Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

Chapter 45. Promotion Battle (3)

TL: xLordFifth
ED/PR: The reader

With a thunderous explosion, the ground burst apart. Choi Jinsu swiftly avoided it with a jump and immediately thrust forward his arm, which had transformed due to his beastification. However,

Crack.

As if it had been lying in wait, a stone fist shot up from below, targeting his elbow precisely and imposing a restriction on him.

“Damn this magic!”

Frustrated, Choi Jinsu smashed it to pieces and quickly back-stepped to put distance between them.

Then,

Boom!

The ground burst open once again. This time, however, it wasn’t a stone fist that was embedded in the ground but the slender fist of a man. More unsettling than this unbalanced scene was,

‘What the heck? What kind of ability is this?!’

Choi Jinsu couldn’t help but frown, realizing his attacks were being perfectly blocked continually.

‘How does he block my attacks every time?’

Choi Jinsu, who had completely freed himself from the constraints of transformation through the combination of beastification and the Druid profession, and whose combat strength, enhanced by his past experience as a UFC heavyweight fighter, should have been leagues beyond that of a typical abyss player.

Yet, this Kim Shimun was blocking his attacks far too easily. In fact, the expression. ‘blocking’ itself seemed almost comical.

‘He’s reading my movements perfectly.’

Perhaps it was his years of experience in martial arts, but Choi Jinsu instinctively knew. The counterattacks, returning with unnatural strength that didn’t match the physique, were not just about their power. The opponent was piercing through his movements, blocking them at the perfect timing.

Snap.

Kim Shimun’s fingers flicked once more.

‘What now!’

Already painfully experienced through several exchanges of attacks and defenses, that finger snap meant trouble.

‘Frontal!’

Feeling the hairs on the front of his body stand, Choi Jinsu immediately presented his back.

Crunch.

In an instant, a hard carapace covered Jinsu’s broad back.

Boom!

“Ugh!”

The impact was forcefully conveyed through his entire back. However, the SS-class beastification and his spirit, having lived through his career as a professional fighter, allowed him to swallow the pain whole.

Caught.

“Got you, you damn thing!”

He finally created an opportunity to catch that troublesome opponent.

“You’re Kim Shimun, right? Ptooey!”

Spitting out the blood in his mouth roughly, Choi Jinsu raised his right arm.

“Thanks to you hiding like a rat and scratching me, I’ve had a hard time. So…”

Crunch.

Like a wolf, his arm began to thicken and grow even larger, and understandably, his left arm, which had captured Kim Shimun, tightened its grip even more.

“Now die.”

As if venting out all the frustration from only being hit up until now, Choi Jinsu’s bear-like arm swung down with a ferocious force.

However,

Click.

Choi Jinsu’s arm was caught far too easily. Like a branch caught between solid rocks, his massive bear claw couldn’t budge at all.

“Eek!”

Was it the first time he had been blocked purely by strength? Or was it because he had been grabbed by a slender and pale hand, the exact opposite of a bear’s limb?

Instead of immediately following up with his sharp fangs, Choi Jinsu,

“With such a frail arm!”

Crushed.

He exerted more strength into his captured arm, pressing down harder. It was a battle of pride, in a sense.

However, the expression on the face of Kim Shimun, blocking his arm, was excessively calm.

Hum.

A faint buzzing sound flowed from Kim Shimun’s left eye. With that, a peculiar magic circle—no, circles—started to rotate in front of him. It was not until then that Choi Jinsu realized. It wasn’t a magic circle but multiple magic circles.

Sshhh.

Interlocking like gears, the golden magic circles spun together. His animalistic instincts, heightened by the Beastification Trait, screamed a strong warning.

‘That’s dangerous.’

With a gaze that felt as if his entire body was being stripped bare, Choi Jinsu quickly folded his pride, which he had been upholding until now, and immediately gaped open his mouth.

Crack.

“Kraaah!”

***

Fangs slicing through the air. In a situation where they were grappling each other’s arms in a standoff, it was a considerably threatening attack. However, Shimun’s eyes watching the scene were remarkably calm.

He had no choice but to be.

‘I can see it.’

The ferociously sharp fangs flying straight at him. They seemed to be moving at an agonizingly slow pace to Shimun, even though they appeared poised to bite into his neck any moment.

‘Left side, no, it’s the right.’

Choi Jinsu, moving forcibly within a frozen world in Shimun’s left field of view. Choi Jinsu, charging like a furious beast, visible in the right.

Surprisingly, instead of acting independently as one might expect given the division of the view, Shimun’s bifurcated vision showed a perfect harmony, displaying the trajectory of the incoming attack.

Having briefly used the eyes of Odin, he realized, ‘The closer the opponent, and depending on whether they are in my field of view or not, the information I receive varies immensely.’

Between the fluttering fur and fangs, down to the droplets of saliva scattering in the air. From the moment Shimun faced Choi Jinsu, he had been piercingly aware of all his movements. And when they were this close.

A faint ringing filled his ears, and Choi Jinsu, standing before him, was illuminated in a gentle golden light. Technically, it was correct to say that this is how it appeared to Shimun’s left eye.

Soon.

-“Oppa, analysis complete. I’ll mark the weak point.”

Following the voice of the Philosopher’s Stone, the faint golden light swirling around Choi Jinsu swiftly converged towards his solar plexus.

‘There it is. Good job.’

-“Hehe! I didn’t do much, really.”

At those words, the corners of Shimun’s mouth slightly lifted. Indeed, as the Philosopher’s Stone had said, operating the specialized eye of Odin was entirely based on his own alchemy energy.

However, the method of using Odin’s eyes, inscribed upon specialization, was incredibly perplexing for the average person. If it hadn’t been synchronized with the Philosopher’s Stone, even Shimun would have struggled considerably.

“Then…”

In the slowed world, Shimun’s head and body leisurely bent downwards.

Click!

A hard sound resonated, brushing past Shimun’s crown—the sound of Choi Jinsu’s ferocious mouth closing.

“Goodbye, Choi Jinsu-ssi.”

Shimun’s fist, now ensnared in demonic ki,

Unhesitatingly aimed for the weak point identified by Odin’s eyes, Choi Jinsu’s solar plexus.

Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Supreme Emperor’s Demolition Strike.

A torrent of demonic energy, embodying the essence of an exquisite martial art, surged violently.

Kuaaaaang!

The collision between the fist and the solar plexus created an unbelievably explosive sound. Choi Jinsu, with limbs and head covered in fur contrasting with his torso covered in a shell as sturdy as a turtle’s, though not as durable as his back, the front boasted a hardness enviable even by standard armors.

“…Cough!”

Choi Jinsu could only vomit blood, his solar plexus punctured.

“Damn it…”

Thunk.

Perhaps he never imagined he would be killed in a single blow?

Choi Jinsu fell to the ground with a face full of horror, yet his gaze did not leave Shimun’s face.

‘Indeed, the Beast King. You’re tenacious even now.’

As if vowing to remember Shimun, Choi Jinsu’s last moments seemed to convey such determination, eliciting a hollow laugh and a nod from Shimun.

After all,

Even after the fall of South Korea, wasn’t he the Beast King who had shown formidable tenacity and competitiveness in China?

‘It feels rather strange. To have brought down such a high-ranked player with my own hands…’

Of course, now he was merely a player of the Silver rank, not a high-ranker. Yet, knowing the beast-like man’s future, Shimun felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

[The Constellation Odin exclaims, ‘To have identified a weakness already… His eye widen in astonishment.’]

[The Constellation Black Goat watches Odin’s eye with a peculiar gaze.]

The constellation’s comments snapped Shimun back to reality. He gently closed his eyes, retracting the activated alchemy energy. Then,

Swish.

The golden magical circle began fading until it disappeared entirely. When Shimun opened his eyes again, his irise had returned to their original state from the golden glow they held before.

“Whew. Just as much as its effectiveness, the consumption of my spiritual power is significant.”

Visualizing the unseen in his mind, somewhat akin to a radar or map hack functionality.

But utilizing it in such a way, to keep an opponent within his sight and analyze them to find their weaknesses, expended a spiritual power equal to that required by the initial technique of Heavenly Demon Divine Arts, Demolition Strike.

“The physical toll isn’t light either.”

Had it not been for the increase in stats from consuming spiritual medicine, the all-in investment of his spiritual power, and related titles, he would have most certainly collapsed from exhaustion.

Shimun lightly rubbed his slightly numb left eye, perhaps due to the warmth of his palm, the numbness swiftly faded away. After taking a moment to regulate his breath and recover his pace, a tremendously glittering light caught the corner of his vision.

It was a chat notification.

– Crazy… It’s just one-sided damage exchange.

– Isn’t that person Choi Jinsu? Isn’t he considered the strongest in the current Korean Silver League?

– Yeah. Seeing him use Beastification confirms it. I heard the Myth Guild has been sending him love calls.

– Wow, the Myth Guild? Is that just a rumor?

– No, you’re right. He totally destroyed a promising member of the Myth Guild not too long ago.

– He’s making even the promising guild members unable to move. He’s wiping them out in one hit lol.

As soon as he opened the chat window, a torrent of messages flooded in. The speed was so fast that even an Awakened like Shimun struggled to keep up with his eyes.

– Mom! When. I grow up, I want to be Kim Shimun! Mom! When. I grow up, I want to be Kim Shimun!

– Look at that dominance! Not just his fingers are overpowered.

– Even so, it’s just the Silver huh. Why are they hyping him up so much? So disgusting lol.

– If you don’t like it, get out, you jerk!

[Deep Sea Slaughterer has donated AP 100.]

=This is the realm of magic! Isn’t the arena dizzying?

[It’s Really Silver has donated AP 500.]

=The hero of Silver! On to Gold~!!

Despite the spam, the sheer volume of messages made the spam less noticeable.

Furthermore, the continuous flow of donations turned the chat box into a true maelstrom of chaos.

“Thank you for the donations and support. I’ll properly thank you all when I’m wrapping up the stream. Please refrain from spamming and engage in mannered chatting,” Shimun said, managing the chat with a brief comment, then opened the manager’s chat window.

The reason was simple.

-Kim Shimun: If possible, could you mute those who spam, curse, or cause trouble?

-Constellation Black Goat: Just a mute? Wouldn’t it better to just cut them off?

-Kim Shimun: No. Please only remove those who use severe profanity or cross the line.

-Constellation Black Goat: Pity, but OK! I’ll take care of it. Let the olds stay quiet.

-Constellation Zeus: That’s funny. Wondering who’s the oldest here?

-Constellation Black Goat: … I’m really going to visit Olympus soon, you son of a…!

The manager’s chat heated up as much as the main chat box.

Thankfully, maybe because a Constellation was indeed a Constellation.

[Manager ‘Constellation Black Goat’ has kicked Professional Troll.]

[Manager ‘Constellation Black Goat’ has kicked djrmfhwhgdk.]

[Manager ‘Constellation Black Goat’ has…]

-Oh! The Goat’s got her game back!

-Get rid of all the spam bugs!

While Black Goat was heating up the manager’s chat, she also slaughtered the main chat with her remarkable feat.

Seeing this, Shimun scratched his cheek lightly.

‘I trust her, but…’

He wondered if it was alright to let a Constellation handle such matters.

– Look how clean it’s gotten.

-lol. The chat instantly turned into first-class water quality, didn’t it?

– Performance is guaranteed. Truly the Troll Slayer King God Goat!

– Crazy Troll Butcher! Black Goat!

[Constellation Black Goat looks very pleased with the chat box cleanup.]

Seeing the reactions of both the chat and Black Goat, Shimun brushed aside his worries.

‘Well, if she’s happy with it.’

With a shrug, Shimun opened the arena board.

Having just dealt with Choi Jinsu, he was in first place with a total of 26 kills.

In second place, someone was trailing with only 5 kills.

‘Without Odin’s Eye, 26 kills would have been impossible.’

If not for Odin’s Eye allowing him to see through the complex and dark sewers like map hack, he would have struggled even to find players nearby, let alone Choi Jinsu.

Shimun stretched his arms out wide and loosened up his body.

“Alright! With this, first place is secure. I should recover and take a rest for a while.”

Thanks to the Philosopher’s Stone and his incredible stats, his spiritual power was rapidly recovering even at this moment.

However, the mental fatigue was real due to Odin’s Eye. Leaning comfortably against the wall of the passage, Shimun crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

That’s when.

Thud, thud.

A slight vibration traveled through the wall he was leaning on.

‘Is someone fighting nearby? Judging by the vibrations, it seems quite powerful… Could it be a magic user.’

Despite being of Silver rank, it was an attack powerful enough to cause vibrations. Kim Shimun, with his eyes closed, lightly tapped his elbow with his fingers, contemplating.

‘If it’s magic-related, unforeseen variables could arise, so it’s better to deal with it beforehand, right?’

Resting was something he could do anytime. To preemptively block any potential variables, Kim Shimun pushed himself up from where he leaned.

Soon after.

“Hm?” Kim Shimun, turning towards the direction of the vibrations, tilted his head in curiosity. And for good reason.

*Thud, thud.*

‘It’s coming from inside the wall?’

The vibrations he had attributed to magic were now evidently emanating from the very wall he had leaned against.

Kim Shimun placed his ear against the wall and, with a snap, honed all his senses through body tempering. Then,

*Boom! Boom!*

…!

‘Am. I hearing voices too?’

The vibrations felt significantly stronger, and he could faintly make out what seemed to be voices.

‘I need to check this out properly.’

Kim Shimun gathered his nearly fully recovered tempering power, focusing on his left eye.

*Keening.*

Enchantment circles, glowing golden, began to materialize before his eyes. The activated Eye of Odin started to penetrate the dark sewer walls.

Soon after.

[Access to this area is denied to players.]

[Further interference may result in disqualification from the arena or other penalties.]

A series of warning messages floated before Kim Shimun’s eyes.

‘A restricted area?’

What could possibly be beyond that wall for the Galaxy Arena to personally issue a warning? Regardless.

‘No helping it.’

If the Galaxy Arena was issuing a warning, there must be a reason. Besides, the Eye of Odin made it clear that a barrier beyond the wall was something he could not break through with his power alone.

Kim Shimun was about to give up and look elsewhere for arena participants when.

*Whirring.*

“Hm?”

That was until a faint tinnitus emanated from his inventory.

“This is…”

A beautiful ingot of near-pure white silver. It was mithril. As he took it out,

[Doria Mountain Mithril Ingot ownership confirmed. Assessing eligibility for access……]

[Assessment complete. Access granted.]

Accompanied by the system’s notification, the barrier beyond the wall became visibly lighter.

‘Looks like. I can cross over now.’

Kim Shimun was about to snap his fingers, precisely intending to, when.

*Roar!*

“Whoa!”

Before the wall suddenly exploded. Debris fell all around, among which was a lifeform Kim Shimun had once encountered.

“This is… a drakan?”

An abnormally developed torso, relatively inferior lower body, and a rather dull face – this bloodied creature was unmistakably a drakan, a lower-tier dragon species.

However, Kim Shimun couldn’t just stand in shock.

*Step.*

“Ah, Ah! You failed to control your strength again.”

From the collapsed wall, a voice that seemed to belong to a girl emanated. Kim Shimun’s golden eyes swiftly scanned the individual amid the ruins – her hair braided down to her knees in two plaits, large eyes, and a small stature reaching about his waist.

Yet, despite such a build, ‘A hammer?’

A giant hammer, fitting for the Beast King Cho Jinsu, emitted a totally opposite aura to the girl’s adorable appearance.

Most of all, “Going to get scolded by Uncle Makur again for breaking the sewer… Huh? What?!”

This mysterious girl seemed to know him quite well.

“Benefactor!!”