Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

Silence.

A suffocating silence weighed heavily over the area.

But it wasn’t the boiling environment around them that made breathing difficult.

‘What is this…?’

A giant of fire, standing 20 meters tall.

‘He said that it could even harm the constellations…’

This fearsome existence from Muspelheim, capable of harming even the constellations.

“Why the hell is it just standing there?!”

It didn’t move an inch, like a statue. The Monkey King, standing on its shoulder, raged.

“Move! Deal with that mutt immediately!!”

Shaa.

The crimson aura that enveloped his whole body fluttered constantly.

『…』

The fire giant didn’t budge an inch. The Monkey King bit his lip hard.

‘Why isn’t it moving?’

His mind raced. But…

‘Could it be that the summoning circle was wrong? Or maybe my spiritual power was insufficient?’

Despite his confusion, his thoughts were clear.

‘Did Suldik do something before he died? Or perhaps the summoning medium that the giant provided was faulty from the start…’

He was meticulously identifying the problems with the current situation.

‘No. No, that’s not it.’

The Monkey King shook his head involuntarily.

‘From the moment this guy was summoned, there couldn’t have been any issues with the summoning process.’

The summoning process itself required extreme precision. From the moment the fire giant was summoned, there could not have been any flaws in the summoning process.

So, the problem was entirely post-summoning. In other words, it was an issue that arose after the summoning had been completed.

‘Yes! Come to think of it!’

The Monkey King’s eyes widened. He had momentarily forgotten due to the sudden kneeling act that surprised him.

‘King… He definitely said “king” didn’t he?!’

The fire giant, who he thought wouldn’t even groan, kneeled and mentioned the word ‘king’. As if to prove his hypothesis.

“Raise your head.”

A low and resonant voice commanded.

Thunk.

The fire giant that didn’t react to the Monkey King’s words stirred. Just as the voice commanded, the fire giant raised only its head. At the same time, the Monkey King’s gaze followed the fire giant’s towards the owner of the voice.

He realized the cause of the situation.

‘That sword… Yes! It’s because of that sword!’

The crimson sword that appeared with a flick of his fingers. Until that sword appeared. Hadn’t the fire giant followed his orders and swung its fist at Kim Shimun?

‘The moment that sword appeared, the trajectory of its fist was altered!’

There was no doubt. And that meant.

‘If I could just hold that sword…’

The fire giant would fall back under his control. Going further.

‘I could surpass the Seven Stars and become the king of the sons of Muspel!’

A fire giant with innate power capable of harming constellations. He could become their king. If that were to happen.

‘Even without the stigma of Huaguo Mountain… I could possess power comparable to constellations!’

The eyes of the Monkey King, filled with despair and shock, now brimmed with deep greed.

Then.

Papapap.

His hands moved so fast they left afterimages. Infused with dark green spiritual energy, his hand movements wove a series of seals too fast for the average person to see.

“Ten Thousand Phenomena Theft!”

With the incantation, the spiritual energy-filled seals dispersed in an instant. A sharp ringing sound, like metal being scraped.

With it, the hands of both the Monkey King and Kim Shimun, or more accurately, the space around them, distorted rapidly.

Haat!

Despite his massive, 4-meter tall muscular frame, the Monkey King moved his arms swiftly. And grasped with his hands.

Clack.

Feeling the heavy weight of the sword.

“Kahahahahat!”

The Monkey King burst into mad laughter instantly.

“Indeed… It’s a treasured sword.”

Just holding it made him feel a warm yet subtle heat and a strange power coursing through him. With greedy eyes, the Monkey King looked it over.

“Fool!”

He looked at Kim Shimun, who was staring blankly at him, his face full of contempt and ridicule.

“No matter how powerful your martial skills are, arrogance like that will lead to this!”

Then.

“Just like that arrogant and foolish Jecheondae-seong!”

Clack.

The crimson sword, Laevateinn, aimed at Kim Shimun.

“Therefore… I shall ensure you meet the same end.”

Killing intent filled the twisted eyes of the Monkey King.

“Go! Son of Muspel! Obey your king’s command and crush that mutt with your palm!”

Roaring furiously, the Monkey King issued his command while holding Laevateinn.

『…』

But the fire giant didn’t move an inch.

“What are you doing?! Hurry….”

Just as the Monkey King was about to issue another command.

『Not the previous user.』

A single message appeared before him.

Then.

『Initiating user qualification procedure.』

『Not a Constellation.』

(Condition fulfilled.)

『No backing star present.』

(Condition fulfilled.)

More messages followed in quick succession.

『Does not have stigma.』

(Condition ‘not fulfilled.’)

With the appearance of one negative message, the subsequent messages abruptly stopped.

Then.

『Initiating incineration procedure.』

With the chilling final message.

Fwoosh!

A blazing red flame erupted over the Monkey King’s entire body as he held Laevateinn.

***

“Aaaargh!”

A scream filled with anguish. It sounded like a scream one would hear in the depths of hell. And no wonder.

Fwoosh!

The Monkey King was engulfed in bright red flames that looked like blood.

Clang.

He quickly threw Laevateinn away, but it was futile.

“Arrgh! So hot! Too hot!!”

The Monkey King smashed his body against the shoulder of the fire giant, then against the neck, jaw, and ear. He was frantically trying to extinguish the flames, but it was in vain.

And then.

Uung.

Laevateinn, which had fallen to the ground, began to vibrate subtly. Like a living creature.

Swaaaash!

It lifted its blade and flew towards Shimun. Hovering in front of him, Laevateinn floated silently. Shimun, who had been staring at it without a word, reached out and grasped the handle.

And then.

『Previous user confirmed.』

With a message Shimun had never seen before.

Uung.

As a familiar ringing sound resonated and a warm energy flowed through, just as before. Shimun knew then.

‘Did he call himself the Monkey King? It looks like there was an issue with using Laevateinn.’

From the beginning, it seemed wrong for Laevateinn to end up in the Monkey King’s hands.

‘Well, I was curious about what would happen if a mythical weapon was used by someone else, so I let him take it.’

It was a momentary impulse. Having never experienced such a situation before. He decided to see what would happen, so he allowed the Monkey King’s foolish tricks to succeed.

Of course.

‘Even if the Monkey King could handle Laevateinn properly, I could have rebounded it immediately.’

Even if the opponent had taken a mythical weapon. Since Shimun was the one who forged it. He could always initiate a rebound, which is why he went along with it.

And now.

‘This confirms it.’

The result was satisfactory.

‘I don’t know about other myth-level weapons, but Laevateinn can’t be used by anyone else.’

Not only was it unusable by others, but it also had a built-in theft protection.

Then.

“Aaaargh!!”

“What, is he still not dead?”

Shimun looked at the Monkey King, who was still screaming. And then.

Kiiing.

‘Ah, it’s because of that red crystal he used earlier?’

Activated Odin’s Eye revealed the cause.

“Then I’ll have to cut through that red energy myself.”

Sreeung.

Shimun gripped Laevateinn tightly and launched himself from the ground.

“Kiiieee…”

Swoosh.

He swiftly beheaded the writhing Monkey King. The Monkey King’s body fell from the fire giant’s shoulder.

Was it because he had cut through the red energy?

Fssh.

The Monkey King turned to ash almost immediately in Laevateinn’s flames. Shimun stared indifferently at the disintegrating body.

“You can go back now as well.”

He commanded to the fire giant, which was standing still like a statue.

『Command…』

With an eerie resonance rather than a sound.

Boom, boom, boom.

The fire giant, which had stood up, returned to the summoning circle where it had first appeared.

And then.

『King…』

With one last fiery gaze towards Shimun.

Fwoosh.

The giant existence vanished into flames as if it had never been there. A different kind of eerie silence settled in.

“Alright then!”

Stretching and cracking his joints, Shimun said.

“Let’s put out the remaining fires.”

Snap.

With a snap of his fingers. He turned towards the wildfire spreading in the distance.

***

Flutter.

As the leaf-made fan swept through the air.

Whoooosh!

A fierce gale blew forward. Leaving behind nothing but blackened ashes and white steam. The fire that had once engulfed the Huaguo Mountain was now completely extinguished.

Not a single ember remained.

“Is the fire finally out now?”

Shimun muttered as he looked back at the charred Huaguo Mountain. As if to confirm his words.

『You have successfully prevented the destruction of the Huaguo Mountain.』

A message indicating the success of the arena appeared.

『You have cleared the ‘Dimensional Destruction Battle’ for the first time on Earth.』

『You have received 30,000 achievement points as a reward.』

A first-time achievement reward was also granted.

Then.

-This is how it ends.

-No! They muted it and then paused the broadcast! Isn’t that too much?

-Of all times, during the crucial battle…ㅠㅠ

-This show is my only joy these days. Replay the paused part!!

-Guys… Be reasonable… Just being able to preview the official arena is…

-True lol. Other unofficial broadcasts pause all the time.

From the Earth chat room,

=Stopping the broadcast midway? Isn’t that too much?

=I get why they muted it, but still. It’s disappointing.

=It’s not that extreme. It’s common for broadcasts to pause when a hidden piece appears.

=Indeed. Forcing them to show it is rather odd.

To the chatrooms of other dimensions,

Many voiced their disappointment over the muting and pausing of the broadcast.

“I apologize for that. But as some of you mentioned, we couldn’t share important information without a reason.”

Shimun responded politely yet firmly.

-True… Even Gold doesn’t share information easily.

-Seriously, most special arena streams are filled with pauses. lol

-Exactly. It’s just that Shimun had to pause it while streaming.

-He’s different in essence from those bad actors.

-Think about what you’ve gained. You even get to see chat from other dimensions here!

The viewers eventually expressed their understanding.

In response.

“Alright then, everyone. This concludes today’s broadcast. Take care.”

-Shiba~ (Shimun Bye)

-X-ba~ (X-farewell)

-Wow, look at that guy’s audacity ;; Newbie, I guess?

-Be careful. The manager has a ban hammer.

『Manager ‘Black Goat’ has kicked Tlqkgksdo out.』

-Black Goat: Careful my foot. Learn it the hard way.

Shimun delivered his farewell message and ended the broadcast.

At that moment.

『The arena is concluding.』

The system announced the end of the arena.

Then.

Whish!

The ashen Huaguo Mountain vanished as if erased by an eraser, revealing an empty black void. Interestingly. The immediate area around Shimun still retained the scorched Huaguo Mountain.

The reason was simple.

-So… I can speak now, right?

The voice of a Constellation. There was still business left with the Constellation who requested Shimun as a mercenary.

Shimun nodded slightly.

“Of course. I need to receive my reward.”

As participation in the arena was due to a mercenary request, while experience points were automatically awarded, Material rewards like items had to be collected directly from the requester.

-Don’t worry about your reward. I’ll give you the most I can. But first! Don’t we have some unresolved matters?

The voice of the Constellation asked.

“Unresolved matters? Ah! You mean how I came to wield the Plant Fan?”

Shimun responded after a moment of pondering.

-Besides that! How you know that perverted old man! Why that crazy Lucifer is with you! And what your connection to that dangerous Muspelheim is! Everything!

The Constellation’s voice poured out words rapidly.

Then.

-Seriously, dumb monkey. Those are questions he has no reason to answer.

Lucifer’s voice cut in.

-Forget that. Shimun… No, Shimun hyung? What about looking at that fragment you took from Cobran Suldik? Surely even more Devil Energy can be absorbed.

Lucifer suggested, referring to the fragment obtained from Cobran Suldik.

-You bastard! This is my arena! I requested him to be summoned!!

The Constellation raised its voice immediately.

Seeing the signs of yet another petty argument starting.

“Stop it. I’ll check that fragment when we return. Lucifer, stay quiet.”

Shimun swiftly laid down the law.

-Kya! That’s why you’re so wise and have such allies like the matriarch and the perverted old man!

The Constellation’s voice expressed immense satisfaction.

However.

-Hmph! Stupid monkey. This might be your last arena, but I’ll be with Shimun hyung forever! Nyah~.

Lucifer responded in an annoying and childish tone.

Surprisingly.

-That damn troublemaker! Do you really want to die?!

The voice of the Constellation was temporarily enraged by such teasing. But it seemed Lucifer had already disappeared, as no further response was heard.

-Hoo… Hey, Kim Shimun. Is what that damn troublemaker said true?

The Constellation, taking a deep breath, asked.

-Will you really not answer my questions? Huh?

It inquired in a subtle tone.

Shimun nodded.

“Yes, I can’t tell you.”

Not just about alchemy the myth-level weapon.

“To be honest, I don’t fully understand the fundamental reasons behind your questions.”

After all, Shimun himself didn’t know much about Lucifer or Muspelheim’s detailed circumstances.

‘Even something like the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, I managed to learn thanks to the Heavenly Demon’s favor…’

Though the influence of the title ‘He Who Attracts the Gaze from Beyond’ also played a part. Regardless, the depth of the Constellation’s curiosity was something Shimun couldn’t fully grasp either.

Perhaps realizing this sincerity:

-If you don’t know, there’s no helping it.

The Constellation replied without much regret.

-Then, for stopping the destruction of Huaguo Mountain…

As the Constellation was about to provide a reward.

『The Constellation Heavenly Demon clears his throat with a ‘Khm!’』

The Heavenly Demon suddenly intervened.

-What’s this about? Perverted old man, why are you butting in?

The Constellation voiced its confusion.

『The Constellation Heavenly Demon clears his throat even louder with a ‘Krrhm!!’』

The Heavenly Demon responded with another, louder cough, sending an ambiguous signal.

-Perverted old man, have you gone senile?

However, at the continued inquiry.

『The Constellation Heavenly Demon sighs heavily with, ‘You idiot! Tsk. Never mind. Just rot there forever.’』

In the end, the Heavenly Demon gave up.

-That crazy old man! His rotten temper is as horrible as ever, even if he’s gone senile!

The Constellation shouted in fury.

But.

“It seems like I can do something for you.”

Despite not knowing the Heavenly Demon for a long time, Shimun, who had seen him since the early stages of his regression, knew what he wanted.

-Huh? A human can do something for me? What does that even mean…?

The Constellation expressed doubt. But then, as if realizing something.

-Wait. Now that you mention it, the Plant Fan, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Devil Energy, and Laevateinn… Could it be?!

The Constellation’s voice, previously muttering to itself, asked in a tone filled with surprise.

-Kim Shimun! Can you maybe break my seal too?!