Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

It must have been incredibly difficult. Beneath the half-closed eyelids. Revealed was an iridescent eye, as colorful as the scales.

However, perhaps due to the poor state of its body?

Kuuuong…

The once vibrant rainbow-colored eyes appeared as faint as a dying lightbulb. The dragon, having left Shiyeon’s embrace, managed to take a few steps forward but no more.

Thud.

It collapsed weakly onto the ground.

“No!”

Shiyeon, who had been watching worryingly, quickly approached the creature.

“Kyung-ah! Don’t be sick!”

When did she name it?

Shiyeon, calling the colorful-scaled dragon ‘Kyung,’ embraced it like a cherished doll or a puppy, continuously stroking its forehead and body. As she and Kyung comforted each other.

-Hahaha!

-Catch me if you can~

-There’s so much natural energy here!

-Hehe! It’s different from the Spirit Realm, so it’s fun!

Colorful light clusters, a group of spirits, played as they passed by.

Then.

Kuoong…

Kyung, nestled in Shiyeon’s arms, briefly opened its eyes. Struggling even to open its eyes, with dull pupils, it glanced at Kim Shimun momentarily before closing its eyes again.

“Kyung-ah…”

Tears welled up in Shiyeon’s eyes as she watched Kyung.

Shiyeon wasn’t the only one.

“……”

High Elf Ernen, silently observing Kyung. Although dragonkins had sought to kill and corrupt her and the World Tree for exploitation, Ernen’s gaze upon Kyung was complex.

She displayed clear sympathy. In reality.

-It looks like a spirit but I don’t know how to help.

-It’s carrying the Spirit King’s power. Our healing doesn’t work.

-Yeah, it’s too high a grade.

-Sorry, Ernen.

She sent water spirits with healing abilities to examine Kyung, but the water spirits, mentioning the level of the Spirit King, returned despondent.

As Kim Shimun observed the situation, “Appa…”

Shiyeon’s teary voice reached him.

“Please make Kyung not hurt anymore!”

With moist, pleading eyes, Shiyeon looked at him. Kim Shimun approached her and gently stroked her head.

“Don’t worry, Shiyeon. Appa will definitely make Kyung better.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely.”

Kim Shimun nodded confidently. Even before considering Shiyeon’s request.

‘That creature definitely asked me to save it.’

The colorful dragon, Kyung, had expressed a clear will to live. Given his “Insight”, Kim Shimun could clearly sense its plea.

Moreover.

‘Galaxy Arena provided this reward after much thought. I can’t just waste it.’

Choosing a dying creature as a reward must have had a specific intention.

‘I’ll definitely save it.’

Determined, Shimun’s eyes glinted sharply.

Eeeee.

A piercing hum echoed.

*

-Lalala~.

-Hehe! Catch me if you can~.

-You! Stop right there!

Innocent laughs filled the air.

The cause, colorful light clusters, circled the massive tree.

To be more precise.

“Savior, is this good enough?”

Under the direction of High Elf Ernen, they hovered around a designated spot beneath the World Tree.

Kim Shimun nodded towards Ernen, who asked.

“Yes. That’s perfect. Please keep spreading the spirit energy around.”

“Leave it to me.”

Confidently replied Ernen, walking around and playing with the spirits.

-Hahaha!

-It tickles!

Each time, spirit energy of various colors flowed from the spirits. Watching briefly, Shimun turned his gaze to the center where the spirits gathered.

Looking at the intricately drawn circle.

“Appa, I finished drawing!”

Shiyeon, finishing the circle from not far away, hopped over carefully, avoiding the drawn symbols.

“Well done. From here on, Appa will take care of it. You can play with the spirits.”

“No, I’ll stay until Kyung gets better!”

“Okay. With our Shiyeon here, Kyung will feel very safe.”

Kim Shimun gently patted Shiyeon’s head as she clenched her fists.

Then.

“Philo.”

– Yes, oppa.

Kim Shimun called out to the Philosopher’s Stone and approached Kyung, the dragon, gasping for breath in the center of the array.

“Are you really okay with this?”

– Why wouldn’t I be? Not all dragon are trash, you know?

Surprised by the Philosopher’s Stone’s response, Kim Shimun’s eyes widened momentarily.

Noticing this,

– What? Surprised by my unexpected reaction?

The Philosopher’s Stone asked playfully.

“To be honest, yes.”

Kim Shimun nodded slightly.

“The method I’m about to use…”

– I know. It’s related to chimera creation. And also, the promise you made to me.

Just as the Philosopher’s Stone said,

On the day Kim Shimun had alchemized the Obsidian Tablet to gain human alchemy abilities, he had made a promise to the Philosopher’s Stone.

– You said you’d use human alchemy only for good, to ultimately make yourself stronger.

“Indeed.”

Although he hadn’t specified the details, Kim Shimun knew it was a tacit promise not to engage in human experimentation, the reason why human alchemy was forbidden.

And now, the chimera creation he was about to perform required knowledge at the apex of such forbidden human experiments. Naturally, Shimun had to consider his long-time companion’s opinion.

Fortunately,

– But oppa, no need to tiptoe around me.

The Philosopher’s Stone readily agreed.

– For a simple reason.

Back then I was new to being bonded to you and didn’t know what kind of person you were.

“Does that mean it’s different now?”

– Of course. No one knows you better than I do now. Even if you were to conduct brutal human experiments…

The Philosopher’s Stone briefly paused. And then,

– I wouldn’t mind. Because I know that the oppa I know is always aiming for a benevolent outcome.

For once, speaking without any playfulness, in a cheerful yet solemn tone.

To that,

“……”

Kim Shimun remained silent.

Why did it feel this way?

‘What’s this sudden talk…’

Feeling his face heat up, embarrassed by the Philosopher’s Stone’s words, Shimun briefly covered his mouth.

Having calmed his heated face,

“Well, I’m glad you trust me.”

– Hehe. Blush some more. Seeing the normally cool and handsome face turn red is so enj…

“Ahem! Anyway, I’m getting started.”

He cut off the teasing with precision. Looking at Kyung, who was groaning.

Hm…

With layered golden magic circles rotating in his left eye, viewing the creature through the slit pupil, ‘As expected.’

Kyung’s body appeared more structurally and dimensionally detailed, like a building blueprint or a hologram.

‘It’s the conflict between the dragon’s body and spirit energy.’

And given that it was the Spirit King’s spirit energy, the symbol of nature,

‘The body is continuously weakening, aging, and destructing inside.’

On the flip side, ‘Thanks to the superior regenerative ability of the dragon’s body, the damaged parts are being restored.’

Confirming Kyung’s condition, Shimun let out a dry laugh.

“They must be in immense pain. To endure this with just those groans…”

The body was continuously destructing and regenerating. It was a state no different from the spirits being squeezed in the Cradle of the Spirit King.

‘Why would someone engage in such an unstable experiment?’

Like a student solving an exam question, Kim Shimun pondered the motive of the experimenter.

‘It seems the goal was to embed spirit energy into a dragon’s body…’

However, due to the opposing attributes, when one force became dominant, the opposite would be consumed and vanish.

Only one of the two could survive. Naturally, with the dragon’s body, the Dragon Force would likely have the upper hand.

‘That’s why they erased the Dragon Force and forcibly injected spirit energy.’

As if thinking the empty vessel could somehow accommodate the spirit energy. As with any experiment, ‘They must have replaced the test subjects repeatedly until success.’

Repeating the experiment until the theory proved successful.

“Ha!”

Kim Shimun snorted.

‘Whoever designed this experiment is not only dumb but utterly ignorant. Human alchemy doesn’t make impossible things possible.’

No matter how advanced human alchemy was, there was no method to combine fundamentally opposing forces.

If there were, they would have already created hybrids combining the celestial and demon races, managing both divine energy and magi.

With thoughts swirling, Kim Shimun blinked momentarily.

“Wait. Is it possible?”

Engraved knowledge within his soul hinted at something. Although only 60% complete, with the knowledge gained so far, it didn’t seem entirely impossible.

At that moment,

Kuooong…

Kyung’s groan snapped Kim Shimun out of his thoughts.

“This isn’t the time for this.”

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Shimun refocused on Kyung’s body.

‘Seeing as Kyung feels stability with spirit energy, this brute-force experiment wasn’t a complete failure.’

However they managed it, from the spirit energy injection facility in the special arena to now, Kyung was positively affected by the spirit energy itself.

But, ‘The problem is the Spirit King’s spirit energy embedded within.’

If so, ‘What if I remove the Spirit King’s spirit energy and replace it with regular spirit energy?’

After pondering for a moment, Shimun slowly shook his head.

The reason was simple.

‘No, that won’t work. The Spirit King’s spirit energy, despite the rejection it causes, is mixed with Kyung’s body like blood.’

Trying to separate it could kill Kyung. After all, Kyung was a living being, not a machine.

“Phew…”

Taking a deep breath to clear his mind, ‘Then I need to stabilize the Spirit King’s spirit energy within Kyung’s body…’

Tapping his chin with his white fingers, suddenly, “Wait!”

Kim Shimun’s pondering eyes widened slightly.

‘What kind of dragon is Kyung?’

Whirl.

Odin’s Eye and the Insight quickly spun, analyzing the situation.

Then, “Unbelievable!”

Kim Shimun exclaimed. It wasn’t without reason. Kyung’s dragon was none other than, “A hatchling? This creature is a real dragon?!”

Directly below the Dragon Lord, the strongest of the dragon, it was indeed a dragon.

Surprised, Shimun wasn’t the only one.

– What? This creature is a dragon? Is that true?!

The silent Philosopher’s Stone also exclaimed in shock. Kim Shimun nodded.

“Yes. This creature is a young dragon, a hatchling.”

As the strongest dragon, even among dragon kind, hatchlings were extremely rare and precious.

‘To use such a precious creature for such a barbaric human experiment…’

Which mad dragon would do such a thing?

Recalling the events in the Cradle of the Spirit King, Shimun soon identified the culprit.

‘The Second Dragon Lord.’

Before the Nagas were controlled in the Cradle of the Spirit King, they mentioned that the Second Dragon Lord had ordered them to assist the Giants with experiments.

‘The Second Dragon Lord could indeed use a hatchling for such an experiment.’

The Second Dragon Lord, known as the Matriarch of Dragons. Recalling the green-gray figure seen in Tiamat’s memories, ‘This can be thought about later. For now, let’s focus on Kyung.’

Setting aside thoughts of the Second Dragon Lord, Kim Shimun stepped closer to Kyung.

‘A real dragon, this explains how it could resist the Spirit King’s spirit energy.’

The highest class of dragon, only second to the Dragon Lord. Such a body could indeed withstand even the opposing spirit energy.

“But…”

Kim Shimun’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Kyung.

‘Why doesn’t it have a dragon heart? I would have recognized it as a dragon immediately if it had one.’

The source of immense power and an additional heart, the dragon heart. Kyung’s chest, where it should have been, was empty.

‘Did they extract it for experimentation?’

A dragon heart was a precious material.

“This is madness.”

Kim Shimun clicked his tongue.

‘Without a dragon heart, this dragon is inferior to even a drake…’

Extracting the dragon heart to avoid wasting it in the experiment was beyond ignorance; it was cruelty towards the same species.

However, ‘This might actually benefit me.’

Kim Shimun’s face lit up slightly.

‘Aside from being opposing forces, spirits are fundamentally spiritual beings. A dragon’s body cannot inherently contain spirit energy.’

But, ‘What if a vessel capable of containing spiritual energy was implanted in the body?’

Like the dragon heart, which concentrates various magical powers and abilities.

‘But I don’t know the structure of a dragon heart. How can I create one? And what about the necessary blood vessels or circuits?’

One question led to another.

Then, ‘If I don’t have it, I can use my own as a reference. I’m a dragon, and I’m the one conducting this human alchemy.’

With highly focused determination, the solution became clear.

‘The Philosopher’s Stone is an even superior vessel compared to a dragon heart. As spirit energy stats are already tied to it, I can follow its basic structure…’

Crunch.

Kim Shimun’s body twisted and transformed rapidly. Closing his eyes momentarily, he contemplated his dragon form.

‘I see. A dragon’s horns are auxiliary organs for stabilizing immense energy, similar to insect antennae with multiple sensory functions. Moreover, the internal structure and composition…’

Using the Philosopher’s Stone and his dragon form as databases, Shimun organized the necessary parts for the alchemy.

With the knowledge of human alchemy engraved in his soul, he began to forge it anew.

“Then, the overall internal structure should look like this… The horns should be round, not pointed, to facilitate the free-flowing spirit energy… And the area surrounding the spiritual dragon heart must…”

Countless pieces of knowledge struck Kim Shimun’s mind like thunder, flashing and storming continuously.

Until finally, “Alright!”

Kim Shimun arrived at the final point.

‘The detailed design is complete. Now, I just need to figure out how to create a dragon heart that can hold spirit energy.’

Although the most significant hurdle remained, Kim Shimun’s face was quite bright. For a simple reason.

‘I have the perfect material for this right here.’

Kim Shimun immediately opened his inventory and took out a small orb.

‘A soul core. Using this, I can create a spiritual dragon heart.’

An SS-Rank item, the soul core.

It was originally the core component of the Soul Generator from the Black Forge, and it had been thoroughly cleansed in the previous arena, the ‘River Styx’.

Making it more than sufficient to contain spirit energy.

‘I had originally saved it to use as material for a homunculus. But I can gather materials again later.’

Especially since the field of operating creatures had opened up. Putting out the immediate fire had to be the priority.

Swoosh.

Kim Shimun placed the soul core before the collapsed Kyung and looked at him.

“Kyung, this is going to hurt a lot. Probably more than any pain you’ve ever experienced.”

The process involved restructuring the body while alive.

Of course, it might not hurt, but Kim Shimun couldn’t be certain as this was his first time attempting such a human alchemy.

To Kim Shimun’s low warning,

Kuuuong…

Kyung’s closed eyelids slowly opened. The near-extinguished eyes glared at Kim Shimun, and Kim Shimun could feel it.

‘I don’t care what it takes, as long as I can live.’

Kyung’s tenacity was palpable.

“Alright, I’ll make it as quick as possible.”

Gently caressing Kyung, Shimun took a deep breath and extended his hand towards him.

“Philo, if I miss anything…”

– I got it. I’ll cover it all thoroughly. Trust me.

The cheerfully assertive answer from the Philosopher’s Stone. Kim Shimun gave a satisfied smile and snapped his fingers.

Spark!

Alchemy sparks spread throughout the array.

Soon,

Crackle!

The soul core in front of Kyung’s chest emitted intense sparks.

『Your Alchemy Energy is insufficient to proceed with the alchemization. 』

『To establish the necessary equivalent exchange with the Philosopher’s Stone, 100,000 achievement points are required.』

『Do you accept? (Yes / No)』

The required cost was a staggering 100,000 points.

Ordinarily, Shimun would not hesitate to choose ‘Yes’,

‘After completing the arena earlier, I only have 53,300 points…’

Right now, he only had 53,300 achievement points.

‘This is problematic.’

Biting his lip at the unexpected hurdle.

“That’s right! I have this, don’t I?”

Clapping his hands, Shimun quickly took out a crimson potion from his bag. An object given by the vice-guildmaster Zhang Wanchi of the Mainland Trading Company as an apology.

The DS, Dragon Serum.

‘While the core of this alchemy is the spiritual dragon heart, reconstructing the horns, internal organs, and circuits also significantly affects Kyung’s body.’

And Kyung’s body was, after all, dragon-based. Therefore, DS, which contained the Dragon Lord’s power, would likely be greatly beneficial. As Kim Shimun predicted,

Drizzle.

Pouring the DS content into the array,

『Insufficient alchemy energy to achieve the required alchemy.』

『To establish the necessary equivalent exchange with the Philosopher’s Stone, 50,000 achievement points are required.』

『Do you accept? (Yes / No)』

The required points halved. Although it still required almost all of his achievement points,

“Done!”

Having solved the variable, Shimun clenched his fist, drawing the substituted cost to his fingertips.

Snap.

He snapped his fingers.

Then,

Sparkle!

The alchemy array, imbued with DS, emitted a crimson pillar of light. That pillar engulfed Kyung in its center.

“S-savior!”

“Appa!”

Even enveloping Kim Shimun, but that was all.

Despite being engulfed by the powerful alchemy, Kim Shimun wasn’t affected.

Instead, he stepped forward, “Aah…!”

Overwhelmed with euphoria.

Because, the alchemy energy engulfing him was akin to,

‘This is close to the realm of gods… This too is a kind of truth! A truth that I had no access to until now!’

It was a truth unimaginable to present Kim Shimun.

Realizing that moment,

Chime!

With a clear resonance, the crimson pillar of light turned into a rainbow hue.

『A new dragon has been born.』

『Please name the dragon.』

A series of messages appeared.

Staring at them in a daze,

“Faerie Dragon…”

He mouthed the name that instinctively came to mind.

『The dragon has been named Faerie Dragon.』

『The five constellations observing you rise from their thrones.』

『The constellations of the divine realm are astonished by the sudden creation of life.』

『Constellations of the Ennead are astounded by…』

『Constellations of the Vedas are astounded by…』

『Constellations of the Immortal Realm are…』

A new myth had been born.