Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

Clink.

Click.

Familiar sounds of mechanical arms and golems at work.

Along with that,

『You have successfully cleared the Main Arena ‘Nemean Valley.’』

『The bound trait ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ receives a certain amount of experience points.』

『Level has increased by 30.』

『Philosopher’s Stone level has increased by 25.』

『You have received ‘Nemean Lion’s Hide’ as a clear reward.』

The rewards from the Main Arena appeared before Shimun’s eyes.

His eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the rewards.

“A level up by 30…”

Before he could fully express his amazement.

-OMG!!

A familiar voice was heard. Was it that excited?

-Oppa!! I just leveled up by 25 in one go! Is this for real?

The eyeball in the flask—the Philosopher’s Stone—flew swiftly to Shimun, blinking its large eye repeatedly.

“I’m staggered, too, having leveled up by 30.”

-I knew we got a growth buff from the Outbreak rewards, but feeling it firsthand is amazing!

“That’s true, but…”

Shimun subtly trailed off.

Then,

Smack!

-Ouch!

Giving the Philosopher’s Stone a light smack, Shimun spoke sternly.

“You’re always around Shiyeon, but still don’t mind your language?”

-Seriously! Oppa! This is what everyone uses nowadays… Ouch!

Before it could finish speaking, the Philosopher’s Stone was smacked again. Whether from pain or shock, it blinked its large eyes tearfully, but that was it.

-Okay, fine! I’ll be careful, geez!

It covered its head with a mechanical arm that appeared out of nowhere.

‘It didn’t say it wouldn’t do it at all, though.’

Despite its attempts to sneakily glance at Shimun, leaving some room for itself,

“Be careful around Shiyeon.”

Shimun smiled, pretending not to notice.

Then,

『You have completed Constellation Ra’s mission.』

『You have received 10,000 achievement points.』

『Constellation Ra is registered in the title ‘Chosen by the Constellations.’』

『The conditions for the title ‘Chosen by the Constellations’ have been updated.』

Along with Ra’s mission rewards, the title ‘Chosen by the Constellations’ was updated.

Shimun immediately checked the title.

『Chosen by the Constellations』 – Renewable

You are garnering the interest of high-ranked constellations.

As their interest grows, so too will your future.

-All Stats +6

-The options are updated each time you receive sponsorship from a high-ranked Constellation.

Registered Constellations: Zeus, Black Goat, Heavenly Demon, Odin, Baal, Ra

‘My stats have increased by +6.’

Considering the efficiency of a single stat in alchemy energy, which affects a total of five other stats including itself, this was a significant upgrade.

‘On top of that, earning 10,000 achievement points… this is excellent.’

Shimun, wearing a satisfied smile, then saw a new notification in front of him.

『You have cleared the ‘Main Arena’ as the first person on Earth.』

『You have received 500,000 achievement merit points as a reward.』

『Your achievement merit points have reached a certain milestone.』

『‘+1 Health Stat’ has been added to the Achievement Shop.』

『The ‘+1 Strength Stat’ option in the Achievement Shop has been upgraded to ‘+2 Strength Stat.’』

『The ‘+1 Random Stat’ option in the Achievement Shop has been upgraded to ‘+2 Random Stat.’』

More rewards followed for being the first to achieve this milestone.

This time, instead of achievement points, it was achievement merit points.

“Wow!”

Shimun’s eyes gleamed brightly.

And with good reason.

‘The stat options in the Achievement Shop have already improved!’

The +1 options had been upgraded to +2.

‘It must be because I earned 500,000 points in one go.’

Considering that high-rankers in his past life leveraged the stat sales in the Achievement Shop, this was a huge advantage, especially before the start of the regular arena.

‘I’ve also earned a lot of achievement points this time. I should try my luck with the gacha later.’

Smiling contentedly, Shimun turned his attention back to the reward window.

“By the way, the growth buff really makes a difference.”

Combining the Ukraine Outbreak rewards and the World Tree buff, he had .a staggering 80% experience gain and a 160% stat growth rate.

‘With such high percentages, my alchemy energy didn’t grow much, but the experience gain is unbelievable.’

Shimun himself had leveled up by 30, and the Philosopher’s Stone had leveled up by 25. Considering both had gained 55 levels in one arena venture, even accounting for the Main Arena, this was an astonishing level-up rate.

Moreover,

‘I’m now in the diamond tier, nearing level 200, where leveling up gets increasingly harder.’

It’s a stage where even a good performance might struggle to net 5 levels. Evidently, Shimun wasn’t the only one thinking this.

-Oppa, we should focus on arenas as much as possible while the buff lasts.

The floating Philosopher’s Stone chimed in.

“Yes, we need to focus on arenas as much as possible during this period.”

Shimun nodded in agreement. And by leveling up significantly,

“Both for the upcoming regular arena and to challenge the Cradle of Indulgence soon.”

-Oh right, you did get Vrtra’s invitation, didn’t you?

Shimun had obtained Vrtra’s invitation from Constellation Belial during his previous debut quest.

-Yeah, the security will be much tighter there compared to the Black Forge.

“Exactly.”

Like the Black Forge that managed the Draconian war supplies, the Cradle of Indulgence was also a key facility for entertaining the elite.

Given the partial destruction of the Black Forge, it was obvious security would be tighter.

‘I do have the Kezhalcoatl’s Ritual as an ace, but ultimately, my strength is the key to pulling it off.’

He needed to create the necessary conditions for the ritual himself. With Belial’s quest requiring items from within the Cradle of Indulgence,

‘I need to grow even stronger.’

Becoming stronger than he was now was essential.

Therefore,

“This is exciting.”

He felt anticipation. The item that had complemented Go Malsuk’s only weakness from his previous life—her reckless nature.

-The Nemean Lion Hide, right? Haha! It’s my first time seeing it in person too!

Indeed, the Nemean Lion Hide.

Shimun immediately reached into his inventory.

With his hand,

Swish.

He pulled out a platinum-colored hide, perfectly tanned from head to mane, and down to the tail, as if it had been peeled right off a lion. In appearance, it looked exactly like the Nemean Lion he had just faced.

“Is this the size I expected?”

When fully spread out, it measured around 2 meters, the size of an ordinary male lion. It was slightly larger but close in size to Shimun, who was in his Dragonoid form.

Gently brushing through the mane part of the hide, ‘In my past life, Malsuk made martial armor from this.’

Desiring minimal encumbrance, Go Malsuk, who hated even light leather armor, never wore anything heavier than simple clothes.

However, recognizing that everything in life has its pair, she created armor from the Nemean Lion Hide she obtained and wore it until their last farewell in the previous life.

Therefore,

‘Honestly, I’d like to give it to Malsuk for armor like in my past life…’

But for now, he had to focus on his own needs.

‘Well, I’ll grow stronger using this and then make her a new one.’

After all, he had the Philosopher’s Stone’s all-purpose crafting ability. Shrugging, Shimun checked the information window of the hide.

『Nemean Lion Hide』

Grade: X

The hide of the lion that ruled the Nemean Valley.

Possesses immunity that defies imagination.

-When crafted, physical resistance increases from a minimum of 50% to a maximum of 99%.

-When crafted, magical resistance increases from a minimum of 50% to a maximum of 99%.

-When crafted, divine resistance increases from a minimum of 50% to a maximum of 99%.

And then,

“What the heck…”

He couldn’t help but let out a sigh of astonishment.

‘Even though I’d heard about it from Malsuk in my previous life, this is really… insane.’

A 99% resistance rate was a very simple yet utterly ridiculous option.

Of course,

‘Crafting it well is essential to get close to the maximum option…’

There was a risk of ending up with a 50% resistance rate.

But even that,

‘Even if it lands at the minimum of 50%, it’s still a significant amount.’

It means that no matter how powerful the attack, it would be reduced by half. This alone makes it a tremendously overpowered option, and from his personal experience in dealing with the Nemean Lion.

‘Resistance to divine powers. That option was extremely rare even in my previous life. To see it at a 99% value is incredible.’

Divine resistance.

This valuable option allows even players without a patron Constellation to hold their own against those with one.

Recognizing the value of the hide, the Philosopher’s Stone nuzzled its face into the lion’s mane,

-Mmm! Go wild and land between 50% and 99%!!

it moaned bizarrely, shivering.

Gently picking up the Philosopher’s Stone between his thumb and forefinger and setting it aside, Shimun said,

“Let’s take a look…”

He tapped the Nemean Lion Hide with his fingers.

‘The martial armor Malsuk wore in the past had an 82% resistance rate, if I recall correctly.’

That armor was crafted by the top-ranked artisan Robert Redmain, once hailed as the god of production, coerced into making it with the threat of his life. The armor’s resistance value was 82%.

Robert, whose life was threatened during its creation, must have put his all into it.

‘Even the best artisan in my previous life, working under duress, an 82% rate…’

But right now, could there possibly be a craftsman capable of crafting the Nemean Lion Hide to have a resistance rate above 90%?

Shimun shook his head lightly.

‘No chance.’

Considering how rare the divine resistance option was even in the regular arena,

“There’s probably no one who can craft this right now.”

At this moment, there was likely no craftsman capable of successfully crafting the Nemean Lion Hide.

However, ‘I don’t want to just sit on this until the regular arena.’

Moreover, there was no guarantee he’d achieve an option value higher than the 82% that Malsuk had achieved. And waiting that long wasn’t a viable option either.

‘In the end, it’s more efficient to use it while I can…’

Resting his chin in his hand, Shimun stared intently at the Nemean Lion Hide.

Then, “Wait a minute.”

A spark of realization lit up in his eyes.

“This is… leather, right?”

Most primary materials for armor are minerals. But the soft texture in Shimun’s hand was undoubtedly leather. In other words, it was the skin of a once-living organism.

This means,

‘Leather is also a part of a living creature.’

It’s been tanned to prevent decay, but it’s still a ‘part of a living creature.’

‘Then, could it be feasible to integrate it using alchemy?’

If integrating the features of other races stably was possible, then Shimun could also handle this.

“Let’s give it a try.”

Shimun closed his eyes immediately.

“Philo!”

He called out to the Philosopher’s Stone at once.

In response,

-Yes!

The Philosopher’s Stone, reading his thoughts, instantly drew upon the power of the Obsidian Tablet.

‘Don’t overthink this. Just like when I first got the Dragonoid traits.’

Remembering how he had reinterpreted and reassembled the characteristic ‘Dragonification’ into enhanced human alchemy, he activated Odin’s Eye while recalling the Dragonoid process.

‘Let’s start by understanding the structure of the hide.’

He quickly analyzed the structure of the Nemean Lion Hide.

‘The internal tissue structure is like this…’

His mind raced with the knowledge from the Obsidian Tablet.

Buzz!

-Oppa, I’ve finished the analysis.

Odin’s Eye and the Philosopher’s Stone supported his effort. Using all the information, Shimun immersed himself in the existence called ‘Nemean Lion Hide.’

‘Overall, it’s merely an exceptional beast. But this ridiculous resistance… is beyond my reach. So I’ll integrate it as is, without impairing its ability…’

The familiar sounds of mechanical arms and golems gradually ceased.

In a world where nothing else existed or mattered besides the Nemean Lion Hide, he distinguished what could and couldn’t be changed, redesigning and restructuring it repeatedly until it reached a viable form.

And finally,

‘This is it.’

The moment he reached a level where no further adjustments were possible,

“Philo.”

-Yes.

Maximizing the power of the Obsidian Tablet, from the center of Shimun’s chest, where the Philosopher’s Stone resided, dark purple tendrils extended out.

Swish.

As he touched the Nemean Lion Hide, he melted it smoothly, Enveloping Shimun’s entire body in a sinister dark purple light.

whoosh!

Yet, there was no characteristic warp of the void or accompanying pain.

“Ah.”

Instead, an indescribable sensation tickled his brain, or perhaps his soul.

Shimun knew this feeling all too well.

‘Ars Magna…’

The Great Truth. It was the same sensation as when he first realized Ars Magna Fusion.

Buzz…

However, this time, something felt missing, as if part of the experience was incomplete.

Shimun immediately understood the reason.

‘My understanding of this truth… is still insufficient.’

A lack of complete realization?

The overwhelming truth before him was something he still didn’t fully grasp. It wasn’t surprising.

‘My primary focus was on the Nemean Lion Hide.’

The reason he delved into this realm was to utilize the Nemean Lion Hide, not to comprehend the Great Truth. Naturally, his understanding was lacking.

However, Shimun didn’t feel particularly disappointed.

‘Having once touched upon it, reaching it again won’t take long.’

The fragment of the Great Truth he glimpsed would not simply vanish.

‘For now, let’s focus on my goal: the Nemean Lion Hide.’

Quickly composing his emotions, even if it was incomplete, he entrusted himself to the Great Truth he had touched.

Then,

『Your alchemy energy is insufficient to achieve the required alchemy.』

『To establish the necessary equivalent exchange with the Philosopher’s Stone, 80,000 achievement points are required.』

『Do you accept? (Yes / No)』

The high equivalent cost of 80,000 points appeared before him.

‘At least the realization reduced it by 20,000 points?’

Instinctively realizing that the original cost was 100,000 achievement points, he smirked and selected ‘Yes’.

Snap.

Then, with a graceful flick of his fingers,

『Nemean Lion Hide is being reinterpreted under the principles of Human Alchemy.』

『The knowledge of Human Alchemy is incomplete.』

『Using high-level Human Alchemy, obsidian Tablet’s completion rate increases by 5%.』

『Nemean Lion Hide is reinterpreted to 65% with Obsidian Tablet’s completeness.』

『The Dragonoid trait successfully absorbs the ‘Nemean Lion Hide.’』

As the messages flowed,

『Constellation Black Goat laughs uproariously, ‘Kya ha ha ha!! My dear child! You actually managed to consume that!’』

『Constellations Baal and Heavenly Demon nod with satisfaction.』

『Constellations Zeus, Odin, and Ra look at you with approval.』

Crack!

Concluding with the enthusiastic reactions of the constellations, Shimun’s entire body twisted more violently than ever.

*

Step, step.

In a building in Gangnam, a mildly intimidating group entered, armed and prepared.

Despite this being the Korean branch of American Dream, one of the world’s top guilds, their steps were unimpeded as they strode inside.

Bang!

Finally, without bothering to knock, they roughly opened the door to the branch manager’s office.

“You’re here?”

There, a blonde woman, Olivia Denson, greeted them as she always did, with a businesslike face.