Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

Chapter 39. Foundation (1)

TL: xLordFifth
ED/PR: The reader

Kim Shimun immediately opened his status window.

[Status Window]

Title: Pioneer of Alchemy (+3 others)

System: Magic

Level: 30

Affiliation: South Korea

Strength: 6 (+3)

Agility: 6 (+3)

Stamina: 7 (+3)

Alchemy Energy: 33 (+3)

Demonic Energy: 18

Remaining Stats: 8

Owned Traits – Philosopher’s Stone (E), Stigma

Achievement Points – 9,500

Despite quickly reaching level 30 due to overwhelmingly clearing the arenas each time, Kim Shimun’s gaze was fixed on one thing.

“It’s the real Stigma……”

The Stigma existed prominently among his traits.

It was exactly the same as the one he saw in his brother Shihyuk’s status window.

But Kim Shimun wasn’t the only one surprised.

-What? Stigma? Did you say Stigma?

A voice booming from the center of his chest. Seemingly excited.

The Philosopher’s Stone was not only trembling vocally, but its physical form at the chest was also quivering.

-Let me see! Oh… It really is.

Followed by a despaired voice.

-These damned fools. What in the world are they thinking?

The Philosopher’s Stone seemed quite confused, and to that, Kim Shimun asked with a puzzled look.

“Philosopher’s Stone, you seem to know something about this, right?”

-No, I don’t know the ins and outs of the Galaxy Arena well either. But suddenly giving away a Stigma like this… I just thought there must be a hidden agenda.

“Hm. I’m also somewhat skeptical about that part.”

Kim Shimun rested his chin on his hand while looking at the alchemy workbench where elixirs were being matured.

“As far as I know, Stigma is supposed to be a unique-ranked trait.”

-Right. I can’t tell you the details due to restrictions, but it’s supposed to be one of a kind in this world.

“Right?”

Then what could the intention be behind releasing two of such unique traits?

‘Come to think of it, there has been a lot of talk about councils and meetings.’

Galaxy Arena had consistently informed him several times about the discussions regarding him.

‘Personally, I thought some sort of restriction would come into place considering my abilities…’

It’s funny to say this myself, but. Creating mythic-grade items through alchemy, and achieving most alchemic creations with just a flick of his fingers, even Kim Shimun himself found his abilities to be somewhat overpowered.

Of course, considering aspects like completion or achievement points, it wasn’t without restrictions. But he thought its potential was incomparable to any other trait. However,

‘Restrictions aside, they gave me another trait? And a unique-ranked one at that?’

The Galaxy Arena, known for strictly managing its internal regulations.

Breaking the value of a unique rank, which was supposed to be unparalleled, by giving away a Stigma?

Well, up to this point, it could somehow be understandable.

Given the irregular actions he has taken in the arena so far.

But, “Philosopher’s Stone, can you answer just one thing for me?”

There was one thing he couldn’t just let go of.

-What is it? Depending on what you ask, I might know.

“This trait called Stigma, it has something to do with qualifying for the Constellation, right?”

Kim Shimun remembered clearly. Before regression. The day when the protection of Galaxy Arena was revoked.

[Verification of the death of the Constellation Qualification Holder.]

[There is no longer a reason to proceed with the Arena in NO. 274 Earth.]

[Completely terminating the Arena in NO. 274 Earth.]

The system had definitely sent such messages.

It was likely a message sent to all players remaining on Earth, as Maruk had said.

-Yeah, right… Ah! Those damn… They give it and then prevent talking about it!

The Philosopher’s Stone suddenly erupted in anger.

-Sorry, oppa. I can’t give you an answer. However, I can tell you this much. With Stigma, it becomes impossible to become a sponsored candidate of another Constellation.

At those words, Kim Shimun smiled slightly.

“That’s enough for me.”

With just that answer, he had already found what he was looking for.

However, ‘Considering the events before regression, including those blood-red eyes. Stigma must have been the trait that Zhang Liqiu so desperately wanted.’

A trait that grants the qualification to become a Constellation.

Looking back at why Zhang Liqiu was so intent on killing his brother Shihyuk.

It was highly probable that there could only be one person qualified to become a Constellation.

“Originally, there should only be one of its kind in this world.”

There was no doubt when those words came to mind. Yet, the fact that the Galaxy Arena, after much deliberation, granted him the stigma meant, “Is the Arena hoping for me to compete against Kim Shihyuk?”

Soon after, Kim Shimun let out an empty laugh and shook his head. “That’s unlikely. If they didn’t want me to become a Constellation, it would all be meaningless.” The opposite was true as well.

If Kim Shihyuk were to say, “Hey, I’m going to be the Constellation. Move aside,” the guy would immediately respond with, “Sure! You do it. Is there anything I can help with?”

Either way, “Only one can become the Constellation.”

But why go to the lengths of breaking such strict rules to grant him the stigma?

“Could it be they want me to go to another world and become its Constellation?”

No, surely not. The thought itself made him chuckle. Even when the regular Arena began, traveling to another dimension for anything outside the Arena was almost impossible.

“It’s so absurd that it makes you think all kinds of crazy thoughts.”

-You’re telling me. What are these lunatics thinking? This would require approval from very high up…

The Philosopher’s Stone’s voice faded, seemingly incredulous. Kim Shimun too shook his head and said, “Philosopher’s Stone, is there any downside to receiving the stigma?”

-Yes. It means you can’t become a sponsored one of the Constellation.

“Well, that’s…”

From the perspective of a regular player, it was clearly a disadvantage.

‘But not for me.’

Having already acquired the ability to forge mythic weapons and the title [Chosen by the Constellations], belonging to a specific Constellation would have been an outright loss.

“Let’s think about this later.”

Kim Shimun scratched the back of his head and sighed.

‘With the Galaxy Arena openly trying to shut me up, worrying about it is just going to be a loss for me.’

He would find out in due time. Having lived through the past 30 or so years, Kim Shimun knew this law of life all too well.

“Let’s settle the rewards.”

As he had always done, Kim Shimun invested all of his remaining 8 stat points into mana alchemy energy.

‘So my alchemy energy is 41 now.’

With the title [Chosen by the Constellations] adding +3, his total alchemy energy reached 44. Demonic Ki, being half of the alchemy energy, added another 22.

Just the simple calculation of alchemy energy amounted to the stats of level 44.

And including Demonic Ki, it totaled to the equivalent of level 66 stats, and that was focusing exclusively on those two stats.

“This is truly insane…”

No wonder he made a one-kill on the hidden boss. Of course, the stature of Astrape and the Heavenly Demon Divine Art played a significant part, but those too were underpinned by his formidable stats, thus enabling such power.

“With this, I could even compete with the mid-tier Platinums.”

Excluding the cheeky parts provided by the Philosopher’s Stone, The pure offensive power from focusing solely on key stats was truly immense.

Coupled with enhancing his physical weaknesses through human mana alchemy, he was confident in not falling short against Platinum players.

“That settles the stats then.”

Closing the status window, Kim Shimun immediately opened his inventory.

“So this is the hidden boss reward?”

[Corrupted Seed Fragment]

Grade: F

A piece of a seed tainted by something. The small, black seed fragment was too shabby to be a hidden boss reward.

‘Suspicious.’

Then,

-Oh, look at this? You’ve got something interesting.

The cheerful voice of the Philosopher’s Stone rang out.

-Oppa, someone deliberately sabotaged this.

“Sabotaged? You mean ruined?”

-Yes. It seems like no ordinary seed… anyway, I can tell it’s been destroyed with a power.

“What power?”

-Dragon Force. And a very high level of Dragon Force at that, smashed and refined… anyway! It’s been completely wrecked.

Dragon Force. A type of energy similar to the commonly used magic power. However, ‘The problem is that it’s an energy only usable by dragons.’

Dragons had been despised by Constellation in the past special Arenas and for some reason by the Constellations too.

Therefore, ‘It smells fishy. A very strong suspicious smell.’

And these instincts were seldom wrong. Shimun brought it close to his chest without hesitation.

“Can you appraise this, Philosopher’s Stone?”

-Just a moment.

A series of spiritual energies gathered into the seed through his arm. Soon after.

-Yes, it’s possible. It looks like it’s been damaged using all sorts of methods. Luckily, alchemy was one of them.

A welcome response came.

“Please do this for me.”

-Leave it to me~!

With a spirited reply, the spiritual energy swiftly dissipated. Like stripping rust off of metal. The surface of the dark seed fragment gradually turned into a dark brown hue.

Then, an updated information window appeared above the seed fragment.

[Corrupted Seed Fragment of the World Tree]

Grade: X

Description

-When used in arena matching, you enter ‘Nature’s Decline’.

-Limited to one person.

-Only Gold Rank can enter.

“This is!”

Shimun’s eyes widened as he read the information window. It wasn’t just because he had obtained the rare special arena entry item for the second time.

“The World Tree?!”

The elves, a race from his past life. Behind their beautiful appearances lay a cruelty that reminded one of history’s most fanatic zealots.

Wasn’t the cause of their fanaticism precisely the World Tree? Always mentioning the World Tree no matter what they did.

It was a comedy, not meant to be funny, to be nicknamed. ‘World Tree Parrot’ back then. And now, a seed of that World Tree.

‘An entry item, huh?’

The suspicious smell became even stronger after the appraisal process.

“Philosopher’s Stone. You said this seed fragment was damaged by Dragon Force, right?”

-Right.

The Philosopher’s Stone’s brief reply sparked a glint in Shimun’s eyes.

“I guess we can’t talk about the details because of the Galaxy Arena.”

-Right, as expected, Oppa. You are seriously sharp.

Sharp.

Where on earth did it learn such expressions? Shimun sighed softly, sweeping his bangs back.

“Phew. Let’s just think about it later. After all, we’ll only know after entering.”

At this moment, one option deserved attention. The entrance replica to Gold Rank.

‘I need to hurry and advance to Gold.’

With that thought in mind, Shimun stored the [Corrupted Seed Fragment of the World Tree] into his inventory and stood up. There was something he needed to do before running into the arena.

* * *

“Are you really going to do this? I didn’t think the Night Hunter would look down on us like this.”

“Looking down? That would be you, not me. How many times do I have to tell you?”

A rugged face on a robust body. Indeed. A man who could be described as the epitome of a gangster in terms of both face and build. Park Jinwook spoke with a face full of annoyance.

“I have no obligation to tell you, so get lost.”

“Just tell us one thing for old times’ sake. Is Ranker Kim Shihyuk…”

“Damn it.”

Park Jinwook’s face twisted instantly. However, the man was shocked not merely because of his appearance.

“Do you think my words are trash because I’ve been inactive for a while? Get lost, you bastard!”

Woosh!

His menacing aura erupted.

“Really, it was true… You really recovered from mana petrification!”

Blessing of the Night, an SS-class trait. Feeling the unique chilling aura, the man hurried out of the office.

Had it been the old days, Park Jinwook might have hurled a punch at the back of his head.

“Ha… What a nuisance.”

Knowing the man was associated with the Scorpio Guild, Park Jinwook could only sigh and cool his temper.

“The Scorpio Guild and old times? Senior, looks like you used to play around a lot in the old days, huh?”

“Old times my ass! They just want information on curing mana petrification, so they spew all kinds of nonsense.”

Looking at his handsome younger colleague lying on the office sofa as if it were his own bed,

Park Jinwook thought maybe he should have punched that bastard in the back of the head after all.

“That said, the Scorpio Guild wasn’t always like this.”

“Really?”

“What’s with that meaningful look? I don’t lie. It might be like that now, but it was a pretty decent guild before the previous guild master died.”

At that, Kim Shihyuk slowly nodded his head. According to Park Jinwook,

He was never the type to lie.

‘That’s why I stay close.’

Kim Shihyuk smirked as he watched Park Jinwook pour whiskey into his glass.

“Senior. Drinking in broad daylight? It’s business hours.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m quitting this job? Besides, with my abilities fully restored, do you think a little drink like this would get me drunk?”

Indeed. He was a diamond player. Unless it was alcohol made from the byproducts of the arena, it was hard to get drunk.

This was also evident from the unique energy of the Blessing of the Night while he was threatening an official from the Scorpio Guild earlier.

“Senior, you really have recovered.”

Kim Shihyuk looked at Park Jinwook anew.

“The nerve. You were the first to know and now acting all surprised.”

“Honestly, I didn’t think your mana petrification disease would recover completely. You know, because of possible side effects.”

“Are you doubting your brother’s abilities or what?”

“No! That’s not what I mean!”

Kim Shihyuk’s voice suddenly rose. But his unusual reaction was short-lived.

“If not, then what? Why did you think it was impossible?”

Park Jinwook’s eyes narrowed playfully.

“You little, talking all brotherly, but you were actually looking down on me?”

“Senior.”

“Exactly! After all, it’s a bit awkward to look up to a senior, even if I am a historical supernova and a ranker.”

“Senior? You’re really going to get killed.”

A chill ran up his spine.

As the atmosphere turned icy cold with the junior’s attitude, Park Jinwook scratched his cheek, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“Can’t even joke now, huh?”

“You can if you’re betting your life on it. It’s your life, after all.”

“You’re such a stiff.”

Park Jinwook took a step back.

But he didn’t seem daunted.

‘This brat, really has a weakness for our VVIP, huh?’

Kim Shihyuk, fitting the word ‘perfection,’ showing such a variety of reactions was unexpected.

Hehe!

‘I’ll have to use this tease frequently if he keeps acting all haughty.’

While he had to tread the line cautiously,

If used well, this could be the only weapon to strike the monster brat.

“Why laugh in such an annoying manner?”

“You little. Can’t I laugh as I please in my own office?”

“It’s annoying, that’s why. But really?”

“Damn brat. What’s really?”

“The fact that you were completely cured with just one bottle of the cure he provided.”

“Man, haven’t you realized yet after all this time?”

Park Jinwook stretched his arms out proudly.

Swoosh.

Despite the bright sunlight streaming through the window, Darkness clung around him like night. Night Hunter Park Jinwook. He had returned to his form from when he was a diamond-ranked assassin.

“Truly. He’s really my brother.”

Kim Shihyuk smiled brightly. His smile was filled with pride and satisfaction.

“Did you make it or did your brother make it? Why feel vicariously satisfied?”

“It’s not vicarious satisfaction. It’s natural to be happy when your family accomplishes something great.”

“Oh really? Since when were you moved by others’ achievements…”

“Senior.”

And just like a lie, Kim Shihyuk’s expression turned cold. Park Jinwook reluctantly held back his words.

‘Damn brat. Might as well become a ranker if you find me so disgusting.’

What could he do? For a player, strength was everything.

Then.

Whoosh!

Kim Shihyuk’s previously menacing face swiftly returned to normal. Shortly thereafter,

“Oops!”

Park Jinwook’s face also brightened as they both looked in the same direction. It was the entrance to the office.

Swoosh.

A smoky black energy rose from the entrance and transformed into Park Jinwook. He had teleported using his SS-class trait, Blessing of the Night.

He politely opened the office door, bowing deeply.

“Welcome. We’ve been expecting you.”

“Huh? Did you know I was coming?”

“For our VVIP, I would have turned the country upside down to find out. Come in, come in!”

“Ah? Since when did another V get added?”

Now, they were greeting their VVIP client, Kim Shimun.