Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

『This doesn’t make any sense!!』

A voice that made one’s mind go blank just by listening. A voice filled with astonishment echoed loudly for all to hear. It was understandable.

『My word of power… how could a mortal…!』

The word of power. A form of strength that works as a law unto itself. As befits its abstract form, most of it was effective as a power.

It was one of the main means for a Constellation, those otherwise called gods. Especially for Quetzalcoatl, a Death Constellation.

The word of death he uttered boasted more power than that of other Constellations of the same level. How could a mortal resist?

Moreover,

‘For sure! My word of power definitely took effect!’

Quetzalcoatl’s word of power had certainly taken effect, hadn’t it?

He had clearly seen the effects of death manifesting in Shimun’s eyes and over his entire body.

『Answer me! Mortal!』

Quetzalcoatl’s sharp cry. It was also imbued with the word of death.

Wobble.

Shimun swayed for a moment.

“Feels stiff.”

He just stretched like someone who had awakened from a deep sleep. At this,

‘Yet again. Again!’

Quetzalcoatl’s massive body flinched. Being a Death Constellation, he knew better than anyone else about the attributes of death.

‘For sure, that guy just died.’

Just now, death had definitely filled Kim Shimun’s body. All functions, including his heart and brain, had stopped as if they were dead.

But then,

‘He didn’t revive as an undead. He stood up again as a perfectly normal living being?!’

Quetzalcoatl’s face twisted into a frown.

‘Resurrection, then? But resurrection is something that even higher-ranked entities, no, even Divine-Kings can’t easily do….’

Entities that were still beyond the reach of Constellations.

Yes.

For instance, it would have to be a primordial god like Yahweh, who created the heavens.

However, ‘Even a primordial god can’t perform such a resurrection without any causality or forewarning.’

After all, this was a domain of death established through legitimate procedures and preparation. If a Constellation of a primordial god level had intervened, Quetzalcoatl would have noticed it somehow.

But even that wasn’t the case.

‘At this rate, it’s almost like the concept of death doesn’t apply to this guy!’

Even to himself, the thought seemed nonsensical.

『Ha!』

A hollow laugh escaped him.

‘Is he claiming to be some kind of Death Constellation?’

If so, that would explain this phenomenon. When Death Constellations fought, it was always like this—exchanging meaningless concepts of death.

Just like shooting a water cannon at a water spirit.

As his thoughts reached that point,

『Wait.』

Quetzalcoatl, who had been sneering, suddenly stopped moving.

‘What’s not possible about that? After all, he handles both Astrape and Laevateinn, doesn’t he?’

Although they seemed somewhat degraded, they bore the same intrinsic power as the two artifacts Quetzalcoatl remembered.

That’s not all. Quetzalcoatl had confirmed that through Malik and Marlina, Shimun was using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

‘And before that, he wielded Naglfar, Hel’s ship.’

Not just summoning the ship. He even commanded Hrymr, the captain of Naglfar, and warriors from Helheim.

Considering they were direct subordinates of the Death Constellation, Hel,

『Kim Shimun, it seems you have a close relationship with a Death Constellation, huh.』

Apart from the Divine-Kings being concerned about Shimun, it meant he had ties with another death-related Constellation.

The question was,

『Who is it? Which Death Constellation is supporting you?』

That was the question.

『Even Hades or Osiris couldn’t withstand my word of power.』

To Quetzalcoatl’s inquiry, Shimun only offered a subtle smile.

Of course, ‘As expected. It was wise to avoid necromancy in my battles with Marlina and Malik.’

His inner thoughts were similar.

‘They’d never imagine I have this item.’

Shimun thought of an item lying quietly in his inventory, an item currently exerting its influence.

『Fragment of Tartaros』

Grade: ?

An item gifted to Player Kim Shimun by the Death Constellations.

It has regained its true form through the power of Nyx.

Receives the maximum favor of death.

When Shimun had visited Tartaros with a token of death, the Night Goddess Nyx had restored its original form with her power.

Though it had all but one line of options, its extraordinary performance had been clear back then, and was evident even now.

‘It’s probably not true immortality, but it might work against death-related powers like necromancy or curses….’

Shimun clenched Astrape and Laevateinn.

Immediately, ‘Anyway, in the current situation, I am almost invincible.’

He kicked off from the ground straight away. His target was the altar maintaining Quetzalcoatl’s descent.

Of course, Quetzalcoatl, realizing Shimun’s goal,

『Dare you! Get lost!』

Roared with a thunderous voice.

Flinch.

Maybe it took about two seconds?

Shimun flinched momentarily but then launched himself forward again.

『Die! Die! I said die!!』

Crunch!

Crash.

On top of him, various forms of death-infused words of power and necromancy containing bones and flesh rained down.

However,

Crack.

Shimun, who took them head-on, kept advancing towards the altar like a tank.

『You! Damn it!』

Quetzalcoatl ground his teeth with an enraged face.

‘This bastard! He’s not just resisting my words of power; he’s getting used to them!’

Rather, he took a step further.

Crackle.

Flare!

He started swinging Astrape and Laevateinn with ease. And as befits mythical artifacts,

『Kyaaaak!』

Quetzalcoatl twisted his body, struck by the lightning and flames. A satisfied smile crept over Shimun’s lips.

‘As expected, it works.’

The Astrape and Laevateinn he created were indeed replicas, but their performance was as good as the genuine articles.

‘And on top of that, Quetzalcoatl’s current descent is unstable.’

Quetzalcoatl didn’t have a necromancer to maintain his descent ritual either. Therefore, in terms of sheer attack power, even if his opponent was a Constellation, they were on equal footing.

Or rather,

Burn!

『Ugh! You!!』

Shimun had the overwhelming advantage.

Step!

Shimun, having reached right next to the altar, watched as the black aura protecting the altar burned away under the presence of Astrape and Laevateinn.

Above Shimun’s head,

『If the power of death doesn’t work on you…!』

A violent roar echoed. He lifted his head.

Was it the entrance to hell?

Aaaaah…..

Screams and shapes of countless dead filled Quetzalcoatl’s gaping maw.

『I’ll throw you into my underworld alive!!』

Quetzalcoatl’s enormous mouth plunged down with lightning speed. In a split second, it swallowed Shimun whole.

To be precise, it only swallowed him. Inside Quetzalcoatl’s mouth, made of dark green aura.

Within,

『You are receiving the maximum favor of death.』

『Constellation Quetzalcoatl is summoning you to his underworld.』

『Do you accept the summon? (Yes / No)』

A very courteous message box floated in front of Shimun.

Shimun chuckled.

‘Receiving maximum favor of death allows for something like this?’

He thought it might offer some resistance to forced dimensional travel at best, but to change it into this kind of system format?

‘The Fragment of Tartaros, this is really an insane item.’

With the reaction of Naglfar’s captain Hrymr in the past, it made sense why even Zeus was wary of Nyx, the Goddess of the Night, who handled it. It wasn’t just Shimun who felt this way.

『How, how can you be unharmed?!』

The enormous eyes that appeared within Quetzalcoatl’s mouth were filled with shock. Just how surprising was it?

『You, you! Do you have some kind of spatial ability? Or are you connected to a spatial Constellation as well…?』

Quetzalcoatl’s voice carried a tone of urgency and anxiety. Using his words as background music, Shimun leisurely selected ‘No’.

And then,

Bang!

『Ugh!』

With a strong recoil, Quetzalcoatl’s enormous body was flung into the air. Of course, it wasn’t an actual physical hit. It merely pushed away the mouth that served as the entrance to the underworld.

『This… this is impossible! This cannot happen!!』

Quetzalcoatl screamed, twisting his entire body as if hit by an enormous attack.

Regardless of him,

Sling.

Shimun, gripping Astrape and Laevateinn, headed for the altar.

Then, ‘Wait a moment.’

Shimun stopped just as he was about to attack the altar.

‘If the Fragment of Tartaros can block even a summoning to the underworld… wouldn’t I not need brute force to break that altar?’

Didn’t it already show Constellation-level influence over death-related powers?

If that was the case, its influence should extend to the altar, which was a concentration of death energy. Shimun immediately retracted his weapons.

He approached the altar.

Above him,

『Stop him! Stop that man!!』

Quetzalcoatl’s desperate words of power poured out in succession. The black aura around him transformed into various forms—skeletons, blades, curses—all swarming towards him.

However,

Swish.

Like dandelion seeds carried by the wind, they scattered into the air before even touching Shimun’s skin or hair.

And so, Shimun soon reached the altar and placed his hand on the bone-made structure.

Wooooo….

A mournful wail like that of the dead echoed. Although it was his first time experiencing this phenomenon,

‘This feels similar to Paracelsus’ cauldron. If so…’

Shimun, who had experienced a similar event before,

‘Disintegrate without a trace.’

He pushed his will into the altar skillfully. There was no need to check the result.

『No, stop it!!』

Quetzalcoatl, who had reached above him, let out an incongruous wail. With that signal, a crack appeared in the center of the bone altar.

Crack.

A skull, of unknown origin, started to crack. The cracks swiftly spread through the entire altar.

Crumble.

It collapsed powerlessly. Through the broken gaps,

Spurt!

Green and gray auras burst explosively.

Woosh!

Screeech!

Like tormented souls, specter-like and skeletal auras surged around the area and Shimun.

However, having the Fragment of Tartaros,

『You are receiving the maximum favor of death.』

『You possess an Death stat.』

『You are absorbing death energys.』

Only these friendly message windows appeared in front of Shimun.

Soon,

“Ah……”

Like someone hit by a tranquilizer dart, a short sigh escaped Shimun’s lips.

In fact,

Swish.

Like someone dying and reviving every second, his pupils and entire body repeatedly unfocused and tightened every second. During those brief moments of regained consciousness,

『Absorbing ownerless death energy.』

『Death stat increased by 1.』

『Absorbing ownerless death energy.』

『Death stat increased by 4.』

『Absorbing ownerless death energy…..』

Although the stat increase varied, the same messages repeatedly appeared and disappeared countless times.

『No, this can’t be! My sacrifices!』

Unable to stop Shimun’s absorption of the aura,

『Stop! Stop it, please!!』

Only Quetzalcoatl’s pitiful cries continued without end.

How long had it been?

“Hoo, hoo!”

Shimun barely steadied his breath and regained his senses.

‘I thought I’d really die. How many times did I die?’

Since the aura was meant to be sacrificed to the Constellation, just being exposed to it, was equivalent to withstanding words of death.

Having endured that several times, even for Shimun wielding the Fragment of Tartaros, it was inevitably burdensome.

Of course, that burden dissipated quickly.

『You have obtained a total of 100 death stats.』

『Death Stat is bound to your Alchemy Energy.』

『Converting to Alchemy Energy, Alchemy Energy increased by 50.』

It was due to the unbelievable messages that appeared before his eyes.

“Awesome!”

A spontaneous exclamation burst out.

‘Gaining 50 alchemy energy at once! Even during the purification of Shimdrasil, it wasn’t like this!’

Considering it was bound stats and thus halved, the total acquired death stat was indeed 100.

Even if converted purely to levels, it was 100 levels.

In other words, it was akin to achieving 100 levels in one go.

However, Shimun couldn’t afford to bask in the exhilaration of this enormous reward.

『Unauthorized Constellation intervention confirmed.』

『Earth NO. 274 is currently an unregulated arena.』

『Immediately expelling the Constellation Quetzalcoatl.』

With the notification from the Galaxy Arena that both Shimun and Quetzalcoatl could see, the expulsion began.

A hole appeared in the air. It resembled a black hole of the universe.

Whirr!

Ruthlessly, the hole began sucking in Quetzalcoatl’s massive body.

『This is an inappropriate action! Galaxy Arena! My true body hasn’t even crossed over, and I haven’t obtained any energy from Earth!』

Quetzalcoatl resisted with all his might, shouting desperately. He gripped the edges of the open space with his feathered wings and glared at Shimun.

『It’s him! He’s the one who absorbed everything!』

However,

『The player in question is a member of Earth NO. 274.』

『The issues you raised is not relevant.』

The Galaxy Arena’s tone was strictly businesslike.

In fact, it went further.

『Such an ‘unauthorized contact’ should never have happened in the first place.』

『Constellation Quetzalcoatl and the involved dimension will face severe sanctions.』

『If you do not comply, protection rights will be revoked for violating Galactic Law, and the dimension will be indefinitely designated as an ‘arena-exclusive stage.’』”

The Galaxy Arena’s rare emotional response was apparent.

At that,

『How can this be…!』

A look of defeat settled on Quetzalcoatl’s massive face. Shimun, too, stared at the Galaxy Arena’s warning with a grim expression. Particularly, his gaze was fixed on the content of the last message.

‘Revocation of protection rights…’

Focused on the part about the revocation of protection rights. It was understandable.

‘Before the regression, Earth received a notification just like this one.’

Before Malsuk brought him the elixir, a notification about the revocation of Earth’s protection rights had popped up in front of him while he was in the lab.

Although the reasons were quite different back then,

‘At that time, the notice stated that the holder of the Constellation qualification had died.’

Namely, his brother Kim Shihyuk’s death, resulting in the revocation of the arena’s protection rights.

Also,

‘Indefinite designation as an arena-exclusive stage means continuous outbreaks until the dimension’s destruction.’

Ultimately, it meant that the dimension was doomed, much like in his previous life.

In fact, it was even worse.

As expected,

『This is too harsh! It’s far from the fairness you supposedly uphold!』

Knowing this well, Quetzalcoatl protested in stark contrast to his earlier demeanor. At that,

『Objections can be formally raised after the sanctions are imposed….』

The Galaxy Arena’s cold reply was about to follow,

“Wait a moment.”

A clear voice interjected into the conversation.

Shimun, raising his hand, spoke while looking at the floating message.

“As the victim of this incident, why is the Galaxy Arena handling the punishment unilaterally?”

『Player Kim Shimun, it’s because you and your dimension have suffered….』

“That’s exactly my point.”

Interrupting the Galaxy Arena’s reply,

“Earth has already suffered enough damage. Now that the situation is over, you suddenly appear and rush to expel and punish?”

『There seems to be a misunderstanding. Constellation Quetzalcoatl thoroughly concealed the incident using the Feathered Serpent’s formation….』

“That’s your perspective.”

Even before the Galaxy Arena’s explanation ended, Shimun waved his hand dismissively.

‘How can a mere player speak to the Galaxy Arena like that?’

Quetzalcoatl’s eyes widened in disbelief, but that was all.

“Expulsion and punishment are secondary. Shouldn’t compensation for this side’s damages come first? Handling it this way seems like you’re sweeping it under the rug.”

『That is absolutely not the case.』

The unusual turn in the conversation made Quetzalcoatl fall silent.

“Is it really not? This isn’t the first time this has happened. It was the same during the last guild war.”

『That’s….』

“You have nothing to say? I won’t hold back this time. I know many Constellations.”

『We sincerely apologize for that part once again.』

“Then, before discussing punishment, let’s resolve the compensation for the damages here first. Do you have any objections?”

『No objections. We will proceed according to your demands.』

A mortal halting the Galaxy Arena’s execution.

‘… What kind of person is this guy?’

Quetzalcoatl was left in a daze, mouth agape.