasn’t that a Jotunn?

– Jotunn my ass, lol! Just a mid-tier giant, right?

– Uh… Maybe, but why do I feel so disheartened?

– You guys are overreacting, lol. There’s no way that’s a Jotunn, right?

– True, even if his limbs were cut off, he’d regenerate within seconds if it was a Jotunn.

– We saw both hardening his fists and flexing his leg. Those are Jotunn powers…

– Hey, pay attention!

A Jotunn. An awakened giant that swept through the upper tiers of Diamond had just been taken down in a single hit.

Naturally, for Shimun, who couldn’t see this unfolding, ‘17,000 achievement points? Quite the haul.’

Shimun’s satisfied smile grew as he rejoiced in the rewards from the hidden boss achievement and the Black Goat’s mission.

Clearing the messages, Shimun turned towards the center of the Cradle of the Elemental King.

‘Time to wrap up this arena.’

He turned his body towards where the rainbow-colored pillar had been. Despite the sudden appearance of the hidden boss and the Black Goat’s mission, The initial objective of this special arena was to find the ‘Trace of the Elemental King,’ a condition of the High Elf Ernen’s quest.

Splash.

A small sound of water. Where the light pillar had been, shallow water reached up to his shoe soles.

‘Just looking at that, it seems like the trace of the Elemental King.’

Shimun approached the center where water had pooled. It resembled the four buds that forcibly regenerated the spirits, but this was an extremely colorful flower bud.

Then,

Rustle.

Shimun carefully opened the colorful flower bud,

And,

“What the…?!”

His eyes widened in shock.