Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

A pitch-black world. Gradually, it cleared away. A desert of ocher and gold comes into view.

Wheee.

Ocher and golden sands are carried by a harsh, barren wind, but that’s all. Shimun’s gaze is fixed on just one spot. And for good reason.

‘Where is this…?’

A structure so vast that the word ‘gigantic’ falls short. It seemed as though an entire massive city from Earth had been transported here, strangely enough.

Vroom.

It was filled with beams of light spreading out like a spider web in various colors.

Then.

‘Ugh!’

Shimun’s vision rapidly expands. More accurately, Shimun himself was moving forward at a high speed. As if becoming one of those beams spreading throughout the structure.

Swish!

Shimun swiftly traverses the intricate paths and reached the very center of the structure. A place resembling a light-based furnace.

Where all the beams converged.

‘My God… what is this energy…?’

Before he could even be amazed at the indescribable amount of energy,

Buzz!

Like being shot out by a rocket. Soaring into the sky, piercing through the clouds.

Soon after.

He was drawn into a floating structure with a pointed lower end. Finally, his dizzying vision came to rest.

Then.

“Hm. It’s somewhat successful.”

Instead of the ringing in his ears, he heard a man’s voice. Or should it be called a woman’s voice?

A gender-neutral voice was heard. Turning to look.

“He is still a bit unstable, but this should be sufficient, not only as an Awakening Elixir but also as a power source here.”

A figure wearing a mask of either silver or gold was speaking while looking in this direction. Beyond that.

“No. That can’t be.”

A familiar silhouette approached. A broad head and a dragonkin body.

It was a top-rank dragonkin, a Cobran.

The only difference from the ones met earlier at Huaguo Mountain was.

“Something with so many uncertainties cannot be used as the power source of this sacred place.”

Thud.

With each step, small tremors echoed. This Cobran was exceptionally large. Even though the masked figure, similar in height to Golem Choi Changwook, was nearly 2 meters tall, “This eternal reactor powers the entire dragon realm.”

The giant Cobran was nearly 7 meters tall. His voice, too, was unusual, almost monstrous.

“You’re surprisingly calm.”

Displaying no fear, “Eternal Reactor, a fundamental source of power throughout dimensions, is cowed by a mere Devil fragment?”

The masked figure shrugged his shoulders and made a mocking statement.

“Watch your mouth.”

With a fierce aura matching his 7-meter frame, the Cobran brought down a giant fist next to the masked figure.

Bang!

What was amazing was. Even though the floor of this place was glass with the energy visible from below. There wasn’t a single crack.

Yet Shimun’s attention wasn’t drawn to the durability of this structure.

Of course, not.

‘That person…’

The masked figure, unfazed by the Cobran’s intimidation. The atmosphere and the energy coming from him were exactly like.

‘Just like Lucifer, isn’t he?’

The master of the Ars Teurugia. He was identical to Lucifer.

Immediately.

‘I understand now.’

Shimun realized.

That masked figure was.

‘Solomon?’

The one Lucifer was so furious about. Proving it.

“Solomon. Though Lord Apophis favors you, such insolence is unacceptable here.”

The huge Cobran uttered the name Solomon.

“I didn’t mean to be insolent. I was just somewhat… disappointed.”

“You wretch! Until the end!”

The Cobran growled in a harsh tone. But possibly due to Apophis’s favor, the giant Cobran restrained himself from further action.

“Haha. It was a joke. Calm down and let’s finish our task.”

With a smooth smile under the mask, Solomon then extended his hand forward.

Specifically, towards Shimun.

Buzz.

With a small sound,

‘Ugh!’

A strange pressure pulled Shimun. He was gradually being drawn into Solomon’s grasp.

“It may still be insufficient as a power source, but… It’s effective as an Awakening Elixir.”

Solomon covered Shimun’s view. That is, the Devil Energy extracted from the reactor with his other hand.

“With this, the prototype is complete. We’ll proceed with further improvements and mass production. Ah! Along with alternatives for the power source.”

With those words ending, the scene before him vanished into darkness. Shimun floated in the void, similar to the arena’s waiting room.

He nodded slowly.

‘The residual memory the system mentioned… is this.’

The memory lingering in the Devil Energy mentioned in the message. That must be the scene he’d just witnessed.

‘I was disappointed when the Devil Energy only granted 1 stat…… Unexpectedly, I gained useful information.’

The Eternal Reactor and Solomon. Both pieces of information were incredibly valuable at this point.

Especially,

‘The Eternal Reactor… It seems like a major facility managed by the three Dragon Lords.’

It was likely certain. The endless desert. Considering the massive structure and the concentrated energy in that terrain.

Hence,

‘Once the Cradle of Indulgence is dealt with, I should aim for that place.’

Gathering information about a facility that ranks second after the Cradle of Indulgence. At that moment,

“Solomon, that damned bastard…”

A sudden voice was heard.

Turning his head.

“How dare he use my Devil Energy… What the hell is he scheming!!”

A black-haired boy with mismatched blue and red eyes appeared out of nowhere. Lucifer was shouting in anger.

Then,

“Hey Kim Shimun! No, Shimun hyung! You saw it too, right?”

Lucifer turned his head sharply towards Shimun.

Rushing over, “Do you see the crap that damned guy is doing?”

With blazing eyes, he continued, “As the true successor of the Devil Energy, shouldn’t you take down that wretch? Huh?”

Still enraged, but with somewhat odd content, he kept talking.

“……”

Shimun looked at Lucifer quietly.

“Take down?”

He muttered in a flat tone.

“Yeah! What kind of power is an Devil Energy? To be used merely as a power source for the Dragon Race…”

Lucifer nodded vigorously and was about to continue his chatter.

Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功).

Strike (擊) Supreme Emperor’s Demolition Fist (覇皇碎).

Wielding condensed demonic energy.

“I should start with dealing with you.”

Shimun punched straight out. Lucifer didn’t expect a punch to come flying.

Thwack!

Lucifer, who had been chattering, got smacked squarely on the forehead. However, as expected from a heavenly being.

Even though he got hit by the Demolition Fist-infused punch, he merely clutched the struck area.

“… That hurts.”

Lucifer complained about the pain with an entirely un-pained expression. Regardless of his bland reaction, “I hit you to make it hurt. You cheeky brat. What’s with calling 1 stat ‘minuscule’?”

Shimun spoke with a refreshed expression.

“Hehe! I wasn’t exactly wrong, was I?”

Lucifer answered with a sly smile, clearly aware of the fact. Contemplating whether to give Lucifer another smack, “Anyway, you saw it too, but Solomon has deep ties with the Dragon Race, right?”

Lucifer’s voice grew somewhat serious. Unlike before, his playful demeanor was nowhere to be seen.

“Considering the confluences of interests, wouldn’t you want to help me out?”

Lucifer spoke with a rather darkened face.

Shimun pondered for a moment and then, “No.”

Shook his head.

“Why nooo!”

Lucifer’s protest came out immediately.

“You granted that blasted monkey Sun Wukong’s request without hesitation!”

He brought up the quest given by Sun Wukong at the Five Elements Mountain in a previous dimension.

“That was a quest, and what you’re asking is just a favor.”

Shimun calmly retorted.

“I’m a player. I don’t move without quests.”

To be precise, ‘With the regular arena starting, I’ll be busy. I can’t afford to take on more tasks.’

He simply didn’t have the luxury to handle other matters.

Moreover, “I pondered a lot about Sun Wukong’s quest too. If he hadn’t given part of the reward in advance, I wouldn’t have accepted it.”

Just like with Belial’s quest before, Didn’t Sun Wukong also give part of the reward in advance?

Recalling the pre-reward from Sun Wukong carefully stored in his inventory, “So, I can’t accept your favor. I don’t have the luxury.”

Shimun shook his head firmly.

At that,

“……”

Lucifer crossed his arms. Deep in thought with a grave expression.

Moments later, “Alright!”

He nodded with a serious look.

“Then I’ll commission it as a quest.”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said I don’t have the luxury…”

“No, listen. You’ll go to the Eternal Reactor anyway, right? Isn’t that so?”

Lucifer’s uncharacteristically serious demeanor made Shimun hear him out, “…… I suppose I will.”

Shimun silently listened to him.

“In that case, while you’re there, just find any clue or traces related to Solomon. I won’t ask for more.”

Shimun observed Lucifer in silence. In reality, ‘If it’s just that… I will be going there anyway, so it’s not bad.’

Given that he would visit there anyway, if it’s offered as a quest, tackling it alongside wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Furthermore, “And I’ll give part of the reward in advance, too.”

Lucifer even offered to give part of the reward in advance.

Then.

“What can you offer?”

Shimun asked softly. Lucifer’s previously serious face suddenly.

“Your quest from Belial was to retrieve the Sin of Lust’s Seed, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I…”

He wore his usual cunning smile.

*

Korea Awakener Association.

Like a governmental administrative organization, this was where all administrative tasks for every player in Korea were performed.

Right now, the place was bustling.

“Yes! We’ve listed all the top players in each rank!”

“We’re contacting each player individually, from Platinum to Rankers!”

“We’re sending cooperation letters to all the domestic guilds without exception.”

It was an unusually hectic day. And receiving all these reports was a middle-aged man with a stern demeanor.

“Got it. I’ll check the rest myself. You may go now.”

“Yes, President!”

Chairman Kim Muyeol dismissed his subordinates, shuffling through documents at a speed far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Though his swift pace of work was remarkable, the 2-meter man standing beside him, Golem Choi Changwook, remained next to Kim Muyeol like a statue.

Soon.

“Whew.”

Letting out a brief sigh, Kim Muyeol tossed the last document aside.

“Choi Changwook. Is this all he requested?”

With his head leaning on the chair, covering his eyes with his hand, he asked.

“That’s all Shimun-nim conveyed. He mentioned he would discuss the rest in person at the association.”

“Then why isn’t he here yet?”

“He said he had some work to finish up before coming, didn’t he?”

“When?”

“Excuse me?”

Choi Changwook answered his question with another question, perplexed.

After all, “I reported Shimun-nim’s update directly to you earlier… Don’t you remember?”

Hadn’t he made this report well before dealing with the current tasks?

However, “Ah, right.”

With a small sigh, Kim Muyeol nodded, as if he genuinely didn’t recall.

“You seem quite fatigued lately… Should we postpone the meeting with Shimun-nim?”

Choi Changwook asked with a hint of concern.

“No, it’s fine.”

Kim Muyeol shook his head immediately.

“He’s already here.”

He looked towards the entrance. At that moment, the door to the chairman’s office swung open.

“Sorry I’m late. Something unexpected came up.”

Shimun, the one responsible for creating this commotion, entered. Then, as usual, “Is this the list I mentioned?”

Shimun began flipping through the documents on Kim Muyeol’s desk. Choi Changwook glanced at Shimun, but immediately looked back at Kim Muyeol who was staring at Shimun intently.

“Yes, as you requested, we’ve extracted the records of all top-ranked players up to Rankers, based on recent arena activities.”

“All of them?”

“It may not be 100% accurate since it’s based on the arena broadcast schedule, but we’ve confirmed the accuracy through individual contacts.”

“Hmm, then it should be correct.”

Unless they completely skipped broadcasting from the very beginning, since they neither started nor stopped broadcasting halfway.

Shimun flicked through the documents.

“We can discuss the rest gradually, but let’s start with this.”

“As expected, you have information about the regular arena.”

“Yes, well, after participating in various arenas, I’ve inevitably picked up some knowledge…”

Shimun’s voice gradually trailed off. The reason was simple.

“Uncle, do you have something to say to me?”

From the moment he’d stepped into the chairman’s office, Kim Muyeol had been staring at him intensively, almost piercingly so.

Was it just his imagination or was he really thinking about something?

At Shimun’s question, Kim Muyeol seemed momentarily surprised, his lips slightly parting.

“… Why do you think that?”

He spoke in an awkward tone.

“Well, you’ve been staring at me this whole time. Naturally, I thought you had something to say.”

Shimun replied with a faint laugh. Then, “Are you tired? It does look like you have a lot of work judging by all the documents.”

Shimun’s gaze turned toward the stacks of documents piled high.

“If you’re tired, Uncle, you should take a break. I can discuss things with Secretary Choi…”

Before Shimun could finish his sentence,

“No, that’s unnecessary.”

Kim Muyeol replied immediately. In an apparent attempt to pull himself together, he took out a cigarette from his pocket.

As Choi Changwook, who was standing beside him, naturally moved to light it, “Seriously, do that outside.”

Shimun clicked his tongue. Kim Muyeol halted immediately. He stared at the cigarette for a moment, then asked, “… Do you dislike cigarettes?”

“Of course. Have you ever seen me smoke?”

Though Shimun’s response made Kim Muyeol flinch slightly, Shimun was too focused on the documents to notice.

Moreover, “Why don’t you smoke?”

Kim Muyeol asked with an inexplicable look in his eyes.

“That’s a strange question. Let me ask you, why should I smoke?”

“Well…”

“In our family, you’re the only one who smokes, Uncle.”

At this, Kim Muyeol’s expression shifted.

“I’m the only one…”

He muttered and tapped his cigarette.

Then, “I guess you’re right. Without experiencing it firsthand, one wouldn’t know. It’s indeed a nonsensical…”

He mumbled incomprehensibly to himself.

“Why did you request these documents?”

Returning to his usual demeanor, Kim Muyeol asked.-Shimun glanced at Choi Changwook with a puzzled look.

‘Why is he acting like this?’

‘I’m not sure either.’

Choi Changwook responded with a confused look as well.

With a faint laugh, Shimun answered, “It’s about the first event arena that will open after being integrated into the regular arena.”

“Event arena?”

“Yes, it’s a kind of tournament. By continent…”

At that moment, a ringing sound came from Choi Changwook’s pocket.

“Sorry about this.”

While he apologized and moved to turn off his phone, he noticed the caller and quickly answered.

“Is that true?”

His tone was laced with surprise.

Given that Golem Choi Changwook rarely showed such emotions, both Shimun and Kim Muyeol looked at him with curiosity.

“Choi Changwook, what’s happening?”

Shimun and Kim Muyeol stared at him with puzzled eyes.

“It’s from the international department…”

Choi Changwook began, his face tense.

“Some of the ranking players and promising talents from various Asian countries have recently been found dead.”

Both Shimun’s and Kim Muyeol’s expressions turned grim.

TL’s Corner:

Sin Bell of Lust -> Sin of Lust’s Seed
Continental and the dragons are making a move.